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Akeem Obe

How mobile technology is transforming Africa

Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr.

Africans and technology have indeed come very far. In the past, we were regarded as late adopters because we had to wait for the ‘tokunbos’ to land through the ports before trying out those technologies, but today all that have literally changed at least in the urban areas where mobility has brought about massive disruption.

Africa is known for the lowest rate of development and poor infrastructure. Majority of Africa’s population have access to key infrastructures, which are considered as the basic necessities in today’s world. This indicates the poor economic growth of Africa. The last decade, however, has shown some tremendous changes in the general trends of development on the continent of Africa.

Infrastructure has improved considerably along with the increase in employment opportunities. Although, various factors contributed to this transformation, but the most important one is the adaptation of mobile telephony. The poor population of Africa that found telecommunication services inaccessible now enjoys the different benefits of mobile telephony.

The reasons behind this are related to the increased population density in general and improved per capita income. The increased demand for telecommunication convinced the authorities to facilitate small cities with this service as well. At this stage, Africa contributes about seven per cent to the world’s telecommunication services. Consequently, this continent has experienced a complete transformation in the social and economic areas which we will discuss here.

Due to poor communication services, small-scale production firms in Africa always faced efficiency and financial issues. As they were mainly dependent on a limited number of supply chains, it was difficult for them to make a quick decision regarding production and transportation. With mobile telephony, not only the small firms but also the large organisations, are now able to communicate and coordinate better with their clients.

Market efficiency has improved a lot as the cost and time required for searching relevant information has decreased tremendously. For instance, a farmer can easily exchange market price and other necessary information with another farmer in a different city or location from where he is without visiting that place and bearing traveling expenses.

Other than the market efficiency, a large population has got employment in the telecommunication sector. Increased mobile telephony means that there are more service operators which need labor to share the workload. Mobile telephony, thus, has given Africa many employment opportunities and decreased the poverty rate. Residents of both urban and rural areas, now have good sources of income. Decreased unemployment directly relates with the betterment of the social aspect. Due to a stable job, crime rate has also decreased. Moreover, any dangerous incident can be reported immediately, due to easy access to mobile phones, to take appropriate action.

With the use of mobile telephony, Africa is now able to facilitate its natives with better infrastructure and communication services to interact within and outside the continent. The improved market position and job opportunities from that have supported the economic growth being witnessed in some parts of the continent quite well.

With mobile telephony, it has now become very easy to get in touch with family, friends and business associates in Europe, Asia and America as they are just one phone call away. Business deals are either initiated or sealed in record time over the phone. Mobile telephony has also made life easy for the citizens as they can now transact banking activities such as checking of bank balance, transfer of funds from one account to the other, make payments for the use of utilities, make payment for the purchase of items, and even opening a Zero balance account, etc, thanks to the advent of mobile telephony.

It is, in fact a spectacle to behold, when these days, you find the local pepper seller in the market using her mobile phone to call her son in a distant location to discuss domestic affairs or her wholesale pepper supplier to discuss one or two things about the business. The use of mobile phones has also reduced the continents consumption of fuel. This is because, it has reduced the tendency to transport oneself to see someone at another location for matters that can easily be finalized over the phone.

These days, phones have been designed to perform more than the traditional one-on-one call and fax facilities that the erstwhile dial phone system had. With Mobile phones these days, you can now perform a lot of functions. These other functions and services include sending and receiving short messages between individuals, popularly known as SMS, serving as a source of time piece. A lot of smartphones even have more functions, such as voice recording, video recording, serving as camera for taking pictures, and gives the user the ability to connect the internet, etc.

Internet connection through mobile phones has now given many more Africans the opportunity to access lots of information that are relevant for their individual and business advancement as well as join social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on, to keep abreast of goings on and contribute meaningfully to discussions, both in their immediate society as well as overseas. This has given Africans more awareness and consciousness of their immediate and remote environment. Care should, however, be taken in monitoring the use of mobile phones by students on the continent so they do not use at the expense of their studies.

