When Mfonobong Grace Ekarika started dealing in snails two years ago, it was just a side hustle – to make extra income. Suddenly, the main job was gone, and the side hustle then became the main business
By Eberechi Obinagwam
When Mfonobong Grace Ekarika started dealing in snails two years ago, it was just a side hustle – to make extra income. She had a job, her primary source of income. Suddenly, the main job was gone, and the side hustle then became the main business.
How it started
Mfonobong, a graduate of Philosophy from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, got a job with Dana Air at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja in September 2021 after her national youth service in 2018.
One year later, a colleague advised her to start a snail business for an extra income, giving her the contact of a high-profile restaurant owner who was in need of snails.
“When I met with the restaurant owner, he told me the sizes he wanted. Since I don’t rear snails, I sought for snail farmers and that was how I started buying from snail farmers to resell,” she said.
The expansion
Midway into dealing in snails, her employer decided the company would go on break for four months. “It was during the break that I expanded my business by getting a page on Instagram and running ads. I got more hotels and malls to supply. That break gave me time to expand. It gave my business a wider outreach,” she said.
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Even when the company she worked for resumed operations after the break, Mfonobong continued to run her snail business by the side. Then, on April 25 2024 her employer went out of business without prior notice.
“On April 4, 2024, I went for my annual leave. Everything was going fine and smoothly. When I resumed from my leave on April 25, that same day, our company went off business just like that. Imagine if I never heeded my friend’s advice to start a side hustle, what would I have fallen back on?” she said.
Dana Air was suspended by the Nigerian Civil Aviation (NCAA) in April 2024, after one of its planes skidded off the runaway at Murtala Muhammad Airport in Lagos.
The incident raised serious concerns about the airline’s safety protocols and financial health. Before that, the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, ordered the suspension to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens and travellers.
Mfonobong said: “At the time my friend asked me to start a snail business, it didn’t make sense to me, but I started anyway. But now, it makes a whole lot of sense. I am grateful for life and for the journey thus far. The business is what is sustaining me financially and I thank God for it. I am that Abuja Biggest Snail Vendor.”
Sourcing capital
Mfonobong said sourcing capital was not a problem because she had savings and was still earning a salary.
She, however, said her difficulty was getting customers online. “Majority of them felt I was not real; that I was a scammer. It is always difficult to convince people online to buy your products because they will think you are not real.”
She said in a bid to convince people that she was real, she accepted payment on delivery, “It was the biggest mistake I made because some customers started renegotiating after they have collected the goods, some did not pay at all. In fact, one has not paid me till now,” she said.
Breakthrough
Mfonobong said her breakthrough in business was when she started running adverts on Instagram. “It helped to convince my customers that I wasn’t a scammer but a real snail vendor. People started placing their orders and referring their friends and families to me,” she said.
Challenges
The volatility in fuel price is a major challenge to Mfonobong’s snail business. “Because I sell online too, customers have to pay for delivery charge which is costing much. Sometimes I give discounts and still pay for the delivery just not to lose my customers.”
Japa
The snail vendor said the money to travel abroad is not a child’s play but if she gets the fund, she will Japa for a better life. Until then, she said would keep doing her business.
