( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Nkechi Alade Turns Ideas Into Thriving Businesses
ENSPIRE Contributor: Yasmin Hassan
Nigerian entrepreneur Nkechi Alade is an award-winning professional, consultant, and growth specialist. Alade is the Principal Business Consultant at Elvaridah and Founder/CEO of Connect 360 Africa. Alade’s motivation to help others stems from her own experiences—and it’s fair to say, she has tons. She’s worked in beauty, human resources, and finance. Her experience overall sheds light on the things many businesses fall short of, such as how customers are treated, services provided, and the character of the one in business. Knowing all the areas you may suffer in business is exactly what makes award-winning Alade a perfect consultant because she’s able to provide ideas that make these problems preventable.
Elvaridah is a consulting company designed to take your dreams and transform them into reality. Connect 360 Africa takes those growing ambitions and allows you to connect with others that share the same ambitions. Alade’s intention isn’t simply to grow your business but to provide it with exceptional support. This makes a difference because on your back there are hundreds giving you a push in the right direction. Alade’s strong leadership and vast knowledge have reached over 5000 businesses, and that can include yours as well.
Nkechi Alade has stood out among thousands, leading to her selection to represent Nigeria at the Global Young Leaders Conference in the U.S. The reason is simple: Nkechi Alade cares and desires to witness the progression and success of other businesses, entrepreneurs, and the development of Africa.
How do you view the link between entrepreneurship and the progression of Africa?
African entrepreneurs are no longer waiting for opportunities but are creating opportunities for themselves despite the challenges that they are constantly being faced with. These challenges include economic instability, reduced purchasing power, and not enough access to technology, among others. The growth of entrepreneurship has increased the level of employment and GDP of the various African economies, leading to the increased progression of Africa.
What are some key factors that have led you to this current place in your life professionally?
As a business consultant building a management consulting firm for businesses in Africa, I understood that, in order to build my own business successfully, I had to develop certain traits, including discipline, tenacity, leadership, and a constant quest for knowledge, emotional intelligence, hard work, and collaboration. These traits, besides building the right character, are fundamental to building a successful business and career.
How do you handle the pressure of carrying out such an important and demanding job?
In all honesty, some days are easier than others. However, one of the things that allows me to run my business seamlessly is having proper structure and capable hands that work alongside me to get the job done. Structure helps to create a seamless flow so that the business is not fully dependent on its owner/founder for its operational excellence.
Do you have any plans to expand Elvaridah and Connect 360 Africa?
At Elvadirah, we have a clear vision, which is to build businesses in Africa and help them achieve global relevance by implementing our tailor-made strategies. We hope to expand Elvadirah to Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and other key African countries. We also hope to use Connect 360 Africa to build better networks, partnerships, and collaborations between African business owners around the world. We have stated these gradually and are hoping to expand soon.
Today, more individuals are striving to become entrepreneurs. What is the best advice you can give them?
Be clear on your end goal. I say this because it is not enough to have money as the only output or reason for going into business or becoming an entrepreneur. Money is the result of adding value to an identified market by selling a product or providing a service. Also, building a successful business takes time and effort, so it is required that you have patience, remain consistent, and pay attention to trends to enable better decision-making as an entrepreneur/business owner.
Nkechi Alade’s LinkedIn
Nkechi Alade’s Instagram
Elvaridah’s website