It can safely be said that the advent of Mobile Telephony in Africa has really opened up the consciousness of the African people, to the opportunities that abound all over the world. Here’s what my friend and European partner said to me recently; “CFA, I believe Africa particularly Nigeria is where it will happen for the next 20 years.” His assertion only proves that we have indeed come very far.

 

Culled from punchng

These Cities Have The Ingredients To Become The Next Silicon Valley

November 22, 2014 Editor Editor's Pick, Innovation & Science, Tech 3 Comments

inShare22

VENTURES AFRICA – When asked to name the world’s startup capitals, people normally think of Silicon Valley, London or New York. But with innovation on the march globally, the emerging markets have strong potential to become the next hotspots for entrepreneurs.

According to World Bank data, there are now more than 90 tech hubs across Africa. Regions such as South East Asia have also caught the eye of both investors and intrepid entrepreneurs. The following five most promising tech cities in emerging markets have all the right ingredients to become future startup capitals. It may only be a few years before we see the next entrepreneurial hub emerge from Asia, Africa or Latin America.

Medellin, Colombia

Medellin – Colombia’s cultural capital city – was named 2012’s innovative city of the year by the Wall Street Journal Magazine and Citibank. The appearance of Colombia’s second biggest city has changed dramatically during the past 20 years. Public libraries, parks, schools and museums – as well as a series of transportation links from the suburbs to the center – have been built. The Grupo Empresarial Antioqueño, an accumulation of Medellín-based companies, now generates seven percent of Colombia’s gross domestic product. Leaders such as Diego Angel, creator of Angel Studios and a role model in the Medellin startup scene, help young entrepreneurs to found startups in order to support the city’s fast-growing tech scene.

Amman, Jordan

Across the Middle East, entrepreneurship is on the rise. Amman, the capital city of Jordan, is the leading startup hub in the region. Trying to fill its natural resources gap with human capital, the government has invested in infrastructure, education and also reformed regulations, meaning Jordan is now one of the easiest and cheapest regions to register a business. The outcome is the best Internet connectivity in the Middle East, as well as good universities producing many young, skilled entrepreneurs. Women in the workplace is still a controversial topic in the Middle East. Although over half of the region’s university graduates are women, only one fifth can find a job in the market. One key benefit of online startups is the opportunities they create for women at work. One of the most successful startups in Amman is Zaytouneh (“olive” in Arabic). It was founded by Fida Taher and offers videos on how to cook by only showing the ingredients and the hands of the cook.

Lahore, Pakistan

Since 2012 there has been a massive shift in the Pakistani startup scene. Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad – the three major cities – have become home for many new startups in Pakistan. Lahore, the capital city, is especially interesting because of its urban development, adding industrial areas, new university campus and airport to the cityscape. The strong infrastructure has helped to create a dynamic market for startups, with many incubators launching fascinating business ideas. With the young population – two thirds is under 30 – of the country as well as strong support from the government, Lahore has potential to be one of the most innovative startup hubs in the world. Big companies such of Microsoft already have their eye on the country, with the tech giant hosting a Windows phone hackathon in Lahore last year.

Jakarta, Indonesia

The largest city of Indonesia, Jakarta is also known as one of the biggest megacities in the world. One skyscraper after the other keeps rising into the sky of Jakarta, showing the massive demand for space. The country’s growing middle class keeps flocking into the city,bringing with them a strong purchasing power, high penetration of mobile phones and an enormous demand for online service – presenting plenty of opportunities for new business ideas. The outcome is a strong market for tech startups to explore. Although there is no government funded support, more and more Indonesian investors including Merah Putih Incubator, GDP Venture, East Ventures and GREE Ventures are entering the market. Solving the upcoming challenges caused by the city’s fast growth means startups have to be practical, because they need to pay off since day one. For this reason, Jakarta is home to a number of startups focusing on travel, e-commerce and lifestyle, including property portal Lamudi which launched locally in late 2013.

Lagos, Nigeria.

