Figuring Life Out

"We didn’t set out to build ‘Nigeria’s top athleisure brand’—we just wanted socks that didn’t cost a fortune but felt premium. Back then, it was just about solving a simple problem: why should quality basics be a luxury?"Wasulu Habib is the founder of Smileys Africa, a homegrown success story that turned smiley-face socks into a movement. What began as a side hustle importing affordable hosiery is now redefining how Nigerians experience everyday fashion—one intentionally designed product at a time.In this episode, Habib pulls back the curtain on:The unsexy truth about bootstrapping in Nigeria’s volatile marketHow to spot gaps everyone ignores (and turn them into empires)Why copycats became his unexpected validationThe emotional ROI no business book teaches (hint: it’s not revenue)If you’ve ever doubted whether your “small idea” could scale, or wondered how to build customer love beyond transactions, this conversation is your blueprint.Enjoy :)Chapters: 00:00 Intro02:13 How Smileys Started08:27 Becoming the Top Athleisure Brand in Africa13:56 Impact of a Founder’s Passion on a Brand14:40 Dealing with CopyCats17:54 Going from Bootstrapping to Scaling19:02 How Smileys Started Making Sneakers23:01 Understanding Product Market Fit27:30 The Basics of Starting a Business28:03 Habib Beyond Smileys32:23 Life in the UK37:09 Why SMEs are Important to the Economy38:43 Raising Capital & Funding41:35 Managing 9-5 & Running a Business45:10 Understanding the Power of Leverage in Business49:10 Quick Fire Questions55:57 Habib's Favourite Smileys Product57:51 Future Plans for Smileys1:00:53 Habib's Advice If You Want to Start a Business1:02:49 Is Dim Smileys' New Brand Ambassador?📑 JOIN THE 6-WEEK BUSINESS SERIES W/ HABIB & Ihttps://diimejii.myflodesk.com🔗 CONNECT WITH HABIB📸 Instagram💼 LinkedIn🌐 Smileys🔗 CONNECT WITH DIM📸 Instagram🐦 Twitter📺 YouTube💼 LinkedIn🌐 Website🎙 ABOUT THE PODCASTFiguring Life Out explores life's endless possibilities, digging into mindset, creativity, career pivots, and building better habits. Through real and reflective conversations with founders, creatives, and thought leaders, Dim brings you insights to help you grow and navigate the unknown.🎧 LISTEN FOR FREE🎙 Apple Podcasts🎧 Spotify📡 RSS🙏🏽 LEAVE A REVIEWIf this episode resonated with you, leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify. It helps more people discover the show and keeps it going 🙌🏽👋🏼 LET’S CONNECTTweet your thoughts @diimejii. I’d love to hear what stood out to you and thank you personally for tuning in.PS: Some of the links above are affiliate links, so I get a little kickback if you click and buy — appreciate the support 😜

“We didn’t set out to build something that would be acquired. The plan was just to build what we need. Looking back now, it makes sense, but when we were working on it back then, it was just the regular day. We were just building a product. Like, what can we do to make this better usable for other people”Rufus Oyemade is a software engineer, content creator, and the co-founder of Disha, a platform that helped creators build digital pages with ease. In 2021, Disha was acquired by Flutterwave, marking a huge milestone in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. But what happened after the acquisition tells a deeper story.In this episode, Rufus shares the often unseen journey of life after a startup exit: the identity shifts, creative rebirth, and the lessons learned when the metrics no longer matter. From building startups to creating soul-led content, he reflects on legacy, the power of iteration, and why doing less, but doing it well, might be the most important success metric.If you’ve ever chased big dreams, faced burnout, or wondered what’s next after a “win,” this conversation is for you.Enjoy 🙂(00:00) Intro(02:53) For the Love of Travel(04:36) Brand Storytelling & Cregital(05:34) Stepping into Content Creation(13:32) Creating Beyond Metrics(15:35) Software Engineering Origins(17:42) Impact of Environment on Creativity(21:07) The Story of Disha(25:35) Being Flexible Enough for Change(28:49) Storytelling for Influence & Growth(29:50) Moving from Nigeria to the UK(35:50) Advice on Relocation(39:03) Start-up Life Vs Creative Life(42:11) How GospelLyrics Started(48:42) Advice on Turning Passion to Profit(51:10) Figuring Out Purpose & Its Core(54:10) Thoughts on AI & Its World Impact(59:35) The Curse & Blessings of Being Creative(01:03:26) Quick-Fire Questions(01:05:37) Long-form or Short-form Content(01:12:24) Common Mistakes Creators Make(01:17:02) Figuring Life Out & Next Steps📑 GET THE STORYTELLING GUIDE HERE🔗 CONNECT WITH RUFUS🎥 YouTube📸 Instagram🐦 X (Twitter)💻 Website💼 LinkedIn🔗 CONNECT WITH DIM🎥 YouTube📸 Instagram🐦 X (Twitter)💼 LinkedIn🎙 ABOUT THE PODCASTFiguring Life Out Podcast explores life's endless possibilities, delving into topics like growing mindsets, building better habits, and navigating the complexities of existence. Through playful yet probing dialogue with founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, and thought leaders, Dim brings you insights that inspire, motivate, and ultimately help you on your journey to figuring life out.Start your business with Tide: Sign up here🎧 LISTEN FOR FREEApple PodcastsSpotifyRSS🙏🏽 LEAVE A REVIEWIf this episode resonated with you, leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it helps others find the show and keeps it going.👋🏼 LET’S CONNECTTweet your thoughts @diimejii. I’d love to hear what stood out to you, and thank you for tuning in.PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜

'Never ever stop. Clarity comes when you're in motion; nothing grows in stagnant water, only mosquitoes. You have to give yourself the opportunity to flow—just flow. Keep doing, pick the next project in front of you, and pour yourself into it.' Torera George is a home expert, blogger, and educator who helps women create clean, organized, and stylish homes they always want to come back to. She didn’t grow up learning how to cook, clean, or organize efficiently, and only began cooking seriously at 21. Determined to improve, she spent the next decade mastering the skills to create a home she loves. Now, she’s sharing her expertise with others, offering resources like blog posts and videos to help people build clutter-free, welcoming spaces that reflect their unique style. Whether it’s tips on cleaning, organizing, or creating a cozy atmosphere, she provides reliable, tested advice and is always ready to answer questions on cleaning challenges. She invites others to join her on the journey to elevate their homes and lives.In this conversation, Torera and I trace her personal journey from learning basic home skills to becoming an expert in homemaking. She shares valuable tips on how to maintain an organised, inviting home, insights on creating routines for managing household tasks, and her philosophy on how consistency leads to clarity and growth.Enjoy 🙂(00:00) Intro(02:00) First Thoughts About Torera's Home(03:22) YouTube Journey(07:46) Taking a Break from YouTube(12:25) The Realities of Earning as a Creator(20:48) Relocation Story(28:41) UK Home Renovation Experience(34:40) Conflict Resolution in Marriage(39:27) How to Take An Idea and Bring It to Reality(44:51) Reinventing Yourself(52:53) Walking with The Holy Spirit as a Creative(59:21) Falling in Love with What You Do (01:02:40) Figuring Life Out and Next Steps🔗 CONNECT WITH TORERA🎥 YouTube Channel📸 ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠🐦 ⁠⁠⁠X(Twitter)⁠⁠⁠👥 ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠🔗 CONNECT WITH DIM🎥 ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠🐦 ⁠⁠⁠⁠X(Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠👥 ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠💻 ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠🎙 ABOUT THE PODCASTFiguring Life Out Podcast explores life's endless possibilities, delving into topics like growing mindsets, building better habits, and navigating the complexities of existence. Through playful yet probing dialogue with founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, and thought leaders, Dim brings you insights that inspire, motivate, and ultimately help you on your journey to figuring life out.Want to start your own business? We use Tide! https://www.tide.co/partners/heptabrand-ltd/?cofo🎧 LISTEN FOR FREEApple Podcasts SpotifyRSS🙏🏽 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show :) 👋🏼 GET IN TOUCHYou can also Tweet @diimejii with any feedback, ideas or thoughts about the lessons you've learnt from the episodes and we can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜

In this first episode of Figuring Life Out, I sit down with my wife, Mopelola Ajegbile, to take a walk down a 5-year memory lane leading up to our meeting and getting married just 9 months later. We explore the importance of personal growth before marriage and how hearing from God and obeying His guidance shaped our journey. Through candid reflections on our individual growth, we discuss how focusing on ourselves—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—helped lay the foundation for a strong, healthy relationship. We also share how faith and trusting God’s voice played a pivotal role in our decisions, offering practical advice for anyone on the path to marriage. Whether you’re single, dating, or engaged, this episode will inspire you to prioritize becoming the best version of yourself while trusting God through the process of love and life.Enjoy 🙂(00:00) Intro(01:50) First Thoughts About The Podcast(06:16) Getting Roped into Korean Drama(08:22) Reminiscing Life and Work in 2021 with Relationship Dramas(16:07) Going from Zero to Figuring Life Out and Zero Again(20:25) Changing Scenery and It's Possible Downsides(24:14) Experiencing Existential Crisis(30:24) Dim, You Were Not My Kind of Guy(41:15) The Strategy and Facade of Dating(45:55) Learning and Understanding Prototypes(47:08) Communicating Heartfelt Desires to God(48:45) Doubting God's Word and Seeking Assurance(50:23) How Dim Proposed/Wedding Plans(58:11) The God Triangle(01:02:29) Dealing with Trauma in Marriage(01:04:58) The Timeline(01:06:16) Learning Patience and Practicing Humility🔗 CONNECT WITH MO📸 ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠🐦 ⁠⁠X(Twitter)⁠⁠👥 ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠🔗 CONNECT WITH DIM🎥 ⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠📸 ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠🐦 ⁠⁠⁠X(Twitter)⁠⁠⁠👥 ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠💻 ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠🎙 ABOUT THE PODCASTFiguring Life Out Podcast explores life's endless possibilities, delving into topics like growing mindsets, building better habits, and navigating the complexities of existence. Through playful yet probing dialogue with founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, and thought leaders, Dim brings you insights that inspire, motivate, and ultimately help you on your journey to figuring life out.Want to start your own business? We use Tide! https://www.tide.co/partners/heptabrand-ltd/?cofo🎧 LISTEN FOR FREEApple Podcasts SpotifyRSS🙏🏽 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, I'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show :) 👋🏼 GET IN TOUCHYou can also Tweet @diimejii with any feedback, ideas or thoughts about the lessons you've learnt from the episodes and we can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