Hi,

Lagos is notorious for its chaos and the immense stress that comes with navigating everyday life. Take traffic for example, the numbers tell a staggering story: more than eight million people, moving in five million vehicles cram into a tiny network of just 9,100 roads every day. For Lagosians, this means spending an average of 30 hours weekly in traffic.

This represents four to six hours of their day stuck in traffic, the highest of any city in the world. This means enduring what a psychiatrist described to CNN as "hellish traffic" which has given rise to surges in rates of depression in the city.

Then there’s the indiscriminate waste disposal, blocked drainage channels, and open defecation that makes most parts of Lagos dirty and smelly. There’s also massive levels of air pollution, crime rates, bribery, extortion and corruption.

Yet despite this brutal reality, Lagos continues to exert an irresistible pull on dreamers, entrepreneur and artists. Lagos is home to more tech hubs than any other city in Africa, attracting investors who want to capitalise on this expanding technology hotspot and earning itself the nickname "Africa's Silicon Valley." Lagos has also produced Nigeria’s greatest musicians.

"If you want to make something happen really, really bad, come to Lagos. It will happen, trust me."

Yes, it was in this spirit that a former member of the Beatles set out to Lagos in 1973 to record an album. He had come with romantic dreams of Lagos Beaches, sun and African rhythms.

What followed over the next month were typical of the Lagos life. Armed robbery, health scares, confrontations with Fela and technical nightmares. Regardless, this chaos somehow produced a masterpiece.

Two decades earlier another person had left Lagos for America. There, he found a different kind of chaos, brutal racism this time, and in the same spirit, transformed it into a masterpiece.

We invite you to read the stories of two artists who transformed chaos into masterpieces. We added a guide on how businesses can anticipate and prepare themselves for the chaos that comes with starting and running a startup in Nigeria.

We hope you enjoy!

The SimplVest Team

Babatunde Olatunji: The Nigerian Drummer Who Protested Racism with African Rhythm

Three years before Rosa Parks would spark the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott, Babatunde Olatunji was already staging his own creative protests against racial segregation.

Babatunde Olatunji arrived in the United States in 1950 with dreams of becoming a diplomat. There he would meet and confront American racism with his drums.

👉 Full Story here: Babatunde Olatunji: The Nigerian Drummer Who Protested Racism with African Rhythm

Band on the Run: How Paul McCartney Created His Masterpiece In the Chaos of Lagos

In August 1973, Paul McCartney, former Beatle and leader of Wings, made a decision that would have seemed reckless to any sensible rock star: record his next album in Lagos, Nigeria.

What followed over the next month would become the stuff of rock legend: a tale of armed robbery, health scares, cultural confrontations and technical nightmares that somehow produced McCartney’s finest post-Beatles work.

👉 Full Story here: Band on the Run: How Paul McCartney Created His Masterpiece In the Chaos of Lagos

Samis Online: From Van Man to Food Empire

It took a determined immigrant couple from Nigeria living in Birmingham, UK to build a simple van delivery service, Samis Online, which has since evolved into one of Britain’s most successful food empires.

The story of Olusegun and Oyetola Akande is a masterclass in how recognizing unmet needs, combined with unwavering determination and connection to home, can transform humble beginnings into big business.

👉 Full Story here: Samis Online: From Van Man to Food Empire

How to Create an Effective Risk Management Plan for Your Startup

Trying to build a startup or a business in Nigeria? This guide breaks down steps on how to create an effective risk management plan that can enable your startup or business anticipate, prepare for and mitigate risks that plague businesses in Nigeria..

👉 Full Guide here: How to Create an Effective Risk Management Plan for Your Startup

Till next Saturday,

If you loved what you read, be sure to forward it to a friend. If you have any thoughts, you can leave us a comment by replying to this mail. We would love to hear back from you.