From biomedical engineering to UX Design: Zaburi Frolian’s journey into the creative industry

#GreyChat is a laid-back series where users share their experiences with Grey. We discuss their relationship with money, tips for financial freedom, and other fun anecdotes. Want to get featured? Let us know here.

Getrude Mligo is a digital education consultant and communication strategist who has pioneered many online advocacy campaigns like #DearGirlChild in Tanzania. She’s also an accomplished author with 13 books under her belt and a humanitarian who is especially concerned with the digital literacy of women and girls. In this chat, she shares her motivations and how she had to decline international jobs before discovering Grey.

You have such a diverse skill set…What would you say motivated you to pursue a degree in communications?

Although I didn’t start my studies with digital marketing courses, soon after I graduated with a first degree in human resources, I found myself attracted to digital marketing and the digital world at large. I realized it wasn’t enough to get digital marketing experience — I wanted to become an expert too. This inspired me to enroll in different online courses before eventually pursuing a formal certificate in digital communications at Harvard, and another in content creation and community management from the University of Leeds.

That’s interesting. Would you advice other entry-level digital marketers to also invest in paid courses and formal education or just study with free courses and then get hands-on experience?

I actually started with free courses because, at the time, I was skeptical about investing my money in digital marketing. But then I realized that many people were already doing the free courses, and I wanted to find a way to differentiate myself from the crowd.

Also, when people see that you have a degree, certificate, or diploma, especially from a well-profiled institution, they have a level of trust in your ability and want to work with you. And, in the end, it all pays off. You have to know what you want and figure out how you want to stand out in the job market.

What advice do you have for people who want to enter digital marketing but come from a different background, and are interested in many other things like yourself?

It’s not easy to be a versatile person who’s involved with a lot of things. But speaking specifically from my experience, it was possible because I love what I’m doing. There are moments when I feel overwhelmed, but what keeps me going is how passionate I am to make a change. I want to be someone who excels at digital marketing and writing but also gives back to the community, so I am focused on creating this identity for myself.

So, pick interests you’re passionate about and find a way to connect them in a way that doesn’t drain you. Doing this would make it easier for you to face challenges and keep moving forward.

That’s awesome…Can you tell us about your initiative, The Social Media Academy? What motivated you to start it, and how has it contributed to digital communication in Tanzania?

Well, I wanted people to understand the type of benefits they can get through their smartphones, and also, I needed money. I won’t beat around the bush; I wanted money, and to get it, I had to use my skills.

The Social Media Academy trains and assists people to monetize their skills and earn from social media and websites. So far, we’ve connected more than 600 women through digital marketing to sell their handmade products to people in the U.S., Dubai, Switzerland, and Canada. These women make sales of about 40 million Tanzanian shillings monthly; a student of ours, who’s great at crafting, recently got her work featured on Netflix; it’s amazing to see that we’re making changes through digital platforms.

That’s impressive…I know you’ve received several awards. You were awarded the Digital Strategist of the Year recently. How have these recognitions impacted your career?

When people see you getting recognized, they view you as an expert. For instance, when I won the Digital Strategist of the Year, I got eight new clients. These awards and recognitions are like social proof and evidence that you know what you’re doing, and they influence people to want to work with you.

Nice…Can you share some of the challenges you’ve encountered in your career and how you’ve overcome them?

I remember that at the beginning of my career as a digital marketer, I didn’t know how to set boundaries with clients. My phone would be buzzing with calls and texts by 2 am, and some clients considered me to be their therapist. I also had situations where clients defaulted on payments and gave numerous excuses, making my work difficult.

Also, because I’m involved in three different fields: digital marketing, writing, and humanitarian work, there were instances where I was offered paid opportunities, but had to decline because I’m just one person. These were big challenges for me, but now I’ve learned the hard way to set standards and manage my time better, too.

Speaking of payments, you know we at Grey make it easier for freelancers and remote workers in Africa to transact internationally. Would you say receiving payments was a problem you faced at the beginning?

Yes, it definitely was. Some clients specifically used the excuse of not being able to send money to Tanzania to delay payments. I also remember that at the beginning of my career, I got an offer from Australia, but because of the tedious payment process that would be involved, I declined the opportunity. Being exposed to international payment then would have been helpful in that situation. There are still people in Tanzania who struggle with making international payments due to lack of exposure, so I believe that sessions should be created to spread awareness.

