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Ojo Rukayat Adefisayo, the CEO of Fizzykenny Creations tells ANGEL JAMES how her challenge to getting her footwear size led her into starting her own business.
Ojo Rukayat Adefisayo, is the chief executive officer of Fizzykenny Creations, a shoemaking and leather works company located in Lagos. She manufactures shoes, bags, accessories, hospital bed covers, furniture and upholstery, as well as camp beds. A graduate of Statistics from Kano State Polytechnic and a native of Oyo state, Rukayat is born and bred in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Rukayat who worked with a Fund Management Company in the North after graduation later found love and fortune in footwear. With a bigfoot and wearing size 44, it was quite difficult for her to get a shoe of her size. If found, they are neither stylish nor her choice but had to make do with the available. Rukayat was not alone with this predicament, she also had friends with a similar challenge. The only solution for them was to order their perfect size which takes four months to get delivered. While her other friends were always discouraged, she saw an opportunity in their misfortune.
“It all started after the northern crisis in 2010 after relocating to Lagos, I had to utilize the opportunity rather than going for a white collar job, so I pursued my passion (shoe-making). I went for apprenticeship training for the fundamentals for 12 months. After which I started getting clients who were marveled to see a lady in a male-dominated profession. Later, I went for another 12 months intensive training, and that is how Fizzykenny Creations, that is making, ladies’ feet the envy of men was born” she narrated.
Fizzykenny Creations started with very little capital from which she made a pair for herself that she wore to meeting friends and families to announce herself. Gradually, things to fall into place, orders were trickling with upfront payment on request.
“The first order i got was N5,000 from which raw materials and tools were gotten. My boss allowed me to use his equipment. I became noticed, and orders with money were rolling in. Bit by bit, i was saving, buying machinery, and from the corner of my room, to where i am today. Currently, FizzyKenny is worth over some millions now”.
In businesses like this, family and friends are always the first customers who usually give a testimonial to the products. Rukayat benefitted from this a lot and without major capital injection but only perseverance and passion, Fizzykenny Creations is now business, duly registered by the nation’s business registry, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
FizzyKenny today has a mini-factory at Igando, a Lagos suburb in Alimosho local government area where big sizes and topnotch designs with unique finishing, are locally produced. Creating topnotch designs, the company has been able to draw patronage from middle and high income earners from Ghana and far away, United States.
For her foot-wears, 90 percent of her materials are locally sourced from the markets in Lagos and Abia State while the remaining 10 percent which are embellishments, ornaments and moulds are imported. As the business evolves overtime, different and trendy designs are made in consciousness of her environment, clients and their wants.
Breaking into the market has not been easy but with one on one marketing, referrals, word of mouth and above all the quality of her wears, FizzyKenny is gradually drawing huge clientele. The evolution of online platforms which she has also embraced also helps to market her wares.
There is no business without challenges and so is FizzyKenny. To Rukayat, the major of them is the unavailability of essential machinery that could ease her work, lack of some materials needed, inadequate power supply and above all, finance for expansion.
“We currently try to use the alternative source of power( Generator) for the few pieces of equipment that we have presently, while we try the manual processes for those aspects which we don’t have the machinery. For materials and equipment that are not available, we leverage on those that already travel to those countries by sending them and pay a little more to get what we want”
When asked about the expectations from the government to Start-ups, Rukayat said “the government should improve the power sector and form a cluster where large machinery can be purchased and subsidized for individual entrepreneurs. The government should also patronise locally made products by increasing list of imported finished goods under embargo”.
She aims to consistently improve and expand to other countries to reach more prospective clients, maintaining the quality of her products and and consistently reviewing her designs. “Accurate feedback from existing and prospective customers is welcomed to further propel FizzyKenny”.
She advised young people to be bold and not be afraid to start up a venture. It can only be called a business when all fears are allayed. Think big, think outside the box but start small. The tunnel may be dark and gloomy but there is definitely light at the end. So start now!”
BADEJO ADEMUYIWA has 23 years experience as a Finance Writer, specialising in Insurance and Investigative Reporting.
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