Tekedia

Growing up, my parents described almost every substandard electronic as “Chinko.” It was our way of saying cheap and fake. The logic was simple: if it was affordable and got damaged quickly, it must be from China.

But later, in business school, I learned something that my parents probably missed. Chinese manufacturers were not necessarily producing “fake” products. Instead, they had mastered two powerful concepts many entrepreneurs ignore: Minimum Viable Demand (MVD) and Minimum Viable Quality (MVQ).

Minimum Viable Demand (MVD) is about the market side. It asks: is there a paying customer for what I’m offering? Demand is only “viable” when people are willing to exchange money, not just compliments or likes.

Minimum Viable Quality (MVQ) on the other hand is about the product side. It asks: what is the least level of quality that will satisfy my customer at their price point?

MVQ does not mean fake or inferior products. It means building a balance between usefulness and affordability. Think of it like this: if you build a ₦200,000 product for a market where people earn ₦50,000 monthly, you’re already out of business before you start.

Perfect quality at an unaffordable price is useless. Understanding what your customers can afford, and then calibrating your product development to match it, is where entrepreneurs capture value.

This is why China dominates global manufacturing. They don’t just make the “best” product—they design across tiers: ₦50, ₦500, ₦5,000. Everyone feels included. A family that cannot afford a ₦500,000 Sony TV will still find a ₦60,000 option to take home, and in doing so, China captures the market by ensuring no customer is left behind.

However, here is where it gets tricky:
👉 If you locate demand but fail to deliver acceptable quality, customers may buy once—but they will never return.
👉 If you build excellent quality that your target customers cannot afford, demand simply disappears.

The real challenge for entrepreneurs is finding the balance between demand and quality what Tekedia Institute calls the intersection of Minimum Viable Demand (MVD) and Minimum Viable Quality (MVQ).

This balance is where sustainable businesses are built.

Join us at Tekedia Mini-MBA as we teach innovators and builders how to master this balance, turning ideas into products that markets not only buy, but continue to demand.

Our Contact:
Follow the Tekedia Institute channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9jQB64CrfYoC9AcT2n

Walk into any beer parlour in Lagos, a soccer viewing centre in Abuja, or even after a Sunday service across Nigeria you’ll hear brilliant ideas flying around.

People describe how they want to build the “next big thing,” and many of these ideas truly sound amazing.

But here’s the hard truth: ideas don’t pay bills, products and services do.

Last Saturday at Tekedia Institute, our co-learners studied Innovation Transduction: From Ideas to Revenue.

Borrowed from physics, the word “transduction” is about converting one form of energy to another.

In business, it’s about converting imagination into something the market can touch, use, and pay for.

A dream of building a hospital is noble. But until there’s land, structure, equipment, and staff. it’s still an idea.

The message simply is customers won’t pay for your idea; they will only pay for your product.

The lecture emphasized building Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). Your MVP doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be viable.

Think of Facebook in its early days, its value wasn’t the design, but the fact that your friends were on it. That was its real MVP.

So, the next time you hear or share a “billion-dollar idea,” pause and ask: how will I transduce this into a product or service? Product, not just idea creates revenue.

Ps:
Interested in co-learning with us at the business school?
Contact: +2347035670954
[email protected]

Reposted from: Eyitayo Adeleke

Many people want to invest in start ups, but don't understand how to.

This weekend I will be available to have a quick call with anyone interested in knowing more about:

1. What a start up is in the first place and how it's different from a normal company.

2. The benefits of investing in start ups as an asset class

3. How to incorporate start up investing into your investment portfolio like real estate, bonds and the cash assets in your savings account to build wealth

4. How to become an investor at Tekedia Capital and own a piece of the startups in our deal room.

Request a call now:
+2347035670954
(Available: 8AM - 7PM WAT)

The value of hard work

The world has always been built on the backs of hard-working humans.

Here is what i mean: no nation can work without hardworking citizens.

The broad thinking in Nigeria and by extension Africa that the government must be graded A+ before good things can happen is untrue.

People who japa are usually more hard working in a new country than they are back in Nigeria.

Why?

Probably because moving out of Nigeria change, their orientation too that 'you must work if you must chop.'

Also, these countries welcome hard-working folks, as well. Not because they love you.
But, because they love what you can contribute to their economy.

In the book "The Men Who Built America" -- I see highlights of industrialists like J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt contribution in transforming America.

These men are entrepreneurial pioneers, and they operated during a time of immense government inefficiency and limited resources, yet they transformed industries, built infrastructure, and created wealth that uplifted entire Nation.

They succeeded not by waiting for ideal conditions but by seizing opportunities, innovating, and persevering.

For Nigeria and Africa, this lesson is critical. The belief that good governance is the sole prerequisite for national progress limits the power of individual and collective action.

At Tekedia Institute, our philosophy is rooted in the belief that entrepreneurial capitalism—not solely political efficiency—is the key to unlocking a prosperous Nigeria/Africa. Learn how to think boldly and innovate like pioneering entrepreneurs by joining the next Tekedia Mini-MBA, starting on February 10, 2025.
Contact Eyitayo Adeleke to register:
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +2347035670954

In Nigeria, the richest 1% of the population are controlling about 44.2% of Nigeria's total wealth in 2020(source: World Inequality Database)

I attempted to find a more recent source, but it seems such data is no longer publicly available. Nonetheless, the fact remains: Nigeria's richest 1% controls a significant portion of the country's total wealth.

Is there a solution to address this growing wealth disparity?

The answer is yes, but in a capitalist economy or society like Nigeria, wealth control—such as imposing strict limits on how much wealth an individual or group can accumulate—is generally discouraged because doing so is perceived as killing innovation, creativity and productivity.

Here is what the wealthy in Nigeria continue to do to amass more wealth:

1. They know how to leverage money effectively.
2. They know how to use debt to their advantage.
3. They know how to build and sustain profitable businesses.
4. Add yours

Can this knowledge and opportunity be extended to other sections or income classes of the society?

The answer is yes, a component of the Tekedia Mini-MBA focuses on Personal Economy, where co-learners are trained to master the art of elevating part of their salary or say personal income into capital. In this session, you will learn to distinguish between MONEY and CAPITAL, and more importantly, how to convert some of your money into capital.

Simply put, when people elevate their money to the level of capital, good things happen cos they begin to create wealth.

Start your wealth creation journey today by registering for the next Tekedia Mini-MBA, beginning on February 10, 2025. Contact Eyitayo Adeleke to begin your registration:
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +2347035670954