Join AWP Network and Innov8tiv on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 to discuss Branding, Blogging & Social Media with keynote speaker, J.J. Omojuwa.

WHERE: SoBro, 555 Bergen Avenue (3rd Floor) Bronx, NY 10455

WHEN: 6pm

The event kicks off at 6pm at SOBRO located in the Bronx. Key takeaways include using social media for:

• >Public Relations;
• >Customer Acquisition;
• >Creating Brand Communities;
• >Networking;

Featured Speaker: J.J. Omojuwa
Japheth J. Omojuwa is a foremost blogger, speaker, socio-political commentator, think tank and media expert. Founder of the popular blog omojuwa.com, he is one of the voices in Nigeria that drives social change through social media. He shares his career story and some sound advice.

As an undergraduate at the Federal University of Agriculture, I realized a large number of the Nigerian population were cultivating a culture of dependence on the internet for information on any and everything. So I decided to start omojuwa.com to be involved in the conversation at that time – this was over five years ago. I began sharing my thoughts on socio-political issues, events and happenings in Nigeria and Africa; most of my posts were opinion blog posts, but posts that struck a chord with people at home and abroad. After graduating from university, I went on to lecture at the University of Free Berlin in Germany on Africa- Democratic Prospects and Challenges. Prior to that I had completed a course on Marketing Communications from Orange Academy. My voice as a blogger naturally translated to me being a public speaker and socio-political commentator on diverse issues from social media, civil disobedience/unrest to African issues as well as being on discussion panels on African issues, where I represented Nigeria. Today omojuwa.com, which was the starting point is part of the other initiatives I run including africanliberty.org, naijateenz.com, and another initiative in the loop.

Additional Speakers

Mary Olushoga is founder of awpnetwork.com, a platform powering small business success for African entrepreneurs. She is a 2015 Vital Voices Global Leadership Fellow, the first-ever Africa Data Challenge winner, the first-ever GOOD Maker/Oxfam America International Women’s Day Challenge Winner, a Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) Associate, and an Oxfam America Sisters on the Planet Ambassador.

Olushoga received a bachelor’s degree from Union College in Schenectady, New York and a Master of Science degree from Baruch College. She has served as a Public Policy Fellow at the University at Albany, Center for Women in Government and Civil Society and participated in the Sub-Saharan African Women In Public Service Fall Institute. Olushoga has featured on BBC World News, Black Enterprise, iwantherjob.com, AFK Insider, Applause Africa, BET Network, BusinessDay Nigeria and has presented her work on women entrepreneurs at the prestigious Yale University, the Columbia University Africa Economic Forum, the United States Department of Labor Strategy Meeting on Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, and Disability, Wise Institute, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Employment Forum, and the Rockefeller Foundation Tech Salon. She writes for GE Ideas Lab, SciDev, and the Huffington Post.

Anie Akpe is Innov8tiv magazine publisher and Founder of IBOM LLC, is a business professional and entrepreneur with more than 15 years experience in the banking industry, currently managing a more than $575 million portfolio. As founder of IBOM LLC, Akpe aids small businesses around the world, particularly those owned by African entrepreneurs in the Diaspora, guiding business development and strategy and leading sound results in the completion of their business goals.

A native of Nigeria, she meshes her global experience and culture with skills from stellar corporate America leadership to provide unique and results-driven services to her clients. Innov8tiv.com is a subsidiary of IBOM LLC, adding to her company’s mission to not only advocate entrepreneurship among global professionals of color, but dynamic technology information, resources, events and media. Most recently Akpe, recently launched Networq App. Networq is an app that enables users to create & exchange business cards while networking in real-time.

Managing Director of Sweet Kiwi Lagos, Ehime Eigbe talks to the AWP Network about what inspired her to start a self-serve frozen yogurt store in Nigeria and discusses what’s next for the company.

When it occurred to me that I could start my own frozen yogurt brand, I took advantage of the opportunity and began making preparations to start my business.

How did you come up with the name of your business? 

The name ‘Sweet Kiwi’ is an urban English word for an unforgettable thing. It encompasses everything frozen yogurt stands for. After going through a few names, I decided on the name ‘Sweet Kiwi.’

Who is your target market?

We serve everyone from kids to adults. I believe all Nigerians need to develop healthy eating habits and ‘Sweet Kiwi’ serves this need.

How have you financed your business?

I raised the money needed to start my business from my family.

What sets you apart from your competitors? 

The team behind ‘Sweet Kiwi’ is very creative and always has innovative ideas to keep customers interested. We regularly create new flavors and new lines of products. Our amazing customer service is another key edge.

What is the 5-year plan for your business?

We plan to expand and open more stores across Nigeria and maybe in Ghana.  We also plan to fully develop our franchise program so that more people can own their own ‘Sweet Kiwi’ stores. Are you ready?

What sort of challenges do you face?

One of our major challenge is power (i.e. electricity). In addition, the Nigerian business environment is very harsh and not so business friendly but we work everyday to try to overcome these struggles.

What five (5) key things have you learned since starting this business?

1. Persevere and be determined to achieve your goals.
2. Plan for every possible scenario.
3. Be financially cautious and have the habit of saving your money.
4. Do your market research and understand your sector deeply before delving in.
5. Do not be afraid to fail, make the decision to learn from your mistakes.

What do you think startup entrepreneurs need to know?

Build a solid foundation for your business, take your time to develop your idea, Rome was not built in a day.

What advice do you have for youths looking to start an idea but say ‘there is no money’?

Money is not everything and sometimes you do not always need money to start.  I find that you are most creative when you lack funding. Not having funds forces you to think about new ways to achieve your business goals.

How do you think African youths can continue to support each other?

It is important to form unions, networks and have meetings to discuss challenges. I am a firm believer in ‘a problem shared is half solved.’ I find that we all have different experiences and someone might have a solution for a problem you face. Having a platform where people can talk and discuss business solutions is very important and crucial.

How many jobs have you created so far?

We have created jobs for 20 people to date.

How has technology enhanced your business idea? 

Technology has been very helpful to our business especially for stock control, record keeping and marketing.

How can we support and improve innovation in Africa? 

Innovation in Africa needs to be supported continuously through encouragement and creating an environment that fosters and nurtures creativity.

Contact Sweet Kiwi here:

Twitter: Sweet Kiwi

Facebook: Sweet Kiwi

Instagram: Sweet Kiwi

Phone: 09095528969

The AWP Network in collaboration with Innov8tiv.com hosted a “Branding, Blogging & Social Media” workshop with media expert J.J Omojuwa from Nigeria. Entrepreneurs who attended the event learned about various ways to use social media for business and how to leverage brand presence.

