Hi Guys, I recently had the opportunity of speaking to Nmachi Jidenma, A Masters student at Cornell University, She talks about her passion for entrepreneurship and African development and starting CP-Africa.com

Hello Nmachi, Welcome to YHP, How are you doing today?

Doing great Jo, thanks!

So tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

I am a Masters student at Cornell University studying Applied Economics & Management. I have a passion for entrepreneurship and African development. I found the perfect intersection for both in journalism/new media and I am a proud Africa buff.

Now to CP-Africa.com, How did it all begin?

It started as an account on blog-spot in April 2009. Over-time it moved to the domain, CP-Africa.com

Why did you decide to start it?

Well like many young people like me sharing content on the web, I found myself constantly sharing links on positive trends on the continent (with an emphasis on my home country, Nigeria). I looked to the web for a platform where I could get inspired and find more inspiring content.

At the time, TED Global was the only place I could go to, but as we all know TED is very broad and though there is an African component, the Africa focus is not as heavy. As such, I decided to create my own space for inspiration on the web. I believed at the time that if we celebrate our success stories, we will be inspired to believe in ourselves and do much more. I still do.

Tell us about what you do @ CP-Africa.com? How many people are currently involved in CP-Africa.com?

Currently, there are 3 people involved. Personally, I do a lot of news curation, blogging, blogger recruiting and online partnerships.

Is CP-Africa something you do full-time?

No. It’s all part time.

How has the journey been so far?

It’s been really great. I enjoy doing it, a lot. African development has always been my passion. The blog gives me the opportunity to stay on top of African news and trends, promote causes and learn about inspiring stories of entrepreneurs, activists and enterprises. It’s something I’m very happy I chose to get involved in.

What are you looking to achieve with this platform?

With the platform, I’m looking to inspire Africans everywhere and provide a space for them to showcase their creativity, insights and ventures. I want the site to be the platform of choice for learning about the hottest progressive trends on the continent, the hottest start-ups, the latest events, the best ideas and the most inspiring accomplishments.

Can you tell us the essence of online collaboration and how it has helped your business?

Online collaboration has definitely helped in expanding our reader base. CP-Africa serves as a broad platform delving into a variety of areas so collaborations are inevitable. Collaborations have helped us get the word out and has helped strengthen our brand.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?

Well I’ll say it’s whenever I get a shout out about the blog and how it’s inspired someone. Those moments are very special to me. It’s always nice to have people appreciate your passion and vision.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow the business?

I’ll say expanding the blog’s focus. My background is in Economics and I’ve always had leanings towards African development. In fact the blog’s first post was on aid to developing countries…so those kinds of topics have always come to me naturally to want to blog, share or rant about.

But ultimately, I want the blog to be a platform for people of all interests and so over time, I opened it up and gave it more of a group focus so that bloggers with different interests could use it as a space for voicing their opinion. Opening up was also nice because it enabled us venture into areas such as technology, music and fashion which are currently top trending areas on the continent.

What plans do you have now to expand it further?

I’d like to feature more Guest Bloggers and Thought leaders. Currently, we have good representation in Nigeria and Kenya but we can do more to expand our reach in both countries as well as in other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.

We’d also like to do more to attract a global audience because ultimately our goal is to change perceptions globally and brand the continent as a place of creativity, ideas and dynamism.

What do you do for fun, especially when you’re not busy with CP-Africa.com?

I am a self confessed workaholic. However, whenever I get a minute, I hang out and I also watch movies. Music is also a wonderful outlet for me. I am also constantly working to improve my writing skills, so I try to read and write a lot- all genres, from poetry to fiction.

Are you involved in any other project?

With CP-Africa yes. We recently just launched a community feature which is essentially a voting and news aggregation site for African readers. We want it to serve as a hub for sharing interesting blog posts, literary pieces and news items. We would like the community portal to help promote strong writers that African readers might otherwise not have been aware of and thus provide value to African readers everywhere.

I am also involved with EwellAfrica.com, an African health and wellness site sponsored by Emzor, a leading Nigerian pharmaceutical firm.

I also have some side entrepreneurial ideas that I am currently exploring. If any of them pop off, I’ll certainly alert you!

