Sharon Onyinye is a Nigerian-born product designer turned entrepreneur whose journey to finding her true passion has been anything but linear. Initially pursuing a degree in Estate Management at the University of Lagos, she soon discovered that her interests lay elsewhere. Her curiosity led her to explore various fields, including graphic design, web design, and coding. It was through these explorations that Sharon realized her love for crafting digital experiences, which eventually led her to the world of product design.
Over the years, Sharon has built an impressive career, working in diverse roles across Nigeria, Germany, and the UK. Her experiences in different cultures and environments have enriched her design perspective, allowing her to create user-centric products that resonate globally.
Today, as the founder of Coachli, Sharon is on a mission to empower individuals to monetize their expertise by offering digital products, live events, and one-on-one sessions. She is passionate about helping others unlock their potential and share their knowledge with the world.
In this exclusive conversation with her, we delved into Sharon’s entrepreneurial journey and how she’s shaping the future of digital coaching and all the challenges that come with it.
So can we get to know you?
My name is Sharon, and I’m a product designer with about seven years of experience. I was born and raised in Nigeria, where I initially studied Estate Management at the University of Lagos. However, I soon realized that it wasn’t my true passion, so I began exploring other paths. I dabbled in graphic design for a couple of years while still in school, then transitioned to web design using tools like WordPress. As I delved deeper, I developed an interest in coding, which eventually led me to product design—a field that perfectly blends my love for creativity and technical work.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with companies in Germany and am now based in the UK. Last year, I launched my own company, Coachli, a platform that helps people monetize their time through digital products, live events, and one-on-one sessions.
On the lighter side, I enjoy drawing, taking walks, spending time with my family, and indulging in good food and rest. I’m excited to share my journey, both as a founder and a product designer.
Can you tell us about your journey in tech so far?
I think I touched on this earlier, but to recap: during my time in school, I was trying to find my path and eventually landed on product design, which sparked my passion and shaped my career. By God’s grace, I got early opportunities that allowed me to leave Nigeria and work in Berlin, Germany for a few years—a pivotal moment for me.
As I progressed, mentorship became important to me. I realized I had gained knowledge that many others didn’t have access to, so I started a YouTube channel to share insights on getting started in UX and product design. This also allowed me to connect and mentor people one-on-one, which was a defining experience.
However, I found it difficult to connect with people back home in Nigeria, which inspired me to create Coachli—a platform where I could mentor others, whether paid or free, and make it accessible to both international and Nigerian audiences. About two years ago, I started building it, and we launched it last year. Now, I use my experience as a designer and teacher to build a product that’s relevant and helpful for everyone.
While I still work as a product designer, I’m equally passionate about the product I’m building and the teaching aspect of my journey.
How do you manage being a sole founder and an employee at the same time?
I focus a lot of my free time on building Coachli while also managing my full-time job. Being a solo founder and bootstrapping a young company like Coachli means balancing my time carefully. I dedicate my after-work hours, weekends, and holidays to my personal projects.
For me, it’s very rewarding because having something outside of my nine-to-five allows me to hone my skills and express my creativity more freely. Working on Coachli doesn’t feel like extra work; it’s exciting and fulfilling, almost like a hobby that I have full control over. It’s all about prioritizing and managing my time in a way that keeps me engaged and motivated.
Tea or coffee? What gets you up in the morning?
Actually, neither. I’m not a fan of hot beverages. Water is my go-to drink. I start my mornings with water, which always surprises people because they assume you need coffee to wake up. Caffeine makes me uncomfortable and jittery, so I stick with water. After that, I’ll wash my face, shower, and sometimes work out to help me wake up.
Do you have a mentor or role model?
At the risk of sounding cliché, I’d say my biggest mentor is my mom. She’s my role model, with diverse work experience over many years, and she’s the person I draw the most inspiration from. Additionally, my current manager, Kizi, has been incredibly influential. She’s really opened my mind to what’s possible and helped me grow as an individual. These two women are the people I look up to and who have guided my career over the years.
What is the biggest challenge you’re facing as a startup founder?
One of the biggest challenges right now is definitely access to funding. The economy has made it difficult, with many funding opportunities drying up. As a founder, I’ve had to get really creative in managing our finances, especially as we work towards profitability. We’re further along this year than last, but bootstrapping comes with its own set of challenges. Despite this, we’re surviving, pushing forward, and growing, which I’m really happy about. The current economic climate isn’t easy for startup founders, but it’s taught me a lot about creativity, prudence, and making the best out of tough situations.
Can you describe a day in your life as a founder right now?
A typical day in my life starts with waking up around 8 AM, which might be early for some but works for me since I work primarily from home. I start my day by praying with my husband—we try our best to make this a daily routine. On some mornings, I manage to fit in a gym session, which I love, but if not, I jump straight into getting ready, doing my skincare, and starting work.
If it’s a day off or a weekend, I focus more on Coachli. I always start my day with a to-do list, outlining what needs to get done and checking things off as I go. I sync with my team, checking in to see how they’re doing and what the current focus is. Also, I believe in giving clear direction while also allowing them the independence to do their work. I stay hands-on, doing a lot of testing and checking performance metrics through our backend portal.
I’m not much of a breakfast person, but I do make sure to grab lunch, stretch my legs, and take short breaks. I often listen to music or positive affirmations while working to keep myself in a good headspace. As the day wraps up, I make sure to check in with my team one last time to ensure everything’s on track, and then I close out, making a conscious effort to leave work behind for the evening. That’s pretty much a summary of my day.
What’s your favorite tech gadget right now?
