Innovative and customer-centric telecommunications company 9mobile has yet again affirmed its support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with the second edition of The Hack for entrepreneurs.
The Hack 2.0 was held at Maha Event Centre, Area 8 Recreation Park, Garki, Abuja, on Friday, September 30, with hundreds of young entrepreneurs eager to learn how to expand their businesses in attendance.
Director, Customer Care, 9mobile, Ehimare Omoike, and Sales and marketing expert Tricia Olufemi-Olumide (TriciaBiz) were the main speakers, while Enterprise Marketing Manager, 9mobile, Oluwasegun Daodu presented ‘Cloud Solutions, The Marketplace and Enterprise ComboPak’.
Deputy Manager in charge of MSMEs at the Bank of Industry, Tolulope 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,” Toluwase said.
Speaking on ‘Customer Management Strategy,’ Omoike explained that “customer acquisition might be easy but retaining and turning them into advocates is more critical and challenging. He also highlighted the need for entrepreneurs to understand and use their knowledge of seasonality, market segmentation, and business applications to have a competitive edge over competitors.
“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,” Omoike 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. The Director explained that the goal is to move as many SMEs as possible to better profitability and sustainable expansion. She added that The Hack 3.0 would happen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in a few weeks.
“The Hack is changing lives because we received feedback from participants that they are creating new lines of products and services after the Lagos event. They are making good money. That shows impact. We want to hear at 9mobile that our participants learn one thing that moves them from where they are to the next level,” Lawal-Mohammed said.
Since entering the Nigerian market, 9mobile has consistently affirmed it’s commitment to enabling individuals and businesses to do more with innovative solutions. The Hack is the latest initiative from the company to boost SMEs that have generated almost 48% of Nigeria’s GDP over the past five years.