Nigeria has now taken the lead as the largest economy on the continent. Lagos, the most populous city with over 20 million people, illustrates the country’s strong economic development. It is the second fastest growing city in Africa and the seventh in the world. One reason for its success over the past decades is the fast growing tech startup scene, especially in Yaba, a suburb in the port of Lagos. Residents have nicknamed the area Yabacon Valley because of its likeness to Silicon Valley. In Yabacon Valley you can find the financial and banking center of Nigeria, several education institutions as well as a cluster of technology startups. An unique place for high-tech innovation and development, buoyed by the country’s growth, the middle-class affinity towards technology and massive online population of 45 million Internet users. No wonder co-working spaces and events pop-up in Lagos attracting many angel investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.

inShare22

 
http://www.ventures-africa.com/2014/11/these-cities-have-the-ingredients-to-become-the-next-silicon-valley/

CEO Crown meadows cakes -Odunjo Tomisin

Kindly introduce yourself and your brand

 

My name is Odunjo Tomisin,CEO Crown meadows cakes. I make cakes for all occasions.

I had my primary education at St. Birgitta's Nur/Pry school and secondary at Sacred Heart Catholic College,both in Abeokuta. Had my tertiary education at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where I studied Botany.

Crown meadows cakes makes cakes for all occasions; birthdays,anniversaries, weddings, graduation ceremonies e.t.c

 

How did you start your brand?

 It all started in 2012 when I developed great interest in baking. In 2013 I was so into sugarcraft,because the creativity interested me a lot. So
I started my brand from making simple birthday cakes(which were done mostly for free),before the business kicked off. My cakes are made using different recipes as there are different types of cakes;such as,red velvet cake, fruit cake,sponge cake,coconut cake,to mention a few.

 

Price range of your products?

 

I'll say the business is quite lucrative.

A price range can't be given specifically on cakes,this is dependent on the fact that customers want different things and so a fixed range can't be given as regards our prices

 

What makes your brand unique from others?

 

My recipe & methods are major distinctions in my brand,and I take sugarcraft more as a work of art than just decoration.

 

What has been the response from customers?

Response from customers has been impressive.

 

What are the challenges that you are currently facing?

 

A major challenge I am facing is with trying out new recipes that require some scarce ingredients that you can hardly get in Nigeria. So most times I go for likely alternatives. An example of such recipes is the orange cake,mostly for diabetic patients.

 

Where do you see the brand in 5 years?

In the next five years I see my brand among the top leading brands in the nation and a leading institute that's training on cakes & sugar craft.

 

How can prospective customers reach you?

Customers can reach me on 08116951574 and also follow me on IG @crown_meadows_cakes

 

 

 

Moiritza Essenza on 9jaStartUpSeries

Kindly introduce yourself and your brand

Moiritza Essenza is a Cosmetologist and Perfumery. We provide Beauty Advisory services, Make up Artistry and produce beauty and health products.

Our products carry the MEB (Moiritza Essenza Brand) Trademark.

Educational background?

University of Lagos, Nigeria. B.A. Philosophy

What does your brand do?

They furnish clients with the essentials of a good and healthy life.

How did you start your brand?

 It started with a research into why people are faced with certain health and beauty problems. What the brand does is to look for a holistic approach to help resolve these issues.

How do you make your products?

The herbs, butter and oil are sourced and produced from fruits, leaves, barks and roots of medicinal trees found in different parts of the country. (With more topical products in the pipeline)

How lucrative is the business? Very

Price range of your products? The least goes for 500 naira while d most is 2,500 this depends on the product type and d qty packaged.

What makes your brand unique from others? Our brand is an integration of oral and topical health and beauty fixes.

What has been the response from customers? So far, we have had positive responses from our clients and impressively a great deal of referrals.

What are the challenges that you are currently facing? Ease of production will go a very long way in the brand advancement.

Where do you see the brand in 5 years?

 To be the one brand that meets multitudes of basic health and beauty needs.

How can prospective customers reach you?