We’re definitely looking to gain more awareness in the East African market. So, what is your advice for young professionals entering this field?

You need to be aware of trends, especially in regards to how they can help the brands you work with. You need to take advantage of AI tools as they can optimize your content by giving you insights on what keywords to use and the best time to post content and help you improve your engagement and visibility. And lastly, as a digital marketer, you need to take yourself seriously because how else will other people take you seriously?

Also read: Tips for Building a Personal Brand

That’s great advice. Do you have any feedback you’d like us to take home?

Yeah, I believe kids should be exposed to Grey. Doing this will ensure that when they’re ready to start a digital career, they know what platform to use, and won’t have to miss out on international opportunities.

#GreyChat is a laid-back series where Grey users share their experiences with Grey. We discuss their relationship with money, tips for financial freedom, and other fun anecdotes. Want to get featured? Let us know here**.**

Adora is a freelancer in the education sector, and she works remotely for foreign countries all around the world. In this chat, she shares how she lost thousands of pounds using alternative exchange platforms and how Grey became the answer to her prayers.

Let’s start by getting to know a little more about you, Adora.

Hi, My name is Adora. I am an educator and a writer, currently transitioning into mental health training. I do a lot of freelance work in the education sector, particularly teaching kids and adults. Most of my work is with foreign companies in China, Japan, and all around the world, to be honest.

I thoroughly enjoy freelancing. I hate working 9-5, haha. And I don’t like earning in Naira because it isn’t always so stable. That’s why I aim for higher-paying jobs abroad that’ll give me security, especially with my money.

When I’m not doing that, I’m being a baby girl and living my best life.

As you should. What inspired you to take on this unique career path?

I like to call myself Dora the Explorer, haha. I like to explore, so I never settle. Even right now, I feel like I’m getting comfortable, and I don’t like that. This is because if you stay where you’re comfortable, you may have the potential to succeed, but you won’t get there because you won’t try.

So for me, I like to put myself out there. As I said, I didn’t like the 9-5 because I didn’t feel like it was paying me what my value was. I went to school abroad, studied law, and even as a lawyer, it wasn’t worth it.

I just felt like even if I worked so hard, they would never pay me my value or worth. I have so much to offer, and I have so much to gain.

So I started finding out ways to push past my state then. I’ll say I’m very good at finding out information. I can spend hours on the Internet, trying to find out new things.

But as soon as I find out new information, I like to share it with people around me. I don’t want to be the only one making money. We should all afford to travel and do all these things together.

Nice….So let’s talk about your relationship with us a little bit. How did you find out about Grey?

I heard about Grey from a friend. Her friend’s husband had been really ecstatic about the platform.

That was interesting because, as a freelancer, changing money to Nigeria has been the hardest, most difficult, and most expensive thing that has happened to me.

Paypal would charge ridiculous rates, and while my alternative method was cheaper, I’d lose so much money. It made me feel like I was just throwing my earnings away, to be honest.

This is how I’d do it;

Wise → My UK bank account → Binance → Swap → my NGN account.

It was crazy. With each transaction, I was losing money in fees and exchange rate discrepancies.

So when my friend told me there was an app like this that existed, I felt like God finally heard my prayers. I don’t know about your other users, but I have been the happiest person. Now my flow is just Wise to Grey. I do everything there - the swaps, using the NGN accounts, the USD card, everything.

I’ve become a Grey fanatic since then, recruiting everyone - my family, freelancers, friends, everyone.

Omo, it was indeed a lot. Did you try out any other similar app before Grey to see if they could do this, or was it just this transfer process for you?

I think I tried to use popular ones like the Western Union app. But it was just a complicated process. I tried to use Payday, but I found Grey’s usability and interface easier to use. It’s simpler and more straightforward. I’ve used others, but I can’t remember their names because of how stressful they were.

Are there any goals you’re trying to achieve that we can help you with?

Hmmm, in the past was struggling to get money, and Grey helped me get it faster and cheaper. Because sometimes, my previous process could take up to three days to complete. So I’d say compared to the suffering I was coming from, Grey has been heaven.

