Unreasonable Lab launches in Nigeria, To Prepare Startups For Investment

Unreasonable Ambition: How a movement of entrepreneurship training programs seeks to put a dent on poverty

Boulder, CO –On 6th of June to 10th of June 2016, 25 startups from across Nigeria will gather in Lagos for 5 days, alongside top investors and business mentors for Unreasonable Lab Nigeria, a five-day intensive training program preparing them to raise capital, replete with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors from across Nigeria serving as mentors.

Asked why they wanted to bring Unreasonable Labs to their country, Unreasonable Labs Nigeria’s founding team Olufemi Omotayo, Tito Philips, Jnr. and Michael Olorunninwo said: 

“For the first time in history, we have adopted a market economy. Our ongoing development cannot continue through aid and donation. There’s no other way to address our challenges but through entrepreneurship, innovation, and private sector. And Unreasonable Labs might be the best avenue to addressing these needs.”

“It’s amazing to see entrepreneurs creating companies that can really help a lot of people,” explains Teju Ravilochan, co-founder and CEO of Unreasonable Institute. Unreasonable Institute boasts successful alumni, including:

• Mosaic, the “solar bank” that started as an idea at Unreasonable Institute and now is the largest lender for home solar projects in the United States.
• Eneza, the fastest growing mobile education app in Africa, equipping 650,000 students in Kenya to gain access to tutoring and test prep on $10 phones.
• MANA Nutrition, which has cured over one million kids of severe acute malnutrition through a nutrient-enriched peanut butter.

The results are striking. 93% of the 150 startups in Unreasonable Institute’s portfolio have raised funding totaling over $100 million. And all together, those companies are benefitting 8 million lives.

But to Ravilochan and his team, it wasn’t enough. “We started Unreasonable Institute because we thought the best way to address billion-person problems was by helping entrepreneurs find solutions,” he explains. “But to have any chance of doing that, we need to find thousands of entrepreneurs and get them the people and resources they need to grow.”

Ravilochan noted Unreasonable Institute had one key barrier to scale. “Our model is high touch,” he explains. “Mentors spend a lot of time with our entrepreneurs.” Mentors (experienced business and social/environmental change leaders) each pick one company to work with for 6-12 months. “And we carefully match them based on diagnosing our entrepreneur’s needs and understanding the mentor’s skills.”

“Entrepreneurs get a lot of attention from mentors who come through the program. That’s what makes Unreasonable Institute so valuable for them.” says Ravilochan. “So we weren’t going to be able to maintain the quality of our support and work with a whole lot more entrepreneurs. So we figured, hey, what if we could just teach other people to do what we do?”

Enter Unreasonable Labs. “We packaged up our curriculum and built a way to train teams we think could do what we do,” says Banks Benitez, Vice President of Global Expansion at Unreasonable Institute. “The local teams that we find in new countries to run Labs can then recruit locally-based mentors and funders to support the startups they find.”

In 2015-2016, Unreasonable Institute has equipped 25 Labs in the locations below:






For more information about the #UnreasonableNaija event, kindly visit: www.unreasonableinstitute.org/accelerator/nigeria-2016/

Nigeria Contact:
Email: UnreasonableNG@gmail.com
Phone +234 817 672 8769
Twitter: @UnreasonableNG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnreasonableNG/

ITS TYME Application - Junior achievement and Southern Business Academy

The Junior Achievement (JA) in conjunction with the southern business Academy in Nigeria is currently recruiting interested candidates to register for the following courses;

• Electrical Wiring & Technology (with Solar Panel/Inverter Installation)
•  Catering & Hotel management
• Photography & Video Coverage
• Painting & Paint making
• Building Technology
• Make-up, Gele tying, Beautifying
• Hairstyling
• Barbing
• Bead-making

DEADLINE

April 25th, 2016

This opportunity will train you to understand the core concepts in theory and demonstrated practices to make fantastic use of lessons learned and hence, build the confidence to transform this vocation into a meaningful and potentially rewarding career.

The program comes with essential resource materials that will inspire you to keep going.

You will also get opportunities to interact with notable professionals and participate in live projects, exhibitions and excursions.

