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I sat down with problem solver Seclot VET co-founder Olasunbo Atekoja to discuss how she is building the footprint of Nigeria through address verification.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Olasunbo Atekoja and I am  a co-founder of Seclot VET. I graduated with a degree in business Administration and Management 8 years ago. I have worked as an assistant supervisor with a fast food outlet, cash consultant with a Lagos state hospital and I am currently a country manager at Seclot.

I spend my free time listening to music, going on road trips and spending quality time with my family.

What do you feel are your biggest achievements?

My biggest achievement is having overcome the fear of moving from paid employment to self employment, makin the leap to from regular income and structured work t the uncertainties of entrepreneurship such as business regulatory acts and stiff competitions.

What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur is having the power to dictate how I spend my time, which allows me time to care for my household as well as the vastly available networking opportunities with other businesses and entrepreneurs.

What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder?

The first and major challenge I faced as a founder is managing the team, some of the vetters are older men who find it difficult taking orders from a younger female and thus questioned my credibility as a manager, which is frustrating.

Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer.

Seclot Vet is building the footprint of Nigerians one step at a time leveraging physical address and identity verification. 

We carry out employee verification, guarantor verification, NIN verification, driver’s license verification, Voters card verification, NUBAN verification and BVN verification. We perform physical address verification to confirm the authenticity of the information you’ve received from people you are working with in a seamless and effective manner. After using technological best practices to keep tabs on people we verify for our clients, we also provide after service support for them.

You can learn more about us by visiting our website at https://vet.seclot.com/, you can also follow our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/seclotdotcom/. You may also direct enquiries to  vet@seclot.com.

How did you come up with the name for your company?

Considering the state of insecurity in the country, we created a company that could reduce this insecurity by  ensuring there is enough data for security outfits. We needed the name of the company to sound reassuring to our clients,  hence the name Seclot which literally means Security for the Lot.

How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry?

We have carved a niche for Seclot VET by ensuring we are registered as a security technology company. We do not only verify addresses and identity, we keep a repository of data which can be used to track the footprint of people over a period of time.

Where do you see your business in the next 5 years?

In 5 years time, we have a vision to have built the footprints of over 10 million Nigerians leveraging physical address verification.

What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business?

The most significant thing we did in growing our business was to increase our customer base to 1,600 while also applying to accelerator programs to scale up the business.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

The top 3 skills needed by any entrepreneur are marketing, people management, and bookkeeping. Entrepreneurs should invest their time in these activities (acronym KEN):

Knowledge – research on your industry and best practices;

Exposure – start marketing early and get feedback from potential customers and;

Network – meet with people that are in your field or related field.

What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-toNday busy schedule?

The trick I have discovered is that I have control only over myself and my actions, so I don’t get unnecessarily worked up over other people’s behaviors. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I go to my place of relaxation.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community?

The best advice I would love to share is “If you want to go fast, move alone; if you want to go far, move with a crowd”.

 

Olasunbo is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program preparing Seclot VET to build the footprint of Nigeria.

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