One on One With Nigeria’s Tayo Aina – Businessman Extraordinaire & Socialite
Tayo Aina is one of Africa’s foremost lifestyle and business content creators. He has a prominent YouTube channel that has nearly half a million subscribers. Tayo has interviewed several marquee entrepreneurs, socialites and industry specialists. He creates and curates some of the best real estate documentaries and films on the continent. The Hype Magazine’s Life & Style Correspondent, Charles Myambo (CM) had an interview with Tayo Aina (TA). Below are some excerpts from the interview.
Nigerian Socialite – “Tayo Aina”
CM: You are one of the frontrunners when it comes to championing positive change and empowerment within Africa. What inspired you to take up this mantle?
TA: I’m someone who finds joy in creating value and doing something that has never been done before. If it’s gonna impact people positively, you’ll find me doing it. When I discovered storytelling, I realized I could use it as a powerful tool to change the mindset of people about Africa by creating content that helped reduce the negative perception people had about us. I realized that there were many positive things happening on the continent that nobody had really deemed fit to showcase so I got to work to tell these important stories. I really didn’t know where it was gonna end up because at the beginning, storytelling was just a way for me to express myself and it gradually morphed into finding a way to make an impact through my work.
CM: At present, you are the proprietor of one of Africa’s biggest lifestyle YouTube channels (nearly 500K subscribers). Walk us through the journey that culminated in you becoming such a prominent influencer.
TA: So before YouTube, I had tried out running different businesses that didn’t work out. I once had a restaurant in my university called Mr Macaroni that failed within 7 months. I had also tried to startup an event company that also didn’t work out. After these heavy failures I decided to try working in a regular 9-5 job at a motorcycle shop in Lagos selling motorcycle gears. I did this for 3 months before quitting because I knew this wasn’t what I saw myself doing long term. Then Uber came to Nigeria and I discovered that I could ride people around Lagos and to make money so I joined. It was through this process that I started to notice that many of the places in Lagos were not being documented so I started making videos with my phone and posting to Instagram which got some positive comments from friends. I think I had like 1,000 followers then. This created some momentum for me and I decided I was gonna learn as much as possible about this new creative art. I started by watching tons of videos about editing and storytelling on YouTube. The more I researched, the more my love deepened and I just fell in love with the process of making videos and eventually uploading to YouTube and as they say, the rest is history.
CM: Tayo, what does being an influencer encompass and what are some of the challenges that ensued once you became a public figure?
TA: I’m not really a fan of the word influencer, I prefer the word storyteller or filmmaker. I believe being in this position comes with a lot of responsibility. You have to say and do the right thing every time which can be exhausting since we are all human and we make mistakes, you have to make sure you are this great example for everyone else. People also tend to place you on a pedestal and expect you to behave a certain way even if that’s not who you are. The public will assume they know you because your life is out there on the internet. It’s great to want to build a connection with your audience but the line gets blurred sometimes and your privacy takes a hit. I have had instances where I’m at a restaurant and then someone comes to my table, sits down and starts a conversation even though that’s the last thing I wanted to do at that moment. Sometimes you are in a bad mood and people see you on the street and wanna talk and take pictures, you have to brighten up for them so they have a great first experience even if that’s not how you are feeling. What can you do? It’s a gift and a curse.
CM: Still on the subject of “challenges”. I reckon you have dealt with your fair share of doubters and naysayers prior to your rise. Are there instances of being doubted by peers which readily come to mind?
TA: There have been some but I don’t even notice them. I’m too busy trying to overcome my own self to notice. I believe every human’s greatest enemy is the person they see when they look in the mirror and for me this is who I’m trying to overcome so I don’t really notice anybody else. There is still a long journey ahead so we keep pushing forward.
CM: You had the privilege to interview fellow socialites, millionaires, billionaires and a multitude of pioneers. What are some of the interviews which you relished the most and why?
TA: One of my best interviews in my opinion was the one I had in Lagos with Iyin Aboyeji, M.I Abaga and Remi Dada. It was really insightful because these were all people from different fields sharing their different life philosophies. It was great to see how they thought about stuff and approached problems. I learnt a lot that day and I still go back to watch that interview from time to time.
CM: Am I correct in my deduction that housing/property development for Africans is something you care about very deeply? Could you kindly elaborate on the subject matter as well.
TA: I have always loved design, architecture and real estate. This event led me to studying and graduated with a real estate degree while I was in university. The African angel came when I started traveling and coming across homes and different ways people were building and constructing properties. I realized it differed from country to country and there was a lot we could all learn from each other so I started documenting real estate projects across Africa.
CM: Onto a more sensitive topic. Nigerians, despite comprising the majority of the most successful Africans in the world, still have to deal with a lot of prejudice especially when it comes to the subject of “scamming”. How does that feel for you as a Nigerian native?
TA: It’s a sore spot for me especially as a traveler who has been constantly profiled as a scammer just because I had a green passport or because I am a Nigerian. I believe we have a lot of work to do in changing this narrative, not just overseas, but also among our African countries. The Nigerians who have gone out there to spoil our image need to also realize that everything they do has a ripple effect for those coming after them. They need to be more responsible and upstanding citizens wherever they may find themselves.
CM: What does the future hold for Africa’s pride, Mr Tayo Aina?
TA: The future looks really bright. My plan is to keep finding new ways and strategies to give people more value through everything that I create. I would like to start some educational programmes in the future that will help people find out and develop their passion. I would also like to play in the tech space soon by solving problems through scalable products.
Tayo Aina @ Work
About the Author
Charles Myambo (@BigChaz14 on Twitter) is a columnist and correspondent for industry leader, The Hype Magazine. He is also well known for being a multiple genre #1 Amazon best selling author. In addition to that, Charles is a credentialed journalist as seen in Muck Rack & Press Reader and he is also a highly touted celebrity news correspondent. Moreover, Charles is an international celebrity host and interviewer who has been covered by some of the world's biggest publications. At present, his interviews have been covered by credible journalistic outlets such as Medium, Flipboard, Press Reader, Muck Rack and many others. He is also a columnist for huge African newspapers such as NewsDay, Daily News, iHarare, ZiFM Stereo (radio station), H-Metro, The Financial Gazette as well as several other European and American publications. (@charlesmyambo on Instagram)
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