What is the future plans for CP-Africa.com, what should we be expecting from you in the future?

Well, I just hope CP-Africa.com continues to grow and that we continue to expand our reach; that’s the immediate and long term goal. We want to be Africa’s leading hub for progressiveness; highlighting positive trends, ventures, people, ideas and initiatives. We also want to be Africa’s leading voice online showcasing our best blogging voices by giving them a platform to showcase their creativity.

What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs looking to start their business?

Find your passion, stay with it. Don’t be afraid to do what you love.

Thanks for your time Nmachi.

You’re welcome. Thanks for having me Jo!

Saving money on purchases is increasingly being done online. As well as providing extra security if you pay for purchases online by credit card, there are many exclusive deals and offers online for a range of products and services that are not available elsewhere. Buying on the web with a credit card can also save on fuel costs compared to having to drive a long distance, especially if it is a specialist item.

ONLINE SHOPPING

Shopping online has become increasingly popular in recent years, with faster broadband connections, easy to use Internet shopping sites and big name retailers as well as small independent traders offering an incredible range of goods and services. One of the most common ways to pay for things online is by using a debit or credit card. Apart from the convenience and ease of use that comes with paying for shopping online with a credit card, it can also save the shopper money in a variety of ways.

Getting better deals online

Whatever the customer is looking for, the Internet is useful because it allows easy to find information on prices and features on a range of products and services. Shopping sites are very popular with shoppers as it takes very little time to view the details on price, on the product and to find a product or service that suits your needs.

Buying online has in many ways saved people a lot of time and money compared to going to the shops, and spending money on fuel, and taking time off from other things in your free time, or spending time looking for good deals. Online it can often take just a few minutes or less to get all the information you need on the products and services you are looking for.

Credit card features and benefits

Because most shopping sites need some form of electronic payment, many customers find that when deciding how to pay, using a credit card can often be the safest and cheapest way of buying online. A credit card is essentially a small short-term loan between the cardholder and the credit card provider. This means that the customer can use this extra cash to buy a product or service immediately rather than having to wait until they have the money. Credit cards usually have a period of time before interest is added, so early repayments mean the loan is cost free. A degree of insurance is often provided with credit card payments, such as if the item is lost or stolen.

Another issue with shops is that quite often a customer can go in looking for one product, but get distracted by other goods on display. In the comfort of the customer’s own home, there is less pressure to buy something there and then online. They can browse the goods and services on offer, get good information on prices, but not necessarily feel compelled to buy the product immediately, since they have not had to spend any time or money on fuel or public transport to get to the shop.

Significant savings can be made by having a credit card, simply because they are accepted by online retailers with less overheads and more flexibility to offer competitive prices. Because an online shop will usually have fewer overheads, such as maintaining and staffing a high street shop and the associated costs of getting stock in or paying business rates on big premises, they can pass on the savings to customers. These price deductions compared to the high street are usually only obtainable if the customer has a means to pay for the product over the Internet. Because credit cards are a commonly accepted form of payment, this allows customers to take advantage of both lower prices and the peace of mind that comes with using a credit card.

If you’re aged 16-30 and have been running your own business for more than 3 months but less than 18 months, this annual competition could see you walk away with a £10,000 cash injection plus support from top PR agency Blue Rubicon at the Shell LiveWIRE LIVE! award final taking place in London on 13th October 2010.

So, if you think you’ve got what it takes to be our Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010, Click here and apply

Deadline for entries is 5pm on 6th September 2010.

I have trying to get this interview done for a while now and you would agree after reading it, that the wait was totally worth it.

Loy okezie shares some insight into his company startups nigeria and also talks about the nigeria startup community.

Hope you enjoy the interview

Hi Loy, Welcome to YHP, tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi Jo, thanks for this opportunity.

No problem man, nice to finally get you on YHP

I have a background in Business Management & Strategy and upon graduation; I’ve been working on several projects with a focus on the impact of technology on media, business and entertainment.

You’re a business graduate right? What influence do you think attending University has on an entrepreneur’s life? Do you think it makes you more aware and prepared to start your own business?

Yeah, I think that University should prepare us all for the business world. Whether you have a background in IT, Business or Arts, I think that the knowledge, skills and networks you build over the years at the University should be leverage for you when starting a business.