ELIGIBILITY

Interested candidates must be willing to take trainings and demonstrate basic integrity and discipline. We require Nigerians who are willing to become agents of driving social development to the society.

Finally, candidates must be at least 18 years and not more than 25 years old by the time of application, and should demonstrate the ability to listen and understand Basic English.

Interviews begin on 20th of April, 2016

COST

Cost of training is FREE

To register, please download form at http://www.sbang.org/website-admissions/

Completed forms must be returned on or before 25th April, 2016

For more information, please call +234 803 480 1307, +234 806 139 7828, or visit www.sbang.org



You may also mail us at info@sbang.org

ABARI Bamboo sunglasses - Abari Abdulhamid Damilola #inthespiritofenterprise

Who would have thought, all that bamboo growing all over our land could be used to create really cool stuff. A few weeks back I read a feature on digest.bellafricana.com about a Ghanian lady who makes bicycles with bamboo and I was wowed.

Fast forward a few days and voila, bamboo again, but this time by a Nigerian making the coolest sunshades ever! You have got to read about him, and I agree with him, "Obe to dun, owo lo pa". Read the main story to find the translation ... lol

Enjoy.


Tell us about yourself

My name is Abari Abdulhamid Damilola, 27 year old (6th March 1989), from Lagos State, Nigeria. I am the first son and child of my Parent, and I have 3siblings. I am a graduate of Igbinedion University Okada, where I majored in Mechanical Engineering and I am currently pursing my MSc in Process Safety and Loss Prevention from University of Sheffield, UK.

I’m a typical Lagosian, born to hustle (legit), Engineering is my first love before I found business as my side chick, both of which complement each other, “Production and Management wise”, I am very versatile in my thinking and always wanting to solve problems, while I’m doing that I try to increase my source of income to become financially independent.

My Life philosophy : No body gets lucky unless they take the opportunities that come their way.

Tell us about your business

Business Name: ABARI Bamboo sunglasses

Started : January 2016

Why: Alternative to plastic sunglasses whose durability is not compared to Bamboo frame sunglasses

Information About the frames

THE FRAMES MODEL

CREAMIE MODEL
The Creamie model are made from ecological bamboo which is the original colour of the bamboo. This sunglasses are eco-friendly, water resistant, that float on water and Non-slippery when sweating unlike the plastic frame glasses.

They come with Wayfarer style, TAC polarized lenses providing full sun protection for your eyes from UV rays and strengthened flex-steel hinges.

COFFEE BROWN MODEL
Coffee model bamboo sunglasses are eco-friendly, look awesome, and they float on water. non-slippery when sweating and more reliable than the plastic frames.
They come in a Wayfarer style shape and suits most face notwithstanding the size of face

ACCESSORIES
Each pair comes in a hard bamboo case with a silk lens cloth, silk bag and a little gift.

LENSES
TAC (Tri Acetate Cellulose) polarized lenses offer superior visual and polarization clarity. They are hard coated to resist scratching and block out 100% of all harmful UV rays up to 400 nanometers, and are also lightweight and highly impact resistant.

LENS COLOURS
Available in Blue and Green, black other colours are coming out soon

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

I wanted to stand out from the crowd...as far as nigeria is concerned, I think I am one of the first to venture in this line...I have seen a few people also in the field of sunglasses but not with bamboo frames.

How did you get funding for your business?

Basically its been from my pocket, my savings from my previous jobs

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

None yet as I have been running on my on resources, also the fact I am not presently in Nigeria as I am doing my Masters degree abroad.

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

Convincing people that the prize justifies the product...people expect me to sell as the same rate as the once on the street but as the adage goes

...a pot of soup that is sweet..the money involved is what "killed" it.

I am of the opinion if you can afford to buy a fake at 7000 naira then buying an original at 10000 naira is not too wide for a range.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

Challenging...mixing studies and business is two tasking but i'm still young and have got the ability to multitask.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

Over and over again, infact I should have started earlier before the fake sunglasses flooded the market, with people thinking they are wearing the real deal... An average RayBan cost between $100-300 and what is sold in Nigeria is less than $5...

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

When you try to solve a problem you can create a business out of it.

