We’ve got news: Join us as we set up the largest directory for small businesses in Nigeria.

Today’s newsletter will be a bit different. We aren’t sharing insights to help you market your business better, or bringing you MSME news or even free tools that’d make your life easier. Instead, we’re inviting you to be a part of what we’re building: a business directory for micro and small businesses in Nigeria.

If you’re super excited about this and want to sign up now, please do so here.

But if you’d love to know all the juicy details of how we got here and why we decided to build this directory, keep reading. Don’t worry, we’ve included sign up links at different places in the article.

Why we decided to set up a directory for small business owners

Shortly after Ibadan SME Bootcamp, (which was highly successful, beyond our wildest imagination. We pulled off a gathering  of 1,000 small business owners in Ibadan and covered three halls) our first thought was “How can we keep this momentum and consolidate on what we’ve built so far?”.

We’ve been hosting Lagos SME Bootcamp for four years now, and were sure that the next step was to build a vibrant community of past attendees as well as small business owners regardless of if they’ve attended our Bootcamp or not.

Our goal is simple: Have the relevant information about small business owners so we can provide tailored resources, training, and opportunities to MSMEs. We have big dreams about this and believe that in due time, it’ll evolve to a large directory, where consumers can search for any service or product imaginable, and find a business that provides that value. 

Beyond being a go-to source when looking for products and services, at its heart is a community of small business owners across different sectors networking and learning from each other as they grow. 

Glad you made it this far 😊  Just as we promised, here’s a link to join our business directory. But if you’d rather keep reading, that's totally okay too. There’s another link in the next section.

Still wondering if Lagos SME Bootcamp directory is a good fit for you? Here are 3 reasons why you should join

When we were writing this newsletter, we came across an interesting research in psychology called the social facilitation effect.

Norman Triplett first identified it in 1898 and some years after, Floyd Allport popularized it. Norman Triplett noticed that cyclists performed better when training as a group, instead of alone. In other words, we achieve our goals and grow faster when we belong to a group of people with the same aspirations.

The same principles apply here. When you’re part of a network of fellow small business owners, you get access to critical information and support that’ll help you achieve your business goals.

You’ll get these benefits when you join our directory:

1. Access to experts in business, technology, marketing and media who offer free consulting services for small businesses

2. Timely information about funding opportunities suitable for your business

3. Access to a network of fellow small business owners who share ideas, insights and learning to help you grow.

Are you ready to access these exclusive benefits? please list your business for free.

Got any questions? Feel free to email me at o.nwankwo@lagos-sme.com or simply drop them in the comments.