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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Mooner's Faith - Moyebi I Johnson #inthespiritofenterprise


I get excited when I meet people who are doing something that many people claim cannot be done in Nigeria. So when Johnson told me about his inventions, I naturally took a liking to him. He studied the same engineering that many of us studied, in this same Nigeria, but he has been able to apply his own knowledge to solve live problems.

When I share all these stories, the idea is not to sugar coat it and make entrepreneurship look more glamorous than it actually is. The aim is to showcase those who have dared to try and hopefully inspire someone that it is possible!

Johnson still needs a serious marketer on his team, who believe in the product and can get it out there? You could be that someone.

Read about the SWIG(rtm) invention here;

Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself


I am Moyebi I. Johnson. I am a native of Ilaje in Ondo State of Nigeria. I have B.Sc in Surveying and Geo-informatics, University of Lagos. I also took some certificate courses in Information Technology. I believe with aspiration and determination, impossibilities could become possibilities.

Newly wedded couple on their honey-moon are always optimistic of better future. Someone also conceptualized landing on the moon, that old tall dream is now a history of an inventor. Hence the name 'Mooner's Faith'.

Tell us about your business

Mooner's Faith Ltd was registered in 2013. I registered Brill Sat ltd in 2005 with focus on providing GIS services while Mooner's Faith was focused on recycling, new product design and eventually production. Mooner's Faith was aimed at recycling old items to help the environment. Also to design simple products that will eliminate avoidable communicable diseases contacted through social life. Its our little way of promoting good environment and health care



What was your inspiration for starting this business?

I know there are many avoidable communicable diseases being spread through sharing of items in bars (i.e Cup), if it's washed with dirty water or not washed at all. Straws are good but will not prevent flies and dirt from entering your drink, someone even said 'I don't want anything to be dropped in my drink', Its not also convenient to drink from can and PET bottles directly while driving, the bar operators need to be saved from trouble of gathering glass cups all the time only to lose them due to broken glasses. Nipple is fun and natural to children when drinking from their water bottle. These issues necessitated development of 'SWIG(rtm) Nipple'.



How did you get funding for your business?

90% savings and 10% friends intervention.

What opportunities have you been able to leverage on in your business so far?

I had the opportunity of working with a seasoned professor more than a decade ago, Prof. Peter O. Adeniyi. He made me discover myself by giving me assignments that gave me exposure to the business world. He encouraged me to further my studies. To him no task was Insurmountable. This core value helped me overcome many challenges in life.

What Challenges have you faced so far and how have you been able to overcome them?

One major challenge is the lack of well equipped public technical workshops. Apart from machines you also need access to professional 3D software which is not available. I could remember I went to Owode Onirin but my design suffered alignment problems due to lack of calibration of the Lathe machines.

However, I want to really thank the inventors of internet and google search engine. I was able to get a free 3d software downloaded. After designing my product at the comfort of my room, I sourced manufacturer in china. But honestly they are things we can do here in Nigeria.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

The journey so far has been interesting. You are bound to face challenges but do not be a 'one-way' person otherwise your challenges may become bottle neck. For you to succeed please set achievable goals with less or no external intervention, you can later expand.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

I am inquisitive and curious in nature. Research has become an interesting hobby to me. Therefore, I will like to do this over and over. Learning new things gives me joy.

What lessons have you been able to learn from your journey so far that others should know.

Former president Obasanjo said we should be a 'do tank'. He is very right, both 'think tank and do tank' are very important. Look around, you will see at-least a problem facing the populace. Find solutions and select one that requires little or no external assistance (as capital intensive solution may discourage you). One important lesson I learnt is that, internet and google are wonderful tools, ideas on the internet can reduce your project cost by 50%.



The white collar job market is almost saturated but the field is still green in research, design and production. Its a lot easier to employ yourself and others than to be employed.

How can people connect with you

email: moonersfaith@yahoo.com
g+: moyebi81@gemail.com
watsapp/phone: 08034763779, 07088272729

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

FIIRO, TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2015

Last year, I took a techno entrepreneurship course at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research and it opened my eyes to a lot of things.

You would be surprised how many raw materials have been researched and are waiting to be commercialized.

