How hard work and consistency propel Intercontinental Scissors

Doreen Chukwuma is the CEO of Intercontinental Scissors and Fashion Home.  In this interview with ANGEL JAMES, the experienced designer says she went into the industry to make better clothes for Nigerians.

Tell us your story.

I started some years ago in a small scale. I set up my business with less than N10, 000.  I rented my first shop with N10, 000. I later bought the necessary equipment. What actually motivated me to start this business was the attitude of tailors who were always spoiling my clothes. I would always see something different from the concept I expected each time they made my dress.  This was why I decided to go into the industry.

How were you able to get capital then and how much is your business worth now?

Part of the money came from what I earned working at home. I worked at home before getting my shop. My husband also assisted me. I am worth over N1 million now.

What steps led to the growth of your business?

Hard work and consistency, though I can’t do all I want to because of the environment I have found myself. We still have people around who would want you to give them your services for free.

What is the potential in the fashion business?

There is so much money to be made from fashion. But fashion needs a lot of strength and you must be very healthy. You must always have conversations with people working with you and your customers. Your customers or clients must complain but you need to maturely handle these complaints. You also need to be calm, listen to them and proffer solutions. Do not just argue. But it’s a business that gives return for money.

Have you ever been approached by an investor?

Not really, though some people asked me for partnership a few years ago. However, I later discovered that they were fraud, so I held back.

Have you got any loan since starting?

Actually there is a fashion association where they give us loans as low as N1 million and you pay back at two percent interest rate. One is free to collect as much as you can pay back. Personally, I have not really collected because my husband doesn’t like it.

What are your long-term plans?

I want to resign personally from sewing clothes and employ people to work for me. There are some machines I would like to have. All those plans are on the pipeline.

What are some of the challenges you face as a designer?

There is no light in this environment. You know you can’t do this work without ironing clothes. Sometimes we are forced to use stove iron to make the clothes look tidy. When we are done making a dress, we iron it. Some of us use generators. There some machines you cannot run without electricity from DisCos. I have some of them in the shop that I can’t use without such energy supply.

What’s your advice to younger and aspiring entrepreneurs?

There is nothing that is easy to get. You must work hard and learn things. You need to have handwork.  Parents need to advise their children to look for something better and new. Again, you need to look at new areas. For instance, some of us are going to the Internet to get styles. This is helpful and means you should find something worthwhile to do.