Omojuwa answered questions on how to generate leads, increase sales, find customers and brand ambassadors as well as how to solidify partnerships. In attendance were Mary Olushoga – Founder, awpnetwork.com; Anie Akpe – Founder, Innov8tiv.com; China Mouka – Founder, Workistry.com; Tony Poenou – Founder, AfriStack; Okenfe Lebarty, New York Coordinator for the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum; Lead Nigeria; Charles Busari – Founder, Charly Buxx Media, Robert Bernstein and more.

See pictures from the event below:

 

It is true that the owners of Tolaram Group are not Nigerian, but their ability to build an almost one billion dollar company in Nigeria is not inherently tied to where they are from but to how they solve the problems that arise in their lives.

In the first Culture post, I spent time defining culture and putting boundaries on how we define it at our research institute here at Harvard. In the second post, I applied our understanding of culture to the events that happened at the NUMMI plant, a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota, in California. In the third post, I went way back and discussed how the culture of good governance emerged in Europe. All this while, my singular goal has been this — to demystify the complexity and rigidity that is associated with the word culture. As I wrote all three pieces, I hoped that as you read them you would understand that culture is malleable.

As such, where does that leave us? This Culture Series was born out of a post I wrote about a company, Tolaram Group, in Nigeria that is currently grossing almost $1 billion per annum by selling instant noodles. A packet of Indomie noodles is hardly an expensive or ingenious product and Nigeria is not a country that comes to mind when I think about billion dollar businesses. As I described how the company achieved such great heights in a tough environment, a brilliant commenter implied that the culture of the owners of the company must have played a role. And while he was right, the implication I got from the comment, rightly or wrongly, was that culture is innate and somewhat immutable. That led me to write this series.

It is true that the owners of Tolaram Group are not Nigerian, but their ability to build an almost one billion dollar company in Nigeria is not inherently tied to where they are from but to how they solve the problems that arise in their lives. Similar to the monarchs in Europe who evolved their culture based on what constituted success in particular circumstances, the leaders of Tolaram Group also have done the same thing in Nigeria.

The Economist and the Gujarati

This Economist article highlights the success of the Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan ethnic group with predominance in India, and to a lesser extent, Pakistan. It is easy to read the article and conclude that the Gujarati are born with business in their blood. But my hope is that understanding the true meaning of culture and how it impacts people, organizations, and ultimately countries will dispel this myth. The second paragraph in the article provides insight for us to better understand how the Gujarati culture began to emerge. It reads

Flush with success, Visram was later joined by another Gujarati, Vithaldas Haridas. He arrived in 1893 and was, if anything, even more adventurous than his mentor; he stomped 24 miles through the jungle to the small town of Iganga, where he started his own shop. More followed. These were the beginnings of some of the larger fortunes to be made in colonial Africa.

The first sentence is telling. If Visram was not “flush with success,” Vithaldas might not have joined him. In other words, for more than 200 years, the idea of hard work has been linked with success in the minds of the Gujarati and this link has been passed down to them from one generation to the next. This does not take anything away from the Gujarati of today. If anything, it is a testament to the fact that they can hold on to a difficult cultural practice of excellence for such a long time.

What if you are not Gujarati?

So what happens if you are not Gujarati or more importantly if you are not born into a culture where hard work, enterprise, and fortitude have a storied history? We propose a framework that Edgar Schein and John Shook have popularized.

The notion that we must change our behavior in order to change our thinking is one of the most important things about culture. As I wrote in the first part of the Culture Series, changing behavior can happen when the rules of the game and what constitutes success are redefined. Culture cannot simply be wished into a situation. It takes time, effort, and conscientiousness to build. But it is possible. Remain hopeful.

About the Author:

Efosa Ojomo is an engineer, Harvard MBA grad and co-founder of Poverty Stops Here.

Bukky Karibi-Whyte

Bukky Karibi-Whyte founded Invicta Africa to provide public relations (PR) services to Nigeria’s corporate world.

Karibi-Whyte states, “my other agency is more along the lines of Luxury & Lifestyle and is branded as such. The need to service the corporate sector is what brought about Invicta Africa Communications Limited.”

Who inspired you to start this business? 

My passion and love for public relations (PR) stems from my mother who is also a PR/Marketing practitioner – she focused on the aviation industry. My mother inspires me and she exposed me to the world of public relations (PR) at a very young age.

Who is your target market?

businesses, organizations, government.

What is your competitive edge? 

The strong relationships we have built with Nigeria’s media world along with the experience we have garnered through The Bobby Taylor Company; and my strong team gives us the needed advantage.

What is the long-term plan for this business?

The long-term goal is to be well versed in Nigeria’s corporate world. We aim to provide advisory services to businesses and plan to educate students who are interested in this field of work. We will engage these students through seminars, books and summits.

In addition to founding Invicta Africa, I also own ‘The Bobby Taylor Company.’ Founded in 2007, some of our clients include: The Walt Disney Company, Estee Lauder, Calabar Jazz Festival, The Lagos Jazz Festival, The Ministry of Education Rivers State, Tom Ford, Clinique, M.A.C Cosmetics, Ciroc, Johnnie Walker, Elizabeth Arden, Flying Doctors Nigeria, Seyi Shay, Osas Ighodaro, D’banj, Dolapo Oni, Needlepoint, Arise Magazine Fashion Week, Fela on Broadway, The Genevieve Magazine Pink Ball, The Maharaja Ball, SPAR, Obi Phones, My Extensionz, and The Okunoren Twinz to name a few.

What key things have you learned since starting this business?

1. Determination is key,
2. You can do anything you put your mind to,
3. It is important to educate yourself, you can never know it all,
4. Your team is important,
5. It is also important to have innovative ideas and the ability to deliver is crucial.

What five (5) things do startup entrepreneurs need to know?

• Branding is important,
• Be an expert in your field and be informed,
• Your clients/customers opinions are very important,
• Hire the right staff and build your team. Set standards, hire people who understand the vision of the company and those who can contribute to the company’s success,
• Be ready to take risks.

What advice do you have for youths looking to start an idea but say there is no money?

My advice is that you ought to be strategic about your business. Try and get your voice heard! There are lots of tips on the internet. I started my first company with no capital. Indeed, it is possible to achieve this.

How do you think African youths can continue to support each other?

More young Africans can support one another through collaboration. It is important for African youths to align, share and feed off each other (positively). This to me is the greatest support anyone can ever have. African youths are also in need of mentors. I am an advocate for entrepreneurs and professionals having mentors. Learning about the experiences of others, can have a positive impact on one’s life.

How has technology enhanced your business idea ?

Technology in today’s world is highly important. I cannot imagine any business functioning without technology today.

How can we support and improve innovation in Africa?

