You may remember Theodore as one of our After School Academy graduates. You may also remember him as a graduate of our A2S Scholar program. Theodore received a degree in Social Work at the University of Benin City. After not finding the opportunity to work following his graduation, Theodore took matters into his own hands through entrepreneurship. Having picked up tailoring through the years and realising his passion and eye for design, Theodore applied for a grant through A2S to start his business: Terrera Apparel. Since his business has become a success, Theodore has continued to be an active member of the A2S community. We asked Theodore about his experience with the Entrepreneur Empowerment Program (EEP) Community. Here is some of what he had to say:
What does the EEP community mean to you?
The EEP community is an online platform that enables smaller businesses and business owners to acquire essential prerequisites to start, manage, grow and scale their businesses. We get to break down complex business principles. Session leaders share real-life experiences, testimonials, mistakes, personal models and strategies that are proven to be effective so that those who are aspiring to own a business or those who intend to scale up can learn from them. I see the EEP community as part of my extended family.
What do you intend to do with the support you are getting from the community?
Since the inception of the EEP community online, I have been implementing business models and strategies where applicable in my business. I have seen significant improvements in my business since I started utilising data from the community.
What is your big goal for the year for your business?
My goal for my business is to expand. This expansion process isn’t a year’s achievement. However, the expansion process has been broken down into short and long term goals. I haven’t accomplished all short term goals yet, but I can attest to a significant leap, and I am happy about that.
Which of the sessions was most impactful to you?
One of the most impactful sessions with the community was a session anchored by Mr. Upgrade on building your own company culture. A key take-home from that session is using the TIME model to form your company’s culture. TIME is an acronym that stands for; Time, Intentionality, Mindset, Excellence.
