On September 20, 2024, Geegpay by Raenest, hosted a mixer for creators, freelancers, and members of the digital community. The festival titled Geegs and Groove was an opportunity for the Nigerian digital community to gather together to network, share ideas, and build community. The event held in Victoria Island, Lagos was hosted by Timi Agbaje. It was a huge success attracting creators, freelancers/gig workers, and members of the creator community from all over the country—some making 12-hour trips to attend.
According to Cynthia Orji, content marketing manager at Geegpay, the company’s mission is “to empower content creators, gig workers, freelancers, remote workers, and members of the digital community with the tools and support they need to succeed in the global economy. This Geegs and Groove festival is one way that we’re driving that mission.”
Building a sustainable career in the global digital economy
The first panel on “Building a Sustainable Career in the Global Digital Economy” hosted by Cynthia Orji. The panel featured big players in the digital community including Steven Ndukwu, seasoned filmmaker and content creator; Blessing Abeng, branding and communications expert; Omoalhaja founder of Skill Afrika; and David Herbert, frontend engineer and technical writer.
Addressing the question about the necessary mindsets and tools that are key to building a successful digital career, David Herbert spoke on the power of adaptability and flexibility. The digital world moves fast with new technologies and creators and workers who want to succeed need to adapt to the times.
Steven Ndukwu advised creators and gig workers to not compare their metrics with other creators especially when just starting. He identified patience and knowledge-building as the most important factors to hold on to. Success takes time and creators should stay grounded in research and work until success happens.
Blessing Abeng highlighted two main skills: learning and sharing, and a mindset of possibilities. According to her, “You need to believe that the life that you want is possible and you have the capacity to learn and handle challenges. There will be challenges but if you believe in possibilities you approach them as opportunities.” She added that it’s not enough just to do the work, you need to share the work you do.
Answering the question of how to position oneself to succeed in the digital space regardless of background, Omoalhaja who works with underprivileged communities advised that individuals use available online resources.
“When starting, especially with limited industry connections, add social media to your repertoire. Use social media to engage with people and share your portfolio.” He added that community building is key.
The panelists also gave tips on monetising one’s skills and highlighted steps to building strong personal brands to attract global opportunities. The panel ended with questions from the audience.
Secrets to earning $200,000+ on Upwork
The first panel was followed by an Upwork masterclass with seasoned professionals who have made up to $200,000 on Upwork. The panel was moderated by Precious Ahwuri O. and the speakers were Ifeoluwa Amao, Microsoft 365 tech support engineer, Ebunoluwa Olaoluwa, email marketing expert, and Eseoghene Otomiewor, SEO content writer.
The panelists recounted their experiences with freelancing and what led them to Upwork.
Answering the question on how creators can land a job on Upwork and what skills can boost their earnings, Ifeoluwa Amao said both soft and hard skills are necessary. Hard skills like customer support, mobile web development, and a host of other roles can earn you money based on your Upwork rating but that’s not enough. Soft/people skills help create and sustain relationships with clients.
Eseoghene added that having skills matter but the application of skills is equally important and so is pricing. “Competitive pricing will put you closer to others on the platform from other countries,” he said. Ebunoluwa advised adding complementary skills to your first skills so you can offer more to clients. If you’re a content writer add skills like email writing to expand your portfolio.
The panelists laid out strategies to make one standout to attract top-tier clients with Ifeoluwa telling new Upwork users to imitate the people already on the platform. He suggested that new users identify top profiles and tap into their strategies. Eseoghene added to this by stating that how you brand yourself is important. “Structure your profile with the client in mind. Let them see what value you can give them and what you can do for them from your profile.” He said
The panelists also discussed how they balance multiple projects by prioritizing deadlines and communicating effectively with clients. They shared some lessons they have garnered from experience that other freelancers will benefit from.
Introducing Raenest USD physical cards
The event included a showcase of Geegpay products and services. Geegpay allows individuals to create instant multi-currency accounts (USD, GBP, and EUR virtual accounts) to receive payments from local and international clients. On Geegpay users can manage local and international funds from a single platform.
Geegpay also provides an invoicing tool that eliminates the hassle of manually creating invoices and making errors in the process. This tool automates the process of reaching and reminding clients of payments. The platform also offers virtual USD cards. With this users can seamlessly make payments from their accounts to any platform.
Raenest, the parent company of Geegpay, also launched a physical payment card at the event. This physical card is a convenient and secure tool for international and local payments. It can be used to withdraw at ATMs and make payments anywhere with no unnecessary card fees. This card will be delivered directly to users’ doorsteps.
The Geegs and Groove festival ended with fun-filled games and audience members winning lucrative prizes. This was followed by an afterparty DJ’d by Crowd Kontroller, where attendees got to mingle and network.
