The agony of losing files due to computer crashes inspired Fopefoluwa Davies to found LifeMachines PC Build, a tech company that creates custom PCs.
While studying architecture at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State, Nigeria, he noticed that only a small percentage of his classmates had laptop computers with the necessary features and specifications to complete class projects.
“So we’d have to queue to use people’s systems to do our work. Just imagine how that would be when you have a deadline or a defense coming up in a few days,” he said.
Later, Fope turned the lack of laptops in his class into a business opportunity, importing personal computers as a side hustle. He claims that half of the money needed to import PCs into Nigeria came from his clients, the majority of whom were fellow architecture students and part-time designers.
As he continued to import PCs, he discovered how to repair laptops on YouTube and began earning money by repairing faulty PCs.
He later realized the need to transition from consulting and importing PCs to building the device from scratch. “I realized that anybody can just sell laptops and anybody can source laptops, but I knew that was not going to be sustainable for me because I came from a design-oriented background where I design and build stuff,” he explained.
He worked as an architect after graduation and continued his laptop importation and PC maintenance business, but he later founded LifeMachines PC Build.
Fope began his business by importing PC parts from various countries; he believes that building a PC entails more than just knowing the positions of the components. Due to the high cost of most computer components, the business requires a good supply chain, and purchasing the wrong ones can have a negative impact on the business.
Over time, Fope built strong relationships with partners who helped him coordinate the importation process.
He interviewed for an architecture job at Baron Architecture in 2017, but was turned down. Three months after the interview, Baron Architecture discovered LifeMachinces PC Build’s Instagram page and contacted them to order some PCs.
Fope, on the other hand, advised Baron Architecture to build PCs instead, which Baron agreed to. Surprisingly, the first company he wanted to work with paid him three million naira for four custom PCs, which was his highest PC supply contract at the time.
According to Techpoint Africa, Fope’s custom PCs start at ₦1.2 million ($2,606) and go up to ₦6 million ($13,034). The high cost of the machines stems from the high quality of the components he prefers to use.
“The smallest graphics card we use is the 12 gigabyte Nvidia RTX3060; it is what we start with and we don’t go below that. The graphics card alone costs over ₦500, 000,” Davies said.
Techpoint Africa reported that “in 2022, Davies and his team made ₦252 million (the equivalent of $340,540 then) from building and selling custom PCs.”
“We had very good numbers in 2022. Three years ago, when we started, we were still trying to convince people that you can actually have your PC built in Nigeria. But now, people have realized that they can depend on us.” the entrepreneur explained.
