The last time I spoke with my brother, he told me something that stayed with me.

He said that every time he sees my posts, he sets aside some money.

Sincerely speaking, I don’t think I’ve ever had a stronger reason to keep writing Becoming Dash than that. When the people you are trying to reach actually tell you that what you say is impacting them, it does something to you. It gives you the motivation to show up again. And again. And again.

Consistency becomes easier when you know someone is listening.

Yesterday was his birthday, so I called to wish him a happy birthday. As usual, the conversation drifted into talking about money and the things he had previously mentioned he wanted to build. He told me he wants to start a merch line connected to his marketing agency. We had talked about it before, so I was just following up.

When I asked what stage he was at, he said he was looking for a manufacturer and that he has a friend in Turkey. In other words, he was thinking about producing something premium.

That impressed me.

But almost immediately, something else happened.

Instead of asking more questions, I panicked.

I brought up my own clothing brand, RedKnot Wears, and the fact that I’m currently sitting on about ₦3.5 million worth of unsold inventory. I started talking about stock, about inventory, about the risk of producing too much too early.

And later, when I replayed the conversation in my head, I realized something important:

I didn’t even wait to understand his plan.

I just assumed.

I assumed he was going to produce inventory at scale. I assumed he was going to spend a lot of money. I assumed he was walking into the same trap I walked into.

But his response was simple.

He said people had been telling him the same thing.

Then he added something that stayed with me.

“Create demand.”

After we ended the call, I kept thinking about it.

And I realized something uncomfortable: I don’t think I ever truly understood that principle in any of the businesses I have tried to build.

Create demand first.

Not stock first.
Not inventory first.
Not infrastructure first.

Demand first.

It reminded me of a case study in a book I’m currently reading. I don’t remember the name of the company. I rarely pay attention to names. I care more about strategies and outcomes.

In the story, a founder wanted to start a footwear company. But instead of producing shoes immediately, he did something much simpler.

He went to stores.

He took pictures of shoes.

Then he showed those pictures to potential customers and asked them what they thought.

That step cost him nothing.

From the feedback he received, he could decide what direction to go. He didn’t start spending real money until it was absolutely necessary.

He tested demand first.

That idea has been sitting with me since yesterday.

So this – writing, experimenting, thinking out loud – is part of my own attempt to understand how to create demand. I don’t fully know what the answer is yet. But I know one thing: consistency has to be part of it.

You show up.

You say something.

You see how people respond.

Then you adjust.

Which brings me to something I’ve been thinking about lately.

Life is a lot like a startup.

If you treat life like a startup – and assume that you are the founder – then you can steer it in the direction you want it to go.

You make an assumption.

You test the assumption.

You get feedback.

Then you go again.

And again.

And again.

As long as it’s something you truly want, the process of trying again won’t feel like punishment.

It will feel like progress.

And maybe the real skill in building anything – a business, a career, a life – is learning how to find joy in going again.