Step 01 — Context & Entry
I wasn't recruited to fill a role. I joined to help build a company.
Lydia — a long-standing friend and co-founder — reached out looking for a product manager for SpireCore's founding product. She was building in the Nigerian regulatory-fintech space and needed someone who understood both the product craft and the Nigerian market deeply. After reviewing the opportunity, I decided to put myself forward rather than recommend someone else.
The reason was simple: the product required more than product management. It required the energy and judgement of a founder. Someone who could help shape the idea, navigate Nigerian regulatory realities, build a team from scratch, and drive both product and revenue simultaneously. I negotiated a scope that reflected that — and I came in as more than a PM.
The founding team was diaspora-led: brilliant, motivated, and deeply Nigerian in identity — but not beat-by-beat familiar with how Nigerian users, regulators, and informal markets actually behave. That gap was where I added the most immediate value.
My first contribution wasn't a product spec. It was helping the team understand the user they were building for — an average Nigerian who doesn't want to think about taxes, doesn't trust government systems, and is looking for any reason to postpone compliance.