- Name: Aighangbe Favour Gabriel
- Business: SoloChat
- Location: undisclosed
- Website: SoloChat.me
A Visionary Approach to Communication by Aighangbe Favour Gabriel
In our 'Entrepreneur of the Week' series, we're thrilled to feature Aighangbe Favour Gabriel, the driving force behind SoloChat. His entrepreneurial journey is a compelling tale of turning a personal need into a groundbreaking business idea.
Aighangbe's adventure with SoloChat didn't start in a conventional office or a boardroom, but rather during a bus journey. It was here, amidst the hum of everyday life, that he encountered a situation familiar to many: the hesitation to start a conversation with a stranger. This moment of personal challenge sparked an idea that would eventually lead to the creation of SoloChat. With an aim to enhance user messaging experiences, SoloChat was conceived to solve problems not addressed by existing communication software.
Identifying this unique market need was the cornerstone of SoloChat's inception. Aighangbe, a naturally quiet and reserved individual, recognized his difficulty in initiating conversations in random places as an opportunity. He saw the potential for a business that could make such interactions seamless and less daunting, thus filling a significant gap in the communication industry.
In the initial stages, like many startups, securing funding was a challenge for SoloChat. Aighangbe tackled this hurdle by breaking down the company's goals into smaller, more achievable tasks that could be accomplished without significant investment. This strategic approach allowed the company to progress steadily, even in the face of financial constraints.
When it came to building his team, Aighangbe focused on finding individuals who shared his objective-driven vision and could see the long-term potential of the company. His advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to seek co-founders who can enhance and expand the company's vision beyond one's own capabilities.
The future of SoloChat is ambitious and global. Aighangbe envisions creating an ecosystem that enables people worldwide to interact easily, regardless of their location. The commitment to continuous improvement and prioritizing essential features will remain central to achieving this goal.
For Aighangbe, the essence of entrepreneurship is rooted in resilience and the freedom to bring any imaginable idea to life. His journey has taught him that starting a business, even with an incomplete vision, can clarify and refine one's objectives along the way. Entrepreneurship has not only equipped him with invaluable skills but also fostered significant personal growth.
Aighangbe's story with SoloChat is not just about starting a business; it's about understanding user needs and relentlessly striving to meet them. His journey exemplifies the transformative power of entrepreneurship and the impact of addressing everyday challenges with innovative solutions.
Discover more about SoloChat and Aighangbe's journey at SoloChat, and stay tuned for more inspiring stories from our 'Entrepreneur of the Week' series.
Full interview below 👇
What motivated you to start your company and how did you begin your entrepreneurial journey?
What motivated me to start SoloChat, was knowing I could solve the problem that other communication softwares couldn't solve with SoloChat. Initially I started the idea has a side project that replicated what the existing market was currently doing. Then one time I was on a bus, traveling and I came across a fellow passenger, and I asked myself, how do I start a conversation with this person if I was nervous. And there I realised there was a niche in this industry, and problems that could solved with SoloChat, to improve experiences like this, that products in this industry don't solve, or haven't known yet that it needs solving. I started working on the mission to improve user messaging experience through SoloChat. My entrepreneurial journey though didn't start with this SoloChat, my journey has an entrepreneur started in 2019, when I joined cofound a startup with a course mate in school. To build a social community that connects business owners to their customers.
Identifying a market need is crucial for any business. Can you share the story behind discovering the market opportunity that led to your business idea?
It started with the beginning where I was a victim, I wanted to start a conversation with someone, but I'm normally a quiet and reserved person I don't find it easy starting a conversation sometimes in random places with random strangers. And there I found myself in a situation like this, and I realised there was an opportunity here, for a business that solves a problem like this, and that became the first feature that trademarked the birth of our business and the direction to which the vision of our startup is pivoted towards. Communication is an ever growing industry, and there's always a market there has there would always be a need for people to interact.
Starting a company often involves overcoming obstacles. Could you tell us about a significant challenge you faced during the early stages of your company and how you navigated through it?
When we were starting the company one of the challenges we faced, was receiving funds from early stage investors. How we navigated through it to push the company forward, was to prioritise our objectives into smaller pieces, and work on those pieces that didn't require investors.
Building a strong team is essential for success. What qualities were you looking for when assembling your founding team, and what advice do you have for others in this regard?
I prioritise on objective founders, cofounders who can see the objective of a company and envision how this objectives could grow in the long run. My advice to other founders is when choosing cofounders, prioritise on founders who can push the vision of your company much further than you can.
Looking ahead, what's the long-term vision for the company? How do you plan to continue innovating and making an impact in your industry?
We want to establish an ecosystem where people can interact easily no matter where they are in the world. And we are going to do this by constantly improving, and prioritising on features that we believe are essential to improve user messaging experience.
What is the most important skill for an entrepreneur to have?
Resilience
What motivates you to be an entrepreneur?
What motivates me to be an entrepreneur is the freedom to create anything I can imagine
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business?
Just start even though you don't have it all formed up yet, the journey makes the vision clearer.
How has entrepreneurship impacted your life?
For me being an entrepreneur has exposed me to skills that could have taken me years to learn.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about entrepreneurship?
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