As for the future, it might have to do with transaction limits. I know there are certain checks for fraud, but I once recommended Grey to a higher-up, and he wanted to use it to pay for his child’s school fees. Then he asked me about the limit. So I’d say maybe more obvious limits.

Then there was an issue with sending money for a project once. The money was returned to my account, and I think it had to do with the Silvergate issue. So, having USD accounts back will make my life easier.

There’s been a lot of transactions I’ve needed to do, and I end up swapping to pounds which makes me lose a bit of money in FX.

Apologies for this. USD accounts will be back soon. It’s taking time because we want to work with the right credible partners so this issue doesn’t happen again.

How long do you typically spend on the mobile app?

A lot.  I don’t even keep money in my regular bank app because the Grey Naira account seems to be more efficient than my regular account. So I just save on Grey after conversion and move money to my spending account when necessary, which reminds me.

Please look into investments. We need a savings section on Grey. Somewhere I can lock up some money or an instance where once I spend, a percentage gets automatically saved too. Because right now, there’s no way to save on Grey.

We’re working on this, and we can’t wait to share it with you. On a scale from 1-10, how easy has it been for you to navigate the Grey app?

I’ll say 8 - 9. It wasn’t so hard to navigate.

Have you ever required customer support? Were they helpful in resolving your issue?

Hmm, I haven’t had a need for support. But a friend did, and he got a response not quite long after. So from hearsay, support seemed very helpful and prompt.

Finally, is there any other way we can make your experience on Grey better?

Get USD accounts back up - that’ll really make it easier. Then maybe lesser downtimes.

But generally, it’s been good. Grey is greying.

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Influencer marketing has become one of the most lucrative online professions today. This is because brands are using them to promote their businesses, products, and services. However, due to the increasing number of brand influencers online, it might take more work to stand out, especially as an upcoming creator.

In our recent Limitless podcast, we spoke to Ajibola Grey, a popular Nigerian social media influencer, about being successful in this field. He opened our eyes to some really insightful tips, which we’ll be sharing with you in this post.

Who is a Social Media Influencer?

An influencer is an online personality who has built a brand and reputation for themselves. These people command a large audience and are able to influence buying decisions based on their lifestyle, content, or recommendations.

Brands use these influencers because they have the reach. In the past, you would either be influenced by watching TV commercials, listening to radio jingles, or reading an ad in the newspaper. The investment into creating these types of ads is capital and labour-intensive.

Today, one tweet from a single person can reach over 70,000 people in one day. Social media is the new billboard, and influencers make ads more reachable.

How Much Can You Make as a Social Media Influencer in Nigeria?

You can go anywhere between NGN 50,000 to millions depending on your reach. Ajibola shared that his first paid gig was sending out five tweets for a brand, and the budget was NGN 150,000.

After that, he created a video for a brand and got NGN 500,000. His rates have obviously gone up since then, but with this, you can attest to how lucrative this industry can be. Unfortunately, many doubt you can rake millions from promoting businesses as an influencer.

Think about it. If Ajibola, with less than 100k followers on Instagram, can charge NGN 500,000 for a video, how much do you think people with millions of followers charge for a video? And how many of those videos do they get in a month?

Influencers also get discounts and deals.

For example, if you’d like to get a car, you can work an arrangement with the car dealer and get a certain percentage off. In exchange, you run a promotion for their brand. The benefits are endless.

How to Transition from a Corporate Job or Being a Student into Influencing

For starters, you need courage. Because even though Ajibola Grey wanted to become a lawyer, he only practised law for a day. In his words,

“I resumed my first job a week after being called to the bar. I got to the firm, and they put a whole lot of folders on my desk to sort through. 2o minutes after going through them, I knew this was not for me. I got up, put my laptop in my bag, and left.”

You might need a little bit of luck and the right timing.

For Ajibola, it was during the ENDSARs protest. He made a voice note that went viral, and that was it. People loved the voice notes and started following his accounts. During that period, he just kept putting out this type of content.

But before you go viral - you need a bird in hand.

Before making money as an influencer, he dabbled in real estate and catering. So be sure to have a source of income while waiting for your big break.

7 Tips for Being a Successful Influencer

Now if you’ve already found your viral moment or built up an audience, here are the seven keys Ajibola Grey shared as his recipe for success;

1. Find your motivation

For many people, money is the sole motivation. The ability to buy what you want, sort out your bills, and live an enjoyable life. For others, it might be different.

