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In this customer spotlight, we speak with Mr. Abubakar Umar, the manager of a family-owned hospital in Nigeria, who found a powerful solution in Loyverse POS. What began as an effort to prevent inventory losses at a hospital pharmacy evolved into a multi-business success story - one that has not only improved business operations but also led to the creation of a consultancy helping others achieve similar results. Here is his inspiring journey. From Challenge to Transformation: A Business Story I am the manager of a hospital owned by my older brother. In 2019, he gave me the responsibility of overseeing its operations. Inside the hospital, we run a pharmacy, and at the time, employees were handling sales without any POS system in place. This lack of structure opened the door to serious issues - missing inventory, unexplained losses, and no way to track sales accurately. With a background in Information Technology, I decided to find a technological solution. Initially, I thought about developing custom software, but a friend recommended that I first look for existing systems online. That’s when I discovered Loyverse POS. After ordering a compatible Android terminal from China, we began testing the app. One feature immediately stood out: the Dashboard app. It gave me real-time insight into sales and inventory - something we had never had before. It was a game-changer. Once implemented, everything changed. Employee accountability improved, inventory losses stopped, and the entire operation became more transparent. Because of this success, I started recommending Loyverse to others. Key Features That Drive Daily Operations The Dashboard app remains my favorite feature. I currently live in Abuja, but my businesses are located in other cities. Despite the distance, I can monitor everything - from sales to inventory - in real time. Even when employees operate in offline mode, I can request they reconnect to the internet, and instantly I can see what’s happening. The ability to access data remotely has made Loyverse popular even among people I’ve introduced it to outside Nigeria. Whether they’re in Egypt or elsewhere, they appreciate being able to manage their businesses from anywhere. Insights from Loyverse Reports The Back Office reports are essential for making informed decisions. These reports help me deeply understand how the pharmacy and restaurant are performing, allowing me to act based on real data rather than assumptions. It’s a crucial tool for any business owner aiming to run a data-driven operation. Expanding Loyverse to Other Businesses Soon after, my brother opened a restaurant and asked if Loyverse could be implemented there too. The answer was yes - and it worked just as effectively. Now, we use Loyverse in three of the businesses I manage, plus a mini-restaurant of my own. Over time, word spread. People began recommending me to others as someone who could help fix their business operations. Loyverse became a key part of my consulting approach, especially for businesses struggling in Nigeria. My experience with the platform made it easy to implement and support across various business types. A Platform That Built Trust and Opportunity Before Loyverse, I had never managed businesses outside of my brother's. But the platform opened doors for me. People started coming to me with their own business challenges, and I helped solve them using Loyverse. This led me to start my own company called Vacon, short for “Value Consistently.” Loyverse didn’t just solve our initial problems - it transformed my professional path and allowed me to create solutions for others. Tried, Tested, and Preferred I did test a few other POS systems alongside Loyverse at the beginning, including a local Nigerian provider. But none of them matched Loyverse in reliability and features. I even declined a request from that local company to promote their product - because I only recommend what I truly trust. Kitchen Display System and Feature Wish List We haven’t implemented the Kitchen Display System yet, but I’ve downloaded the help articles and I’m learning how to use it properly. One improvement I would love to see is integration with a payment system - this would significantly enhance our operations, particularly in the restaurant setting. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs Business is fundamentally about solving problems. If you’re thinking about starting a restaurant - or any business - look around you. Identify the issues people face and create solutions. That’s the best way to build a sustainable and profitable business. People are always willing to pay for real solutions. A Personal Business Philosophy My philosophy is centered on problem-solving. I strive to create a secure, trustworthy environment where business owners can make profits while maintaining respectful relationships with their employees. When the workplace is structured and fair, success follows. This story is a testament to how technology - when chosen wisely - can completely transform a business. What started with a family pharmacy's operational problems turned into a multi-venture success story, powered by Loyverse POS and guided by a clear commitment to solving real-world problems.

For over four decades, Alfa Menswear has stood as a trusted name in men's fashion, offering a curated blend of timeless tailoring and contemporary style. Originally launched as a family-run business, its commitment to exceptional service and high-quality garments remains unchanged - even as it enters a new era. In August 2023, Jeremy Lawson, whose roots in menswear run deep through his father’s clothing business, took the helm. Today, Jeremy is honoring Alfa’s legacy while bringing a modern vision to the forefront - combining personal customer care with smart technology. In this exclusive interview, he discusses his journey, his core values, and how tools like Loyverse POS are helping him elevate Alfa Menswear for the next generation.. Can you tell us the story behind your retail business—how and why did you decide to start it? My business has been trading for 40 years, but I took over as a new owner in August 2023. Menswear is my background. I worked for my father from the age of twelve in his clothes shop. I did a variety of jobs in the meantime, including running mobile shops. Afterwards I did some other jobs in between and decided to come back to where I started which was retail of mans’ clothing. The opportunity came up when a friend of my father’s announced his retirement. I stepped in and continued the business with the same name, took on a new lease, found some new suppliers and kept his existing suppliers as well. What were some unique challenges you faced when you took over the business, and how did you overcome them? I suppose footfall is always challenging, so we do a lot of weeding fairs to drive people to our store. We do a lot of wedding attire so spring is a really good time of the year when people think about getting maried. We do a lot of weeding suits,shoes, shirts and ties to go with it. Driving traffic through those fairs has been one of our main strategies. Looking back on your journey so far, what philosophies or values have guided you through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship? Looking after our people is a top priority. Our staff is incredibly important - many stayed on from the previous ownership. Providing excellent service is at the heart of our philosophy. We believe that if we go the extra mile, whether it’s a same-day alteration or a quick turnaround with the tailor, customers notice. That kind of service keeps people coming back. It’s a reputation that’s been built over decades, and we’re committed to upholding it. What type of advertisement do you use for your business? We mainly use social media and advertise in wedding fair magazines. A dedicated social media company manages our Instagram, Mailchimp emails, and Facebook presence Do you plan to open more branches in the future? I wouldn’t rule it out. If we manage to make this one successful, that would be something I would look at in the future. How did you first hear about Loyverse, and what made you decide to use it for your business? We started using Loyverse about a year ago. Previously, we were using another POS system, but the reporting features were lacking. What I love about Loyverse is the detailed breakdown by category—it allows me to track sales for suits, shirts, belts, and shoes. This level of reporting made it an easy choice for us. Do you use any of the integrated card payment system in your store? Yes, we are currently using Teya which integrates seamlessly with Loyverse POS, and in comparison to the other payment systems it is paid next day which is always good for the volume of transactions that we do. It is nice to have the money in the bank straight away. How has been your experience with the Employee Management add-on? Employee Management has been incredibly helpful. It allows us to restrict access rights and also track performance. For example, if someone is struggling with suit sales, I can see that through the system and arrange training accordingly. Being able to see who sold what is vital - not just for accountability, but for staff development. In terms of reporting and analytics, how valuable is the data you obtain from Loyverse in terms of understanding your retail shop's performance and making informed decisions? The reporting is well worth the investment. As I mentioned, I can see sales by employee and by category, and I can also pull up specific transactions if a customer asks about a past purchase. For instance, someone might say, “I bought trousers last year—can you check the size?” I can quickly find the receipt. I also use the Dashboard app all the time to monitor performance week-to-date, month-to-date, and year-to-date. Which features of Loyverse have had the most impact on your day-to-day operations? Advanced Inventory is probably the most impactful. It helps us track what we’re holding in each department, and we use that data to plan future purchases. When booking stock for the next year, I can look at what we’ve been selling and make informed decisions. This feature is one of the main reasons we chose Loyverse over other competitors. Have you integrated Loyverse with any other software/system? Yes, we are using integration with Xero for our accounting needs. What advice would you give to new or aspiring retail entrepreneurs, especially about choosing the right tools and staying competitive? First, get relevant industry experience. I once considered buying a bar, and while I had both bar and management experience, I didn’t have managerial experience in that sector - which made it a risk. So my advice is to gain experience by working for someone else in the field you’re interested in. Second, create a solid business plan. Don’t be afraid to ask for help—there are plenty of people willing to support you. I also recommend joining a local networking group to test your ideas with others. Third, build strong relationships - with your suppliers, your staff, and your customers. Working for yourself is incredibly rewarding, and I absolutely recommend it over working for someone else.

In the bustling food scene of Barcelona, Sigma Burgers has quickly made a name for itself with a no-nonsense approach to burgers: quality ingredients, done right. Founded by a consultant-turned-burger-enthusiast, this smash-style burger joint proves that passion and precision can cook up real success. Here’s how the journey began—and how Loyverse helped along the way. Why, how, and when did you start your business? I opened Sigma Burgers on December 13th. It’s a smash-style burger joint, and although I still work in consulting, burgers have always been my passion. I finally had the chance to go for it, and I thought: it's now or never. I wanted to do something that truly excited me, and my consulting job helped cover the initial investment. Just when I was ready to launch, the pandemic hit—so I had to delay. But eventually, I went ahead. If it worked, great. If not, I’d stick with consulting. I'm not the type to leap without a parachute—I like to weigh my options. What makes Sigma Burgers stand out from other burger places? Two things: quality and simplicity. First, the meat—we use 100% beef, nothing else added. Just salt and pepper, which brings out the natural juiciness. A lot of places mix in other ingredients, but I learned from the best in the burger scene, not from flashy trends like burgers with donut buns. We keep it classic: brioche buns, onions, melted cheese, and always focus on using the best ingredients. The simpler it is, the better. How did you discover Loyverse POS? My budget was limited, so I searched for POS apps for hospitality on Google Play. I tried several, but Loyverse stood out—it was intuitive, easy to use, and most importantly, free. Even so, I chose to subscribe to the Employee Management add-on, which has been extremely useful. What are your favorite features? The modifiers—without a doubt. They’ve made things much easier when it comes to handling custom orders like “no onions” or extra sauces. Before using them, we had a lot of internal confusion—orders would get mixed up, and it wasn’t always clear what each one needed. But in a kitchen, order is everything, and modifiers brought that order. They’ve helped us work faster and with more confidence. What's your top advice for someone starting their own business? Start as soon as you can. I had ideas and theories about how things would work, especially the food—but once you're in it, you realize many things are harder than expected. That’s why it’s better to start early and learn as you go. It’s scary, and yes, it’s a risk—but just like driving a car: once you get it rolling, it’s easier to keep going. There’s no perfect moment. The best time to start is now. And find a clear motivation—whether it’s money, passion, or not wanting a boss. Whatever your reason is, let it drive you. Follow them in IG: https://www.instagram.com/sigma_burgers Their tasty website: https://sigmaburgers.com/

In the heart of Veracruz, a small store was born as a family project to keep Don Francisco, a retired father, active and engaged. We interviewed Mr.Luis Sanchez, who shared how Tiendita de Doña Rosa has not only become a profitable business but also an inspiring example of how technology can transform a humble corner store into an organized and forward-looking enterprise. Could you tell us what kind of business Tiendita de Doña Rosa is and how it all began? Tiendita de Doña Rosa is a grocery store. It all started as a small family shop to give my father something to do. I live in a different city and wanted to help him feel better, as he wanted to continue working, but we didn’t want him to leave the house due to his age. We initially thought we would sell around 300 or 400 pesos a day, but we quickly surpassed 2,000 pesos. With this unexpected growth came the need to control inventory, improve customer service, and make data-driven decisions. That’s when I searched online and discovered the Loyverse POS system, which is how I now manage the business. You manage the business from another city—how does your day-to-day work with Loyverse? I chose Loyverse precisely for that reason because I can help from afar. I upload products, update prices, and review sales from Monterrey. My parents only need to record the sales. Although there were some initial challenges when uploading the product data, the system quickly became an essential part of our daily operations. The app is very intuitive. Both my mom and dad adapted quickly. As for our customers, they notice we’re using technology, and that gives them confidence. What motivated you to implement Loyverse in your business? Thanks to the sales reports, we gained a much clearer understanding of customer behavior and our top-selling products. Before, we only knew that Coca-Cola sold well, but we didn’t know which size or packaging sold the most. Now, we manage our stock and purchases based on real data. Having access to Loyverse reports has allowed us to make better purchasing decisions, reduce losses, and plan investments, like acquiring a new refrigerator. Loyverse has improved your daily operations—what changes have you noticed since its implementation? Everything used to be manual. Now, we track our daily and monthly gross profits. I had two main challenges: first, being far away made it difficult to support my parents directly. With Loyverse, I can update inventory and enter items remotely, and my mom just verifies the information. Second, I needed to standardize control over which products sell the most. With Loyverse’s reports, we now know exactly which formats are selling best and can purchase accordingly. We're also beginning to maintain better inventory control. Are there any specific reports you use most frequently? Yes, I rely heavily on the reports by item, category, and payment method. The sales summary is the one I use the most, especially for the gross sales and gross profit figures shown alongside the graphs. For example, with the item sales report, we’ve standardized our maximum purchase quantities. Now we know exactly which products move faster and buy only those. Have you noticed improvements in areas such as inventory control, sales, or even customer service since implementing Loyverse? Yes, we saw changes from day one. People in our area aren’t used to seeing POS systems in small grocery stores or being able to pay by card. We received a lot of positive feedback from customers who were impressed by the full setup—the POS, the printer, the scanner, and the cash drawer. Would you like to share any advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting? Yes. This isn’t my first time managing a business, and the most valuable advice I can give is: if you don’t maintain proper control, you can suffer major losses or misuse your funds. The real, numerical data that a POS system like Loyverse provides is vital to help your business grow. It’s also important to understand the value of building strong customer relationships—anything that inspires trust in your customers is a good idea. Cómo una tienda familiar de prueba creció gracias a Loyverse POS En el corazón de Veracruz, una pequeña tienda nació como un proyecto familiar para mantener ocupado a Don Francisco, un padre jubilado. Hemos entrevistado al señor Luis Sanchez que nos cuenta como hoy, Tiendita de Doña Rosa no solo se ha convertido en un negocio rentable, sino también en un ejemplo de cómo la tecnología puede transformar una tiendita de barrio en una empresa organizada y con visión ¿Nos podría contar qué tipo de negocio es Tiendita de Doña Rosa y como comenzarón? Tiendita de Doña Rosa es una tienda de abarrotes. Todo comenzó como una tiendita pequeña para que mi papá tuviera algo qué hacer, yo vivo en otra ciudad y queria ayudar a que mi papá se sintiera mejor ya que el quería trabajar pero al ser mayor no queríamos que saliera de casa, pensábamos vender unos 300 o 400 pesos diarios, pero pronto superamos los 2,000 pesos, y con este inesperado crecimiento, surgió la necesidad de controlar inventarios, mejorar la atención y tomar decisiones baseadas en datos reales. Así busqué en internet y encontré el programa de Loyverse POS, yo administro el negocio de esa manera. Usted administra el negocio y vive en otra ciudad, cómo funciona su día a día con Loyverse? Elegí Loyverse exactamente por esa razón, porque podía ayudar desde lejos. Cargo los productos, actualizo precios y reviso las ventas desde Monterrey. Mis papás solo tienen que registrar las ventas. Aunque hubo algunos retos al cargar los productos inicialmente, el sistema se volvió parte clave del día a día. La aplicación es muy intuitiva. Mi mamá y mi papá se adaptaron rápido. En relación a nuestros clientes, ellos notan que usamos tecnología y eso les da confianza. ¿Qué lo motivó a implementar Loyverse en su negocio? Gracias a los informes de ventas, entendimos mejor el comportamiento de nuestros clientes en cuanto a los productos más vendidos. Antes solo sabíamos que se vendía Coca-Cola, pero no sabíamos qué presentación se vendía más. Ahora, compramos y alimentamos nuestro stock con base en datos reales. Tener los informes de Loyverse nos ha permitido tomar mejores decisiones de compra, reducir perdidas y planificar