“You need self-belief and discipline to execute your vision” | Leading Ladies Africa speaks to Saudat Salami

1. What was the vision behind starting Easyshop Easycook, and how did you come about the name?

When we started in 2005 our vision was to provide exceptional customized services that will make shopping convenient, cooking pleasurable and home keeping manageable for working woman. The idea behind the name is a short explanation of what we do. To make shopping easy, add value by helping with the initial food preparation which will reduce cooking time for the customer thereby making cooking easy. We believe if you shop easy then you can cook easy.

2. You have a rich background in I.T and software development; what were you doing exactly before you started your business?

I don’t have a University degree so I started work very early when I was 21yrs old in Office administration and Business Development. In between work I took time to attend various I. T and management courses and acquired certifications to help me better apply myself in the work place. I am a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist so I also did some in-housetraining for corporate organisations. I worked as a website developer and project manager for a few years from about 2002; which was the beginning of the corporate website boom in Nigeria when websites were being designed with Microsoft FrontPage, NetObjects Fusion etc. I left this in 2005 to start www.easyshopeasycook.com when website development became more interesting with E-commerce.

3. How long have you been in business for, and how has customer response been?

We started operations in October 2005, so we are 10years old. The customer response at inception was very poor because people were not familiar with online shopping and the idea of outsourcing your shopping was foreign to most people. This was a very new industry at the time for both us and the customer. We did not have the luxury of funds for mass marketing so the few satisfied customers we had referred friends and family and this helped us to learn and keep us afloat. In the last 5 years the response has improved and it keeps getting better every day especially now that we have new entrants in the industry. When we started we were about the only company into online grocery delivery, so a lot of time was spent convincing people and gaining their trust. Today so many people are doing it so this has helped made customer acquisition a bit easier.

4. Did you undergo any sort of entrepreneurship training before you started out, and which ones proved most useful?

I am an alumnus of FATE Foundation Aspiring Entrepreneurial Program (2005), EDC’s Certificate for Entrepreneurial Management (CEM) sponsored by Goldman Sachs (2008) and the Vital Voices Grow Fellowship program (2015). I am constantly doing one course or the other to help me be better at what I do every day. All these entrepreneurial programs are very vital and have helped me grow and sustain my business to this point. Almost all of the facilitators at these programs are business owners and not just career lecturers and that is why I value all of them.  Each of them has played a role at different times of my entrepreneurial journey so I would say they have all been very useful to me and I advice all SMEs to consider them. They are very practicable courses that will only be useful to entrepreneurs that are already in business and not those still toying with the idea.

5. How do you source new clients for your business? And how do you get the word out about what you do?

Referral has always been our major way of getting the word out. We have been blessed with satisfied customers that take on the brand ambassador role. Every woman likes to share good news especially if it will help make life easy for her fellow woman. We have recently invested in some social media advertising, and other mobile platforms including SMS. When we are able to, we will consider other forms of mass marketing but this will depend on the capacity/infrastructure we are able to build in-house. There is no use inviting customers when you can not satisfy them.

6. We live in a society where people would rather go to the market; than have things delivered to them. How does your company work around this peculiarity?

This is not peculiar to Nigeria, as people in other developed countries do this as well. In the UK, online grocery spend is worth billions of pounds and it is still less than 10% of the whole grocery retail market. The brick and mortar supermarket is the primary source of shopping for groceries. Lagos state alone has over 15million people; over 3m fit into the working/middleclass bracket, if 10% of them choose to shop online that is a huge market on its own. Shopping is a major inconvenience in Lagos because of traffic, unfriendly/remote markets, inadequate time and low food quality. People will pay for any efficient service that can help them avoid Lagos traffic and save time.

7. Online retailing has grown monumentally in the last couple of years, how has this impacted your business?

It has impacted us positively even though the major funds have gone to the white goods and fashion segment. When we started out in 2005, people did not understand what we were doing and could not relate. Some felt ashamed/guilty using our service as it made them appear lazy. With new entrants in the market space, people have now accepted the culture of outsourcing grocery shopping. It is still in its infancy but with more people in the industry the cost required to put structures in place to ease processing, warehousing, storage, distribution etc will be shared and this is very encouraging. We are getting to the exciting part and Easyshop is ready.

