The internet has completely changed the way business is being done and more women are leveraging on this tool to start their businesses and pursue their passion. According to a report by the Center for Women’s Business Research in America, black women are part of the fastest growing entrepreneurial segment in the country, growing at a rate of 191.4% from 1997 to 2007. Technological advancements and innovations have also created low cost tools women can leverage on, to grow their businesses. In Nigeria women are breaking away from their traditional roles to starting their online businesses. This piece takes a look at Nigerian women with thriving online businesses
Saudat Salami—Founder, EasyShop EasyCook
Businesses are created out of problems. Saudat Salami is the founder of Easyshop Easycook, an online business that delivers customized domestic services to the working professional who is too busy to go for shopping due to timing challenges. She revealed how she started in an interview. “I.T fascinated me at a young age and I was good at it, but if you want to be a programmer or developer you have to be ready to upgrade your certification regularly, learn new coding skills otherwise you’d easily be obsolete and I was not ready to do that. When I was brainstorming with a close friend of mine the idea of Easyshop Easycook came about and I went online to research about it. The online groceries retail industry in 2005 was non-existent. To find out if the business was viable in Lagos, I had to do feasibility studies. When the responses were positive I went ahead to start it with my savings and money from friends and family. Easyshop Easycook has grown from just an online grocery retailer to a customized domestic outsource company targeted at the working woman. Everything we do is to make life easier for the working woman to pursue her career without neglecting the home. “
Kelechi’s achievements belies her age. She began her online fashion store; Zuvaa in 2013.The vivacious young entrepreneur saw an untapped need in the market for African textile and fashion and tapped into it. Last year she was named on Forbes 30 under 30 listfor her contributions to E-commerce. According to her: “I’m originally from Nigeria but grew up in the U.S. I’ve always looked for ways to integrate my love and pride for African culture into my wardrobe. I love wearing print and African textiles and when I would wear them people would constantly ask me where I found those pieces. I realized there was really a demand for this product so I used my experience in online marketing, web design, and user experience to create a platform to connect the talented designers around the world with consumers who were looking for these beautiful products.”
