[Interview] Laura Eboa Songue, Founder A-listers, Cameroon

Laura Eboa Songue is a Cameroonian entrepreneur. She co-founded Afropolitan media FASHIZBLACK six years ago. Her experiences in business strategy, marketing, African pop culture and tech startups have culminated in her latest venture, A-listers.org.

Would you please introduce your company to us? 

Sure! A-listers aims to be Africa’s premium directory and network aggregating data for the continent’s influencers in sports, music, cinema, fashion and arts. We are a hybrid hub, half-interactive network half-agency, crafted to better serve both celebrities and brands.

Basically, we connect brands and African influencers for advertisement purposes, so they can reach millions of consumers thanks to celebrity marketing.

We are fervently working to birth the next generation of incredible creative ad campaigns, content curation, social media storms and key-players strategies; all centered around the power of celebrity influencers. And of course, we are inviting them to sign up right now to discover our platform! 

Who are your clients?

We are an exclusive network where African celebrities and influencers can connect with brands so our target market is definitely that niche. 

How does A-listers remain competitive in a fast-changing global marketplace?

As a startup, we are ever-evolving ourselves, by definition. I believe the key to remain competitive is to maintain our innovative added value and to provide top-notch services to our clients. 

Why do you think that women business owners typically have a much harder time getting business funding through traditional bank channels?

I think the explanation is quite inherent to a global situation. Sexual discrimination and women rights are still very much an issue in most African societies, therefore in business settings it is bound to be difficult as well. Being a woman in the workplace is already challenging, let alone being an entrepreneur.

Do you believe Social Media and the Internet to be a plus to the business environment, as it applies to your industry? 

I’m a pure product of the hyper-connected generation so I couldn’t tell you any different. All of my businesses emerged from Internet and/or Social Media traction. Especially for startups and SME’s, where budgets are tight and sometimes non-existent, it can make a humongous difference. It’s now possible to build a company from anywhere, with little to no budget, and be successful because of the quality of your services or contents.

For bigger & more established companies, it is a wonderful opportunity to connect and create a true bond with their clients. They can’t pass on that.

What can you say about the targets, plans and ambitions of A-listers for 2015?

The main target for the next few months is to grow our membership tremendously. We invite influencers and brands to sign up to the website so we can create a true hub and be a business facilitator when it comes to celebrity marketing.

So right now, we are really focusing on integrating new celebrities and brands, but also encourage transactions from the network. Traction is the most important goal.

And also, by the end of the year, we want to create a charity version on the network, where we will link celebrities and charities up. It would be amazing.

What can be done by entrepreneurs and government to stimulate the business environment in your country?

I think entrepreneurs, by essence, are already doing a lot given the environment they have to work in. They definitely lead by example without much support from the authorities. There should definitely be more infrastructures to encourage leadership from the government. From easy/affordable access to technology & Internet, financing, incubators, to laws facilitating business practices, we still have a lot to build to help structure the business environment.

What expectations do you have for the Cameroon economy in 2015?

A-listers is a pan-African service, but I am originally from Cameroon. There is so much to be done, especially in the cultural and entertainment fields. But we definitely need authorities’ help to structure, guide and boost the economy. We have the talent, we have the drive, but we can’t completely play the governments’ part. 

www.a-listers.org
www.fr.linkedin.com/in/lauraeboa
www.twitter.com/the_alisters

Africa Business Communities is conducting a series of interviews with CEO's in Africa. Are you a CEO in Africa and interested in an interview? Please send an e-mail to Andrea Ayemoba: andrea@africabusinesscommunities.com