Inspired Stories with Bethy Write

On #Inspired Stories# today.

Etop Ikpe a graduate of University of Lagos, Lagos State, he is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cars45. He grew up predominantly in Lagos, having been born and bred there and done all his schooling in the city. Even though my dad was an accountant, he was very entrepreneurial and always doing business. In retrospect, I suspect that he is the biggest influence I’ve had in terms of starting business ventures. Also, I have always believed that great things can indeed come out of Nigeria and Africa and that has propelled me to look for opportunities to solve problems and make impact.Cars45 was founded in 2016 to fill a gap we found in the automobile industry particularly around how people buy and sell used cars. 

While at the University of Lagos, which was where I cut my entrepreneurial teeth, I tried my hands on a couple of ventures that included running a cinema space out of Lagos, deploying animation and creative materials for multinationals. But in my final year, I partnered with a friend and started a bespoke software development company where the focus was on providing B2B solutions. I also had stints in the media where I had a TV production company and we produced a couple of game shows that were broadcast on leading cable stations at that time. . I founded one of the first ever consumer internet companies in Nigeria, which was called Three Stitches. It was an online fashion retail store. I was a CEO at  for about 4 years, then to Konga where I was commercial director up until I started Cars45 in July 2016.   

Going into all these enterprises has helped me to understand the business dynamics across various industries. Beyond entrepreneurship, I am passionate about supporting the development of young people across Africa.

Note:As an aspiring business owner, you must be patient, learn how to speak better and clearer, stay true to your values and with time you will get where you are going. #Team We Can!