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

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.

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

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.

Funding, Mentoring In 2015 WIMBIZ Competition - 2 days to go!! Apply now

Applications are now open for the WIMBIZ 2015 Impact Investment Competition!

Theme: Women in Technology

The Award:

1,000,000 NGN will be awarded to the top 3 businesses.
The top 10 applicants will be granted scholarships to attend the Annual Conference
Awards will be presented to the winners during the closing ceremony of the Annual Conference
The winners will be assigned mentors on the platform of the WIMBIZ mentoring program

What is the Impact Investment Competition?

This is a business plan competition for start-up businesses in the impact investment niche.

The 2015 competition will equip 3 female owned startup businesses in the technology industry with the necessary support to ensure their success and sustainability.

For a business to participate, it must:

• Have clearly defined goals and objectives
• Be sustainable and profitable
• Impact society
• Be in the start-up phase and should not be more than 12 months old (new businesses are welcome to apply)
• Be a technological start-up

Application Deadline:

Monday, 31st August, 2015

How Does One Apply?

Fill in the online application here

You will be required to upload create and upload a 1-3 minute(s) video marketing your unique product and/or service, upload to YouTube and paste the link to your application

Who Can Apply?

To apply for this award:

• You must be a citizen of Nigeria
• You must be a woman between the ages of 21-30
• Your business must be situated in Nigeria and should have a sustainability component for Nigeria
• The value of your request should not exceed 300,000NGN
• The business must be in the start-up phase and should not be more than 12 months old
• The owner must demonstrate commitment and interest in the business

First Clarias - Esan Teniola #inthespiritofenterprise

Been a while.....

I am more on instagram these days. If you are on instagram, let's catch up. My handle is @mofolusade. I met Teniola at a conference a few months ago. I was thrown off, when he introduced himself as a farmer, because your first picture of a farmer is that of a rugged looking, not so dapper person, #justsaying. This, I have come to find is so not true.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Esan Teniola. (Barr.) I am the manager of First Clarias, Nigeria's First Fish Farming Company.

Academic Background:

I graduated from the Faculty of Law University of Benin where I obtained my LL.B Hons (Bachelor of Laws. Afterwards attended the Nigerian Law School where I was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and solicitor (B.L Hons). I also hold an advance diploma in Business Administration (Pgd.B.A) from the National Open University, and am a certified Project Management Professional (P.M.P) and Dispute Resolution Specialist.

Life Philosophy:

I live by one word- Wisdom. "Wisdom is the principal thing, and in all thy gettings, get understanding."~Proverbs.

Tell us about your business

My business name is FIRST CLARIAS and we are Nigeria's First Fish Farming Company. We were registered in 2013 however we have been actively involved in fish farming since 2008

We offer three core services:

1. Partnership Farming (Easy Farming(r)) where we help people who want to get into fish farming but do not have the time, know-how, resources or convenience to do so themselves. We make it easy through partnership.
2.We do Fish Farming Consultancy for people who want to startup their own fish farms, we encourage them by rendering consultancy services and publishing materials to help them
3. Supply of Commercial Quantities of Fish to buyers.

Stemming from our extensive experience in the fish farming industry, particularly in the Niger Delta region, we discovered that there was a looming gap in the way fish farming was being conducted, not just in the region but in the larger part of the entire country; lack of professionalism, poor farm management, shabbily structured operations, poor farm yield etc amounted to a lot of people making loss from what is in fact a very profitable industry. Plus a general lack of leadership in the industry was a call to duty to me as a young entrepreneur with a professional background to bring in the much needed professionalism into the industry. So we came in to set the standard. it is a work in progress, but we are making big strides.

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

My inspiration for fish farming is borne out of my business sense. I have always had a keen interest in business and business processes so I am sort of like a serial entrepreneur. I have in fact ventured into a lot of other business ventures and was successful in most of them. I constantly examine various types of business, metrics and probabilities of success. however, I feel very at home with fish farming for various reasons the first reason being that there is no king in this country...the crown is right there for the taking.*smiles*

How did you get funding for your business?

