Tired of Watching Others Get Rich?

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Lately, I’ve had some sleepless nights. Not because of stress, but because I’ve watched financial booms come and go — without being part of them.

The dot-com era passed before I was of age, but in my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a gold rush and natural gas boom in Mozambique, a diamond and platinum explosion in Zimbabwe, South Africa’s renewable energy surge, and the cobalt and copper frenzy in the DRC.

Millionaires were made. And yet, I — like many of you — was just an onlooker.

Then came Bitcoin in 2009. In 2010, it was still valued at just $0.01 per coin. Soon after, the cryptocurrency market took off, creating unimaginable wealth for early adopters.

The stock market rally of big tech firms — Facebook (Meta), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google (Alphabet) — turned small investments into fortunes. And recently Gamestop, Nvidia and Tesla stocks were absolute charms. Whether you were in long or short, there was money to be made either way.

Manufacturing in China opened the doors to endless opportunities in outsourcing, tech transfer, and global trade. And again, millions were made … but not by us.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic — a crisis, yes, but also an unimaginable wealth source. E-commerce exploded, digital transformation accelerated, and hustlers who saw the opportunity to supply masks and medical essentials made millions.

And now? AI is the new gold rush. Fortunes are being created right now in artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning.

I refuse to be a spectator again. What about you? Will you watch history repeat itself, or will you take action before it’s too late?

Opportunities come and go. But if you just wait for the next big wave, the only one you’ll catch is the one that flushes you into your grave.

How to Identify Opportunities Before They Boom

Identify Problems and Gaps

Opportunities exist where there are pain points.

🔹 What are people constantly complaining about?

🔹 What do customers wish existed?

🔹What inefficiencies do you see?

🔹What problems do you face that have no clear solutions?

Follow Market Trends and Shifts

Keep an eye on emerging trends in technology, the economy, and consumer behaviour.

🔹 Which industries are growing the fastest?

🔹What government policies or regulations are changing?

🔹What global trends could impact your local market?

Leverage New Technologies

Technology creates opportunities by making old industries more efficient or launching entirely new ones.

🔹 What technologies are disrupting industries?

🔹 How can AI, blockchain, or automation improve existing processes?

🔹 Can you bring a global tech trend to your local market?

Watch Consumer Behaviour

New buying habits create business opportunities.

🔹 What are people spending more money on?

🔹 What lifestyle changes are happening?

🔹 Are there new preferences in convenience, health, or sustainability?

Look for Underserved Markets

Find areas where people lack options or where existing businesses fail to serve certain customers.

🔹 Are there products/services only available to the wealthy that could be made affordable?

🔹 Are rural areas or smaller cities lacking access to something available in urban centres?

🔹 Are there niche groups with specific needs?

Study Successful Business Models and Adapt Them

🔹 What businesses are succeeding in other countries but don’t yet exist in your market?

🔹 Can you tweak a successful business model to fit local needs?

🔹 Can you combine two business models to create something unique?

Use Data and Analytics

🔹 Check Google Trends to see what people are searching for.

🔹 Look at reports from consulting firms like McKinsey, PwC, and Deloitte.

🔹 Analyze industry reports to find high-growth sectors.

Network and Talk to People

🔹 Attend industry events and conferences.

🔹 Listen to customers and employees across different industries.

🔹 Join online communities and forums (Reddit, LinkedIn, Facebook groups).

Test and Iterate

🔹 Start with a small experiment before going all in.

🔹 Launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and gather feedback.

🔹 Validate your idea before scaling up.

Combine Passion with Profitability

🔹 Find where your skills and interests meet a real market need.

🔹 Passion sustains motivation, but profitability ensures survival.

The best opportunities lie where a real problem meets a scalable solution. Strive Masiyiwa addressed this best in a recent post on Facebook.

Act fast when you see a shift in the market.

Are you interested in learning how to make money with AI? Check our recent article here.

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