From a high paying job at IBM to setting up an online market place for service providers in Nigeria, growing up he nurtured the idea of creating something people will use someday. He is Rabiu Musah, CEO Asuqu.com

Tell us about yourself and what you do?

I’m Rabiu Musah, the CEO and founder of Asuqu.com, an online place for people to buy and sell services and hire talent.

At Asuqu.com you come and buy services online. We are focused on creative-like services, such as make-up, photography etc. because we realized that there are issues with getting quality services at an affordable rate. We provide quality talent for people who need their services. It has been fun and rewarding for our service providers, some of them have made a career out of what we are doing. Customers have been responding well.

 How did Asuqu start?

It started two years ago when I realized that there was a need for African products to be sold outside the continent.  We came up with Asuqu, an efik word which means “market day for a new born’’. We got Asuqu from Asuquo. We wanted something that people will relate with as African and along the line we had to pivot services. We also considered the statistics of Nigeria which produces close to 2 million graduates every year with jobs barely enough to reach less than 200,000, which is about 10% of the people going into the labour force every year. Again there is a pool of other guys close to 20 million SMES looking to get something done, companies with less than 250 employees.

There are so many of them in the country having issues with talent, human resources, efficiency etc.  Now, there is a disconnect between the service providers and people who actually need their services and there has to be a platform to connect these people (services providers and customers). The people providing these services at Asuqu.com are freelancers, young adults between ages 18-35.

When did Asuqu.com kick off?

It kicked off on the 2^nd of April 2014 as an online community where people can showcase their talent, upload portfolios, like their portfolios and like other people’s portfolios. Some months ago we felt there is a need to empower these people, not just celebrating their talent but also making money from their own talent. We started a market place in October 2015 for the public.  Aside from uploading products on the platform, they can sell their services on the platform.

Why something like this?

The entrepreneurial spirit lives in me. I have always wanted to do something of my own, solve problems. Each time I see people transacting on the platform I get so happy because I am able to solve someone’s problem. The labour force is very competitive and not everyone is out there to look for a job. I left IBM to start my own job. If I can create a platform for some people out of over two million graduates yearly, empowering them to be financially independent, it’s a great joy. Like the saying goes “don’t think of what your country can do for you, but think of what you can do for your country’’.

We need to raise business leaders; we need to raise young entrepreneurs that will create jobs for people, that way we can add to the GDP and economic growth of the country.

How does the business operate?

We are a team of 5 young people presently, passionate about what we are doing. We have an office in Ilupeju, Lagos. For every service advertised and sold on our platform, we charge a commission fee from the service provider. When you come as a service provider, we interview you to know the kind of service you provide.  You have to go through our interview before we can allow you sell your service on our platform.

What are the goals/ visions of the business?

To be the platform where people can do business safely in a convenient manner. We want to be the leading market place in Africa where people can come and search for talent. We are looking to get there because we are not there yet.

How did you get funds to start?

Right from day one till one, we have been bootstrapping.  I started with personal funds and savings I had from my previous job at IBM and as a freelancer. It’s still what we are using to run the business till today. We are doing transactions on the platform which means customers are coming in and we are getting our commission cuts which we have been reinvesting in the company so far.

How can one start this business?

You don’t really need any training to do this but you need to learn how to build an online community, how to build and manage a website.  You need to have some experience in this this industry before starting. You need to know the pros and cons of it. You need to know the starting phase, how to operate a double-sided market with a goal in mind.

You need to know what to do first – are you getting the service providers first or the customers? If you have customers, service providers will come but if you don’t have customers, service providers won’t come and vice versa.

You need to understand the operational model you want to use so you can know where you should start from.

It is not an off the shelf operational model, what works for Mr. A might not work for Mr. B.  You need to have an online community first to engage people and then look at generating revenue for the guys on the platform.

You can partner with someone who has the experience to manage an online market place. It depends on your strength.  Find someone that will compliment your weakness. If you are sales person, you need to get a tech person and vice versa.

You need to identify your strengths and weaknesses; you need to know your numbers, basic business skills.

How do you pay your staff?

GOD has been our help all the way. We have been using savings to cover our expenses. Our transactions also help to cover for basic expenses. Salaries have been from bootstrapping, my personal wallet. Basically I pay them from my pocket.

What Marketing Strategies Do You Use?

We identify our customers, show them value that we can do the work. We haven’t done elaborate advertising like billboard, TV, radio. We use social media.  Again referrals have been very useful.

Did you have any experience?

I was actually the founder of two defunct start-ups. E2where.com and Ighalo (a Wikipedia page for African personalities). So I have some level of experience which I brought to this new one.  I have been selling things as a child even up to high school. I have done some business alongside schooling and after school I had to start some business.

What was your first business idea?

I started my first company at 19, E2where.com. I was very naïve but it’s worthwhile now because when I look back I know where I missed a point.  Now, I know the point where the mistakes were and can’t repeat them. E2where .com got to a product stage, it was a market place for people to buy and sell things like shoes, bags but we didn’t get the model right and funding was another issue.  People went their ways and I had to just dissolve it.

What’s the best piece of advice you have gotten from anyone?

To be a good salesman, you need to be on the street, you are not different from the guy selling gala on the street, and don’t think you are there yet. Don’t show off. You need to keep hustling, remember where you are going is not a destination; it is a journey, so there is no end point.

How do you use social media?

We post content, we do Facebook targeted ads and it has been working fine. We use Facebook, twitter, instagram etc.

How do you find inspiration?

If a customer buys on our platforms, that’s inspiration for me. Adding value and solving problems for our customers inspires me.

What are Challenges you have encountered?

It is very challenging, for example, managing people. The difficult thing about anything you would ever do is to manage people. Dealing with people, dealing with customers, keeping to time and time management. Human resources is a big challenge, identifying and managing talent, satisfying customers are challenging.

What are the Opportunities?

The opportunities are enormous. We can’t say where or when because opportunities come every day and we are taking them as they come. If you are able to build a large database for service providers and customers, you are going to be a market leader. The population of Nigeria is also something we can tap into.

Realities of the business

You spend more time outside than on your computer. The day you launch that’s the day your time on the computer begins to drop. You should put more time to getting sales for your customers, how your business will survive and building relationships. You need to go outside because that’s where the real stuff is, not on your computer. First you need to love it before you start, because there are times you wake up and don’t feel like doing anything.

There are times you go to bed hungry because there is no money anywhere.

The startup life is like a roller coaster ride. You need to keep enjoying it even when you look at your bank account and it’s red.  You need to keep the goal in mind, believing it’s going to be eventually rewarding and be humanitarian about it.

When we close a deal, we celebrate it, because we have been able to pay someone and someone’s happy.

Childhood ambition…

I wanted to be a pilot, then a mechanical engineer. Growing up, I have also wanted to do something of my own, something that people will use someday, not just about the money.

What are the Future plans for Asuqu.com?

To cover Nigeria for the next two years. By 2019, our plan is to be in 8 countries.  We are presently in two countries; Nigeria and Rwanda. The one in Rwanda is presently shut down for some reasons but we would soon re-launch.

We plan to move into more countries in Africa and the Middle East. For the Rwanda annex, I had to travel to Rwanda, spent 90 days setting up and finding the right team to manage the business. We got the team based on referrals and previous work they have done. Nigeria is our primary market and priority.

Given the chance to start again, what would you do differently?

We usually get this idea that we shouldn’t focus on the money and that’s fine, but the truth is if you don’t have money you won’t survive.  I will focus on generating revenue for our service providers from the start as opposed to trying to impress with ideas. The service providers will be the main focus because the market place is for transaction.

Photo source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjmusah

Did you Miss our Proposal Grants Writing Workshop with Linda Bembatoum? Here is an insight to what you missed:

For two days, participants learnt to develop better proposal writing to seal the next grants they apply. It was a mixture of fun and learning with practical sessions, simulations and presentations.

There were representatives from Medic Aid Cancer Foundation, RecyclePoints Nigeria, Sickle Cell Advocacy, The Future Project Africa, Women in Tech and Sunflower
At the end of the workshop, our facilitator Linda Bembatoum had a personal Q and A session with participants who reached out to her.

looking forward to the 7th Edition. Read more…

The desire to provide support for the ideas of African women, helping them have access to professionals who can assist with advice and funding to turn start-ups into major business enterprises spurred her and her partner Yasmin Belo-Osagie into building an online community for young African women to network  and succeed in their career and business.

Afua Osei, a young Ghanaian woman is a Management Consultant and co-founder of She-Leads-Africa.

She recently completed a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She is a graduate of international management from the London School of Economics and Allegheny College.

Her career started at EMILY’s List, traveling across the United States providing strategy and communications expertise to political campaigns. Her other professional experiences include creating community engagement programs as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia, assisting the White House research and writing teams in the Office of the First Lady, and examining housing tax credit programs as a Baltimore Mayoral Fellow in the Office of CitiStat.

Afua has presented at the Harvard African Business Conference on “Empowering Women in Business” and contributed business and entrepreneurship articles to Ventures Africa and Bella Naija.

Alongside her co-founder Yasmin Belo-Osagie , she was named amongst Forbes’ 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa with features in a number of reputable publications including Forbes, Black Enterprise, Fox Small Business, Fast Company, and Ventures Africa.

What is she leads Africa about?