8. What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered, being an entrepreneur?

Infrastructure is our major challenge. The only developed part of agriculture is farming, and even that requires new technology to improve the quality and quantity of yield. There is hardly any food safety standard in the value chain, and that is why a lot of our exports are banned in Europe. Food is expensive because there is a lot of waste in the system; almost 50% of farm produce goes to waste. Waste is high because of the lack of food safety standards, poor farming and post harvest practice, inaccessible farm/market roads, little or no storage facility, inefficient distribution and this is just the fruit and vegetable sector. We still have the fish, meat, chicken sector and their own problems. We have to deal with all of these including all forms of adulteration just to make sure we deliver fresh, high quality, traceable produce to our customers. However, every challenge here goes to show there are various opportunities in this sector besides farming for those willing to come in.

9. What are the three most important lessons you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?              Opportunities are everywhere and they are disguised as problems/challenges. If you can solve the problem and commercialize it then you have a potential business opportunity. Believing in yourself and having the discipline to execute your vision are the most important things. You need a selfish tunnel vision mindset to achieve this.Failure is painful, embarrassing and costly but it happens. Everyone tells you how valuable it is but you only appreciate that after succeeding and looking back at your journey. I bet Thomas Edison wasn’t smiling in the process of failing 10,000 times over the light bulb. I can’t imagine how frustrating he felt. So yes, get ready for this.

10. Your website says it’s the ‘official website for the superwoman,’ can you share more on what this means?

Women are responsible for over 70% of the domestic decisions being made. Men have built their careers successfully because they have outsourced their domestic responsibilities to the women. Now that the women are in politics & the boardroom, culture still demands they take charge of the homes and their husbands’ affairs. No one asks the man about work-life balance but this is the question the average working woman has to answer daily. For a woman to pull this off every day is a feat. Give her a cape, let her stand at akimbo and gaze into the horizon she is definitely a Superwoman. At Easyshop, we know the challenges of the Nigerian working woman and this guides us in how we serve her. Our job is to make her more efficient in every aspect of her life. Food and shopping are very important in her domestic duties and we do our best to assist her in this aspect so she can be more productive in other areas she cannot outsource.

11. The modern woman seems to be doing several things at once; how would you advice she balances things out?

Outsource to the right people so you can do all you want. Life is very short so don’t die with loads of ideas still in your head. The most important thing is for the job to be done properly; if you do it all by yourself then you burn out. Let your money buy you comfort. You don’t need anyone’s permission and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about that. In the old days we had communal living where extended families all chip in during chores. This tradition is fading so women have to learn to outsource and seek help when needed. That is how men get away with it. I doubt Dangote is the one personally running any of his companies or home errands.

12. Let’s talk about women support systems and groups – which ones have been most instrumental to you and how?

Wimbiz has been a very good support system for me. I joined them many years ago. The board and management were like brand ambassadors for Easyshop at the beginning when I was trying to get my bearing about this business. I am very humbled at the way they referred friends, family and businesses to us. They mentored me and took me on like a sister, gave me access to opportunities and valuable feedback that helped grow my business. I have nothing but love for Wimbiz.

13. Name 3 women that you greatly admire, and who inspire you?

Wow that’s tough. So many women have influenced me and can be referred to as my destiny helpers, naming just 3 will be an injustice so I’ll pass on this.

14. Words of advice for upcoming female entrepreneurs?

Female entrepreneurs should see themselves first as entrepreneurs. That gender tag can bring hardship if you keep carrying it around. This is because there is a tendency for you to blame it for any road block or opportunity missed. The women that have mentored me are quick to tell me they got where they are not by playing the gender card but by doing the work. That is not to say gender is not an issue but don’t let it hold you back or don’t use it as a ready excuse for any set back. The gender glass has been shattered, assume this and deal with every challenge as it presents itself and you will be alright.