Joseph Onaolapo, the content creator and OAP better known as Jay On-air, has detailed his past struggles, including a time when he sold secondhand clothes to make ends meet.
In a recent interview on the WithChude podcast, Jay revealed that he left his job as a communication executive after enduring months of unpaid salaries and feeling undervalued.
The 31-year-old content creator said he then ventured into selling okrika, a fairly used clothing business that surprisingly flourished.
“I want to roll with the big boys and big girls and all of that. I came to Lagos. Two seconds, they were employing me. I sent my CV to every radio station. Every radio station. Nothing happened,” he said.
“I found a way to work with an online radio station. It did not quite pan out like I wanted. That’s how I got into the corporate world. Worked as an executive assistant. Worked as a communication executive.
“…Was owed salaries a lot. I was treated like I was not worth anything. That all just crippled me. And then, eventually, I left the job. And I started a business.”
He, however, added that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown crippled his business, leaving him stranded.
“And COVID-19 hit. I am like, oh my God. The business just, well, because it’s buying clothes,” he said.
“I was selling Okrika by the way. And it was becoming a thriving business. I was becoming the shorts guy. People would come to me to buy shorts. I tried. This one was actually starting to work. It was starting to work. I remember, I am a big fan of Waje. And I remember she was having a concert at the time. And I could afford it.
“Right. To use this money. So it was such a big deal to me. And it just hit me because of N10,000. And COVID-19 hit. Yeah. And everything just. Silent. Became silent. I was home. I didn’t have a job. Nothing was working for me. And then people were on TikTok. And I was just like, what is happening here?
“And that is how I, you know, got on TikTok. Live syncing sounds. Just to have fun. And that’s why I love creating so much. Because when I was depressed. When I was sad. I wake up in the morning. I have my bath. I have my shower. I would be on TikTok. How many sounds can I create in one hour? How quickly can I live sync sounds?”
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