THE ARTS OF TURNING DREAMS TO REALITY, JOHN OBIDI
It could be argued that life pulls too hard and that giving up is acceptable if the weight becomes too great. For the young Obidi, however, who believed it was prudent to face life head-on and fully, such was not the case. A vision made every obstacle he encountered worthwhile he was in a new town with potential for misfortune. His narrative serves as a reminder that “Nothing good ever comes easy” and that “a man must fight with what he has in order to get what he wants” are true statements. Is a man’s dream ever sufficient to propel his boat to success?
Obidi John was born on September 9, 1986, into a middle-class family in the Delta State city of Ibusa. He is the CEO and founder of Headstart, formerly known as “Smart B Camp.” Despite studying computer science at Benson Idahosa University in Benin City, he was unable to find employment that would adequately compensate for the coursework he completed within the university’s walls.
He enrolled in online courses in the start of 2012 to learn the fundamentals of web development and to become a programming instructor in Benin City. This was a huge step toward his success.Despite Nigeria’s terrible internet connectivity, he acquired himself useful skills in social media and programming through online publications and videos.
It takes a lot of perseverance to allow desire drive one to travel 118 kilometers from one’s hometown of Ibusa to Asaba in order to gain internet access for learning and practicing programming. Equipped with the necessary knowledge and abilities to fulfill his life’s mission, Obidi realized he needed a better setting in which to put his newfound knowledge into practice. Naturally, Lagos Lagos which is the economic capital of Nigeria was the First choice on his list.
In 2013, he took a really drastic decision, a 27 year old Obidi boarded a bus to Lagos to attend‘’Mastering the Business of your Talent Master class’’ by Steve Harris. He also used the opportunity to test the waters about the prospect of moving there on a permanent basis.
In February 2014, he relocated to Lagos, to begin his lifelong dreams that would later turn into a Success story for those who looked up to him, Judging by his early days in Lagos, Obidi could just packed up and returned home to Ibusa but, in the immortal words of Robert Schuller: ‘’tough times don’t last, only tough people do.’’ He picked up the courage and kept on grinding, because he knew what he wanted.
Obidi started out volunteering to help with web development and live streaming for events while concretizing his credentials as a social media expert. His lifelong dreams were beginning to become a reality; he got high paying jobs from telecoms giant like MTN among others.
A year later, the restless Obidi was on to something new. He started SmartBCamp which he called a community that bridges the gap between working professionals across various professions in Nigeria. The idea was a product of his weekly Smart Business Teleseminars with people tuning from various countries all around the world. The major attraction of SmartBCamp is that all the information accessed on it are totally free. SmartBCamp was later renamed Headstart Africa and is one of the fastest growing group its kind across all social media platforms.
He started ObidiSocial.com, a platform which creates exposure for brands and businesses on the internet, using Social Media.
Obidi Social is also dedicated to empowering SMEs with globally competitive tools and strategies and he teaches businesses how to generate leads, get customers and increase revenue using Social Media while it also provides training and consulting solutions for its clients.
The young Obidi has earned himself various Recognitions and Awards, as a result of his impact to the society, Listed on the Business Day CEO Magazine Class of 2018; Won Avance Media’s 100 most Influential young Nigerians (Personal Development and Academia Category) 2017; Won the Future Awards Africa Prize for New Media in 2013.
Obidi has shown what it’s like to win, and he has a lesson that people could learn from using his five value creed which includes;
*There is value in choosing the straight and narrow
*There is value in living your noblest truth with passion and purpose.
*There is value in cleaning up your act and redeeming the times with radical focus
*There is value in remembering your creator while you are young.
*There is value in committing to building competence and learning early to boldly communicate your best ideas with confidence, clarity and certainty.
This young man has grown to be a Community leader, Personal development, spirituality trainer, international speaker, business and personal brand consultant. Software company founder, brand influencer. John Obidi; a 32-year-old, fast rising, all-round Nigerian entrepreneur. When you seek for a man that got battled, you’ve found him.
