Tola sold bags from a small stall in Yaba for four years. Good stock, loyal customers, and everything in one notebook: orders, debts, who wanted which colour.
1. The notebook problem
Customers began asking on WhatsApp instead of visiting. Tola answered every “price?” by hand, sent bank details, then waited. Some paid, some didn’t, and nobody could see what was left in stock.
I was busy all day, but at night I could not say how much I made.
2. One link instead of fifty chats
Tola photographed the twenty best sellers by the stall window one morning. Rex built a store from the photos, with prices and a pay on delivery option, in about ten minutes. The link went on every Status and in the Instagram bio.
3. Delivery across Lagos
Before, Tola only sold to people who could come to Yaba. With riders booked from the order, the shop started selling to Lekki, Ikeja and Ikorodu. Pay on delivery with codes meant new customers felt safe buying.