Leave a comment on our blogspot; http://moiritza.blogspot.de/?m=1 or connect with us on facebook; www.facebook.com/Moiritza  07025295632

 

I recommend entrepreneurship for women – Afodeso

November 30, 2014 by Ife Adedapo 0 Comments

 

 

Kehinde Afodeso

Kehinde Afodeso, 27, is the Director, Atoke Makeup, a beauty and makeup outfit. She speaks on the attributes that make her business unique in this interview with IFE ADEDAPO

 

What was your growing up like?

 

I actually had a very strict and humble up-bringing. I remember growing up in a home filled with love. And I also remember not growing up with a silver spoon, but one thing I know we had then was love and we had each others’ back.

 

What kind of business do you do?

 

I am basically into makeup, bridal makeup, runway makeup, fashion makeup, skin consultation and skin care.

 

How did you start the business?

 

I started the business in 2011. When I started it was not a choice career for me although I had a keen interest in it. I remember seeing people beautifully made up in magazines because most of the time then, we usually see well made up faces mostly in magazines, unlike now that people wear makeup everyday and everywhere. I became curious as to how it is being done. After my NYSC, before gaining admission into a Masters degree programme in university of Ibadan, I decided to pick up a new challenge and learn makeup artistry. I enrolled in makeup school and make one in 2011.

 

What inspires your makeup style?

 

When I meet someone, the first thing I look at is the person’s features. I watch out for the shape of the eyes, and lips, and I come up with a makeup style that would enhance the person’s beauty and features. Unique facial features motivate me to try out different makeup styles. I find out that no two persons have the same facial structure. It is different for everybody and it is actually a challenge to try out new faces and see what can be done to improve their beautiful faces. I draw inspiration from works of older colleagues in the industry. I admire the beautiful jobs they do and i want to do better than they actually did.

 

What is your educational background?

 

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from University of Ilorin and a Masters degree in human nutrition from University of Ibadan.

 

Do you regret not working with your certificate right now?

 

No I don’t because I still have plans to work with it in line with makeup artistry. I don’t intend to abandon what I have learnt in school. I have plans to incorporate human nutrition in to the makeup business. There is a saying that beauty comes from within and we all know that it is what we eat that radiates outside. Nutrition plays a significant role in beauty and they go hand-in-hand. It when people feel comfortable in their skin that their beauty can radiate out. Like when someone who is fit, has good nutrition and feels confident, then the beauty tends to radiate. That is where makeup comes in to complement the beauty that already exists. I still intend to work with my knowledge in nutrition, I don’t just want to dump it.

 

We have a lot of makeup artist in the industry today, but what makes you business unique?

 

For now, it might just seem like all makeup artists are doing the same thing but I would say apart from the future plans that I have to start incorporating nutrition into the business, the unique aspect of my business is customer service. I try as much as possible to tolerate people. In the industry, people tend to look down on makeup artists, treat them with disrespect and price the them down. For me, I tolerate all these and don’t let it get to me and it is portrayed in the way I treat my clients. When I go for jobs, people often say most makeup artists are rude and they are surprised that I am not. I just tell them that in order to survive in this business, one has to be tolerant. A makeup expert should not always have his or her way at all times because such attitude can be perceive as insulting.

In addition, I try to work on the features I see on people. I don’t try to give them a different face from what they have. I give them a different complexion from their natural one, but I enhance their natural beauty.

 

Who is you role model?

 

In the makeup industry, Banke Meshida inspires me to want to be better and improve on my skills.

 

If you go back to when you started, what would you do differently?

 

I would have tried to create a balance between my makeup and Masters programme in the university. The programme was full time and took up a lot of my time, making it difficult to set up a makeup studio. When you have to always be in class and it was so difficult for me. In order to start a makeup studio, I need make myself available at all times and before leaving the place to people to man. I wish I had tried to crate that balance. Then, I thought I should concentrate on my Masters programme and after I would set up the studio. I wish I had done that differently.

