Often in business, two are truly better than one. Abodunrin and Oluwawamide Opanuga started their entrepreneurship journey selling personalized greeting cards. They spoke with
Connect Nigeria about how
Greetings World has evolved over time, and what the experience of running a business as a couple is like.
CN: What inspired you to start Greetings World?
AOO: Right from our courtship days, we have always seen greeting cards as a medium to convey and express thoughtful messages to one another. Over time we realized that the messages in these cards had a positive impact on us as individuals and eventually our relationship, so we decided to give other people the platform to convey words of hope, affection and inspiration to those around them.
CN: What exactly are the services your business offers?
AOO: Greetings World is an online personalized gifting platform. The platform started out by selling personalized greetings cards, but now stocks other products such as personalized gifts, gift cards and flowers.
CN: How did you raise capital for the business?
AOO: We raised capital through personal savings.
CN: How does it work? What steps do customers have to take?
AOO: Customers log onto the site and select a store they will like to visit. There are currently two stores on the site; the card store and gift store. Once a product is selected, the customizer page opens up and certain elements can be changed to make the card or gift personalized. After the personalization is done, customers proceed to checkout. Payment can be made online via quickteller or on delivery. The cash on delivery option only applies when the customer is sending the card or gift to his/herself and not directly to their loved one.
CN: What were your biggest challenges starting out?
AOO: One of our biggest challenges would be the uncertainty of whether Nigerians would embrace the concept of personalized gifts, so it was a huge risk for us which eventually turned out well.
CN: How would you rate the customer satisfaction level?
AOO: Customers have been very satisfied. We take time to call our customers to get their feedback and most of them have been positive.
CN: What is your unique selling point and why should Nigerians choose Greetings World over competitors?
AOO: With Greetings World, the fact that customers can personalize the cards and gifts is what makes us unique. Our platform offers customer convenience, flexibility and a wide variety of card designs and with more gifts coming to the platform, it can only get better.
CN: What kinds of gifts do you like to receive?
AOO: Any kind of gift that comes straight from the heart
CN: What is your long-term vision for Greetings World?
AOO: We plan to make Greetings World a one-stop shop for personalized gifts by constantly growing our gift collection and improving our customer satisfaction.
CN: What tips or advice can you share with other Nigerian couples considering entrepreneurship together?
AOO: Owning a business together is like raising a child, so you must be a good communicator with your spouse/business partner; present a united front because how you interact with each other sets the tone for all other office interactions. If you want employees to be friendly with each other and your customers, lead by example. Most importantly, take a break to recharge and strengthen your relationship as a couple and you will both be better on the job. Be a good communicator with your spouse/business partner.
Website: www.greetingsworld.com.ng
Facebook: www.facebook.com/greetingsworld
Instagram: @greetingsworld
Twitter: @greetingsworld_
Click here to contact Greetings World directly
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This article was first published on 3rd March 2015 and updated on November 7th, 2017 at 12:38 pm
jehonwa
Joy Ehonwa is an editor and a writer who is passionate about relationships and personal development. She runs Pinpoint Creatives, a proofreading, editing, transcription and ghostwriting service.
Email: pinpointcreatives [at] yahoo.com
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CN: How did you raise capital for the business?
AOO: We raised capital through personal savings.
CN: How does it work? What steps do customers have to take?
AOO: Customers log onto the site and select a store they will like to visit. There are currently two stores on the site; the card store and gift store. Once a product is selected, the customizer page opens up and certain elements can be changed to make the card or gift personalized. After the personalization is done, customers proceed to checkout. Payment can be made online via quickteller or on delivery. The cash on delivery option only applies when the customer is sending the card or gift to his/herself and not directly to their loved one.
CN: What were your biggest challenges starting out?
AOO: One of our biggest challenges would be the uncertainty of whether Nigerians would embrace the concept of personalized gifts, so it was a huge risk for us which eventually turned out well.
CN: How would you rate the customer satisfaction level?
AOO: Customers have been very satisfied. We take time to call our customers to get their feedback and most of them have been positive.
CN: What is your unique selling point and why should Nigerians choose Greetings World over competitors?
AOO: With Greetings World, the fact that customers can personalize the cards and gifts is what makes us unique. Our platform offers customer convenience, flexibility and a wide variety of card designs and with more gifts coming to the platform, it can only get better.
CN: What kinds of gifts do you like to receive?
AOO: Any kind of gift that comes straight from the heart
CN: What is your long-term vision for Greetings World?
AOO: We plan to make Greetings World a one-stop shop for personalized gifts by constantly growing our gift collection and improving our customer satisfaction.
CN: What tips or advice can you share with other Nigerian couples considering entrepreneurship together?
AOO: Owning a business together is like raising a child, so you must be a good communicator with your spouse/business partner; present a united front because how you interact with each other sets the tone for all other office interactions. If you want employees to be friendly with each other and your customers, lead by example. Most importantly, take a break to recharge and strengthen your relationship as a couple and you will both be better on the job. Be a good communicator with your spouse/business partner.
Website: www.greetingsworld.com.ng
Facebook: www.facebook.com/greetingsworld
Instagram: @greetingsworld
Twitter: @greetingsworld_
Click here to contact Greetings World directly
