Whitney Osei Entrepreneur
- English
What I need help with
My background as an entrepreneur
My current challenges
We are having problems with sales, acquisition and shipping. Because shipping out of Africa is so expensive, a lot of vendors are hesitant to sign up. Also we've only had 4 sales from 2 individuals in the month we've been in business. Not sure if it's because of lack of market need, our pricing, shipping costs or the items.
To deal with the shipping challenges, we have advised our vendors to factor part of the shipping cost into the actual product cost, so that shipping does not appear to be so much for the buying customer. So for example if item cost is $40 and shipping is $30, vendors will price the item at $58 and charge $12 for shipping. Currently that is our only workaround.
About my venture
WO Marketplace Started 2016
WO Marketplace is an online marketplace where vendors and artisans in Africa can sell their handmade fashion accessories, artwork and home decor products to customers all over the world.
Sellers can sign up for a free vendor account, upload their products, set up their prices and shipping options right from their smart phone.
We are just a little over a month in operation and we currently have 6 vendors. We have a net sales of $200 with 2 customers purchasing 4 different products from 2 of our vendors.
I started my business on my own with $100. I work around the clock handling every aspect of the business from IT to customer service to sales.
WO Marketplace is so important to me because I want to help sellers in Africa who sell of the side of the street or in local markets to scale their businesses and take care of their family.
I believe in WO Marketplace, and I know I can grow it to a multi-million dollar company in 5 years with the right mentorship.
Countries of operation: United States of America