Category: Small Business and Entreprenuership

Isamo Paints Chief Executive, Thompson Aniyom, is a fulfilled entrepreneur. His entry into paint production has fetched him money. He looks forward to transiting from a small business to a big industry player, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

Five Isamo Paints Chief Executive, Thompson Aniyom,  between six and 13 hours a week, he will turn a sharp youth into one promising entrepreneur.

His strategy is training would-be entrepreneurs in home paint to make and paint masterpieces. Those he mentored not only made multiple streams of income from home innovations, but also mastered  colour mixing and blending.

Dissatisfied with mediocre finish of modern paints, Aniyom began research into  cheap paint production formula by starting the business with N120,000.  Today, he is in the business of creating beautiful and happy homes for clients. Interestingly, the business has become self sustaining, producing 15 different paint formula.  He is dedicated to the art because he derives fun from it, exploring the business side of the art.

Having grown up in Cameroon before relocating to Calabar, Aniyom learned the value of hard work at an early age,  a trait that has served him well as the owner of Isamo Paints, a small paint production business in Calabar. He started by dealing on properties, doing repairs on houses, yard work, and painting to make properties look good.

He later distinguished himself in his favourite trade – paint making to exhibit his gift of colour mixing. Aniyom has built a reputation for detailed work, helping customers select complementary colour schemes that make their homes stand out in their neighborhoods.

According to him, paint production business has been extremely rewarding as there are no barriers to entry. His philosophy is if one is ambitious and willing to learn the business and works hard, there are no limits to what one can accomplish.

The start-up cost for the business, he said, is less than N600,000 and one can turn over the money many things within a year.

After training, he said would-be entrepreneur is required to pick a base of operations. This can either be a shop at home or a building one leases or outrightly purchases.

Using blending techniques, formulations and ingredients that have proven to stand the test of time, Aniyom, a graduate of University of Calabar, has been able to create paints that look better and last longer.  His reputation for quality paint is spreading  as he now  gets contracts from home builders  to   supply specially-made  paints.

According to him, colours are blended with great care and precision, all of which give their palest shades a depth of intensity, which mass-produced counterparts simply cannot achieve.

He has built his enterprise from a humble beginning into a thriving business. And as a stickler for quality control, his uncompromising attention to details has helped him carve a niche for refurbishing homes.

Providing the best and long-lasting finish to every single job is important to him as he carries on the legacy of hardwork.

Traditionally fitted rooms gain that authentic look, thanks to the colour and finish of his paints.

He knows everything about the use of home furniture to make home renovation craftsmanship, focusing on different  types of residential and other special home projects. His enthusiasm for all aspects of design is infectious.

Aniyom’s keen understanding of the fundamentals of top quality design complements his razor-sharp instincts in all matters of taste and style. One trait he possesses is helping  his business to  be  very social and assertive.  He engages with people, asserts himself, and presents himself in business manner.

From the start of his endeavour, Aniyom had decided he was going to run  the business to be a millionaire. Part of his vision and mission, he said, was to serve more people and do business better than his competitors in the industry.

According to him, this has been  one of the pillars of his business  success and growth.

His premium coatings  have reaped him many benefits, drawing many of his customers to him. What he learnt during the first few years of doing business made him to be more devoted to consistent improvement in marketing, customer service skills and running a more streamlined operation.  His tenacity and willingness to learn have yeilded dividends, and they have made a name for him in the southern part of the country.

A Cross River State-based innovator, Mr Emmanuel Ntiti, is empowering Nigerians to make briquettes out of charcoal dust, solve fuel problem, reduce poverty, unemployment and tackle poor waste management, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

Frequent power rationing has increased the use of charcoal and firewood by food vendors and other businesses as primary fuel for cooking. The consequence is forest depletion as  farmers and rural entrepreneurs search for firewood and charcoal.

To Mr Emmanuel Ntiti, Head of Department, Government Technical  School, Mayne Avenue, Calabar, producing charcoal requires wood, which means an increase in deforestation and stress on ecosystems. Burning wood to charcoal leads to emission of large amount of  Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

To address this, he has been looking for an alternative source of fuel after realising that the use of firewood contributes to the depletion of forests. He then saw a business opportunity in briquettes and started researching the possibilities of making charcoal briquettes  to save the forest and create opportunities for Nigerians to make money. Today, he has started a business of making environmentally-friendly charcoal briquettes. The briquettes are made from wastepaper, plants and agricultural wastes that are combustible – including grass, straw, water hyacinths, maize and rice husks, peanut shells and potato and banana peels. They burn longer than wood and the coal are cheaper, safer and cleaner to cook with.  The investment is also minimal for small producers and has high returns.

Ntiti ventured into the business not just to earn a living, but to contribute towards environmental conservation. He has also fabricated a machine for producing briquettes for retail and wholesale, and the positive feedbacks have encouraged him to produce more. He is currently looking for a bigger market, and willing to train many youths on how to make briquettes, a biomass fuel and a substitute to charcoal, to create more job opportunities nationwide.

For Ntiti, the market is large and it includes poultry farmers, who need to keep young chickens warm at night, hotels, lodges and tourist camps, which use briquettes for heating outdoor dining areas. The product is also useful for heating water in rooms and tents.

The project, according to Ntiti, will help thousands of micro enterprises across the country, which include off-season vegetable, poultry, goat keeping, pig raising, hog plum, boutique, advanced tailoring, beekeeping, mushroom and herbal distillation which rely on off-grid energy supply.

With his technology, Nigerians can make charcoal briquettes for cooking and heating water and  save the money to spend on charcoal.

According to Ntiti,  briquettes have a high growth potential in the market with lot of businesses still relying  on wood and diesel for fuel. The other advantage, he said, is international funding coming for energy friendly businesses, using options such as  briquette for e-processing activities.

Right now, the e-business has had challenges, which include pricing and lack of awareness, but Ntiti is working with like-minded entrepreneurs  on ways to get over these hurdles in a variety of ways.