Meet Ike Esedebe | Business Directory Owner & Real Estate Agent/Investor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ike Esedebe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ike, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Seeking Africa was founded on the idea to connect and invest African Diaspora. We believe by economically empowering our business owners we are helping build a promising future for the Diaspora. I chose to primarily focus of African businesses due to the fact that they lack marketing and exposure most of the times. Even on large business directories like Yelp they are not aware of or market a lot of African-owned businesses.

I believe common factors to integrating a culture is through Food, Fashion, and Music. My future goal is to help make African culture a commonplace here in America. I admire how other cultures like the Latin & Hispanics communities, Asian communities, and Middle Eastern communities have a strong presence here is America. It is very common to eat food from those cultures, attend concert or festivals with Artists from those cultures, and wear clothes from those cultures. My goal is to help jumpstart that same type of commonality for African culture here. We are beginning to see the rise of Afrobeats with global artists like Burna Boy. That is a major step to bringing positive exposure to our culture. Making our businesses well-known and welcome people from all walks of life is the next step.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My name is Ike Esedebe, and I am a 1st generation Nigerian Immigrant. After my family relocated from Nigeria to London, England (where I was born), we finally landed in Dallas, TX, where I primarily grew up. I graduated from the University of North Texas, where I was the President of our African Student Organization. It was there that my interest and curiosity of learning about my Nigerian culture and the African culture as a whole was sparked. I graduated as an Accounting & Finance major, so I have always had a unique interest in Business, Economics, and Entrepreneurship. During my time in undergrad and the initial post-grad years, I constantly would brainstorm how can I combine my love for business/entrepreneurship with my curiosity and passion for African culture? Thus, I came up with the idea of my Business Seeking Africa. Seeking Africa is a Business Directory (similar to Yelp) that primarily focuses on bringing exposure to African and Afro-Caribbean business.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For a weekend trip I for lunch I would suggest Nando’s in Addison. Nando’s is a South African inspire contemporary restaurant. For a more upscale dinner and drinks I would suggest Pangea in Garland. Pangea is also a great spot for brunch and drinks. For Sunday brunch and drinks I would suggest Fusion Vibes Kitchen and Lounge in Richardson.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to recognize the African Student Organization at my Alma Matar, The University or North Texas. Joining this organization was my first experienece learning and understanding African history from and African perspective. It is hard to understand and appreciate a history and a culture when the story is not being told from their own perspective. Meeting and working with people from various countries in Africa provided me this deeper understanding and appreciation.

Three books that were also very important to my journey are Rich Dad Poor Dad, Things Fall Apart, and The Alchemist. Rich Dad Poor Dad provided me the entrepreneurial outlook to take the risk and start my own business. I was always a hard work but I did not ever plan on starting a business or becoming an investor until reading that book. Things Fall Apart was important to me understanding African and Nigerian culture from a Nigerian perspective. The book dives into the Nigerian culture prior to colonization and the importance of preserving that culture. Finally, The Alchemist is my all time favorite book. The book is about a young boy whose ultimate goal is to complete his personal destiny and make it to see the pyramids of Egypt. It is a very inspiring story about completing you personal mission and understanding the signs around you that help guide you along the journey.

Website: https://seekafricanow.com/

Instagram: @seekingafrica / @ikeesedebe

Youtube: Seekingafrica

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