1. The seed funding for my business began from my pocket. I have always had the culture of saving money. In University, every time I was given pocket money by my folks, I saved a part of it. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to get started on my journey as an entrepreneur. Fish farming is a very capital intensive business and at the time I didn't even think I would ever be involved in it. So I tried a lot of other businesses, which I succeeded at until I finally found fish farming which I fell in love with.

2. Beyond my personal savings, I was fortunate enough to have parents that believed in me and are willing to invest in my dreams. Don't get me wrong, my parents are not rich; but they always did their best to encourage me. So when I went up to my folks and said I wanted to start business, they did the much they could to assist me. As a young person you have to be wise too. Most young people would go up to their parents and ask them for money for something, and use it for something else which would not benefit them positively, perhaps to buy a new phone or to go out with their friends. I would ask my folks for money to do something, and instead of spending it, I would divert it into trying out a new business venture or adding to my capital base. I've always been very frugal. I think i still am.

3. Within a short time I gained the reputation of being very business minded and very good at handling money. Along the line when I began to venture into fish farming, I realized that the money I had saved up was not sufficient to venture into fish farming, so I approached a couple of friends to borrow money. They knew me for my prudence and my sense of responsibility so they didn't hesitate to lend to me if they had. I have always been selective about friends. Most of my friends are in fact business minded. Birds of the same feather I guess. So I would always return money with interest on it. Even if something went wrong, I would make sure that I took care of it so my friends never worried when they borrowed me money.

4. In 2014 I was fortunate to become a YouWin3 awardee under the Goodluck Ebele Jonathans Administration. We received funding from the Federal Ministry of Finance to push our business forward, so we leveraged on that to make our business what it is today.

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

Fish farming is not a very developed industry so there aren't many institutions that give recognition or award to effort in the industry. Fortunately the country is now be re-oriented towards the importance of agriculture so I guess soon we might start getting recognized for our effort.

In terms of funding opportunities however, sometime in 2010 we were beneficiaries of the World Bank FADAMA program, through the Edo State Ministry of Agriculture. It wasn't much, but it was good to know that we were reckoned with. Later on we applied for the YouWin3 program in 2013 and we were fortunate to be among the awardees. The YouWin Program was in fact a real game changer because of the mentoring and monitoring aspects. It really helped.

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

The major challenge I have faced in my business is creating something that has never been done before. So every day is a challenge when you are doing something absolutely novel. You have a lot of fish farms all over the country and you have agro-allied ventures, feed production companies but there is no fish farming company.

We are the very first and we are just starting out. Nobody handed us a road map. So doing things that have never been done before is a challenge. Thinking things that have never been thought- or even if thought of have never been actually carried out. Every day we dare.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

The journey has been fun. I wish I knew then what I know now. I would've gotten to where I am now in half the time. However I have no regrets. I wake up with a smile on my face everyday because I know I have something no one can take away.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

I definitely would. Its the struggle that builds you. I didn't get here by luck.

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

If I could tell young entrepreneurs valuable lessons they would be:

1. Learn a valuable skill. Education is overrated. Certificates are overrated. Your skill is what is important; what can you do? (Please note: This is not to downplay the value of education. It is important)

2. Learn how to run a business. Theres a difference between sewing clothes and creating a fashion label. Know the difference- one makes you self employed the other makes you a business person.

How can people connect with you?

Visit our website on www.firstclarias.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/firstclarias
email: firstclarias@gmail.com
phone No: 08023026229 (my personal phone number)
address: Queen Mary Plaza, Mofor Udu LGA Warri Delta state.

The Bella Community August Meet Up

Based on a research and survey we carried out recently amongst creative entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, we have come to the conclusion that to sustain an online community of African made products and services, an offline community will strongly enhance the growth of the online vision. Bellafricana (a company that promotes African made products and services) hereby presents “The Bella Community”.

The Bella online community is growing very healthily and in fact we are so excited and convinced that an offline community will richly benefit and add more value to our community members. We are a community of creative entrepreneurs, but we also want to connect with intrapreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs.

When you are running a business, your business inspiration can come from almost anywhere. However, a few small business owners forget to use one of the most important tools readily available to them. One of the most important tools that you can use is community. In any city there will always be a community to connect with, and as an entrepreneur, you need this.

