Ofo Ezeugwu: Energetic Entrepreneur
Interview by Chris Asroff Click here to like Young People Do on Facebook
So you have an idea. But what does the path to success look like? If you're unsure, you may want to consult with Ofo Ezeugwu. Ezeugwu is a 21-year-old entrepreneur who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, who helps others reach their goals while simultaneously pursuing his own.
He graduated college in May of this year with a degree in Entrepreneurship from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Ofo explains what experiences through his college career led him to where he is now as the CEO and President of Untapped, Inc. and WhoseYourLandlord, LLC (possessive form of whose intentional, more on that later).
Young People Do: So, it seems like you made the decision to become an entrepreneur relatively early in college. Can you explain to our readers what your aspirations were prior to your business ideas, and what finally pushed you to pursue them?
Ofo Ezeugwu: I was working at MassMutual as a life, accident, and health insurance producer, in the summer of 2011, when the idea for Untapped was born. Prior to that, I was still an entrepreneurship major and I had just picked up my management and information systems minor. So, I knew I wanted to do something in business and my strong preference was marketing. My life intentions, at that point, were to start a business, be very successful, and have fun along the way.
I always had the bug for entrepreneurship and I enjoyed helping others develop leadership skills and strengthen their self-confidence I realized the summer of 2011 that I really wanted to dictate my own schedule and start something that was special to me.
YPD: Can you tell our readers more about Untapped and Whose Your Landlord? What's the idea and when were they founded?
OE: Untapped, Inc. was founded in July 2011 and its primary purpose is to work with young entrepreneurs on cultivating their ideas and seeing them through to fruition. We provide the training, support system, and, eventually, financial capital to assist these young CEOs in seeing their visions materialize.
WhoseYourLandlord was founded in February 2012 and officially launched on October 24, 2012. In addition to the rating platform, we’re creating a housing hub for college students to use in assessing, finding, and managing their housing situations/ We’ll be rolling out our mobile app this upcoming winter. So, I guess you guys are the first to know.
YPD: You just graduated from college, Temple University, this past May. Share with everyone what it was like to already have a career well underway while still in college and why you made the decision to get started when you did. Also, why did you choose the marketing industry?
OE: Yup, I’m 100% #TempleMade. I had a lot of fun in college but I also was on top of managing my time properly. Senior year was easily the craziest year; I was acting and modeling with several agencies, serving as vice president of Temple’s student body, and was the president of two growing companies. It’s safe to say, time ran very fluidly for me as there was always something to do.
I decided to get started with both companies when I did because I knew the resources and connections I made in college would go a long way towards making the beginning stages very successful in our growth. Our target demographic was my fellow peers and they would listen to what I had to say and help us achieve our goals because everything was aligned correctly.
And, lastly, I’ve always enjoyed marketing and getting a grasp of what people do, what they respond to, and why. Naturally, once I garnered the educational background in marketing, I knew the next step would be putting my knowledge into action.
YPD: How important was it to you and your business’s success that you have a great surrounding cast that is on the same page as you? At what point in the process of beginning your business did you find it absolutely necessary to build a team?
OE: A strong supporting cast is necessary to succeed at a high rate. We have people who exhibit specialty skills in tech, marketing, finance, operations, etc. This is important in making sure we cover all bases of business operations.
I found it necessary to build the team organically as we saw fit; so, once we were approaching a crossroads where we needed to add a specific specialty, I would begin looking for someone who fit that bit.
YPD: Pretend I'm a potential customer/user for either “Untapped, Inc.” or “Whose Your Landlord;" what's the elevator pitch?
OE: Untapped: Today, colleges spend much time teaching “what.” We teach “how.” We don’t focus on pure business development; rather we incorporate the intangibles, ideals, and life lessons associated with every day realities in life. Our focus lies in creating great leaders and encouraging young people to step out of their comfort zone and achieve greatness (as they define it). This new age of entrepreneurship doesn’t solely lend itself to business. Entrepreneurship falls in line with a mindset of looking to achieve more and rally others around you to achieve a common goal. Bring your ideas, concepts, and questions. We’ll figure it out together. WYL: WhoseYourLandlord.com is a website that allows college students to rate their on and off campus housing: this includes, their landlords, residence halls, and housing complexes. In the name, we use the possessive form of the word “who” because we’re giving students ownership of their situation by putting housing in their hands. WhoseYourLandlord puts the power of information in the hands of the tenant.
By providing an open platform which invokes a community of past and current renters to contribute ratings and reviews of their home providers, we will foster an environment by which landlords are compelled to provide quality services. We create a housing hub, preserving time, money, and effort on the parts of those looking for housing and those providing it. WYL gives our users ownership of their situation enabling tenants to make informed decisions on housing by reviewing the personal experiences of others that may not be available through any other platform.
YPD: On your Facebook page for “Untapped, Inc.,” there is a quote from you: “No steps backward, just forward progress.” What's the significance of that statement?
OE: That statement means the world to me. Through mistakes, triumphs, and through all the work, you must have a short memory. It’s cool getting coverage in news articles and in publications; but, if that was our sole goal, we would have stopped a long time ago. Persistence is key in all that we do and it’s the determining factor in regards to who becomes successful and who does not. “No steps backward” focuses on not dwelling on the past. “Just forward progress” means, no matter what the past held, we’re going to continue to succeed in the future.
YPD: What is your strongest piece of advice for other 20-somethings?
OE: My strongest piece of advice is to keep working. If you have a dream in mind, think of the preliminary steps you must take to allow it to formulate into something tangible. For example, if you’re creating a blog about technology; write out what the first several posts will be about.
Determine what informational fortitude you already have in that area and determine what you need to know. This step is crucial in realizing how you’ll go about researching and staying abreast as to what’s going on in any specific industry. Start with the small steps first and the accumulated steam will power you through the following steps on the path to success.
Click here to like Young People Do on Facebook