Wish me a Salad - Damilola Abike Fademi #inthespiritofenterprise

I slipped into that place again, the place where I just can't muster the strength to come here and post. Sighs..... I met +Ibukun Onitiju at an event recently and has to ask him how he keeps up! I get emails from this guy like every day. Geez. Not even with the Lagos traffic lately and the unending fuel queues. Nigeria won't break me! No way... Moving on.. It's #inthespiritofenterprise and you are going to enjoy this one, especially the fitfam fellas, help has come :-)

Enjoy....

Tell us about yourself

My name is Damilola Abike Fademi founder of Wish me a salad outfit. I have a Law degree from Lead City University, Ibadan and a PGD in Public Relations and Advertising from Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos in 2009 and 2013 respectively.

I am passionate about working with/or for people, social interaction and trying to help as much people as I can, financially and spiritually. I have done a couple of volunteer jobs before and I'm still open for more.

Tell us about your business

 At Wish me a Salad, our Mission is to inculcate healthy eating habit among Nigerians and Africans With a vision to become top of the mind salad making outfit in Nigeria.

The outfit was created on the 2nd of March, 2015 but officially rolled out on Monday, 16th of March, 2015. We have set up locations in Ogba and Victoria Island, Lagos so far.

We offer the daily delivery of the fresh vegetable salad to offices and homes. We also do party delivery.

We have the following categories for now;

- Super green vegetable salad - this does not contain canned ingredients and the
- Vegetable salad special - this contains some canned ingredients.

We offer a package for family consumption where we supply weekly. In this case, the vegetables are put in separate containers which must be refrigerated and consumers can mix and consume at will.

What was your Inspiration for this business?

I'm the kitchen kind of person, I spend hours in the kitchen satisfying guests and I don't ever get cranky or too tired. I have always known I have the kitchen energy in great abundance. I attempted making Amala at 16 years old, it was so watery (didn't form) It went from the gas to the freezer in an attempt to solidify it, then to the bin. I eventually got it right at 21.

I got this business inspiration the day my neighbour and I prepared a very delicious super green vegetable salad in February, 2015, and thought everyone must eat this way. After a couple of deliberations and seeking God's direction, the company was born.

How did you get funding for the business?

I have always been a business person, I ran a cleaning outfit at some point, I sell art works- paintings, carvings, sculptures etc. I purchase, then resell. I had savings from the above and I easily took from my savings. The business became more capital intensive as other factors started coming up, but God has been good.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

Hmmm, Experience is the best teacher, they say. That's is very true. I wish I learnt from someone else's but I had to learn from mine, which is very interesting. The business is still very young, it's in-between the teething stage and the toddling stage. There were days I got discouraged that I just wanted to sleep and forget everything about it and there were days I was very happy, I couldn't keep calm. I read the book,"The Alchemist" during my recent vacation, I'm encouraged all over. It's been good so far.

How have you impacted your community?

I have employed a few staff with room for more as the company grows, we operate a mini soup kitchen for the less privileged people around us with daily over flows as a part of our Corporate social responsibility. We also have plans to give more to the community as we grow.

What are the main challenges you have faced so far and how have you managed them?

One of the main challenges of the business has been Electricity. Another one is Transportation/Logistics.

We have to constantly run on generator to produce and to preserve. If we were to charge by this, the prices would be so unreasonable. If the new administration can really look into electricity and give us light, the issue of unemployment in Nigeria would be half solved.

We also had a very terrible experience the day we rolled out. We ran into the PDP election rally, the entire Lagos was held up in traffic, we could only deliver 15 out of 30 orders. I actually thought it was best to roll back in, but I had to encourage myself to move on.

We also need more people to invest in the area of logistics, dispatch bikes in particular, so we don't have to bother about getting our own dispatch bikes and riders. We just need to have an agreement with the company. Also, that market needs more competitors. This would allow the consumers of the service have many choices at a competitive price rate.

What are the main opportunities that you have been able to leverage to get where you are today?

The new media, also known as the social media has been of tremendous help. This business is not just about making and delivering salad. It's more about telling people about it, assuring them it's the best thing ever, taking their office and home addresses. It's more about sending Broadcasts, creating platforms where people can order for instance, on dealday, Facebook, BBM, whatsapp, OLX, Blogs and co. Word of mouth and referrals by friends and family have been of great help too.