We can support and improve innovation in Africa by encouraging startups, supporting local crafts, developing manpower and providing basic needs such as electricity, good roads and such. There is a lot to be done and I do believe in the new generation of Nigerians.

Website: Invicta Africa

Facebook: Invicta Africa

Twitter: Invicta Africa

Centurion Law Group will provide complimentary legal services to SMEs. The pilot program will first be made available to businesses in Cameroon, with plans to expand to other markets across Africa.

The program is designed for entrepreneurs who want to know how to launch a successful company and navigate the legal and business environment of African markets. The program was also established to support young and innovative entrepreneurs with legal and business advice, including corporate structuring, labor and employment, and tax and customs issues.

“African entrepreneurs and businesses can only reach their full potential when they are given the right legal support,” said NJ Ayuk, CEO of Centurion Law Group. “The dreams of African start-ups and entrepreneurs should not be put on hold, slowed, or held back because of the lack of legal support. As a pan-African law firm, we believe we have an obligation to support them and we will provide that support.”

For more information email:  info {at} centurionlawfirm.com

What does failure mean to you? 

Jason Njoku: I have failed numerous times in my business career and, as with success, it manifests itself in a number of ways – no money, no prospects, being shunned or laughed at by your peers, seeing your mother cry yet again because you have not ‘made it’ once again, even though you promised her this would be the last time.

It means letting people down and not being able to rectify the situation. But, it can also be a catalyst for success if you address and rectify previous mistakes and make sure you don’t make them again. For me, failure is also the fire to spark success.

Failure to me, is not using your wealth or any power you wield in a productive and progressive way.

Failure to me, is not realizing the opportunities that present themselves to you, wasting time building a bank balance rather than an empire.

Many of my African peers, rightly or wrongly, define success through the material goods they can accumulate. Expensive foreign cars, huge houses, jewelry, designer clothes, throwing lavish parties, quaffing champagne and Hennessy ad infinitum, and more. I don’t waste too much time on such things. I didn’t have them when I was poor, I don’t really need them now.

Many entrepreneurs don’t really speak about ‘failure,’ as they want to keep up appearances – failure is still very much a taboo topic to broach with many African entrepreneurs so very few actually talk about it, let alone in public.

What metrics or methodologies have you used to define your success and/or failure?

Nothing particularly scientific – I look at my P&L sheets, I look at website traffic, I look at our growth trajectories. Being able to meet payroll month after month, building a product or brand that people actually want are day-to-day successes that are also important, as they are things that I had previously failed at in other early ventures in my younger days.

Ultimately, for me, success means a certain degree of freedom – I have opportunities and connections and can make things happen at lightening-quick speed, all things that weren’t possible when I was failing.

About Iroko: 

Iroko is Africa’s largest content partners on YouTube and Dailymotion – both in revenue, unique viewers and monthly views and the largest distributors of Nigerian music and movies globally online. Iroko partners are the largest licensee of Nollywood movies with over 4,900 titles in its library.

Set to become the leading destination management company in West Africa – Travelbeta recently raised seed funding of $2 million from a group of Nigerian Investors lead by Altheus Limited.

Travelbeta is the go-to online travel consultant for planning exciting, rewarding and memorable luxury adventures outside Nigeria. Travelbeta was conceived by a group of enthusiastic travelers who desire to make travel a better experience for Nigerians and West Africans.

Founder Onyeka Akumah on Failure: 

Startup entrepreneurs should be ready to embrace failure as part of the learning process in building a successful business. We should learn that many successful businesses led by celebrated entrepreneurs are a product of a journey.

Many business people I know, in one way or the other have failed in an idea or a business venture in the past. I too have had my share of ‘failure’ with a startup I launched back in 2012 called QwikGist.

We raised seed funding, developed a product that scaled quickly, BUT the startup ran out of money and our growth could not translate into income, profitability and sustainability. The problem then was neither that it was a bad idea, nor that we had a bad team, but, the entire experience had more to do with the timing of the product and there was not enough investment or income generated to get us over the line to profitability and sustainability.

In all, I learned several things from this process – the art of raising money, the art of building your startup team, the art of earning value really quickly before you run out of cash and many other things helping me today in my current ventures.

What does failure mean to you? 

Failure would definitely be the opposite of success. Success to me means living with joy and contentment. It also means doing great things with the talent and skills that God has given me, and stretching myself beyond the limits of what I think I can do. It certainly does not mean doing everything well, but at least making a good attempt and learning when things do not go as well as I would like.

Failure would thereby mean not using my skills and gifts. Not pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Not daring to try new things.

What metrics or methodologies have you used to define your success and/or failure?

I constantly set new goals for myself (with respect to Work, Faith, Personal Life, Health) and monitor how I achieve these goals. It is important that I:

• Try new things: Most of my successes has involved pushing myself out of my comfort zone and being in ‘uncomfortable’ positions.
• Achieve at least 70% of my expected result. If I do not, then I need to have some lessons learnt on what to do differently next time.
• Have peace of mind: Success for me, is achieving my expected results at all costs. I need to be able to live with my decisions.
• Help other people: Success is not just about me, but about how my journey helps other people.

A feeling of balance: This is especially important to me as a woman because we have certain home and nurturing expectations in addition to any career responsibilities. I know that I will not lead a balanced life everyday. Some days will be more focused on work, while others will be more focused on family. However, when I take a look at my life over a period of years or even over the course of my life, I want to feel that I was able to devote as much time as I wanted to building my career and spent with my family.

 

About W.TEC: founded by Oreoluwa Somolu-Lesi, WTEC, which stands for Women’s Technology Empowerment Center is a non-profit organization working to encourage Nigerian girls to use technology to empower themselves socially and economically. Well known for its technology camp, the organization prides itself in introducing young girls to technology and helping to develop their bright minds.

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Remember that you are not super woman. Delegate! Do not try to do everything at home and in your business. The fact is that you cannot. If you want your business to grow – you may need to find strategic ways to hire, find volunteers, interns, part-time staff so that you can delegate responsibilities.

Find supportive networks. Start a meetup group, find other entrepreneurs with whom you can share and discuss challenges. You may use the internet to find various supportive networks to help you on and offline.

Be Social. Get connected to social media. Use this free tool to build your personal and business brand.

Be bold enough to enter male-dominated fields. Do not be afraid. Fear Not!

Take hold of your finances – understand what is going on in your business with regards to your cash flow, balance sheet, and profit and loss statements. Do not solely rely on your accountant, Be responsible.

Have a clear vision – who is your target market? Where are you going with your business idea?

Have an end-goal – what have you accomplished? Be accountable.

Find a coach and a mentor – do you have one? Be open-minded and be willing to learn from others.

