21/04/2024
I USED TO BE A TAXI DRIVER
I was in my late 20s. During the day, I was a highly qualified senior manager in a bank, coordinating a multimillion kina nationwide branch network with over 50 staff reporting to me. At night, I had a secret side hustle. I was a taxi driver! (The only Sepik taxi driver in Pom between 2010 and 2011) And this was my taxi! I lived at Doreen Place, Korobosea then. I would pick up people around Port Moresby at night and drop them off. I met many interesting people that way. On the weekends we taxi drivers knew that to get good customers, you'd wait outside outside pokies and night clubs till 4am in the morning when it closed to take people home. My passengers were always safe with me. I would give them good advise and encourage them to not waste their money and lives. How did I become a taxi driver?
A young man from Hagen wanted to apply for a loan to buy a PMV but didn't have the cash equity required. He tried selling his taxi to other taxi drivers to raise the cash equity required but no one wanted to buy it. It was a Toyota Marino. I felt sorry for him because he was a very humble man and really wanted him to succeed. So I bought his taxi for a good amount and gave him the cash. He used that as cash equity and his loan was approved to buy that second hand PMV from an old Japanese Used Car Dealer at 4 mile called "Best Cars". Today that yard is used by Brave Group.
I watched with pride and helped him grow his business from from 1 PMV to 2 PMVs, to 4 PMVs, to a few hire cars, rental properties, etc. He never spent his money unnecessarily. I remember he would ask me for K1 to buy his Snax biscuit for lunch despite making over K50,000 a month in his business. Today he is a successful Hagen businessman, and I can put on my CV that I was a taxi driver!
Ps. Last time I bumped into him at vision city after almost 10 years, and we exchanged numbers...he was still using a K40 one bang phone!
A few lessons from this story;
1. Get out of your comfort zone and do something outside of your profession. You'll learn from it and have a better appreciation for others as a result.
2. Be kind to others. If you're in Uni and your coursemate doesn't have a room to sleep in, let them sleep in your room and be your "soms". One day they will be a blessing to you.
3. Live within your means. Just because you can afford expensive things doesn't mean you should buy it. Have a budget. Save your money. Invest your money. You'll be thankful you did.
Blessings olgeta 😊🌟
