FROM 13 FAILED BUSINESSES TO 'FINDING' PATRICIA

So you were happy that BIG BROTHER NAIJA decided to air much earlier in the year as opposed to sometime much later. You could not wait to get to know the housemates and debate over who the better cook is. But then, you happen to hear a conversation about a new sponsor slamming the show with a billion naira Cheque and you are like “whaoooo.” As though that was not enough, you also got to find out that the CEO of the company is a guy like you, way younger. Then you are like “Wait! Wait!! Wait!!! Whas going on here?” Well, let me break it to you; PATRICIA is happening right here.

Chances are you got to learn about PATRICIA in a less dramatic fashion than I did. But then again, maybe not it was probably overly dramatic. Either ways, you currently know ‘Her’ to be a big business but do you know the people behind ‘Her’ curtains or who she actually is?

Well, I’ll say one thing for sure --- she’s not a woman. Well, not in the anatomical sense, she’s an entity officially known as PATRICIA TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED. This tech company is the brain child of Fejiro Hanu Agbodje who is its founder and CEO. PATRICIA is an alternative-solutions tech company that leverages on the strength of cryptocurrency to build digital payment, financial and e-commerce structures. Using PATRICIA enables users to buy, sell, send, receive and store Bitcoin in a safe and secure wallet. Users can also buy or sell giftcards, pay bills and shop online all with the power of one mobile App. Not many have heard of him also but that is changing speedily as the company continues to break boundaries and raise the bar further. But with huge revenues generated annually and a to-die-for lifestyle, the trajectory leading to this point wasn’t in the least pleasant for Hanu.

From 13 failed businesses, Hanu has mastered the art of relentlessness and resilience regardless of prevailing circumstance. The 26 year old CEO was born in Delta State, Nigeria and grew up in Warri. He graduated from the University of Port-Harcourt where he bagged a degree in Mathematics and Statistics. Although wanting to have a career in Mechanical Engineering, where he thought the money and title was, fate would have him go over to the physical sciences. Hanu was bitten the proverbial entrepreneurial bug in his much earlier years when he saw the opportunity to sell lollipops at his school’s inter-house sports day. He turned a profit from this venture which after reinvesting, made him a profit of over 70,000 naira in one month. To put it into perspective, this feat was accomplished all by a funding of 400 naira which he secured from his mother in an unconventional way. Seeing that a lot could be achieved by setting up ventures, Hanu became a full-fledged entrepreneur starting business in the University and having them all perform below average on the average.

After school, he joined his elder brother in Lagos and that was the beginning of PATRICIA. Like all of his previous business ventures and even current ones, Hanu has lived by a principle which entails him writing down business ideas as random and shallow as they came on a journal. These ideas were his itch he needed to scratch --- the problems he personally faced that needed a workable solution --- as he rationalized that if he faced the challenges and had grievances, someone else somewhere was facing the same. PATRICIA was hence borne after his uncle who lived in London sent him some Bitcoin in 2015 and he aimlessly searched for a place where he could convert his cryptocurrency to FIAT (BITCOIN to NAIRA.) After a painful search, he came across an individual who claimed to be in the business but ended up ripping him off. This was it. He proposed to himself that he would create a platform that could help people transact cryptocurrencies without fear of being defrauded. Fast-forward to 2017, Hanu started PATRICIA TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED in a one room apartment, employing 2 staffers and giving it his all. 

In 2019, PATRICIA processed over 10 billion naira worth of transactions alone making it the fastest growing e-commerce platform in Nigeria. Today, it boasts of about 300,000 users, 10,000+ transactions daily and over 100,000 downloads on Google play store. It is easy now to see the fame and fortune but a lot has gone into building this brand and a lot more is going into setting higher standards and blazing the trails.

So how did this man take a start-up from the bottom of the barrels, in a relatively new space, in Nigeria, and transform it into a pioneer cash-cow? What philosophies guided his rise? What principles shaped his mindset? Well according to the young entrepreneur 3 approaches has been key to his ascent.

• See past the shame. Success as an entrepreneur largely depends on developing thick skin to weather the hate, anger, jealousy, mockery and all negative vibes thrown at you along your journey. As Hanu recalled, he was trolled and laughed at for selling popcorn at some point. The point I believe is; do what needs to be done now, put in the work with all energy, diligence and discipline for the glory that is to come later. The haters will eventually come around when you get to the palace.

• It is possible. Yes it is. Even the craziest of ideas could be the solution the world has been waiting for. So don’t downplay your visions and dreams, don’t throw out ideas in the garbage just yet, rather work on it, tweak it because according to Hanu, anything is Possible.

• Do the most. This phrase is now synonymous to Hanu and what his conglomerate stands for. To him doing the most means exploring all ideas and frontiers and going the extra mile to see that the aim of the action is more than fulfilled. So whether it’s a product or service your company is offering or it’s a personal growth plan, doing the most is sure to rank you in the league of the greats.