Have additional tips, find us on social media:

Twitter: @africwomenpower

Instagram: @africwomenpower

Email: mary [at] awpnetwork.com

You see… I wake up every Monday and say “Thank God it’s Monday!”

Another chance to go out there and be GREAT… and in fact that goes for everyday. I am happy to be alive, healthy, and loved with limitless opportunity to make an impact on the people around me and pursue great things. I wake up every single day feeling fantastic and grateful and I want you to feel the same way.

It might sound like motivational BS, but it is genuinely how I feel.

If you are happy or at least content with your current situation, then that is awesome. Keep doing what you are doing!

However, if you are not happy with your current situation… If you celebrate the coming of Friday only to wake up dreading going to work Monday morning, it might be time to GET SERIOUS about making a change. I think we can agree it’s at least worth thinking about.

Am I telling you to quit your job tomorrow? No! That is madness.

I am not telling you to quit your job period. No one should. I will be the first to tell you that Entrepreneurship is HARD.

And as much as I love it, Entrepreneurship is certainly not for everyone.

Furthermore, we all have bills and responsibilities that cannot be paid off with hopes and dreams. Nobody cares. You need money.

So no… do not quit tomorrow (unless you were planning to… then please continue). Rather I am suggesting that you can work towards something better, that you enjoy more, whether that involves entrepreneurship or not.

I firmly believe that in most cases we can improve our situation if we are willing to take our goals and dreams at least as seriously as we take our day jobs. Based on the advice of some of my mentors and virtual mentors, here is what I would humbly suggest.

1. Figure out what your goals are… In an ideal situation, what do you actually want. Gain clarity around this. Write them down every day and look at them every day, allowing your subconscious to become immersed in them and start working towards potential solutions, even while you sleep.
2. Make an actionable plan for how you can get there. Do not pull this plan out of thin air, or source it from your friends & family, as much as you love them, unless they are an authority on your area of concern. Make the plan more credible and more likely to succeed by basing it on people who are already where you want to be. Mentors, books, podcasts, blogs, and Mastermind Groups are just a few of the ways you might start to collect that information. Don’t try to make your plan perfect. This will kill you. Just make it good enough to start! You can always adjust as you move forward.
3. Commit to the plan and Execute that plan. Look… Some people get lucky, but generally, “overnight success” takes a while to build. If you are serious about this (and I believe you are), you need to be consistent and work on your plan every single day until you reach your goal (and you will!)

Decide when during each day you will be working on your plan and block it out on your calendar. It might be just a little bit every day, depending on your schedule and responsibilities, but get something done!

Also, look at how you can create more time for your dreams by reducing or cutting out activities that do not contribute to them (example: because I am in the process of launching 2 new ventures, and the amount of learning this requires is immense, I barely watch any TV currently. TV is cool, but my goals are much more important, and I take them seriously).

Success does not give in easy, so do not expect it to come immediately. Do not expect to go viral and win based on one blog post, one game launch, one promotion… one of anything… but do not let that discourage you. So long as the pursuit is worthy and your plan is solid, be ready to take action repeatedly and massively over and over without seeing results for a long period of time. With this level of commitment, the goal is practically yours. I am so passionate and certain about this.

When I sold a large chunk of my mobile gaming venture last year, I knew that I wanted the next stage of my career to be extremely valuable and impactful. Helping others to achieve success only makes us happier and more successful. That is why I started building the Daily Spark Entrepreneur Community – a free Private Facebook Group to support Dynamic Entrepreneurs and Aspiring Entrepreneurs.

In just 2 weeks, the Community has grown to 300 members & a movement much larger than myself, with no signs of slowing down. It has been beautiful to watch experienced millionaire entrepreneurs in the same room as career professionals just trying to get started in the game, side hustlers, and business owners who have been at it for a while but have not yet cracked the code… everyone sharing, learning, and growing together.

Muoyo Okome is the founder of the Daily Spark Entrepreneur Community, a fast-growing online community dedicated to the empowerment, education & support of entrepreneurs. He has previously started, grown, and sold a mobile gaming company and runs several businesses in the mobile, online & e-commerce spaces.

A career-long technology professional and alumnus of the Princeton University (BA) and The Wharton School (MBA), his prior experience includes software engineering, consulting, and business management roles at companies such as Microsoft & IBM.

Set to become the leading destination management company in West Africa, Travelbeta was established October 1, 2015. To date, the company has raised over $2 million from investors. The business idea was conceived by a group of enthusiastic travelers who wanted more than what was offered to Nigerian travelers by existing travel agencies online and offline. The idea was conceived out of a passion to make travel ‘better’ for Nigerians and West Africans. 

How did you come up with your business name? 

The idea was conceived out of a passion to make travel ‘better’ for Nigerians. We decided on the name travelbetter, but used the pidgin word for better which is betá – Travelbeta.

Who inspired you to start? 

Millions of Nigerians travel with very few options to book their travel needs online. We challenged ourselves with the responsibility of creating a well-informed travel society – of folks who are aware of the options at their disposal to include a travel aggregator with several flights to 900 destinations (literally every airport in the world) and over 300,000 hotels to book from amongst other services.

We are also motivated by the fact that Nigeria and Africa as a whole has beautiful travel destinations but many are not informed about these places nor know how to book a trip to experience these amazing destinations. We want to fill that gap as Africa’s premium destination management company starting out from Nigeria.

Who is your target market?

With over 180 million people in Nigeria today and with a growing working class of over 30% of its population, our target audience seats between 19 and 40 million Nigerians who travel on a regular basis. We are aware that just over 21 million Nigerians traveled in the last 12 months through local airports. The staggering thing is that only less than 5% of these travelers used an online travel agency to meet their travel needs. It is our goal to focus on these 19 million people and show them a convenient, open and reliable way of booking their travel needs online.

How have you financed the idea?

To date, we have raised over $2 million. When we started the project, we raised funding from our current pool of investors managed by Altheus Limited. The goal was to launch the business then show our investors the confidence in the market and how it was going to respond to our services. We are lucky to launch in a market like Nigeria where tens of thousands travel on a daily basis. Our growth came quickly as a result of effective PR and marketing around the launch of the business. This led to customers using our website to make their bookings and provided the much needed confidence for our investors.

What is your competitive edge? 

We have the long-term vision to become the leading destination management company in West Africa. How?

1. We have introduced Nigerians to our online booking system, which gives our customers access to different activities and tours. Although we are the first online travel agency to introduce this in West Africa, we want to continue to grow our activities inventory with exciting tours within Nigeria and Africa as well.
2. It is our promise to give Nigerians all the information they need to make better informed travel decisions with a focus on providing detailed travel itineraries.
3. In addition to this, our customer service technology is currently only rivaled by the technology you’ll find in telecommunication companies and we continue to train our team to improve on customer service so as to optimize the full potential of our investments.

What is the long-term plan for this business?

Once again, we are building a premium destination management business that will not just provide basic flights, hotel and general travel services but will lead more travelers to experiencing the best adventures cities have to offer.

Travelbeta aims to become the ‘go to’ online travel consultant for planning exciting, rewarding and memorable luxury adventures and holidays outside Nigeria. We want to concentrate primarily on offering various categories of holidays outside Nigeria to visa and non-visa destinations where the in-bound tourism market is very well developed.

What challenges have you faced this far?

In the early days of building this business, we were faced with the same set of challenges many startups in Nigeria have faced until they experienced what I call ‘the proof of concept phase.’ We had to deal with understanding whether the vision was the right one, whether it was in the right market and whether the timing was right. It was crucial we got the right answers from our research because every turn we took had costly consequences on our development capital.

We also had to deal with the challenge of recruiting the right team to build the vision. This included recruiting the right technology partners to manage the back-bone of the business – our technology. In addition, we had to build relationships with travel partners to include hotels, airlines and tourist managers to get competitive deals to rival competitors in our space.

What key things have you learned since starting this idea?

Understand your data: running an online travel business has brought me to a point of respecting the data on how much Nigerian travelers are willing to spend traveling and more importantly, how many people continue to travel irrespective of the economy. I am also surprised at how little is known about Nigerian travelers globally.

Nigerians love to travel and they travel a lot! We have learned that the average holiday instinct of Nigerians is gradually becoming cosmopolitan in nature. The new trend is driven largely by the fact that we have a larger youthful population heavily influenced by western media and lifestyle. Consequently, the desire for this new generation of Nigerian travelers has grown from just travelling to the regular top destinations for most Nigerians, to taking up challenges of touring a new country, experiencing the amazing sights and subzero temperatures across the globe. Some Nigerians are now excited about taking a safari adventure to see wild or rare animals to a broad range of adventures including hiking, surfing, bungee jumping, sky diving, sporting holidays and mountain climbing to name a few.

Pricing is key: you can educate a traveler about the benefits of an online travel agency over its competition, however the only thing that will influence a traveler’s decision is pricing. For a 5% discount, a traveler is ready to change their travel partner.

Irrespective of the economic situation, we know that the Nigerian travel industry will keep growing 9 to 16% annually. This therefore presents a growing opportunity for businesses like ours to ensure that the growth is experienced with online customers as well.

From my discussions with the media, investors and general travel enthusiasts, it is clear to me that not much is known about the Nigerian traveler and the tourism sector as a whole.  I strongly believe that it is our responsibility as destination managers in this region to tell more stories, to throw more light and to add value to this sector.

What five (5) things do start-up entrepreneurs need to know?

Do the work: understand that there is no set-in-stone master plan to get your ideas from ground zero to hero overnight. You’ve got to put in the hard work and build your businesses based on feedback from your customers.

Embrace Failure: be ready to embrace failure as part of the learning process in building a successful business. We should learn that many successful businesses led by celebrated entrepreneurs are a product of a journey. Many business men I know in one way or the other have failed in an idea or a start-up in the past before they got one successful.

I too had my own share of failure with a startup I launched back in 2012 called QwikGist. We raised funding, developed a product that scaled quickly but the startup ran out of money when the growth could not translate into income. The problem then was neither that it was a bad idea nor that we had a bad team, but the timing of the product and there was not enough investment or income generated to get us over the line to ensure profitability and sustainability.

From this experience, I learned several things – the art of raising money, the art of building your startup team, the art of earning value really quickly before you run out of cash and many other things helping me today in my current ventures. 

Hire Right:  learn to value the first set of people who join your team. Appreciate them, keep them together, develop rapport and build amazing stuff with everyone’s contribution.  A business is only as successful as the team behind the entrepreneur. The emotional satisfaction as against monetary satisfaction of your team can go a long way in building your business.

Innovate: innovation does not always mean inventing something new. I will encourage startup entrepreneurs to build stuff for our environment based on the needs they see in our society. We can find solutions in developed countries, bring them home and customize for the needs and peculiarities of the Nigerian consumer.

What advice do you have for youths looking to start an idea but say ‘there is no money’?

Find your strength: A young person looking to start an idea should explore their areas of strength and learn to offer value, with or without the motivation of money.

Develop lasting solutions: Young entrepreneurs should focus on building lasting solutions that will create jobs and provide a lasting impact for the society they find themselves.  We should learn that the greater the value we can offer, the bigger the opportunity of earning an equal reward.

Create Value: Build something needed by everyone and you will never lack the money to execute the entire plan – this is my motto in building the businesses that I am involved with at the moment. It applies to attracting investors or creating sufficient income until you become profitable.

Explore sectors: explore sectors in the economy that has less competition and would impact millions of lives assuming it becomes successful. You will spend less to build your prototype and then convince potential investors with the demonstration of the impact your prototype can have on lives.

How do you think African youths can continue to support each other? 

We need to keep sharing our stories. These stories will guide youths on the path to take to avoid pitfalls and mistakes made by other young entrepreneurs, while creating paths for them to emulate good decisions that will make them successful. Young entrepreneurs who have successfully built their businesses into major players should find younger entrepreneurs to mentor, support and if possible, provide funding to grow their dreams.

Finally, let us spend less time fighting each other’s success and spend more time creating the path for more brave entrepreneurs.

How many jobs have you created so far?

I have created over 200 jobs. If I combine my time recruiting teams at the several startups that I have worked with or founded in the last 8 years.

At Travelbeta, we are a few months-old and currently have a 30-person team. We plan to grow rapidly in the next 12 months as we continue to expand our operations to high-density cities across the country. We plan to keep hiring as we grow. Some of the teams we will recruit for include our: technology, marketing, operational and most importantly our customer relationship management team.

How has technology enhanced your business? 

Technology is the backbone of our idea. It has not just enhanced our operations, it serves like the air by which Travelbeta breathes on. We are very careful about how we manage our technology, taking into consideration that we do not want to lose the trust of our customers while providing them with more access points to reaching us. From our website, to our mobile site, CRM tools and travel experience center systems, we keep pushing for 99.9% optimal operation of our technology on a daily basis without any excuse of a break.

How can we support and improve innovation in Africa? 

Education is the bedrock of a successful and innovative society. I strongly believe that our government should invest in education. We need to develop stronger institutions and encourage leaders who can bridge the educational gap for our younger ones in order to build bright minds for the economic growth of the continent.

