My Phone Booth Business Thrived—Until Illness and Poor Systems Took It Down

After my contract ended, I used part of my severance pay to start a phone call booth during the early days of GSM in Nigeria. Business took off, and I opened a second location, but I had no proper systems for keeping records or checking the money. Then I fell seriously ill for more than six months. I spent my savings on treatment, and while I was away, the business collapsed. I learned that trust alone cannot protect a business, and that an emergency fund can make the difference when life takes an unexpected turn. Broke and recovering, I emailed my elder brother in the United States to ask for help. He agreed, but reminded me that I had previously refused a proposal to relocate through a route I did not trust. What did he ask me to do, and why did I refuse?

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