She Leads Africa is a community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams. It is a social enterprise ensuring women are part of Africa’s growth story. With access to the latest business and entrepreneurship news, exclusive networking events, and start-up capital, She Leads Africa aims to be the premiere organization for young African women looking to build and scale strong businesses.

With engaging online content and pan-African events, our   vision is to become the #1 destination for smart and ambitious young women.

We are committed to helping smart and ambitious young African women live their best lives, by promoting and uplifting local talent by proactively identifying promising African experts and practitioners and providing them a platform to grow.

We provide support for the ideas of African women and help them have access to professionals who can assist with advice and funding to turn start-ups into major business enterprises.

How and when did you  start?

It started as a Nigeria-based social enterprise in 2014 by Yasmin Belo-Osagie and I. We started working on the idea after realizing the need for leading women in Nigeria and the rest of the continent, to provide support for the ideas of African women and help them have access to professionals who can assist with advice and funding to turn start-ups into major business enterprises.

We wanted to equip female entrepreneurs in Africa with the knowledge, network, and financing needed to build and scale strong businesses.

What is the goal and vision of she-leads-Africa?

Our vision is to become the #1 destination for smart and ambitious young women with engaging online content and pan-African events,

She Leads Africa aims to be the premiere organization for young African women looking to build and scale strong businesses.

How does this business operate?

We are an online community for young women; this is to help them succeed in their career and business. We have events and programs that we host in Africa and in the diaspora. We have an online platform where women can connect to an expert coach. It is basically digital, we work through our website.  We are a team of seven young women and a young man, every member of the team has a unique function and role to play.

How did you get funds to start?

My partner and I kick started independently using our own resources and work ethics. What we do is that we organize an event and then raise funds through that event. We didn’t have any loan or grant.

See 4 disciplines of execution

How can one start this business?

You need to build an online community and then find people you want to work with and get them interested in what you are trying to create. You need to know who your target audiences are, finding out what their problems are and how to solve them.

Did you have any experience before starting?

I have an interesting background in communications and strategy and have also been working as a consultant, so all of those experience just helped me combine it with my desire to help young African women start and grow their businesses with all the support they can get.

According to reports, She Leads Africa has already recruited nearly 1,000 women-led start-ups into their network, going on 10, 000 in 2015, how have you been able to manage this?

It has been about being able to grow your digital community so they can find your website. Also you don’t need to really meet people in person.

What are the opportunities for you in this business?

I have enjoyed working with young women who are passionate about building a business they want to grow and also do something with their lives. It has been quite inspirational having to learn about women in Africa, what the trends are , the business trends  and the opportunities that are available for you to do business and be successful .

What are the challenges you have faced?

Staying focused because many people will try to sway you into different directions by saying “oh why do you help young girls’’?

Sometimes when you start a business, you cannot predict how it will turn out and staying confident to see the outcome can pose a challenge.

Finding talent is also challenging.

You have also been featured in both local and international press, how has the response from people been so far?

The media outreach is nice and cool but not the main thing you look out for. We have been growing quickly, more people are joining our community, and more people are participating in our events and finding opportunities through our website.

How do you use social media?

It is one of the main drivers of how people find out what we are doing. It is critical for us to be active on Facebook, twitter, instagram and you tube. We use it to reach out to young women who are interested in what we are doing.

What are your future plans for she leads Africa?

To be the No 1 destination for young women in Africa who want to succeed in their career and business. Having more people join our online community and visiting our website.  We plan to host and co-host event in different countries.

“Personal Branding is NOT an OPTION. It’s a NECESSITY to self promote to build a compelling and consistent brand, to help meet your goals.” – Dawn Dugan – Salary.Com

Simply defined, “How you market yourself to others” is Personal Branding.

While the entire concept of Personal Branding may seem obnoxious and unwelcome in certain societies – Nigeria inclusive; the would be successful business owners in today’s world, will have to leverage the strength of their personal brands to propel said businesses forward.

Fret not, like any skill – Personal Branding can be learned, practiced and executed seamlessly to successful fruition. Now is the time in your business and personal growth to open your mind to embracing the art and science of Personal Branding.