My mushroom practical
The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) is a parastatal under the agency of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. FIIRO was the idea of an economic mission sent to Nigeria in 1953 by the World Bank. The mission's observation was that industrial research activities in Nigeria were diffused and uncoordinated with no definite direction. Consequently, a decision was reached to set the Institute in 1956.

Their mission is to conduct and promote market-driven research and development (R&D) for the industrialization and socio-economic development of the country.

The areas they focus on are;
  • Research and Development of Food and Agro – Allied Processing Technologies.
  • Research and Development into Pulp and Paper Processing.
  • Research and Development into Packaging and Product Design
  • Design and Fabrication of Equipment Prototype

My mushroom project
Ondo girls too like book, lol


Did you know that Ola Ola and Ayoola are products of FIIRO research? I was exposed to officials from NAFDAC, BOI, NASME, NEPC, TIC, SMEDAN amongst others. For a long time I had wondered about bottling palm wine for african themed hampers, alas they already researched this in FIIRO and some entrepreneurs through FIIRO are already exporting bottled palm wine.


Plus, did you know we have technology incubation centers at different locations across the federation?

There's really a lot of information out there that would save you a lot of trouble in starting a business. One thing I have learnt over the years is that information is power!

Actually FIIRO could use a lot of publicity, they've got a lot of good stuff. It was after my course there that I realized the disconnect between many of our formal institutions and these research institutions. They all need to work side by side. Don't you think?

So I saw their training schedule for this last quarter of 2015 and I thought to share. Someone might need this. Please share!

Cheers.

TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2015

1. Cassava Flour Production  - Sept 02-04, Oct 07-09, Nov 25-27, Dec 09-11 N30,000.00

2. Instant Pounded Yam Flour Production - Sept 14-18, Oct 05-09, Nov 16-20, Dec 14-18 N20,000.00

3. Bread and Confectionary Baking(including Soy Snacks) -  Sept 07-11, Oct 19-23, Nov 16-20, Dec 14-18 N20,000.00

4. Fufu Flour Production from Cassava - Sept 17-22, Oct 08-12, Nov 26- Dec 02 N20,000.00

5. Edible Mushroom Production - Sept 14-18, Oct 05-09, Nov 16-20 N20,000.00

6. Fruit Juice Production from Nigeria Fruits - Sept 07-11, Oct 05-09, Dec 14-18 N20,000.00

7. Zobo Drink Production and Preservation - Sept 19-22, Oct 14-16, Dec 09-11 N15,000.00

8. Palm Wine Bottling and Preservation - Oct 21-23, Nov 25-27 N15,000.00

9. Smoked Fish Production - Sept 09-11, Oct 21-23, Nov 25-27, Dec 16-18 N20,000.00

10. Cassava Starch Production - Sept 14-18, Oct 19-23, Dec 14-18 N15,000.00

11. Kunu Drink Production and Preservation - Sept 21-25, Nov 16-24 N20,000.00

12. Plantain Flour Production - Sept 28- Oct 02, Oct 12-16, Nov 16-20 N20,000.00

13. Electroplating and Plug Refurbishing - Oct 12-16, Nov 16-20 N20,000.00

14. Cassava Chips Production - Oct 28-30, Dec 16-18 N15,000.00

15. Laundry Soap Production - Sept 21-25, Oct 19-23, Nov 23-27, Dec 14-18 N15,000.00

16. Toilet Cleanser Production - Oct 19-23, Nov 23-27, Dec 14-18 N15,000.00

17. Computer Appreciation Training - Oct 12-24, Nov 16-30 N15,000.00


FOR WHOM

All those contemplating the establishment of cottage, small and medium scale Industries.

Agro-Industrial/Business Consultants.

Designers and Fabricators of Processing Equipment and Machinery.

Those in Baking, Hotels and Catering Businesses.

Operators of Cottage and Medium scale Agricultural Farms.

Those already in production with quality control problems.