Given the chance will you do this again?

Yes, I will do it all over again. There's only one thing that makes a dream impossible, - the fear of failure (The Alchemist - +Paulo Coelho)

Although, I take disappointments badly, I also recover fast. It's been fun so far.

Where do you see your business in 5years?

I see it become a household name in Nigeria and this comes with growth. The company would most likely have a department where people who need to eat and live healthy are trained, guided and monitored.

Also, it gives me joy to visualise this Company solve some part of our unemployment problem in Nigeria.

What advice will you give to other entrepreneurs looking to launch?

When you have a dream, day-dream it, write it down and do something about it. It may seem like the stupidest idea to shallow minds. You alone can see your own dream with your eyes, others may not even see it with the aid of a microscope. Put a little money into it to test, it does not matter if it doesn't work, at least, you will derive some satisfaction from trying. (My house is filled with trial souvenirs from all over the place). I laugh when I see them.

Otunba Gaddafi of blessed memory started the mobile toilet business, I'm sure some people thought he was mad then. But it did work and I'm certain he died fulfilled. Never relent.

Connect with us

Visit our facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/wishmeasalad
Email - wishmeasalad@yahoo.com
Call- 08031367404, 08053539878

Angelica - Age Beeka #musicfriday #olurotimi

Okay!! So today our Friday jam is our Friday jam just because!!!
Yeah!!!! I always thought this guy was the evolution of Nigerian music!!
I remember the first day I heard the song! I was like "oh waowu" (Yoruba word for Wow). I had it on repeat for days!! I wonder whatever happened to him! The singer that is! Please if anyone out there knows him; kindly help me tell him he will always have a fan in me! And I forgive him for disappearing into thin air. I guess he finally found those wings to fly away like he stated clearly in the song you are about to enjoy!

So yes!! On to the song! I honestly don't have any friends called Angelica
Shout out to all limited edition Angelica's out there!! This a song y'all would be happy to hear!! I can continue hyping the song but I won't. Listen to it yourself and appreciate good music!!

Here's "Angelica" by Age Beeka

Follow the link here  if you can't view it 

I'm looking for the wings so we can fly away

I'm coming cos I need you to know how much I need you

For the skies drop the dew every time I see you

Few have got what you've got, won't be wrong to say- non does

And pondering where you come from

came to me the revelation.

Oh... she's an angel(she's an angel)

Oh come from heaven, Oh angelica (angelica)

She's an angel(she's an angel)

My heart knows ease when I'm around your breeze

(when I'm around your breeze)

Cool pull that gets me full in a brand new boom

Well, I'vecome to the end of searching for the one whose made to love forever?

And to be loved with all and all

Oh... she's an angel(she's an angel)

Oh come from heaven, Oh angelica (angelica)

she's an angel (she's an angel)

Don't pass me by if you go I could die,

don't want to be wondering about Put me in the light of your heart,

of your life: in ministering spirits and flaming fire(s)

Oh, oh, oh...

Oh... be my angel, (be my angel) oh, come from heaven

Oh angelica (angelica) be my angel (be my angel)

Come from heaven, come from heaven,

come from heaven, come from heaven

I'm looking for the wings so we can fly away.

Women in the workplace - CSR-in-Action

I read this article from a newsletter I received from +csrinaction and just had to share. My focus is the last paragraph, that is a call to entrepreneurs to develop solutions to this challenge that women have in balancing their work and home.

Enjoy.....

www.csrinaction.org

The workplace must be made more flexible to support the challenges faced by working mothers! This only echoes the subtle message missed by most observers as they laid blame on the mother of three missing children who, thanks to heavens have been found and their abductors arrested in the course of this month. Owing to the stereotype society has created for women who should manage the home front and take care of the children, and the outright careless approach to ensuring the safety of her children, this article will be a very hard one to write. Instead this article aims to raise questions about options that Mrs Orekoya could have had which would have prevented the tragedy.

While we do not aim to justify the actions of the parents who left their children in the care of a total stranger, it is worthy of note that the challenges of life and the need to be productive in this century has thus created an atmosphere were both parents may need to combine efforts and pool resources.

