HOW TO SELL ONLINE with EFE TRENDOZ

 
Online trading is trending, and it has gainfully employed thousands of youths including marketers, advertisers, programmers, web designers, online customer relation experts and so many others like photographers and graphic designers. Many are taking the advantage of this 21^st century platform and making a living out of it and to some; it's dreams coming through.   

This week we bring a new face and a fast rising young entrepreneur; Efemena is a Co-founder of ‘TRENDOZ.'

He is from Delta state and a graduate of University of Benin, Nigeria.

Thanks for being here today Efemena but for the purpose of this interview I will like to call you Efe is that okay by you?

Perfect!

Thank you. Please tell us a bit about your business?

We run a small business called Trendoz. It is an online store so basically it’s about selling stuffs online.

Okay before going further,you used the word “We” so I guess that makes it more than one person involved in the business?

Yes…it is a partnership.

That’s pretty good. So when and how did this online selling started?

It started in 2014, after a little market research, my team and I spotted customers who complained about not getting quality stuffs and needed things from the producers itself outside the country. We instantly decided we would be that bridge.

That sounds to me like grabbing an opportunity?

Yes o... Opportunities come to us one way or the other in life but sometimes we are not just conscious of them. It is good to keep our eyes and minds open to grab opportunities and another important thing is doing your market research; don’t jump into any business without adequate research on that line of business.

What do you sell on your platform?

Gadgets, Clothes, Shoes, Bags, Power banks to keep the list short, we sell basically everything except human parts. Hahaaa….

Laughing…. Am glad you don’t sell human parts, so what inspired you in starting your own online business?

Well... One reason is my desire for success, so when I saw an opportunity staring at my face, I got up and grabbed it. Also  is the fact I don’t really enjoy working under someone, my mum has always been business oriented and assisting her from time to time made me catch the business fever too.

I love the word “Business Fever” laughing….

It is Flavour that is catching cold but for me its business fever.

Amazing Efe... Who are your target customers and what is your major objective to them?

Technically, everyone and Trendoz’s main objective is delivering top quality products at affordable  prices.

One question that comes to mind when I am speaking with upcoming entrepreneurs is how they got their first capital because I know this could really be difficult, please Efe tell us how you got your initial capital?

Okay we got our initial capital through personal savings, business partners and assistance from families who believed in us.
 Businesses at the initial stage are faced with some challenges, share with us some challenges TRENDOZ encountered and how you handled them?

One of the challenges is trust. Consumers especially Nigerians are scared to release their cash to order products online. They prefer to see the product physically before making payments. However, that problem was tackled with "COD, Cash on Delivery". Another challenge was; consumers who will go ahead to order your products and when you deliver, you hear things like “Ha, I didn't know it was working o, I was just testing."  Laughing… so those are just few of the challenges but in all, business keeps going.

It is nice to see that amidst these challenges Trendoz is still growing well and strong. Well-done guys for not giving up.

Oh….thank you

 Efe is Trendoz your first enterprise or have you been involved in some other ventures that did not work, if yes what lesson did you learn from them and how did that help in the success of your recent enterprise?

Well, Trendoz isn’t my first, but rather my first successful enterprise. The lesson I learnt from the previous one was to work with the right team which is exactly what happened with this and here we are.

Shout-out to Trendoz team well done!!!!!

Laughing……. thank you

So how well do you think people have embraced the idea of buying and selling online?

So well, it’s the jet age and people want things delivered to them at light speed all from the convenience of their homes or offices.

For people who desire to start an online business like yours, what are those things needed?

Well… first is a good market research; second is capital, the items/products, platform to sell your products; third is building a good customer relationship and this can be achieved by welcoming feedback from customers, excellent delivery performance and selling quality products. If you can put all these together you will gain the loyalty of your customers easily and quickly.

Thank you Efe please can you share with us the pros and cons of selling online?

Pros: close to 70% of the nation's population make use of the internet, so selling online gives you more edge. It brings you closer to customers. Buyers want to sit in the comfort of their homes or offices and at the click of a button on their device they order an item and want to see the item being delivered to their door steps and I can assure you that this trend will keep increasing as time goes on. For the cons I don’t think there is any apart from trust issues but as a seller if you are able to build the confidence in your customers they will come to trust you over time and I guess everything will be fine.

One thing about selling online is that it could really be difficult to satisfy customers but has Trendoz been able to achieve this?

I will say yes because from customer's feedback I can say we have been able to meet their needs satisfactorily. But of course, we strive to become better.

What is that X-factor that makes you different from your competitors and how do you intend to maintain that edge in the face of competition?

Hahaha....Trade secret....can share that for the right fee though… Lol

Laughing…. Efe you are a real businessman. I guess you will drop you contact info with us after this interview so people can reach you to hear this business secrets
Yes I  shall...Hahaha….

Okay Efe what impact has your enterprise had on you as a person and how has it shaped the way you think and live?

I think it has made me optimistic towards life and given me a proactive mind because you have to keep thinking of problems, how to solve them and how it’s an advantage to the business.

Huh…so how has the enterprise grown overtime?

I would say it has grown well enough, but not gotten there yet. We're still pushing it.

At your Leisure what other things do you engage in?

Nothing really interesting…I just keep reading a whole lot of Tech Stuffs.

I guess that will be interesting to you…. Anyway Efe if there's one place you will like me to take you to where would that be?

Efemena

Emmm….. Bahamas

Bahamas!!!! Efe you’ve got no chill o…

Laughing….. I just answered your question with all sincerity. So when are we going?

Efe we shall see in camera. I want to say a big thank you for sharing your story with us and I really enjoyed myself. On a final note what words will you like to say to young people who also want to start a business like yours?

Think Big, Start Little, Work Smart.

You may contact Efe on the following platforms; 

INSTAGRAM- trendozng.

websites; www.facebook.com/jenuwa or www.konga.com/trendoz.

Once again thank you very much Efe for sharing your entrepreneurial story with us. Please convey our warmest regards to your team. We wish you guys the very best.