I Spent 7 Years Building a Media Platform for Tech News in Africa and All I Got Was Carpel Tunnel
Celebrating 7 years of Tech Labari
It’s 9pm on a weekend and I’m on my laptop reviewing an article which will be published in a couple of days. I’m making sure there’s no spelling errors, all the tags are correct and it’s been put in the correct category in the content management system.
Then I feel a little bit of pain in my hand. I check symptoms and days later, I’m wearing a wrist guard because I realise that I have carpel tunnel.
There have been some days where I wake up and I just want to go online to the admin settings and select DELETE. And then Tech Labari will go gone….
Fortunately, I haven’t gone there yet.
It’s been 7 years since I decided to launch Tech Labari (formerly known as Tech Nova).
When I started, I wanted the platform to be about stories to be about technology in Ghana. I wanted to focus on the people and products that were being built and spotlight what the Ghana tech ecosystem was doing.
7 years and it’s been the most “unpaid”, “thankless” and rewarding experience I’ve been through. Those words seem contradictory but they’re true.
On the front end, Tech Labari looks like any normal website or “blog” with written content and pictures.
But on the backend, there is a lot of planning, configurations, settings, and a nasty grind of research, writing, and publication of content. In the end, the hope is that the content gets seen and shared by dozens of people.
Am I Enjoying The Fruits of My Labor? Or Is It Just Endless Labor?
The number of hours worked on the platform is immeasurable.
I’ve worked for hours on different content, researching and producing 800–1000 words which just gets seen by 50–100 people.
In this modern media era, trying to compete with the likes of “TikTok” and other video platforms makes the work even harder.
But….there have been lots of positives. I’ve been fortunate to attend events and network with some fascinating people in tech and business. I’ve been rewarded with “access” that most people wish they had.
Has this “job” put money in my pocket? Not really.
Sometimes I catch a break with advertising but for the most part, running a small media startup means that you’re going to be running at a loss. Your business model is based on capturing views and attention.
We’re now in a period where if you don’t put out 30-second to 1-minute videos on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube shorts, it’s hard to get attention.
But I’m glad that others appreciate my content. I’ve been referenced by academics, spoken on media platforms and been invited to exclusive events because of the work that I do.
Throughout the 7 years that I’ve run Tech Labari, I’ve learnt a lot about digital media. Everything has been self-taught. From Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Social Media Management, and Content management, it’s been an interesting ride.
Great Numbers But Has Tech Labari Peaked?
In the 7 years since Tech Labari has been running, we’ve published over 3000+ articles, covering everything in the African tech space from fintech to electric mobility.
We have gotten over 5000+ followers from all our social media platforms including X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
We’ve also sent out 150+ email newsletters to over 600 newsletter subscribers from the US, UK and Ghana. (Newsletter link here)
We’ve always launched two podcast shows where we’ve produced over 30+ podcast episodes, ranging from stories from guests including Vanessa Gyan to Ethel Cofie.
All combined, we’ve gotten over 1000+ downloads/listens.
But with all these numbers, why does it feel like Tech Labari is not as popular as it should be…
There’s so much to do but time is fleeting.
Is There Enough “Fuel” in the Tank?
I’m thankful for getting help along the way but help doesn’t stay forever as everyone also has to run their own race.
7 years later I ask myself: Is there anymore fuel left in the tank to keep going?
Yes. But barely.
Honestly, feels like 1–2 years left unless something dramatic happens (Acquisition/Capital Injection…)
There have been many times I’ve wanted to stop this “car” and just take a bus in a new direction.
For now, we’re still driving this car and putting as many miles on it as we can. But like any car, one day, we’re going to have to turn it in and park it for good. It might be sooner. It might be later.
But for now, it’s still running.
