HGCP 2021 Participants: Co-founder Amanda Etuk is solving problems one delivery at a time with Messenger.ng
I sat down with problem solver extraordinaire Amanda Etuk, to get to know her and learn more about Messenger, the delivery business she co-founded. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Amanda Etuk and I’ve always been inspired to solve problems. I consider myself a full Nigerian, my father is from Akwa Ibom and my mother from Kogi State. I was born in Makurdi, Benue State and grew up in Lagos and Abuja. I am excited by change and being a part of something great and this makes logistics and supply chain a perfect industry for me. During my spare time, I try to create processes that allow me to have maximum time for relaxation. I typically love to stay in bed, watch series and eat a lot of food. I am a published author with two books so far; one is on personnel management for the delivery business space and the other is so far left; an erotica under a pen name. Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point? My background is in Pharmacy from the University of Lagos. After working a few years as a Pharmacist, I went on to get a postgraduate in Global Supply Chain and Logistics managementand then worked at a Supply Chain and Logistics company as the General Manager. After this I co-founded a delivery business with my brother where I manage modern trade supply chain for major household brands. I also work on last mile deliveries focusing on expansion plans for Messenger. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? My bottom line is to be able to create a great life for myself and my loved ones. I want to create products and services that would serve people and still be very profitable. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? I have a lot of heart warming moments in my life but my biggest achievements are seeing projects that started as ideas come to life. I am most proud of where Messenger is right now, we are the second largest partner for Jumia Food in Abuja, we have recently ventured into last mile cold chain and have a contract to move COVID samples for Medbury Medicals in Lagos. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is creating work place conditions that I wished for when I was working. It is having the power to make decisions and seeing the immediate outcome on my bottom-line. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Welcome to Messenger.ng, you can absolutely trust us with your deliveries. Messenger.ng is a full-service logistics and dispatch company with key operations cutting across package delivery, cold chain solutions, warehousing and haulage. We provide end-to-end delivery services and serve a wide array of customers including SMEs, corporate organizations and private individuals. Since 2018, we have ensured that clients enjoy smooth, safe and efficient delivery of packages without stress or worry, no matter the volume or location. We are focused on creating value for money and improving the logistics ecosystem in Nigeria. We provide efficient logistics services to support your business. You can find out more about us on our website at www.getmessenger.ng or connect with us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/messenger.ng/ or LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/messenger-ng/. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We are doing well in the B2B space for last mile deliveries with dispatch bikes. I would say that we are making a name for ourselves as a reliable 3PL partner. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? The most significant thing I have done to grow the business was to become unafraid to ask for help, especially when raising funds from angel investors within my network to fund operations and expand to Lagos. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? As cliché as it sounds; PERSISTENCE. You decide your fate, if you quit, what else is there? If you were given $1m to invest in Messenger, where would it go? If I was given $1M to invest in Messenger, I would invest in tech to make it even easier to order deliveries or logistics like you would book a cab and the assets; motorcycles, vehicles etc. Talent would definitely be a part of the budget. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? Scheduling. I love scheduling all my activities in advance, I am centered through the day and it helps me keep track of my deliverables. What business-related book has inspired you the most? I’m currently reading “Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa” by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and I am more inspired to take audacious risks. Amanda is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program preparing Messenger to grow and keep impacting Nigeria’s delivery industry.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Big Mama Africa Biz Concept founder Ukamaka Okolo discusses her passion to provide good quality food at an affordable price through her food production business
I sat down with Ukamaka Okolo, the founder of Big Mama Africa Biz concept to discuss how she founded what she hopes will be Enugu’s food market hub. Tell us a little about yourself I’m Ukamaka Okolo, the founder of Big Mama Africa Biz concept, a business which is all about farming; production of crops and animal processing and packaging. I am a fearless, energetic, resilient, God fearing woman. I am a graduate of Applied Biochemistry of the Prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University. I have background in banking where l spent nine years and got the award as the Best Supervisor of South East Nigeria. I am a great believer in woman power; yes I believe that women are very powerful. What is your why i.e. bottom line? and how do you stay motivated? My why is to live a life that does not conform to stereotypes about women; I am working everyday to be a successful, productive, independent, financially free and Godly woman that other women can look up to and feel motivated to aspire to more than they imagined for their lives. I don’t believe that anyone is here just to get by, exist and to make up population numbers, and my entire life is proof that everyone can live the best life they can possibly have. This hunger to change the status quo and become a pioneer and innovator is what drives me and keeps me motivated. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? The courage to step out of the banking industry to start my entrepreneurial journey is my biggest achievement as taking that risk allowed me the opportunity to truly start living my life fully, meeting people and expanding my network, getting more knowledge, and being exposed to enormous opportunities. If you had to write a book, what would it be on and why? If l have to write a book, it would be on the struggles of the average African woman. This is something close to my heart, to bring light on what women suffer through just for being born in Africa. This book would also serve as inspiration to how women can become pillars of society, and support each other towards making Africa a better place for our girl children to be born into. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? Folorunsho Alakija is definitely my greatest influence in business because she defied the odds and that’s exactly what l am all about; she is a go getter, a fighter, a big achiever, a business mogul and more so a God fearing woman, she is indeed a perfect representation of the kind of woman l aspire to be. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? The ability to see problems as stepping stones to greatness is one of the best things about being an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have the uncanny ability to easily fall in love with problems, which is something I also enjoy about being one. How did you come up with the name for your company? I actually find this question very interesting. In 2017 while l was still working as a banker and pregnant with my fifth Child, a colleague (former now) chatted me up for something (l can’t remember exactly what it was but certainly on the job) and called me mama Africa. l thought she was referring to someone else but she insisted she was referring to me and asked, “Are you not mama Africa?”. It was at this point that l got her point; I am pregnant with my fifth child and the fourth l would have in the bank in a space of 6 years. Ordinarily, l was slightly offended but after thinking it over l realized that it was the perfect name for my business business, something I had been struggling with for over 2 years. So I took that, tweaked it a little and Big Mama Africa Biz Concept was official. l am actually currently in the process of modifying it to Mamafrika foods. Indeed l am Mama Africa as l have seven biological children. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Big Mama Africa Biz Concept is all about food. We farm; we produce crops, animals and fish. We process and package high quality food. Big Mama Africa is also about crop production and reduce the dependence of food from the North. We want to make sure that people are able to get decent food with their hard earned money and we fill this gap by creating quality food at an affordable price. Our vision is to become the best food hub in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria and we have already started with the production of garri. At Big Mama Africa, we produce food at a great quality, I like to say we sell what we eat, so if if it’s not good enough for my family, it’s not good enough for our customers. Though we currently produce garri, we intend to have the following products; fresh and dry corn, tomatoes, turkey and model a world class cattle ranch. You can connect with us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mamafrikafoods or follow my personal handle on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ukamaka.ogbuokolo. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We have done extensive research in our industry for more than 6 months and have identified that food necessity is a genuine need and people are willing to pay for our products. We do not undermine quality and we understand the power of good customer service. The combination of these three factors placed us at the forefront within two months of production. Currently, we have 3000 backorders for garri, which is our only live product because we have consistently delivered as promised. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? Taking part in the nitty gritty of the business at take off has significantly helped to grow my business. I led
HGCP 2021 Participants: Founder of KIDSREADART Ogechi Ogbaragu is making Africa better by teaching kids to read
I sat down with Ogechi Ogbaragu, the founder of KIDSREADART to talk about how her passion to help African kids create a better Africa by teaching them to read. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Ogechi Ogbaragu and I’m the founder of KIDSREADART. I am an Early Years Accelerated Reading Expert, a certified Early Childhood Practitioner, Montessori Directress and Jolly Phonics Specialist. Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point? As a teacher in the early years I found out that a lot of parents were worried about their kids’ reading struggles and would go all out to see their kids be able to read. Most of the time they would enlist me to teach their kids privately. Over time I saw it was a common problem as kids who could speak very well struggled to string two words in a book correctly. I thought of ways through which I could help more kids overcome this challenge in a fun and engaging manner, which gave birth to KIDSREADART. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? The reason I keep doing what I do is that I want kids to enjoy the thrill of reading a storybook, I don’t want to see any child discouraged from furthering their education because they lack the basic literacy skill of reading. I want to see well-read kids that are inspired and motivated to aspire to greater heights by the stories of those who challenged the status quo, I want the African child to see themselves as the agent of change that Africa and the world need to make our continent better. All of these keep me going knowing that I’m making a difference by contributing my own quota to help the African child succeed. Describe a typical day for you. A typical day for me starts with my personal time with God, after which I start working on the resources for the program. I check up with my team to ensure that they are on track with their deliverables, call clients and follow up with leads. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? My biggest achievement is the birth of KIDSREADART especially because it was born out of nothing, from having no idea on how to go about it to overcoming the problems with the developers, designing the lessons and finally seeing it come to life. What do you do for fun/relaxation? Sometimes I love snacking on a bottle of peanuts while reading supernatural fantasies on Radish or Dreame, other times I watch Netflix or play with my kids. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite aspects of being an entrepreneur are having time for myself and my family, getting to meet new people all the time, continually learning new stuff as well as getting paid for doing what I love doing doesn’t seem like work. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. KIDSREADART is a reading program designed for African children between the ages of 3-8 years which teaches them how to read and spell difficult word formations through animations and games for a great and fun reading experience. You can learn more about us and our program by visiting our website at https://kidsreadart.com/or follow us on our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/kidsreadart/ Have you always been entrepreneurial, what led you to taking that first step and setting up your own business? I haven’t always been an entrepreneur , I used to work a 7-5 job before the Covid 19 pandemic changed the entire world. It was during the pandemic that I decided to walk down this path and I began by signing up for an accelerator program with The Founders Institute Lagos where I shared my ideas and was guided on how I could bring it to life. We got incorporated in November 2020 and started developing content by January and went live in July with the first 2 modules while we continued working on the last 2 modules in the background. The last 2 modules are still in development and will be released very soon. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? I have carved a niche for KidsReadArt by making myself an expert in this field by taking feedback from the success stories of the parents I’ve worked with. I design and sell literacy resources for teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers that has generated funds and have recently started a Teachers Training Program for schools who wants to use our reading program. We ensure that we help not only the learners but the teachers and parents who use our program. What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder? First getting the required funds needed to develop the idea was a huge challenge. I also had problems with the software developers and learning about the business side of managing a business. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years? In the next 5 years, KIDSREADART will have become the foremost reading program in the country, used by schools as a learning resource and by parents as an after school program in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Expertise in the chosen business, commitment to see it thrive and passion for your business, without these you can easily get discouraged when you encounter challenges. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? First talk to GOD about it because God always has a way of bringing things to life even when you don’t know the next step you should take. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in? Know your business. If you don’t know research and learn, join an accelerator program like Founders
HGCP 2021 Participants: CPHI Director, Elizabeth Shoyemi serves marginalized communities by providing for their sexual and reproductive health needs
I sat down with the Executive Director of the Centre for Population Health Initiatives (CPHI), Elizabeth Shoyemi to get to know her and the inspiration behind CPHI. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Elizabeth Shoyemi. I am the Executive Director of the Centre for Population Health Initiatives (CPHI), a non-governmental, non-profit organization that caters to the sexual and reproductive health needs of Nigeria’s underserved and marginalized populations. I am a Public Health Professional; I obtained my Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology from the University of Calabar, Nigeria, Master’s of Science in Public health from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and currently studying at Nexford University for a Master’s in Business Administration. I have over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector. I worked with the Population Council, DeltaWomen NGO, and the Nigeria Youth Aid Programme. I have also volunteered with the Society for Family Health and Youth Empowerment Foundation. At CPHI, I lead a diverse team of health care professionals creating positive impacts in the health sector. I am from Akwa Ibom state, and I live in Lagos State, Nigeria. I am a mother of two children. I am committed to saving living lives and ensuring that a healthy society is achieved. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? My biggest achievement is the birth of CPHI, and being part of the growth process. What do you do for fun/relaxation? In my spare time, enjoy watching movies, particularly drama and travelling to new places. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is creating innovative solutions that enable me to feed my passion of saving people’s lives. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. The Centre for Population Health Initiatives is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that uses multi-dimensional approaches to meet underserved communities’ sexual and reproductive health needs. It was established in 2020 and has reached over 30,000 with sexual and reproductive health interventions. CPHI provides clinical and community-based services ranging from prevention, screening, and treatment for various sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. In addition, we provide vaccination for Hepatitis B, mental health support, cervical cancer screening and treatment, family planning services, and general wellbeing. Our clinics are located in Lagos and Rivers states. These clinics also serve as hubs for research, safe spaces for social activities, and capacity-building activities. All our services are provided at no cost to the client; we operate weekend and after-hours services. We also have a web application for appointments. Where can people find out more about CPHI? You can learn more about us on our website at https://cphinigeria.org. If you’d like to book an appointment for our services, you can do so through our web application at https://posha24.com/ You can also connect with us on social media. We are on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cphi_24/, on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/cphi.lagos and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-for-population-health-initiatives/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true. You can also reach out to me (Elizabeth) directly on WhatsApp at +2348062952246, or connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-shoyemi-17508a40/, on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/elizabeth.asuquo and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elizabethshoyemi/. You can also get hold of me on email at eshoyemi@cphinigeria.org How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? CPHI is known to reach the underserved communities, including sex workers, LGBTQI, people who use drugs, adolescents, hard-to-reach young girls, and women. These populations face daily stigma and discrimination in various forms, and they are usually left out during program design interventions. CPHI acknowledges the sexual and reproductive health issues they face, which poses a public health challenge, hence the need to address them through innovative solutions. Our services are specialized, client-centered, zero cost, and hitch-free. What has been a make or break moment in your entrepreneurial journey? Being in the non-profit sector where I solely depend on funding and grants, my make moments are moments I receive a “Yes” to a submitted grant application, and my break moments are the periods I receive a rejection mail. The make moments reassure me of the future, while my break moments remind me to keep pushing and be a better version next time. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? I have expanded the scope of services through partnerships and secured funding to sustain the service provision and the organization for at least two years. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? As an entrepreneur, you must have good communication skills, negotiation skills, and Problem-solving skills. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? Be open-minded, make learning part of your lifestyle, and focus on how to grow your business, not your competitors. Rather than focusing on your competitors, conduct research and focus on creating your own unique selling point. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? I have discovered that networking is essential. It’s not enough to gather contacts but to ensure that you have active connections with the contacts. Setting short-term and long-term goals ranging from personal, family, and business to work towards it through daily tasks and to-dos is key for success. The management of the business can be overwhelming; creating time for self-care and learning is vital. What business-related book has inspired you the most? Silences in NGO Discourse: The role and future of NGOs in Africa by Issa Shivji and The Third sector: Community organizations, NGOs, and non-profit by Meghan Kallman. Elizabeth is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program to grow herself and prepare CPHI to grow to new heights
HGCP 2021 Participants: Founder of Disney Foods NG Omolara Lawrence is helping people live healthier lives and women and youths become better versions of themselves
I sat down with Omolara Olayinka Lawrence, to get to know her and the Yoghurt manufacturing company that she founded, Disney Foods NG. My name is Omolara Olayinka Lawrence, the Founder and CEO of Disney Foods NG, a Yoghurt manufacturing company duly incorporated in 2019. I am a graduate of Economics, an alumnus of the Enterprise Development Centre (Growth Enterprise Program) and the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a prolific author of seven books and a skill acquisition enthusiast with over 15 years experience across roles and industries. I have trained at least 4,000 women and youths to become productive in their respective fields within the last 2 years through my NGO, The Faith and Business Initiatives. I am a Providus Bank SME Ambassador and a Coca-Cola Foundation Grant Awardee. You can connect with me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/omolaraolayinkalawrence/. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? My drive is to help people live healthier lives, and to help women and youths become better versions of themselves. What motivates me is knowing that I am creating value that keep our customers and clients satisfied. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? Starting my business from zero naira and seeing it metamorphose to what it is today. All we had then was suppliers’ credit. What do you do for fun/relaxation? I love playing board games such as scrabble, chess, monopoly and so on, because they bring excitement to my family time, and they help to boost our language skills. I also love visiting Nature Parks; they enhance my creativity If you had to write a book, what would it be on what and why? I am currently writing another book (my eighth) titled “INFLUENCING YOUR MARKETPLACE.” The title is pretty self explanatory as to why I am writing this book and speaks directly to my WHY; to clearly explain how my readers, women and youths especially, can discover who they really are, how they can maximize their potentials and influence their respective fields of endeavors positively. Simply put, the book intends to expose how one can become a better version of themselves. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur centres around these two words: Creativity and Co-ordination. Creativity speaks to my ability to create products and values that bring satisfaction to my customers; and co-ordination is about my ability to co-ordinate people, procedures and processes in business. What was the inspiration behind DISNEY FOODS NG? About 3 years ago, my mum had a craving for a healthy drink, and being diabetic, there weren’t a lot of options available to feed her craving, and the Yoghurt idea was birthed in my mind. I learnt how to make it and began producing it for her and others around me. The positive feedback encouraged me to engage in it as a business solution. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Disney Foods NG, since inception, has been providing healthy treats to our numerous customers, and we propose to surpass your expectation. We have a unique signature recipe using natural sweeteners, flavors and preservative. You can browse our product offerings on our website at www.disneyfoodsng.com. You can also connect with us on social media, we’re on Instagram at www.instagram.com/disneyfoodsng/ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/disneyfoodsng/. We’re also on YouTube, you can subscribe to our channel at www.youtube.com/disneyfoodsng/. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We have a wide range of SKUs (18 different flavors) which give our customers so many options to pick from. Each Cup of our Parfait has as much as five or more ‘different’ flavors. The feedback we get from many of our satisfied customers indicate that it is cost effective for them to have over five different flavors (varieties) for the price of one. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Customer Service Skill Adaptability Skill Emotional Intelligence Skill What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? We should shun the Crab’s Mentality; we should desist from running others down. Rather, we should focus on helping one another grow; women supporting women should be our watchword! What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in? Entrepreneurs must invest their time in both personal and business development activities. If an entrepreneur is not growing personally, they may not be able to drive their business growth strategies. But if the entrepreneur grows as they should, it impacts positively on their business. What business-related book has inspired you the most? The Enemy Called Average by John Mason Omolara is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program to develop herself and her business and position Disney Foods NG for growth.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Anita Nchat Kevin talks about her passion to help people achieve their goals that led her to start Amina Dyslexia Center
I sat down with Anita Nchat Kevin, the founder of Amina Dyslexia Center to talk about how her passion to help people achieve their goals led her to start Amina Dyslexia Center. Tell us a little about yourself. I began my career in teaching a few years ago. I was drawn to the education space because of my ability to identify people’s needs and help them achieve their goals. This led me to find solutions to help the dyslexic children I taught, which ultimately led to my starting Amina Dyslexia Center. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? Amina Dyslexia Center has been up and running for over 2 years now, within this period the center has won 3 awards and numerous recognitions. What do you do for fun/relaxation? When I am not working at the center, I am hiking or watching romcom movies. If you had to write a book, what would it be on what and why? Well, I would like to write a book that will help parents to properly educate their children. From my experience working with dyslexics, I realize there is a need for parents to understand the importance of augmenting teachers’ roles in educating children. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? In between searching for a job and developing my teaching career, I came across a quote by Richard Branson which says “When you are given an opportunity, take it, then go learn what to do”. I took the bold step of starting Amina Dyslexia Center and then learning how to run a business which has proved very rewarding. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? Being an entrepreneur is all about growth. The process refines my creativity and improves my confidence, it allows me to become a better version of myself daily. What were you doing before this, and is this your first business? Before Amina Dyslexia Center, I had a 7 to 4 teaching job and on the side, I had a popcorn bar so no, Amina Dyslexia Centre is not my first business, I had a series of side hustles right from my undergraduate days. How did you come up with the name for your company? The center is named after my cousin and best friend Amina who passed away when we were 10 years old. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. At Amina Dyslexia Center, we work to improve the learning abilities of people who are dyslexic. We do this through our 4-hour school system which assesses the condition and design individualized education plans for each student. We administer these plans using technology and multi-sensory tools. You can learn more about us on our website at http://www.aminadyslexiacenter.com/ or follow us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/aminadyslexiacentre on Facebook and at https://www.instagram.com/aminadyslexiacenter on Instagram and finally, at https://twitter.com/AminaDyslexia on Twitter. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? Being a dyslexia advocate and starting a center solely for dyslexics and other oblivious learning challenges is a niche in itself in Nigeria’s education space. What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder? Each time I try to share my success and accomplishment in business I ma perceived as being proud or boastful, especially by other women. This has taught me to keep my achievemets to myself for fear of being mislabeled. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? Using technology in marketing, dyslexia assessment and teacher training has brought in significant growth for Amina Dyslexia Center. It has enabled us to reach a wider audience and has simplified our processes, especially the assessment process. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Being a business owner means you will most likely act as both a supervisor and as part of a team, and you will need to rely on effective leadership skills to help motivate yourself and your team. Owning a business can also mean taking care of the financial aspects of your organization. You must develop financial skills even if it means learning from scratch. Finally, there are many aspects of building a business that require making difficult decisions. Finding solutions to obstacles and using creative thinking to develop plans and strategies is very important to achieving your business goals. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? Be consistent, success does not happen overnight. What business-related book has inspired you the most? (or, what is your favorite book)? Guy Kawasaki’s The art of the start, I love this book for how it simplifies the processes of starting a business. Anita is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program working to grow and scale Amina Dyslexia Center to help Nigerians learn better and become the best version of themselves without being hindered by learning disabilities.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Akpevweoghene Erica Ogodo talks about her vision to enable people to consume healthy, natural foods through Spyce Republic by Erica
I sat down with Akpevweoghene Erica Ogodo of Spyce Republic by Erica to talk about how her passion for creating recipes and new spice blends inspired Spyce Republic. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Akpevweoghene Erica Ogodo. I was born and raised in Warri, Delta state. I’m a graduate of English and Literary studies, a mother of two cuties and an avid foodie. I am passionate about creating recipes and new spice blends. When I’m not busy with Spyce Republic, I host events and engage in creative writing. I’m an introverted extrovert (lol). One minute I’m the bookworm, the other I’m the party girl. I enjoy working in an environment that thrives on individual creativity. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? I stay motivated by the fact that everyday is a new day to do something better and be someone better. I see the rate of food fraud in urban communities and how much the urban population rely on others for their foods and I believe that creating an opportunity to consume healthy, natural foods that are free of adulteration is the best way to go. The fact that we are able to serve consumers through our healthy food brand and also make the rigorous process of preparing African meals easier is all the motivation I need to keep doing more. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? Setting up my business late in 2019 was the biggest decision for me and I consider it my biggest achievement. Since we launched, we have been fortunate to serve lots of households through our products, we have offered free mentorship programs on spice production and how best to set up a food business and we have been able to educate lots of people on the importance of healthy food consumption. Through my business, I have been exposed to mentorship programs, including She Leads Africa’s High Growth Coaching Program, that has helped me understand the concept of entrepreneurship and in the long run, we want our business to be an all woman organization that would create gender equality and empowerment. If you had to write a book, what would it be on what and why? As a matter of fact, I just started the first chapter of my autobiography. A lot of people who know me personally always ask me to write a book about myself. I think my story would be worth reading as it centers on what a lot of women silently go through , the chains of society, developing your voice and breaking free. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? The 5 star part of being an entrepreneur is the fact that I’m doing something I’m very passionate about. A lot of people eat just for satisfaction. For me, when I have a bite, I love to analyse the flavour and spices that went into preparing the delicacy. I love what I do. I’m also ecstatic about the satisfaction I give my customers when they use our products. Another aspect I love about being an entrepreneur is being able to set the pace and be responsible for my business. It has helped me think in and out of the box and also helped me become a people person. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. At Spyce Republic, we offer consumers top quality indigenous spice blends, food condiments, beverage mix and natural sweeteners in order to promote healthy food consumption. We believe that Nigerian traditional meals can easily and conveniently be prepared no matter how busy our daily lives may be. Our products are crafted to make home cooking easy, enjoyable and stress free. Our services include customizing our products to suit our customers diversity and demands, sourcing, processing and packaging products for clients and also private labels. Experience the magic of African flavour today by letting us cater to your taste buds. You can get in touch on the streets of Instagram and Facebook at www.instagram.com/spycerepublic and www.facebook.com/spycerepublic. We just recently launched our website and although it is still under construction, you can check us out on www.spycerepublic.com. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? In my kind of business, consistency is key. We have been able to retain the quality of our products despite economic threats like inflation and this has helped us retain our customers. We also believe in the diversity of our customers. That is why when a customer approaches us and demands a customized spice mix, we happily oblige them. Consistency, diversity and customer satisfaction remain our guiding principles. If you were given $1m to invest in Spyce Republic, where would it go? If I’m given a million dollars I’m definitely going to invest 50% of the money in Spyce Republic. Aside from producing African product ranges we plan to eventually branch out into producing what we call healthy snacks made with organic ingredients. Also, I’d invest in setting up a dates palm plantation to promote date farming in the country. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years? In the next five years we hope to become a household brand with our products seen in the shelves of top supermarkets within and outside the continent and in the pantries of the majority of Nigerian homes. We also hope to serve Africans in the diaspora to give them the feeling of home away from home. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? Hmm, I wouldn’t call it a trick exactly but I can say I have learnt to think more critically. I am naturally a liberal and artistic person, but being an entrepreneur has improved my problem solving skills and has helped me view situations from different perspectives. Are you a reader, what is your favorite book? My favourite book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I’m in
HGCP 2021 Participants: Anita Dafeta talks about how her love for the different stories that emanate from ancient folklore inspired Origho Lagos
