“Greetings World is for us is a conveyor of messages of hope, affection, and inspiration.”

Whether it’s to say happy birthday or congratulations, cards are used to express all kinds of sentiments.

In 2011, a Nigerian couple dove into the business of making cards, founding their start-up, Greetings World.

This week, ‘African Start-Up’ on CNN International meets the husband and wife team behind Greetings World, Abodunrin and Wamide Opanuga.

Wamide explains to ‘African Start-Up’ how the company began, from a place of love: “While we were in school, we exchanged greetings cards with one another and we saw this as a platform to give others the opportunity to also convey heartfelt messages to one another.”

Initially, the couple sold their physical cards in shops around Lagos, but business was slow and the couple were forced to look for a new direction.

Wamide tells ‘African Start-up’: “Towards the end of 2012 we noticed that most businesses were taking their products and services to the internet and e-commerce was becoming enormous in the country. So we decided to take advantage of this and take the business to the internet.”

In recent years Nigeria’s growing middle class has created one of Africa’s leading markets for E-Commerce with estimates of more than two million dollars in transactions weekly.

The Opanugas launched their website in July 2014 and began offering personalised greetings cards instead of pre-printed ones, but that wasn’t all. Abodunrin reveals to ‘African Start-up’: “Eventually we got the opportunity to add gift voucher. What happens is we print a code with the greeting card and that code gives you access to pick anything you want in that store.”

The move paid off, and the Opanuga’s say their business is now profitable. They’re selling more and more each month, but it’s still challenging. Wamide tells ‘African Start-up’: “We want to revive the culture of giving greeting cards when it’s your friend’s birthday, or you mum’s birthday. You should send a personalized greeting card.”

Abodunrin is clear on the company’s philosophy: “Greetings World is for us is a conveyor of messages of hope, affection, and inspiration. And I think that’s what we stand for. That’s the most important thing. That’s what guides everything that we do.”