Calling all CREATIVE MINDS; artrepreneurs, handmade crafters, fashion designers, interior decorators/designer, bakers, shoe makers, musicians, poets, oh dear the list is endless and all other entrepreneurs and working professionals, wonder why I started listing (phew). You are a creative entrepreneur if you have a business how about that, hmm!

Wondering what benefits you get joining the Bella community? Here are 5 reasons;

1. Learn from other’s mistakes: Hearing what is going on with other people’s businesses enables you to really understand the real story of what is happening in their business. This may serve as a guideline on what to avoid in your business and the opportunity of being able to use their tricks for some great success tactics in your own business.

2. Exchange tips of business: For any entrepreneur, intrapreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, just starting out is so exciting, but this time of ideas and beginnings can also be confusing. Having other people that have had some experience be there to give you tips and secrets that you can use helps tremendously. You will be able to start off smoothly and keep growing strong during tough times.

3. Pass on knowledge: One of the biggest functions of the bella community of entrepreneurs is to pass on the knowledge that has been gathered from experienced professionals to the less experienced entrepreneurs. This is also a great place where you can find a mentor, and/or become a mentor for someone else. You meet a group of trusted entrepreneurs which grows to become a valuable business partnership and establish yourself with each other as a safe place to gather advice when you have a challenging decision to make.

4. Make valuable connections: Meet with like-minded creative minds. Networking is a skill that is essential in business and in your personal life. If you don’t know how to do this naturally, learn about it. Making these connections within the bella community is the greatest reason the community is here.

5. Learn new business skills: You get to learn new business skills together with real-life entrepreneurs and professionals.

Let’s make this official, join us at our first meetup on the 20th of August. This will be a monthly meetup. Every 3rd Thursday of the month from 5pm- 8pm.

Get ready to swap ideas, business cards, resources, shortcuts, strategies, traditional/digital marketing tools & tactics, put your business online, meet other key professionals and get valuable introductions to various thought leaders.

This is a real community, coming to you soon, so get ready and tell somebody…

There’s a limit of 40 seats, and they’re sure to be snatched up quickly, so register today and share this link.


JOIN THE BELLA COMMUNITY TODAY!

August Theme (Let’s Discuss): “Creating an outstanding brand in a competitive market”

Guest Speaker: Mr Lanre Adisa, CEO Noah’s Ark (A Creative & Brand Expert)

BIOGRAPHY: Lanre started his career as a Trainee Copywriter at MC&A: Saatchi & Saatchi in 1990. He left as a Copy Group Head in 1994 and later joined Rosabel (Leo Burnett) Advertising as a Copy Manager in 1995.

He moved to Franchise Communications as a Senior Copy Manager in 1996 and joined Insight-Grey as a Senior Copywriter in 1997 and was later made a Joint Deputy Creative Director in charge of the Creative Department in 1999.

He left Insight-Grey as an Associate Creative Director in 2003 when he joined TBWA/Concept as a Creative Director and was appointed to the Board of TBWA/Concept as an Executive Creative Director in 2005.

Under him, TBWA/Concept was adjudged the most creative agency in the country dominating the local award scene. He left TBWA/Concept to start Noah’s Ark in 2008. Within its first five years of existence, Noah’s Ark has scored a few first for Nigeria.

In 2012, Noah’s Ark became the first agency in West Africa to have its work published in Lurzer’s Archive. Noah’s Ark also became the first Nigerian agency to be recognized at Cannes Festival winning two national diplomas in craft for two of its entries.

Noah’s Ark ended the year 2013 as the second most awarded agency at the local LAIF Awards
Lanre has vast experience working on brands like Indomie Noodles, Malta Guinness, Samsung, Peak Milk, First Bank, FUMB (now Fidelity Bank), MTN, Econet, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Nigeria, UAC among many others.

He’s the first Nigerian Creative Director to attend Cannes Advertising Festival as a delegate in 2004. He served as a member of the Management Board of the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF) from 2006 to 2012. He currently serves as an Adviser to the LAIF Board. He’s the President of the newly formed Creative Directors Circle (CDC)

Noah’s Ark is now evolving into a group of marketing communications service providers with the launch of Integrated Indigo and Underdog Productions in 2013. While the former provides PR, Events Management and Experiential Marketing services, the latter is focused on Audio-Visual Productions and Content Creation.