METHOD OF APPLICATION

Applications are to be forwarded in person with cash or mail (courier) accompanied with bank draft addressed to:-

The Director-General
Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Off Agege Motor road, Via Cappa Bus Stop,
P.M.B 21023, Ikeja-Lagos State
Tel: 01-4531364, 08023414996, 08023164201
E-mail: info@fiiro.gov.ng
www.fiiro.gov.ng

For Enquiry on FIIRO Technology contact: enquiry@fiiro.gov.ng
Enquiry Time: Monday to Friday between 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

MAX - Adetayo Bamiduro #inthespiritofenterprise


When someone leaves a juicy oil and gas job to go and "prepare" for entrepreneurship in MIT, you know this person ain't playing! Things are changing so fast in the entrepreneurship space in Nigeria. Young people are beginning to take risks and daring to follow their hearts. A few years ago, we had more people going to do MBAs in Ivy league schools just so they could get better jobs with fat salaries.

I met Tayo on one of my volunteer speaking engagements with the generation for societal change, run by some amazing young guys. He took time off work and flew in to Lagos just to be there. We were talking about fulfilling your potential to the final year students of mechanical engineering, Unilag. If you want to know someone who is headed somewhere, look at what they spend their time doing, what they commit to. I knew Tayo was going somewhere right from that time.

He shares his startup story with us in todays #inthespiritofenterprise

Enjoy.....

Tell us about yourself


My name is Adetayo Bamiduro. I acquired a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science in 2005 at the University of Ibadan. I began my entrepreneurial journey in my final year by building one of Nigeria's first mobile asset tracking and security platforms. 2 years later, I took a detour to explore the corporate world, so I worked for 3 multinationals in quick succession garnering experience in Manufacturing, Consulting and Energy. I then decided to return to my entrepreneurial calling so I chose to first prepare by pursuing a rigorous MBA program at MIT.

At MIT, I acquired skills and relationships that were relevant to my entrepreneurial vision for Africa.
Today, I see a window of opportunity to transform retail in Africa so I'm building a technology driven logistics service that will empower merchants, businesses and consumers to maximize online retail opportunities in Africa.


It is clear logistics is one of Africa's biggest challenges, and it happens to be one of the fields that has seen the least innovation. I'm determined to change this.

Tell us about your business

Business Name: MAX
Founded: 2015
About MAX:
MAX is a local Delivery Service designed for African cities.
MAX offer 3-HOUR, SAME-DAY and NEXT-DAY delivery services to its customers.
MAX leverages On-Demand Dispatch Technology and a high-performance network of Dispatch Riders to fulfill delivery requests at the click of a button.

MBA tins!! hahaha
MAX solves Africa’s most difficult last-mile fulfillment challenges by providing end-to-end pick-up and delivery, operating a point-to-point architecture, motivating Dispatch Riders with exciting career incentives and using state of the art mapping technology to manage navigation

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

There are over 9 million retailers in Nigeria, 99% of which are micro and small retailers. Many of them want to sell online, but they cannot deliver to consumers at the last-mile because they can’t afford a delivery fleet, and also because the major courier services are not interested in serving them.
The informal delivery industry in Nigeria is highly fragmented with hundreds of small players, most of which lack the technology and operations expertise that merchants and consumers need.
The large couriers operate asset heavy models that are expensive to scale. This explains why they cannot serve the huge community of micro and small retailers. This is the problem MAX solves, with its crowdsourced approach and a technology platform that enables it provide ultra-fast and secure local delivery.



How did you get funding for your business?

Family and Friends, Savings, Grants

What opportunities have you been able to leverage on in your business so far?

We've received awards, recognition and grants from the following organizations:

1. MIT Ideas Global Challenge
2. World Economic Forum
3. The MasterCard Foundation
4. The MIT Legatum Center
5. The MIT 100K Entrepreneurship Competition
6. Boston Campus Kudos Pitch Competition

What Challenges have you faced so far and how have you been able to overcome them?

Setting up and growing our customer base has been challenging but we are moving forward.
We've leveraged our extensive relationships in the local eCommerce ecosystem and this has been helpful.

It's also not been easy finding the right kind of talent for complex tasks.
We've done as much as we can by ourselves. We've also hired talented young people locally who are learning fast.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

It's been exciting.
Wouldn't exchange this experience for anything else.
You learn so much in a very short amount of time.
These are early days.
The future is exciting.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

Absolutely!

What lessons have you been able to learn from your journey so far that others should know.

Conviction is critical.
Your team is critical.
Starting is more important than having a fancy business plan.
Talking to real customers is more important than downloading online reports.
Fund-raising is serious business.



