Hundreds of young entrepreneurs eager to learn how to expand their businesses thronged the Maha Event Centre, Area 8 Recreation Park, Garki, Abuja for The Hack 2.0 put together by 9mobile, Nigeria’s SME friendly Telco.
Director, Customer Care, 9mobile, Ehimare Omoike, and Sales and marketing expert Tricia Olufemi-Olumide (TriciaBiz) were the key facilitators, and they were joined by Deputy Manager in charge of MSMEs at the Bank of Industry, Tolulope Toluwase.
Toluwase, opened the training by highlighting funding opportunities available to entrepreneurs from the bank. He explained that poor record keeping and lack of business plans hinder small business owners from accessing funding. Toluwase also noted that Nigeria’s population, the acceptance of ‘Made in Nigeria’ products, and the increase in the use of social media were opportunities that businesses can leverage for growth and expansion.
He praised 9mobile for creating a platform for young business owners to learn new skills. “It is great that 9mobile is enlightening young entrepreneurs on the nitty-gritty of running their businesses. It has gone a step further to give them access to information on how they can get funding. I hope they apply the knowledge and make better business decisions,”.
Ehimare Omoike spoke on ‘Customer Management Strategy. “A lot of small business owners are struggling with decision making. The Hack is where they learn how to optimize and grow their businesses free of charge. At 9mobile, we are creating an organic eco-system that will provide support to and expose them to our business applications, offerings, and products to support these SMEs,” he said.
TriciaBiz lectured on ‘Leveraging Online Platforms to Grow Your Business.’ She discussed ways small businesses can be more visible on the Internet, adding that 63% of all shopping journeys start online. The sales expert explained why entrepreneurs must be deliberate and selective in picking websites and social media platforms to promote their services and products. She also reiterated the importance of adequately tagging images and writing good captions.
“Businesses, whether onsite or online, must understand the diversity of online platforms. Two billion people shop online, and we know that the data doesn’t even cover most of those in Africa. SMEs must take advantage of those numbers and know they don’t need brick-and-mortar stores to earn a living. I want all the participants to understand how to use online platforms to win,” she said.
Commenting on why The Hack 2.0 happened in Abuja, Director, Marketing Communications Saidat Lawal-Mohammed said the success of the first edition in June in Lagos prompted the company to organize a bigger one in the FCT. She disclosed that it was the telco’s way of giving back to the community.