 
Also, we need to celebrate brave entrepreneurs who have developed innovative solutions, tell their stories, then get our government to strive to ensure that our business climate is conducive enough to attract investments and the exchange of knowledge with more developed countries.

Finally, I will encourage entrepreneurs to build ideas and businesses out of the selfless need of creating lasting value for Africans.

Today, we have raised around $2 million and used this to get us to where we are now. As an entrepreneur, I am aware that I need to keep raising funds to sustain the business until profitability.

Twitter: Travelbeta

Facebook: Travelbeta

Website: Travelbeta 

Phone: +234 1632 1145 , +234 700 111 0111

Pumpmakers Platform is a virtual marketplace that provides individuals, local companies, NGO’s and volunteers with free access to the easy-to-use Do-It-Yourself Solar Pump and a global network to implement projects for everyone where there is a need of water. This helps to reduce the global water shortage, strengthens the local economy, creates jobs and prevents migration from rural areas.

Pumpmakers have successfully installed DIY Solar Pumps in Africa and Europe since 2012. A single pump system provides up to 1.000 people a day with clean drinking water. Building on the success of these first projects, new PUMPMAKERS projects are following suit in Somalia, Morocco, Zambia, Cameroon and Tanzania.

The AWP Network continues to work with women farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria. For this training session, AWP partnered with locally-based entrepreneur Zanau Hassan Maikusuwa, a seasoned farmer and CEO of Farmfields Agro-Allied Services with funding support from the Planet Earth Institute.

Zanau Hassan will continue to coordinate and manage the day-to-day activities of the program. The program aims to teach innovative farming techniques through collaborative learning and workshops. The program allows women farmers in Taraba to hone in on their entrepreneurial skills, increase farming productivity, and household income.

Mary Olushoga states, “at the AWP Network, we remain committed to supporting the growth, development, and entrepreneurial efforts of African women. We recognize that women farmers need encouragement and business support. More women also need access to financing to purchase agricultural equipments. We are certainly open to working with various financial institutions to make this happen. Indeed, there’s more work to be done.”

The AWP Network Agropreneur project is a workshop-based training project set to use quantitative and qualitative data to inform and help women farmers improve farming techniques, practices, as well as increase yield and production at a reduced cost. This includes a three-day practical training session on irrigation rice farming, post-training extension services, and building a network of women farmers across Nigeria.

Have questions? Email: mary {at} awpnetwork.com

 Ebele Ezenwa /Mary Olushoga

The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill seeks to protect internet users in Nigeria from the infringement of their fundamental freedom and seeks to guarantee the application of human rights for all users of digital platforms, and, or digital media. Indeed, the Internet is a multi-stakeholder space with no single point of control; more importantly, government, civil society, the private sector and technical communities utilize this platform and all have vital roles to play in its governance.

The rights in the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill will apply to all sectors and everyone will have the responsibility to act ethically and in good faith. The conversation, which took place within the Internet Freedom Forum in Abuja, is certainly a step in the right direction. The discussion gave speakers and participants an opportunity to discuss, engage, learn and reflect on varied perspectives.

Organized by PIN also known as Paradigm Initiative Nigeria on March 9, 2016 – the Internet Freedom Forum included an interactive and engaging panel on the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill. Present on this panel were Gbenga Sesan – Executive Director of PIN Nigeria, Honorable Chukwuemeka Ujam – Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, and Titi Akinsanmi – Google Policy Head.

For many Nigerians, access to the Internet and various social media platforms has become a useful tool for many underrepresented and underserved voices especially women and youths, to be heard. For instance, it helped during the Occupy Nigeria and the Bring Back Our Girls movements. So why seek to regulate such a powerful tool?

Honorable Ujam speaking about the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill pointed to the dark sides of the Internet. He stated that many people hide behind their mobile devices to say whatever they feel like, without first verifying the information or checking whether it is true or false. Honorable Ujam emphasized the need to regulate and advocate for the responsible use of the Internet. According to him, freedom comes with responsibility, and where one’s rights ends is where the other person’s begins. He pledged his commitment to the passage of the bill into law, and gave the assurance that he would sponsor the bill, and see to it that the bill is read on the floor of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.

Akinsanmi on the other hand said, “if there are no rights and freedom respected online, this also reflects in the physical space.” Presently the Nigerian Consumer Rights has no reference to online consumers. She reiterated that Google’s motto is, “don’t be evil and don’t break the user’s trust; and in line with this policy, Google offers people the ability to truly make a difference – especially in places where there are no rights and freedom.”

Participants posed the following questions:

(1) Why are Nigeria’s policymakers afraid of social media? What is there to hide?

(2) Who sets the standard for what it means to use the Internet responsibly?

(3) In the activities leading up to the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill into law, will tweaking bill make it lose its essence?

(4) Also, what does this mean for underrepresented and underserved voices who see social media as a liberating tool – many questions remain unanswered.

Despite this, the exchange of views and learning among the participants, speakers and stakeholders was remarkable. Oh, and the best part? Every attendee was presented with a copy of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, (still in draft form) as well as the African declaration on Internet Rights and Freedom.

Written by Ebele Ezenwa – Ezenwa is a solicitor, advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and an accredited dispute resolution specialist. Well-grounded in Corporate Law, she serves and provides excellent legal advisory services to clients on diverse issues. Ebele has served as a representative of the Enugu West Senatorial District at the Nigerian Youth Parliament from 2011 to 2014. While at the Parliament, she was the Vice Chairman, Committee on National Youth Service Corps matters. She currently works as an Immigration Compliance Specialist, for Granite Services International Inc., (A wholly owned affiliate of General Electric Company).

Edited by Mary Olushoga, Founder, awpnetwork.com

Young Africans need to write, document and own their story and not let anyone exploit their talents or gifts.

How did you come up with your business name?

I chose the name Yetunde Global Consulting because I wanted a name that would stand the test of time and serve as a way to brand myself and my skill set.

Who inspired you to start?

I founded Yetunde Global Consulting in 2011 and over the years, I have had mentors who advised me to start my venture. Serving on various boards and working in international development, I was able to form important relationships with those who were seasoned in their fields…and for some reason, the same advice would always come up in conversations – to venture out and turn my professional gifts and personal passions into a form of business. Not just this, I was always good at making strategic partnerships, ensuring that organizations or teams that I oversaw always performed to their best ability.

Who is your target market?

Senior executives, managers, employees, professionals and those who want to individually or collectively develop their leadership abilities.

How have you financed your business?

I financed the company with my money. I worked full-time and organized several leadership development seminars, workshops and one-on-one sessions around my work hours. When my business took off, I focused more on building my clientele internationally. In addition, being a Lecturer of Political Science gave me the freedom to run my business hands on and put all of my resources in ensuring its success.

What is your competitive edge?

