By the start of my third year, it was clear: my little side hustle was no longer little.
Word had spread far beyond the campus gates. More businesses, schools, and even private homes wanted my solar panels and CCTV systems. Every new client brought a fresh challenge, and every challenge made me sharper, smarter, hungrier.
I remember one particularly ambitious project: a small factory on the outskirts of the city.
The owner wanted solar panels on the roof to power the machinery and CCTV cameras to monitor every corner. He gave me a strict timeline: two weeks.
I gathered my small team — two classmates I had trained — and we began.
Lifting panels under the scorching sun
Routing cables through tight spaces
Testing every camera angle for blind spots
It was grueling work, and there were moments I thought we might fail. But the thrill of creating something tangible, powerful, and transformative kept me going.
On the final day, the factory owner walked through, inspecting our work. He smiled, shook my hand, and said:
"Young man, you've turned my factory into something from the future."
That moment? Priceless.
With projects like this, my earnings began to grow.
I started saving systematically, investing in better equipment, and slowly dreaming bigger:
Bigger panels for larger businesses
More sophisticated CCTV systems
Eventually, producing some panels myself instead of buying them
I realized that every Naira earned wasn't just money — it was fuel for bigger dreams.
University life and business sometimes collided in funny ways:
I'd sit in lecture halls, sketching layouts of solar panels instead of taking notes
I'd meet friends at the beach, but secretly calculate how long it would take to complete the next installation
Social life? Limited, but I learned to enjoy small moments while keeping my focus sharp
One of the most interesting experiences was learning to negotiate with clients.
Some tried to lowball me, thinking I was "just a student." I had to stand my ground, convince them of the quality of my work, and sometimes risk losing a client just to maintain my reputation. That lesson would become crucial for LITECHS later.
By the end of the year, I wasn't just a student or a part-time technician. I had become:
A recognized name in small business circles
A young entrepreneur gaining experience with real clients
Someone who understood the value of skill, trust, and persistence
And every night, when I returned to my hostel, I would jot ideas in my notebook:
"Next year… bigger projects, bigger impact, bigger dreams. LITECHS isn't a dream anymore — it's coming alive."