Four Years Don Waka – It’s Our Anniversary🎉

The brand GELAX CHATROOM is FOUR!!!

It sure feels like my birthday. My heart is full and overflowing with so much joy it’s threatening to burst! Today, I’ll be sharing a summary of the four years journey of Gelax Chatroom, because I feel extremely proud.

How it began…

“Bolaji, I think you need to disturb the world with all this energy and plenty things you have to say”. (Paraphrased)

That was what Olajumoke blurted out to me one sunny afternoon in the Olurins’ living room in Abeokuta, Ogun State. I had been disturbing her with non-stop chatter, as per usual.

And just like that, a seed was planted. I should really be “disturbing” the world with all these amazement in me, I thought to myself.

Weeks later, I was seated at the dining table recording my very first YouTube video. I remember vividly being so excited and nervous at the same time. I must have recorded about 10 different videos that day. The video was published on the 7th of December, 2016

YOUTUBE 👉 Gelax Chatroom

Olajumoke and I had chosen the name “The Chatroom with Gelax”.

I would, however, soon realize that searching for “The Chatroom” on YouTube was such a longggggggg thing. Subsequently, after a careful deliberation, Gelax Chatroom was decided upon as the new brand name.

For about two years, I was an active YouTuber. YouTubing was something I completely enjoyed doing in spite of the stress of recording videos, endless hours of editing, and the money I spent on data. Gelax Chatroom soon became my baby. I couldn’t stop talking about it. I spent all of my salary, extra time and waking moments nurturing this child of mine.

Well, until I moved to Lagos, Nigeria. Man, Lagos humbled me! It seemed like I hadn’t been adulting until my relocation to the yellow, noisy city.

Yo Stars, times were hard. For the longest time, all I had was just my laptop, no smartphone, no camera, no money. I couldn’t barely afford a proper meal a day, not to speak of affording the data to upload the videos I shot with my friends’ phone.

Anyway, I was in an entanglement with a guy who graciously told me I could always come over to his place to use the WiFi. I didn’t mind because it meant free food and Wi-Fi! What more could I ask for? I had met him at a wedding in Abeokuta weeks before I relocated to Lagos. He was a really cool guy, and I was at the stage of knowing him better to see if we could date.

However, I had to stop that arrangement because of the battles I fought every night. Man really liked me and was ready to start dating. I didn’t mind either as I liked him a lot, but he wanted sex and he legit told me we couldn’t be together if we won’t be intimate.

There was no point beating around the bush. I appreciated him for being upfront with me and although I felt bad, I wasn’t ready to be sexually active. So yeah, we kinda parted ways. This sweet man still told me he didn’t mind me coming over to use his Wi-Fi to upload my videos but I did not think it was fair on either of us.

Like, can you imagine how awkward it would be if I were to be in his living room editing video and he was moaning, “Yeah baby… Oh yeah!” with another woman in the bedroom.

Hian! No o, abeg.

Anyway, I decided it was best to peg Gelax Chatroom (YouTube) and focus on building Bolaji Gelax, as a brand. After all, I had left my radio job and relocated to Lagos to pursue my dream of being an actor and a TV presenter.

But after countless fruitless auditions, I accidentally became a professional writer, and somewhere along the line I started blogging sporadically on gelaxchatroom.blogpost.com but that soon stopped because your girl was frustrated.

See, I had exhausted my savings on the quest to build Bolaji Gelax as a brand and writing gigs weren’t coming in as much.

I was so tired and was desperate for something to work. It seemed everyone who told me to stick to my radio job and not pursue the Lagos Dream was right because neither Gelax Chatroom nor Bolaji Gelax was working. Like, my life was practically on a standstill.

Blogging became a thing of the past and I could barely talk myself out of the house to attend auditions. We decided it was time I got a 9-5 job. Shebi na person wey dey alive dey pursue dreams and build brands.

How I started blogging again

Fast forward to November, 2018 when Tosyn Bucknor died. For some reason, I took that loss personally and it’s strange because I didn’t know her personally. Yet, her death stirred something in me.

It must have been the realization that Tosyn, a sickle cell warrior, lived well and impacted many lives in her short but full life that was my awakening call. I realized then that if I had died on that day, no one would remember me for anything remarkable.

I was just Bolaji Gelax living on past glory.

I was Bolaji Gelax who gave up her dreams because the going got tough.

I was Bolaji Gelax who would be forgotten in no time because she made little or no impact.

But that wasn’t me!

