This is the story of successful entrepreneur Dr.
Chioma Agha, CEO of Swish Ideas. Chioma shared her journey as an entrepreneur
at the maiden edition of the Kaymu’s quarterly event tagged Entrepreneurs’ Club
which held last week, regaling how she rose from starting her business from
home to meeting President Barack Obama.
Like every new business owner she went from using
her house as a warehouse, piling every available space with souvenirs for her
store Swish Ideas.
“There were the nights I’d cry and think of calling
everything quits. But of course no one knew that. No one fully knows the
challenges entrepreneurs face except fellow entrepreneurs. But I kept at my
business bearing in mind my dream for my company. I was hungry to succeed and
took advantage of every opportunity out there including e-commerce. I started
from selling on Kaymu to owning my own online platform.
Customers will call me requesting instructions on
how to operate a product and I’d tell them to hold on while I spoke to my
technical team. Not knowing that I was the technical team, the accountant, the
customer service…I was running everything on my own. I’d run down to where the
product is and test it after which I would call them back with instructions on
how to use it.
It’s that hard work and perseverance that got me
recognized and selected to participate in the Young African Leaders Initiative
(YALI) where I and my fellow entrepreneurs around the Africa got to meet with
President Barack Obama.
Every entrepreneur should have this at the back of
their minds, even if you start small, always think and most importantly act
big”.
I took home so many great tips from the event
however I have narrowed down my favorite ones to these punchy points.
- Don’t use your personal social media accounts for
your business. Create a business account that is consistent across all social
media platforms
- Engage your followers followers. Ask your social
media community to tag their friends on your pictures. It increases your reach.
- Adopt professionalism in customer service. Even if
you are operating from home, answer calls about your business like a customer
service professional- “Hello XYZ customer service, how may I help you?”
- Join a business organisation to network and learn
from like minds- Joining organisations like LCCI expand your network and
provide occasional training's.
- If you brand your business, be ready to meet up
with expectations. If your service exceeds or falls short of standards it will
determine whether people keep patronizing you or not.
Know your social media community and create
personalised engagements- Befriend your followers, track their conversations,
know their aspirations and push targeted products to the right people.
Before you seek funds, seek business management. The
first capital every SME needs isn’t funds, it's how to structure and manage their
business
- 24/7 service is possible through your Kaymu store.
There are no closing hours when you sell on Kaymu. Your store is wherever your
client is whenever they need to buy.
- Take advantage of free business listings like the
MTN Yello Directory. Nigerians all over the country can find you through the
Yello Directory
There will be another edition of the Entrepreneurs'
Club in the coming months with other great speakers...watch out for it!
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