Abuchi Vincent Iloanya, is the founder of Abutex Food Equipment, a kitchen equipment company which produces shawarma. He speaks to Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi on challenges of running such a business, among other interesting issues.
Tell us how you came about the idea for your business
The idea for this business wasn’t really intentional though, as I never saw this coming while growing up.
When I completed my education, my parents sent me out to do apprentice for my boss. You know how Igbos do their things. So I patiently served my boss for six years under this field. Then after that comes freedom. And to the glory of God, here I am today.
How lucrative is such business?
Well, I must confess, equipment sales and marketing is one of the most lucrative but overlooked businesses in Nigeria. Very lucrative, but that is if you know what you are doing, and especially the tricks of the business. I mean if you understand the business very well.
Is this kind of business not tagged as a woman’s job?
No, not at all. But our major customers and buyers are women. We render the services to women but the business itself is not for women only because I believe it can be very stressful.
What are the challenges associated with running a competitive business?
So many challenges oh, but I’m doing my best to stay up above all. A lot of people now copy our concepts and ideas. And these are ideas and concept that took me sleepless nights to create and you see people copying them all around.
Also, the business is becoming increasingly competitive these days but our experience and ingenuity have kept us on top. They can only copy but can’t be me.
How long have you been running the business?
As I said earlier, I served for six years and some months, and then gained freedom about four years ago. So I have been in this business for over a decade now.
Six years of apprenticeship, and over four years of being a boss; that’s over ten years but I’ve enjoyed every bit of it, to be sincere.
Was there a time you felt like quitting?
I have never thought of quitting. Luckily for me, since the very first day I started my business till now, it has been blessings upon blessings.
I won’t say it’s my doing though; I am destined to do this. So quitting has never been an option for me. If I fail, I try again and this strategy always works for me.
Why did you go into business and not a white-collar job?
For whatever reason, white-collar job was never of interest to me. No matter the level of glamour. I have always dreamed of being my own boss because I love trading so much. This was why I went after it early enough.
How do you meet up with demands?
Interesting question. When it comes to meeting up with demands, it has not been easy, I must say. But we are trying our best in restocking. Restocking old and new items because we usually get new customers on a daily basis; sometimes we run out of stock but it doesn’t take us much time to restock. We have been able to build a structure around our restocking process, so it’s getting better.
How did your business expand?
My business expanded long time ago with the use of the popular site Jiiji.ng and OLX for marketing tools.
But it expanded more like it blew the moment we started using Instagram. Instagram has been a blessing to me, I won’t lie. Instagram brought my business out there and connected me to so many big people in the society. Celebrities and politicians who connected with us via Instagram now patronise us on a large scale. All thanks to my mentor, Mark Zuckerberg.
Online has really helped me a lot. Sincerely, I don’t even know where we would have been without the help of the internet. Ever since I started, our biggest driver of sales has been social media. We’re actually well-known online than offline and this works well for us.
When would you say the break came as a business entrepreneur?
My big break came when I started making a local shawarma machine in my local mini factory; that was a game changer for me. While others were bringing theirs from China, I researched and learnt how to produce it locally. And before I knew it, it took over the market. And people started imitating it, but thankfully we still control a huge share of the market regardless of the imitation.
How many people are under your employment?
Currently, I have 10 staff. My staff is one of my greatest assets and they put in a lot to ensure the business thrives.
If you were to start all over again, what would you do differently?
The same strategy I’m using now which I won’t mention here; it’s my business secret.
As one in such business, one expects to see you on jeans and sneakers. But you are corporately dressed. Tell us about your style.
Yeah, nowadays I wear corporate to work because of the calibre of customers I meet. But after work I rock my designers bling wears, you know.
What are your future plans for the business?
I have great plans. One of them is to build a large factory here in Nigeria where we can make some of these machines. This would also create more employments in Nigeria and across Africa.
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