My favorite tech gadget? That’s a great question! While it might be cliché to say my phone or laptop, I’d have to go with my Apple Watch and Amazon Alexa. I use my Apple Watch almost every day—it’s like a mini phone on my wrist. And Alexa is like my companion; I rely on her for setting reminders, timers, checking the time, and even the weather. Those are definitely my top two gadgets.
If you could learn and master one skill instantly, right now, what would that be?
That’s a really interesting question. What would that be? I think I would really, really, really love to learn how to paint. Currently, I draw already, but I’ve never gotten into painting, and I probably like pottery sculpting and stuff like that. I thoroughly enjoy creative processes and seeing people create, you know, create things really inspires me. So I’d love to really learn how to paint and how to probably do sculptures, either with like via like clay, pottery, or through other ways, you know, metal works and stuff like that, yeah, I’d say, or just generally, mixed medium art is something I would love to do. All right,
What is Coachli’s recent milestone you are most excited about?
We recently crossed 5,000 users, which is a major milestone for us. We also surpassed a total transaction volume target that we had initially set for the end of the year but ended up achieving it in Q2, which was incredibly exciting. Seeing how people are interacting with and building on Coachly is very rewarding, especially with consistent growth month over month. Reaching over 5,000 users across multiple countries is something I’m really proud of.
What are your plans for Coachli in the next coming year, what should current and potential users be looking forward to?
We’re excited about what’s coming up for Coachli, particularly in terms of personalization and customization. Initially, our MVP was quite fixed due to technical limitations and time constraints. Now, we’re focused on adding more flexibility, allowing users to personalize and truly make their Coachli pages their own. We’re also working on enabling more ways for our customers to communicate with their own clients—whether through email, SMS, or other channels—since Coachli serves as a bridge between coaches, creators, mentors, and their audiences.
In addition, we’re giving Coachli a significant makeover with new feature improvements that are really exciting. Over the next year, we’re confident that we’ll build a solid product that will impress existing users and satisfy new ones. We’re also addressing issues like faster withdrawals and payouts so that users can receive their earnings more quickly from their product sales, sessions, and events.
After a long work week, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love to read—both fiction and nonfiction. I also enjoy watching reality TV; it helps me relax. When I can, I love to work out or go for walks. Catching up with family and friends, or just chatting with my husband, is something I cherish. And of course, ending the day with a nice dinner is always a treat.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be bold. The worst anyone can say is ‘no,’ and the worst that can happen if you try something and it doesn’t work out is that it fails—but you’ll definitely learn something. I would tell my younger self, and anyone else, not to be afraid to try. You never know what will click or what will work out, and you never know what you’ll learn along the way. So, be bold. Try things. Don’t get stuck in the finer details or figuring everything out upfront. You can’t know everything, but you’ll get closer by actually starting to try.
If you were to work with or collaborate with any Nigerian founder right now, who would that be, and why?
I’d probably say the founder of PiggyVest, Odunayo Eweniyi. I think she’s such a brilliant person, and I 100% admire the way they’ve built out PiggyVest. I also see the potential for collaboration between Coachli and PiggyVest. PiggyVest is a platform where people can grow their earnings, invest, and save, and there are many people who can teach you how to use it to achieve financial growth.
Meanwhile, Coachli is a platform where people can host sessions, teach, and manage their earnings as coaches and creators. I feel there’s a natural synergy there. Beyond that, I’d love to learn from her experience in navigating the challenges of being a founder in Nigeria and building such a successful product. She has a lot of my respect.
What are some key lessons you have learned as I found out that you wish you had known when you started?
I think I would have really loved to understand how Nigerians think a bit better. You never truly grasp it until you build a product that many Nigerians have to use. It’s a low-trust environment, especially when it comes to money, so you need to be very explicit in your design. Nigerians, specifically, want to know where their money is, and when they’ll get it, and they want it as quickly as possible. If I had known this earlier, I probably would have made some different decisions.
Another thing would be to prioritize the bootstrapping process and follow through. When I started, many people were raising money or joining accelerators, but by the time I was ready to launch, a lot of those opportunities had dried up. I had always planned to bootstrap, but I didn’t realize I might have to do that for a lot longer. Now, I’m happy that I am, because I get to call my product mine and build it the way I believe is best. However, I would have loved to have known more about the process from the beginning, including financial management. I’m learning a lot on the job, which is exciting, but it also comes with its own unique set of challenges.
Where do you see Coachli in the next five years?
I see Coachli in the next five years, fingers crossed by the special grace of God, as a tool that’s being used worldwide. While it was initially created to be leveraged by Nigerians and Africans, it’s designed to support global usage. I’m building a tool that will be used by creators, coaches, and mentors worldwide to interact with their clients, build, learn, make money, and provide free services. I want Coachli to become the go-to tool for teaching and monetizing knowledge online.
That global reach is particularly important to me, but I also envision it being used primarily by Africans, enabling them to leverage the platform to reach the world.
What book, podcast, or resources have had a significant impact in your career so far?
Let me do a quick check on my Kindle to make sure I don’t miss any. One book that has really helped me is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Olivia Telford. It’s been instrumental in helping me manage my emotions, and expectations, and build better habits. Speaking of habits, Atomic Habits by James Clear is another great book that has made a significant impact.
Another book by Darius Farrow, titled Do It Today, has been incredibly helpful for overcoming procrastination and improving time management. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? offers great insights into managing expectations and life in general.
Lastly, The Visual MBA by Jason Barron is a concise guide to two years of business school learning. These books have been crucial in shaping my mindset. I’m not much of a podcast person, but I do love to read when I get the chance.
It’s a pleasure talking to you.
Thank you for having me.