Everybody wants to wear sunglasses but people don't know the consequence of wearing a FAKE lens which is what is rampant in Nigeria.

Abari Sunglasses has a C.E and the lens are certified to protect from UV rays that has the potential to destroy human sights.

How can people connect with you

Contact details
Email: abaritm@yahoo.com
Instagram: @abaritm
Twitter:@abaritm

FoodConvee - Tele Ogundipe #inthespiritofenterprise

Once in a while, you just want to be treated to a good meal of "swallow" as we like to call it, paired with a correct Nigerian soup that has all the different types of meat and some snails. I know we are all claiming "fitfam" these days, but hey no harm in a good home cooked Nigerian meal. The challenge many of us have though is the time! Oh la la. Boy does it take time to put the soups together. Even tougher sometimes is getting the seasoning mix right, so you don't end up eating bland food or over seasoned food.

Our feature today is a woman who saw these challenges and decided to tackle them head on. In 15minutes or less you can have your Egusi or Ogbono ready to eat by just adding water and Palm Oil! How cool is that? Let's meet her...

Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself

My name is Tele Ogundipe. I have a Bachelors degree in Agriculture from Obafemi Awolowo university, Ile ife. I also have an MBA from Esut Business School. I have attended the School of entrepreneurship, (Edc) Pan Atlantic university.

Life is neither a tempest nor is it a midnight summer's dream. Every disappointment is a blessing in disguise.

Tell us about your business

Foodconvee is into the Processing of local food items for easy cooking with no preservatives.

What was your inspiration for starting this business?
Several reasons.
I observed that these days cooking is quite a chore due to hectic work life . Hence the resort to Asian easy to prepare and tasty Noddles. I believe in Nigeria and therefore decided to put Nigerian difficult to cook soups together. Process with spices for easy cooking and awesome taste.

How did you get funding for your business?

Initially savings, family and friends. I recently took a soft bank loan.

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

I have had access to trainings and seminars from EDC, Google, Poize media Association. I am also a beneficiary of the Technology incubation Centre and manufacturers association. I have had Food Processing trainings with the Nigerian stored products research institute.

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

I have faced lots of challenges especially in terms of product acceptance. Being a new and unknown product consumers are a bit hesitant. But once the product is tested the feedback is always positive.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

The journey has been slow but steady

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

Yes

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

Never give up on your dreams. The journey may be slow and long, filled with so many obstacles. But with persistent patience your are sure to make it to the end, the finish line.

How can people connect with you

Foodconvee. Com.ng, Facebook, Twitter.
017907615, 08140892759, 08173601628

FIIRO, TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2016

Last year, I published the training workshop schedule for FIIRO because I realized a lot of people were unaware of these trainings. Subsequently I have received emails and requests for an update for 2016. So by popular demand guys, here's the F.I.I.R.O training calendar for 2016.

In case you don't know who F.I.I.R.O is and what they are about, please refer to my last post on my experience in their techno-entrepreneurship training program here.

TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2016 

1. Cassava Flour Production     Mar 16-18,  Apr 13-15,  June 8-10  N50,000.00

2. Instant Pounded Yam Flour Production Mar 14-18, Apr 11-15, May 16-20, June 13-17 N50,000.00

3.  Bread and Confectionary Baking(including Soy Snacks) Mar 7-11, Apr 11-15, May 2-6, June 13-17 N50,000.00

4.  Fufu Flour Production from Cassava Mar 3-8, Apr 21-26, June 9-14 N40,000.00

5.  Edible Mushroom Production Mar 14-18, May2-6, June 13-17 N35,000.00

6. Fruit Juice Production from Nigeria Fruits Mar 7-11, Apr 25-29, June 20-24 N40,000.00

7. Zobo Drink Production and Preservation Mar 30-1st April, May 25-27, Jun 29-July1 N25,000.00

8. Palm Wine Bottling and Preservation Mar 21-23, May 11-13, June 8-10. N40,000.00

9. Smoked Fish Production Mar 16-18, Apr 27-29, May 11-13, June 22-24. N50,000.00

10. Cassava Starch Production Mar 14-18, Apr 18-22 N35,000.00

11. Kunu Drink Production and Preservation Apr 18-22, June 6-10 N40,000.00

12. Plantain Flour Production Apr 4 – 8, May 2-6, June 13-17 N40,000.00

13. Electroplating and Plug Refurbishing Mar 14-18, Apr 11-15 N20,000.0

14 Cassava Chips Production Mar 9-11, Apr 13-15. N35,000.00

15. Laundry Soap Production Apr 4 – 8, May 2-6, June 20-24. N40,000.00

16 Toilet Cleanser Production Mar 14-18, June 20-24 N15,000.00

17 Computer Appreciation Training Apr 18-29, June 6-10. N30,000.00

18 Black Soap April 18-22, May 16-20 N50,000.00

19 Garri Production Mar 3-8, Apr 21-26, June 9-14 N50,000.00


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, 08033863474
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.


PLEASE NOTE:

• Participants will be responsible for lodging while course fee covers tea breaks/snacks and workshop materials.
• Participants are expected to make full payment preferably a week before the commencement of each workshop.
• FIIRO may cancel any of the above workshops in the event of poor response from participants.

Click to fill "Online Registration Form"

Gbedion - Afe Riches Inegbedion #inthespiritofenterprise

Hey fam...

Been a minute. I have been all over the place. If you follow me on instagram @mofolusade  you would already have an idea. Besides.... Omo meeen, you need some extra gangster strength and determination to keep going in this Nigeria, can I get a witness out there! But we must not give up because tough times never last but tough people do as Robert Schuller said.

Most of the conversations I have been in lately have been around collaboration. The era of one man squads is no more the way, people must come together and build businesses that will last. This is why I was excited when I heard about this idea. Technology has opened up a lot of new opportunities and platforms for us and we need to take advantage. If you have an idea, don't keep it to yourself, look for a co-founder who has what you don't have. There are many ways to find that person and here's one real life example below;

That's one way and Afe has another way and he shares his journey with us in today's #inthespiritofenterprise post.

Enjoy.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Afe Riches Inegbedion. I am from Edo State but I am based in Lagos. I studied Industrial Mathematics at the University of Benin, Benin City. I also have a Masters degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Greenwich, London. My philosophy is that there is always a better way to do something. You just have to think hard and observe out.

Tell us about your business

The business Gbedion came to be in February 2016 but the concept was conceived in 2012. Gbedion was founded because Nigerians are hard working and have a lot of good ideas but most of them do not have a means to fund their ideas.

Currently getting a loan from the bank is not easy. They ask for so much detail, collateral and give high interest interest rates. This makes a lot of people give up their ideas. There is also the issue of validating your ideas. Will people like it? Will they pay for it? Gbedion gives you the opportunity to see if people believe in your project enough to donate their hard earned money towards it. That is enough validation in my book. I experienced funding issues too and thought about it. Why not solve the problem instead of complaining about it and hence Gbedion came to be. 

Gbedion is a social crowdfunding platform for Africans. In simple words you can post your inspiring business plans on Gbedion and state how much you need, share to family and friends and receive donations from all of them and more. No interest , no loans. All you need to give them is a reward that is related to your proposed business.

For example you want to start a unique car wash business, you have drawn your business plan, you know how much you need and how to execute it. All you need is funding. This is where Gbedion comes in, fill the form, get an invite from Gbedion, post your business plan, offer rewards to donors (for example donate N1000 and get one free car wash), reach your stated funding amount and Gbedion will give you the donated about. All transactions will be displayed on the website for transparency.

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

I started this business because of the personal frustration I faced in bringing my business idea to life. I also have a lot of friends and relatives that have wonderful ideas that they would like to bring to life but funding is an issue. This is why I founded Gbedion, to change the situation and encourage entrepreneurs to start businesses.

How did you get funding for your business?

I got funding for my project through personal savings. Funding is still needed however, to make it grow.

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

I am currently discussing with Hubbub Foundation (a crowdfunding foundation in London, Boston and Sydney). They are interested in the project. I am looking forward to getting assistance from them.

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.
I've faced several challenges while trying to start Gbedion. 

1) The idea: 

Many people said it won't work. There are too many scams in Nigeria and so on. I came to realize that scams exist every where not just in Nigeria. People try to scam themselves in a lot of businesses. Why should I stop for the fear of scams when it exists in every other business. Tackling it is the way forward.

2) Branching out: 

The other issue was people will steal your idea; do not tell anyone. You cannot execute a large business plan on your own, you need people but you have to share your idea so people can assist you make it happen. 

I believe an idea has no value on its own. It needs a good execution and for a business to be successful it needs a combination of a good idea and a good execution. If someone tries to steal your idea. He /she only has the idea, how it is executed will certainly be different from yours. I hope the lovely people with wonderful ideas in Africa realize this and stop being afraid to post their business plans on Gbedion for fear of their ideas being stolen.

3) Funding: 

Funny enough this was also an issue for me. Gbedion was supposed to be an app but the cost of building an app is incredibly high. Hence Gbedion was launched as a web platform instead. Which I feel is an advantage because it is easily accessible to anyone that has an internet connection and a browsing device.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

Wow the journey so far has been enjoyable, frustrating and stressful. From brain storming the idea, carrying out research, reaching out to people, raising funds, getting turned down by a lot of people that think you just want to collect money from them. Its been an eventful journey.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?
Definitely, I will do it again. There is joy in bringing your idea to life and watching it grow.

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

• Believe and be passionate about your idea. People will turn you down but when they begin to see how serious you are, the progress you have made and your consistency. They will begin to believe in your idea too and join you to make it happen. 
• Validate your business idea at a low level first. It has to work on a small scale for it to also work on a large scale. Do this and you will not waste your resources.

The business itself has evolved over time. It started out in 2012 as Riap.biz. I do not run riap.biz anymore. It was a website where people could show case their work to the world for recognition. The crowdfunding idea had not come to be then.

How can people connect with you

Visit Gbedion website: http://www.tippinternational.com/ . 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gbedion/ 

Phone No: 08171067640
Office Address: 61 Akeju Street, Off Shipeolu, Palmgrove. Lagos.

HIGHLIGHTS: Amazing Amazon Initiative for women launches in Lagos

Women in their throngs came out on the 6th of March 2016 to receive the best Mother’s day gift any woman could get! It was the launch of the first real action oriented Support Group for women in Nigeria; the AMAZING AMAZON INITIATIVE which held at Berkeley Hotel, GRA, Ikeja.

Adenike Ogunlesi, the owner of Ruff n Tumble who also happens to be the Chairperson of the Board of Trustee, chaired the occasion. Also in attendance was Laila St Matthew Daniels, a No Domestic Violence and Abuse advocate and Emeka Oparah, the Vice President Corporate Communications Airtel Nigeria who are also members of the Board. The special guests who graced the occasion includes some of Nollywood’s finest, Caroline Danjuma, and Adunni Ade who spoke to the women about their personal experiences and life’s lessons that left an indelible impression on them. Mrs. Toyin Collins, Pastor Edebi Otefe amongst others shared valued thoughts too.

The Visioneer and Founder of the initiative Mercy Makinde spoke extensively on her life’s journey from when she was given out in early marriage from the tender age of 18 years to a man older than her father till when she decided to take her destiny in her hands by walking away from the abusive marriage that lasted 11years of her early life.

She purported that it took her that long to leave and run for her dear life because of the lack of a support system in our society for women in troubled marriages. Rather than support, the society generally turns around to stigmatize and labels the victim even when there is clear evidence that the woman’s life is at stake!

She emphasized the need for women to come together to form a strong bond and create a platform for them to get support, coaching, mentoring, business and networking opportunities. Hence, the birth of AMAZING AMAZON initiative, which is a real ACTION oriented Women Support Group.

Mercy added that even though in our culture women rarely get to “hang out” or “seal deals over drinks” like the men folk, they however still need gatherings where they come together to celebrate, nurture, get mentored, get trainings, encouragement, console one another, network, learn and grow their business. She emphasized that women need, intimacy support and consolation, particularly during difficult times especially now that face-to-face interactions within our communities are becoming rare. 

