Real Story: How Automation Turned Tunde’s Business Around

Hello Kingdom Giant,

How are you doing?

Hurray!!! The Eagles Nest 1.0 Bootcamp started last Saturday.

This is our last newsletter for the month of July 2025.

I know you have a lot to be thankful and grateful to God for.

In our newsletter today, I have a story to share with our ‘entrepreneurs/founders’.

Before I share my story, let me share a Bible verse with you.

^“Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

- Proverbs 24:3-4 KJV

Once upon a time!!! lol

Tunde (not real name) owns a small but popular stationery and printing business in Lagos. For nearly a decade, Tunde Prints & Supplies had grown steadily, thanks to word of mouth, loyal customers, and Tunde’s commitment to quality. But over the past two years, something changed.

Orders started piling up. Deliveries were constantly delayed. Staff began making costly mistakes. Customers stopped referring others, and some quietly took their business elsewhere.

The problem?

Tunde was stuck in the past.

While competitors embraced automation—using online order forms, inventory tracking systems, automated invoicing, WhatsApp bots, and CRM tools—Tunde insisted on doing everything manually.

He believed:

“My business is different. I know my customers by name. Automation will just complicate things.”

But his good intentions were costing him dearly.

What Tunde Was Losing by Not Automating

1. Time Wasted on Repetitive Tasks:
   Every morning, staff manually entered customer orders in a notebook. This led to errors and delays, especially during rush seasons.

2. Low Productivity:
   Instead of focusing on quality control and strategy, Tunde was spending 4–5 hours daily following up on orders, reminding customers to pay, or checking inventory.

3. Lost Customers:
   Younger, tech-savvy clients wanted quicker service. Competitors who had online order forms and instant receipts took over.

4. Staff Burnout:
   Manual processes wore out his team. Constant corrections, confusion, and stress led to two key staff members resigning.

5. Stunted Growth:
   Tunde wanted to expand to Abuja, but he couldn’t delegate. Without systems, the entire business depended on his physical presence.

The Turning Point

One day, his long-time customer, Nkechi, who now ran an e-commerce boutique, sat him down.

“Tunde, you’ve got something special. But your business is slow, outdated, and stressful. If you don’t automate, you’ll burn out or get buried by your competitors.”

That hit him.

With Nkechi’s help, Tunde slowly started implementing automation tools:

• A simple Google Form for order placements

• A WhatsApp chatbot for FAQs and order tracking

• A free CRM tool to manage customer details and send reminders

• Automated invoicing through an online payment platform

In just three months:

• Order errors dropped by 75%

• Customer wait time was cut in half

• Tunde finally took a two-week break without shutting the shop

• His revenue increased by 40%

What Automation Brought Tunde

• Time Freedom

• Happier Customers

• Efficient Staff

• Business Growth

• Peace of Mind

What You Can Learn from Tunde’s Story

Refusing to automate doesn’t make you “hardworking”; it makes your business inefficient.

Automation doesn’t replace the human touch. It enhances it.

You can start small. Pick just one task to automate:

• Online booking

• Customer follow-up emails

• Inventory tracking

• Invoicing

• Social media scheduling

There are free and low-cost tools available. You don’t need to be tech-savvy—you just need to be open-minded.

Like Tunde, your business may survive for a while without automation, but it will struggle to grow, scale, or even breathe.

Don’t let old habits bury a great business.

The best time to automate was yesterday. The next best time is now.

Go, TAKE CHARGE!!!

“In all my years of building different businesses till now, I’ve learned never to forget the place of God. Above the structure, systems, and strategies, never forget the place of God. Life is spiritual! Business is also spiritual!” - Cosmas Maduka (Founder, Coscharis Group)

ARTICLES

• Why small businesses should not ignore automation

• Automation of repetitive tasks: A game-changer for Nigerian businesses

YOUTUBE

AUTOMATION TOOLS

Click to see 10 automation tools you can use for your business

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

• Following The Path Of The Eagle by David Oyedepo

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

• SYSTEMology: Create time, reduce errors and scale your profits with proven business systems by David Jenyns

• Robotic Process Automation: A Guide to the Robotic Revolution by Leslie P. Willcocks & Mary Lacity

GRANTS/LOANS/ACCELERATOR & INCUBATOR PROGRAMS

• Apply: Africa Impact Fundraising (AIF) Grant Program ($5,000 Reward)

• NUBASS Edutech Conference/Tech Challenge 2025 | Prizes Up 1million

• MTN Cloud Accelerator Program Grant ₦5million To Boost startup and Mentorship

• UNHCR Refugee-led Innovation Fund 2025 (up to $45,000)

• 2025 Precision Agriculture Incubation Program – PAIP

• Call for Applications: The Boring Fund 2025 ($80,000 in grants)

• UNAOC Youth Solidarity Fund 2025 (up to $25,000)

• 2025 Vital Impact Environmental Photography Grant

• The 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is Now Open!

• Ongoing Grants/Accelerator & Incubator Programs across Africa

• Grant Call For Applications: Federal Government Youth Economic Intervention & Deradicalization Program (YEIDEP) (Access to Business Financing, Loan & Enterprise Development)

• Federal Government of Nigeria’s N75 Billion MSME Intervention Program aimed at supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

• Other grant opportunities around the world

• LinkedIn Ad Grants Program 2025 for Non-profits

TRAINING/MENTORSHIP

• ECOWAS Strategy on Youth Employability Project (ECOWAS-YEP)

• NITDA Digital Literacy For All 2025 (Training + Certificate)

• How To Start a STARTUP by YCombinator

• GLBC in UK is Inviting Applications For: 2025 Global Leadership & Business Certification, Cambridge (Fully Funded)

• The Basics of Business Education by Krassimir Petrov of Dong-A University, South Korea

• SMEDAN Empowerment Programmes 2025 Training & Funding Small Business Owners

• Full MBA by Swiss School of Business Research

• Accelerator/Incubator organisations around the world

• Startup Academy

• WEMA Bank Hackaholics 6.0 Hackathon for Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs |150 Million Naira in Cash Prizes

• Media Trust AI Essentials Bootcamp Talent Program 2025

• AYAC 2025 – “BUILT TO LAST”
  We are pleased to announce that AYAC 2025, themed “BUILT TO LAST,” is scheduled to be held from Tuesday, August 19th to Sunday, August 24th, 2025.

  For registration and further details, kindly contact your Zonal Representative.

• Evenbrite- click to search for upcoming events in your city

• Upcoming events across Nigeria

• Upcoming tech events across Africa

Hey Kingdom Giant, if you found this publication very valuable, insightful and helpful, be a BLESSING to others by ‘sharing’ this publication. Click on the ‘share button’ below. God Bless You!