Tips to Defining and Sowing your Personal Brand

1. Determine your Unique Value Proposition  – what’s different about you. If you left your organization, business etc – what would be missed about you? Who are you, who are you not?
2. How do Others See You? Ask colleagues, acquaintances, friends and family for 4-5 adjectives to describe you.
3. Identify your Goals – Short, mid, long term. These will drive you to define your brand; which will help you reach your desired goals.
4. Identify your Target Audience – hone your message to speak directly to your target audience
5. Change your Priorities – Focus on Loyalty to Yourself. Readjust and realign your activities, commitments, people you spend your invaluable time with, what you’ve with your time etc. Guard your time jealously.
6. Pay Attention to Details – EVERYTHING adds to your Personal Brand. From your appearance, clothing, language, speaking style and tones, non verbal communications, behavior habits,  to your team and peer interactions.
7. Update your Resume – accurately define YOU, your goals, skills, experiences etc
8. Plug into your Social Network – engage your target audiences, invite your contacts to your pages, update daily with value added content.
9. Create Your Personal Website – this is solely about you. Load up your skills, experiences, values, ethos, anecdotes etc. This should have no company or client focus. It’s all about YOU and what you bring to the table.
10. BLOG! Talk to your target audiences, continue to share value ad content, highlight your unique skills, strengths and expertise.
11. Get Published – Write a book and/or industry publications, update web content with web publication / excerpts
12. Go Offline – Promote your brand in person. Join, and be visible within industry groups, volunteer to lead, take public speaking, training roles etc
13. Tend to Your Marketing Network – Ensure your Network is saying what you want said about you. Remember: “Word of Mouth sells the most.”
14. Conduct Frequent Brand Reviews and Portrayal – Regularly review your entire Personal Brand portfolio to ensure concise, easily understood communications across all your media channels.

Consistency is key. Ensure you live, talk, and walk your Personal Brand.

In conclusion, heed these words.

…”Repetition may be boring, but it builds brands, and brands build value.” – Bill Chiaravalle, Barbara Findlay Schenck, 2007

For her, it was fun and a hobby at the time she started, leaving the office by 6pm, wading through the heavy traffic from Ikoyi to the workshop at Ajah so she could supervise the tailors and do printing sometimes up till 1,2am, but then the business started growing and she had to permanently bond with it.

From being a practicing lawyer for about 6 years to setting up MMABON’ CUSTOM CLOTHIER, It has been passion and creativity at work for Elizabeth Idem-Ido.

MMABON’ Nigeria’s fastest growing custom clothiers clothing line. Established in 2009 from a part-time t-shirt printing hobby, MMABON’ Clothing Limited is into the design, production and marketing of custom apparel (T-shirts and other lifestyle clothing products for women, men and children).

MMABON’ Clothing is divided into two distinct product ranges – wholesale custom clothing and the retail line. Striving to set international quality standards in the Nigerian apparel production industry, MMABON designs are tailored to ensure customer appeal, functionality and compliance to specific customer brand image.

About Mmabon’?

We do custom branded T-shirts for families, events, schools etc. We have a ready-to-wear casual apparel line and various seasonal collections.  Our main stay; branded T-shirts, school uniforms, casual apparels and anything casual.

How And When Mmabon’ started?

In 2009 I thought there was something else I could do aside going to court and writing agreement. I always had a flair for design, I sketch, I draw and the only way I could interpret that was through custom T-shirts.  Initially, it was more of people buying a blank T-shirt, ordering what was to be printed on them and I’ll design them. For me it was fun and a hobby at that time but then it started growing.  From my friends and their friends, I literarily learnt how to design and print. It was just me alone in my small studio in my BQ and then I advertised on Facebook. For some reason in December that year I had no less than 200 T-shirts designed by myself. That was all I was interested in.

People started asking me to make T-shirts from scratch, but I was interested in just printing and they literarily pushed me. I remember going to Egypt to buy some fabrics because I wasn’t satisfied with what I saw at the local market at that time.

In 2010, I found some lady in Lekki Phase 1 who does T-shirts and uniforms, so she started making them for me.  I’ll buy the fabric, give her the design, pick up when it is ready and then print myself.  After a while she said my work was too much for her and advised me to go learn how to sew. I felt if I get someone to produce a T-shirt for me then it’s fine, my interest was in designing and printing not sewing.

She insisted that the designs were too irregular as opposed to what she was used to and it disrupted her workflow.  So I got machines and two tailors then I would buy patterns from her and my tailors would sew.  Later on she said her husband discouraged it.  I and my two tailors were stuck, and then I got my husband’s Ralph Lauren T-shirt, collected T-shirts from other people, ripped them apart to make patterns out of them.

I also got some tailors from Ghana; I had to explain to them what I wanted. My head tailor has spent 6 years with me, he has literally gone on this journey with me and so far we have had no issues quality wise.  It was more like a trial and error thing but we got it right. The only time I had with them was after work in the evening because I was still working as a lawyer. I got a 3 bedroom accommodation for them in Ajah and they worked in the living room.  So by 6pm I would leave the office at Ikoyi, head straight to Ajah, wading through the heavy traffic, so I can print on the shirts they have made.