I sat down with Anita Dafeta, the founder and creative director of Origho Lagos to get to know her and how how her love for the different stories that emanate from ancient folklore inspired her to create homeware rooted in African heritage. Tell us a little about yourself. I am the founder and Creative Director of ÓRÌGHÒ Lagos, a brand that aims to connect Africa to the world through contemporary homeware rooted in African heritage. After completing my secondary schooling at Loyola Jesuit College Abuja, I obtained an International Diploma in Business from Oxbridge Tutorial College and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Sheffield UK. After my time at University, I worked briefly in London as an Accounting and Finance intern for a media company and later returned to Nigeria in 2015. I have worked with renowned brands in various disciplines such as Tiffany Amber Nigeria, Capital Club Lagos and Ermenegildo Zegna. After returning to Nigeria from the UK I realised that there was a huge gap in the creative artisan sector in Nigeria and began liaising with artisans in areas such as woodwork, weaving, pottery and beading; thus the foundation for what has become ÓRÌGHÒ Lagos was forged. I am a resilient and dedicated founder who is committed to immortalising our African heritage. I currently live in Lagos, Nigeria with my family. What do you do for fun/relaxation? I love art and music so generally I visit galleries, art exhibitions and listen to music from artists like H.E.R, Snoh Aalegra and Brent Fayaz. I’m a lover of 90’s music as well and I believe that great food is also a great time. If you had to write a book, it would be on what and why? It would be a heartfelt, emotional but sometimes hilarious biography of my life thus far. Like how I got my fortune told at the Cirque Le Soir in London on Ganton Street…, still waiting for that to manifest by the way. But it will also have real, raw moments of hard work, tears and everything in between. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? I think my greatest achievement is starting a business and sticking with it through thick and thin, especially in this part of the world. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? Turning my radical ideas into reality. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. We produce artisan made interior décor and home goods products that are rooted in African folklore, design and craftsmanship with the aim of connecting the world to our continent and immortalising our heritage in the home. You can follow our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/origholagos/ to keep up to date with our product launches and brand events. What was the inspiration behind Origho Lagos? The business is inspired by our African heritage and craftsmanship. I have always loved the different stories that emanate from ancient folklore and I thought it would be wonderful to integrate that in an authentic but new way through homeware. How did you come up with the name for your company? The name ÓRÌGHÒ Lagos is derived from my Itsekiri name Orighomisan which means “My head is good” in the native dialect. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? I believe there are individuals who want to own unique pieces of interior décor from Africa. Our craftsmanship is very well sought after all over the world. However, I believe we are still in the trial phase where we really need to get our brand out there and see what works. What is your ‘why’ i.e., bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? True motivation is generally hard to come by these days especially because we live in a hyper visible era with most people posting about their ‘apparent’ successes but not showing the true hard work that goes on behind the scenes. To keep myself motivated I try to ignore the vanity metrics and re-enforce my personal ideology that great things take time to build. I understand that I have a purpose bigger than just me and it has to be fulfilled. If you were given $1m to invest in your business, where would it go? I think the virtual art/NFT (Non-Fungible Token) space is a new but interesting sector to invest in. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? I don’t have a lot of tricks up my sleeve (wink) but I believe in listening to your body and recharging when you need to. I also think you should always reflect on the end goal to remind yourself ‘why’. Anita is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program scaling up Origho Lagos to keep on immortalising African heritage in people’s homes.
Webinar with Chevening: How To Get Into The 2019 Chevening Scholarship Program (OCT 23)
Imagine yourself receiving a fully funded scholarship at your fave UK university that offers you a chance to achieve your academic goals and gives you the chance to develop yourself professionally or network extensively? Guess what? Chevening is bringing you a chance to realise that dream and more with their global scholarship award program! Want to know more? We are inviting you for a Webinar with Jibike Faborode, Program Officer at Chevening Awards, who will be dishing out tips on how to apply for a scholarship with Chevening on Tuesday, 23rd October. This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss ’cause you sure won’t find any of Jibike’s tips on Google! Yes, we went there… [bctt tweet=”Join SLA & @UKinNigeria for a webinar on October 23rd at 4 pm to learn how to get into the Chevening Scholarship Program @cheveningfco!” Reg here: bit.ly/jibikef via=”no”] Some of the topics we’ll cover What you need to know about the application process Do’s and dont’s for writing a quality application Preparing yourself for a successful interview process Scholarship troubleshooting Register below to access this opportunity and submit questions that you would like Jibike to answer. Webinar Details: Date: Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018 Time: 4pm Lagos // 5pm Joburg // 6pm Nairobi Location: We’ll send you the link to watch once you register Watch the webinar here: About Jibike Jibike is a project management and strategic engagement professional, with over 4 years of experience working in the public diplomacy and international development space. She currently serves as the country programme officer for Chevening in Nigeria and also as Co-Chair of Her Majesty’s Government Women’s Network in Abuja. Chevening Awards is the UK government’s flagship global leadership programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. Young leaders are awarded merit-based scholarships and fellowships to study at any UK University of their choice, after which they are required to return to Nigeria to assist in the further development of their home country. The alumni network is structured to maintain lasting positive relationships with the UK and help to advance foreign policy objectives. Approximately 38 – 53 Nigerians and about 300 Africans are awarded are awarded annually. The Prime Minister recently announced an additional 100 awards for African leaders, starting in the 2019/20 cycle. Chevening in Nigeria aims to grow the representation of women on the programme from 39% to 50%, hence women leaders are strongly encouraged to apply.
