If you have ever experienced that feeling of being in the work environment and feeling hungry, but not being able to leave the office or workspace because things are just too busy, then WeDeliver, a startup business founded by entrepreneur Bitania Amare has the answer. Her new online ordering platform is making it easy for consumers to get their purchases delivered directly to them.
LoA was interested to find out more about this highly niched online company from founder Bitania Amare.
What does your company do?
WeDeliver is an online ordering platform that allows users in Addis Ababa to order food or other items online and have it delivered to their door steps within 60 minutes. WeDeliver began with a mission to empower consumers by creating a gateway that they can use to access local businesses at their finger tips. Currently, WeDeliver is involved in the delivery of food and is expanding into delivery of Leather Products, Gift Articles, Documents and Packages.
"We are selling the convenience of having your food delivered to your doorsteps with you only lifting your fingers to place your order. It is convenient and time saving."
What inspired you to start your company?
I was reading a book titled ‘Difference - The One Page Method for Reimagining Your Business and Reinventing Your Marketing' written by Bernadette Jiwa, when the idea of starting an online delivery company came to me. The book talked about how we should create solutions for problems in our lives, in the lives of our communities, and make a difference. At the time, I was a Consultant at Ernst and Young. I had a pretty busy schedule, where I might be in a meeting all day or might be working on a project with a deadline fast approaching. During these times, I would usually skip lunch. There were cafes nearby where you can order from and the waiter would get your food to the office for you, but none of them enticed me. This was what had me thinking if there was a simpler way to get your lunch from a restaurant you like, I would be able to avoid the headaches I got after a long day's work with no lunch. I thought to myself that other people must also be going through the same thing, not only people like myself, but also
- expatriates/tourists who do not know their way around Addis and are also used to the convenience of accessing a variety of restaurants online
- households who might want to order some takeaway for guests or for themselves.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We are selling the convenience of having your food delivered to your doorsteps with you only lifting your fingers to place your order. It is convenient and time saving. It is also a bargain to pay $2-3 for delivery to save you a trip to a restaurant or to avoid dealing with cabbies to get your takeaway or to never to skip lunch at your busy office.
"WeDeliver is an online ordering platform that allows users in Addis Ababa to order food or other items online and have it delivered to their door steps within 60 minutes."
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Apart from the desire to become an Entrepreneur someday and that one course about Entrepreneurship at AAU, I had no entrepreneurial background. Deciding to leave my job as a Consultant at one of the Big Four and become an Entrepreneur was a pretty big one. Convincing my family and people around me that this was what I wanted to do and that I believed it was going to make me happy was another. Once I made the decision, I started working tirelessly to realize my vision of starting an online delivery company. I was faced with different challenges from setting up to operations. Setting up a business in Ethiopia can prove to be a hard task with lengthy procedures and various requirements. In addition, the concept of an online delivery business is relatively new in Ethiopia.
Contact or follow WeDeliver
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL info@wedeliver-online.com
Why LoA loves it….
Often the inspiration for entrepreneurs to start up their businesses comes from the need to address a particular pain point as a consumer. In the case of Bitania Amare, founder of WeDeliver, that pain point was addressing the inconvenience of having to leave the office to go and get lunch or to shop for certain goods. Her solution, to get those things delivered directly to your desk or doorstep. As a result, she is not only building a business, but also bringing a relatively new concept of consumer home and office delivery to her country. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa