There is a side of me that always put things or people together to achieve projected goal even at an early age, so I want to believe I just needed to find my passion in something and pursue it, and that is exactly what I did, I was able to channel my energy into something meaningful. I studied Telecom and Electronic Engineering before going into fulltime IT so it was not something out of the blue. Yes, Of course, age and experience also shaped me up to know exactly what I wanted to do. However, it was a long-term dream that was nursed to fruition in 2012.
How did the idea for your business come about?
My objective was to setup an IT support & Outsourcing firm that will be a true IT partner to it clients, and less of a break-and-fix service provider. One of my core concepts was to advice and develops a tailored solution that fits businesses needs and also to manage their project from start to finish.The fundamental aim is to provide the highest value in Managed IT Service & Outsourcing services available in the West African region
What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?
As we know there are different challenges in every industry and these challenges differ from one industry to the other. I think the biggest challenge has always been starting the business from scratch and building the client base. Potential clients always want to see who you have worked for to be convinced of your brand; they rely on case studies and references from other Companies to enable them make informed decisions and this was a challenge as the company didn’t have a client base at the beginning and had to slowly build one. Finding the right people to do this with, people who have the same mind-set, the RIGHT TALENT that will share and propel my vision. How I did it was patiently building my own team, by hiring young highly skilled, passionate, and honest with vision and actively or truly want to make a difference. Overcoming it was not an easy task but my unwavering determination and commitment to outstanding personal performance got us there.
Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your entrepreneurial pursuits?
Not at all, my family was never going to stop me from pursuing my dream or anything. That is the kind of family I have! My mum didn’t really understand why I had to stay indoors for very long hours behind my computer on a daily basis without having proper sleep or eating at regular intervals. Even though, they had different ideas for me in terms of what they wanted me to become, they were never going to stop me from what I wanted to do. I think my mum became less anxious when she saw my first office space and realized that her son is serious about running his own business even though she still didn’t know much about the ICT business. Probably prior to my office space I was just talking in the air and they couldn’t understand the so-called dream, passion, vision, journey or “the Entrepreneurship path jargons”. With friends, along the way you lose some because we didn’t get the chance to hangout like we used to. I became strange – my conversation changed, my direction changed and I felt like I had no time, I am always indoor behind my computer. I entered into the unknown world called ‘the entrepreneurship madness’
What would you say was the single most influential factor in your business success?
I think one key influential factor is loving the service I provide and passionately making sure our clients are happy with our services we provide to them.
What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?
That you can’t afford to put your business fate in someone’s hands to champion your vision in a certain direction.
What advice would you give to an upcoming young and old entrepreneur locally and internationally?
That even though its fun to be creating something on your own, entrepreneurship is not a title, it’s a way of life so if you decide to pursue the entrepreneurial journey, you must be willing to go the distance because it’s a long, lonely and bumpy path. In all the hustle, you must be humble but not timid, honest, kind, responsible, doing things for the right reasons, keeping your head up no matter the difficulty, and never quit.
