‘Your business must satisfy a particular need’

Tobiloba Arewa Adesanya is the executive director of Àdìré World, a tie and dye textile designing company.

Tobiloba holds Bachelor of Science (Bsc) degree in Social Studies from Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria. In this interview with BUNMI BAILEY, the young entrepreneur shares the secret behind her business, challenges and how government can help young entrepreneurs grow.

Tell me about your business.

Àdìré World is a tie and dye textile designing company that believes in connecting people‘s personality with what they wear. We tell stories and put people in charge of their style through patterns. Some of our products are Àdìré t-shirts, shirts, neck ties, bags, notepads, and scarfs, among others. We work with event planners for decoration, photographers for backdrops, fashion designers, and corporate organisations interior designers, among others.

Also, Àdìré World has an academy for people who inspire to be textile designers. This is a textile designing school with a flexible time table that works with every age group.

I started tie and dye business in 2016 when I was at 300 level. I had already started learning tie and dye from 100 level in school. My school had a law that mandated every student to choose one vocational study apart from the initial course you came to study in school. The vocational course was compulsory and failing it may lead to an extra year. When I was sure this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I registered my business in 2017 in my finals at the age of 21.

I finished from Tai Solarin University of Education where I graduated with second class upper division in Social Studies.

What inspired you to set up the business?

My business was inspired by the need to redefine Nigeria’s textile industry. Being someone who loves arts and has strength in fashion, I combined both together and went into the textile industry. So with this, designing Àdìré to me is like designing ‘a wearable art piece’. I am very intentional about my designs. Every pattern has a meaning, every colour application and combination is intentional and goes with the brand.

I also believe that what you wear says a lot about you. What you wear speaks before people talk to you. So with this, I design outfit that suits my customer’s personality. This happens after a series of questions and answers, listening to what they want people to think when they see them, while building their brand through the outfit.

Furthermore, my business is inspired by the need to use textile as a tool for story-telling. Every pattern has a story behind it, and it pattern is intentional.

You have over a year experience in entrepreneurship training. Why do you think most start-ups fail after five years of being birthed?

The first reason why start-ups fail in the first five years is irrelevance. This means there is no demand or need for the product or service you’re providing. If this is the case, then your start-up will not be around for long. The economic conditions in Nigeria understandably force a lot of people to start businesses with the focus of making money alone, but this mind-set is not sustainable for running a successful business. It is absolutely essential that your business is centred on satisfying a particular need in the society that people have, in order to ensure that what you are providing has an existent market. If you have already started a business and realise that your product/service has no market demand, then you will need to pivot a little. Nigeria currently presents quite a few problems for its citizens. Take a step back and ask yourself, ‘Which of these problems can I solve with the resources within my reach?’. Answer this question and start your product or services from that angle.

Next is mismanagement of funds. As a young business owner, raising sufficient capital to start and run a business is often a challenge. So, proper management of business funds has never been more important. Mismanagement of money in Nigerian businesses typically takes the form of mixing personal and business funds or giving too much credit to customers based on sentiments. This then results in the business being owed a lot of money, and the more debt a business has, the higher the risk of it being unsuccessful.

Another one is little or no focus. This is often a difficult task for start-up entrepreneurs because they usually include constant changes in priorities in a bid to find the right business model. They consistently switch from one business to the other. Nevertheless, once you have nailed down a particular business model that works, it is important to be patient, stick to it and build on it.

What was your initial start-up capital?

I started with N2000, which I used in getting dye and chemicals in school.

How would you say your business has grown since starting?

Since I started a year ago, I would say my business has grown in some many ways. I started the business with little or no experience, but along the line, I submitted myself to be mentored by people who have done it before. I learnt from them. I learnt from their failures. I take counsel. So with this, my business is growing based on principles from people who have been there and through the direction of God.

What are the challenges confronting your business?

One of the main challenges I face in my industry is inflation of the materials. Most of the fabrics we use are imported and the prices are irregular owing to the exchange rate.

Made-in-Nigeria products are now beginning to get more appreciated unlike before. Entrepreneurs in Nigeria can now measure up to global standards in terms of quality.

How can the government address some of those challenges?

The government can help us set up a 100 percent cotton factory in Nigeria. This way, we will not have to rely so much on the imported Guinea or t-shirts. That way, we can make our own local fabrics and won’t have to worry about inflation.

What would you tell your younger self?

To my younger self, I would say; Define every relationship in your life.