January 31, 2015. Paradise Bookshop in Ikeja, Lagos.
I’d sent text messages to about 15 friends. A simple message: I’m thinking about teaching people how to write and publish books. Interested?
Three people showed up.
That’s how Book Writing Clinic (BWC) started.
The Hypothesis
Six years earlier, I’d published Bridges to the Customer’s Heart through AuthorHouse in the USA. The quality was solid. The reviews came in. And people started asking: How did you do this? How do I write a book?
I noticed a pattern. Everyone had stories. Everyone had expertise. Everyone had something worth sharing.
But they had no idea how to actually write and publish a book.
So I developed a simple hypothesis: there are probably people out there who have books inside them but just don’t know how to start.
I decided to test it.
The Three Who Showed Up
Kayode Oluwasegun Ojo arrived first. I’d met him six months earlier when I was invited to speak on Service Excellence at his company, NAHCO PLC. He was the MD/CEO.
Olatunde Oladitu came next. He’d attended one of my earlier programs called HEBE (How Experts Build Empire) in 2014. He already understood what it meant to build something.
Udeme Etuk was the surprise. He’d never confirmed he was coming. But he showed up anyway. I’d known Udeme for years – he was GM and Head of HR at International Distilleries Ltd. His home was practically around the corner from Paradise Bookshop.
Three people.
Looking back, that was perfect.
What I Actually Taught
I wasn’t a writing expert. Bridges wasn’t a New York Times bestseller or a Wall Street Journal pick. I didn’t have credentials that said “I know how to teach book writing.”
What I had was curiosity and a curriculum I’d built around what I’d learned from Brendon Burchard’s The Millionaire Messenger.
So I taught. As Danny Iny says in his book Teach Your Gift, you don’t need to be perfect to start teaching. You just need to be a few steps ahead of where your students are.
That’s what I did.
What Happened Next
Kayode completed the program. He got into iBMC. Recently joined THE CLUB. He’s stayed connected.
Olatunde finished. Still active in the community.
Udeme went through. Later registered for iBMC.
All three original students are still here. Still part of the journey.
That matters more than I can articulate.
The Real Lessons
There’s a lot of business theory about how to scale. How to systemize. How to grow.
But when I look back at those early days, three lessons stand out.
First: People buy into friendship before they buy anything else.
Kayode came because we had a professional relationship. Olatunde came because he understood the ecosystem I was building. Udeme came because of years of knowing each other.
None of them came because of a brilliant marketing campaign. They came because they trusted me.
Second: The three Rs matter more than you think.
Recommendations. Relationship. Relatability.
Every person who joined BWC after that first three came through word of mouth. A friend recommended it. Someone they knew had done it. Someone they could relate to had gotten results.
To this day, BWC has grown almost entirely through referrals. Not advertising. Not fancy campaigns. Just people telling other people. Binta Ibrahim, an alumna based in Kaduna, has brought in close to 40 other members.
Third: Don’t wait to be perfect.
I’ve watched too many potential teachers, coaches, and entrepreneurs wait. They wait until they’ve read one more book. Taken one more course. Refined their approach one more time.
Analysis paralysis kills more businesses than lack of talent ever will.
I started BWC with three friends and I barely knew what I was doing. But I started.
Where We Are Now
Eleven years later, things look different.
BWC alumni are in six countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. We’re training authors on multiple continents.
We’ve expanded the offerings. BWC Intensive for those who want quicker result. BWC Virtual for people who can’t make it in person. THE CLUB for authors ready to scale their book into a business. iBMC for those learning to market their expertise online.
Over 95% of people enrolling in our BWC programs are BWC alumni. They’ve experienced what we teach. They want to go deeper.
And we’ve shifted our vision. It’s no longer just about helping individuals write books.
It’s a movement to create 100 million authors across Africa.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s the actual goal. Because we believe every expert, every leader, every person with knowledge worth sharing should have the opportunity to document and share it.
Why This Matters
Most businesses start because someone sees a gap in the market and decides to fill it.
BWC started because three friends showed up on a Saturday morning in Ikeja.
It grew because people trusted us. Because we delivered results. Because they told their friends.
And it’s still growing for the same reason.
When you strip away all the courses and programs and certifications, that’s the foundation: trust, results, word of mouth.
Three people in a bookshop. That’s how it started.
Now we have alumni on six continents. And we’re just getting started.
Your Move
If you’re thinking about writing a book, you don’t need to wait until you’re perfect. You don’t need all the answers. You don’t need years of preparation.
You just need to start.
Kayode, Olatunde, and Udeme started by showing up to a class in a bookshop. They didn’t know what would happen. They just came.
That willingness to start – not perfectly, just authentically – is what Book Writing Clinic is built on.
If you’re ready to do the same and join even at a higher level, consider THE CLUB.
Watch this video to learn more about BWC BOOK WRITERS CLUB (THE CLUB):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11fB4ZVxBi6uZrcPMz4avJ9vRHSDiSnuZ/view
Because the world needs your wisdom. Not tomorrow. Not when you’re ready.
Now.
