Today we’d like to introduce you to Ganiu Ladejobi.
Hi Ganiu, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Gbowo is a same day delivery only wholesale club. The idea for Gbowo started from my personal experience with bulk shopping while living in New York. Like most New Yorkers, I did not have a vehicle and utilized public transportation. Bulk shopping at existing warehouse clubs would involve taking the train or taxi cab miles away, and then doing same while coming back with multiple bags. Also, I felt like the time it would take to shop at these places was too long and I also disliked the fact that products were purposely arranged in a manipulative way to make you buy more items than you originally wanted. It all just felt like such a hassle and inconvenient process considering the technology we have today. I started working on Gbowo as a way to allow people to still save money by shopping at wholesale prices but in a more convenient manner. I moved to Houston last year but kept working on the business as I realized that there were also people here that would appreciate the solution Gbowo provides. I spent the better part of 2021 working on the business and officially launched on January 1st, 2022. The focus for now is on food & grocery, household essentials, home & kitchen products as well as personal care products and we currently service all of Houston. My goal is to provide equal and convenient access to savings on products and services.
Also, I want to have Gbowo be a platform to showcase products from small businesses in each city we service. So in addition to major brands, we partner with and stock plenty of items from local businesses and made in USA products. From my personal experience working on a beverage brand a few years back, I understand the difficulties with getting distribution for your product as a small business so I wanted to also ensure that Gbowo helps other small businesses that might be in a similar position.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. As a small startup, financing is definitely a big issue. The company is self funded at the moment and the team is wearing many hats to ensure operations run smoothly and we keep our promise of providing savings on products to members with free same day delivery.
Getting the word out with limited resources has also been a challenge. We’ve been talked about a bit in some local Houston publications and that has been very helpful. Word of mouth has also been great for us from current members using the service and recommending it to family and friends but this is still an area we are working on.
Also, we are very focused on trying to keep our deliveries as sustainable as possible. We use small neighborhood electric vehicles for nearby deliveries and conventional vehicles for deliveries that are further out. The goal is to eventually be able to do all deliveries as zero emissions but that is a bit difficult at the moment because commercial electric cargo vans are not readily available on the market.
As you know, we’re big fans of Gbowo. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Gbowo is a same day delivery only warehouse club. We are like “Costco” for the digital generation. Members pay a monthly fee that allows them to shop products at discounted prices on our website with free same day delivery. Our mission is to provide equal and convenient access to savings on quality products and services. As we grow, we plan to provide everything you are able to get at any existing warehouse club delivered to you for free at competitively discounted prices. We also carry a lot of products from local businesses and made in USA companies to help these brands grow. We cater to individuals as well as businesses looking to save money and enjoy the convenience we provide.
In addition, for every paid membership we get, we will be working with local organizations to provide free memberships to families located in areas designated as food deserts. We want to ensure that everyone is able to have the same access to savings on products and services, in a manner that is the most convenient.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
We are very data driven with how we stock products at Gbowo and we approach this by talking to members as well as potential members on what kind of items they would like to see on Gbowo. If there is an item we currently do not carry that a member wants, we work hard to get the product on our site at competitively discounted prices. Also, Gbowo provides a way for individuals to generate some revenue by buying products from us at near wholesale prices and re-selling on their own platforms. We are able to supply products to both individuals and businesses at discounted prices with free same day & next day delivery.
Gbowo also provides an e-commerce micro-fulfillment service for companies looking to offer their customers same day and next day delivery. We work with companies to stock their products at our warehouses and then run deliveries for those orders as the company receives them from their platform.
Pricing:
- $19.99/Month
- $190/year (20% discount)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gbowo.com
- Instagram: gbowoinc
- Facebook: gbowoinc
- Twitter: gbowoinc