As a result of some knowledge, skills and networks acquired while studying at the University, I started a small training outfit that helped over 100 students from different backgrounds to improve on their presentation skills.

From that experience, I learned how to deal and handle people with different abilities while improving my communication skills. Ultimately, I learned some practical lessons on managing people and running a business.

How did you get involved in technology and start-ups?

I grew up with computers and although I didn’t have my first PC until I was in the University, I developed a lot of interest in the technologies (I use every day), the companies (that innovate them), the people (behind them) as well as emerging technology developments in the new web space.

My inspiration came from several books I read on how technology companies such as Google, Yahoo and eBay started. Then, I started reading technology blogs such as TechCrunch, Mashable, VentureBeat, GigaOM and RWW, all of which provide a daily dose of Internet companies and their activities.

That said, my most inspiring entrepreneurial driving force is Sir Richard Branson, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies. His adventure into space tourism with Virgin Galactic which takes paying passengers into suborbital space is the most audacious venture I’ve ever heard of.

Thus, upon returning from France in 2008 where I spent about 3 years studying, I invested a lot of my time and resources exploring web start-ups. As a result, I founded Startups Nigeria in order to showcase technology-related companies especially web 2.0 and mobile start-ups from Nigeria.

This has afforded me the opportunity to meet some of the smartest brains behind some of the best start-ups as well as some potential investors in the web and mobile space.

Tell us about Startups Nigeria?

Back in April 2008, I founded Startups Nigeria as a startups and technology news-related blog with an international focus on Nigeria. The blog eventually became very popular, influential and highly respected within the Nigerian and African technology and social media space.

Today, Startups Nigeria is a youth-driven, online community for technology enthusiasts, internet start-ups, companies, entrepreneurs, investors and students, all pioneering innovations in Nigeria’s emerging start-up eco-system and Internet economy.

With the new platform found at www.startupsnigeria.org (still in private beta), users can build their profile page, add and promote their start-ups, share their start-up stories, photos, videos, follow other start-ups, find ideal start-up partners, find technology-related jobs, find entrepreneurs and investors and lots more.

The idea of the platform is to help build Nigeria’s emerging dot-com Internet industry and contribute towards a knowledge-based economy in Nigeria by the year 2020 and beyond.

In the future, we hope to become a technology start-up incubator and help fund financially viable start-ups from Nigeria and African entrepreneurs.

What companies are you excited about in the Nigerian start up community?

Basically, I’m excited about companies that are using innovation to create value and solve problems. Thus, if there are any entrepreneurs and start-ups out there that apply this principle, I’ll be singing their praises louder and possibly backing them financially.

What change are you looking for in the Nigerian start up, changes that should be adopted to bring growth and expansion in the start-up community?

We need to see a lot of innovative thinking and approach.

We need to see new and exciting business revenue models.

We need to see collaboration with other entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Africa.

We need to see a vibrant technology community that fosters healthy discussions on the emerging web, mobile and Internet industry.

We need to see our Universities teaching emerging web and mobile app technologies.

We need to see web and mobile app development competitions sponsored by huge technology companies and targeted at University students.

We need to see technology incubators and angel investments.

Do you think it’s important that any internet company fully engage in social media to be successful?

Not necessarily, but it could go a long way in building a community faster and easier.

You’ve typically been ahead of the curve with tech and social trends (video blogging, social media, etc). What do you see as the “next big thing” – a technology or trend that will change the game yet again?

Location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla.

Any other words of wisdom for young entrepreneurs looking to start a new business?

Never Think Average. Never Quit.

So what’s next for you?

Building an emerging digital media brand that will change the way we live.

Thank you for your time loy, hope to speak to you soon.

Hi Guys, I had the opportunity to speak to a very interesting entrepreneur, who recently started his jewellery business, he is very involved in the philanthropical world.

Hope you enjoy it.

Hi Khotso, how are you doing, welcome to YHP

I’m doing well, thanks for having me

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I am 20 years old, I am quite multi-African. I was born and lived in Cote D’Ivoire until 1996. I am half Sierra Leone and half from Lesotho (known as a Mosotho). I came to UK, Kingston University for my degree in 2008.