Beyond advertising, Lanre and his wife ventured into the Quick Service Restaurant sector in 2014 with the launch of Roots Foods Limited. The flagship restaurant of the company, Labule, opened its doors to the public on May 29, 2014.

ENTRY FEE: ₦3500 (Comes with a free meal and drink)

Venue: Labule Restaurant, 42A Ogudu Road, Lagos.




Call Bukky or Blessing on 08086363970 to become a member of the Bella Community and to Register!

This is a real message, so get real and tell somebody

PROJECT FUNDING BY THE US CONSULATE IN NIGERIA

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General Lagos works with non-government organizations (NGOs), academic institutions and individuals to increase cooperation on issues of mutual interest. Contingent upon availability of funds, through small grants of less than $9,000, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria is able to provide financial support to a specific program or initiative that supports shared goals. Funded projects typically range from 5,000 to 9,000 USD.

Each year, the Public Affairs Section in Lagos accepts applications until August 10, 2015 for projects being implemented the following calendar year. Proposals submitted after August 10, 2015 will not be considered for funding. All grants must be signed before the end of September 2015.

Grants may be awarded to support the following goals:
• Mutual Understanding – culture, art, higher education, understanding American society and government
• Global Issues – environment, energy independence and sustainability, counter-terrorism, immigration, and economic prosperity
• Democracy and Human Rights – minority integration, human rights, transparency in government, freedom of media, empowerment of women and youth, and citizen participation in entrepreneurship
• Regional Security – transatlantic cooperation

The criteria for these grants are as follows:
• Applicant should be a local Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) registered or individuals based in the following states: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, and Cross River.
• Applicant must give a project description and implementation plan.
• Grants generally cover up to 12 months of activity.
• Proposed projects should be innovative, have objectives that are sound and well-thought-out, and clearly indicate the target audience.
• Proposed projects should have clearly defined outcomes and evaluation methods.
• Funding cannot be provided to pay ongoing salary costs. Cost-sharing by the requesting organization is an important factor in evaluating grant proposals.

Eligible proposal shall consist of:
• Applicant should fill application form (SF424)
• Organization/company profile, project description, detailed budget, activity timeline, discussion of the target audience, detailed expected outcomes. The budget must be comprehensive and specific. No block awards can be issued. The organization must have access to a bank account, as funding will be dispersed to grantees in installments by electronic bank transfer.

Public diplomacy grant proposals received will be reviewed and/or selected according to program needs and funding availability. If you or your organization would like to apply for funding for a specific project, please send a detailed description of your project along with a budget to:

Public Affairs Section
U.S. Consulate General Lagos
2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos
Email: culturallagos@state.gov

Projects selected for funding will be provided with SF-424 form as part of the funding requirements at the second stage of the grant process.

Please direct your questions and/or concerns to culturallagos@state.gov.

Source - http://www.smebizinfo.com/

LCCI: INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP ON NON-OIL EXPORT

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry invites you to a National Workshop on Non-Oil Export. The program is scheduled as follows:

DATE: THURSDAY 30TH JULY, 2015
VENUE: COMMERCE HOUSE, 1, IDOWU TAYLOR STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS
TIME: 9.00AM to 3.00PM
PARTICIPATION FEE: N10, 000

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION FEE (Closes Friday 24th July, 2015): LCCI Members N5,000, Non-Members N7,500

Workshop Objectives

• To ensure that participants from the Private and Public sectors are aware of the strategic importance of developing Nigeria's Non-oil Export Sector at this critical point in our Nation's socio-economic history.
• To underscore the crucial role to be played by SMEs in accelerating the sustainable development of the Non-oil Export Sector in Nigeria.
• To inform participants about pitfalls, challenges, strategies and creative solutions.
• To give information to SMEs on business opportunities in the Non-oil Export Sector.
• To provide information about NEXIM Export Financing Facilities.
• To provide information about the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and ECOBIZ.
• To promote Advocacy in support of SME Export Development.