How can people connect with you

www.max.ng
tayo@max.ng
https://www.facebook.com/trinitechnologies/
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adetayo-bamiduro/8/964/108
08182971730

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Justfrom5k.com - Ehizokhale Asibor #inthespiritofenterprise

As much as we argue that entrepreneurs are made and not born, there are some people who have it in their DNA. You know, the kinds that were always selling their provisions in boarding school or the ones that skipped class to go try out a new gadget or code, or the ones who organized meet ups and events.

Ehis, is one of those types. I wasn't surprised when I saw that he started this or any of his other ventures despite the fact that he got caught up in the corporate world years back. I met Ehis during a project we were working on with +Adetola Oredope in our final year in Uni, we would all gather at Tola's house and go from design to design, tweaking, adjusting and collating data. It was a time in my life, I would never forget. Our first true test of creation and innovation and although we did not know it then, our first taste of entrepreneurship.

Today, Ehis has launched a new project called justfrom5k.com. I have not doubt in my mind that he can make this work. He shares his story and the idea behind the project with us...

Enjoy!


Tell us about yourself

I am Ehizokhale Asibor, but people mostly call me Ehis.

I have a masters in petroleum engineering and a bachelors in mechanical engineering. My masters was obtained from the University of Houston, while my bachelors was from the University of Benin.

Today, I work as an engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, but I have a strong flair for Technology and startups.

My philosophy in life is based on two quotes.."Aim for the sky so if you must fall, you will land on a roof top" and the second was made by Jack Ma "We will make it because we are young and we never, never give up"

Tell us about your business

Justfrom5k.com was launched in May 2015 and the platform is designed to connect freelancers with people who need them(the freelancers) to run errands, perform tasks or execute projects. Almost any kind of service can be requested for on Justfrom5k.com



Our model is such that anyone can make a request for any kind of service and then multiple freelancers will bid to meet the needs of the request creator.

Here are two links to videos that can shed more light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7mIBhieseg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2idB8lby24


What was your inspiration for starting this business?

Since 2006 I have lived outside Nigeria. On more than one occasion I had things that I wanted done in Nigeria but I could not do them because I could not find the people to help me. At a stage I started asking why is there no platform where I can just state my needs and find someone to do it for me and that was how I got the inspiration of Justfrom5k.

Initially, I was thinking of basic errands and hence the "5k" but over time, the idea evolved into what it is today.

How did you get funding for your business?

Justfrom5k is mostly funded from personal funds.

I say mostly because I am talking about 98%. The other 2% is from a friend who is interested in buying some equity.

What opportunities have you been able to leverage on in your business so far?

Due to my very busy schedule and the fact that I reside outside the country, I have been unable to leverage on the benefits the Nigerian startup environment as at today, but Justfrom5k.com is my third attempt at creating a startup and I am leveraging from all the lessons learnt from the first two.

The first one was done in 2002 and it was a website called campusgist.com, while the second was all4naija and that was in 2011.

What Challenges have you faced so far and how have you been able to overcome them?

My biggest challenge today is my unavailability physically on ground in Nigeria. This was the reason all4naija.com failed.

So I learnt from it and decided to build a very different company one were MOST of the work can be done by staffs working from home remotely.

Its still a challenge though, because I cannot leverage on the opportunities that being physically on ground offers.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

So far, given the resources that I have had to work with, I must say its been inspiring.

The level of success we have seen so far is amazing and it tells me that I must just keep pressing forward.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

YES, YES and YES

What lessons have you been able to learn from your journey so far that others should know.

Don't be afraid to start. Just start!.. You don't need a perfect product to start and until you start, you have not started!

The version of Justfrom5k.com we launched with, did not look half as good as what we have today and a lot of the functionalities we now have were not there at the beginning . But by starting, we learnt what was important and prioritized accordingly.

One unique thing about Justfrom5k.com is the way we handle trust. We have a multi-level verification system - the first of its kind on any online platform in Nigeria.

Our verification system allows us to put real and physical identities behind every name you see on Justfrom5k.com

How can people connect with you

Website: Justfrom5k.com
Email: info@justfrom5k.com
Facebook: facebook.com/justfrom5k
Twitter: twitter.com/justfrom5k
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/justfrom5k-com

Address:

29 Kujore Street,
Off Roju Avenue,
Ojota, Lagos.