Ogawork will find customers for any quality and legal service you render

While Jim Iyke Esomugha is popular across Africa for his incredible feats in the Nigerian movie industry, which cut across several mind-blowing roles in many movies, the Nollywood actor is truly is a man of many parts. In this interview, the successful entrepreneur in businesses across entertainment, real estate, transportation among others, unveils to OBINNA EMELIKE his virtual job solution business, among other related issues.

What is the virtual job platform all about?

The idea of creating an app is to create comfort, security and give better quality for money.  And that is what Ogawork is about. I have ventured out to different entrepreneur pursuits, we owned an Uber company, a real estate company and we are going to launch another company soon.

But the app is different, it solves a certain problem. It is a general fact that there is no job out there, and this gives me a lot of concern. Ogawork is offering platform for many to be gainfully engaged.

By the time my cousin was finishing from a tech school in Washington DC, I told him the direction my thought was going. I told him that I do not have the technical know-how, but he has. So, I told him that I wanted something along that line developed, so that we can partner to solve problems.  People keep misconstruing the fact that stocking money is what riches or being comfortable is about. But true life is created when you solve a problem in a society and I felt that my direction of thought is going to solve a problem.

Now we have OgaApp; we are the middlemen between artisans, skilled and service providers and clients who need these services. So, we are committed to finding a client an artisan or a service provider closest to where their live, we go further than that by making sure all our service providers go through a vetting system in collaboration with the police.

They go through our vetting system in order to put all the necessary checks and assure end-users that they can allow the artisans into their homes at no risk of endangerment to the person or property. We have gone beyond what every service provider is providing. As well, as a public figure, I carry certain clout and this goes without saying that we will not only endorse whatever service you have or your business, it is almost like a paid endorsement. As much as you are on our platform and your business is doing well, we have a certain criteria and certain relevance you must meet. Once you reach that quality, I will advertise your services and business for free because a long as your business is doing well, the platform is doing well too.

What are the categories of services on the Ogawork platform?

Whatever service you can render that is quality and legal, Ogawork will find customers for it. There is a category for everything except illegal services. Whatever the category is, we will find the end-user. Our services are automated and are nationwide. It is the beauty of the jet age and do not have to be physically present everywhere in the country. Right now we are in Lagos, but we spread as we go. We have people who sign on from Kaduna.

Our long vision is to be able to take up everybody that is productive and willing in this economy from different strata and put a smile on their faces. You cannot do that when you take a certain work group and neglecting the other.

How does the app work?

You can visit www.ogawork.com to see the entirety of what we provide, you can go to Google Play Store or Apple App Store to download our app and find that category of a certain service provider you are and register. It is free for the first two months for the first 5000 subscribers. When you register, that makes you eligible to be called upon to become service provider. We will find you the end-users because we have customers who are registered under our profile. For instance, if any of our customers ask for a plumber, we will call and link you up with the customer to go carry out the service.

The beauty of it is that you can work from the comfort of your home because we will always refer you to the person closest to your vicinity. We are more of a virtual office, virtual store and a virtual whatever you cannot afford for yourself, your business and service.

How do you ensure the quality of the artisans or service providers?

I am in the construction business and I understand the deficiency. Sadly, the people that are more proficient, especially in finishings are from outside the country.

However, some of our people are very good, but there is a misconception that people who are good at such jobs are from outside. But some of them do not have the capacity to advertise their business to bring them to the forefront of the end-users, hence they need our platform.

The notion that people who are more skilled at construction jobs are from Togo and Ghana is not true. We are in our eleventh project right now, either renovating or building and I have seen Nigerians across these projects who are highly skilled in creating POPs, laying tiles, plastering, roofing, plumbing among others. Again, I am forced to reiterate, that particular skill set requires patience. The problem our people have is that they are always quick to run up to the mixture and do a hurry job, and under a not so expert eyes, you will not see the deficiency. These people take time to do a good job because they want referrals, they want you to call them back again and that is how things should be done.

I do not care where our service provider comes from. Our chief objective is to empower people, but if there is a lacking in a certain segment of an industry, you will be forced to look elsewhere.

Before we bring somebody on board, he has to be totally proficient. There has to be referrals and you have to have a backlog of works you have done that are well-done.  The chances of delivering a poor job to an end-user are very small. But in the event it happens, we bring back that artisan to do a good job or his risks leaving the platform.

How do you go about payment for the services rendered?

It is a digital age, and the cashless policy is in force. We are in partnership with Providence Bank and GTBank where everything is done online; get your card and pay for your services. The artisan negotiates his fees as long as the end-user can pay for it, we are not involved.

How is the business sustained if you are not involved in the transactions?

Ours here is to provide the platform. It is a start-up and about establishing a base first, money will come later when the business gets stronger and sustainable. We will be taking 30 percent of our artisans’ fees for providing the end users. But that will be later when the business has grown to a sustainable level and not now.

How do you safeguard the clients’ privacy and property?

We foresaw the security aspect of the business, especially allowing artisans entry into end-users homes and privacy. Of course, this is why we sat down with the police commissioner in Lagos State and told him that for every service provider that is coming on our platform, we want them to go through a security vetting system that is set up to carefully ensure that an artisan or service provider is genuine, and can put the minds of the end-users at rest. So, that vetting system includes very complex security questions and referrals in the event that you are not around, we know who is very close to you that we can go after to provide you.

So, by the time you bring us two or three referrals, especially father, mother, brother or children, the backlog of people you have worked for before that can attest to your truth,  by the time you give us the backlog of how long you have been in the business or your mileage and place of operation, it will be difficult to default. Nobody can easily jump into the platform, it is watertight.

We have over 500 people between last week and this week that have come and we have been able to verify only 40 of them only because of our strictness. It is slow process, but it is a sure one because at the end of the day, we are taking full responsibility that anybody that walks into end-users homes can be trusted.

Do you have technical partners going by the technology inclination of the platform?

The technical company behind the platform is called Ogawork Limited. It is under this auspice that we created this. Under the Ogawork, we also have Jim Iyke Market hub, an online super store that also design for startups. I have seen people with amazing creativity and my end goal is to see to it that people that do not have face and voice, will be heard. We will find people that will do business with them. Whatever you want to sell that is legal, we will find the buyers on Ogawork platform.