inversiones, como la adquisición de un refrigerador nuevo. Loyverse mejoró la operatividad diaria, qué cambios ha notado en su negocio despues de implementar Loyverse? Antes todo era manual, ahora medimos utilidad bruta diaria y mensual. Tenía dos retos principales: primero, como estoy lejos, no podía apoyar a mis papás directamente. Con Loyverse, modifico el inventario, cargo los artículos y mi mamá solo verifica. Segundo, necesitaba estandarizar el control de qué productos se venden más. Con los informes de Loyverse, ya sabemos cuáles presentaciones se venden más y podemos comprar con más precisión. Además, estamos empezando a llevar un mejor control de inventario. En relación a los informes, tiene en mente alguno que use con más frecuencia? Me ayudan mucho los informes por artículo, categoría y método de pago. El resumen de ventas es el que más uso, sobre todo por los datos de ventas brutas y beneficios brutos que aparecen junto a las gráficas. Con la información de las ventas por artículo, por ejemplo, estandarizamos la compra máxima de productos. Ahora sabemos cuáles productos se mueven más y compramos sólo esos. ¿Ha anotado mejoras en áreas como el control de inventario ventas o incluso en la atención al cliente desde que implementaron Loyverse? Desde que empezamos el primer día vimos cambios, la gente no está acostumbrada a ver puntos de venta en tienditas de abarrotes, ni cobros con tarjeta, recibimos muchos feedback positivos de los clientes al ver todo el sistema funcionando con al POS, la impresora, el escaner y la caja registradora. Le gustaria compartir un consejo para los emprendedores que estan aun comenzando? Si, no es la primera vez que administro un negocio, el consejo más valioso es que si no llevas buen control, puedes tener mucha perdida o usar mal el dinero. La información real en numeros que un sistema de POS como Loyverse te da, es vital para ayudarte a crecer. Tambien es necesario entender la importancia de una buena relación con el cliente para el crecimiento del negocio, todo lo que inspira confianza en sus clientes es una buena idea.

An Interview with Marco Van Daal May 3, 2025 Why, How, and When Did You Start the Business? I launched our small distillery in Aruba just over a year ago. We’re a craft operation, and from the beginning, we knew we needed a software solution that wouldn’t overwhelm us with upfront costs. That’s what initially attracted us to Loyverse. The free trial period gave us time to evaluate whether it could handle the strict local regulations, especially since investing heavily in something untested was not an option for us. What Makes Your Business Unique? Our business stands out because we are a craft distillery. We don’t produce in mass quantities — instead, we focus on small batches. Aruba, being a popular tourist destination, has a bustling hospitality industry, and we’ve successfully positioned ourselves as a local supplier to hotels and restaurants. Our focus on quality over quantity, combined with our connection to the local scene, is what sets us apart. How Did You Discover Loyverse? Interestingly, I stumbled upon Loyverse when I saw a customer display in a shop. At the time, we were actively searching for a POS system, so I asked the store clerk a few questions. He shared the name, and after conducting some online research, we began testing it ourselves. The simplicity of the layout caught my attention right away, and it grew from there. What Features Convinced You to Subscribe? One of the biggest hurdles we faced was handling excise taxes — a specific tax calculated on the volume we produce, not the sale price. Most software on the market could handle VAT, but not excise tax. Loyverse didn’t support it out of the box, but after consulting with their support team, we created a workaround by setting up two separate shops in the system: one for production and one for sales. Transferring inventory between them allowed us to account for the excise tax based on volume. That flexibility, especially using the advanced inventory and transfer features, made all the difference and convinced us to subscribe. What’s Your Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs? Why are you waiting? Seriously — there’s never a perfect moment to start a business. Many people hold off, waiting for all the stars to align, but that day never comes. If you believe in what you’re doing, just go for it. You’ll learn, adapt, and figure it out as you move forward. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about. Follow them in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArubaRedAnchor