Udoka Onwachumba is a product designer and web developer and the founder of Frame Ivy, a studio that provides website design, development, and automation services for small business owners, SMEs, tech startups, pre-seed startups, and first-time SaaS founders.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
For three years as a product designer, Udoka Onwachumba watched promising small businesses launch with websites that couldn’t keep up. “I identified a consistent issue: many small businesses either lack a digital presence entirely or operate with websites that are not fully optimized,” he said.
To address that gap, the University of Lagos Metallurgical and Materials Engineering graduate founded Frame Ivy, a Lagos-based studio that designs optimized websites and builds automation tools for small businesses and first-time founders. The studio now serves clients in Nigeria and abroad. “Our real validation comes from heartfelt testimonials and positive feedback from clients who appreciate the quality of my work,” Udoka told TheNiche.
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Starting out
Udoka officially launched Frame Ivy on November 13, 2025, going live with its website and introducing the studio across social media. “I started the business entirely digitally, building the foundation from the ground up right from my workspace,” he said.
Capital and early strategy
Sourcing capital was a challenge early on. Udoka realized what he needed most was a paying client, not venture funding. “When you are trying to launch a business, there are always upfront costs—buying domain names, setting up software, investing in client outreach systems, and getting everything legally off the ground. It can easily feel overwhelming in the beginning,” he said.
One of his advantages, he added, is that his skill set is the studio’s most valuable asset. He focused heavily on outreach until he secured a high-paying client and used that payout as seed capital to cover initial expenses and formalize the business.
Penetrating the market
Udoka says the web and brand design space is saturated, making it difficult to break through—especially from Nigeria while targeting international clients. Frame Ivy’s primary focus is North America and Europe, alongside an African client base. “Navigating international outreach, crafting compelling cold emails, and building trust from a distance takes continuous hard work,” he said.
The studio is still young—about six to seven months old. Udoka says they are actively refining strategies and converting outreach into consistent partnerships.
Experience with bias and rejection
Cold outreach brought frequent rejections, and Udoka says bias against Nigerians was among the toughest obstacles. “When I first started doing cold outreach—sending out pitches to potential leads and customers—many wouldn’t answer, and those who did often said they didn’t need the services or weren’t ready. But the most difficult experiences came from cold calling,” he recalled.
“The moment they saw a Nigerian number or heard my accent, the tone changed. They would automatically assume the call was a scam. Navigating that bias is one of the steepest challenges of running this business from Nigeria,” he added.
Breakthrough
Securing his first client was the turning point. Delivering the project successfully and receiving a glowing testimonial validated his skills and shifted momentum. “That first breakthrough gave me the confidence to create more content and scale up outreach across LinkedIn, X, TikTok, and Instagram to showcase our services,” Udoka said.
Challenges beyond bias
Beyond social bias, Udoka cited infrastructural problems—especially unreliable power and internet—as major operational challenges. “As a technical professional who builds platforms and manages digital products, relying on an unstable grid where you might only get 10 hours of light a day is a massive challenge. It forces you to cram workflows, tight turnarounds, and client communications into limited windows,” he explained.
Missing deadlines due to power or connectivity issues can be hard to explain to foreign clients without appearing unprofessional, he said, adding that systemic issues require resilience to maintain international standards.
Japa
Asked whether he plans to leave Nigeria, Udoka said emigration is not off the table. “Nigeria doesn’t always provide a stable, safe, or conducive environment for young entrepreneurs to take an idea from point A to point B and genuinely thrive. A lot of my friends share the same sentiment,” he said.
“But I haven’t made a final decision to leave. I’m determined not to let my environment be a limiting factor. My mindset is to stay focused, make lemonade out of lemons, and keep moving forward,” he added.
About Udoka
Udoka Onwachumba is a product designer and web developer and the founder of Frame Ivy, a studio that provides website design, development, and automation services for small business owners, SMEs, tech startups, pre-seed startups, and first-time SaaS founders. He builds modern, high-converting websites on platforms like Webflow and Framer and explores integrating emerging AI technologies to push the boundaries of web design.
