You won't believe what a lazy start to the year I have had. I practically had to jumpstart myself to get into work mode. 2015 was an eventful year, as difficult as it was for many businesses, we survived and grew. For this I am grateful. We will soar in 2016 by God's grace.
When Olaseni briefed me about his business, I was excited because twice, I have had nasty experiences with buying tyres. Some mechanics even advice you to buy used tyres, that they are better!! How? This whole tyre headache can be such a nightmare. So it is great that these young men have come together to try to help us make life easier.
Read about the idea below...
Tell us about yourself
I had my Primary education at Green Springs Nursery & Primary School and also Little Saints Montessori Primary School, Ilupeju, Lagos.
My secondary education was at Christ Redeemer’s College, Sagamu, Ogun State after which I went to Redeemer’s University, now in Ede, Osun State for my tertiary education where I studied Economics, but like Forrest Gump's mother always told him "Life's a box of chocolates,You never know what you're gonna get".
Tell us about your business
etyresnigeria.com
Tell us about your business
etyresnigeria.com
As I grew older, I was thinking of how I can be useful to Nigerians as a whole and I met with people who had the same motive as me. We saw the inconvenience and unfulfilment when it comes to buying tyres from roadside dealers.
Moving from tyre store to tyre store, in search of one particular tyre brand and size is stressful and time-consuming. We understood the needs of the average Nigerian motorist and we wanted to make buying tyres exciting and fun; so myself & my fellow co-founders in +Chiebuka Nworah (Chiebuka Nworah) and (Godric Echefu), came up with the idea to have a platform where motorists can actually order for their tyres online and also order for tyres via a phone call, and so we decided to make this reality come true. With these in mind, etyresnigeria.com was born on the 1st of June, 2014.
Etyresnigeria.com was established with the objective of bringing choice, transparency and convenience to the tyre buying process. Starting with car tyres, we hope to expand to include all tyre accessories & products at best prices. Etyresnigeria.com allows customers to research, compare and review tyres from different tyre brands. Customers can select the best tyre option for their vehicle based on the product brand, size and price.
This changes the way tyres are sold in Nigeria – where a local dealer would try to sell the tyres he had in stock, and one had to visit ten dealers to find out the right price. Etyresnigeria.com delivers tyres all around Nigeria. We are in the process of rolling out a network of Etyresnigeria.com authorized fitment centres across Lagos, where customers who have purchased tyres online can have the tyres fitted.
What was your inspiration for starting this business?
As I grew older, I was thinking of how I can be useful to Nigerians as a whole and like I said I met with people who had the same motive as me. We saw the inconvenience and unfulfillment that comes with buying tyres from roadside dealers. With these in mind, Etyresnigeria.com was born.
What was your inspiration for starting this business?
As I grew older, I was thinking of how I can be useful to Nigerians as a whole and like I said I met with people who had the same motive as me. We saw the inconvenience and unfulfillment that comes with buying tyres from roadside dealers. With these in mind, Etyresnigeria.com was born.
Sometimes, customers are cheated to their wit's end and sometimes inferior & refurbished "Tokunbo" tyres are sold to them as new tyres and we needed to put an end to it. There was a problem to solve by providing a convenient, customer-friendly & transparent process when buying tyres. We came out to provide these values to Nigerian motorists.
How did you get funding for your business?
Everything so far has been self-funded between the 3 of us with personal savings, experience, family and friends support. Godric Echefu who is also a co-founder built the website with little finance and experience he acquired in school. Chiebuka Nworah and I contribute to the day to day running of the business with funds. We have not gotten bank loans.
What opportunities have you been able to leverage on in your business so far?
None at the moment. We are yet to receive any funding, grants or awards. I personally attended the +Daystar Christian Centre day star leadership academy which has contributed to my ability to run this business. We also have personal mentors.
What Challenges have you faced so far and how have you been able to overcome them?
The biggest challenge has been funding & access to finance. There are so many things we would want to introduce in the Nigerian Tyre Industry but due to lack of funds, we have not been able to. Also adverts to get awareness have not been easy.
