Why Your Side Project Isn't a Real Startup

Why Your Side Project Isn't a Real Startup

From Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint by Tavershima Ayede

April 29, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of part-time startups in Nigeria and emphasizes the need for full-time commitment to achieve business success.

Stop playing startup! I’ve been consulting for a while now, and I’m seeing a worrisome trend in the Nigerian tech ecosystem. I see teams of three, four, or five people who say they have a startup, but every single one of them is in full-time employment elsewhere. When I try to schedule a meeting, everyone is busy "answering yes sir" to their bosses or going on work trips for their 9-to-5s. If you are all part-time, who is actually running the business? A startup has two primary goals: validating the business idea (product-market fit) and securing funding. You cannot achieve these on a "nights and weekends" schedule. Customer acquisition isn’t something that happens by itself; it’s a full-time battle. If you’re only responding to procurement emails at 9:30 PM after two hours in Lagos traffic, you’re not doing well with the lead. Furthermore, investors notice when there is no "skin in the game." Why would someone drop millions of Naira into your idea when you aren't even fully committed to it? I have a client who has been "playing startup" for years without even validating their core concept because they lack a full-time driver. My advice? If…

People in this episode

Host: Tavershima Ayede

Topics covered

  • startup culture
  • full-time commitment
  • business validation
  • customer acquisition
  • Nigerian tech ecosystem

Keywords

  • startup
  • Nigerian tech
  • business validation
  • full-time CEO
  • customer acquisition

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Nigeria, Kenya

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