Entrepreneurs should get their businesses on social media —Pacheco

http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/en/component/k2/item/16168-entrepreneurs-should-get-their-businesses-on-social-media-%E2%80%94pacheco.html

• Written by  Ruth Olurounbi
• Monday, 08 July 2013 00:00

Olushola Pacheco is the founder and CEO of Whoot Africa. She works on one of the principles of Belva Davis, which states that “don’t be afraid of the space between your reality, if you can dream it, you can make it.”  This principle is what has kept her going in spite of daily challenges. In this chat with RUTH OLUROUNBI, Pacheco speaks on why entrepreneurs need the social media as a marketing tool.
Let’s talk a bit about you, your growing up and your background generally.
My name is Olushola Pacheco and I am the founder/CEO of Whoot Africa. I am a business graduate from the University of Wales; I have a postgraduate diploma and a master’s degree in view in Strategic Management and Leadership.
I am in my late twenties, born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria; I am the fourth child and first daughter in a family of six.  Growing up, I always loved the idea of being an accountant, even though I excelled in accounting, my real passion was towards marketing and strategic management and until recently, business analysis.
I love to read inspirational books and stories of great men and women who have defied all odds to get to the peak of their chosen careers, I also love to write fictional stories, some of which have been published by popular websites in Nigeria. I believe in the power of possibilities and limitless dreams.

What’s whootafrica.com all about?
Whoot Africa is an internet marketing/ brand advocates service company created to help promote new, upcoming and established brands, as well as promote customer care services in the African region, with initial focus on Nigeria. The main aim of Whoot Africa is to bring to light the tremendous services springing up every day in Africa, especially in Nigeria. It was an amazing and eye opening experience for me getting to know about these various business ventures outrivaling and competing on international platforms despite the many odds against their operational processes. Whoot Africa is about looking for the beauty and the positivity of the African brand.

Why the name Whoot Africa?
Whoot is a British slang for an interjection of happiness; I wanted to showcase the joy and positivity streaming out of Africa through great minds and talents.

When did you start it and why did you?
Whoot Africa actually started in (2008) when I used to be a blogger, but the idea just wasn’t lifting off, so I decided to leave it in my head (Laughing) and there it stayed non-operational for 5years, I had the idea to showcase businesses, but then the internet wasn’t what it is today.  So I brushed the idea aside and left it dormant. Sometime this year, I was going through a phase where I felt unfulfilled and things weren’t moving in the direction I wanted them to, and then I had that Eureka moment again, the restlessness from having this idea became too much to bear and thought to try again.
I started again and officially launched the website this year. I started Whoot Africa as a result of my early years in the marketing industry in Nigeria; I worked as a freelance marketer in outdoor sales and promotions with contracting companies representing Glaxo Smithkline and Starcomms while waiting for my university admission.

What were you doing before starting your company?
Before Whoot Africa, I worked marketing jobs and then went on to study for my degree.

Was it exciting and lucrative?
Oh sure, being able to talk your head off and make a sale at the end of the day was truly fulfilling, started working at 17. I love marketing and the ability to change someone’s mind about a product or brand.  Lucrative and quite fulfilling!

So why did you leave that to start your company?
Whoot Africa is a dream, a life changing experience for me. Being able to write out a plan and carry it out to the minutest  of details has to be more fulfilling than anything else, knowing this is something you are doing for yourself and you are working along to a project you have come to love and enjoy.
The emails you get from business owners thanking you for a few more customers as a direct result of them being showcased on Whoot Africa are inspiring enough for me, as well as business owners patronizing other business services advertised on the same platform as theirs, makes for a great feeling of intrinsic reward.
I understand it is a free service website, why are you not charging a fee?
Well, I realised making money from the word go was the easiest way to frustrate the vision I had of building a marketing/branding service. I had doubts about Whoot Africa; to be honest I wasn’t sure it was going to work out, as of May 15, I had only seven brands to showcase, and I had no clue where it was going to go from there. I launched, and in less than 2hours, I was sitting in front of my computer crying because I had no clue the response was going to be that fantastic. If I had any doubts it sure evaporated at that point, that moment encouraged me and further intensified my resolve to step it up.
With regards to monetising, we have affordable advert banners on the website, which we plan to charge for, as well as running a few sponsored posts. Whoot Africa is also hopeful to find one or two corporate sponsors to keep us going, but as a growing business, we understand showcasing these businesses for free meant we also had a chance to make an impact on businesses still finding their footing.

What kind of brands/companies do you featured?
We feature every brand across every sector, as long as your business is genuine and you are offering a service. We will showcase it.

How does a brand/company get featured?
We contact the businesses we find interesting, and we are also contacted by prospective businesses who find us worthy to showcase their brands.
We encourage businesses to take a look around www.whootafrica.com  and then get back to us via  email at whootafrica@whootafrica.com  or info@whootafrica.com  with the necessary business information and then we proceed to ask specific questions based on the business line, if we are unsure we hold out until certain changes are made, for instance businesses with websites who don’t use personalised email addresses are often advised to personalise their email addresses so as to be sure they are affiliated to such domains. We have been extremely lucky as most of the businesses we advised about doing that all did.

What has the experience been like, since you started?
The experience has been priceless; I stand for the positivity of the African Brand so I won’t complain. I have had eureka moments and I have also had moment that brought out the vulnerable side of me as person.  I have had brands pull out of being showcased because their competitors were showcased on our platform; I have also met some lovely people along the way whose inestimable support has kept me going. Whoot Africa is not exclusive to any brand or industry, well, the cheque will have to be in multiples for us to do that (laughing) but for now we represent all.

What is the one thing you have learnt from this journey so far?
Not be afraid of the space between your dreams & reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. Starting out is the hardest, you will be challenged and sometimes hit the wall and all you just want to do is give up, but as long as you have a support system with the right people in your life, you can make anything happen.
If you have a dream that you intend to work on, get on social media, (Twitter) be nice and you will attract the right people who will give you priceless business advice without even knowing they are doing so. Social media is an open university without the fees. Social media works!

Who are your biggest inspirations?
Without hesitations, my Dad! My dad is my biggest inspiration and supporter, and on the business scene, the likes of Tony Elumelu, Folorunso Alakija, Oprah Winfrey and Funmi Iyanda.

What are your projections for the future?
I hope to make it the ‘go to’ website when in need of African brands, get more brands outside of our current reach and showcase more brands within the continent. Lastly, Whoot Africa starts to pay its own bills.