My competitive edge is my unique approach to leadership development. I am passionate about what I do. I love to see people excel, I love to step into a corporation and train their employees and equip them with the skills needed to increase profits, reduce employee turnover, breakdown workplace silos and increase overall departmental or company morale. In addition, my clients book me because they want to experience what I have to offer in person.  I walk into the room and they already know that I am going to take charge and that no individual will leave my training session without being inspired, uplifted and more knowledgeable about leadership.

You can say, they consider me the Olivia Pope of Leadership Development!

What is the long-term plan for your business?

My long-term plan is to sustain offices in certain locations around the world, to continue building a strong leadership team in those locations and to continue building lasting relationships with my current clients as well as prospective ones.

What challenges do you face?

Some of my challenges include dealing with CEOs or those in powerful leadership positions and telling them that their mode of leading their organization or company is actually causing more harm than good. At times, I find that many people who are in powerful positions are there simply because they are great managers. They have the experiences, the résumé and the management skills to rise up the corporate ladder but lack the skills to lead, to communicate effectively, to resolve conflict, and to boost team morale. This is why one of my most requested seminars titled “How to Manage and Lead” has become so successful. In order to be truly successful in the workplace you must be able to manage and lead.

What five (5) things have you learned since starting this idea?

1. Leadership development is a constant,
2. As a CEO, I too must continue to hone in on my skills,
3. People can tell the difference between passion and just having a business because it’s profitable,
4. Everyone no matter their age needs to hone in on their leadership development skills,
5. Leadership is the single most essential element of a successful organization.

What key things do startup entrepreneurs need to know?

• Passion yields profit,
• Profit does not yield passion…it yields money which is not enough to run a successful company,
• Find a niche that is unique to your gifts and talents,
• Leadership development is everything. You need to hone your skills in communication, branding, being personable, connecting with people and the other elements of leadership development before you pitch or debut your product.

What advice do you have for youths looking to start an idea but say ‘there is no money’? 

With social media and the emergence of new technologies like crowdfunding sites…money should be the least of your worries. The money will come. Do your research, have passion for what you do, and be able to properly communicate your message.

How do you think African youths can continue to support each other?

African youths should start a think-tank in every country on the continent….for youths by youths – a place where youths can conduct research on social issues and publish papers about these issues. Young Africans need to continue to write and own their story and not let anyone exploit their talents or gifts. Even in the face of obstacles, youths should continue to dream and support one another. Remember, even challenges present opportunities.

How many jobs have you created so far?

I often get testimonials from clients who have received promotions, been hired or established their own businesses as a result of my services. In addition, every year I take on a number of interns who I mentor and work hands on with. Since I founded my company, I have hired and worked with a full-time team of consultants and marketing professionals.

How has technology enhanced your business? 

Technology is a key element in my business. I conduct private webinars online, share leadership development materials through my online portal, and use social media to market certain aspects of my company and more.

How can we support and improve innovation in Africa? 

We can support and improve innovation in Africa by creating more opportunities for young people and creating spaces where they can develop their ideas and innovations. If we can encourage innovation in the early stages of a child’s education we send the strong message in society that innovation starts with the youth.

Twitter: Yetunde Global

Facebook: Yetunde Global

Website: Yetunde Global 

Gayle Jennings-O’Byrne in partnership with digitalundivided have launched the Harriet Fund – the name is inspired by Harriet Tubman and the management company by Maya Angelou – two powerful Black women.  This will be the first venture fund to invest exclusively in women of color startups. 

It is important to note that of the 10,284 venture deals funded from 2012 to 2014, just 24 were with startups led by black women. Statistically speaking, that’s zero.

Learn more about the fund here: Maya Angels

By 2025, jobs which were common in 2015 will no longer exist. Students graduating in 2016, will have obsolete qualifications for which there will no longer be a profession by 2025.

• Front-line military personnel will be replaced with robots.
• Private bankers and wealth managers will be replaced with algorithms.
• Telemarketers, data entry personnel, tax preparers, lawyers, accountants, actuaries, statisticians and consulting engineers will be replaced with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

New business models, like those of Uber and Alibaba, are already industry-shaping disruptors, and each day, new Digital innovators are emerging to cause disintermediation and disruption across every industry imaginable.

Traditional enterprises, whilst presently successful by today’s standards, are scrambling to make sense of business digitization to stay relevant in the Digital future. Many are attempting to create new digital business models which will eventually cannibalize their traditional business, rather than capitulating to new disruptive digital start-ups.

Companies are also digitizing their products and services, along with operational processes and customer channels. Over 70 percent of top fortune 500 companies have plans to offer their products as a digital service by 2020. Presently, the 10 most valuable start-ups globally are estimated to have a value of $172.7 billion – all-embracing digital platform based business models. Around 90 percent of the business models in 2020 will be driven by the cloud.

Globally, the number of connected devices will nearly quadruple by 2025, significantly altering the skills employers hold most valuable. Increasing connectivity will change how employees choose to work (for example: remotely, part-time, independently, or dispersed), and provide employers with a spectrum of hiring options.

Millennials, most of whom are Digital Natives, will comprise an estimated 48.3% of the global labor force in 2025, while those aged 60 and older will comprise 9.9 percent (compared with 7.9 percent in 2015).

The line between what has traditionally been business and IT is becoming more and more blurred. Largely due to the early adoption and impact of Digital marketing, The Chief Marketing Officer or CMO, now controls a bigger “IT” budget and influence than the CIO. This is only set to increase and expand across the organisation, as Digital Natives become future business leaders.

What new skills and expertise will be required to lead and manage the digital enterprise of the future?

As robots, AI and digital algorithms continue to replace many jobs and professions; new and emerging professions by 2025 will focus more on human interaction, augmented through digital mechanisms. Jobs requiring uniquely human characteristics, such as cultural deftness, caretaking, or empathy, and creative thinking, are those least threatened by automation.

The ability to work anywhere, anytime is fueling the digital nomad trend, which is highly appealing to millennials, but will also blur political and economic boundaries, and test national labor codes.

Artificial Intelligence, its subfields, and automation will create some specific reflecting trends associated with new and emerging technology advances. Career gains from AI and automation include:

• Artificial Intelligence technology and automation salesperson,
• Specialist programmers,
• Cybersecurity experts,
• Engineering psychologists,
• Robot and automation technology manufacturer, distributor, servicer, and refurbisher,
• Technology-specific trainer,
• Neuro-implant technicians,
• Virtual health care specialist,
• Virtual reality experience designer.

Digital transformation cannot be ignored without becoming irrelevant, and an adaptive digital strategy is imperative.

