Charles Chanchori

Around Nairobi in One Night

Confessions of a Kenyan Uber Driver

The Story About the Soldier Who Harasses a Cab Driver Through Nairobi at Night and Takes a Shit in the Middle of Thika Road

The lengthy tale has many names, but people’s reaction to it was a united chorus:

It was shared (I’m lowballing here) one million times on the interwebs.

Its success had pundits wondering how to square the long-held belief that Kenyans don’t read.

I couldn’t even find the original post because there have been so many copies and pastes that that low-quality vid circling Reddit is jealous.

Here’s the closest version to the original that I could uncover.

Its author, Charles Chanchori, became an “overnight” superstar.

An overnight superstar with exactly… zero KES to show for his captivating creation that had the whole country on the edge of her seat.

Why?

By his own admission, what he makes up for in creativity, he lacks in marketing skills.

This thread was a call to hire a sales rep/publicist to help him sell his books.

I mean, that’s one way to deal with it.

But whatever Chanchori does now, it’ll never erase the fact that the immediate monetary value of his explosive Uber story is that cool 0 KES.

I have little knowledge of his career trajectory after that viral 2017 moment.

Still, from my preliminary research, it seems he’s never written anything that set the internet as ablaze as Dan and Chuck’s saga did.

Luck is a funny thing.

It increases the more shots you take.

But it also has no regard for your plans or preparations.

And it very well may never strike, no matter how many shots you take.

It’s created the wealth of the wealthiest while stripping their counterparts bare at will.

It’s unpredictable, your best friend, and your worst enemy.

But here’s one thing you can bank on when it comes to luck:

You’ll never lament its sporadic whims if you’re prepared.

If Chanchori had invested in gaining some basic marketing insight while sharing his stories on Facebook, luck would have found him prepared, and he would have been in a better position to milk that moment for all it was worth.

If somehow the world never recognized his amazing art despite the numerous shots he took, he’d have reduced his time “tarmacking” as a starving artist because his ability to sell himself would do the talking.

Win-win.

What does this mean for you?

Stack your skills.

Yes, it’s great that you’re great at your particular niche, but have you considered how people will find out?

What talents you’d need to complement that greatness to stand out in an increasingly saturated market?

How to communicate the value of your enhanced package to prospects?

(Looks like it all goes back to marketing, huh?)

“Doing business without marketing is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but no one else does.”

Or be like Chanchori and build networks with people who have the skills you lack and couldn’t be arsed to learn.

Whatever you do, do it now.

Don’t let Lady Luck find you flatfooted when she knocks at your door.

(I know selling oneself doesn’t come naturally to many of us. But if we are to succeed in solopreneurship, we kinda have no choice but to master it. If enough of you tell me you’re interested, I’ll talk about confident, non-sleazy, non-needy marketing in an upcoming letter.)

Daniel had several opportunities to drive off, but the story wouldn’t story if he had,

Hope. ☆