Still not justifying her actions, let us attempt to paint a picture of the ‘worst case scenario’.

• What if Mrs Orekoya like several other mothers across the world actually is the breadwinner of her home?
• What if she was a high ranking executive in her organization on whose actions depended the livelihoods of several other employees? 

It cannot be denied that women are already an integral part of the workforce and support their families in the most profound ways.

A look at the Nigerian working environment however shows that the working conditions do not necessarily support the working mother. Ironically a lot of these organisations are signatories to the +United Nations Global Compact principles, one of which states that companies should uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation and claim to have policies which support the achievement of the MDG targets, one of which speaks directly to promoting gender equality and empowerment of women. The objective of both principles, when applied to the Orekoya’s case implies that organisations should encourage and support efforts to build a climate of tolerance and equal access to opportunities for occupational development for women.

The case of women empowerment is as that of a farmer with a hoe. If provided a tractor, his productivity will increase in multiples. World over, women have made giant strides taking great stand and changing the world with their career pursuit and there is a need to further encourage them to pursue their dreams.

What then can organisations do to support women who want a work and family balanced life?

A much more conducive workplace and balanced life has shown over time to help productivity, some of the things which some organisations are already doing and other can adopt to promote a balanced family/work life for women includes:

 Creche at work:

Companies can support women to continue their work by having a creche at in the workplace or supporting women to pay for a creche nearby. If Mrs Orekoya had access to one of such facilities, she may not have left the children at home on the fateful day. Currently a number of organisations have fully functional crèche services in major buildings for staff children including Total Nigeria and Access Bank plc.

Co-organising holiday activities for children: 

The Orekoya kids were kidnapped during a holiday period when their mother had to work. Suppose other mothers, with support from their employer organised a week long holiday program for the children to creatively engage them while their mother goes to work, this incident may not have occurred

Flexible working hours during children holidays:

Many women will be happy to accept this offer as it allows for a family centred work environment. More so, it allows for mothers to spend more time and dedicate more attention to their children

Certified nannies: 

How about a countrywide database that allows users verify the data history of domestic staff before? A service like this exists and companies need to subscribe. VerifyMeNigeria offers such a service.

It is important that organisations create a conducive environment for staff regardless of their gender. Collective action or a change in a perception to support women can help prevent a reoccurrence of this.

2013 lessons learnt......

Hi guys. I have written and re-written this piece in my head several times. My year started with a huuuge (the extra u's are there on purpose!) challenge, if this was happening a few years back, I would be in the hospital now or something. But I am working it out one day at a time and even better, I have decided that I can't just halt everything else because of it, so as I work that out, life must go on. There's valentine's day around the corner and Trezy has to be ready for that!

Till now I haven't really sat down to document any resolutions! Again, my head is full of thoughts of what I would like and where I want to be. Blogging is my outlet so I'll make it up today with you as I go. I hope this inspires someone to do theirs.

2013.... Lessons learnt for 2014

1. Life is only as complicated as you make it. 

I am learning a lot from this situation I am in. For the first few days I allowed myself get so depressed, I couldn't think nor do anything useful. I was almost drowning, stuck in a limbo. It hit me at some point though, that I couldn't continue like that. Business will always come with challenges, we just have to learn to deal with these challenges. A friend reminded me of Murphy's law - Everything that can go wrong will go wrong! You just have to be prepared to deal with it.

Anyway, I am here now, calm, typing my thoughts and trusting that all will be fine in the end, if it isn't, it's not the end. Shikena.

2. It is not by your power, Focus on the things that count

I put in so much effort into a couple of things this year, some turned out okay, some not so okay. You know the funny thing though, the ones I thought I didn't put enough effort into turned out just fine. No wonder people swear by the 80 - 20 rule. 20 percent of your effort is responsible for 80 percent of your results.

I am going to take life easy this year, delegate more and focus my energy only on the things that count. As my mum likes to say "Agba n'tara" - how do I translate this now? Ask a core yoruba person.

3. Exercise, it's good for you...... because I say so, hehe

We started an exercise group in my estate towards the end of the year. At first getting up to work out at 6am was like whaaat! But now my body has adapted to it and I am better for it.  There are days when we keep our trainer waiting though, Lol. Body no be firewood naa.