Name one Interesting fact about yourself?

I am the only person from Lesotho from my entire university.

I know you’re very active in the Philanthropical world, how did you get involved?

As soon as I reached the UK I saw a bursting world of opportunities to grasp, I took first homage within the United Nations Association Kingston Unviersity (UNAKU) (http://www.unaku.co.uk/). For the past two years I grew from being an active member to becoming the Campaigns Officer 2009 – 2010, the best highlights were the ability to help and inspire people within the university community, and to co-organise a Week For Haiti event in partnership with multiple Kingston University Societies, held in February 2010 for the Haiti Earthquake, it raised £3000.

The money was donated to the World Food Programme (http://www.wfp.org/students-and-teachers/blog/students-action-haiti) and the event was awarded the Best Achieving Event of the Year from the University Student Union . Am truly happy that it provided over 180000 cups of food to children in Haiti. During the same academic year I began my entrepreneurial life.

Tell me about your company sk2l jewellery?

Sk2l Jewellery began as a university project, the project allowed me, literally as much freedom as possible, for me to challenge and surpass my comfort zone boundaries, reaching a new level of personal development. It also inspired me to carry a multicultural message, as myself being from different nationalities I felt I needed to carry and promote that message to those whom are interested.

Selling Jewellery was an inspired idea by a fellow partner. Therefore the two were coupled together to educate and fashionise. Throughout the year my team members and I gradually grew the company. I had set a strategy at the beginning of the year, all I knew was I wanted to accomplish the vision, if not all at least most within the academic year. We initially sold to friends and family and then ran 4 Stall Sale events within the Kingston University Campuses; today the objective is to take sk2l Jewellery to new heights!

What ways have you been able to create awareness and bring some exposure to your business?

Sk2l Jewellery ran an online event between the 7th – 18th June, which included a blog launch to describe Sk2L History, to build a starter relationship with customers, cultural education messages through facebook and twitter, and an online store which launched on the 14th June – 18th only, to reach a wider audience to customers that are interested in unique Kurdish jewellery, not available in large commercial jewellery chains.

Thanks for your time Khotso, I wish you the best

Thanks Joseph for having me

Enjoy http://sk2ljewellery.bigcartel.com/

Two students, Sadie Gee (19) and James Pursey (20) from Southampton University are in the process of putting their mark on the entrepreneurial world. After spending a few months working together on the committee for Fish on Toast Southampton Entrepreneurs Society the pair realised that they should combine their skills and create a business.

The first milestone occurred in the Easter break when they founded Yoo Call – a cheap international calls service marketed for students. Yoo Call offers people the chance to call friends and family abroad for as little as 1p per minute, that means on average they’re saving roughly enough to buy a cheeky pint at the students union each time they make a call!

The fun doesn’t end there! Sadie and James are working on the launch of Yoo Discover, the ultimate guide for students which will incorporate a service to allow Southampton students (and eventually every student in the UK), to search for and discover the best places to go to eat, drink and party in the area.

The website will collaborate with other businesses to provide some of the latest discounts, deals and offers to ensure that it is the ultimate ‘student loan-stretcher’ in town! Also featured on Yoo Discover will be a collection of the most addictive free online games, a collaboration of useful study aids, help for those choosing student accommodation and much more.

The motivation to create Yoo Discover stemmed from their own personal frustrations at being new students to University. “We realised that not only had we never been to Southampton before, we didn’t have a clue where to go to grab a cheap meal, to have a good night out with friends or to even have a coffee!”

Yoo Discover solves all these problems and more, creating what will be the only website that students should visit to find everything they need to know in relation to their University life.

Keep your eyes peeled for the launch of www.YooDiscover.com in October, Add them as a friend on facebook: http://tinyurl.com/welcomeyoo

Kulveer Tagger has led an interesting life, much of it due to his determination and ambition. He completed a BA (Hons) degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford in 2005. During his time at Oxford, Kulveer co-founded the Oxford Entrepreneurs society and became the president of the society for a period as well.

