ReDahlia is synonymous to business. We have grown the brand to mean business, to exactly what every entrepreneur needs to succeed in their entrepreneurial journey.
When I returned to Nigeria after acquiring a master’s degree in International Business from Hult University, London, it was commonplace for my friends to think that I was the ultimate solution to their career and business problems. They would always come to me asking what business to do. “Florence, what business can I start with N100,000; N500,000; N1m?” “Florence, do you think I should venture into this kind of business?” The questions were endless.
I am always filled with ideas, and per my custom, I would always pitch a business idea or two to them, always wowing them. And at some point, I would say, “You can do more research on the idea and develop it. Just google it.” But the responses would go: “Google what? You’d only see all these oyibo ideas that cannot be applied to our clime and peculiar circumstances.”
So, I took out time to find out myself. What I found was surprising yet interesting. I did not find a website that was tailored to business solutions; most were either focused on entertainment or gossip. The ones about business had been watered down by politics.
Therefore, I started ReDahlia.com, a solution center to entrepreneurs. At the time, I had a 9-to-5 and would only write at night before I went to bed. I sent the first ever article I wrote (The Difference Between Treasury Bills And Fixed Deposits; What Banks Will Not Tell You) to my best friend for editing. His feedback reassured me that I was on the right path. We then went recruiting for business writers – entrepreneurs writing for entrepreneurs. For instance, we had a health category supplied content by a doctor. When a doctor who runs his own business tells you how to take care of your health, you wouldn’t argue with him, now would you? I thought as much! Our tech category was penned by a digital expert running a technology company.
ReDahlia.com existed for one purpose – to provide solutions to entrepreneurs. It was a breath of fresh air to them. To find business information, say, the type of business one could do and how to do it, one only had to go to the platform and it was there.
As a business founder, you should never be complacent. We needed to meet our online readers physically to interact with them. We needed to know if we were doing enough to fulfil their needs. Was there more we could do? What were the challenges as entrepreneurs? These and many more were the questions we had. And we wanted answers.
To get the answers, we hosted one of the biggest networking events in Lagos – The Network. The Network was a gathering of aspiring, budding and established entrepreneurs. The aim was to network, learn and get entertained. Over 200 entrepreneurs across Nigeria were gathered at Oriental Hotels on the 16th of September 2016 for an evening of learning and networking. As I mounted to give my opening speech that evening, I was humbled to say the least; watching from the podium as business owners across different industries sat to listen to my speech. I was more trilled by the caliber of guest speakers. We had Paul Ananaba (SAN), Nkemdilim Begho and Gossy Ukanwoko. New businesses were birthed that evening as cards were exchanged.
The objective was fulfilled and we even got a bigger gift – answers to the questions that bothered us (the core problem of entrepreneurs in Nigeria was power supply and an inefficient internet service). If entrepreneurs could have these two, they would achieve more.
Armed with this information, we ventured on a journey, a journey that gave birth to ReDahlia Workspaces. ReDahlia Workspaces is a co-working facility located at 43B Emina Crescent off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos. Pictures do not do justice to the beauty that ReDahlia Workspaces radiates; a tour will convince you. Someone walked in to our space a time and exclaimed, “This is the Island of the Mainland! Why will I be going to the Island?”
ReDahlia Workspaces paved the way for us to achieve our vision of being a solution centre to entrepreneurs. We sat down as a team and said to ourselves that we are not just the solution centre to entrepreneurs, we have to set a goal that is bigger than us. We are everything to the entrepreneur!
Once we decided on that, we then asked how we could be of help to entrepreneurs? How can we serve them and guide them on their entrepreneurial journey? Part of the criteria for having a space at ReDahlia Workspaces is providing CAC documents for the business. When all is verified, acceptance is gained as member of ReDahlia Workspaces. But many times when folks came to sign up for a space at ReDahlia, they complained of the difficulty in registering their businesses with the government. Tales are told of how it takes “forever” to complete the process with the relevant public agencies.
As a forward-thinking company, we swung into action, worked on the turnaround time and price for business registration (registration of business names, limited liability companies and trademark). ReDahlia is now known as a place where business owners can register their businesses not minding share capital and we have a team of lawyers in our employ.
It was at the same period that we acquired Entrepreneurs.ng – a brand name that defines all we are and aim to achieve. It is a platform where we tell the stories of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Our voices need to be heard! There has been a lot of misrepresentation of who we are as a country and people. We are Nigerians, we are resilient and we work too hard to be ignored! The vision for Entrepreneurs.ng is clear – tell the stories of entrepreneurs and help them do business right.
Are you doing something amazing in your industry and you want the world to hear it? Write us a mail at contact@redahlia.com or call 08188122223 and we will tell that story together. At Entrepreneurs.ng, we also showcase opportunities like sponsorship, funding and scholarship opportunities. Always be on the look out for these opportunities. Subscribe to receive our content daily. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity that will launch you and your business to higher levels.
Getting to the stage we are at right now did not happen in a flash. It came with its fair share of challenges, costly mistakes and lessons. A saying goes: Do not despise the wisdom of a traveler; a traveler is wiser than a grey-haired man. We have travelled and we have conquered.
The experience gained from our journey is what we teach at The Business Clinic. The Business Clinic is a mini business school where we teach business owners how to do business right. The first edition happened in November 2018 and the testimonies have been overwhelming. The next edition was held on the 27th of June 2019. I discussed Sales and Customer Mastery; Delighting Your Customers.
We are where we are because we have mastered the art of selling and making our customers happy. Our clients keep coming back and word of mouth has done wonders for us. They keep referring people to us and this has kept our advertising spend to a minimum.
We have worked so hard on the background on purpose to build a formidable structure and a company that will outlive us. It is now time for us to debut it to the world.
By the way, I have been getting a lot of calls from clients who follow us across social media. They plead for us to put them through completing their Instagram promotions. They are either having payment challenges or they don’t know the right button to click to complete the paid promotions. I realized that I cannot answer all the queries and there is not enough time to continue to put everyone through. So, I wrote a book: DIY: A Practical Guide To Running Instagram Ads.
Covid-19 happened and it turned out to be a blessing to us as an organisation. We thought deeply about ways we can create impactful value to our audience who one way or the other was affected by the pandemic. So, we started a series of “How-Tos”; how to start different businesses. We went to work and researched the most profitable business you can start and this resulted in the creation of 35 Booming Business Ideas And Step-by-step Guides To Start Them. Our resources will help you start, market, and grow a sustainable business. You can get our resources in our shop.
I am Florence Chikezie, the founder of ReDahlia – the brand that houses ReDahlia Workspaces, Entrepreneurs.ng, and The Business Clinic.
I am a strategy consultant, coach, business trainer, author, editor and investor.
I am an alumna of Hult International Business School, London with working experience in several business environments.
My forte is developing and executing businesses to profitability. This I have achieved with Chotex, ReDahlia and Entrepreneurs.ng. This practical knowledge is what I bring to the table when consulting with small businesses.
I am also a rounded person and I love and I am loved. I am an adventure seeker and a risk taker.
Thank you all. It is high time we told our stories.
Let’s create visibility for your brand and put your business on the world map. Contact us today to make your brand the preferred choice for our audience of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
