Around May 16, 2024, we had a serious debate in my alumni group regarding the topic we discussed yesterday: Which should you focus on first, business or investing?

As you might guess, the majority pointed to investing. Almost 9 out of 10 people argued that passive investment is the ultimate way forward.

Just to give you an idea of the demographic: everyone in that group graduated less than ten years ago. So, you can tell a large extent that we are a group of young people.

But here is what most failed to realize: those companies you are investing in, or the brokers helping you invest, are running businesses themselves.

Instead of digging for gold (investing), they are selling you the shovels (running business).

It then dawned on me that the default state of human nature is comfort. Not that people don’t like the idea of business; they just want to avoid the heat that comes with it.

My friend, the heat of business is real. You can have millions in your account today and be scraping around for data subscription money the next day because you had to reinvest or cover overhead costs.

But as a youth, that is a burden you should carry with all joy in your heart. The scriptures capture this in Lamentations 3:27: “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.”

When you are young, strong, and growing, you can bear the yoke of entrepreneurship. You must lean more towards business than investment. Do the hard work of building. (Of course, if you inherited generational wealth, your case is unique).

And when it is time to invest, there is an order to it: Invest in yourself first, your business second, and then others.

Thank you for reading.

Keep building. See you tomorrow, if God wills.

— Oluboba