In 2004 he was nominated by his peers as FreshMinds one to watch. This was certainly warranted, a young man who always looked to be ‘one to watch’. While in his early uni years he successfully invested in property on three continents. He always had the mindset to make money.

He started his first business, Boso.com, an online marketplace for students, in 2005. This received over 3,000 sellers on the website and received over £300,000 from UK angels before receiving investment from start up venture firm Y-Combinator.

Boso.com became the first non-US firm that Y-Combinator invested in. He also met Evan Williams (founder of Twitter) from whom he was able to seek advice and also became a shareholder.

Having to juggle a job in the city while maintaining a business was no mean feat and in February 2006 Kulveer bravely took the step of leaving his city job, where he had a steady income, to becoming a full time entrepreneur.

He took the risk in the hope of achieving greater success and the life that comes with it. His continued hard work led to him achieving this, a now he is able to enjoy (or not) the Vuvuzelas in South Africa, having been able to afford the best tickets all the way to the World Cup final.

Later in 2007 Kulveer launched the Y-Combinator funded, Auctomatic, an online eBay selling utility. Seven months on, Auctomatic was sold to Canadian firm Live Current Media for a staggering $5 million.

He founded Auctomatic alongside his cousin Harjeet who at 22 was a successful entrepreneur and Law graduate of Oxford University. So much success, so early in his career has not dampened the hunger to grow in business and in mind.

Lucas Bornert is an 18 years old young entrepreneur and the founder of Insign Watches, while studying in a preparatory class for top French business school such HEC, ESSEC, he decided to stop it to do an internship in the field of finance.

During this time, instead working on his maths, he was working on watches.
After initially starting a small website which he said had poor quality, with only one model, now he’s upgraded to a flash website with 4 collections.

He said “he will be looking to continue to focus on his studies but will still work on his watches”.

I like to create things, to build things, so I told me why not launching a watch brand, and my criteria were affordable, original, and colored watches.

I had the idea for my watch brand in January, I launched my website in February, I sold my first watch in March, and I had new collections in May! With these watches I want to make people life easier.

Interview by Bobieh Ansah

I love to see students find a clever way of doing business whilst at university and last week I was back at my old university Kingston. I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Emmanuel Oladokun Sekumade .

He is an aspiring entrepreneur who runs a removal business (Kingmaker transport) for students in the Kingston surrey area. I remember having this problem, not having anybody to help me move.

Emmanuel Has found a gap in the market.

So, Tell me about you?

My name is Emmanuel Oladokun Sekumade, from Nigeria and Kingston University, I will be starting my second year in September (2010) and I study Chemistry and Business Management.

Tell me about the whole movement, what’s the name and how did it get started?

Basically I’m into moving students and Luggages,  I run a business called Kingmaker Transport.

About a year ago, I went to Portsmouth Uni and after seeing my cousin moving into halls and realising how many students move in and out of halls, I thought, hold on a second, there’s a big market here.

I live locally in Kingston, I have a driving licence, and I thought if i could rent a van or get a car i could move students moving out of halls into storage or from halls to back home. I even do the storage myself.

What has been your main influence or inspiration?

The person I look up to is Richard Branson and the Whole of Virgin. So, I hope to be as big as virgin who knows.

So how Long have you been Running Kingmaker Transport for?

I only started this summer, I got my first customer on the 31st. It’s a new movement. I will be targeting Kingston University and Neighbouring universities.

So what’s the difference between you and a mini cab service?

The differences between myself and minicab services is that I offer really cheap services to students, being a student myself I know how it feels to be exploited by older people and I can related more closely to my customers because I’m a student I also help the student moves their things like I’m doing right now. But the mini Cabs drivers don’t help you move your things so, it’s more customer focused basically.

So how do you plan to balance your studying with you business when semester starts?

This kind of business is seasonal it’s not an everyday thing. And I’m not moving for everyday people I’m just moving for students so, because students only move at the end of semesters I’ll have nothing to do.

So where do you see you business in 5 years time?

In 5 years time I see myself with 5 mini vans (laughter) hopefully, I just see myself doing a lot better than this you know. Serving Brunel Uni and all the neighbouring universities in Kingston.

What’s the overall dream?

The dream is to be as big as Richard Branson to be a major competitor in the market. Who knows Kingmaker Airways Lagos to Heathrow, but yea that’s the dream.

