Don Ebubeogu is the CEO of Tiger Foods LTD, one of the fastest growing indigenous food processing and Beverage Company in Nigeria. The company is a major exporter of food seasonings like ginger powder, curry powder, nutmeg powder and other seasonings. The former Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONCCIMA) president spoke to ANAMBRA PEOPLE on viability of doing business in Anambra state, the future of the brand and other issues. Excerpts;
[/b]GIVE US A LITTLE INSIGHT ABOUT TIGER FOODS LTD AND WHAT THE COMPANY STANDS FOR?[b]
Tiger Foods Limited was born out of a ion for amazing foods and food ingredients. It evolved from a one-woman catering business until it was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1996. An independent family business with genuine business values, long-held family recipes and tradition of quality products and services. For more than 2 decades, Tiger Foods has been active in processing and distribution of Spices, Aromatic Herbs, Seasonings, and Dehydrated Vegetables in West Africa. In 2014, Beverages, Wines and Spirits became an integral part of our product line, which gave birth to a fully owned subsidiary - Tiger Beverages Limited. Operating under complete GMP in a 13,465 square meter processing plant, Tiger Foods is tireless in staying abreast of innovation, product development and consumer trends. Through strategic investments in third-party companies that supply raw materials, Tiger Foods developed a successful backward integration program that led to greater control over the supply chain process from the procurement of raw materials to the production of the end products, which guarantees process efficiency and ensures traceability.
[/b]WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE ACCEPTABILITY OF YOUR PRODUCTS IN THE NIGERIAN MARKET NOW?[b]
The reason is simple; we are known for quality, authenticity and tradition of excellence.
[/b]WHICH OF YOUR PRODUCTS IS VERY DEAR TO YOUR HEART?[b]
All our products are very dear to us. We have good reasons for introducing any of our products to the public. They also complement each other.
[/b]WHAT BIG IDEA DOES TIGER FOODS HAVE FOR THEIR PRODUCTS IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?[b]
In the next 5 years, it will be difficult to walk into any kitchen in Nigeria without a product of Tiger Foods Limited playing an important part in the palate. We intend to place our brand in every household across the West African sub region, through the ease of African Free Trade Treaty.
[/b]RECENTLY, YOUR COMPANY INTRODUCED PACKAGED BEANS INTO THE MARKET, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT?[b]
3 years ago we had a visitor from the United States of America who came to purchase dried Onion and Shallot from us. After the tour of our facility, he was impressed with the modern pieces of equipment we have and the knowledge about food processing that we shared with him. He left us with one important request; BEANS. His major problems with the Beans he sources from Nigeria are stones and insecticide residues. He advised us to package Beans that will stand the test of the American Food & Drug Agency. We went to work, studied the characteristics of Nigerian Beans, worked with farmers and professional aggregators and developed a template that will ensure Beans are free of sand, stone, and insecticide residue. We adopted the steam sterilization option to sterilize the beans which reduces microbial loads and also kills insects/weevils found in any lot, using indirect heat. We the Beans through Air Screen Cleaner with a gravity table to remove dust, light impurities and sticks. The Beans are further ed through a Magnetic Separator to remove metal parts, soil and clods. The De-stoner machine, which is part of the plant, is used to remove stones as the Beans proceed to the Gravity Separator that separates good and bad Beans and then ends up with Vibrating Grader that grades small Beans from big ones, and broken Beans from whole Beans. The final stage is the packing machines that pack the products in 500g, 1kg and 4kg sizes. We have ed the product with the American Food & Drug Agency (FDA).
[/b]YOUR PRODUCTS ORIGINATED FROM ANAMBRA STATE AND THERE IS THIS FEAR THAT ANAMBRA IS NOT A VIABLE PLACE FOR BUSINESS, HOW VIABLE HAS IT BEEN PROMOTING YOUR BRAND FROM ANAMBRA?[b]
Anambra has its challenges like the rest of the country. No part of the country is better than each other. The fact that we are surviving is a testimony that the challenges are surmountable.
[/b]WHAT WILL YOU ATTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BRAND IN THE MARKET?[b]
It is consistency in all quality parameters, innovation and affordability.
[/b]WHERE IS THE PLACE OF CSR IN YOUR COMPANY?[b]
In Anambra State, we top the chart on CSR. We have done more to promote the activities of the youths in the state and we have plans to do more through partnership with a number of individuals and organizations.
These are four powerful brands positioning to lead their respective sectors and they are aggressive about it, not just in the kind of aggressive adverts and marketing they have embarked on but in of the quality of their products and services. Most of these brands are franchises but their promoters have started heavy investment in the country by way of construction of factories which will in turn lead to massive job creations. The brands captured by ANAMBRA PEOPLE are;
[/b]SWISS METROTILE:[b] Swiss Metrotiles is a roofing product designed in Switzerland and produced with modern technology. The Swiss Metrotiles Brand is marketed in Nigeria by SwissTech Industries LTD. The stones coated with natural stone chips made from top of the rock grinded natural harmless stones. The products is available in a range of colors to meet almost every architectural designs and innovation and comes with a whopping 50 YEARS COAST WARRANTY. The product is dominating the stone coated roofing market and buyers are testifying about the product with strong confirmation that Swiss Metrotile does not fade nor loses its quality. The Group which is into luxury sanitary wares, Doors and Tiles has started its factory in Nigeria and would soon start manufacturing the roof tiles and it's other products here.
[/b]TUCAS PHONE ACCESSORIES[b]: is a powerful brand dominating the phone accessories market presently. Its market acceptance is hinged on the fact that it prioritizes customer satisfaction by offering quality and innovative products suitable for Nigerian environment. Their products ranges from; fast Chargers, Cables, Bluetooth Speakers, Earpods, Batteries, table phones, memory cards, flash drives, etc and would soon launch their power bank in the Nigerian market.
[/b]FADELLA BISCUIT[b]: is a healthy oat milk snack suitable for children and adults. It is rich in fibre and comes in a pack of sixty pieces. It is one of the healthiest biscuits in the market currently and also suitable for vegetarians. There is no way you can eat fadaella biscuit once and stop at that. The biscuit is addictive yet without any health risk. Fadaella biscuit is distributed in West Africa by Searite Group and its factory in Awka, Anambra state is nearing completion.
[/b]BESTLINE SHIPPING COMPANY[b]: is a freight forwarding and logistics company which came into existence to proffer solutions to myriads of challenges faced by the importers from having excessive CBM for a container load, having lesser CBM unable to fill up a container, to experiencing excess stress at the verge of clearing. The company has brought a lot professionalism and ease into clearing and forwarding business making them most sought after logistics company currently in the country. Since no businessman wants negative stories about his goods, BestLine shipping is there to prevent such occurrences. Indeed the clients satisfactory testimonies are mind blowing.
Dr. Kevin Chukwumobi is the founder of APAMS Funeral LTD. He controls 61% of undertaking business in Nigeria. APAMS has become a household name in the industry, offering exotic funeral services with state of the art automobiles and helicopters. The business is a one stop shop funeral home, offering more than thirty different funeral services, ranging from the sales of high end caskets to repatriation of corpses from anywhere in the world. In this interview, he shared the secret of his success with ANAMBRA PEOPLE. Excerpts:
[/b]WHAT PROPELLED YOU TO OFFER FUNERAL SERVICES?[b]
I was born in Umuahia and schooled at Immaculate Conception Seminary. Back then, I had interest in watching movies and watched a particular one that caught my attention. Later, when I travelled to the United States, I visited one of those location which I saw in a movie, and there, I saw a Funeral Home and was impressed by the way they handled corpses. Before that travel, I had the vision of going into funeral business, so, what I saw simply strengthened my resolve. Money was not actually my driving force at the initial stage. I was ionate about that vision, because I enjoy taking care of the dead with empathy for bereaved families.
[/b]WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?[b]
One of the things I noticed about myself is the fact that people don’t always believe that the owner of Apams is still as young as 52, though a man at 52 can no longer be said to be a young man. But there is this assumption that I should be way into my 70s or even 80s and that is the shock they bear on their faces when they walk into my office. Is this man the famed APAMS? Those looks on their faces, makes me smile most times, because I could always tell what’s going on in their mind.
Secondly, people don’t know that a man in funeral business could be busy or innovative. People most time think that undertaking is just about ambulances and caskets, but then, the creativity, clear thinking, painstaking effort and attention to details required to make things work is something people don’t see. I personally supervise most of my jobs and these things make me very busy.
Thirdly, people also don’t know that this business requires a lot of finesse and sophistication. I still travel abroad every year to skill up, attending several global seminars and events on funeral management. Most opinion out there is that our job is “unrefined and primitive”. The funniest part is the assumption that funeral undertaking requires “juju” to run but then having been exposed to how this business is managed in the developed countries; you realize it is much more about creativity, innovation and serious hard work.
Lastly, because I serve the public, people don’t know I am a very private person, a family man and a devout catholic.
[/b]WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS KEPT YOU AFLOAT IN BUSINESS?[b]
From experience, I have realized that the number one thing in entrepreneurship is ion. ion is key because it is one thing that keeps you digging in there when the going is tough. I still vividly our early years, how rough and challenging it was, but then after over 25 years of being ionately consistent, look at what we have achieved. That is not to say we have arrived, but then, it is clear we are on the right track. Nobody can question the clarity of our vision and goals.
[/b]WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL EXPERIENCE AT THE BEGINNING, WAS IT ALL ROSY?[b]
(“Laughs”)... Honestly, the beginning was extremely difficult and challenging. At the risk of sounding immodest, I am one of the pioneers of the funeral undertaking in this part of the world. What this means is that you struggle to sell what is entirely not in existence. People thought I was completely mad. How do you add glamour to sorrow? It took me about 10 years to have the required traction for a break through. Believe me,it was tough, but we continued to sell our message.
[/b]WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE YOU SOLD TO PEOPLE, IS IT THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE HAPPY WHILE GRIEVING?[b]
Not really. It is not that people should be happy in grief, but Let me tell you this. The funeral undertaking business as modeled today by us was rooted in our culture. In Africa, particularly in Igbo land, the dead are so revered and that is why even in death, you cannot speak evil of the dead. Let me take you back to history, in the olden days when a King or a prominent person dies, he was given an elaborate burial- buried with several expensive ornaments, most times with human heads too in order to reflect a person’s status in the world beyond. I think we are sustaining our culture and tradition in a modern way by celebrating the dead and giving them a befitting burial. Secondly, there is this sense of relief that accompanies giving a loved one a befitting burial, the soothing effect cannot be over emphasized. I have witnessed this severally and it is one of those moments that give me great comfort and fulfillment in my line of work.
[/b]HOW REWARDING IS YOUR BUSINESS?[b]
Reward can mean different things to different people. For me as an entrepreneur, my reward comes from the deep satisfaction of rendering excellent services to my clients, taking off the burden of running around and when in grief, people still express joy for a job well done. It is fulfilling.
[/b]WHAT IS THE GREATEST LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNT IN BUSINESS?[b]
There are several lessons in the journey of an entrepreneur, but for me I have to choose consistency as number one. Most times an entrepreneur who conceives the idea and carry the vision is like a mad man. He is the only person who can interpret his vision, visualize the path to success and therefore only consistency is what guarantees that he arrives to his envisioned destination. Otherwise, when people make mockery of his venture, he drops the vision and jumps into another thing.
[/b]COULD YOU RECALL THE BEST JOB YOU HAVE EXECUTED?[b]
At APAMS, we treat every job with utmost touch of excellence. Exceptional delivery of services is our watch word. However, having said that, I know you are referring to high profile jobs we have executed. Let me mention one or two. We have executed jobs for ex-presidents, vice presidents, high profile politicians, etc. In fact we control up to 61% share of undertaking business in Nigeria. We have worked for almost all the south-eastern governors.
[/b]HOW DIABOLICAL IS THE BUSINESS OF FUNERAL UNDERTAKING?[b]
There is nothing diabolical about funeral business. It is just a misconception by the public. Funeral undertaking is purely event planning/management and you know event planning is just like every other legitimate business. It is like oil and gas, real estate and hospitality business. But in our case, we are focused more on funeral instead of weddings and other events. It is a pure business venture that requires innovation and also a field for a very creative person. If you are not creative in funeral business as in every other business, you may not go far. Like I said before, I attend courses about funeral business in faraway Uk and United States. As far as APAMS is concerned, there is nothing diabolical about what we do. We are serious and we mean business.
[/b]WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE MYTH CONCERNING DEAD BODIES REFUSING TO GO HOME?[b]
If you are conveying a corpse and your vehicle breaks down on the road, you don’t have an option than to tell the relation of the deceased that the body has refused to go home because if you tell them the truth, they may beat you up or harm you. You know they will not be happy to be stranded on the road, so within these period, you will make efforts to repair your vehicle after which you now tell them to add money or to bring one item or the other and the driver would use it to do one incantation and tell them to enter the vehicle to continue their journey. So with that, the bereaved would have patience with the driver of the hearse and at the same time appreciate him with more money. That was what the hearse drivers were doing to deceive their clients. I abolished that when I became the chairman of Ambulance Drivers Association. So such myths do not exist.
[/b]WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ENTREPRENEURS?[b]
Consistency is the key. If I were not consistent in my business I would have fallen out. I stood firm despite the mockery and challenges I faced at the beginning of business. Now look at the result. So, in whatever you do, you try to be honest and remain steady. Don’t jump from one place to another. I have been telling youths that they can come around and I will teach them one or two things about business.
[/b]WHAT ELSE DO YOU FIND TIME TO DO APART FROM HANDLING FUNERALS?[b]
There's this friend of mine who during one of our exercise routines told me that I hardly do anything again other than funeral, because even while we exercise, others would be doing it with full concentration, but I will be exercising with a lot of distraction- a lot of calls about our job. As early as the time we go out for exercise, people have started calling to book for jobs.
I have a PA and I have istrative heads of different branches, yet most times people want to speak with me directly and it has become a challenge. I can hardly sit with you here to have discussion without interjecting calls every minute. So to answer your question directly, I hardly have time for any other thing. Frankly speaking, even my social life is suffering too because of the kind of work we do.
[/b]WHAT SACRIFICES HAVE YOU MADE TO BE WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?[b]
Like I said, I left the certainty of my former business to the uncertainty of funeral undertaking. The business was uncertain in the sense that I never knew where funeral undertaking was leading me ab initio, considering the fact that it was entirely a novel niche before I ed it. Prior to going into funeral business, I was actively doing well as a drug marketer and had substantial number of clients including some teaching hospitals. To completely leave that business for an area which you are still not very sure whether you will succeed or not is a great sacrifice. Not just that, consider also the impression people had about this business and the practitioners at that initial stage, people were so scared of me, but today, everybody wants to be my friend, even governors and top politicians. My people are so proud of me now and I have received more than 100 awards and still counting because I have done well in funeral undertaking and I have taken it to the next level.
[/b]PEOPLE SAY YOU ARE A BILLIONAIRE, WHAT DOES MONEY MEAN TO YOU?[b]
If you are talking about billionaire in idea, I will agree. The ideas in my head are out of this world. They are worth billions. Money doesn’t actually mean so much to me, after all, even if you are a billionaire, you can only wear a wristwatch, no billionaire sleeps on two different beds at a time and people don’t even know that money does not make people happy. What gives you happiness is the positive impact you can make in the society with your wealth. I’m not a money man, rather a value oriented person. But to be sincere, I have helped a lot of people make so much wealth including top celebrities, musicians, photographers, event planners, etc. So in of the multiplier effect of the value I have added by helping so many people to stand on their feet in business, you can say I am a billionaire.
[/b]WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM YOUR JOURNEY AS AN ORDINARY DRUG MARKETER TO NIGERIA’S FOREMOST FUNERAL UNDERTAKER?[b]
What I think people can learn from my story from obscurity to success is just to be ionate and consistent. Sometimes, certain businesses people look down on, can actually turn one into a star or become one’s own oil company. People should not despise the days of little beginning. Most importantly, don't let people talk you out of your dream, when that vision is very clear to you. People can mock you when they don't understand your vision, but when the vision becomes clearer; you see them falling heads over heels to outdo you. Grow from one stage of your business to the next stage with a lot of patience, innovation and hard work. It took me 10 years to get accepted by people. I have done business for more than 30 years and I'm still working very hard. But an entrepreneur who does not have patience can come into this kind of business wanting to be APAMS overnight and when what he expected doesn't work the way he planned it, he jumps to another business and keeps on doing that until he gets so tired and spent.
[/b]THERE IS THIS CLAMOUR FOR A LESS EXPENSIVE BURIAL IN YOUR STATE, WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?[b]
Everybody has his opinion. There are things people may not understand about burial. People don’t just want to go into expensive and elaborate burial. When a loved one who has made tremendous impact in your life dies, in trying to bid him farewell, there is nothing you will not like to do for the person because you are paying him the last respect. Paying him last respect means the last thing you will do for him and you will never see the person forever. So people want to give their all, their best and their everything when they know it is the last time they will see the person in question. Again, people need to be educated on the funeral economy. There is a lot of job creation in the funeral industry. One burial ceremony can create one thousand jobs. You are talking about cooks, printers, decorators, MCs, musicians, pall bearers, media crew, textile suppliers, liquor suppliers, souvenir suppliers, security personnel and so on.
Billionaire and foremost funeral undertaker, Dr. Kevin Chukwumobi, APAMS boss has opened up his company’s corporate headquarters and casket Plaza in Onitsha, Anambra State, ANAMBRA PEOPLE reports.
Dr. Chukwumobi who has become an institution and the doyen of funeral undertaking business in Nigeria hosted a high level gathering of business and private sector leaders at the new headquarter of the company which is the best so far by any major player in the industry. It was a double event as he equally celebrated his 52nd birthday same day.
The octane ceremony which was held at APAMS Headquarters in the city of Onitsha, clearly confirmed the company’s readiness and commitment to take funeral undertaking business to another level.
Speaking exclusively to ANAMBRA PEOPLE magazine, the CEO of APAMS funeral LTD, Dr. Kevin Chukwumobi stated that the company is excited with the unveiling of the new headquarters which has become a symbol of entrepreneurship in Anambra state and further explained that it is like a morale booster for him and the entire staff of APAMS and emphasized that a conducive office environment enhances the productivity of the staff.
He thanked God for his mercies upon his life particularly the fact that he added another year and also how his company was able to embark on about eight similar projects simultaneously at different locations in the country.
The event which was planned within a very short notice for mainly friends,family and well wishers within Onitsha and environ had in attendance Comrade Pius Njoku,MD Pillars Energy Ltd, Mr Donatus Ebubeogu, MD,Tiger Foods Ltd, Onitsha, Pharm. Uche Akpakama, MD, Pax Pharmacy, Sir. Onyeka Nnabugwu, Grace Udensi of Nigerian Breweries, Chief Judex, President Onitsha sports Club, Chief Nwabueze Umeh(Ofia Afuluego Okija) Lady Ebere Onuoha, and Stephen Anajemba (Uwaezuoke)
Others Include His Worship, Magistrate Chioma Amuluche , Chief Magistrate, Anambra State Judiciary. Assoc. Prof Ugonwa Onyekwelu Barr. Lizzy Anyaonu, Barr. Ada Udobi, Barr,Ada Ikwuka, Barr Emeka Ekpo,Barr Emily Enemuo, MD,GEM Diagnostic center, Onitsha among other dignitaries.
Highlight of the ceremony were prayers and the cutting of the ribbon of the new headquarters by Rev. Fr Izunna Okonkwo,Manager, St Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha and cutting of the birthday cake by Dr. Kevin Chukwumobi alongside his wife. Popular disc jockey, DJ Alonso was equally present to make sure guests at the occasion had a fun-filled evening.
The event also featured the unveiling of a Rotating casket which is the first of its kind in Nigeria.
Recall that Dr Kevin Chukwumobi opened the Lagos office of Apams ltd recently. The new office is located at 114 Awolowo Way,Ikeja , Lagos State. Opp. Zenith Bank
Ekweoba Arnold Chukwuebuka is an estate surveyor and the CEO of Arnold and Associates. Arnold & Associates is an Anambra based real estate company with interests in dredging and haulage services. He is one of the promising young people in real estate in Anambra state. In this interview with ANAMBRA PEOPLE, he talked about his company, real estate business in Anambra state and sundry issues. Excerpts;
[/b]WAS REAL ESTATE THE ONLY OPTION YOU HAD?[b]
I would say my journey into the field of real estate was divine. When we were in secondary school, everybody wanted to be an engineer, medical doctor and all that. When I left secondary school, I spent one year at Federal University of Technology, Owerri studying engineering. But at FUTO, I knew engineering wasn’t my calling, so I had to sit for JAMB again and got ission to study Estate Management at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. That was how I left FUTO where I was studying engineering and moved to UNIZIK for Estate Management.
[/b]WHO REALLY TALKED YOU INTO REAL ESTATE?[b]
At final year in secondary school, I knew nobody that was into real estate and one day in a discussion, our senior prefect mentioned estate management and the opportunities in the field; that was how I picked interest in the course. That same senior prefect in school equally ended up studying estate management in the university.
[/b]WAS REAL ESTATE THE FIRST THING YOU DID AFTER LEAVING THE UNIVERSITY?[b]
After spending 5 years in the university studying the course, I couldn’t do anything aside real estate. In fact, I founded Arnold and Associates in my third year and by the time I got to final year, it was already doing well.
[/b]HOW WAS THE JOURNEY AT THE BEGINNING?[b]
I started in my third year as an agent, I was renting rooms to students, but we had this hunger to be the best and we were the only people in school then giving out rooms with bed sheets. Once the student paid the agent fees to us, we gave out free bed sheet to them. The gift we offered made our brand a household name. I would later have my internship at Anambra State Housing Corporation and from there I moved fully into land agency/ valuation. In my fourth year, I was introduced to the people in charge of the Ukwulu layout, mapped out for sale. Ukwulu shares boundary with Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, so since I was already renting flats close by, most of the landlords I was renting their flats bought the Ukwulu land through me. I did my youth service in 2017 and while in service, we had our first acquisition at Ifite-Ogwari. Before I got the land, I had little money on me, but by God’s grace, I convinced the owner for a three months payment plan. We called the place ‘Divine Favour Farm Village’ and it was an agricultural site. The land was re-plotted into 5 plots and when people make payments, we cultivate and take care of the land for them and before two years, we sold over 90% of the property. So this was how we started even though we would encounter some challenges like when I invested in agriculture and the whole investments went down the drain and set me back a little.
[/b]WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BRANCH INTO AGRICULTURE WHILE YOU WERE DOING WELL IN REAL ESTATE?[b]
You know all these motivational speakers will tell you that a millionaire should have multiple source of income. I listened to such kind of advice and invested in agriculture but my branching into agriculture was a major setback for me. I started all over again; in fact, I had to auction some properties because I invested almost all the money I had in the agric project. In 2019, I went back to Ukwulu for an acquisition of about 70 plots of land and the owner equally gave us a three months payment plan to the glory of God. The initial payment allowed us to start work immediately and before the three months elapsed, we were able to complete the payment. We got another phase and sold it in less than three months. We moved down from Igbariam to Enugu-Agidi and then Awka.
[/b]WHAT MADE YOU ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH ANAMBRA REAL ESTATE MARKET?[b]
I would say it is consistency. We have been able to build a trusted brand and people believe in the brand now and there are so many of our properties that have increased to over 300% within two years.
[/b]YOU ARE MAINLY INTO SELLING OF LANDS NOW, WHEN DO YOU INTEND TO MOVE INTO BUILDING OF APARTMENTS?[b]
We are starting with about 5 terrace buildings in our new estate. It is something new in Anambra as an Igbo man would love to buy land and build his house to his taste, but we intend to start with about 5 quality terrace buildings and we believe we will change the narrative.
[/b]WHAT IS YOUR SELLING POINT IN REAL ESTATE BUSINESS?[b]
Like I said earlier, we have been able to build a brand and when we tell people we would do something, we make sure we keep to our words. A lot of people that are into real estate in Awka, sell layouts, they just divide the land into parcels and sell without making provisions for infrastructures and that provisions for infrastructures has been standing us out. I have never sold an encumbered property to anybody; the grace of God has been there and then integrity. These have made us stand out.
[/b]HOW ARE YOU POSITIONING YOUR COMPANY TO START PLAYING BIG IN THE NIGERIAN REAL ESTATE MARKET?[b]
Over the past two years, we have been running feasibility studies in Lagos, Abuja and we have gotten a branch at Abakaliki. Like they say ‘Rome was not built in a day’, we are doing heavy consultation and feasibility studies and by God’s grace, new branches would be given birth to in Lagos and Abuja.
[/b]ARE THERE PEOPLE YOU LOOK UP TO IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS?[b]
I look up to a lot of people like Sujimoto, Ned Okonkwo and when you come to estate management practice, you talk of Raji, Patrick Obianwu and Co. and many more that inspire me.
[/b]HOW HAS YOUR STUDY OF REAL ESTATE IN THE UNIVERSITY RUBBED OFF ON THE SUCCESSES YOU HAVE ATTAINED SO FAR?[b]
Yes it has, I spent 5 years in the university studying about land and it has added a lot of spices to the food we have been cooking.
[/b]WHAT IS THE STAFF STRENGTH OF ARNOLD AND ASSOCIATES NOW?[b]
We have over 20 staff that are employed directly and then indirectly, we have over 100 of them.
[/b]WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUNG PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM YOUR JOURNEY SO FAR?[b]
They have to be consistent, disciplined and honest and when they do and keep improving, definitely within a short time, their brand would be announced to the world.
[/b]ARE THERE PIECES OF ADVICE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO THIS ISTRATION HEADED BY PROF. CHARLES SOLUDO ON HOW TO REVITALIZE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS IN ANAMBRA STATE?[b]
If the governor could look into infrastructure and security, there will be a lot of improvements not just in the real estate sector but even other sectors.
[/b]APART FROM THE MONEY YOU MAKE FROM THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS, WHAT OTHER THING GIVES YOU JOY ABOUT THE BUSINESS?[b]
The creativity of turning a virgin land into a beautiful city is what gives me joy about real estate business.
[/b]THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS IS IMPROVING IN LAGOS AND ABUJA, WHAT INNOVATION DO YOU PLAN TO GET INTO REAL ESTATE BUSINESS IN ANAMBRA STATE?[b]
The normal practice over here is to divide land into parcels without infrastructure but we have been able to change that by putting in infrastructures. We also intend to bring in a different view of real estate where one can just buy a fully furnished house and then move in with just your bag.
24 year old Nelson Emmanuel is a graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. He is the Creative director at CarpenterWay Furnishings and Interiors. The company is an Anambra based furniture and interior décor enterprise. In this interview, he spoke with ANAMBRA PEOPLE about his business, ideas and escapades. Excerpts;
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER CARPENTERWAY?
The journey began in 2017 when I was in 300 level. It was as a result of an ASUU strike that lasted for 3 months. I decided to take the advantage to learn carpentry even though I had tried learning other things including Forex and crypto. When I ventured into carpentry, I felt I wouldn’t last in it because I was more or less a soft boy who would rather use his phone or laptop under an air-conditioned room as against doing manual job under the sun. I didn’t really know that I was going to continue but I thank God for my boss who was quite understanding and patient with me.
DID YOU LEARN CARPENTRY OR INTERIOR DECOR?
It was wood work that I started with. You know one needs to start from somewhere. Interior decor and carpentry are intertwined and you can’t talk about one without involving the other. If you delve into one and you are serious with what you are doing, you will also know a thing or two about the other one.
YOU SAID YOU NEVER HAD ION FOR CARPENTRY, WHAT ACTUALLY MADE YOU TO STAY PUT IN LEARNING THE CRAFT?
I wasn’t ionate about the craft but that doesn’t mean I hated it. I am a creative person and by default a craftsman, but I didn’t know that my creativity would tilt towards manual work because I’d rather create things with the computer or my phone. Nonetheless, when we started getting interested in wood work, I automatically started developing ion and it grew as I advanced. I could even stay up all night to watch YouTube videos about how people in the developed countries make their own furniture. I noticed that I started dropping a lot of things I was interested in because I have found a new interest.
DO YOU THINK CARPENTRY IS A PERMANENT CHOICE FOR YOU NOW?
There are a lot things that I am meant to do. I’m adventurous and wouldn’t want to be monopolised. But I don’t see wood work/ interior designs as something I would ever drop.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO POSITION CARPENTERWAY TO BE A BRAND?