I would stay up till 1am or 2am sometimes because the work had to be done. Later on I got a manager who knew how to print, so I would just go there after work to supervise, but then it was stressful. In 2012, I finally took time off my job at the law firm so I could concentrate on Mmabon’. I basically decided I had to bond with them for like a month, so we got a place at Ikate, my family stayed upstairs while the tailors were downstairs, sales grew that month and I couldn’t go back to work and I never went back.

How does the business operate?

We have an office in Lekki, with (4) tailors, (1) assistant, (3) graphic artists and (1) admin person.  You can come in buy your T-shirt, request for the printing you want on it and in 30 minutes it is ready. Roughly we do about 100 shirts every day, capacity wise, it’s not good enough for me but then I don’t want to overwork my staff or get too much staff now. I would like to scale but 100 is our sustaining number for now.

Customers order by walk-in, 85% of our customers don’t walk in; we get our orders by email, telephone, bbm, whatsapp. We share pictures online so people can pick the particular design they want.

Once the order is settled, the customer makes payment. We take upfront payment. Most people pay ahead as well.  Next, we do a list (market list for the tailor to buy the fabric), after this the admin person will raise a work order for design, production due date, print that will be on them and the tailor starts work.

The tailors have a work order in their workshop and they have to follow it. It contains the sizes they are going to cut and quantity per size to cut.

Each tailor has a unique function based on their strength. A T-shirt is simple but detailed. When they are done they pass it to the graphic guys who do the printing (having prepared the designs they will use). There is a due date for everyone so it must be ready a day before collection or delivery. We have normal and urgent orders; we charge a little bit more for the urgent orders.  Most of our customers fall in the category of urgent small orders and we always meet up.  The smaller jobs actually bring the bigger jobs. Customer satisfaction is key, beyond the T-shirt; the bottom line is to create an impression. I tell my workers to have the customer mindset, not being able to sleep until a job is done, and we stay up till 12am sometimes.  We deliver nationwide.  We do T-shirts for the Calabar carnival also.

How did you get funds to start? I started with N500 thousand naira, my personal savings which I used to buy the basic machines.

Goals/vision of the business….

Exceeding customer expectation. To be the one stop shop for custom T-shirts in Nigeria and West Africa.  To be the one stop brand for quality custom T-shirts.

How can one start this business?

A lot of interest and passion is required depending on the route you want to take. Some people just want to make custom shirts, others just want to print. It depends on your area of interest. Go for trainings on how to use the embroidery machines, heat press machines, direct to garment machines. You could do internships too to acquire necessary skills.

If you have passion for T-shirts, you can find a way around it. We support people starting their T-shirt brands, they bring their fabrics to us and outsource all the production to us and we do it.

Challenges in the business…

Quality control and getting proper staff to align with my quality control policies.

Sometimes I get messages about orders and T-shirts in the middle of the night also.

It has been a learning experience for me. I didn’t grow as fast as I wanted because of my family.

Opportunities…

Literally everyone owns a T-shirt and we all love T-shirts. Most people have some sentiments attached to T-shirts; it could be a reunion, group gig etc. There is a huge market for custom T-shirts. The market is huge and big and I don’t think it has been explored enough.

You can actually create a demand, before now it was not too common to see people wear T-shirts for birthdays, naming ceremonies, pre-wedding shoot aside the basic business and events that need T-shirts for branding.  There is another market altogether for T-shirts (people want to wear T-shirts for fun).

How do you pay your staff?

Salaries are paid from revenue generated. The orders pay the bills and so far they have. I’m working on scaling and increasing our capacity.

Marketing strategies you use…

We use social media platforms to showcase our products because that is how we started. Our Facebook page is the strongest. We pay physical visits to schools, we do email marketing targeted at schools and businesses. For schools, we do a sample with the school logo and then show it to them. We also have referrals; this business is sustained from referrals.

The best piece of advice you have ever gotten?

You can make your business anything you want it to be. It is up to you to make it small, big or bigger. That advice has worked for me. I find that every time I want to increase my revenue and I take some active steps, it happens.

Inspiration…

Whatever is trending inspires me.  Also everything around me inspires me.

Future plans of Mmabon’…

We plan to register a stronger online presence even as we make effort to capture the Nigerian market and expand to West Africa hopefully.

Given the chance to start again, what would you do differently?

I would get proper funding. I am where I am because I took it quite slowly. I would concentrate fully on this and go all out to do it on scale that I want. I would be more focused.

PHOTO SOURCE: http://mmabon.myshopify.com/

To record huge success in one’s business is no mean feat however having achieved that, the next agenda on the minds of numerous business owners most times is how to take their business abroad.

Agreed that for most entrepreneurs/business owners, building and maintaining a local customer base is one of the first steps on the road to success. Once they have successfully covered the local front, some feel they are ready to take on the next step, which is expanding globally.

