By
Agbedo Gideon Ohiani
16th June, 2020
Many people have probably told you that money doesn’t grow on trees, but they do! Sort of! And guess what? There is actually a tree called Money Tree! While money does not literally grow on the tree but there is a concept that actually when applied, can bring increase in productivity and ultimately earn you good cash.
The Money Tree (Pachira aquatica) is a plant that has many legends and beliefs originating from China. Although there are many tales and stories as to its beginnings, the most common story is that a truck driver in Taiwan had decided to braid the trunks of five small trees in a single pot. A more legendary tale floats around of a very poor farmer who was very down on his luck and spirit. One day, he found a very curious looking plant with braided trunks. Upon inspecting the plant, he found the plant to be very hard and resilient, and took this as a lesson that he as well should learn to be resilient and strong. From the seed of this miraculous plant, he grew more of them and sold them and made tons of cash and was the riches in his community. But the lesson is much deeper and you will come to appreciate it more as demystify it below.
Many parents in most part of the world advice their children to study professional courses like law, medicine, engineering etc. The thought behind such noble intention is for their children to be able to have a better life financially and otherwise. There is a wise saying that the wisdom of the poor is despised; what is nobility without money? Unfortunately, what you get from the institutionalized schools (formal education) is not even wisdom, at its best you may call it theoretical knowledge. Yes, I said that. This is coming from a professionally trained lawyer. For a better understanding of what I am saying, I advise you read books by Robert Kiyosaki (with a net worth of over 80 Million dollars so you would expect him to know what he is doing) and if books are not your thing, go on YouTube, find summarized videos of the book. Now I have just given you a quick hack on reading books for those of us that are more visual inclined.
Please note, this article is not against institutional learning in form of formal education. It is rather an exposure on being diversified in your thinking and your favourite part, on being rich! So unto the big question, how do you plant money? INVESTMENT!
Please indulge with me as I take you to the world of plants and observe the natural law that brings increase and ultimately food for people;
- Plants start as a seed. In the business world, this simply refers to your idea; it does not matter how small it is. In the right environment, it will grow and bring great harvests, season after season! This is what is referred to as cash flow! You plant the seed once and the produce come in year after year depending on the type of seed you plant. The same thing applies to your investment. Find the right seed and plant it.
- To get a good harvest, you need to study the type of seed it is, on the type of ground it will grow best e.t.c. Information is your currency here!!! Get the information, start that business today
- The right seed will always give you a great amount of harvest if the conditions are right. This is however not unrelated to the second one!
Create the right condition for your business. - Give it time. Each seed works differently; they have their own unique seasons and time. You don’t compare your mango tree with someone else’s coconut tree! You just don’t! Even at that, there are different specie or kinds of mango and coconut. Don’t compare your business with another unless the purpose is to learn.
- Finally, plants don’t set limits for how they can grow, they grow as much as the environment and their owners allow. As the popular Henry Ford’s quote goes, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right”.
There are plethora investment schemes online presently, so how do you know what to plant and where to plant? And how to water your plant? Now first of all, investments just like plants takes time to grow and varies depending on the type of seed that you are planting. There is no quick fix to it you have to study it generally. Then decide which seed (type of investment) to go into. In taking this decision there are certain factors you have to consider (I will just list them and go a little bit into the seeds itself).
You have to consider the answer to the following questions and consider if they align with your goals and interest;
(1)Do you have the requisite knowledge about the plant (investment scheme)?
(2)Do you have enough time to invest and commit to make it grow?
(3)While you watch it grow, do you have the patience to wait?
(4)While you wait, do you have what will sustain you for the time being?
(5)What season are you at? Will the plant grow during this season?
The answers to these questions will determine the resilient (success or otherwise) of your plant.
Now I have picked some areas that work just like plants. You invest, you water and you just keep harvesting for no price at all. So while you consider the questions above, I want you to consider the following investment areas;
a. Agricultural Business; starting agro business takes very little; your commitment and a place to start with. There is practically no business that won’t take or need your time and commitment. There a few areas that always sell irrespective of your location, season and space e.g poultry. You can start small, with a little cage, a few layers (I advise you start with layers as they produce egg and after a while you may also sell the layer itself) and of course your feed. Another area would be grass-cutter rearing.. You may do your research into other areas that are not specifically mentioned here.
B. Online trading: With a computer, data, and proper research on investment information, you are good to trade. There are a few areas of online trading that you can invest in. However, you will have to make research into the particular trade you want to get in bed with. There are a lot of risks that goes with online trading and you will have to do proper research into the risks and gains, you can simply go on YouTube and check these areas of potential investment; Binary Option, Penny stock, forex trading and others.
C. Real Estate: I know what is going through your mind right now hearing real estate, it seems it is for those that have enough capital… well, yes and no. there is now what is called Crowd funded real estate! This essential means people pooling their resources together to build houses, rent/lease it out and divide the profit among the investors. And guess what, this stream of income serves as a continuous source of income, meaning the money keeps coming year in, year out!
D. Get loyalties; Write a book! Before you jump into writing that book, ask yourself what do I know? What do people come to me for? What is the value that I give? Once you find answer to these questions, you are ready to write a book. But like every other form of business, it will take your time and effort. There are different platforms that you can write for and get paid, I am talking about articles here. Or you can simply just write and publish a book! Check YouTube video on how you can publish your book free.
E. Start a blog: This however will take time. You might have failed previously but if you work hard enough to get an audience you can be making money on the low for a while.
F. Buy and sell domain names
G. Invest in an eoiiixisting business; this requires trust and patience. If you want to stay at home and do nothing and still make profit, well, it is possible. You can invest in a small business and get a percentage interest over time. I advise you invest in a business that has real asset that can be used as security or with a good insurance to enable you recover your money and profit back if the business should fail. And yes, have a written agreement that is enforceable at law.
h. Affiliate Marketing
i. Rent out a room in your house
j. Create YouTube videos; this simply can be done from the comfort of your house. You can start by simple researching on things that people usually ask questions about, learn the answers and be their solutions, simply add value! I can guess your next question right now, how do I make money out of it? As the number of your viewers increase, you can make profit from ads; make videos for your company to generate money for your company.
k. Use one of your cars for Uber and watch as your return on investment flows in.
In whatever you do, make sure plant, water and do nothing but eat the fruits of your labour year in, year out.
Emmanuelyusufu 