A better opportunity—LIFT provides mentorship and capital for small businesses

The LIFT Program, which provides coaching and capital opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs across Nigeria, has announced its call for applications to entrepreneurs who would like to join the next cohort. 

Given the state of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, LIFT, the growth accelerator program for Nigerian MSMEs, has been enabling entrepreneurs with knowledge, capital, and coaching around business strategy, operations, and growth. 

Following the last program cohort which accepted 250 entrepreneurs to participate in the program, Softcom, the technology company behind LIFT, hosted a few of its Executive Coaches. These coaches—top business executives and industry leaders— were hosted to a small, intimate event at the Softcom headquarters.

Conversations held during the event were geared towards the progress and impact of the last LIFT cohort, as well as plans for the future, as well as testimonials from two coaches: Ms. Chika Nwogu, Head, Strategy Management Office, Remita, and Mr. Jonathan Ikeolumba, Managing Partner, Officelord Consulting Services.

When asked about why they joined the LIFT program as coaches, Ms. Nwogu explained that coaching budding entrepreneurs and giving back to the entrepreneur community is very needful; it is now critical for more experienced entrepreneurs and executives to look back and help younger individuals. She further added that she is still very much in touch with two of the entrepreneurs who were matched to her in the last cohort and that one of them recently utilized the knowledge obtained from LIFT coaching sessions to apply for business funding, and got it. 

Mr. Jonathan Ikeolumba echoed her statements, noting how he’s been looking for opportunities to help entrepreneurs. He aims to impact 1,000+ entrepreneurs by the end of 2022, and LIFT is a great way to do this. He added that he is very impressed by the vetting process that LIFT puts into coach recruitment, and that he looks forward to adding more value in the next cohort.

Also present were former beneficiaries of the just concluded cohort (aka LIFTians), who shared their post-cohort experiences. One of the participants in attendance was Yetunde Olakunbi Adedipe, the CEO of Odu Fashion; a Nigerian men’s wear brand, specializing in the design of Kaftans and Agbada, gift boxes, and custom orders. Yetunde Olakunbi Adedipe placed second in the LIFT Pitch Day competition, which availed her a grant of 750,000 naira. 

According to statistics from a recent study by Score, mentored businesses are 12% more likely to remain in business after one year compared to the national average. Over 80% of entrepreneurs in the last cohort experienced an 80% revenue increase. With a program satisfaction rating of 4.88/5, LIFT tops the chart as one of the leading small business accelerator programs, offering hands-on coaching from top business executives, which is transforming businesses in Africa.

The LIFT Program offers a modular blended action-based learning, focused on entrepreneurial knowledge for micro businesses, designed to provide small business owners with the coaching, mentoring, and capital support they need. 

Application for the next cohort of the LIFT program for small business owners is now open and access is completely FREE! 

Are you an Early-Stage Entrepreneur (with a business in operations for at least 9 months) looking to grow your registered business, in the Beauty & Cosmetics, Food & Hospitality, Fashion & Lifestyle, and General Retail industries? 

Then, visit https://softcom.xyz/lift to indicate your interest in joining the next LIFT Program Cohort. 

---

#FeaturedPost #FeatureByLIFT