 

What are your challenges and how do you tackle them?

 

Like every other business, competition is one of the greatest challenges we face. Competition is everywhere and the makeup industry is becoming saturated and the charges are not standardised. Basically, I tackle that by leveraging on referrals from friends, family and clients that I have worked on before because I found out that people tend to believe their friends and family than when you introduce yourself to them as a makeup artist.

When I work with someone I try as much as possible to give my best so that the person can actually refer me to friends and family.

I improve on my skills as well. I learn, read and practise every day so as to be better in it. Another challenge I face is when clients don’t keep to commitments. For instance, when someone books a date with you and then two to three days to the day, they tell you they are cancelling. That is a very big challenge because I would have planned my time around that day. What I do in the situation is to tell my clients to pay a certain amount as commitment fee prior to the day.

 

Where do you see your business in 10 years times?

 

I see my business not only as a makeup business, but as a beauty outfit and also a well centre. I tend to combine wellness and makeup to beauty people inside out. In ten years time I see myself as a beauty and wellness expert.

 

What is your take on graduates choosing entrepreneurship over full time employment?

 

I am an advocate of entrepreneurship most especially for women, not because there are few jobs available in Nigeria but because there is a fulfilment and joy derived from knowing that you can actually utilise you talents and be creative with your hands. The money there might be very little at the beginning but consistency is the key. Anyone going into entrepreneurship must first find his or her passion. And try to gain addition knowledge on how it can be improved on. Patience is very key to survive as an entrepreneur because it is a long process for an entrepreneur to be successful. It is not a journey of two to six months.

Also, in everything you do, try to put a bit of professionalism.

 

Culled from punchng.com

Brand Owner of Hago Femina, Baderinwa Omobolade Ibukunoluwa

Kindly introduce yourself and your brand

My name is Baderinwa Omobolade Ibukunoluwa, my brand constitutes of everything that boarders around indigenous fabric craft. Our mission is to create indigenous pieces that ensemble; no matter the outfit pulled off. Our major target is to ensure that while trying to imbibe the indigenous style, women stand out.

 

Educational background?

I am a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University with a Bachelor of Science and education degree in Economics.

What does your brand do?

We produce handmade fabric pieces; these pieces range from shoes, clutch bags, neckpieces, earrings, hair accessories, wristwatches, bangles and bracelets

How did you start your brand?

I took a paid course in fabric crafting and because I generally have a passion for hand crafting; in one week I presented my first set of pieces.

How do you make your products?

The pieces are totally handmade, we make use of chains, fashion wires and proper finishes, and we also incorporate ornaments to our finishes. For the shoes some customers bring their pairs to be refurbished, customers are also allowed to bring their fabrics for us to work with.

 

How lucrative is the business?

As long as your creativity is evident such that your pieces are unique, of topmost quality and durability, and affordable; just like the sale of fashion pieces people would consistently buy into the product.

Price range of your products?

It depends on what product and service you are purchasing, some people prefer that we work with their fabrics and/or ornaments.  However, some stand alone earrings go for as low as a thousand naira.

 

What makes your brand unique from others?

I incorporate the use of fashion wires and chain into my fabric pieces, and I work very hard at making my finishing neat and decent…. Making it look just like the industrial pieces.

What has been the response from customers?

So far, all my customers have loved their products; as a matter of fact, for every product there is usually at least one referral.

What are the challenges that you are currently facing?

I have to combine it with my regular job and since for now I have no staff; it has been a major challenge.

Where you see the brand in 5 years?

My very hope is that we would go viral with our brand selling worldwide; we would have a school to teach interested entrepreneurs and also a foundation to support women; especially single mothers, widows and the less privileged ladies and women.

How can prospective customers reach you?

hago.femina@gmail.com

Be realistic in your ideas –Kolawole

Kolawole

Twenty-nine-year-old Temi Kolawole is the Chief Executive Officer of Antigravity, a web design and development company. In this interview with COMFORT OSEGHALE, he shares his thoughts on the Internet business in Nigeria and why he quit his first job at 22
 

What informed your decision to start Antigravity?
 

