In this interview, he talks about Swift Delivery and his foray into entrepreneurship.
Tell us a little about yourself
I am Isoko Walter Jnr, co-founder/MD of Swift delivery. I am also a business developer, a self trained digital marketer. I was born and raised in Benin city. I studied Mathematics and Statistics at Ambrose Alli University, Edo state, Nigeria. I am passionate about developing businesses, creating job opportunities and helping Nigerian start-ups achieve strong market presence online
Tell us about Swift Delivery and what you’re offering?
Swift Delivery Nigeria, is an online food ordering/delivery platform that connects you to thousands of restaurants/fast foods online, where customers can easily order food from their favorite restaurants in their city and we deliver it to them. Ordering is very easy. All you have to do is visit the website, swiftdelivery.com.ng or download the mobile app on Google play store; Choose your favorite restaurants in your city, browse through the menus and select the food you want, then place your order. You receive a call confirming your orders. You wait, we deliver and you pay. It’s that easy
What motivated you to begin an online food delivery service?
Food is the most basic way for humans to connect and in the digital age there is a craving for that kind of contact. With platforms like Swift Delivery, people can actually connect with more fast foods. We saw it working in other countries so we decided to bring it down here. We also saw it as a means of creating more job opportunities.
Why did you choose to cater for Southern Nigeria?
Ecommerce in Nigeria is still very young and I believe people really need to embrace the trend. There’s also a large market here, it’s time more people know about things like this. It’s time to create a new reality over here.
Being the first food delivery service in southern Nigeria, how has the response been from residents?
So far, the response has been quite impressive. They actually love the platform because its new to them. We are also working on educating the market about e-commerce. So the response is very great.
What was kicking-off like? How were you able to secure funds to set the business rolling?
We launched the platform in December 2016. Starting the platform wasn’t easy, considering the current economic issues. But we were able to put things in place And get things moving. The platform is currently self funded.
What parts of southern Nigeria do you currently deliver to, and what are your plans for expansion?
We are currently in Edo state, Enugu and Delta state. In the next six months we would be in other six(6) states. Talking about an online platform that brings your local food produce at your fingertips, it would help consumers purchase/buy foodstuff, beverages and agricultural products online and we deliver it to them. The platform would allow you buy at the producer/factory price which is cheaper than market or retail price. So we will open up our local farmers to the foreign market, as we gear towards being an online platform were you can get cheap, fresh and quality agricultural products.
Tell us a little about your entrepreneurship experience so far
It’s been great. I have failed a lot, but I don’t see it as failure. Swift is actually the Third company I am building, the first one failed. Failing was not a good experience but one very important thing about it is getting the opportunity to learn. I strongly believe there’s a lot ahead.
What do you consider the gains and challenges of being an entrepreneur?
Believe me, there is a lot of gains and challenges. But one thing I would say is, you actually get the opportunity to create your own reality. That’s something unique about entrepreneurs, and yes there would be challenges, too numerous to mention, but at the end the reward is larger and it’s totally worth it.
One word for people who are considering going into entrepreneurship
One word? I would say “dominate” what ever you find yourself doing, dominate. One word isn’t actually enough. Entrepreneurs need to know the truth. If you are an entrepreneur then you are a blessing to this world, because you have what it takes to transform and impact lives. Yes, hard times would come, you are going to face challenges, you are going to feel like quitting but if truly it is what you want to do, then go for it, because nobody is going to do it for you.