This year, I'm going to be more dedicated and make it part of my life.

3. Your thoughts become your reality

I finally got a hold of the book and DVD, "the secret". As I watched it, I let it sink in and yes the whole concept made sense to me. Those who are rich are rich because they cannot imagine being poor, their thoughts are totally void of poverty. They discuss huge amounts of money without flinching unlike many of us who would say "hen", where will I get that from"? That's it, we close our minds already to the possibilities that exist.

This year, I am going to surround myself with positive energy. I will violently (YES!) uproot thoughts of backwardness, lack, or limitation! As Jay-one sang "We making money this year".

4. Write, write, write

Since I started blogging last year, my life has actually changed, no kidding. It was at a low point in my life last year that I decided to start blogging. I didn't have a clue how or where to start, but I made it up along the line. It has exposed me to things I never would have considered. I have also met so many entrepreneurs like me who are working to build something that would last. It's been an amazing journey.

That aside, it has been an escape for me. I pour out my thoughts and as I do, things get clearer. It really doesn't have to be a blog, you can start keeping a diary of your thoughts and dreams. I have a diary too by the way.

This year, I want to take the blog to greater heights, make it a reference for entrepreneurs. A place to come to for inspiration to keep on going, so help me God.

5. Pray and trust God

I know pretty much every Nigerian is religious, so this goes without saying... but still. Many of us do these things like robots, without putting our hearts into it. Pray with your heart.

I am a culprit too, so I must make amends this year.

This is already too much talk! I'll just do the rest in my diary, because I have two things I came across and would like to share for the year;

First is this video. My sister from another mother, Ebi sent it to me. Please watch it, it is so worth it....

Click here for the video if you can't view the one above - Make that dream a reality

Second is my bible verse for the year, that's the one I am pasting on my wall;

Habakkuk 2:3

King James Version (KJV)

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Yessir!

Let's run with this and take the 2014 bull by it's horns...........

P.S

You do know that Youwin is still on, do you? If not go to https://www.youwin.org.ng/ and apply before the 21st of this month. All the best

STOP DREAMING, GET YOUR DREAM STARTED with NESCAFE

The last one of this series of opportunities is from Nescafe...... 

Details

Do you have a dream? Can your dream make the difference for your community, your country or even the whole world? Enter the NESCAFÉ Get Started challenge and show everyone how powerful your idea is.

All you need to do is to submit your dream here. If you find it published on the website the following week, it means that it’s passed the preselection. This is the time to get as many votes as possible, so make sure you get all your friends to vote for your dream.

The 4 most impressive dreams will receive support from inspiring African mentors to pitch their ideas to the grand jury. The ultimate winner’s dream will get started by NESCAFÉ.

Check out the winner of NESCAFÉ Get Started 2014

2014 Winner

Muazu, Nigeria

5 GOLDEN RULES TO GET STARTED


1. Your dream must not be of material benefit to oneself.


2. Your dream should focus on one of these categories: Technology, Arts and Culture, Community Development, Environment or Health.


3. Your dream must have an action plan.


4. Your dream must start something big for you and people around you.


5. Make us fall in love with your dream and we’ll help you to get it started.

You can also watch +Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. CFA s inspiring video for the project here

All the best fam!

APPLY NOW! - Etisalat easybusiness millionaires hunt

This is the season for entrepreneurs! It appears the world can't get enough of us. Don't let this season pass you by. You should apply for any one of these funding opportunities flying around. What's to lose? If you hold back because you think someone will steal your idea, while you are hustling to raise the money through other methods, you will wake up one day to see your idea implemented by someone else. Ideas are cheap.....

Easybusiness millionaires hunt

Just like it was Last year, this year’s Hunt for Nigeria’s next small and medium business millionaires will reward the Top 10 business ideas with a N2,000,000 financial grant each.

Also, contestants with the Top 50 business ideas will be rewarded with brand-new office equipment and 1-week entrepreneurship training at the prestigious Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.

Call for entry opens on Thursday 12th March, 2015 and closes on Friday 12th June, 2015.