My company started off as a hobby. It was a side business at the time. I had over the years learned how to design websites, carry out internet marketing, advertising and social media campaign. I had done all these for fun before I had the idea of establishing a company.

Even while I was working as the Chief Information Officer of a real estate firm in the United States, I was already running my business informally. My job was a very good one; I was well paid and worked with smart people who also saw my talent. After working for three years, I quit in 2008. I decided this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to run my company formally so I got it registered in the US.
 

Were you scared when you quit your job?
 

Of course I was; it is not easy to decide that you want to stop getting paid salary. I just had to look at the bigger picture and realise that I was aiming for something much more than a salary. Even though it might not materialise immediately or might take a longer time to get there, I knew what I wanted to do. For the first one year after quitting my job, I didn’t tell my family. If they asked how work was, I would just say it was fine.

When you are an entrepreneur, you are either making continuous money from sales if you are consulting or you are waiting for your clients to pay if you are into web design. If your clients don’t pay, it is almost like you are not eating. It was a bit rough at the beginning but when I moved back to Nigeria in 2009, things balanced out and the company was able to hire people and pay stuff.

When I moved back to Nigeria, I lived in Abuja at first and started out with some contracts for the Economic Community of West African States alongside a few other projects. I later moved to Lagos because I wanted to expand my team and get more talents for my business. So in Nigeria, Antigravity took off in 2009.
 

Did your choice of study in school prepare you in any way for what you are doing now?
 

Yes, in the sense that as a person, I am able to plan and meet deadlines. Apart from general life preparation that school gives, I didn’t learn any of this in college. I am a graduate of computer engineering which is more of electronics, circuits and hardware. Meanwhile what I do now is strictly software internet. Most of what I know, I learned on my own through individual practice. I am a little bit of a geek; one of the things I do for fun is that I write codes. Sometimes I just take my laptop and start playing around with stuff and have fun. Even now, I am still learning; each new project I take on becomes a new challenge and teaches me new things. I am learning every day.
 

Was it difficult building a customer base in Nigeria as there are so many web designers out there?
 

It wasn’t; from the US we already had some very good and popular clients. We built the very first version of Bellanaija which only just changed recently. We built some music websites like Notjustok.com. We have our own website Sturvs; we built netng.com, and several more in the entertainment industry. We have done works for BankyW and Dare Art Alade.

By the time I moved here, building a customer base was not a problem because the work we had done in the past spoke for us. We did not have to do any marketing; all our businesses came from referrals.

Bellanaija didn’t need to tell anyone that her website had been built by Antigravity; our name was already at the bottom of the site. So people knew us once they clicked on it. That brought quite a lot of referrals. It just stamped the reputation for us very early as a good website company. We equally did our best not to compromise that our work stood above the regular.

Before this industry became saturated with practitioners, we had already made a name for ourselves. That pushed us high into the corporate and public sector. So now we have a higher profile. We have done quite a number of works both in the public and private sector.

In the public sector, we manage Osun State’s website; everything from the design and maintenance. We also send out daily news letters to subscribers on the website. In the private sector, we handle all of Tony Elumelu’s websites; his group of companies, his foundation, and a few other subsidiaries in his group. We built and maintain the websites on an on-going basis.

We also just launched a new website for the Honeywell group. We are currently working on a website that never existed for Super Eagles. There has never really been any good online presence for them before apart from Wikipedia.
 

Did you require much start-up capital?
 

Not really. It is only when you are running a commerce website or a payment platform that you would need to spend more money to get the word out. However, for this business, you don’t really require much. Your basic needs are laptop and internet connectivity. Lots of people are starting to realise and appreciate that there are opportunities in this business.

Because this business does not require much capital, we started making profit almost immediately. The only investment I had to make was my computer and from the contracts, I made my money back
.

What were the challenges you experienced?
 

