Turning virality and cultural relevance into sustainable revenue is hard to do in Africa. But Jola Ayeye, Feyikemi Abudu, and the I Said What I Said (ISWIS) podcast team are some of the very few who seem to have figured it out.
On June 17, the team announced its 2026 live show tour, the biggest in its history yet: 12 cities across 6 countries and 3 continents. For a show that began with two friends having honest conversations online, and spent its first five years as a passion project with a loyal audience but no clearly defined revenue model, that is a remarkable leap. The successes ISWIS enjoys today did not happen by accident.
In this maiden episode of Creative Capital, we break down the decisions that Ayeye and Abudu made to turn ISWIS into one of Africa’s most-loved podcasts and a business with several revenue lines.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How ISWIS built an audience across Nigeria and the diaspora by closely observing audience behaviour and creating experiences that met real audience needs.
Why the team’s willingness to experiment with different formats, events, and revenue models became one of its greatest competitive advantages.
How a live show in London became a turning point for the business, and why a Spotify grant proved more valuable than many traditional brand partnerships.
How seemingly small ideas like aso-ebi dress codes, raffle tickets, and audience participation games became reliable sources of revenue for the podcast.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.
This hits a sweet spot. Thank you @Communiqué for this interesting creative economy exposé of sorts. I love ISWIS and learning about the business behind the brand certainly gives me a better understanding of the engine running the vehicle. Great going to the team!