Adapt or Die: How to Beat Market Disruption

Today on the podcast, we're going to deal with how to cope with market disruption. And the reason why is because I got a question on the radio show, not from a podcast listener. And he's in a segment where the market has been disrupted several times over. The guy's a taxi driver. So you know, you know, it has been for our brothers in our market. So, yeah. So I wanted to know what to do. He can't meet his 20,000 naira daily target anymore.

So he's wondering, should he sell his car? And I figured it'll be a worthy topic to come back again and talk about how to deal with market disruption. Because I'm sure it's not just the taxi drivers who are feeling disrupted. Those of us in the consulting space. I mean, when ChatGPT and all these tools came out, you know, you have consultants who are crying foul that, you know, this thing will disrupt this the marketplace, put all of us out of work.

And by the way, I disagree strongly, which is the reason why over here on the podcast, I keep on advocating for the use of artificial intelligence tools and I keep telling you guys to use it to grow your business. So I really don't think it's going to displace consultants at all. So if this is your first time listening to the podcast, then subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, because these are the kinds of things that we talk about every other day.

How do you grow your sales? How do you find your customers? How do you build business relationships if your market is being disrupted? How do you cope? So these are the sorts of things you talk about over here. Now, my name is Tava Shima Ayede, I'm a former lawyer turned business consultant. So if you'd like to keep in touch, get in touch. If you'd like to connect, you can call, send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on the 08064662140.

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. That's the only social media that I have. Then apologies because there's going to be lots of noise in the background. I'm currently, I'm at home currently in the villa for Christmas. So there's going to be noise in the background. And then plus, you know, you know, this time now the weather is hot, like hot day. So I'm just chilling outside trying to get some breeze while making today's recording.

So like I said, today's topic, excuse me, how do you deal with market disruption? Now, this is the way that I like to define market disruption because, you know, you can't define it any which way. But for those of you who've been listening to the podcast for a while, you know that I'm not, I don't preoccupy myself with giving you guys technically precise definitions. So this is just a working definition. So everybody understands like you feel where we're going.

So market disruption just means in your particular industry, everything is going good at the moment. Everything is going great at the moment. You might not all be millionaires, Moshe. You're making it like you can get by. So in Josh's case, you know, he was not a millionaire, but at least that 20,000 naira daily, his target, he was meeting it so that, you know, you can maintain the car, you can maintain family issues, and of course there's some money to flex.

So market disruption happens when everything is cool, everything is calm, then some outsider or some outside forces, outside economic forces, outside economic actors, some outside something, some intruders, they come and pour sand in your Gary and then scatters everything for everyone. And then all of a sudden we can't make money anymore the way that we used to. We can't be cool again. We can't be calm again, we can't be coasting again.

Everybody's now rushing from pillar to post and everybody's shouting from where's comments might help because you don't know the way forward. So that's the way that consultants were feeling when ChatGPT and all these tools came out. It was like, hey, machines machine don't no book now. So why is there any reason why somebody will call me a consultant or somebody will call me a lawyer or somebody will call me an accountant?

By the way, for those of you who are in the services space and you're a knowledge professional, you know, you sell consulting services, accounting, legal like you're, you're crying foul too soon. We will always be needed. We will always be valuable. In fact, we are an indispensable part. You can't get rid of the architect, you can't get rid of the consultant, you can't get rid of the lawyer. But I will talk about that now.

I'll talk about that some other time. Let's deal with industries now where they are facing genuine disruption where somebody has actually come out for Sandy there, Gary. So that's the reason why Josh was asking his question because he was a taxi driver and he used to be 20 KA day. So you know how it works in Abuja. I don't know if it's the same way that it works in Lagos. You know, somebody has a car, they give you the car and then there's a daily target that you have to make so that you can remit XYZ amounts, you know, to the person.

So whether you know, maybe it's like, you know, who knows, maybe like 4040 K every day so that you're remitting to the owner of the car, maybe 1010 K or something. Then there's a certain amount for maintenance, a certain amount for this, a certain amount for that. So in this part of the world, you know, that's how that game used to be. But anyway, in this case, the car belonged to Josh. So what he used to do was 20 K every single day.

But they have faced market disruption because number one, both Uber and all these people entered the scene that created some, you know, it altered the demand and supply dynamics. Then later on now when the economy went haywire, you know with the removal of fuel subsidy and everything, I don't know about Lagos where in Abuja, private actors have started coming in the game. So you see somebody like me, a graduate, when a guy will now carry his car on the way to work, the person will just say,

you know what, he will just pull into a bus stop sharply, just pick up like 5 or 6 people so that at least one way make some money, one way make some money, at least that one will be covering for fuel. So boys, I've started doing that game now in Abuja where you're not a taxi driver, you're not a member of NURTW, that's the Nigerian Union of Rd. Transport workers, you're not a Kabul, Kabul driver. You know, like you have a job,

let's say you work in Zenith Mark. But because of economic pressure, you say every day if I go like this and I pick up five passenger each other, I give me two 2K. On the way back I pick up five passenger each other, I give me two 2K. That's 10K per day. 10K per day means 50K per week. Well, it's not ideal, but at least you can use that to now support and be buying fuel. So boys have been doing their math now that's the reason why guys like Josh are feeling the pressure because they can't meet their target again, that has market disruption.

So how do you deal with market disruption is what you do. Josh was talking about selling his car. And I understand very well that he wants to sell his car because I've been in a situation where I'm broke, like severely broke, and then I have to pawn something. Now for those of you who listen to the podcast, you remember the episode where I talk about how I had to sell? Well, no, I didn't have to, but I sold my guitar was an an Epiphone, Epiphone ES-355, very beautiful guitar.

Very, very beautiful guitar was a semi acoustic guitar. Those of you who like you know, Blues for instance, you understand what I'm talking about. Correct Guitar, bought it when I was in the UK and you know, I saw the 'cause I was broke. So as I saw the guitar, now, the money that came was not as if it was sweet, but eventually the money finished and where was I money I did not have, guitar I did not have. So when Josh called in with this question, I didn't want the guy to face that kind of scenario where you sell the car and then you wake up one day, the money is not there, the car is not there.

Then what? So what you do when you're in this situation and you're faced with market disruption, what you do is you just change your business model. So if you're in Josh's situation, don't sell the car yet. We need to change the business model first. If we try that a couple of times and it doesn't work, OK, OK, then we can now start selling off assets. But until then, we need to change your business model. So what is a business model?

The business model just means how do you do two things #1 how do you give value? How do you put value out into the market, out into the world, and then #2 how do you capture value from the market, from customers? I repeat, the business model just means #1 how do you give value? How do you do something that people appreciate that people like in the marketplace? Then the second part, which is capturing value, basically just means as people like this thing,

as people value this thing, no how, no how the guys pay for it when they pay, that is you capturing value. So any setup where you give value, then you capital value, that's a business model. So consultants like me who have podcasts, you can see that's the making of a business model. You give value because you're putting out useful content out into the universe. Then some people reach back to us and say, guy, you realize that you know one or two things.

This is my situation, this is what I'm suffering. And then in return I say, OK, I can help you with that. But to do that, you guys pay me. So, so, so and so, so you can see that that is a business model. I'm giving value, I'm capturing value. So whether you know it or not, whether you're like Josh or not, whether you're like me or not, you clearly are operating with the business model in place. When market disruption happens,

it just means that that your old business model, you're not too tenable anymore. It's not too short anymore. So we need to change your business model. So before all these things happen, before Uber and before a fuel price hike, Josh thought of himself as a taxi driver, as an A long person, A long is in Abuja. Like how I put it, you know, these taxis that you're just driving, you just stop, people just enter and then you move,

you know, so that is what they call along. So he thought of himself as a taxi driver, he thought of himself as an along. But what I was advising was like Josh, instead of think of yourself as a taxi driver and as an A long person, you now need to think of yourself as something else. Think of yourself as playing in the logistics space and also in the customer service space. So instead of doing taxi business model, a long business model, Kabu Kabu business model,

how about logistics business model where you are moving? How do I put it? How do I define logistics now? OK, well, logistics, you're moving people, material, all kinds of things in order to enable business functions. Yes, let me just call down logistics. So if you have a car, obviously part of the logistics that you can be doing is delivery for businesses. Now you're now playing in the B2B space business to business instead of B to C business to consumers.

So that is one. An example I gave was this. Yeah, I started off as a lawyer, but eventually I became a wedding photographer. Now, as a wedding photographer, we don't do everything ourselves. We shoot by ourselves. Down is basic. Some of us, we edit for ourselves. But then the actual fulfillment, the making of the album, the making of the Frames, the making of the, you know, whatever it is, the delivery box is done by other people.

And there's a hub in Abuja around UTC. I can't remember if that's like Area 8 or Area 10, but that is where all those boys hang out who do these sorts of things. Now. Delivery is time consuming. I liked delivering myself because I want to be able to be there when the bride opens it. I see their reaction and you know, we talked through a couple of things. I want to be sure that they're happy because it's from there and I'll be able to lay up to see if I can get a referral.

And if you listen to yesterday's episode, referral just means introduction to other customers. So for people in that space who don't like doing their own delivery, they will need an intermediary, They will need somebody who is in the logistics space, who has Okada or who has car, who will now pick up the things from UTC and deliver to the customer in Maitama, in Guadalajara, in Asokoro, in Gadua, in, you know, wherever it is that the customer lives.

I really think people like Josh, if your taxi business, your Kabu Kabu business, your long business has been disrupted, think of yourselves. Try playing now in the logistics space because there are businesses like people in UTC who actually need trusted hands to go and pick up a parcel, pick up a delivery, pick up material, pick up supplies, pick up whatever and deliver from point A to point B. That can be done. And the reason why I know that can be done is because in UTC

there are already boys who have that kind of relationship. You have an Okada or you have a car, Somebody needs something delivered. The person will call you from inside UTC, say, oh boy, you go the way you did. Yeah, I'm around. We get delivery. Sure you will now come and they'll say this is the parcel you're delivering it to chief. Once you get to ministers, he'll call this number and deliver to this address and then they sort you so people like Josh can play in that game.

And if you think you are in a market that has been disrupted, this is what you should be thinking. How do I change my business model? Don't go straight to wire. Let me sell everything. So those of you who are still in the media space, people are shouting now, oh, the phones are so good. People don't need videographers, people don't need photographers. You start selling your equipment. Why think first? Is there another business model you can try before you start liquidating and selling off assets?

So that's an example of logistics. I remember the reason why I'm recommending this is because I don't want George to be in that situation where I was, where you have sold this thing, you have chopped the money, where did the money go? You don't know then money you don't have your equipment you don't have money you don't have car you don't have then what serious blazing because you don't have any more options then also thinking of being in the logistics space or maybe more like in the customer service space.

You can also try this whole hob and spoke last mile model where people think about getting people from one hub to another hub instead of being an A long kind of thing. So Josh is from Lugue based in Lugue along Airport Rd. So there's some major city points that people have to move, you know, from that Lube side all the way down into town. So let's say like Secretariat, that's an example that I gave. And by the way, I'm not in the transportation space.

So if I get something wrong, that's for those of you listening in Abuja, you know, forgive me, I'm not trying to come up with ideas. You know, I'm freestyling here. So from Lube to let's say Secretariat there, from Secretariat, everybody get down and then, you know, you find your way. So it's possible that instead of thinking of himself as Kabul, Kabul, he can now become a dedicated service where he secures fixed clientele that he picks up every single day, let's say 6 O clock in the morning.

And then they drive straight to Secretariat. He drops everybody. And then from there they find their way. He goes off, he does his logistics thing, then they've agreed, you know, 5:00 PM or whatever, everybody gather there and then he's taking them straight from Secretariat all the way back to whatever the pickup point was in Luby. No deed, no detour, no stop. That will be a very valuable service for certain kinds of individuals.

There's some people who wouldn't mind that instead of doing a long sitting in a stuffy, cramped car. I mean, you just meet some people and you will agree only one person in front instead of two people sitting in front and then only two people in the back instead of four people at the back. And this is how much you will pay me, you know, daily or monthly or whatever. In fact, I would prefer for your sake, Josh, that you can able to negotiate something ahead of time and receive the money in bulk at the beginning.

So you can see that with some changes, looking at different business models, you can make this thing work. Look with the Secretariat, it can work. Then in between that time between 8:00 when you drop them and then 5:00 when you pick them up, you'll now be doing logistics moves. Think of some other companies that might need logistics. Just think, is it people who need supplies, so maybe they have to move, I don't know,

maybe like move stationary from one point to another? Or is it people who need to do delivery like people in UTC? I mean, for those of you who are in this space and are being disrupted, if you sit and you think you can come up with some ideas or if you look around, you can't really see what boys are doing. Because like I said, this UTC that I'm talking about this UTC thing, I didn't invent it. I didn't think it up. There are people that do it.

If you have anything to do in UTC and you go there and let's say at the end of the day, by the time they finish your job, the Flyers that they print for you, by the time they finish everything, maybe everything equals to maybe like 45 KG. You will now be thinking me, I will carry this bag of flowers 45 KG down these flights of stairs. I'll put it into my car and then drive through the office. Some people say I beg, that's too much work.

Don't you have a delivery person? And quick, quick, they will call one or two people and somebody will do that thing, hoist the 45 KG down the flight of stairs, put it in their car or their cutter, drive it to your office and then carry it and drop it in your storeroom. So these services already exist. So if you're in Josh's situation, instead of thinking yourself as a taxi, as a Kabu Kabu, as an along, think of yourself as logistics or think of yourself as customer service.

And then there are other opportunities that you have in front of you. So for this whole thing, the customer service side where you're thinking of Hobart spoke or last mile or whatever, he can target office workers. Because remember the example I gave was Luby to Secretariat. He can target office workers living in Luby side. He can target market traders. And maybe instead of stopping at Secretariat, he would stop at Bannex, for instance.

Sorry, forgive me, those of you who are in other parts of Nigeria. So in other parts of Nigeria or the world, you know, maybe you're not really flowing, flowing with this example. You know what, this is an Abuja guy and I live in Abuja. I'm giving some Abuja examples. So you Abuja people, you understand what I'm saying. So instead of stopping that secretariat, you can't stop the bannix and everybody offload Basha is still the same.

