Hasan Yigit, founder of Vento Furniture and Istanbul Restaurant is passionate about Nigeria. In this interview with Kemi Joseph he shares insights into his journey in this country and explains why his passion remains unwavering.
An you tell us about your foray into the furniture business?
I have a philosophy in life; it centres round a deep commitment to whatever endeavour I find myself in. This stems from the understanding that before you make progress in life, you must be passionate about what you do. My foray into the furniture business is an interesting one. While I was in the university, I had an offer from an uncle to be his representative in the country where I was schooling at the time. It was such a lucrative one, in the sense that it would allow me to make some extra money. But my father refused me take up the offer. He was stern about his opposition. He wanted me to concentrate on my studies and not be distracted by making extra money. I turned down the offer and concentrated on my studies.
Upon graduation, I secured employment in Turkey in a company as an export manager. This offered me the opportunity to travel widely canvassing for new businesses for my organization. At one point I was able to sell the company’s products to 46 different countries.
What year did you set up your business in Nigeria?
Nigeria was one of the countries I frequently visited. I made a few friends who introduced me to the business and social community. I realized quickly the potentials of the country. In 2016, I opened my first shop in a plaza in Jabi in Abuja. I combined two shops to make a showroom. In between, I also realized that Nigerians wanted value for money and I built my brand around this realisation. I consequently developed a tripod business strategy of integrity, quality and durability. This is the A-Z of Vento Furniture. I must confess that it was a tough one at the initial stages because there were already established brands in the furniture market. I also figured that the rational thing to do was to do what others were not doing in terms of customer satisfaction. I ensured that beyond just buying from Vento Furniture, I formed the habit of ensuring that I followed up with my customers to ensure that they were satisfied with my products. This indeed worked magic for me and it remains one of our strong points.
What were some of the challenges you encountered doing business in Nigeria?
I experienced a lot of challenges. But I wasn’t deterred. I was determined to make my business work. I turned into a researcher. I was constantly studying the dynamics of the Nigerian market. There was a day I came across a book written by Akin Alabi titled “How to Sell to Nigerians”. The book contributed immensely to the growth of Vento Furniture. I read the book religiously and practised what the author advocated. And guess what, it worked like magic. It became a must-read for anyone joining the team. I did this so we would all be on the same page.
What is the current workforce strength of your organisation?
Today, Vento Furniture boast close to 300 staff and still counting. But that is not the catch. The catch is that we all work as a family. How was this possible? To get the best from your workforce, you must offer commensurate remuneration for their services. This might sound impossible, but it is not. Most times, it is not all about the monthly take-home pay. I ensured that the organization offered educational
scholarships and other forms of assistance to staff desiring to further their education, especially young girls. This is one area my wife holds dearly.
She directs the CSR department of the organization. She regularly undertakes visits to the homes of our staff. On such routine visits, where a lack is identified, the CSR department addresses it. This is my mentality on how to get the best out of your workforce. You must meet them at the point of their needs even before they mention it. We also have a general group called Vento Family, where we celebrate achievements, birthdays, childbirths and many more. I am in the group and I use that opportunity to have a first-hand knowledge of what is happening around me. I don’t rely on the reports of line managers alone. With this, we are a family and not strangers. This is important in having a vibrant and committed workforce.
Talking about CSR, how active is the organisation in CSR initiatives?
We take CSR initiatives very seriously. As a fact, we have a CSR department headed by my wife. By the grace of God, we have carried out several CSR initiatives. We have renovated public schools in rural areas, carried out personal hygiene campaigns in secondary schools, conducted medical outreach programmes, and sponsored events that empower small businesses. Recently, we donated a hostel building to the University of Abuja in honour of my father, a lover of education.
You were recently quoted as saying you are a full Nigerian. Please shed more light on this.
I am a full and proud Nigerian. Everything about me is in Nigeria. I live in Nigeria with my family. My parents also live here with me. All my businesses are in Nigeria. When I say I am passionate about Nigeria, I mean every word of it. When I travel for vacation with my family, we are eager to return because Nigeria is home. Whatever monies I make in Nigeria, I reinvest in the country because I and my wife are Nigerian citizens. My parents have taken Nigeria as their second home and are fully resident here. I recently opened the Istanbul Restaurant and Café in Abuja, offering a wide array of intercontinental dishes to lovers of good food.
Plans are ongoing to establish a vocational training centre, to serve as a feeder system for companies seeking a skilled workforce in the country. This is very critical and a source of concern for me. In the course of doing business, I identified a lack of adequate skilled manpower. What I did was recruit unskilled workers and train them to be skilled and useful to themselves. The idea is also to empower young Nigerians with vocational skills, which I see as a contribution to nation-building. Very soon, we shall commission our world-class furniture manufacturing complex to produce high-quality furniture in the country.
What are your future plans?
I want to maintain certain standards in terms of quality and institutionalization in Nigeria. I believe that institutionalisation is essential for establishing a brand. To achieve this, I adopted a meticulous approach at all stages, from employee loyalty to production and packaging processes, and after-sales services.