For example, you can be motivated by the people around you. If you love to help people in need, that’s a good reason to work hard at becoming an influencer.  It could also be helping small businesses or generally offering more helpful advice. Whatever your reasons are, it’s what will keep you going when it gets tough.

2. Always read your contract

Of course, a lawyer is going to be keen on the legal stuff, and Ajibola does not joke with thoroughly reviewing his contracts. To him, they aren’t as difficult as people make them seem. Plus, if it gets a little too complex, you can always let someone else review it for you.

This is because there are a lot of binding agreements hidden in your contracts—for example, a non-competitor clause. Many influencers ignore this, and it simply means you cannot work for a similar brand in the near future. One time after signing, he got offers 3x the price for a similar brand, and he couldn’t take it because of that agreement. So, read to know what you’re getting yourself into.

3. Don’t be afraid to negotiate

Everyone is always looking for the best deal - brands inclusive- so they’d try to reduce their budget by any means. You, on the other hand, should be confident in your work. You won’t be afraid to negotiate or increase your rates when you're confident.

Have a fixed price and negotiate until you’re satisfied with the offering on the table. Don’t just accept ridiculously low offers because you’re desperate.

4. Put in the work

You shouldn't just send random things if you get paid for one tweet. Put careful thought, strategies, and work into it. Try to be as organic as possible to get a high conversion rate.

This is because it’s sort of a portfolio for you and will determine whether future brands want to work with you. Brands are watching.

It’s also essential because your good work will bring in referrals. When you have a good relationship with previous clients and good results to show for your work, they’d be more inclined to refer you to their friends and professional network.

5. It’s okay not to have a niche

One would think TheAjibolaGrey would try to venture into law, but he doesn’t have a niche. Interestingly, he has tried being a skit maker, and it just didn’t feel organic. He really just sells his personality, so he’s keen on not being too niche focused because it can put you in a box.

Many other Nigerian influencers with a niche try to do other things. For example, Aproko Doctor goes beyond medicine-related gigs. This is what he means by not putting yourself in a box.

Focus on what feels the most organic to you. What you’re good at. But while at it, have an expandable personality. The goal is to be limitless. Be open to opportunities.

6. Sometimes, Say No

You will often need to say no because you need to create healthy boundaries for your brand. For example, you can reject a brand partnership because the pricing is just too low.

Another could be that it’s not in line with your morals. People will reach out so you can push a negative agenda or even make you venture into politics. You need to know where to draw the line.

Also, other influencers will take that gig. But that’s fine because the market is big. However, keep to your stance, and you’ll get more deals that align with your brand.

7. Be wary of clout

Finally, the influencing space is crazy because you’ll feed on clout, which can be good or bad. Many influencers intentionally create scenarios or drama and get involved with all topics to get traffic. While you might get engagements, it can hurt your brand. So avoid getting tempted, especially when jumping on every topic. Not all traffic is good traffic. Stick to the topics you’re known for.

Wrapping Up

Social media influencing can be very tricky. However, being true to yourself and putting your brand first will help you establish relevance in the market. Over time, it’ll be a lucrative source of income. We hope these real-life tips will also help you get a head start on building your influencing career.

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As an entrepreneur, there’s the pressure to increase your prices especially when you see others charging thousands of dollars. However, taking your skills, customers, and market range into account, when exactly can you hike up your prices without losing your existing clients?

We recently had a chat with Oyekunle Damola, the Founder of Dptrax - an SEO and digital marketing firm for SMBs. 

In this conversation, he shares how he ventured into being an entrepreneur, the challenges he’s had to overcome, along with pricing strategies for upcoming entrepreneurs and freelancers.

Hi Damola. Let’s start by learning what a typical day for you is like

Hi. So I have certain morning rituals that help keep my creative side active. But a controversial thing I believe in is that your morning routine starts from when you wake up. So even if I wake up by 10 am, these are still my morning rituals lol. 

The first thing I do is my prayers and use them as a source of meditation. Then I do my exercises, bathe, and have something light to eat like cereal. After this, I get straight to work.

I tend to structure my creative work in the morning and then technical or routine work during the day. After this, well… there’s no structure to my day.