To participate in the Hunt, 

Interested subscribers must:

• Recharge their Easybusiness line with N3,000
• Dial *345*3# to pay for 3 months’ subscription upfront
•  Text YES to 5885 from their easybusiness lines to opt-in for the competition.
• An SMS would be received indicating a unique code and a URL where the business idea should be forwarded to.

Existing Easybusiness customers who have subscribed for a minimum of 3 months in advance are also eligible to participate.

Also, every interested Easybusiness customer who texts YES to 5885 will be automatically entered for a daily draw to win phones, with 5 phones up for grabs daily throughout the entire call-for-entry period.

In addition, all customers who successfully submit their business ideas on the designated online portal will be automatically entered for a monthly draw to win brand-new office equipment such as all-in-one scanners, printers, and photocopiers – with 5 winners emerging every month.

For more information on the Easybusiness Millionaires Hunt Season 2:

Visit

http://www.etisalat.com.ng/easybusinessmillionaireshunt"
www.etisalat.com.ng/easybusinessmillionaireshunt

or

Visit the nearest Etisalat Experience Centre

or

Contact the enterprise marketing team by email 

Huawei - She Leads Africa Fellowship Application

Hello Fam,

You must forgive me. I have been lazy and maybe quite tired a bit too. Health is wealth, so I had to slow down a bit, I can't come and die on this hustle. Lol.

So this opportunity is urgent, if you haven't seen it. It closes on thursday, if you want to give it a shot, please hurry and submit before thursday. All the best....

Details...

The Huawei-She Leads Africa Fellowship is the first program of its kind to provide female tech entrepreneurs from across Africa the opportunity to visit China to receive a behind the scenes experience at the technology giant, network with peer entrepreneurs and develop relationships with investors and companies interested in doing business in Africa.

Eligible applicants must be women between the ages of 18-40 who are building a technology business focused on Africa.

Applications close on April 30, 2015.

Questions can be sent to info@sheleadsafrica.org with Huawei Fellowship in the subject line.

Click here to apply.

Also, please email a pitch deck to info@sheleadsafrica.org with the subject line: Huawei Fellowship - First Name, Surname by April 30th.

A pitch deck is a presentation, usually powerpoint, that summarizes your startup idea and business model for potential investors. 

For more guidance, you can find examples at http://www.pitchenvy.com/ and http://bestpitchdecks.com/. 

Other useful articles: + How to pitch your startup in 3 minutes: http://on.mash.to/1npHqR5 + 3 simple ways to pitch your startup today: http://linkd.in/1rlVrA3 + 5 practical tips to perfect your startup pitch: http://on.mash.to/107mdR9

Calling all entrepreneurs – CcHub’s Call for Ideas is open!

Remember +BudgIT NG ? In my early blogging days, I made quite a bit of noise about them, hehe. It was their success story that made me fish out the +CcHub Nigeria in Yaba. They recently graduated from the incubation centre and are doing great.

In case you haven't noticed, collaboration, co-creation is the new cool. Let's face it, if we want more companies to last, we need to work together, to find synergies, to build teams, to leverage on each other's strengths. This is why you can't afford to keep your idea to yourself. There are tricks and tips for protecting your idea though and you can listen here, to what Wunmi and I had to say about this on the episode before the last of strike the anvil. At the end of the day, you are better off sharing.

Anyhoo, so the Hub is calling for ideas again and if you have been looking for a platform to leverage on, here's your chance........

Read all about it;

Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) is a launch pad for start-ups, transforming ideas to sustainable ventures that solve real Nigerian problems. To date CcHub has supported the development and launch of more than 50 innovative technology startups solving social challenges in Nigeria.




Will the next golden idea come from you?

You can submit an innovative idea that solves a real Nigerian problem to the CcHub Call for Ideas for up to $25,000 in investment as well as networks and market entry support to get you kick-started.

The aim of the programme is to encourage the development of Nigerian led solutions for real Nigerian problems, focusing on six key areas – Governance, Transportation, Healthcare, Education, Food Security and the Environment.

We believe that by engaging a community of progressive stakeholders (end-users, subject matter experts, government agencies, businesses, academics, civil societies etc.) who bring their creativity and knowledge to play we can co-create solutions to social challenges faced by the average Nigerian.