That was not the Bolaji Gelax I had spent all my life building. Enough was enough. It was time to get my life back on track.

In June 2019, with the help of my dear friend, Oluwaloseyi Bello, I renewed the domain name, www.gelaxchatroom.com, which this same friend had graciously paid for a year before that. (Side note: I’ll always be grateful for my friends, and I  really hope I’m also a good friend to them and other people). Paying for the domain name and hosting put a big strain on my savings but I didn’t mind. The giant in me was awake and nothing was going to tame it.

I spent the next few weeks setting up my website (something I’d never try again, thank you!) and transferring my old works from Blogger to www.gelaxchatroom.com.

Officially, I launched www.gelaxchatroom.com in June 2019 with the post I Kill My Bestfriend and decided to name this sub-branch of the brand Gelax Chatroom, Miss Flowery’s World. I was determined to spread love, light and good vibes round the world. I wanted to create a safe space for people to be themselves, unapologetically.

While on this mission to impact the world in my own little way, I have been blessed with the opportunity to build Gelax Chatroom and Bolaji Gelax simultaneously. Something I had tried and failed at when my motivation was purely selfish and just about ME. God must have been having a good laugh at me.

Through the journey…

It’s been 17 months since Gelax Chatroom – Miss Flowery’s World became functional and I’m grateful for the lessons learned and the impacts made. I am even more excited about the many more amazements to come.

Stars, there is so much more God has put in me to offer the world through this two brands and we haven’t even scratched the surface yet. Believe me!

But…

This took me focusing less on myself and my brands and channelling all of my energy and available resources towards making impact in the world to experience significant growth in both my life and brands. I think that’s something YOU can take from the journey of Gelax Chatroom.

Focus more on adding value to the world and watch the universe align in your favour.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.
Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 (King James Bible)

To decision to start calling members of this community STARS was made in December 2019. I however thought to make it a subtle introduction. I wanted to build a formidable GALAXY but I wanted it to be as organic as possible. Seeing how you, my Stars, warmed up to the concept of being a Galaxy, warmed my heart to the point of tears. For this, I say THANK YOU! ✨✨✨✨

Stars, today makes it FOUR YEARS Gelax Chatroom kickstarted as a brand, but Miss Flowery’s World (www.gelaxchatroom.com) is only 17 MONTHS OLD and here is how far we come.

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Like what??? I don’t even know how to behave. Last week was the first time I checked this stats and I wept. It was unbelievable.

More lessons…

I choose to share this story so as to motivate someone that no mountain is too high and no dream is too big. As a matter of fact, if your dream doesn’t scare you, something is probably wrong somewhere.

A little digression…

Hmmm… I used to be so hung up on the fact that my supposed close friends and family members weren’t supporting Gelax Chatroom as much as I thought they should, and that literally stole my joy. It wasn’t until I stopped obsessing over the matter and focused more on my mission and set my eyes solely on the goals did I find peace and might I add, blaze!

As of today, Gelax Chatroom receives visitors from 101 countries. I certainly don’t have close relatives and friends in that many places.

Some perspire to aspire talk…

Dear creative/entrepreneur, focus more on delivering quality products, adding values and building a competitive brand, ’cause only then will you grow.

I have a community way bigger than I could have ever imagined in just a year and five months because I channelled my energy in the right place.

Finally…

To every single Star in this Galaxy, I’m using this opportunity to say a very big THANK YOU to you for the love, support, views, likes, comments, shares and suggestions. A bigger “thank you” to all those who have helped with technical issues with little or no pay. You all have a special place in my heart. ♥️✨

I really do hope Miss Flowery’s World has made you smile, chuckle, laugh, frown, emotional, think, rethink, learn, unlearn and relearn since you first joined in. But above all, I hope that Gelax Chatroom has made you and continues to make you feel genuinely good with and about yourself and be a safe space for all.

The vision is to build Gelax Chatroom into a brand that educates, entertains, informs, empowers and spreads positivity.

This is a movement!

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I LOVE YOU WITH EVERY FIBRE OF MY BEING, STARS. ✨✨✨✨

Cheers to the many more years of ‘disturbing’ y’all. 🥂

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PS: I’ll be announcing the anniversary giveaway soon. Please watch out for that.

For your viewing pleasure 😍

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Photos by Osariemen Daniel 
Make up by @glamndglitters 
Jewellery by @nik_jewellings 
Styling by @bolajigelax 
Joy by BABA GOD

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