From a high paying job at IBM to setting up an online market place for service providers in Nigeria, growing up he nurtured the idea of creating something people will use someday. He is Rabiu Musah, CEO Asuqu.com

Tell us about yourself and what you do?

I’m Rabiu Musah, the CEO and founder of Asuqu.com, an online place for people to buy and sell services and hire talent.

At Asuqu.com you come and buy services online. We are focused on creative-like services, such as make-up, photography etc. because we realized that there are issues with getting quality services at an affordable rate. We provide quality talent for people who need their services. It has been fun and rewarding for our service providers, some of them have made a career out of what we are doing. Customers have been responding well.

 How did Asuqu start?

It started two years ago when I realized that there was a need for African products to be sold outside the continent.  We came up with Asuqu, an efik word which means “market day for a new born’’. We got Asuqu from Asuquo. We wanted something that people will relate with as African and along the line we had to pivot services. We also considered the statistics of Nigeria which produces close to 2 million graduates every year with jobs barely enough to reach less than 200,000, which is about 10% of the people going into the labour force every year. Again there is a pool of other guys close to 20 million SMES looking to get something done, companies with less than 250 employees.

There are so many of them in the country having issues with talent, human resources, efficiency etc.  Now, there is a disconnect between the service providers and people who actually need their services and there has to be a platform to connect these people (services providers and customers). The people providing these services at Asuqu.com are freelancers, young adults between ages 18-35.

When did Asuqu.com kick off?

It kicked off on the 2^nd of April 2014 as an online community where people can showcase their talent, upload portfolios, like their portfolios and like other people’s portfolios. Some months ago we felt there is a need to empower these people, not just celebrating their talent but also making money from their own talent. We started a market place in October 2015 for the public.  Aside from uploading products on the platform, they can sell their services on the platform.

Why something like this?

The entrepreneurial spirit lives in me. I have always wanted to do something of my own, solve problems. Each time I see people transacting on the platform I get so happy because I am able to solve someone’s problem. The labour force is very competitive and not everyone is out there to look for a job. I left IBM to start my own job. If I can create a platform for some people out of over two million graduates yearly, empowering them to be financially independent, it’s a great joy. Like the saying goes “don’t think of what your country can do for you, but think of what you can do for your country’’.

We need to raise business leaders; we need to raise young entrepreneurs that will create jobs for people, that way we can add to the GDP and economic growth of the country.

How does the business operate?

We are a team of 5 young people presently, passionate about what we are doing. We have an office in Ilupeju, Lagos. For every service advertised and sold on our platform, we charge a commission fee from the service provider. When you come as a service provider, we interview you to know the kind of service you provide.  You have to go through our interview before we can allow you sell your service on our platform.

What are the goals/ visions of the business?

To be the platform where people can do business safely in a convenient manner. We want to be the leading market place in Africa where people can come and search for talent. We are looking to get there because we are not there yet.

How did you get funds to start?

Right from day one till one, we have been bootstrapping.  I started with personal funds and savings I had from my previous job at IBM and as a freelancer. It’s still what we are using to run the business till today. We are doing transactions on the platform which means customers are coming in and we are getting our commission cuts which we have been reinvesting in the company so far.

How can one start this business?

You don’t really need any training to do this but you need to learn how to build an online community, how to build and manage a website.  You need to have some experience in this this industry before starting. You need to know the pros and cons of it. You need to know the starting phase, how to operate a double-sided market with a goal in mind.

You need to know what to do first – are you getting the service providers first or the customers? If you have customers, service providers will come but if you don’t have customers, service providers won’t come and vice versa.

You need to understand the operational model you want to use so you can know where you should start from.

It is not an off the shelf operational model, what works for Mr. A might not work for Mr. B.  You need to have an online community first to engage people and then look at generating revenue for the guys on the platform.

You can partner with someone who has the experience to manage an online market place. It depends on your strength.  Find someone that will compliment your weakness. If you are sales person, you need to get a tech person and vice versa.

You need to identify your strengths and weaknesses; you need to know your numbers, basic business skills.

How do you pay your staff?

GOD has been our help all the way. We have been using savings to cover our expenses. Our transactions also help to cover for basic expenses. Salaries have been from bootstrapping, my personal wallet. Basically I pay them from my pocket.

What Marketing Strategies Do You Use?

We identify our customers, show them value that we can do the work. We haven’t done elaborate advertising like billboard, TV, radio. We use social media.  Again referrals have been very useful.

Did you have any experience?

I was actually the founder of two defunct start-ups. E2where.com and Ighalo (a Wikipedia page for African personalities). So I have some level of experience which I brought to this new one.  I have been selling things as a child even up to high school. I have done some business alongside schooling and after school I had to start some business.

What was your first business idea?

I started my first company at 19, E2where.com. I was very naïve but it’s worthwhile now because when I look back I know where I missed a point.  Now, I know the point where the mistakes were and can’t repeat them. E2where .com got to a product stage, it was a market place for people to buy and sell things like shoes, bags but we didn’t get the model right and funding was another issue.  People went their ways and I had to just dissolve it.

What’s the best piece of advice you have gotten from anyone?

To be a good salesman, you need to be on the street, you are not different from the guy selling gala on the street, and don’t think you are there yet. Don’t show off. You need to keep hustling, remember where you are going is not a destination; it is a journey, so there is no end point.

How do you use social media?

We post content, we do Facebook targeted ads and it has been working fine. We use Facebook, twitter, instagram etc.

How do you find inspiration?

If a customer buys on our platforms, that’s inspiration for me. Adding value and solving problems for our customers inspires me.

What are Challenges you have encountered?

It is very challenging, for example, managing people. The difficult thing about anything you would ever do is to manage people. Dealing with people, dealing with customers, keeping to time and time management. Human resources is a big challenge, identifying and managing talent, satisfying customers are challenging.

What are the Opportunities?

The opportunities are enormous. We can’t say where or when because opportunities come every day and we are taking them as they come. If you are able to build a large database for service providers and customers, you are going to be a market leader. The population of Nigeria is also something we can tap into.

Realities of the business

You spend more time outside than on your computer. The day you launch that’s the day your time on the computer begins to drop. You should put more time to getting sales for your customers, how your business will survive and building relationships. You need to go outside because that’s where the real stuff is, not on your computer. First you need to love it before you start, because there are times you wake up and don’t feel like doing anything.

There are times you go to bed hungry because there is no money anywhere.

The startup life is like a roller coaster ride. You need to keep enjoying it even when you look at your bank account and it’s red.  You need to keep the goal in mind, believing it’s going to be eventually rewarding and be humanitarian about it.

When we close a deal, we celebrate it, because we have been able to pay someone and someone’s happy.

Childhood ambition…

I wanted to be a pilot, then a mechanical engineer. Growing up, I have also wanted to do something of my own, something that people will use someday, not just about the money.

What are the Future plans for Asuqu.com?

To cover Nigeria for the next two years. By 2019, our plan is to be in 8 countries.  We are presently in two countries; Nigeria and Rwanda. The one in Rwanda is presently shut down for some reasons but we would soon re-launch.

We plan to move into more countries in Africa and the Middle East. For the Rwanda annex, I had to travel to Rwanda, spent 90 days setting up and finding the right team to manage the business. We got the team based on referrals and previous work they have done. Nigeria is our primary market and priority.

Given the chance to start again, what would you do differently?

We usually get this idea that we shouldn’t focus on the money and that’s fine, but the truth is if you don’t have money you won’t survive.  I will focus on generating revenue for our service providers from the start as opposed to trying to impress with ideas. The service providers will be the main focus because the market place is for transaction.

Photo source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjmusah

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