“We sometimes get support from family and friends, but sometimes they cannot easily understand what it’s like to be in our situation because they haven’t really walked in our shoes. But being in a group with people who have been in your same situation can help fill the void as they may be able to provide the needed succor and share proven and practical steps they once used in dealing with the situation. Whether a woman is dealing with illness, emotional problems, marital issues, parenting issues, life transitions, or a temporary situational crisis, we would come together with people in the same situation to offer each other support and encouragement’’...she said.

Amazing Amazon Initiative will provide a places where women can share personal stories, express emotions and be heard in an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding, and encouragement. Participants will get helpful information from Resources persons and Facilitators who are experts in their different fields of endeavor. By helping others, people in this support group will strengthen and empower themselves as these support from group members will enables personal growth and change in a way that individual therapy cannot achieve.

Beyond the usual sermons of a seminar and coaching sessions, the initiative will take practical steps to alleviate whatever travails a woman is going through. The group will be the “WHO” and “WHERE” that every woman should run to in her times of need and this network is open to women of all walks of life everywhere in Nigeria. After the Lagos launch, the next stop now is Abuja to be followed by Port Harcourt as women from these locations are already registering to become a part of the initiative.

In demonstration of their claim to support and not just talk, a lady in the attendance yesterday who owned up to currently being a victim of domestic violence was immediately given free legal services from a lawyer in the network from the Federal Ministry of Justice. Her case was immediately taken up and she will get whatever help and support she requires of the group. Others had employment issues, which the group had taken up to assist.

UBA Foundation also in solidarity and support of the initiative donated a hundred branded school bags to the group. These would be given out to the less privileged kids through their mothers.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi spoke at length on how the women can still live a fulfilled and happy life even though it is difficult if not almost impossible to achieve a perfect balance in life. She did using a graphic illustration of life’s circle and the women excitedly joined in on the “wheel of life” exercise. She ended her session by emphasizing how important it is for women to join the network and she encouraged them all to sign up and join the forum as a lot awaits them.


Other speakers also shared some very valuable life lessons with the women who were yearning to hear more at the end of the programme. The event, which was proudly supported by Airtel Nigeria and Guardian Nigeria, left the women with a renewed vigor and hope.

To learn more and become a part of this great initiative, all you simply do is click on this link www.theamazingamazon.org

MC Herbal - Bukola Ijeoma Sansa #inthespiritofenterprise

Tell us about yourself

My name is Bukola Ijeoma Ogunsanwo Sansa. I was born in Kaduna, I studied Biochemistry at Lagos State University. In year 2010, I established Wittcin Nigeria Limited. It was engaged in foreign trade and basically acting as a facilitators between buyers and sellers. I got some few success but mostly lots of failures. But I always questioned the reason of my success and failures.

What I learned is “success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”. During that period I also retained some good connections and friends worldwide. I never lost my enthusiasm, was just searching the right concept, field to convey my potential.

Tell us about your business

I established “Mc Herbal Nigeria " in August 2015 and penetrated to the Nigerian market in September 2015. Our business in general is Health and Beauty. In particular our product portfolio is;

1. Cosmetics, direct use or ingredients for manufacturers of cosmetic products and DIY creams, masks etc. (a selected portfolio is already in the market) Essential oils, carrier oils, floral waters, exfoliating agents etc…

2. Herbs & roots, mainly dried & powdered, for health purposes. (a selected portfolio is already in the market)

3. Natural nutrition - 100% natural, no preservatives, no additives, gluten free. (a selected portfolio is already in the market) like dried beetroot, pomegranate seed granules and a lot more

4. Dietary supplements, vitamins, liquid & powdered extracts. (a selected portfolio will be in the market at the 3rd quarter of 2016)

5. Herbal drugs at EU standards. (next year) and more …

We aim to satisfy the needs of consumers in a better and practical way, offer good quality products at EU standards and at competitive prices. We also aim to exploit Nigerian medicinal herbs and friuits in the future. My target is to position MC Herbal Nigeria as a solution provider for our retail and wholesale customers as far as natural cosmetics, beauty and health products are concerned. With respect to the market reaction we will extend the portfolio of our products very quickly.

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

In September 2014, my Dad died from using synthetic medicine he was taking to reduce pain. Due to side effects of those synthetic medicines his kidneys collapsed. It caused me to notice how many people where living with different health conditions that could have been avoided or cured with the right medical approach. That led me to start my research alternative herbal treatments. I got so far into it that I found a lot of what we eat, drink and apply to our skin, hair, and body in the name of living well are harmful to us because they are made of harmful chemicals. Actually this concept is new for Nigeria but very well known in some other parts of the world. I decided to be involved in this new field with the motto “It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.

How did you get funding for your business?

I personally invested some money, from savings and family sources and Turkish Group invested also. So it is basically a joint venture. 

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

We are new in the Nigerian market, at the penetration stage. We have been selling through internet via our own online shopping site and at konga.com. Recently we started to sell in wholesale. In this context, we are going to establish our own sales force in the near future.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

As I mentioned I got some good connections during my business activities, one of them is a Turkish Group. “The doors we open and close each day, decides the lives we live” is actually very true.

They have been working globally, real professionals and good people. I learned that they became partners with a company from UK and have production in Turkey at EU standards. Their concept and portfolio is very similar to what I intuitively felt and thought at the time when my Dad passed away.

I visited Istanbul in June 2015 and was introduced to “MC Herbal” brand. We believed and trusted each other. Nigeria has lots of potential and we both decided to explore those potentials together in a partnership. Nigerian people deserve the best quality products at competitive prices as the people in Europe, USA and rest of the world.

I got my Turkish partners involved in my research. They were really helpful and informative that got me back to the journey of “Back to Eden” natural journey. We had long brain storming sessions and decided to penetrate to the Nigerian market with a selected portfolio of “MC Herbal” products. Global business rules are valid all over the world but each country has her unique characteristics for success. Means to success in one country may not be valid for another one. They are fully aware that reliable local partners are an important key factor for success. Therefore, we have generated a good teamwork and synergy based on trust. There is definitely the Challenge of exchange rate instability and even transferring money from Nigeria outside the country due to the CBN laws but we are believing it will be temporary.

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

My philosophy is basically you have to love what you are doing, you have to respect your job and your customers, and you have to do something different than the others in a better way. I started to think how can I differentiate my business from others, in terms of product portfolio, service, concept etc.? I tried to think outside the circle and try to have a user friendly approach. I keep on asking myself why should consumers chose my products.

What differentiates you from other businesses like yours?

We, as MC Herbal Nigeria, propose products at best quality/price ratio. We offer products at EU quality standards. We try to give a sort of guidance to public to be conscious consumers, help them to understand first of all what they actually need. Starting from basic information to more detailed information. For instance when we mention the benefits of “rose floral water”, we share links that they can verify themselves and make further search or when we highlight health benefits of “beetroot powder” we mention the links of related scientific articles.

Internet offers us enormous information in various sources, we as individuals and consumers should concentrate how we can use this source for our own benefits in purchasing what we actually need, at good quality and at best competitive price.

In cosmetics, we basically supply products to be applied directly or as ingredients to be used in DIY creams, masks, serums, shampoos etc. We try to lead consumers to be involved in “do it yourself” DIY products which will allow them to produce what they actually need themselves in a much cheaper way. Thus we promote good DIY sites and share them with consumers free of charge. Most of people make production according to these DIY recipes that they learn from internet and sell products with a substantial markup. Some prefer to use cheapest low quality ingredients in their products to maximize their profits.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?

Definitely. I can’t say I wish I started this field earlier. Because I believe everything has a reason. If I haven’t experienced my mistakes or the failures in the past, I would not be who I am now.

We advise everybody that we all need to stay natural, starting from soaps to body oils to cosmetic products to what we eat and what we drink. This is the key for being healthy. Consume water, keep away from junk food, exercise. Get a habit to read labels and ingredients on what you consume.

Get at least some basic information about your needs, what is good for you what is not, search what you will consume. Internet offers us huge source and benefits. Be aware about what you actually need, search in details at different sources which may help you to find out what is really good for yourself. Be a conscious consumer. Just consume what you actually need!

How can people connect with you - 

http://www.mcherbal.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/mcherbal.nigeria

We have a shop @ konga.com and we present more than 90 products.
http://www.konga.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=mc%20herbal

08031143456