“Funmi explains that there are lots of activities going on with the business, in the short term, she is working on getting into retail stores in the United States. She is excited and will be making some announcements in the near future regarding physical retail stores. In addition, she is extending the product into other geographic locations due to inquiries from potential customers outside the U.S.”
We met with Funmi Johnson, founder of Simi and Temi, back in April to discuss her new startup where she began her mission to Simplify African Cooking. Her business has made great strides since we last met in April and we touched base with her to gain some insight into her operations so others considering the food business can benefit from her experiences.
Biggest Lesson Learned
Given that she is a perfectionist, Funmi planned to manage every part of the business, but she quickly realized that it is humanly impossible to do that. As a result, she has learned to focus on activities that align with her strengths and outsource other activities to individuals with the expertise. For example, she outsourced the design of the product package to an experienced designer because product packaging is a critical component to her marketing strategy.
Customer Feedback
Overall customer reviews have been great, customers love the product because it reduces the time and effort spent making ayamase. One of her funnier moments was a customer posting a video on Instagram of her husband eating the ayamse stew and he enjoyed it so much that she asked him for a new Tesla hoping that she could get whatever she wanted from him because of how good the food was. Reviews such as these provide Funmi with the encouragement to keep going because customers do enjoy the product.
Funmi explained that there has been no real negative feedback, the only response close will be suggestions on the spice level of the mix. Some customers want an option spicier than the current moderate mix, while some explained that the mild version is still too spicy. Funmi explained that individuals have varying thresholds of spice tolerance, so providing the mild and moderate versions provides options that most customers can choose from.
The Amazon Effect
After months of effort, Funmi was able to get her products into Amazon. Amazon for a new business is beneficial because almost everyone in her target market shops at Amazon. Amazon adds value in two ways:
- Operations: She no longer has to spend time receiving and fulfilling orders because Amazon owns those activities. Also, Amazon Prime customers get free shipping and can receive products within two days.
- Marketing: Amazon expands the reach of the product because its algorithm does a good job of recommending your product with other complementary goods. For example, if a customer buys a Nigerian product such as ofada rice, Amazon can recommend her Ayamase mix to the customer who is likely to then purchase her product.
Social Media
Funmi doesn’t consider herself much of a social media user, however she learned that social media is a tool one must utilize to run a business. Given that her target are women and her product is food, Instagram best fits her brand because pictures and videos are the best way to illustrate the value her product provides. Her goal is to create at least three Instagram posts a week.
In addition to Instagram, she has become an avid user of Canva, a graphic design platform that allows users to create social media graphics, presentations, and other visual content. Canva is extremely user friendly and Funmi has purchased some templates for promotional materials from Pintrest that are compatible with Canva.
Instagram has also played a significant role managing the business because it serves as the default customer service portal. Current and potential customers reach out via comments and DMs on Instagram to make pricing and order monitoring inquires, turning Instagram into a helpful customer service tool.
Influencer Marketing
Along with social media is the positive impact of influencer marketing. Funmi did not have much experience with influencers prior to the business, however she has started engaging in that marketing strategy and has seen the positive impact and meaningful return on investment. Specifically, she has worked with TheLizzyO and Funmi’s experience with TheLizzyO has been positive. Engaging TheLizzyO helped introduce the Ayamase product to Lizzy’s large audience on Instagram and YouTube. Funmi is excited about the opportunity for continued engagement with TheLizzyO and her community.
What’s Next?
Funmi explains that there are lots of activities going on with the business, in the short term, she is working on getting into retail stores in the United States. She is excited and will be making some announcements in the near future regarding physical retail stores. In addition, she is extending the product into other geographic locations due to inquiries from potential customers outside the U.S.
To learn more about Simi and Temi, visit them at @simiandtemi.
