IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

By Mutiat Alli

Making people look good is his major desire. Little wonder why Ignatius Njoku, CEO of N21 clothing, is a master at what he does. When the works of your hands are admirably good and sellable, invariably, the money begins to role in through the customer network that you must have built for yourself through referrals. In this chat with Mutiat Alli, the Imo State-born businessman shares how it all started, the secret of his success and future aspiration.

Excerpt:

Quote: “One day, I know I would come to a big gathering and see all the people there wearing my clothes”.

Tell us about the challenges you encountered when you were starting up and the ones you face now?

If you are talking about a business, what about the needed fund? Someone gave me some money to give to someone else and I used it to trade. The N20, 000.00 that was the proceed was what I used to develop my business to this level.

So, how much would you say you started business with?

I would say I started business with N20, 000.00 which was not even mine. I never had any money of my own. I would take some money to Yaba market, buy “Okirika”  trousers, adjust them and sell and that was how we started getting money to the point that we were able to purchase materials and equipment. We knew where we were going but we didn’t know which way to go. I also got a loan from the bank but later, I decided not to do it again because of the high interest rate.

Did you ever nurse being a fashion designer at an early stage of your life?

I never knew I would go into this. When we were much younger in 1996, we formed a club called Pens Club and I was the one in charge of what we wore as young boys growing up in the village. I was choosing the colours and doing it the way it should be done.

 So, when did you start up professionally?

When I first came to Lagos, there was much aspiration. Along the line, I found myself doing something else. I was doing a different business and I was also praying to God to show me what to do. My brother in London asked me to come over to stay with him but I had an issue that made me stay back in Ghana. In Ghana, I was fully in business and decided to come back to Nigeria. I had already started making clothes that people would always admire my colour combination and the quality of the clothes I was making. I started working with a friend at Maryland and we were getting it gradually, although we made mistakes sometimes. At a time, I was a dealer with a telecom company and I had contacts I had built over time and what I wanted to do was to use my contacts in my new business. My partner then didn’t see my dreams because I wanted a situation where I would see a good fabric in the market, produce it and have people come to buy. Within a period of time, people would come because if the quality is good, the finishing is nice. At a time, I was paying more than the usual to the person that was doing my works for me because of the standard of his works. I just wanted good quality and finishing. I met another guy who took me to Tinubu Square at Lagos Island. Later, I decided to be on my own because I never wanted to continue giving someone clothes where I won’t be there to supervise. He may not be able to interpret it the way I want. That was how I told the guy I was going back to set up a fashion factory. The guy looked at me and asked if I was stupid because he had been in the business for 17 years and he had never thought about that. He just couldn’t believe why I would be talking about that? To me, I knew what I was going to do and I was only thinking of how to go about it. One day, I was in the house and a friend of mine came in and was putting on a well-made native which looked like an Italian made wear. He gave the address of the person that made it and I went to their factory to check out all they do and that was how I got motivated to go into mine fully. I had a lady friend close by who would work from Mondays to Saturdays while I move my workers to work over the weekends. As we went on, there was a need for us to start and we started.  The volume I was doing was then putting pressure on the people that were making the clothes for me. Gradually, we were able to put money together and we bought our first two machines.

How long has that been now?

I have been in this business constantly for five years and it has all been good. If I tell you in details how the whole thing started, you will see how funny it is.

Do you have plans to widen the scope of your business? If yes, how do you intend to go about that?

Just as I said, there were not enough resources with which to start. I developed that myself and I had to also engage people to work with me. When we first started, we had about 50 customers but today, our customers are getting to over a thousand. We have customers in the US, Canada, Ghana. In Ghana alone, we have over 2000 customers. When you take people’s money, you must do the job.

How much of money do you make in the business?

I cannot say for real because the cost of running is very high. The major challenge had always been power but it has been stable now.  I tell you, if we will continue to have stable power this way, I bet that within the next 6 months, we would move to a bigger place. I can comfortable take away 24-30 more people who are ready to work off the streets.

How can someone else make money in such a business like this?

First is that there must be that drive. If the drive is not there, it cannot work. For me, it is not about money. My joy is in customer satisfaction and the numbers of people I see wear my clothes in a gathering. One day, I know I would come to a big gathering and see all the people there wearing my clothes. I belong to a club where I instituted making same clothes for everyone. We went to a function in Ondo State and the governor, senators and everyone else was asking ‘who are these people?’ That is what gives me joy and not just about the accrued money. There is a philosophy I have about money. Money will come with time. When you get there, the money will look for you. I also care about taking care of my workers so that they would continue to do the job.

Can you recall the largest contract you have got in the business?

I don’t really charge the people of my club. What I do is that I make them my models. They have different places of work and they get me contracts there. The biggest of my contracts is the one I got from some people in the US. I made one for one of my customers there and when he wore it to a gathering and the president of the club saw it, he was interested and ordered five pieces. When he got it, he was so satisfied that he assured me the big one was about to come.

Have you ever recorded any loss in business?

Yes, we do all the time but that is never a problem. If you make clothes and they do not fit you, it would do for someone else. Before Italians make clothes, they invite you for what is called fitting but here, people won’t even come if you ask them to come for fitting.

Are you not afraid of the competitive nature?

What makes us stand out as a company is that I am in for the game and I am not scared of anyone. It is a business that must grow. The finishing of the clothes made in Nigeria was not too good and that was what prompted us to come into business. My clothes fit well and our cuts are spectacular. I really don’t like making loud styles but I do that if you demand it as a customer.  Whenever I make clothes for customers, I make calls to follow up on how they fit. I do that always until I am sure I have got it right.

What message do you have for young entrepreneurs who are still struggling in business?

The key thing here is that you must tell yourself what you want at the initial stage of your business. If it is just about making money, there are so many other ways you can make money but if you want to stand out, you must give all. You must always look at job delivery and do it very well. What I do is criticize my own work. Whenever I don’t like a design, I criticize it by myself. You must have a drive in you and be able to visualize constructively.

Courtesy: Daily Times, Nigeria