Topics highlighted will include:

a) Product Development and Adaptation for Export
b) Competitive Advantage and Identification of possible Export Markets
c) Strategic Export Marketing Arrangements
d) Effective Trade Fair Participation

For further information, kindly contact Doyin on 07085513037, Ayo on 08032206527 or Kingsley on 08131048999.You may wish to send mail to ekundayo.adedoyin@lagoschamber.com, ayodele@lagoschamber.com or eze@lagoschamber.com

Kindly pay into the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s First Bank Account number 2007 7602 02.

Opportunitiesforyouths.com - Ademulegun Olowojoba #inthespiritofenterprise

Tell us about yourself

My name is Ademulegun Olowojoba, A Recruitment Consultant and Social Entrepreneur. I'm a native of Nigeria and a citizen of the world. I was originally trained as a Mining Engineer from The Federal University of Technology, Akure. I have a philosophy that regardless of your social or economic status, there's a solution lying deep on the inside of everyone.

Tell us about your business

Currently, I lead the team at opportunitiesforyouths.com, we post information about internships, scholarships, fellowships, grants, contests, and other emerging global opportunities for youths from all over the world.

It's a social venture and what we do is to create sustainable youth related solutions with a specific focus on Education, Unemployment and Economic Empowerment. Apart from our job fairs and employability trainings, we currently have 2 mobile apps in the google playstore: The Scholarships Finder Mobile App and The Nigeria Jobs Finder Mobile App. The former help connects youths from around the world with undergraduate and postgraduate opportunities, while the latter connect young Nigerians with job opportunities.

It was founded out of a passion to help youths especially from developing nations to access more opportunities.

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

I have always had this passion of connecting people with opportunities like jobs, internships, scholarships and other life changing opportunities which developed into a habit and I also had a very strong passion for youth development so I was looking for an uncommon model that would enable me combine these three things in a way that was sustainable and scalable. So a web developer friend of mine advised me to start a job board but I didn't want to go that route as I felt I would be lost in what was an already crowded industry in Nigeria so after a a while I thought of the idea of starting opportunitiiesforyouths.com which was going to be first among a series of innovative youth solutions that I plan deploying, shortly after I started ivolunteernaija.com, Scholarships Finder Mobile App and Nigeria Jobs Finder App.

Basically It's that urge to proffer sustainable solutions to social issues like Education and Unemployment that motivates me. The death of my late boss, Kunle Olaifa who happened to be a change maker across Africa and the globe was also a major occurrence that spurred me into action when I did.

How did you get funding for your business?

I run on personal funds till date. Due to the fact that it's a social venture and it usually takes some time to attract funding and profit.

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

Until recently, I haven't applied for a lot of opportunities as I felt I needed to get it right first by putting in place proper structure and culture so that I wouldn't blow the opportunities when they show up.

Though, I was recently selected as a Fellow of The Project Social Impact Institute in Masachusetts, USA and I expect a couple of others to follow before the year ends.

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

Just like a lot of startups in this part of the world, raising funds has been a huge challenge and the only way I have dealt with this till date is to use personal funds.

Getting passionate team members has also been a challenge. It's been tough getting committed team members who are deeply passionate about what we do - proffering practical solutions to social problems. The only way we have been able to overcome that is by sticking to our standard and not compromising, meaning we have a very lean team.

Also combining this with my paid job since it hasn't grown enough to employ the team members on a full time basis has been tough and the only way we have been able to overcome this is to work extra hard and just be ruthless in our executions. It's as if I am working two jobs, one during the day and the other at night.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

Tough, Interesting, fun and faith filled.
I wake up on certain days and feel so excited about my journey and I also wake up some days and feel so discouraged about the whole thing but its been an interesting journey. It takes a lot of faith to carry on at times but i'm enjoying every bit of it.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

A resounding yes, though I would do a lot of things taking a different approach and i would start earlier.

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

Failure is never final, the failures of today is a lesson for tomorrow. Learn from failure and get up fast.

Passion is good but sustainability is also very good if you would go far.

Surround yourself with people who are already where you desire to be and get as much details of the way they live their lives including the movies they watch, the places they hangout and the people they follow on social media. It could serve as a huge leverage.

Entrepreneurship is very vital for Economic Growth. Once must at least have an entrepreneurial mindset.

How can people connect with you?

opportunitiesforyouths.com
Twitter - @adeolowojoba
Facebook: Ademulegun Olowojoba
Email: olowojobade@yahoo.com