The real story.

Long before “founder” was a word I used about myself, I was making hair and styling people in school. At university, it was nails—and finding small ways to sell things to the people around me. I bought domains the moment ideas arrived, years before I knew what to do with all of them. The instinct to build was already there. It simply did not have a name.

iKooK is where instinct became infrastructure. I began without knowing what a two-sided marketplace was supposed to look like. I learned technology, people, operations and internationalisation by doing the work. Today, iKooK trades in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, with South Africa developing gradually. It has also been registered in Canada since 2024 in preparation for market entry.

The journey taught me how expensive the wrong guidance can be. I once paid £10,000 to a programme that promised an app, a website and support that did not fully materialise. That experience stayed with me. I wanted founders to reach experienced people before spending money they could not recover.

That desire became Mercy ElRoi: a personal platform for mentoring, coaching, audiobooks and practical support. I completed coaching hours by mentoring through organisations including the Diana Award and African Food Changemakers. Over time, the need became larger than one person could serve. Mercy ElRoi helped reveal the idea that became iMentorsPro—an AI-enabled marketplace connecting founders with coaches and mentors suited to their stage.

ThoughtsbyIB is where the lessons are written down while they are still alive. Office Hours with IB is where they are spoken. Neither exists to perform certainty. They exist to examine what building actually requires.