Building a startup is no small feat. Building two?

That’s the kind of ambition that earns you the nickname Uncle Big Dreams, Robert Bette.

Robert’s story is proof that products born from passion, paired with perseverance and the right people, can not only survive the grind but thrive in it.

“I built Reeplay from my love for visuals.”

It all started with a childhood obsession with Nigerian home videos. Robert would imagine different endings and alternate storylines.

And when reality didn't match the narrative in his head, he realized the only way to tell the story he wanted was to create it himself.

That passion evolved into Reeplay, a live-streaming and video-on-demand platform designed to help creators not just distribute content, but do it effectively.

“I built Reeplay from my own struggles as a filmmaker. I realized there were many creators like me with content but no distribution strategy,” Robert said.

Then came skanme.app, a contactless digital menu and ordering solution for the hospitality industry, born in the heat of COVID-19 when Robert noticed inefficiencies in restaurant service.

“I saw people struggling to get attention at restaurants, and I thought: what if this process was digitized?”

Advice to Founders: Start Small, Think Big

One thing Robert kept repeating? Start with one customer.

Before you worry about a thousand signups or raising funds, validate your idea with a single user.

For both Reeplay and skanme.app, Robert began by testing his ideas with real people, content creators and restaurant managers, before diving into full-scale development.

And when pitching his product, he didn’t just tell potential clients what the tool could do. He showed them.

“It’s easier to convert when people can see their problem already solved.” - Robert said.

He shared how he practically applied this tactic and it worked in paving a way for skanme.app

“I started creating full profiles for potential clients on Skan, so when I walked into their business, I already had a live demo of their digital menu ready.”

Hiring the wrong people can ruin your start-up.”

Robert’s biggest lesson? You can’t build a dream with people who don’t believe in it.

In the early days, he wore many hats: designer, developer, and strategist. He changed teams five times before finding one that actually believed in the vision.

“Don’t just hire the ‘best’ people. Find people who believe in what you're doing. People willing to work for equity. People who are in it for the long haul, not just the paycheck.”

He emphasizes that it’s okay to say no to skilled people if they don’t match your energy. “Some team members felt too big for the company. That’s a red flag when you're still in the trenches.”

Facing Nigeria’s Tech Product Resistance

Even with all the right tools, Robert admits that the Nigerian market is tough.

He recalls pitching Skanme.app to a restaurant manager who clearly needed a digital menu but still said NO.

“It’s frustrating. You build a solution for an obvious problem, but the market doesn’t always respond. People here prefer to stick with what they know.”

But that hasn’t deterred him. Instead, it’s taught him the power of incremental strategy.

“When things don’t work, don’t abandon the whole idea. Tweak it. Improve the pitch. Find your entry point.”

Retention Isn’t Just About Features; It’s About Feeling

What keeps users coming back? According to Robert, trust, service quality, and steady innovation. But there’s something deeper.

“Reliability builds emotional connection. People don’t just remember how your product worked. They remember how it made them feel.”

That’s where branding comes in: not just colors and logos, but a feeling that sticks. From the way a page loads to the tone of a customer email, everything adds up.

Whether he’s building a media platform or helping restaurants ditch paper menus, Robert is building for people first, not personas.

“Find one real user. Solve their problem. Let them become your loudest advocates.”

For anyone watching the Nigerian tech space, this interview is a reminder: product-market fit isn’t a buzzword. It’s a brutal, hands-on process. But if you get it right, the results speak for themselves.

Secret Lessons for Start-up Founders

Robert left us with three core lessons for every founder:

1. Validate before building: Use landing pages, talk to people, gauge real interest.

2. Start with what you have: Don’t wait for perfection. Just start.

3. Surround yourself with believers: Your team should share your vision, not just your task list.

And perhaps most importantly: Breakdowns don’t mean failure. They’re part of the process.

What's Next?

As we wrapped up, Robert hinted at more innovations coming soon and encouraged the Spotlight Hub team to stay in touch.

This interview reminded us that entrepreneurship is not about having everything figured out; it’s about having the grit to keep showing up.

Whether you're building your first MVP or scaling your startup, Robert Bette’s journey is a masterclass in starting with passion, staying grounded, and building with people who care.

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