Love her or hate her, Linda Ikeji is one phenomenal woman we can’t help but admire. Despite her very controversial content and antics, you’d have to agree that she is strong, hardworking and determined to succeed against all odds and these are the things I choose to celebrate about her.
Linda Ikeji is is a 35-year-old Nigerian blogger, writer, model and entrepreneur from Nkwerre, Imo State. She is easily one of Nigeria’s highest earning bloggers. How she turned a once obscure practice into a money making machine and has successfully sustained it since 2006 is a testament to the commitment it takes to be an entrepreneur in the creative industry.
As a teenager, Linda loved watching newscasters and interviews so she wanted to study Mass Communication in the university but she was admitted to study English to her disappointment. To support herself and her family through school, Linda began working at the age of 17, doing everything from waitressing and ushering to modelling and bartending, none of which paid a lot in the late 90s.
After graduation, Ikeji started blogging in 2006 on the
Blogger platform. After university she worked hard to break into the journalism sector, launching her media company, Blackdove Communications, a modelling agency and events management outfit. She also started what she describes in her first ever blog post as her “true passion”, her magazine called,
FM & B. The first issue was released in 2006 and after discovering how capital-intensive and time-consuming magazine publishing was, only two more editions made it to print before she gave up.
After a while, she decided to go back to blogging and this time, focus on it. Although Linda began her business as a hobby, did it for four years before making any money and had no set goals for it at the beginning, she’s making the most of every opportunity that comes her way as her blog now generates millions of naira annually from advertisements run by companies and individuals.
According to media reports, she has reportedly acquired a mansion in Banana Island, Lagos which is estimated to have cost about 500 million naira.
According to an Instagram post by her younger sister, Laura Ikeji, it was a surprise and unexpected.
She wrote:
“@officiallindaikeji just proved that impossible is nothing. Haaaaaaaaaaaa still in shock!!!! #newmansion #luxurylife #thebiggesthouseiveseeninmyife Instagram isn’t ready #worrydemmodeactivated new neighborhood guys!!! I’m still in shock. Thank you God. Na You.”
Last year, the blogger also made news when she acquired a brand new 2014 Range Rover.
If you think all this millionaire blogger does is make money, think again. She also gives back to her community through various philanthropic gestures such as her recent “I’ll Rather Be Self-made” campaign where she gave 10 million naira to 15 young women to fund their businesses.
Smart, successful and beautiful, Linda is a young woman who is determined to leave a mark in the sands of time.
Congratulations Linda Ikeji.
Read also:
7 Steps to Owning a Blog
WordPress vs Blogger: Which is Better?
Using Blogs to Drive Red Hot Traffic to Your Website
Source: Wikipedia, Naij.com and VenturesAfrica.com
