Entrepreneurs, Startups Receive Up-scaling Strategies from 9mobile

Emma Okonji

9mobile has further reaffirmed its commitment to the growth of SMEs through the hosting of small businesses, start-ups, and budding entrepreneurs at ‘The Hack’, which is its networking and business mentorship initiative.

The Hack initiative took place recently in Enugu, where 9mobile took them through series of strategies and solutions that would help them build their business presence, and upscale.

‘The Hack,’ the first in the series for 2023, is an enterprise mentorship and networking event where seasoned SME mentors, business leaders, growth experts, and facilitators share practical business fundamentals and insights to help SMEs and growing businesses scale up. 

Lead Facilitator and Online Business Coach Nelly Agbogu, also known as ‘NaijaBrandChick, spoke extensively on the topic: ‘How to use social media to grow your business’, and emphasised the importance of social media to the growth of SMEs. “Every business must be on social media to leverage presence and ease of accessibility, to make sales, engage with customers, and generate business leads,” she said. 

Agbogu harped on the choice of social media platforms and knowing the ideal place brands can meet customers, noting that brands must be honest with themselves when making choices of social media platforms to reach their markets. She hinged business success on stability, trust, and intentionality. “I will always tell anybody who cares to listen. To succeed in business, one must be consistent, trustworthy, and intentional about business. If you are not consistent in your actions, you will lose it. So, remain scalable, profitable at every single point in time, and consistent”, she advised.

The Head of Network and IT Procurement at 9mobile, Femi Olaojo, spoke on ‘Negotiating Your Way to Business Growth’, and noted the significance of vendor performance evaluation, cost of ownership, sourcing strategies, and contracting in business. 

The Manager of SME Marketing, 9mobile, Segun Dawodu, spoke on SME Business Automation’, stating how automation can help reduce business costs. “Automation can help you, as an SME, to streamline your processes, increase efficiency, reduce cost, and customer experience,” he said.