The Benefits of Working with People

There’s a saying in Igbo that goes, “Igwe bu ike,” which means “there is strength in unity.” But let’s be honest, working with people can be frustrating. Sometimes, you just want to do things your own way, at your own pace, without anyone arguing, slowing you down, or bringing their wahala into your work. I get it.

But let me tell you a story…

A few years ago, my friend Amaka wanted to start a clothing business in Lagos. She had a great eye for fashion and knew how to design stunning outfits, but there was a problem, she couldn’t sew, and she had no idea how to run a business. She figured she could learn, but the more she tried to do everything alone, the harder it became. She was spending long hours watching YouTube tutorials on tailoring, struggling to get quality fabric, and getting confused over business registration. The stress was too much, and she almost gave up.

Then, she decided to do something different. Instead of forcing herself to learn everything, she partnered with two people: a tailor named Kunle, who brought her designs to life, and her cousin, Chuka, who had experience in business and marketing. Together, they launched Amaka Styles, and within five years, the business was booming. Amaka focused on designing, Kunle handled production, and Chuka made sure people heard about their brand.

If Amaka had continued trying to do everything alone, she might have abandoned her dream. But by working with others, she was able to build something bigger than she ever imagined.

What’s the moral of the story? You can go fast alone, but you go far with people.

Teamwork Reduces Stress and Increases Productivity

Look at any successful business, and you’ll see that it thrives on teamwork. Take Jumia, for example. Do you think one person sits in a room processing orders, packaging goods, delivering them, and handling customer complaints? No. They have teams for everything—marketing, logistics, customer service, finance—because one person can’t do it all.

When you work with others, you share responsibilities, which means less stress for you. If you’ve ever planned a wedding or owambe, you know that trying to do it alone is a recipe for disaster. But when family and friends come together, someone handling the venue, another handling food, and another managing guests, things run smoothly.

 More Brains, Better Ideas

Let’s be real, nobody knows everything. You might be brilliant, but your perspective is limited to what you’ve experienced. When you work with others, you get fresh ideas that you might never have thought of.

Take Nollywood, for example. If actors, directors, writers, and producers didn’t work together, would we have blockbusters like King of Boys or Living in Bondage? Imagine one person trying to act, film, edit, and promote a movie alone, it wouldn’t work. Collaboration allows people to bring different skills to the table, leading to better results.

Networking = More Opportunities

Who you know matters almost as much as what you know. Working with people expands your network and opens doors to opportunities you may never have found alone.

Think about Davido, yes, he’s talented, but do you think he blew up by recording songs alone in his room? No. He worked with producers, featured other artists, and built relationships in the industry. Today, he can call almost anyone in the music business for a collaboration because he has built strong professional relationships.

Whether you’re a journalist, an entrepreneur, or an upcoming fashion designer, who you work with determines the kind of opportunities that come your way.

Learning from Others

One of the best things about working with people is that you learn, even when you don’t realize it. Let’s go back to Amaka’s business. She didn’t know how to manage finances until Chuka, her cousin, taught her the importance of keeping records and planning for expenses. If she had continued working alone, she might have kept making money without knowing how to sustain the business.

Every industry is like that. If you work with someone who has more experience, you pick up valuable lessons that can help you grow. Even if the person is difficult or annoying, you still learn patience, conflict resolution, and how to manage different personalities, skills that will help you anywhere in life.

Support During Tough Times

Work can be exhausting, and challenges will always come. But when you work with people, you have support. Take startups like Paystack and Flutterwave, these companies faced countless obstacles when they started, but because they had strong teams, they overcame them. Even in everyday life, having people to encourage, advise, and push you forward makes all the difference.

Ever been in a group project where one person motivated everyone to keep going when things got tough? That’s the power of teamwork. Whether in business, career, or personal life, having the right people around you makes challenges easier to handle.

Working Alone is Limiting

Let’s imagine two food vendors. Aisha sells jollof rice and fried rice in a small kiosk. She insists on cooking, serving, and handling customers all by herself because she believes no one else can do it as well as she does. At first, it works, but as more people hear about her delicious meals, the pressure increases. Customers start waiting too long, some leave out of frustration, and eventually, she gets overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Tunde, another food vendor, takes a different approach. He hires an assistant to help with cooking, someone to serve, and another to handle payments and customer service. His business runs smoothly, orders are processed faster, and he even expands to offering food delivery. While Aisha struggles to meet demand, Tunde’s business keeps growing because he understands the power of teamwork.

No matter how talented or hard working you are, working alone will always limit your growth.

Final Thoughts

No matter how skilled, hardworking, or determined you are, there’s a limit to what you can achieve alone. The biggest breakthroughs, the most successful businesses, and the greatest innovations have all been built on teamwork. When you work with others, you gain new ideas, share the workload, and create opportunities that would be impossible on your own.

So, the real question is: Do you want to go fast, or do you want to go far? Because in the end, true success isn’t about how much you can do alone, it’s about how much more you can accomplish with the right people by your side.