At night though, I do a brain dump because most entrepreneurs take their pending tasks to bed. And this causes sleepless nights. So I make a log of things I have left and once I write them down, my brain can shut down.

I round up my day by watching something before I sleep. I know it’s a bad habit but that’s how I sleep.

When you say meditation, what’s that like as a creative?

For me, meditation is about clearing my head so I can focus on the things I want to do. It’s why most people get their best ideas in the bathroom - it's because the mind is free and you can put things in perspective. 

So you don’t have to sit down and put your hands in prayer mode to meditate. You can meditate while taking a walk.  I recommend using guided meditation on Youtube to start and have a goal so you can track your success. 

Nice. So how did your journey into marketing and entrepreneurship start? 

Well, it started in 2014 when I learned web design. Then I was told that my certificate might not be enough to get me a job after school. I did computer engineering and that was something very sad to hear.

I come from a poor background and so I couldn’t afford to not have money. Anyways, I had to acquire skills to be able to make money.

That’s where the problem started. After getting the skill, I realized that getting clients was a completely different ball game.

As an entrepreneur, you need to learn the business side of things which involves, attracting clients by marketing yourself. 

So during my research on how to market myself, I stumbled on SEO, Facebook ads, and all of that. I did free courses on Udemy, and Coursera, read tons of blog posts and practiced what I learned. 

That’s how I grew. Today I still do this. I recently bought a design course because you have to constantly upgrade your knowledge. It’s what has brought me this far. 

What influenced your decision to leave the 9-5 to be a full-time entrepreneur? 

To be honest my health issues triggered the move. In 2016-2017, I had a fall that affected my spine. At first, it wasn’t a problem, but later on, I couldn’t sit down for too long. Gradually I had to cut down my office hours because there were no standing desks. 

My boss at  Jobberman both CEO and HR were so helpful so I’d work at the office until 12pm and then do the rest of the work at home. The pain worsened until I was only able to work at the office once a week. 

After my surgeries in 2017, it was impossible to go back to work because it meant I’d have to use public transportation and so I had to go fully into remote work. It was a necessity. 

I had to start marketing myself because employers didn’t believe in WFH. So I’d be like hey, this is the amount of work I can get done and these are the results, even if I don’t come into the office. Thankfully, the pandemic made things easier. 

How have you been able to handle the pain and get the work done?

It's been hard. A friend asked me how am I coping and I answered “who said I’m coping?”

I’m a Christian and so I hold on to the story of Job. Because he went through a lot - more than I can ever go through.

Secondly, if I don’t work, I can’t eat. My parents are retired and I definitely don’t want to be a burden. So I’m using these two things to push through the pain. 

I’m also optimizing for a better work-life balance so I don’t rely on painkillers. I have a PA that handles a sizable amount of things too. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs should learn how to optimize for a work-life balance.

I also look forward to the little pleasures. Like eating banana bread, watching anime and you know the little joys in life. 

Nice. So what’s the difference between marketing for yourself and other products?

The thing is, you cannot dissociate when you’re marketing for yourself. 

Let's say your supervisor asks you to reach out to 1000 people and close 20 sales. If at the end of the day you call these people and you don’t meet your target, you’ll try again the next day - because it’s just business. 

If you personally do that for your brand, it gets to you. You’d tend to give up faster.  That’s the psychological part.

When you’re marketing for other businesses, you’re able to run tests and put out more content. If you do this for your brand, you’d be susceptible to imposter syndrome.

You would never think the business you market for was a fraud you know. So these things make it a bit harder. 

Can you give some insights or pointers on what has helped you become a personal brand?

So in my case, it's just my skill, to be honest. Although that’s just the small part. You need to know that people are not doing as well as you think. 

I’ve had people reach out to me to help run ads for them and they talk about their figures. When I go look at their page, I’m like huh? They should be doing so much better.

It's even worse for creators because there are times when there’s a drought especially when you don’t have many clients. You’d post every day and there are low views and zero income- it's discouraging. 

First off- understand that it happens to everyone. People are not making as much as you think they are. Just push through these droughts and make things work in your favor. People burn out and no one talks about it.

Contentment is also part of it - if you’re improving, the good stuff will come. So take your time and be consistent with growing your brand.

What’s your pricing strategy so creatives can learn to not undercharge?

Start small, grow big but don’t forget to always start small. I’ll also say consider your location, skill level, and what you can potentially gain.

When it comes to pricing, most people charge out of the market because they see established people charging that high. They forget that you have to start from somewhere.

Pricing strategists will always tell you to raise your price and they’ll forget to tell you to beef up your offerings. 

Do you want to sell a N5,000 product to 1000 people or a N100,000 product to 5 people? There’s really no right or wrong.

If you want to charge high though, build up your skill and build that portfolio even if it means charging less to charge high later - it’ll pay off. I designed a website for N700,000 and it was a referral. 

There’s also the location factor. My Facebook accelerator course costs about $500. Internationally it's about $3k because it has over 100 videos but I took my current market into consideration.

Seeing that if I price it that high, Nigerians won’t buy it. I cannot run all the ads by myself and so let me share this knowledge.

But if I keep raising my prices what happens to those starting out? Where will they get the course? But that's me. I don’t have the ambition to earn 1m dollars, I’m very contented. I spend a lot on my gadgets but anything outside this, I'm not interested. 

There’s a book, the psychology of money. I recommend it because it teaches contentment and not changing your wants. A lot of people look out for well-paying jobs and when they get one, it's like the money is not enough. 

So how should creatives deal with being undercharged? 

The truth is some brands will always want to undercharge you and it’s left for you to decide if you want this or not.

I get that you might be desperate sometimes, but you also need to know when to turn down money for your peace of mind. Don’t overlook the red flags. 

If you die today, they will find another contractor. So put yourself first. Also, have a support system. Since communities can get toxic from posturing, go within your close-knitted group

Do you think being open about your earnings and finances can help with others with their pricing?

It's a doubled-edge sword. People who know me personally ask me this a lot - and I’m open to them because we are close. But if I don’t know you, I’m not sure I’d want to put that out.

Someone taught me pricing in like 2012.  She asked me to build a website for her and when I couldn’t properly say what my pricing was, she asked me to calculate my running expenses and then add the profit I’d want to realize from it.

So calculate things like paying for graphics, web hosting, data, etc, and then factor it into your pricing.  Also go easy with the comparison, for other entrepreneurs like yourself, you don’t know how much work goes on in the background. 

You don’t know their engagement rates, the value brands get when they work with them, whether they use a videographer or their own phone, and so on.

So if you’re comparing rate cards with others, remember to not take their rates as the standard. 

What financial lessons have you learned in recent times?

Hmmm….what works for me might not work for everyone else. I invest right which sounds like a big deal until you find out that it's in Nigerian Mutual Funds. It’s not high at about 8% but it's better than what you’d get in the bank. 

While there are higher rates out there, I’ve lost millions into agro partnerships and other high-interest rate investments. Thankfully I didn’t put my whole money into it.

I also get paid as a business owner and my salary is not plenty, to be honest. But if you keep dipping into your business funds it’ll lead to overspending.

As a creator, pay yourself a salary, create an account and stick to it. Don’t spend more than you earn as a salary. If you want more, you can work hard, earn that amount and spend it how you want.

You can do this if you earn more money as a remote worker and I’m sure with a Grey foreign account, you can exploit the international market, increase your earnings and receive money easily.

Finally, don’t charge someone in Atlanta, Ibadan fee, and vice versa. There’s this lady that charges 100k for Nigerians and at least $800 for international clients.

She factors in currency strength, purchasing power, and more. Be nice to your country's people.

Pricing Strategies and Financial Tips for Entrepreneurs by Damola

1. Your pricing should differ based on your location and target market. For starters charge higher abroad and lesser at home
2. Pay yourself a salary from your earnings so you don’t overspend
3. Invest in plans with realistic interest rates to avoid losing your money
4. Your running expenses + profits = pricing
5. When raising your prices, beef up your offerings so you can offer more value
6. Invest in learning how to market yourself through social media and SEO
7. Stay consistent when growing your brand, even when the output might seem low - we all experience drought days
8. Position yourself for international clients and jobs by getting a foreign account with Grey

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#GreyChat is a laid-back series where Grey users share their experiences with Grey. We discuss their relationship with money, tips for financial freedom, and other fun anecdotes. Want to get featured? Let us know here.