So apart from office workers, market traders, families, you can't even target families. There's some people who the whole family, everybody lives in Lubin, but the guys tired of putting the car on the road. The children's school is in town, everybody works in town. You can target families. You can so that people who go to schools like maybe footage for instance, you just do with niece, you pick them up. First up is you drop the kids in Vontage.

Then from Vontage you now go and drop the parents in other parts of Osokoru where they live. And then you go, they are now doing your logistics also or you to pick them up again. At the end of the day, that's customer service. A dedicated, you know, I was about to say chaperon. I can't remember the word. It's not chaperon chauffeur, dedicated chauffeur service. Yeah, thinking customer service, but either way, you know, the logic is the same.

It's a fixed rate. And the benefit you're selling to these people is they don't have to hail cars at all and they don't have to stress themselves every single day. Monday to Friday, 5:00, I'll be at this certain place, five in the morning, 5:00 AM. What you will have to do is get there. My car will be there. Nice, cool, keen, AC tight. I drop the kids in school, drop you guys off at work and then so, so, so time I'll come pick you up, pick the kids, and then we go straight home.

No stress, all for the nice handsome figure of X amount. So that's it. That's an example of what to do if you're in a space that has recently been disrupted. Don't go first to selling off assets, but rather think about changing your business model, talking about change. We're currently at the end of the year, 2026 is around the corner and it's no secret that my partners and I were coming up with a fresh set of trainings for January of 2026.

It's going to start on the 12th of January and run until the 23rd. It's going to be for 10 days, so we're not going to do anything on weekends, but Monday to Friday, every single day we're going to be training people on how they can use their phones, use the phone to grow the business. How do you use the phone to start a conversation? How do you use the phone to build rapport? How do you use the phone to negotiate? How do you use the phone to make a presentation?

How do you use the phone for relationship building, for securing advancements, for follow up and follow through? How do you use the phone to close the deal? These are the things that we are going to be exploring. If you would love to be a part of this training, call me, send me a text message, send me a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. When you reach out, this is what's going to happen. I'm going to have a chat with you because I want to get to know you.

I want to get to know your business circumstance. Excuse me, I want to get to know what plans you have for 2026, what you want to achieve. The reason why I want to know all this is because as much as I like money and as much as I want to collect money from all of you, I only want to collect money from people that I know that I can help, people that I know that I can serve. That is the reason why we're going to have a chat so I can know you and so that I can figure out can I help this guy?

Can I help this babe or not? And if I can't help you, I won't take your money because that's not the way I roll. Then apart from that, I have a client in Lagos who is based in Lekki, Osaka, London, and he's trying to revamp his sales team. And I agreed that from this training, I'm going to be sending him the names and the contact details of the people that I think are the best candidates that can work for him. So in a way, this is also kind of like a recruitment exercise.

So if you're looking for a job, you are based in Lagos, you live in Lucky Lagos Island, you live around or close to Osaka, London, then reach out as well. The reason why I'm putting this restriction when it comes to place, you know, Lucky Island and all of that is because for this client of mine, this job is going to be an inside sales role. The job is going to involve using the phones every single day. So you will be expected to be at your desk and calling at 9:00

sharp. Not that you will sign in at 9:00. Not that you will boot up your computer at 9:00. Not that you are having breakfast at 9:00. Not that you are greeting people at 9:00. But at by 9:00 sharp, you have already started calling. In other words, if you start calling at 8:45 is good, but 9:45 we expect that you have already been hitting the phones. So the reason why we want people who live close by is because we don't want anybody who is doing long commute because selling using the phone is hard.

If you have a 2 hour commute to get to the office, man, that's just stress to now sit down and be making phone calls. We want people who are not going to be stressing themselves. If you have a 2 hour commute, 3 hour commute that would be tough. But anyway, if you said you can't cope and well no problem it's up to you. But left me or left to us would rather prioritize people who already live close also so that you don't waste most of your salary and transport because there is not going to be any hybrid for this job.

Rd. there's no hybrid. It's on location. Monday to Friday, 4 days, sorry, 5 days of the week, 4 weeks of the month. There is no hybrid. So that's it. If you're interested, call, send me a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. Apart from that, if you just want to connect or you have questions, comments or queries over anything that I've said in this podcast episode or any podcast episode, that's not a problem.

Reach out to me. I'd like to chat because I love meeting people who listen to my podcast. So thank you very much for the encouragement. Thank you very much for the support and for those of you who helped the podcast grow in 2025 because you not only listened, you recommended it to other people. You shared with people in your WhatsApp groups. Thank you very much for making helping the show to grow. And I'm looking forward to remaining a part of your personal growth and your business growth in 2026.

So thank you very much for listening. I'll catch you all some other time.