First is finding good talents that are loyal enough to work for somebody else; it is hard. Because this is an industry that does not require too much capital, everybody believes that they can do it on their own. Once you have a laptop and internet connection, you can start this business. So the average graduate who has a computer wants to start his own web design company. I am not saying that there is anything wrong in that but there is a growth process required. I didn’t just wake up and start this kind of business; I grew, I learned.

Another problem which is getting a lot better is the infrastructure – our internet connectivity and electricity supply. There was a time years ago, my employees used to come to my house to work. This was before I got married. Now I can’t do that anymore. Then we were either having issues with the generator, the internet, etc. Although the situation has improved now, there is still downtime once in a while.

Next is the level of appreciation from the target market. Some people don’t understand the full scope of work involved when it comes to information technology. They think it is just like writing a power point presentation or word document. When you bill them, they would ask why they had to pay so much. Some don’t even see the importance of having a website for their business especially when they are already making so much money.

What they don’t realise is that you have to spend money to make money. They don’t know that a website is an online office; always open 24 hours. People need to appreciate the importance of having a website.

As a result of this mentality, it was hard to really charge such clients. Although corporate clients would always pay more but these other clients would ask if you could not build a website for N50, 000.
 

What advice will you give youths who want to be self-employed?
 

They need discipline; that is the most important skill. When you become an entrepreneur, you are just like a worker without a boss. You have to learn to be your own boss and enforce your own rules. You have to give yourself a realistic time to get out there and go ahead.

You might be working at a job that you don’t like and you have some ideas. I wouldn’t say quit your job and start suffering because every business has got its own take-off time. Establish your business while you are still employed and see where it goes.

I started my business while I was still employed until I got to a point where I knew I had to get to the next level. That was when I took the leap of faith. You never start learning from your mistakes until you have made them.

You might think in your head that things would go a certain way but in reality, they wouldn’t. Also be realistic with your ideas. The ideas that become profitable are ideas that meet a need. There is no way you will not be compensated for meeting a demand.

For those going into web development, I will advise them to build a team very early. Don’t try to do it all yourself. Two or three people are enough. And to do this, you look at people you know; perhaps your classmates or your friends – people you can trust.
 

Is there anything you wish you had done better when you started?
 

If I could have done anything better then, I would have stayed focused on online payments. We are working on a product that is similar to PayPal. The Nigerian online space is a huge market; billions of transactions are going on online every day. When I first started out, I focused a lot on the online content space, which had to do more with blogs and entertainment. I learnt a lot from it but if I could change anything, I would have gone back and focused on the payment space.

 

Culled from punchng.com

Know what you want, work towards it –Ajebeku

NOVEMBER 16, 2014 BY TOBI AWORINDE 1 COMMENT

   

Ayoola Ajebeku

Ayoola Ajebeku, the 25-year-old Co-founder/Chief Technology Officer of Nearest Locator, a mobile application, shares withTOBI AWORINDE his innate passion for information technology, as well as some start-up challenges in the industry

Did you always know you would be a part of the information technology industry?

Yes. My interest in information technology started when I was in secondary school, watching documentaries on television about how technology was being used to create amazing things in Japan. I began telling my friends that I would become a technologist. Unfortunately, there was no Nigerian university offering that as a course.

Later on, when I finished secondary school, I was privileged to meet some amazing young adults that mentored me. One of them jokingly used to tell me to become a programmer because I’m often quiet and like staying indoors, meditating.

I took his advice and when I told my brother about it, he was like, ‘Why would you spend four years in the university to study a course that can be learnt in two months at a roadside computer school?’

Eventually, I went to the National Institute of Information Technology to learn software engineering, thanks to my supportive single mum, a school teacher, who believed in me and sacrificed 50 per cent of her monthly salary to pay my fees.

Later on, while going for extra classes, I was privileged to meet a savvy business developer, Andrew Ogbewele, few years later. We formed a partnership and, together, we founded the company.

Tell us about the company.

We got the idea to build Nearest Locator in 2012, after a friend walked around for three hours in search of a post office, only to find out that it was just five minutes’ walk from his office. So, we built Nearest Locator, a mobile application that helps you find places or points of interest around you with ease. It is currently available on iPhone, Nokia, Android and Blackberry devices.

The app uses global positional system to determine your location, and then tells you where you are, which you can share with your friends. You can then find places like banks, Automated Teller Machines, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, petrol stations, pharmacies, and you can also search for places of your interest.

So far, what has been the biggest stumbling block?

Nigerians use smartphones, but don’t understand the capabilities of their phones. To make matters worse, Internet is not affordable for most people, and so their mobile data is often turned off. Considering these challenges, we went the extra mile to ensure that the app is simple to use and also uses very little Internet data.

Another major challenge is raising funds from local investors. Most local investors are not so patient; they are looking for quick returns, rather than considering long-term gains, while some just want to grab as much as they can get of your shares. However, I try to understand their plight because the Nigerian technology start-up scene is quite young and volatile too.

What role does mentoring play in your business?

Building a successful start-up involves overcoming several challenges. There were times we thought of quitting, but, thanks to our Board of Advisors, we’ve been able to leverage their experiences and mistakes to build a powerful team.

Mentoring cannot be overemphasised. It’s the quickest and simplest way of learning from other successful men’s mistakes and experiences. To fully maximise the benefits of mentoring, you need humility and patience, because the mentors are often busy. But with a little patience, you will be able to draw from their deep wealth of experience and knowledge.

The technology industry may be viewed as overcrowded. What is your company doing to stay relevant?

Technology is still young in Nigeria, considering the adoption of, usage of and access to information and communications technology products, compared to other parts of the world. But that is no excuse to play small because other companies are moving in fast from developed countries, making the market more competitive.

We have a strong, innovative spirit; we do more and expect more from ourselves, which makes us to stay relevant, despite the competition. We pride ourselves in research and development, spending resources to build next-generation products for today’s market with the global industry in mind.

We are currently working on some services that will boost our market share.

Are you open to the idea of a franchise deal?

Franchising is a very good way to scale up with limited financial resources. Currently, what we do is a version of franchising, whereby we make some part of our system available to third-party firms to use at a fee, through our application programming interface.

What is the biggest lesson you have learnt as an entrepreneur?

The biggest lesson for me, so far, is that, if you really want to be successful as an entrepreneur, you must know what you really want, and go all out for it. Leave no room for second-guessing yourself; it’s either you are in for it or out.

Many times, you will have many distractions and even challenges that would make you want to quit, but the most important thing is to always know what you want and ensure you are working towards it.

You will need to always retrace your steps from time to time, appraising yourself to ensure that you are still on the right course. At the same time, you shouldn’t be too rigid. Be open to change.

How successful have you been in the aspect of marketing and winning over new customers?

We have over 300,000 downloads and over 20,000 users monthly, both locally and internationally. Interestingly, we also have active usage from places like India, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, to name a few.

We’ve gotten several messages from different parts of the world, telling us how helpful our app has been. A certain user from Uganda recently told us about how our app helped him find his way when he was lost.

How should a young entrepreneur balance work and leisure?

Some say work and leisure are not the same thing, but not me. Work, for me, is leisure; it’s all about doing what you love and ensuring that it pays the bills – that is the challenging part.

It’s only recently that I reduced my late-night working. Everyone around me knows I can call at 2am just to get things done.

Apart from this form of leisure, I take time to exercise regularly; you will always catch me doing aerobics on Saturday morning. I also enjoy watching science fiction movies and having hot pepper soup. That’s the height of pleasure for me.

Any awards or milestones?

So far, we’ve won some awards like the Samsung Ideas Challenge. We also got to the finals of Venture Out – a platform for start-ups to receive mentoring and investment – to pitch in Europe and I’m a Leap Africa Social Innovators Programme Fellow.

Where do we see your business in the next 20 years?

By 2020, our vision is to become the largest location-based service provider in Africa.

Culled from punchng.com