Eyitemi Popo: How I turned my media brand into a lifestyle brand
[bctt tweet=”If you’re an entrepreneur who feels stuck with your business, I hope you find this article at the perfect time and it encourages you to keep pushing.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] After five years of building my online magazine, painstakingly growing a social media following, and nurturing relationships with global brands, I had found a comfortable niche in the media landscape. The night after my magazine’s 5th-anniversary party, I quietly reflected on the journey. I read the congratulatory messages I had received, some reminding me that many online sites and magazines that started with – or even after – Ayiba no longer existed. But was survival enough of an achievement? Making my dream my reality was significant. Building a team to drive that vision forward had significance. I mean, I had gone from shooting the first cover of Ayiba Magazine on my college campus to having celebrity photographers shoot the cover with Hollywood actresses. The growth was undeniable, that had to count for something. And perhaps it did. However, my side hustle was still a side hustle bringing in side hustle revenue. Was that the best I could do? And more importantly, what was next? Almost a year to the date of my quiet contemplation, I have built Girls Trip Tours, a social venture that is a direct manifestation of my magazine’s mission. It leverages Ayiba’s readership, brand equity, and professional network to design unique travel experiences across Africa with a focus on female empowerment. Our trips have the goal of empowering future female leaders through mentorship, while taking in the sites and dining around town in the company of high profile business women and local industry leaders. I like to think of it as ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ with less soul-searching and more self-actualization. Where once you could read about Lagos’ nightlife, Nairobi’s startup ecosystem, or Rwandese artisans in the pages of Ayiba, now we can arrange for you to experience these things first-hand through group or solo travel with Girls Trip Tours. The idea came from the opportunity I observed for digital brands to bring online experiences offline and create deeper more meaningful connections with their virtual communities in real life. The concept of Girls Trip Tours emerged from a perceived customer need. Ayiba readers were emailing to ask for travel advice. Our articles had inspired our readers in the diaspora to want to visit the continent and they were looking to us as an expert resource. My mission with Ayiba is to connect Africans in the diaspora with those on the continent through storytelling. I have consistently done this through online and print mediums, but now I have the opportunity to create those connections in real life. [bctt tweet=”Lifestyle brands thrive when they figure out what their customers end goal and design their brand around the experiences that their customers desire – @AyibaMagazine ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Figure out your customers desire, along with the people, places, things, and ideas that inspire them to action. After surveying 100 plus women in Ayiba’s online community, I decided to organize trips to Kenya and Nigeria in 2019. As per their feedback, there are a mix of experiences to satisfy those seeking ancestral travel experiences to West Africa, wildlife and adventure in National Parks, as well as urban exploration in Africa’s most vibrant cities. In addition to satisfying a customer need, by expanding my media brand to include travel experiences, I now have a new avenue for creating content. On each trip, there are multiple opportunities to connect with new talents to feature or more contributors to write. I also will be creatively inspired by my surroundings to shoot video series, photography campaigns, and write OP-EDS on social issues I am confronted with. In the long run, I believe it makes sense for Ayiba to become a lifestyle brand. I am creating a customer journey that can start with exploring content online, which may lead to booking a travel experience or vice versa. The magazine and the trips will feed into one another. In this next phase of my entrepreneurial journey, I look forward to listening to my customers, as well as looking to broader industry trends for my continued evolution. For any entrepreneur that may feel stuck with their businesses, I hope you find this article at the perfect time and it encourages you to keep pushing. If your growth has become stagnant and you are looking for a new direction to go in, observe customer behavior, look to the industry for inspiration, and most importantly, ask your audience what they want/need, then test it out. I did a soft-launch with a Girls Trip to Ghana in July. It was that small group trip, the women I met, and the girls I mentored that gave me the confidence to do more.My advice Consider what other verticals may be profitable before you give up on a business you have put time, money, sweat, and tears into. As tough as it may be, if you have a good foundation: reputable brand and loyal audience, there are many ways you can consider monetizing and scaling up. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.