Going global offers a lot of numerous opportunities for the business. Here are some of the advantages from successfully growing globally:

1. By finding new markets, you can extend the sales life of existing products and services.

2. You can reduce your dependence on the markets you have built locally.

3. You can even out your sales by tapping markets with different or even countercyclical fluctuations if your business is plagued by destabilizing fluctuations in your markets due to seasonal changes or demand cycles.

4. You can exploit corporate technology and know-how.

5. By entering the global marketplace, you’ll learn how to compete against foreign companies and even take the battle to them on their own ground.

Taking your business abroad could be very risky therefore here are some important questions to be examined before embarking on the project:

Will the product sell well in the targeted market?

It is essential to carry out a market research on whether your product would be able to sell well in the targeted market.

Is the target market familiar with your product or service? If not, be prepared to spend a lot of time and money on consumer education to drive up its familiarity.

Do you feel comfortable in the country? You have to be very comfortable when it comes to living in a foreign country so as to temporarily operate your business in its formative stage. A working knowledge of the language and culture is required.

Level of infrastructure? Is it possible to get the modern-style accommodation and support? Also how good are the infrastructures generally? Good roads? Electricity Supply? as well.

In addition, here are six business tips to help you finally decide if your business is ready to go international:

1. Online Platforms

Your business has blossomed as customers have the ability to purchase products and interact with your brand using online platforms.

2. International Inquiries

As a result of a business e-commerce site, your business has been noticed by international customers and you have constantly fielded questions from them about your business.

3. Your Local Market Is Too Small

Your business continues to look for growth as your local market has become too small. In other words, you already have fulfilled consumer orders.

4. Emerging Markets

They are the ideal market for your business growth with numerous opportunities available through them.

5. Competition

Your competitors have already embarked on the global journey and you are looking for opportunities to attract your own global consumer demand.

6. Seasonal Sales

Are your products suitable for a particular season? You can find markets with stable temperatures year round and a need for your products.

In conclusion, taking your business global could be quite risky therefore it is essential to decide whether you are ready for the challenges associated with taking your products or services to the global market.

Back by popular demand, Enterprise Creative Proposal Writing for Grants Workshop (in collaboration with Third Sector Development Solutions) returns in June for a 6^th edition with updated resources, advice and tools to enable you access and generate funds for that special project, social cause or business idea.

Local and International funding opportunities exist for African Small businesses, NGO’s & Social Enterprises in a number of sectors including the Digital, Creative, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Education, Social and Public Health sectors.

Do you know how and where to access these funds?  Is your organization ready to receive grant funding? How can your organization become more attractive to receive these funds? 

Tapping into these vast resources is possible but requires communication skills and technical knowledge in grant writing. Find out about all this and more at the Proposal Writing for Grants Workshop.

What you will learn:

Day 1 Session–Researching and Sourcing for Funds on the Web and in your Community + Proposal Writing General Overview

• Learn where to source for funding on the web and in your community
• Strategic networking and approaching donors to leave a lasting impression
• Becoming grant-ready – Required documentation, track records and management systems
• Avoiding over dependency on grants and diversification of funding (Tips and advice on alternative fundraising methods)
• Proposal writing general overview: Do’s and Don’ts of proposal writing for International grant competitions/bids

Day 2 Session – Intensive Training Workshop: Proposal Writing for Success

• Study of key sections in a standard grant proposal template
• Using project planning tools to develop your proposal ideas
• Tips to improve your writing skills: Clearer, Effective and Persuasive language
• Learn the top reasons why donors may refuse or reject your grant proposal

BONUS!!! Receive a database of funding organizations compiled by the facilitator if you attend both sessions

As usual this workshop will be facilitated by Linda Bembatoum.  View her profile

Details:

When: Friday 3^rd and Saturday 4^th of June 2016

Time: 9:30 am – 3pm (on both days)

Venue: Enterprise Creative Block 3a, Plot 107 opp. Oba Adeyinka Oyekan Estate entrance gate, Lekki phase 1, Lekki, Lagos

Course Fees

• Each session costs N15000 Naira only
• Attend both sessions for a bargain fee of N25,000 Naira +Bonus Database of funding organizations compiled by the facilitator

*Discount available for teams and group registration

For registration and enquiries please send an email to [email protected] or call 07038450783

Money can’t buy one of the most important things you need to promote your business: relationships. How do customer relationships drive your business? It’s all about finding people who believe in your products or services. And when it comes to tracking these people down, you have two choices. You can do all the legwork yourself and spend a lot of money on marketing. But that’s rolling a boulder up the hill. You want to drive your business into new territory, but every step is hard and expensive. There’s another less painful-and potentially more profitable way- You can create an army to help you push that boulder up the hill instead. How do you do that? You develop relationships with people who don’t just understand your particular expertise, product or service, but who are excited and buzzing about what you do. You stay connected with them and give them value, and they’ll touch other people who can benefit your business. All you need is a plan to make those connections/relationships grow and work for you.

