A single storm can erase a fortune—but it can’t erase the person you became earning it. We sit down with a former street seller from Labadi who took a messenger job, treated every small task like a test, and turned that discipline into real capital. He walks us through the practical playbook: seasonal arbitrage in maize, margin stacking by buying a truck, and the leap into exporting coffee. Then the turn—an uninsured warehouse, heavy rains, total loss—and the decision to sell his car to pay his team. The lessons hit hard: hedge concentration risk, insure inventory, build liquidity buffers, and never confuse hunger with greed.

What sets this story apart is the mindset. He calls his first million “an opening,” not a destination, and shows how composure beats drama when markets break your plan. We dig into the three seasons of work—grind early to build capacity, work smart in midlife to compound judgment, and let your network become your net worth. He shares simple, durable tools: evaluate before you escalate, design out single points of failure, and protect reputation like an asset. Leadership, for him, starts with feelings under control; if you can’t master your own state, you can’t pilot a team through turbulence.

We also talk about family and legacy, where values meet practice. He chooses tough schools, real entry-level roles, and clear boundaries around money so his children learn the dignity of work and the value of a dollar. Success, he says, is being outgrown by your kids. If you’re building a business, navigating volatile markets, or rethinking how you raise resilient humans, this conversation offers a grounded blueprint for ambition with guardrails and calm under pressure.

If this story moved you or made you think differently about risk and resilience, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s grinding, and leave a quick review so more builders can find it.

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Host: https://www.instagram.com/derrick.abaitey/

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