Convincing Nigerian motorist not to purchase tokunbo tyres and part with good money for their safety is also a major problem. Also delivery is a challenge when there is scarcity and lack of vehicles due to little funds. We find solutions like outsourcing the delivery to cab guys and small delivery companies at times.At the beginning delivery was within Lagos only, so we had a challenge delivering outside of Lagos but now we have gotten a means to get tyres to our customers outside of Lagos.
How will you summarize the journey so far?
Its not been easy but with God nothing is impossible. We are not where we were when we first started. There has been improvement and more room for improvement. This journey was to put a smile on our faces especially fellow Nigerians and we are achieving that slowly but surely. With time things would be smooth. We can look at our account and say there is progress being made slowly knowing that we started with 0 naira.
Given the Chance, will you do this again?
Yes. This business is for the present and future of our beloved country Nigeria. Hopefully by the grace of God it becomes a legacy. We don't just sell tyres, we sell convenience, trust and safety.
What lessons have you been able to learn from your journey so far that others should know.
Never give up no matter what. Just believe in yourselves. We are all born entrepreneurs, its the extra zeal & creativity in you that gets you far and then you become a success. There are no jobs out there, doesn't mean you sit at home doing nothing, you have to challenge yourself to be great and do something with your creativity.
Why do you think Etyresnigeria.com will appeal to people?
Essentially, we understand what motorists go through when purchasing tyres. Sometimes, they are cheated to their wit's end and sometimes inferior & refurbished "Tokunbo" tyres are sold to them as new tyres. There was a problem to solve by providing a convenient, customer-friendly & transparent process when buying tyres. We are out to provide these values to Nigerian motorists.
Many of our innovations have come directly from customer feedback and I think people find that reassuring. The fact that we take on-board what they have said and we do something about it shows that we genuinely care about making their shopping experience that much simpler. We give people the opportunity to make savings on tyres and we also deliver a customer-focused service. We are always trying to adapt the way in which we do things so that the customer feels safe and secure when buying from us
How can people connect with you?
Website - www.etyresnigeria.com
Twitter - @etyresnigeria
Instagram - etyresnigeria
Facebook - etyresnigeria.com
Contact Number - 08092347000, 08092357000
Olaseni Odukoya - 08170014333, 08108134358
How will you summarize the journey so far?
Its not been easy but with God nothing is impossible. We are not where we were when we first started. There has been improvement and more room for improvement. This journey was to put a smile on our faces especially fellow Nigerians and we are achieving that slowly but surely. With time things would be smooth. We can look at our account and say there is progress being made slowly knowing that we started with 0 naira.
Given the Chance, will you do this again?
Yes. This business is for the present and future of our beloved country Nigeria. Hopefully by the grace of God it becomes a legacy. We don't just sell tyres, we sell convenience, trust and safety.
What lessons have you been able to learn from your journey so far that others should know.
Never give up no matter what. Just believe in yourselves. We are all born entrepreneurs, its the extra zeal & creativity in you that gets you far and then you become a success. There are no jobs out there, doesn't mean you sit at home doing nothing, you have to challenge yourself to be great and do something with your creativity.
Why do you think Etyresnigeria.com will appeal to people?
Essentially, we understand what motorists go through when purchasing tyres. Sometimes, they are cheated to their wit's end and sometimes inferior & refurbished "Tokunbo" tyres are sold to them as new tyres. There was a problem to solve by providing a convenient, customer-friendly & transparent process when buying tyres. We are out to provide these values to Nigerian motorists.
Many of our innovations have come directly from customer feedback and I think people find that reassuring. The fact that we take on-board what they have said and we do something about it shows that we genuinely care about making their shopping experience that much simpler. We give people the opportunity to make savings on tyres and we also deliver a customer-focused service. We are always trying to adapt the way in which we do things so that the customer feels safe and secure when buying from us
How can people connect with you?
Website - www.etyresnigeria.com
Twitter - @etyresnigeria
Instagram - etyresnigeria
Facebook - etyresnigeria.com
Contact Number - 08092347000, 08092357000
Olaseni Odukoya - 08170014333, 08108134358
No comments:
Post a Comment