It’s a mantra hammered into the heads of anyone who has ever owned a business, worked in a service industry or stepped foot in the world of sales: “The customer is always right.” Beyond simply placating customers, however, the modern take on this tried-and-true saying has evolved into what some refer to as “relationship marketing”, or the act of building connections, rapport and personal relationships with customers. Today, customer relationship management (CRM) is an increasingly important aspect of running a business – and a successful strategy is an extremely useful tool for almost any business model. A business is only as good as the customers it serves, and no business gets far after losing the customers it has. The key to success is building relationships that go beyond one-time projects and provide value to these customers on a consistent, ongoing basis.

As a business owner/entrepreneur, the most important thing in sales and marketing is to attract and retain your most profitable business customers. To achieve this feat, you must devise and implement a customer strategy that builds, fosters, nurtures and extends relationships with your customers. Your company profits only when the earnings from retained customers exceed the cost to acquire and to service customers over time. There is a strong correlation between long-term business success and long-term customer relationships. Successful businesses capitalise on every stage of the customer life cycle – from customer selection, to customer acquisition, customer retention and customer growth. Once a certain level of trust and comfort has been established, most customers prefer to remain loyal to companies and their products.

Here are a few tips you can use to strengthen your relationships and keep your customers informed and engaged.

Email messages, newsletters, and surveys: Provide products/services update, promote goods and services, and communicate news/events.

Feedback: Ask for, capture, and act on your customer’s input.

Insight: Research your customers’ markets, strategies, and goals.

Relationship building: Talk and listen to customers in order to maintain dialogue and to build a trust based relationship.

Be accessible: Make it easy for customers to reach you.

Customer satisfaction: Implement a customer satisfaction policy that provides a way to resolve/remedy problems and issues.

Involvement: Engage customers in product development/enhancement, via beta tests, focus groups, and pilots.

Anticipate customer needs: Learn their business, their purchasing patterns, and their requirements for effective proactive solutions.

Become an indispensable source: Look for ways to add value, to be a real partner, and to help your customers achieve results.

Help lines: Provide support, service, advice, and information.

The following four easy ways will help you build/grow relationships:

1. Loyalty Programs – Loyalty programs reward customers for their repeat business with discounts, reward points, or special events. Rewards can be as simple as a paper punch card or as high-tech as a mobile app tied to a computer database. Be sure that the loyalty programs reflect your brand and motivate your target customers.

2. Socially Responsible Marketing – Aligning your business with a social cause can increase loyalty by showing customers you care about the same issues they do. Choose an issue or cause relevant both to your business and to your customers. Can’t decide on a cause? Ask your customers or employees for suggestions. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a big, global movement-in fact, it could be supporting small community establishments.

3. Customer Service – Customer service can make or break a business. Regularly examine your business with an impartial eye, or recruit a friend or relative to do it for you. Start outside and pretend to be a customer: Is your business easy to find? Does it have adequate parking? Does your business look welcoming from the outside and appealing once inside? How are new arrivals greeted? Is your business area clean and comfortable? How do receptionists treat guests? Call your business and see what kind of response you get. Is the phone answered quickly or does it ring and ring? Does the employee on the other end sound friendly, glum, bored or disengaged? Today, customer service starts online, so don’t forget too check your website. Do the links work? Are your products, services, special offers current? If you sell products online, is your shopping process and checkout simple? Is your contact information (phone and email address) up to date? If your business has reservation system, does it work?

4. Apps – Creating a smartphone application (app) for your business is the latest way to stay in touch with your customers. Apps enable you to “push” information out to customers who signal that they want to hear from you by downloading your app. Apps also help you reach customers when they patronising your business as well.

It’s been said that success has many parents while failure is an orphan. If that’s true, it means having a good team is integral to winning. As a business owner/entrepreneur, how far you get depends in large measure on how talented your team is. But talents only get you so far. Those who really succeed not only assemble talented teams, they motivate them. A team that’s stocked with talented and motivated people is tough to beat. Therefore as a business owner, it is up to you to consistently motivate your team every day. If you have a motivated team, it will improve your business’ productivity, quality and service. You’ll also create an environment that will empower and focus your staff to increase sales during this summer season.

Employees who work in a recognition-focused company are five times more likely to feel valued and eleven times more likely to feel committed to their jobs and company’s mission. But if you think there’s not a budget for recognition programs and incentives, think again. Cash actually does little to motivate employees to work harder. Recognition programs however do more than just motivate employees. They can also help retain top talent and create a more dedicated workplace. Taking cash out of the employee incentive equation can actually generate more buzz about your perks and energize your workplace. Get creative with your offerings and regularly solicit feedback from your employees to figure out what works best.