The digital workforce will be largely millennial, and significantly different from today in terms of culture, leadership style and skills. Artificial Intelligence, robots and Digital algorithms will automate many professions, but jobs requiring uniquely human characteristics – or are critical to the development of digital solutions – will be in great demand by 2025.

A holistic digital transformation strategy, which considers the digital workforce along with the business model, process and customer channel dimensions, will be imperative for organisations wishing to remain relevant in the next 10 years.

Written by: Wayne Houghton, Director of Growth Implementation Solutions, Frost & Sullivan Africa

On Twitter, I am best known as a curator of African tech news and in general as someone promoting tech entrepreneurship in Africa. In fact, many think that I am a blogger or a journalist. What many don’t realize is that I am also a successful tech entrepreneur.

In 1999, I set up AppsTech to provide enterprise software solutions, primarily around Oracle technologies. I started this with no money and despite my best efforts, never raised any funding. I was a woman tech founder. I was a Black woman tech founder. I am a Black African woman tech founder.

Although these may have been external factors, my race, gender, or national origin were never a part of my equation. I lived in a self-created bubble in which those elements didn’t matter and I went about my business as any white male would have, oblivious to the reality that surrounded me and the challenges before me. It honestly never occurred to me that it might be any harder for me than any of my fellow startup entrepreneurs.

Lesson One: Your reality is the one that you create in your mind, not the one that others create for you.

Because I was not conscious of how difficult this was, I could be bold. And bold I was. With very little savings and no financial backing, I set out to build a global multi-million dollar business.

I spent the first two weeks doing nothing but writing my business plan. Because I was writing it for me, and not for bankers or investors, I could be completely honest. I was able to lay out my weaknesses, market risks in a very bare, truthful way. Then I could think of strategies to counter these. As I did this, my business model changed significantly from what I first intended. Over the years of course, it changed some more.

Lesson Two: Having a personal business plan is very effective. When we pitch to investors or customers, we want them to drink our Kool-Aid. It’s important though, to realize that it is Kool-Aid and not to drink it ourselves.

I soon realized that by developing my plan, the type of customers that purchased my offerings were multinationals. That meant that I also needed to be a multinational. How a one woman company becomes a global business can be resumed by one word. The internet.

I built the company’s web site and it was available in both English and French. I spent days studying the web sites of companies like Arthur Andersen, PwC and CapGemini and mimicked the look and feel. The site wasn’t very nice but in those days, neither were my competitors’. I couldn’t yet afford an office but I did get a virtual business address I could use on the web site and on a business card. I didn’t include a title on the card. I wanted the flexibility of being the CEO when I wanted or just one of the engineers if the situation warranted. I might have been a one person business but I presented myself as a global corporation.

Armed with my new business cards, new website, I spent a couple thousand dollars going to an industry conference. During that conference, I landed my first customer. A multinational. Of course, they had no idea that I was a one-woman machine. And they didn’t need to. They needed some technical advice that I knew I could provide.

Lesson Three: Fake it ‘till you make it but never sell more than you can’t deliver.

I used all of the revenue generated from that client and invested it in my business. I rented an office and hired a part-time assistant. I never used any of those funds to pay myself. In fact, I was homeless and couch-surfed for two years before I finally got my own place. In the 17 years I have been in business, I have always paid myself last and have never had the highest salary in the company.

But couch-surfing wasn’t just about saving money; because I didn’t have a home, I could focus entirely on my business. I wouldn’t leave the office until at least 2:00 AM. There were absolutely no distractions; there was absolutely no comfort.

Lesson Four: Comfort is your enemy. Be prepared to make huge sacrifices.

As I mentioned before, even though I was a tiny business, I was global from day one. Every single tool I purchased to run my business had to work from anywhere. In a world where the word “cloud” still defined something you could look up to in the sky, I only bought software accessible over the internet. We were one of Salesforce.com’s early customers. Also, each individual I hired, from my assistant to my technical and executive team, had to have worked or lived overseas and speak at least two languages. So where my like sized competitors were focusing on the small local customer, I had my eyes on the more lucrative global market. And because everything was designed to be global from the very first day, I didn’t have to pivot years later and develop a global strategy, change systems and staff. Global in one location with four employees is actually the same structure as global in ten locations with hundreds of employees. Global is a way of thinking.

Lesson Five: Design your business structure to address the largest market you can, not your current state.

There were several aspects to our business model which were unusual at the time and helped us sign some very large deals within our first few years in business. One of them was that I personally hated bureaucracy. I still do. I have an intense dislike for paperwork and administrative procedures. What I came to realize was that so did many of my customers. When a bureaucratic multinational company is faced with a bureaucratic multinational supplier, the purchasing process and the delivery of services becomes complex and bogged down.

So I tried to simplify the process. I basically productized services. So rather than sell so many man/hours or man/days with different rates for different people, I created packages that customers could choose from. For instance, support contracts had traditionally been per “seat” or per person on the contract. We proposed three different levels of a support product that never specified who, or how many would provide them. Not only did this greatly simplify the purchasing and delivery process but it also allowed us to scale. Since we weren’t paid by number of consultants, we could build efficiencies to reduce labor costs on customers and spread our resources across multiple contracts. In the US in 2000, this was innovative.

Lesson Six: If the product or service you are providing isn’t innovative, your delivery of it can be.

Of course, I couldn’t have done any of this without a fantastic team. I sought out the very best minds in the industry and sometimes courted them for months before they would come on board. As often as possible, I tried to find the brightest in the African community. Congo, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Sudan, Cameroon, and more were all represented at AppsTech. This in addition to China, Korea, India, France and the UK. Most of them were much smarter than I was. Although some were obviously intelligent, they didn’t necessarily have specific industry experience. One of my very best hires for example, was a political science major with absolutely no Oracle and little IT experience. But I loved the way he carried himself. I hired him on the spot. As a Client Relationship Manager, his ability to navigate difficult personalities was key. Another guy had a degree in veterinary science. He too had no Oracle experience. But he spoke five languages fluently including Russian and Spanish. If he could learn foreign languages so easily, surely “speaking” SQL wouldn’t be a stretch. He went on to get multiple Oracle certifications and was one of the very best members of our technical team.

Lesson Seven: Hire the very best or train the very brightest.

Within four years, AppsTech had seven offices across three continents and customers in over 50 countries. We had generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue. By the time our model caught on, we already had established ourselves as the market leader. We had weathered the tech bubble and had seen many of our competitors, even some a hundred times our size, disappear. Profiles in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Computer World, Fortune Magazine and many others.

The epitome of success. We were unstoppable. Or maybe we weren’t…. But that’s for another post.

Rebecca Enonchong (Cameroon/Washington DC) is founder of AppsTech. Currently, she sits on the board of VC4Africa.