MEET THE ENTREPRENEUR: JEHIEL OLIVER!!!!

Hey guys,

Welcome to another episode of the 15 for 15 challenge. Its been 8 months now and I am pretty excited to have come this far with the challenge. As Duru would say, indeed, I never hexperred it. Its been such a fun challenge. Especially with meeting different personalities and sharing in their various views of life.

Today, we have a very special personality in the house. A super-talented, young and extra creative mind, the most down to earth being I have actually ever met. A man so blessed with a unique blend of skills, and a drive to make a difference in the world at large.

Ladies and gentle men, meet the Entreprenuer, Jehiel Oliver.

Jehiel Oliver is the founder of Hello Tractor, an innovative shared-economy platform that makes tractor usage affordable to marginalized farmers in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa at large. Jehiel is responsible for the overall management of Hello Tractor team, strategy and partnerships.
Through his work in agriculture and rural markets, Jehiel recognised a real need for low-income (majority women) farmers to access affordable farm machinery, leading him to found Hello Tractor. He also served on the board of H4H, Inc., an impact investment fund providing mortgage reinsurance for South African communities affected by HIV/AIDS. He began his career in the U.S. investment banking and private equity industries.

Hello Jehiel, thanks for coming on board, can we please get to meet you?

Well, thanks for inviting me to interview Sophie. The pleasure is all mine. My name is Jehiel Oliver and I am the CEO/Founder of Hello Tractor, an agricultural technology company based focused in sub-Saharan Africa. I am from the U.S. but relocated to Nigeria about 9 months ago to grow Hello Tractor's presence here. 

How did you get started with helo tractor?

My background is actually in banking and finance. After leaving this career I started working in consulting which ultimately led to working in agriculture based projects. This is where I saw the need for farmers, particularly low-income small farmers, to access affordable tractors/tractor services to increase their income and boost their agricultural production. Hello Tractor was my solution to this problem. The company is ever evolving but our core product is a low cost Smart Tractor we developed for smallholder farmers. The tractor is versatile, coming with 8 different attachments to serve the farmer throughout the cropping season. What makes the tractor "smart" is that it comes embedded with a GPS antenna and the ability to transmit location and usage data over SMS and 2g. This allows us to do all sorts of cool things to support the Smart Tractor owner. Some examples include paring the Smart Tractor owner with farmers texting for tractor services (like Uber). We also can send maintenance alerts to ensure the machines remain in good condition.  

Is this your first business? If not, what were the others and what happened to them?

Prior to Hello Tractor I owned a consulting company focused on financial sector development. Consulting was becoming less interesting and when the idea for Hello Tractor came along, I decided to stop taking projects, ironically, my last project was in Nigeria working with a newly created investment fund. 

How did you finance your business and what was the process like?

I financed the company early on with my own money. As I continued to do research and refine the business model, we were able to secure early stage capital from impact investors and an NGO based in the US, I think they were attracted by our innovative approach to working with low income, farmers.

How many employees do you have? Full or part time?

There are 6 of us currently - three in Nigeria and three in the US. Four full-time and one part-time. 

What is an average work day for you like?

I wake up around 6am and make coffee. I love coffee and have quite the coffee making operation in my kitchen. Lol. After my first cup I immediately turn to email. We have partners in the US and Asia so I try and answer any emails that may have come in while asleep. From there I am off to either the office or to meetings. I hate the office so I try and avoid it as much as possible. I love working out of coffee shops and other interesting places around the city. 

Who are your customers?

We have three primary customer segments: individuals (farmers and other individuals living in rural areas wanting to own a Smart Tractor), large companies and NGOs/government. 

What are the most crucial things you've done to grow your business?

The hardest thing in Nigeria is to stay focused. There are opportunities everywhere here. It is easy to become distracted. Discipline is critically important here. I get approached about opportunities all the time that aren't related to my business and I have to ignore them and remain focused. 

What plans do you have for expansion?

We just launched in Ghana and are looking to expand to Kenya before the end of the year. We want to cover all of sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria remaining one of our most important markets because of its sheer size. 

What has been your most effective market tactics/techniques?

Nigeria is highly entrepreneurial so marketing hasn't been as much of a challenge. Furthermore, the country has absolutely no tractors so we are also in high demand because of the market. We designed our product specifically for this market and the product is getting the attention of the right people. 

You recently attended the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi with the President of the United States. How did you feel about being a speaker before the president

The opportunity was incredible and humbling . A real blessing. We had an opportunity to speak backstage and I was absolutely blown away by how down right cool he was. This is something I will definitely remember and tell my kids. 

What important lessons would you say you learnt from the president/summit?

I definitely learned the importance of humility. Despite successes or status, it is important to remain grounded, personable and relatable. President Obama is one of the most powerful people in the world but talking to him was as easy and comfortable as talking to a cool uncle. I aspire to have those characteristics as well. 

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

1. Focus on solving problems that you know well/are passionate about 
2. Sell, sell, sell. All the time! 
3. Don't make excuses, make goals. Work hard and remain focused and you will succeed. God has given us everything we need. Don't wait for governments, banks, investors... Just go

Thank you for coming on board Jehiel. It was really nice having a chat with you. On behalf of sophsinspirations, we wish you the very best. :D

Until next time guys,

Enjoy the rest of your week :)