Money or Love?

Love is important you know…. what kind of love are we talking about? (Laughter)

The love for whatever you’re doing, the passion should I say?

Oh yes the passion for what you’re doing .Money is not a good motivator. I’ve driven all around the country it’s the love, I like to drive it’s my hobby and hopefully the love brings money.

So how can people find out about your business?

I have a Blackberry group called Kingmaker transport and i also have a group on Facebook called Kingmaker transport group and you could also find us on Kingmakertransport.blogspot.com

Thanks for your time emmanuel.

The pro’s and con’s of working part time whilst starting your business

Article by: Bobieh Ansah of Flyprints

All entrepreneurs including I have the dream being free.  We’re all free thinkers who have the desire to step out of mediocrity and claim our rightful spots as masters of our universes. (Wow I need 2 stop watching Conan) doing what we want, when we want how we want to do it. FREEDOM (Brave heart accent)

However, it’s not easy especially if we don’t have parents throwing cash at us. The risks are high , you have close people undermining your confidence and you have other responsibilities. Funding is out there but it’s difficult to attain if there aren’t any social aspects to your business. So, most of us will  have to work a part time job whilst launching our businesses. I currently work part time at a supermarket and at times I have seriously considered quitting my job because the I’ve hated it.

The pros

One of the benefits of working part time whilst starting you business is that you can learn things from your job. Waitrose (supermarket) has excellent customer service and whenever a customer has a issues with a product or service Waitrose (supermarket) compensates the customer 9 time out of 10. I unknowingly adopted this trait. I had an issue with a previous customer of mine and responded in a Waitrose fashion.

What happened was I had printed some tops a day before a concert and needless to say I had spelt one of the names wrong.  I found this out at 12pm in the evening so, i had until 4pm the next day to replace the top. (i would also lose my profits and incur a cost). In the end i managed to replace the top (free of charge) and I said i would give her a free top if ever she needed it. This allowed me to protect my company’s (FLYPRINTS) reputation and also generate positive word of mouth.

(Click link to read the article about this particular example http://flyprints.co.uk/blog/flyprints-dances-to-diversitys-beat/)

One of the most obvious Pro’s is receiving financial stability. When you start a business it may not bring you financial returns instantly and you still need an income to live as a result, a part time job allows you survive whilst launching your company in the difficult stages.

You meet people. At my work place almost everybody has a degree or skill so I have access to an a huge pool of resources for example Legal advice, Connections to india, Graphic designers, Film producers and dancers etc. Consequently because I know these people I can get information or services for free or at at a discount.

The cons

One of the major cons of working part time is that it can interfere with your business. Whilst in the process of doing an important job I have had to stop and go to work. This always seems to happen when I have little time to complete the job. Consequently, in these situations I’ve had to rush the job, loose clients and in general miss opportunities.

Because the part time job isn’t my passion it can be so boring. I sometimes feel as though I’m losing my intelligence because I’m not learning anything new. One of the principals I live by it to work to learn not to earn and at my part time job I’m not learning anything new, I’m only in it because it pays the bills.

Tips to help you cope though this difficult stage:

Save your holidays and sick days- At my part time job there are a specific number of times you can call into sick work without getting into trouble. So therefore if I really need to be away from work at a short notice I can call up sick. I know it’s unethical but at desperate times it can be a life line.

Build strong relationships with your managers- A while back I needed time of work and I had used up all my sick days. Because I had a good relationship with my manager I was able to leave early on the condition i would work of the hours another day.

Be friendly with your fellow employees- This should be done naturally and sincerely, when you have a friend at work you have someone who can cover for you.

Do you research- Whilst at my part time job I found out that they subsidies small courses. This meant I was able to take a course related to my business at a fraction of the price.

Complimentary job- Find a part time job that compliments your current business, so you can learn skills that directly apply to your business.

To conclude, at times I hate my part time job and in a perfect world you would spend 100% of my time working on my business however, life is unpredictable and  you need to find happiness in the here and now. I’ve realized that I have made some good friends and had some good times.

HOW DO/DID YOU MANAGE  THIS DIFFICULT STAGE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS?