Interview with Topsie Ogunyade Egbetokun, Country Manager for LetslunchNigeria.
Entrepreneur Buddy had the honor to interview Topsie Ogunyade Egbetokun(http://about.me/topsiee) about LetslunchNigeria.


What is Letslunch?
Letslunch was established in Silicon Valley in 2010 by Syed Shuttari to encourage smart business networking by focusing on in-person interaction to build strong relationships. The whole idea behind LetsLunch is to “make your lunch break count.” Instead of just eating a sandwich at your desk or picking up fast food, you can actually make new contacts that might help further your business interests. Letslunch aims to expand members’ networks by connecting them with industry-relevant entrepreneurs and business professionals for one-to-one or group lunch meeting.

What makes Letslunch difference and unique from other business social networking platform?
Letslunch place more emphasis on face-to-face human relationship, helps to establish credibility for people. Makes lunch more meaningful and relevant in accessing potential business opportunity. Letslunch takes networking to a whole new level by helping people connect with their online contact or network offline through lunch.
Letslunch is an opportunity I want every Nigerian to embrace whole-heartedly, because it’s will help to solve and debunk some of the negative myth about social media and online business networking. It will also help to place a face value, credibility to whoever people claim to be in their social media channels and helps to further people business interest.

What is the business model for Letslunch?
Letslunch create a match for lunch based on time and location availability of the people. Letslunch then suggests the restaurant in the area to go to and these restaurants are willing to pay us money if people go there for lunches. Another new feature is an Ad space which will allow users to feature themselves as lunchers. People can pay to have their profile displayed throughout the website or to a certain demographic to target the people you want to meet.

What are the benefits of LetslunchNigeria?
The benefits of Letslunch are endless, priceless and innovative.
* Signing up and joining is totally FREE – Letslunch.com
* The platform allows people to invite their online and offline network to join them, start scheduling lunch on each other time availability and location immediately.
* Member’s are able to discover other potential luncher in their career industry to lunch with.
* Opportunity to lunch with CEOs, Business Owners, High-Tech, Investors, Movers & Shakers, Celebrity, Politicians, Decision-makers and Influential people within your network and outside of your network.
* The easiest way to network with people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet to talk to.
* Members can cross-lunch from state to state based on their work schedule and business traveling schedule. Example, a business person that travels a lots can schedule lunch with a member in Lagos if he/she is going to be in Lagos for business, and at the same time schedule another lunch with another member in Abuja to lunch with when he/she travels the same week to Abuja.

Who pays for the bill during lunch meeting?
Each person pays for their own lunch; you only pay for what you order for lunch during your schedule lunch meeting. Except in special instances where there is pre-arrangement between both parties, where one party volunteers to pay for both party’s lunch, group lunch or a company sponsor a group lunch meeting. Always come prepare to pay for your lunch to avoid any embarrassment.

What are some of the benefits of Letslunch for Eateries, Restaurant, Food & Beverage, Hotels and Food Chain Industry?
Eateries, Restaurant, Hotels and Food Chain Industry are part of the business sector that will benefit from Letslunch because all lunch meetings are going to be taking place in their business location. My advice to all Eateries, Restaurant, Hotels and Food Chain industry to position their businesses or companies to accommodate Letslunch members, become sponsors of Letslunch Nigeria and sponsor all Letslunch Nigeria activities or group to get their brands in front of Letslunch members. As members will be coming back to give review of their lunch place experience with their luncher.

Why must people signup and be part of LetslunchNigeria?
* If you are looking for ways to take your business, company or career to the next level, letslunchNigeria is for you.
* If you are looking to establish credibility, visibility for your business, company or career, letslunchNigeria is for you.
* If you want to make your online networking count and meaningful, letslunchNigeria is for you.
* If you want to make your network your net-worth, letslunchNigeria is for you.
* If you are a sales person, people looking for jobs and business-to-business owners who want to get their foot in the door at a large corporation, letslunchNigeria is for you.
* Opportunity for corporate sponsors and brands to get their message or brand in front of decision-makers.
* If you want to experience all the food cuisine Nigeria food industry has to offer, letslunchNigeria is for you.
Are there any sponsorship opportunity companies can explore with LetslunchNigeria?
Yes, there many sponsorship opportunity for corporate companies or small business to be part of LetslunchNigeria. Companies can sponsors letslunch event, activities and member’s group lunch. We welcome sponsorship from all business sector (Telecommunication, Banking & Finance, Media, Private or Public companies etc).

Is it only people with Linkedin profiles that are accepted into LetslunchNigeria?
Linkedin is the gold standard in business networking world, Letslunch is allowing people to leverage on their LinkedIn network to connect people for lunch meetings to further their business interest. But Letslunch also allow people with Facebook, Twitter or Email Account to signup. But at the end of the day, people’s credibility all boils down to having a LinkedIn profile.

Can you explain the “Lunch with VIP” on LetslunchNigeria?
VIP is a special privilege that will be given to certain Letslunch members in Nigeria, these groups of members are exclusively in high demand to lunch with. They maybe but not limited to CEOs, Business Owners, High-Tech, Investors, Movers & Shakers, Celebrity, Politicians, Decision-makers and Influential people. Other members can only lunch with VIP only after having three lunch meetings and good review from their luncher.
What are some of the lunch-type categories LetslunchNigeria allows
* One-on-One Lunch Meeting.
* Group Lunch Meeting – based on interest, contact or network
* VIP Lunch Meeting — CEOs, Business Owners, High-Tech, Investors, Movers & Shakers, Celeb+
* Corporate Sponsor Lunch Meeting – Companies or Brands sponsoring a group that are interested to Lunch Meeting. Example a telecommunication company may decide to sponsor lunch for all members of a group name “Mobile Apps Developer”.

What are the benefits of LetslunchNigeria to Women in Business?
Letslunch is a great opportunity for women to form strategy partnership. Letslunch gives women the opportunity to “Sit at the Table” with CEOs, Business Owners, High-Tech, Investors, Movers & Shakers, Celebrity, Politicians, Decision-makers and Influential people to help them in taking their career or business idea to the next level. Great opportunity to lunch with other open-minded women and community of diverse women and learn about the industries they represent. Opportunity to lunch with investors, business coach and mentor.

What are the benefits of LetslunchNigeria to University Students & Graduate?
For University Students or graduate, you may never get the appointment with a company secretary to see the CEO of a company you want to work for, but you are sure of lunching with the same CEO before working for him on Letslunch. Letlunch gives students the opportunity to lunch with professionals who can mentor or coach them in their career or helps to develop their business ideas; they can lunch with professionals in their career industry who can provide them with internship or job opportunity. Great opportunity to lunch with HR recruiter to sell their skills before submitting CV/resume for job opportunity.

Any future plans to expand Letslunch to other part of the countries?
Our long term goal is to be in the 36 states in Nigeria, but right now we will be launching in states with the highest signup in five major states in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin City & Kano). The more people in a state sign up and mobilize their friends, colleagues to also signup, the earlier we will be able to launch the state. So I am encouraging everyone to join in the signup campaign in your state to get your state started on LetslunchNigeria.
How can people in Nigeria signup for LetslunchNigeria

Currently, website technician are working behind the scene to create a website tailored to Nigeria business market with Nigeria flag and add Nigeria to the list of country. But people can still signup at;

Sign-Up Now — [url]Letslunch.com[/url] using your LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter Accounts
Like Us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/letslunchNigeria
Follow Us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/letslunchNaija
Join Nigeria Group on Letslunch
LetsLunchNigeria –[url] http://letslunch.com/Nigeria[/url]

For more information and sponsorship opportunity about LetslunchNigeria, send email to info@businesswithoutboundaries.net or bwbnetwork@gmail.com

About Topsie Ogunyade Egbetokun - http://about.me/topsiee
She is the CEO of Business Without Boundaries, a business management and consulting company providing leadership to help jump-start companies, grow established business and help to reinvent and transform every aspect of business development.