Introducing, The #HustleTales Podcast

Eloz, allow me to introduce the #HustleTales podcast hosted by myselfu. With this podcast, the focus is on telling the stories of African entrepreneurs, the hurdles they have jumped to make sure their businesses stay afloat, the failures they’ve experienced and how they dealt with them.

And because of the subject matter, it’s only right that I give some background, tikwe?

In 2016, there was an interview series with silicon valley entrepreneurs on LifeHacker called ‘How I work’ that I used to enjoy reading for tips on effectively running a business. But the context wasn’t relevant to me most of the time so I used their format and started looking for local innovators to learn from and share their experiences. #HustleTales was born.

The email interview method wasn’t efficient coz no one is busier than entrepreneurs so it was taking forever to get responses. I thought about voice interviews but after trying one, I decided that transcribing life wasn’t for me. I was also too broke, as it goes with the hustle, so I couldn’t afford to pay someone. The podcast idea started to take shape.

But podcasts required money to produce, which as we’ve already established I didn’t have much of. So the journey to find a studio partner started. 8 Media Pictures finally took me on in April 2018 and the thing was getting clearer.

The focus had also changed from how innovators go about their day to day affairs to focusing on the low points of the journey and how they got through them. As someone who had tried their hands at many things with varying levels of success, the shine on entrepreneurship had faded and I wanted to create a resource on the struggles that I wish I’d had when starting out.

The issue is this was a home studio located all the way in Kungu those ends. Getting my interviewees there proved to be a trick. Again, entrepreneurs can be busy. Also, Eugene, at whose home we were recording, was also hustling at the time so scheduling became a trick. But, we managed to record 8 episodes with some amazing folks. It took us 8 months coz of said issues…

Then Eugene got a job with Motiv and became even busier. So busy we agreed him finalising the episodes wouldn’t be possible so I’d have to find a different editor. Then covid made an appearance and so did procrastination of the highest order. I wasn’t exactly rolling in money either so there was that too.

But 2 years later, I have pulled up my socks and the podcast is ready for the public. Our first guest is Enywaru Pius, Co-founder of Fastlane Media. From dropping out of school to starting a media company with friends and experiencing growing pains, there should be plenty to learn from him. Check it out here. 

You can also listen to the #HustleTales on MCI Radio, an online youth radio based at my workplace, the MCI Media Hub. Download the radio app from here and listen to all the great programming we have for you,  or listen from your browser here.

Episodes drop weekly.