Amara Obi · PatchWork
The Electrician Who Became a Platform
Amara Obi spent 12 years fixing Lagos's wiring. Then Ceoism helped him fix the system that kept skilled tradespeople invisible.
Before
Amara Obi spent twelve years moving between jobs in Lagos as an electrician. He was good, well-reviewed by everyone who hired him, recommended to neighbours, eventually to neighbours of neighbours. He had no shortage of work. But he also had no leverage. Every job came through someone knowing someone. The moment a chain broke (a contact moved, a recommender forgot) the pipeline dried up. He had earned a reputation he couldn't scale.
“The problem wasn't a lack of tradespeople. It was a lack of trust infrastructure.”
The Conversation
When Ceoism reached out, Amara didn't need convincing that the problem was real. He had lived it from both sides: as the tradesperson who needed to be found, and as the customer who needed to find someone trustworthy. He had already sketched the idea on paper twice. What he didn't have was the product. What he didn't have was the infrastructure. That's exactly what Ceoism built around him.
What Was Built
PatchWork is a neighbourhood-level service marketplace. Not a general classifieds board. A platform with verified profiles, real reviews from real customers, WhatsApp-integrated booking, and a payment system that holds funds in escrow until the job is done. Every feature traces back to a specific pain Amara either experienced or observed. This is what it looks like when the person who understands the problem is also the person leading the product.
The Handover
When PatchWork was ready, the team returned to Amara with a product, not a pitch. He walked through every feature, asked sharp questions, identified two things he wanted changed. Both changes were made. Then he logged into the dashboard for the first time, saw his name on it, and said something the team won't forget: 'This is mine. This is actually mine.' It was.