These are our 5 tips for creating innovative solutions

• Solve ONE clear problem: focus on one problem and not many
• Understand the problem: observing the environment, infrastructure, culture and lives of people by being there.
• Think creatively: start big, use constraints as a filter and find the simplest solution.
• Identify a service gap: is there a service that isn’t being provided or not being provided to a satisfactory manner
• Deliver value: what are the benefits for people using the end product, does it improve a persons life?

Submit an Idea

Ideas should be submitted here by Sunday 31 May 2015. Ideas will be assessed by a panel, and those whose ideas are selected will be invited for an interview. Following this, the most viable ideas will be taken into the CcHub Pre-Incubation and Incubation Programmes.

1000 ideas have walked through our doors but is yours the one that will make it through and stick?

You're Never Too Old To Start A New Venture, Look At These Famous Entrepreneurs

You're Never Too Old To Start A New Venture, Look At These Famous Entrepreneurs

Laykaysax - Leke Obasan #inthespiritofenterprise

 Hello fam! It's been a while. A lot has been happening and now I feel like an octopus with many legs or is it hands now, hehe. I now co-host the SME business Platform show on Inspiration FM! Yaay me. So between that and the enterprise radio show, I get to meet and chat with loads of interesting people. These people remind me that there is hope, it is not all bad!

It pays to follow your heart, let us not dwell on the negativities in the news, from what I have seen, you can make it anywhere. You just need to overcome your fear, believe in yourself and surround yourself with the right people. People who motivate you, complement you and tell you the truth when you need to hear it.

So trust me, I have a huge line up of inspiring entrepreneurs to showcase and I can't wait. Today we'll start with Leke Obasan. It is not a lie that your talent will make room for you. Whatever it is you are good at, cherish and develop it, one day it would be your gift to the world and you would never be poor again......

Enjoy.

Tell us about yourself

I am a young Nigerian who grew into being a saxophonist, second child of three children, spent all my formative years in Ogun State, graduate of animal production and health, what else? Okay, I am not tall, I am dark, I like to think of myself as almost good looking when I am in a good mood.

Tell us about your business

My business!! I am a Professional Saxophone player, on the surface what I do is just thrill people at events, make people kiss themselves legally *smiles* enhance moments, create moments, make people dance, bring memories and also create them, I could go on and on, but I will wait for your call. 

I like to call myself a Music Service Provider, I fill the needs of entertainment at events, even when I don't play, I could script out music for your event and ensure you have a perfect blend of music, seamless transition of songs, so when there are multiple performances or you have a Dj and a live band, I make sure there is no single issue in their transition and also ensure they are playing what suits the moment, I ensure you have the right sound system, not some multi colored black with a sound cone in it.

What inspired you to pursue music full-time? 

Well, I just never saw any other thing, so I could rephrase the question to what can motivate you out of music? At a time I used to think a lot of money somewhere else could have done that until I proved myself wrong. I find utmost satisfaction here and I smell some really plenty money sometime soon.

Did your family support this?

The support was not there from the beginning, I have heard stuffs like I sent you to school to read and you are playing sax all around the school. Sometime back in school days that I brought Cobhams +CAMP NIGERIA to school and we had more than a thousand people in attendance and my mum was there too, that sorted that part, then similar situations made my Dad become more than enthusiastic.

Why did you choose the saxophone?

Again I can't give a reason, I'll say the saxophone found me, funny right? I play an array of other instruments but the day we found ourselves, I told myself something. Right now the saxophone is the main chic whilst others are ......

What main challenges have you faced in this line and how did you overcome them?

Usual challenges. Having the patience to go through the process, been going through the phases one by one, sometimes I feel like I can't hold on again, but I also self motivate, use some friends who we do the same thing and are successful to tell myself its only a little while. Then I keep going and fire again.

How would you summarize your journey so far?

Intriguing, challenging, tasking but also rewarding.

Given the chance will you do this again?

Absolutely Yes!!! I want to make you blush like "who suck blood" now.

What advice do you have for others looking to pursue professions similar to yours?

Just keep going even in the face of discouragements, let discouragement feel bad, be self motivated and finally never get complacent.

https://youtu.be/eadzguA19Lc

www.laykaysax.com
YouTube channel (laykaysax)

Instagram @laykaysax

You can view some of his videos here