Employees are the heart of any business. Disgruntled and apathetic employees can suck the energy out of sales transaction they perform. On the other hand, engaged employees pass on their enthusiasm to customers. In fact, customers are more likely to become engaged if they are served by passionate employees. In other words, engaged employees are a boost to any business’ bottomline. Yet most environments inspire apathy, not excitement. Fortunately, as a business owner, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to boost employee engagement. Affordable staff appreciation activities can boost engagement, partially through relationship building. Employees who feel they have a positive personal relationship with their supervisors are more likely to be engaged, and staff appreciation get-togethers provide opportunities for employees to connect with their peers and their supervisors.

Here are five tips to help motivate your teams:

1. Assess Your Team

It is important to determine what motivates your team. Ways to do this include:

• Providing a questionnaire/survey

• Conducting informal conversations

• Having team brainstorm sessions

Some typical motivators are:

• Career development

• Learning and knowledge

• Health and balance

• Materials and possession

• Status and prestige

• Recognition and praise

2. Communicate With Your Team

Open communication in your business allows you to:

Share financial information and goals

Provide an update of upcoming sales

Let your employees know the impact they are having on the business

Display the status of your employees’ or team’s performance (e.g. a “performance thermometer”)

Ways to communicate include:

Formal sales meetings

Impromptu huddles

1:1 Meetings (employer and employee)

Buddy system (peer-to-peer)

3. Empower Your Team

It is important for your team to feel empowered in order to build team spirit, to have a positive working culture and to encourage creativity.

Ways to do this are:

• Change it up – change people’s responsibilities each week

• Take turns chairing meetings

• Have a “manager for the day”

• Have group discussions to share creative sales ideas

• 4. Recognise and Reward Your Team

• Recognising and rewarding your employees’ contributions is essential. Here are some ways to recognise your employees for excellent customer service/sales:

• Create a performance points system

• Remember birthdays and anniversaries

5. Have Fun With Your Team

Finally it’s important to have fun! Some ways to do this are:

• Create team outings

• Have “Snoop Days” – allow your employees to go out and shop at/visit your competitors, and discuss what they see

• Engage in team weekly team building activities

• Develop sales contests

• Play a motivational song first thing in the morning

• Ways to model the way and be self-motivated include:

• Having a vision

• Setting goals

• Finding your voice (speak from the heart)

• Having a positive attitude

• Being passionate

• Being proud of what you’ve accomplished

• Being confident

• Taking risks

Motivation starts with you, and it doesn’t sustain itself on its own. Therefore it is important for you to take your motivation prescription daily.

FINAL WORD

Nothing beats a strong team win. In business or anywhere. Giving clear, achievable goals, being real, linking work to value, leading instead of bossing, staying in tune, offering incentives and always being respectful immensely aid creating and motivating a winning team.

Registering your business is not as difficult as people think. You really don’t need a lawyer or an accountant to help you with your business registration. On the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) website, the steps to take are clearly stated.

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) was established by the Companies and Allied matters act, which was promulgated in 1990 to regulate the formation and management of companies in Nigeria. CAC is in charge of registering businesses in the country.

They have offices all over the country. CAC currently has a main website and four other alternative websites including  www.cac.gov.ng, www.cacnigeria.net, www.cacnigeria.com, www.cacnigeria.org and http://new.cac.gov.ng.

Requirements for each type of business registration are listed on the site. For example, the requirements for incorporating a business name include availability and reservation of name, payment of appropriate stamp duty to Federal Board of Inland Revenue, submission of memorandum and articles of association together with statutory forms for verification and assessment, payment of filing fees at the Corporate Affairs Commission.

You can choose to either register online or at any CAC office near you. Necessary forms can also be viewed and downloaded online. When registering a business name, the first step is to check for the availability of name. This costs about N500 and you will be required to choose two business names. Ensure that you choose a unique name for your business.

Once your name is available, you can now proceed with your registration. Rather than visiting a CAC office, you can register online on the CAC Corporate Registration Portal. All you need to do is create an account and proceed with your registration.

You can conduct name search, registration and post incorporation online. Sometimes, certain business names are declined if they are:

• Capable of misleading as to the nature and extent of its activities
• Undesirable, offensive or contrary to public policy
• Identical with or similar to the name of a registered company unless the registered company is in the course of dissolution and consents in writing
• Contain the phrase “Chamber of Commerce” unless it is a company limited by guarantee
• Would violate any existing trade mark or business name unless with the consent of the trade mark or business name owner
• Would violate any incorporated trustee unless with consent of the trustees

Fees for some services include: