My Earliest Childhood Memory and Why It Has Stuck With Me (week 261)

*One of my earliest and clearest childhood memories is the moment I made my first thousand. It wasn’t from some grand business or an inheritance, it was from a small hustle I started on my own when I was about 11.

There was this stretch of time during school holidays when I noticed a gap. Most kids were either bored at home or glued to the TV. I figured, why not bring a bit of entertainment to them? So I started making and selling custom beaded bracelets. Simple idea, but I poured everything into it, colors, patterns, even tiny charms. My pitch was simple: “Get a bracelet with your name on it.” And surprisingly, it worked.

I remember sitting in our living room, my little plastic kit of beads spread across the floor, threading strings while watching cartoons. I sold my first bracelet to a neighbor's daughter for ₦200, and by the end of that holiday, I had made just over ₦1,000. I kept that cash in a brown envelope for weeks. It felt like treasure.

all photos are mine

Why does this memory stick with me? Because it was the first time I felt what it meant to earn. Not from allowance, not from a parent rewarding me, but from effort and creativity. That small win planted something in me, confidence, pride, and the realization that I didn’t have to wait for permission to create value.

It’s a simple memory, but it shaped how I think about work, money, and independence. Even now, whenever things get complicated or overwhelming, I often think back to that moment and remind myself that it all starts small, with an idea and the courage to act on it.