Business Lessons from Naira Marley

The name Azeez Fashola may not strike a bell. If you, however, were to do a google search of the name Naira Marley or Marlians thousands of posts may come up. While many may complain of the vulgarity of his music, are there business lessons we can learn from him? We think so.

Be consistent

While Naira Marley may be the rave of the moment, he had been in music for a few years and was fairly active in the United Kingdom. Success is never an overnight journey. Put in the work and be consistent.

Monetize your fame

Naira Marley has channelled the fame from his brushes with the law into pushing his music. In May 2019 shortly after releasing his controversial single ‘Am I a Yahoo Boy’ he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged credit card fraud. When he was released on bail, he went on to release his singles Soapy and Tesunmole.

On the 17th of December 2019, he released his EP titled Lord of Lamba (LOL). He also hosted a concert. He has also collaborated with several wave-making artistes such as Davido, and Zlatan Ibile.

While this might not work for someone in a formal industry or a company, fame is a fickle thing and should be monetized.

Every crisis is a blessing

While in EFCC custody, Naira Marley got the inspiration to create the infamous soapy song while discussing masturbation with an inmate.

In business, there will be a crisis that pops up from time to time. Rather than spend the time lamenting, look for the lessons and opportunities involved.

Stay close to your customer base

Naira Marley has maintained an active social media presence. He is known for tweeting from his handle, in a warm and friendly manner. Do you run a business? Stay close to your customers and be relatable.

Create a community

There are hundreds of musicians in the country. Very few, however, have been able to create a community. Naira Marley has consciously created a community for his followers calling them Marlians. Marlians are known for being fun-loving and not wearing belts.

People love being part of a community. That is why social media apps like Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp are so successful. Create an active community for users of your product or service.