2021 Year End Review

The Time For Reflection

It is the end of the year once again. And time to reflect on the little that has been done and the mountains yet to be reached. Well I started off the year in Tanzania and ended in Benin. Lot’s of trials. Lot’s of failures, some too personal for me to want to put on public record, but a neccesary part of my development that I’ll likely just put as a personal note outside of the public eye.

But to start out with, I’ve become reasonably competent in the keyboard. I mean with the personal things I was doing, I had time on my hands. A skill that may be of use in the future.

Establishing Local Contacts

And the African countries I’ve been to (5) were all in this year of 2021. It is a bit different then when it was visiting other parts of the world wherabout Southeast Asia or Latin America. One of the reasons being that I was building a network along the way, before leaving for a new location, I would take a few countries from someone I know in the current location. It’s a skill of building a network of people that can get you to where you are going (of course you need to contribute as well.) This is especially true when you are parachuting into foreign territory as a solo guy. You need to be resourceful with the material that is around you and make do. And this has especially been put to the test this past year.

Door To Door Selling

On one such drops I’ve done, the one in Sierra Leone, it was a matter of procurring clients to take on my makeshift freelance web design. Door to door selling is a hard process, especially on your own in a foreign land, but I managed to yield some fruit out of it.

International Trading

But I suppose the most difficult was that of what I did in Nigeria. Of actually getting some international trade going, which involved a lot of different legs from setting up a company, bank account, support staff, cold calling buyers. Quite honestly, I’m surprised I was able to take it as far as I have. Honestly it’s a bit surreal how far I have been able to take it as I am a little more than an upjump (or glorified) backpacker.

Looking Forward: A Key Missing Piece

Having said that, I know what I need to do this coming year to take things to the next level. I’ve had so many different experiences but one of the key pieces I’m missing is the financial side of things, but at this stage, I believe I’ve laid enough ground work to get things scalable this coming year of 2022. Still it was slim chances that I was able to take things this far, and it’ll be slim chances I can scale it, but I’ll take my chances.

Kingston S. Lim

December 29, 2021

Grand Popo, Benin