Jerry is a senior software engineer with more than nine years of experience. He works for multiple international companies as a full-time employee and a freelancer on the side. In this chat, Jerry tells us about himself, his work, and his struggles in accessing credit facilities because he could only receive his payments in someone else’s name.

Please tell us a little more about yourself Jerry.

Hi, I am Jerry. I am a senior software engineer and an IT consultant. I have a full-time role, and I freelance on the side. I work for multiple companies in Canada, the UK, and Finland.

The Canadian company pays me weekly, and the others pay monthly. I’ve been using Grey since February 2022, and it’s how I receive all my payments.

The real God when. How long have you been a software engineer?

I’ve been in the field for about nine years now, and I started really early so it doesn’t reflect my age. I started in 2013, and I became a senior in 2018 when I was working in the US. Since then, I’ve decided to just remain a senior software engineer. 

I’ve worked in multiple continents, but the truth is, it’s not the years of experience that’s brought me this far. It’s the work ethic plus software engineering is the only thing I know.

So if you just started using Grey in 2022, how have you previously received your salaries?

To be honest, I’m not a banking person. When I was working and living in Malaysia, I received my salary through my brother’s company. In Singapore, it was the same thing. When I worked in the US, I wasn’t living there, so I received my pay through my friend who stays there. 

After that, I set up Paypal and started using it to receive my pay from the US, but then they started the whole regulation wahala. So I got tired of dealing with that, so I switched to Wise. After a while, I just moved to Grey.

With Grey, it's easier to convert currencies. I don’t have to jump through hoops and all that because I was losing a lot of money in exchange rates. So it's always just been complicated until now.

As a Nigerian dealing with foreign companies, have you faced any difficulties with fintech companies when it comes to receiving money? Especially with the stereotypes

Definitely. As I said, I don’t deal with the whole banking thing abroad. In Malaysia, because of the reputation Nigerians had there, it made things complicated for me. I always had to submit extra documents to clear my payments. 

Paypal was fine at first, then I had to start submitting documents. Over time, it just kept leading to more issues until they froze it for no reason. So anything that has to do with money, as long as you’re carrying a Nigerian passport, you’ll be treated differently. 

It really affected me because, since I wouldn’t be receiving payments in my name, I couldn’t receive contracts in my name. So it just destabilized me. It was hard to access credit facilities. People think you’re not making money. Meanwhile, you are making money, and you’re paying taxes, but just not in your name. 

That’s so sad…but thankfully, it’s all in the past. You’ve been using Grey since we rebranded, what would you say is your favorite thing about being a Grey user? 

I’d say it’s the fact that I don’t have to jump through hoops to get my money. To be honest, it was a huge gamble choosing Grey. 

I got a contract this year, and I wanted to initially use my brother’s company. But the exchange rate was going to be crazy low. Then I remember seeing Grey on Twitter and telling my brother I was going to use it. 

And he was like, are you crazy? Do you know their office? But I was like, nah they are on Ycombinator, so they can’t be frauds. 

It made us have a fight actually. Because he was like, if you lose all your money, don’t tell me anything. But I’ve introduced three other people to Grey since then because it’s been seamless. So that’s the best part. 

Nice… Since you work in tech if you were on the Grey Team, what feature would you implement? 

Well, there’s one - the currency converter. It was there before, but then I could convert from Naira to foreign currencies. But now, I can only convert from foreign currencies to Naira. So I  think it was a lot easier before.

I’d also like to see my total credit and total debit in my account statement. 

We’ll definitely be working on these. To avoid bringing back any more bad memories, what’s your worst experience with a Nigerian fintech?

I think it was my money hanging for three months, and this brand didn’t have an office, which is why my brother was adamant about not using Grey. I was able to access my money after three months, but since then, I became skeptical about fintech in Nigeria.

Then there’s a company I invest in, I made a withdrawal and didn’t get it on time. I kept calling and calling, but nobody was answering. When dealing with people's money, be sensitive.

So both times, it was customer service related.

Thank you for the detailed feedback. We’re making sure we only offer good experiences from here on. 

Finally, do you have a financial tip that has gotten you this far that you’d like to share?

So in the last job that I did, I quoted an amount, and my friend asked me to quote five times the hourly rate. I was like nah that’s too much, so I quoted half of what he suggested. My hope was that they would negotiate or something, but they just accepted.  So it made me think I should have gone higher. 