Carpenterway is definitely going to become a household name; it is going to be one of the A-list interior designs firms. Its our niche to get contracted to design the interior confines of every space from 0 to 100 and render it with a blend of aesthetics and function. We’re already on it and it’s only going to better each ing day.
DO YOU CREATE YOUR OWN DESIGN OR DO YOU GO WITH THE REGULAR DESIGN YOU SEE ON THE INTERNET?
I started off with a lot of designs I see on the internet. How we started breaking free from what we see on the internet was by altering the designs and you know art is relative. Once you alter something about an art, it stops being that particular art. You might be able to see some components of that particular art but it is no longer the same. From there, we started creating CGIs/3D representations. These designs are original, but I can’t dispute the fact that the internet plays a huge role in musing us. Every creative can attest to this notion. The first step towards learning is trying to do what someone else had done because you cannot just wake up and start doing something, you have to learn the process and the mechanism involved.
SHARE WITH US THE JOB THAT BROUGHT YOUR FIRST MILLION AND HOW YOU FELT ABOUT IT?
The job that brought my first million was a full home furnishing.
IS CARPENTERWAY ALL ABOUT THE ELITES, DO YOU ALSO HAVE PACKAGES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS AND LOW INCOME EARNERS?
I started as a student at the backyard of my lodge and when the landlord started having issues with me, I moved everything I was doing to my one room self-contain apartment. Then, my target was students and when my neighbours saw what I was doing, they started patronising, without having to break the bank. Till this moment, we have services for students and they remain pocket friendly. So if we can proffer services for students, how much more the middle class and low income earners?
So CarpenterWay is not just for the elite, it is for everyone.
COULD YOU TELL US SOME OF THE MAJOR JOBS YOU HAVE HANDLED?
We have handled a lot of projects for individuals, hotels and offices in and outside Anambra state.
WHAT TYPE OF DESIGN DO PREFER FOR YOUR CLIENTS?
It solely depends on the client and what they want. I could work for a minimalist and also someone that is flamboyant with his ideas so it depends on the space and the client.
HOW OFTEN DOES YOUR JOB COME?
From May 2021 till this very moment, I’ve not gone on a vacation. It goes a long way to tell you how consistent it has been.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OTHER YOUNGER PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM YOUR STORY TO SUCCESS IN CARPENTRY?
If what you are ionate about doesn’t pay at the moment, you should look for something else to venture into.
If your ion is singing, dancing, being a DJ and at this point in time it doesn’t put food on your table, I think it would only be wise if you try investing your time and energy in other things. You are a youth, you can never go wrong trying or asking questions. You never can tell what could work for you till you get into it.
THE NEW TREND IN TOWN IS DIGITALIZING PROCESSES, WHAT PLANS DOES CARPENTERWAY HAVE TO MAKE THEIR PROCESSES DIGITAL?
Like I said earlier, we do CGI designs; it has also always been on my mind to venture into NFTs too but I want to have 100% idea before I proceed. If I venture into it, it is going to be another way to earn and also the company. It is also going to be resourceful for other young interior designers, since they can go there and get ideas and stay inspired.
ARE YOU FULFILLED AS A CARPENTER?
I am very fulfilled as a carpenter but you know man is insatiable. I am contented with what I have at the moment but that doesn’t mean that I am not striving for more. I am always setting goals for myself, big goals for long-term and small goals for short term. I don’t pressure myself with having to create unattainable goals. So I am fulfilled and grateful for where I am right now.
WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE ACHIEVED A BREAKTHROUGH IN BUSINESS OR ARE YOU STILL ON THE WAY?
If having done 100s of jobs with a track record of “no bad jobs” isn’t breakthrough, I don’t know what is.
IS IT VIABLE TO DO BUSINESS IN ANAMBRA STATE?
It is and Anambra has been a blessing to us.
WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO IN THE INDUSTRY APART FROM YOUR BOSS?
TRT Arraedo is one man I reckon with a hundred percent. The way he thinks up designs and conjure elements is just mind blowing. I relate to his thought process alot and it has its toll on my production.
AnambraPeople: 10:10am On Oct 07, 2022