500 Days at Cowrywise – Building Culture that Lasts

Dear Friend,

Let me tell you a story.

One Friday evening, after a long week of building products, attending to customers, and meeting the expectations of our stakeholders, our CEO, Razaq Ahmed came in with two bags of lovely Ankara-printed jackets, a gift for everyone in the office, he said.

Our excitement was palpable. We tried out different samples and bantered over who was fit and who needed to go back to the gym. This turned into a mini-modelling session, where each of us began striking poses that the judges at America’s Top Model would be proud of. 

This is what working at Cowrywise looks like, spontaneous, different, vibrant.

Growth

The last time I wrote a review was exactly 250 days ago.

Between then and now, our staff strength had increased by 33% and would have increased by 50% in a month’s time. Our retention rate has increased from 85% to 96%, thanks to our exciting employee experience, homely culture and employees’ commitment to a shared vision. Our ambassadors have increased by 400%, expanding coast and solidifying their presence in about 150 tertiary institutions in Nigeria. And of course, our customer base has increased from 300,000 users to 500,000+. After all, happy employees lead to happier customers. 

This is what growth looks like.

Company culture is the backbone of any successful organization. – Gary Vaynerchuk

Building the best place to work is not just a quote, it is a mantra we work toward bringing to life every day. From creating deliberate experiences that make employees excited to work, to giving platforms of expression that enable the talents to express themselves fully, stretch their abilities and deliver outstanding results at peak productivity; we’re clearly doing something right.

At Cowrywise, lovely moments erupt into lasting memories; sometimes it is receiving a care pack on International Women’s day, sometimes it is employees receiving a shopping voucher to mark “Employee Appreciation day”. 

We’re big on employee engagement and ours revolves around getting our talents committed to the company wholeheartedly while supporting them to do their best work every day.

Processes

At Cowrywise, we are deliberate about competitive compensation and tailor-fit benefits like Relocation Assitance Policy and Education Assistant policy, to other allowances that aid everyday living, our remuneration is carefully designed to keep our talents above board. 

Learning and Development are key, and every talent at Cowrywise has access to skills and function-based learning platforms that enhance their abilities to deliver excellent output.

From signing employees on a product growth-focused platform at reforge to granting all employees an all-year access to platforms like LinkedIn Learning, and sponsoring professional certifications when required, the personal growth of our employees is a pivotal element we do not joke with.

The way folks at CowryWise hype this startup, you’ll want to work there. That’s how company culture should be, not the toxic one.

Even their volunteers are always excited. I think we should appreciate startups like this too.

— Abíólá (@mreportah) March 21, 2022

500 Days at Cowrywise – Results

It isn’t all the time that Twitter users give an organisation a shout out; and we’re only just getting started.

In my 250th day post, I wrote that “Building the best place to work is a work in progress and we are committed to redefining what a workplace should look like”.

Last year, we led the rankings of Africa Challengers Brand, ahead of many well-known names, a testament to our competitive employer brand, and every day, our timeline is filled with people who love us, what we do and the culture we are building. 

I asked my colleague who will be clocking 4 years at Cowrywise in a few days about her journey so far, and she summarised it in a few words; Growth, Progress and Consistent Delivery of Excellence. This summarises the world of anyone working at Cowrywise and being at the helm of upholding this culture of excellence in the last 500 days, has been a demanding but fulfilling task.

I do not know when next I would write to you, it might be after an additional 500 days at Cowrywise, or maybe when I clock 4 years like my colleague, but it has been an amazing ride so far, and with the right systems and structure in place, we can only get better.

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