Be reasonable, but don’t shortchange yourself. In fact, people wouldn’t want to work with you. They wouldn’t tell you, but you’ll seem too cheap to be true. 

So do your research very well, depending on the country and client, and then ask. If you don’t know what to ask, tell them to make you an offer. That’s a better alternative.

#GreyChat is a laid-back series where Grey users share their experiences with Grey. We discuss their relationship with money, tips for financial freedom, and other fun anecdotes. Want to get featured? Let us know here.

Nana is a content creator and a new mum based in the United Kingdom. In this chat, she shares how she has to send money back to Nigeria and her experience with Grey.

Hello, Please tell us a little more about yourself, Nana. 

Hi, My name is Nana Dania, and I’m a new mom living in the UK.

I used to work as a content creator in charge of creating content for some companies, mostly as a freelancer. However, lately, I’ve had to take a step back and spend some time raising my baby. So once he’s up to a year old, I’ll get back to work. It’s not easy coping with a new baby. 

We’re sure you’re doing an amazing job with him. How long have you been in the UK? 

I’ve been in the UK for almost two years. Before that, I lived in Nigeria. I started using Grey say about a year ago, and I’ve stuck to it because it’s easy for me to send money back home at relatively inexpensive rates. Sometimes, I don’t think you guys even charge me. 

I also kinda like it cause I can just move money from my PayPal to my Grey app. 

Although. there was an issue I had with the Grey account. When my account number was changed, I didn’t know about it. I sent money through my PayPal, and then it didn’t deliver. I was worried for a bit because then it was just stressful.

Your customer support was helpful, so it got resolved. Everything is back to normal now. I like the app, and I think I’ll definitely recommend it.

Aww, we’re glad that our support team came through. Can you share how you found out about Grey? Seeing as you found us in the UK

It was actually a friend that introduced it to me, and I was like, okay, I’ll give it a try. 

Hmm, do you just send the foreign currencies home or do you swap to Naira?  

The person I send it to also has a Grey USD account. So it’s much easier for them to make the exchange themselves. I make this exchange sometimes, but it's just more convenient to have them do it themselves.

‍Was it easy convincing your family member to create a Grey account?

It was. I think we Africans really don’t care much about the means as long as we get our money. Hahaha

Well, it might just be my mentality toward it. I don’t like stress. So as long as it’s easy, straightforward, and it does the job, I don’t mind. I think a lot of people are like me too. 

‍Nice. Can you share how you were sending money before moving to Grey?

I used to send money through world remit before. But the charge for every transaction was just a lot. And the rates were too inconsistent. That’s why I decided to find another solution.

‍We can relate. What would you say is your favorite Grey feature?

Hmmmmm….. Can I say I have a favorite feature? 

I just like that it’s fast. Then I don’t have to worry that my money is hanging somewhere. So the speed and security.  I’m really always relaxed when using Grey. 

Even when I had an issue with my account and the money didn’t deliver within three weeks. While it was worrisome, I wasn’t exactly still worried, you get? The team was constantly assuring me. Every time I reach out, they were helpful. 

There was a time I was like you know what, send me a receipt so I’m sure it really went back to my PayPal account, and I got it within 24 hours. So things like this are why I like the app.

‍Thank you. Is there any feature you’d like to have on Grey at the moment that isn’t available yet?

To be honest, I’m not really great at picking out problems. As long as I’m comfortable with a product or service, I’ll stick to it. 

Except maybe there’s a change in the future that I’m not comfortable with. But for now, I’m fine with everything. Of course, if I’m no longer satisfied, I will definitely raise a ticket to complain.

So with your experience over the last couple of months, do you have any advice for a new mom trying to get back into the corporate world?

I’d say don’t try to overdo it. Being a mom is stressful and especially in this country where you may not have your family around. So even if you want to get back immediately and hire a nanny, when you think about how much it’ll cost, second thoughts will come in. 

You also need to take breaks cause it’s tiring and sometimes depressing. So try to take it one day at a time.

‍Thank you Nana. Do you have any questions for the Grey team?

Just a piece of advice. I really like this app, please don’t change for bad.

Haha, we definitely won’t. Thank you, and our love to your baby.

Join the over 200,000 workers and freelancers using Grey to receive and send foreign payments abroad. Start by creating a free account here.