Rafiat Babayode – Why she is called the International Product Guru

Moving from a failed business after many years of planning and investing over $35,000 to conceiving and launching Moremee within a day, and closing out with over 50 paying clients, is just one of the many achievements of Rafiat Babayode, known as the International Product Guru.

Getting pregnant with a third baby while her older children were still very young and settling in a new country was one of the best things that happened to her. Despite these challenges, she excelled and became a successful Product Management Expert.

Today, this 7-figure mompreneur helps other moms and businesses launch their products profitably within 15 days. Seven out of ten business products begin to thrive through her recently launched course – Online Business Accelerator, and her hands-on mentorship. Ten of her mentees and clients are selling out back-to-back, while three are already gearing up to join the million-dollar club.

This success has earned her the title of Product Management Guru. Back in 2020, Rafiat’s life looked very different. As a new immigrant with two toddlers and a relentless quest for financial independence, being employed as an Administrative Assistant was a relief.

Three months into her new role, she found out she was pregnant again. “I was bedridden for three months, unable to do much for myself or others,” says Rafiat. “I kept asking myself, ‘Is this how I will just be a mom for life? In a new country without help, how do I achieve my financial goals and make an impact with both hands already full?

Product management—building and launching businesses—was the field that enabled and energized her to excel. It also inspired her to create a platform to help other women start their businesses, regardless of how many children they have.

Interview with Assumpta Udochukwu

Assumpta Udochukwu: You’re incredibly devoted to your work. What’s your driving force? What motivates you to wake up every day and build your business?

Rafiat Babayode: With my foundation in tech and data analysis, and seeing my colleagues well-placed, I decided to give my new field my all, regardless of any limitations. My goal is to gain and retain good relevance as the best Product Manager, ensuring product viability and sustainability.

I intend to leave a lasting impact by helping entrepreneurs, especially women, successfully move their businesses from conception to launch within 15 days. I’ve had various successful businesses, from fashion to food, e-commerce during my school days, and another company in which I invested heavily that later crumbled.

I know what it feels like to succeed in business, and also the disheartening feeling when an idea fails. I understand the challenges of living as a married woman with financial roadblocks. My passion is to see others saved from the pitfalls of business and product development.

Assumpta Udochukwu: How did you transition from working with friends and helping them start off to seizing increasingly substantial opportunities in online business?

Rafiat Babayode: Although I studied programming in school, my business and entrepreneurship journey started during my school days. I sold wares and accessories and graduated from university with over $2,000.

With my extensive business experience, I could advise friends and family effectively, always adding that golden touch that made a positive difference. When I decided to focus on product management, I received great referrals. By the end of the first month, I had over ten paying clients, which helped solidify my confidence and expertise in this field.

Assumpta Udochukwu: Have you ever been part of an online product or business that didn’t do as well as you hoped?

Rafiat Babayode: Yes! The first product I built didn’t perform as expected. I thought my business would sell in the five-figure range and had high hopes. I later sold the business for $1,000 after an initial investment of over $7,000.

I had spent countless days over several months researching and trying to birth my initial idea. The lesson I learned was that building a product in isolation equates to failure. I had built the product without talking to my customers, couldn’t validate my ideas, and lacked a founder’s feet.

I had a great idea and business conception, but I was missing a critical product management piece. When another opportunity came as a Product Manager, I relaunched my product, now starting with the end in mind (my customers and consumers), using my product as the center of the business. Within the first month, I had over 50 paying clients.

Assumpta Udochukwu: It is evident that you’ve used the lessons you’ve learned the hard way to not only achieve success yourself but also to empower others through The Online Business Accelerator Course. How has guiding other women to seven-figure success affected you?

Rafiat Babayode: I have met many women during my business journey who faced similar or worse life challenges. Hearing my stories and experiences, raising three kids with little or no income in another country, inspires them to push, drive, and succeed.

They transform from being just moms to becoming moms of their dreams, careers, and passions, earning seven figures while managing their families and other responsibilities. This result is what I live for. I am emotionally connected to it.

Having gone through that journey, being able to empower a community of women to become their own success stories gives me immense joy and a great sense of fulfillment. I am proud to receive such accolades.

For instance, one of the women I mentored, Faheedat, was initially a stay-at-home mom struggling to make ends meet. After hearing my story, she decided to take a leap of faith and join The Online Business Accelerator Program. With determination and hard work, Faheedat launched her online boutique specializing in handmade children’s clothing and also launched her online course teaching her skills to others.

Within half a year, she turned her small business into a six-figure enterprise, all while balancing her duties as a mother. Faheedat often tells me that my journey gave her the courage to start hers and that seeing me overcome similar challenges made her believe she could do it too.

I have various testimonials, including some from women who weren’t part of my inner circle but heard my story and shared some of my realities. That encouraged them to become more than just moms. For instance, I had another mom, Sarah, who started a successful home-based bakery business after listening to my experiences.

Sarah’s business grew rapidly, allowing her to contribute significantly to her family’s income and gain a sense of personal accomplishment. Over One Thousand moms have gained access to The Online Business Accelerator Program was launched a few months ago.

All these successes bring me great joy, allowing me to counter the status quo. Moms have often been perceived as capable only within the confines of the kitchen.

I help moms successfully birth their business ideas and follow up to ensure their products become and remain profitable and sustainable, ensuring every product I partner with becomes a gold mine.

Assumpta Udochukwu: What guidance would you offer to someone aspiring to achieve the same level of success as you have in online business?

Rafiat Babayode: Here’s a shocker – the online business platform is the most dynamic of all marketplaces. The players here are incredibly diverse, making manipulations and similar tactics difficult. To succeed in any online business, you need to build resilience. Without resilience, you may not achieve anything. You also need to have good founder’s feet; without them, you wouldn’t be able to show up consistently, push forward, break limitations, and thrive.

Start leveraging product-led business strategies that are consumer-centered. Build your business with user satisfaction in mind, rather than focusing solely on your ego or profits. Always play to win.

Conclusively, I always emphasize one thing that has greatly helped me in my business growth – MENTORS. The role mentors play in our success stories can never be overemphasized. They can help you dot the I’s and cross the T’s. You can join my mastermind circle to connect with fellow entrepreneurs building products that keep selling out.

Keep improving yourself and keep building products.