Thread by @SimShagaya

In 2014, we were going gangbusters. We were growing 20+% month on month. Lots of operational challenges but this one would be special. Then at 630am one day, I got a call from our head of fulfillment. The Nigeria Police has shut down the distribution centre. Details were murky.

Day 1: I typically spent a few hours in the office before heading to the DC but on this day, I hurried straight there. What I found were over 100 warehouse workers that were chased out of the facility milling about along with a platoon of policemen.

And mounds of sand - 6 feet high - dumped in front of and blocking the gates. I calmly pulled the officer in charge aside as asked what the problem was. He told me that we had defaulted on a loan to a bank (let’s call them starling) and the bank had taken charge over the DC.

We had some small short term trading liabilities to suppliers but certainly no loans to any banks. The officer gave me the number for the lawyer who had been mandated by the bank to recover its loans. I called him.

It turned out that our landlord - the DC owner who we had rented from - indeed was indebted to the bank. And the banks collection officer was convinced that the landlord owned the online retail operation.

We were asked to prove we had no corporate affiliation with the landlord. I called my lawyer right away - Babajimi; a guy equally committed and brilliant - and he began to gather incorporation documents to prove who the beneficial owners of the retailer were.

I was joined by my COO - Shola Adekoya - and we proceeded to the Island to meet with the collections officer. I expected this would all be sorted that same day. All through the day, orders kept pouring in with no fulfillment happening. Running on adrenaline, appetite evaporated.

We spent all day at the law firm charged with loan recovery. Our landlord switched off his phones and took no calls. We handed copies of our incorporation documents over and were informed that these would be forwarded to the bank and a decision taken the next day.

I decided not to inform my board as I was confident this would be sorted out the next morning. Sleep was tedious that night. Appetite still zero.

Day 2: I awoke and headed to the recovery firm. Our landlord was still unreachable. The firm informed us - Babajimi, Shola and I - that there was still belief that we did not own the business. And that we would have to wait till the end of the day.

Orders kept pouring in and a backlog was building. I sent an email to my board and called for an urgent meeting via conference call.

I began calling everyone and anyone that could apply leverage to the bank and recovery firm: Omobola Johnson - then Minister for ICT, leaders of the banking community and senior lawyers. I made probably 100 calls to two dozen people.

By the end of the day, the CEO of the bank had called me saying he had never received so many calls around any one issue and promised he would “look into it”. Appetite was still gone. Adrenaline was at this point supplemented by nicotine.

The board meeting happened late at 8pm. Each member was empathetic and supportive. We agreed that if the situation was not resolved in 48 hours, we would take down the consumer facing site.

Day 3: DC is still closed. The management team decided to begin fulfilling orders from the corporate HQ. We had two types of orders: our own sales and marketplace sales.

Marketplace sales by 3rd parties were routed through our distribution network to tents set up in the parking lot of our corp HQ. Some quick modifications to our fulfillment software done with urgency & remarkable accuracy allowed for this. First party sales will remain on hold.

Day 3: No sleep nor meals for 48 hours now. The team tells me not to worry about marketplace fulfillment and to focus on the bank, it’s lawyers and the police. I make another round of calls to those advocating on my behalf. Omobola Johnson is particularly helpful and responsive.

We spend the whole day at the collecting firms offices at dolphin estate. We finally hammered out a deal. I would write a cheque for two years additional rent in favour of the bank.

This cheque is not to be cashed but is to provide “comfort” to the bank. I send an email to the board authorizing this payment of over N60m - exceeding my unilateral approving authority. Approval is unanimous. It’s close of business so the bank draft will wait till tomorrow.

Day 4: I had made peace with shutting the site down at close of business if this situation was not resolved. I head over to the firms offices along with Babajimi and Shola who had not left my side the entire time. We hand over the cheque and the draft of an agreement.

They review the agreement and we execute it. The firm then informs us that only the bank can give authorization to the police to vacate the premises. We head over to the banks offices.

We sit in the lobby waiting for the CEO, head of loan recovery or frankly anyone we could meet. We wait 4 hours. Nothing is happening. In 1 hour, I would have to shut the site down.

So I call my lawyer to a corner of the lobby. I’m going to throw a Hail Mary and damn pride and decorum. I tell Babajimi I’m going to fake a heart attack and he would have to back me up.

He is as exasperated as I am and so agrees to the plan. I pace around the lobby a bit and then grab the left half of my chest dropping to the ground in a performance that must have been Oscar worthy.

The management of the bank are in the lobby in minutes. I’m offered a seat and some water which I drink with shaky hands partly due to my acting and partly low blood sugar and lots of nicotine.

Babajimi explains that this man has cardiovascular issues and if they don’t want to have a death on their hands, we need to resolve this now. Orders are given to the police to immediately vacate the property.

We continues trading the next day like nothing happened and our customers had no idea (expect for tonnes of late orders)...until today. I have dozens of these stories.