Adetayo Okunade’s exploits in Beads, Aso Oke, beauty accessories
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Adetayo Okunade is a graduate of Biochemistry from Covenant University, with an MSc to boot in the same course. But her career is far from the laboratory. She is the creative director of Teedamisie events and accessories – a business she started way back in August, 2005 after completing her West African Examination Council (WAEC) General Certificate of Education (GCE).
She started first by learning how to make beads after her WAEC exams instead of sitting at home doing nothing while waiting for admission. After her training, she started making beads at home.
Excited with her new skill, she showed her mom’s younger sister who came visiting from London and she requested she make it for her and friends in London. “That was how my business started, ” she said.
She added: “I had learned how to calculate my cost price from my mom who was a business person so, it was easy for me. I gave her my price which was very cheap to her. She gave me money and I quickly went to Lagos market to buy all I needed for the job. When I was done with it, she was amazed because it was very beautiful. I also gave her one for patronizing me which has today become our culture to give extra for a bulk order.”
In September same year, Okunade got admission and while in school, she was always wearing her beads and with that, she was selling her products in school as a side hustle business.
Okunade told TheNiche that her inspiration started with her love for beads. “While growing up I used to see my mom wearing beads and jewelry because she dealt with them. She used to wear little beaded jewelry on me like corals and pearls. I remember in primary school, I used to participate in fashion parades every time with my beads. My learning process was easy because I had been introduced to it. I just did the introduction and advanced stage for three weeks and stayed back to assist my boss with her orders to learn more, especially about the market.”
In 2009, she went for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Warri where she continued her business. She later added fabrics to it which she got from her mom who sells in Lagos.
After her service year, she stayed back running her business. She got a job but was not fulfilled and had to quit to face her business. “I have a lineage of business, my grandmother, my mom are business people. So, it was natural for me to love business. When I got a job as a HSE officer, I was not fulfilled because it was male dominated. So, I had to quit to face my business. I thought within myself, since I love business, let me just go fully into it. I introduced fabric to my business which I got from my mom in Lagos because she deals on that too. I also run other businesses I learned from a one-year Entrepreneurial Development Studies.”
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Okunade didn’t stop at beads alone. In 2010, she learned arts and event planning in one of the biggest event places in Warri then and as she followed her boss to events wearing her beads, it got the attention of many and she kept getting orders.
“I stayed in Warri for three years doing business before relocating back to Lagos for my Masters. And after my Masters in 2012, I got an under-paid job as editor because I love reading and writing. It wasn’t my field but it helped in shaping my business till date,” she said.
Okunade finally kissed paid job goodbye in 2017 after realizing that her business could pay her more and also give her time, setting up Teedamisie events and accessories, specialising on the sales of quality male and female fabrics, traditional woven Aso Oke, bridal aso oke, aso ebi, beaded jewellery, jewellery, hair fascinators, auto-gele, souvenirs and customised hamper baskets all at affordable prices in Lagos
Capital
Starting up a business as a teenager, she used her personal savings. “My parents were the ones that paid for my bead training and we had a savings culture. Apart from the children’s savings account my parents opened for us, they taught us to save whatever after paying our tithes. So, I had my savings and that was what I used to start up my business in 2005. I went to Lagos market, bought original products, like pliers, and because it’s original I am still using some of them today. So, capital wasn’t a bit challenging initially but came up when I started advancing in business,” she said.
“I remember when I wanted to do event training in Warri, and I told my dad, oh, this is the amount. I think it was a lot then. And, he was like, okay, fine. What do you want? And, I told him I had part of the money and if he could help me pay the half. He said okay since you are passionate about it and he gave me the money and subsequently, even now, when I have some bulk orders I can’t cope with, I turn to family and some trusted friends to loan me the money. After doing the order, when I get paid immediately, I pay them back. I try to save again to reinvest. Last year, I think I got a little grant from an initiative. They gave me some money and I was able to invest back into the business,” she added.
Penetrating the market
Penetrating the market was not too stressful for Okunade because her products were very visible. She got orders as she wears them out, from friends, families and to the market. “God just favored me that I was getting orders because those that were doing the business then were older than me. When people saw me, they were like, oh, this young girl, you can do this and they will give me jobs. Aside from that, I was also getting jobs from my bosses. In all of my training, I always made sure I stayed back to do unpaid months with them to gather more experience. During this period, they would teach me how and where to buy materials. It was something I learned from my mom to always do unpaid months with my boss if I really want to settle as a business person in future. So, I was getting orders from referrals from my bosses, friends and families,” she said.
Selling to the upper class
One of Okunade’s standout experiences is having to make her products very affordable that even those in the upper-class doubt if they are original. She said a trial always convinces them. “Along the line, my aunty took me to a plaza and showed how much the beads I sell for cheap prices are sold. So, she told me to differentiate the prices, know my customers, and know how much I will call for those in the upper, middle and lower class so they don’t think I am selling fake. I yielded to it. I started having different packages.”
Another experience the CEO of Teedamise had was when she started her Aso Oke business in 2018 and went to meet a client that just came back from the UK. When she told her the prices, she was just looking at her because it was too cheap for her. “So, I told her I was not giving her the regular. At the end of the day she was impressed with my work. During that period, a friend told me that my prices were too cheap for people to believe it’s original. She suggested I upgrade my price, do a premium package so I could level up and trust God for the right customers. So, I invested in branding. And that gave me leverage. Now, I am affordable to the upper class; I am still affordable to the middle class. If you want premium, I’ll give you a premium. If you want regular, I’ll give a quality regular. So that is what we now do,” she said.
Breakthroughs
Okunade got her breakthrough during her service year where she was privileged to meet premium customers who appreciated her work and kept referring her to other customers. “The beads and aso ebi were what opened doors for me during my service year in 2009/2010. And that was even what made me start the fabric business. People were saying; ‘oh, I like your Ankara and I tell them my mom sells, and when they ask for it, I tell them to give me three days because I would go to ask my mom to send them down to Warri to pick from the park. One of my breakthroughs was from my aso ebi from my corps member who was getting married. She asked me if I could do her aso ebi and I said yes. And that was how it started.”
Business challenges in Nigeria
The creative director of Teedamise said the cost of production, inconsistent prices of materials, and high tariff sums up as challenges she faces doing business in Nigeria. According to her, the Nigerian market is very volatile in the sense that they source mostly for aso oke, “Because they are traditionally woven, the thread, etc are gotten from Nigeria. And the cost varies. It’s not consistent. Let’s say for example today you go to the market and they say thread is N500 and you go the next day it’s now N1000. So, the prices are very volatile. And in the market they are telling you, cost of fuel price is high, cost of weaving etc.”
But Okunade said in all of these, she finds a way around it. She tells her customers that the prices are volatile for now and this is her prices for now. “I try to add a little extra to cushion the effect so I don’t come and meet you. I am not changing prices every month. No. But our prices are seasonal. Like now, we’re in the season, end of the year, September to December. The prices are a little bit more expensive. They already know. I prepare them ahead. So, I tell them, from August, please, the prices are no longer the same.”
For her weavers, she said, ”I try not to just use one person or two people because I notice that could lead to disappointments. I’m not the only supplier or vendor they are collecting work from. And because these things are not machine-woven. They are human beings. I give allowances for somebody who may fall sick. So, I tell my customers, if you’re not ready to pick from what is readily available and you want to customize, I’m sorry, I can’t deliver in five days because that would be too urgent. I’m not the one weaving. I can’t weave. I have people who do it and I have to also consider them. If they have a work, they have to finish that and until they finish that work, they can’t do another person’s work. So, I try to explain that to my clients. And the high rate of tariff in electricity is too much but I just play around them with my price.”
Japa
Okunade said the desire to japa depends on the people one is looking at as role models in the business. For her, she had Tara Durotoye as a role model and they are successful business people in Nigeria. “I remember growing up, I used to admire Tara Durotoye and her husband. I remember then I used to listen to them like as way back as 2009. I remember there was an interview that she said she was telling her husband that when her husband was sharing his dreams and all, and then she was like, oh, thank God at least I’ll be the wife of a successful man. And he told her, no, you will be a successful woman with a successful husband. I held that in my hands and I told myself I will be successful in Nigeria. I will build a brand in Nigeria.
“And anytime I am faced with challenges, I still remember those words. I still followed them. I listened to their masterclasses. Even though I’ve not met them live, I like them,
I remember a former VC, Professor Obayan used to say, you can make it too in Nigeria. In school, they always tell us that sales demand diligent people. Look at Dangote, Otedola, they are successful business people. They travel all over the world and people respect them. So, I believe in the Nigeria dream and I believe I can make it here in Nigeria. My parents’ businesses are thriving and they travel round the world. So, I told myself that I must prosper in Nigeria; that people will come abroad to shop from me. By God’s grace, people are doing that. I still believe in more growth because I am not there yet.”
About Adetayo Okunade
Adetayo Okunade is the creative director of Teedamisie events and accessories. She specializes in sales of quality male and female fabrics, traditional woven aso oke, bridal aso oke, aso ebi, beaded jewellery, jewellery, hair fascinators, autogele, souvenirs and customised hamper baskets all at affordable prices. She loves reading books, learning new information, watching movies and traveling for leisure. She believes in encouraging and empowering children and teenagers to dream big in order to achieve their dreams. She is happily married with kids.
She has some recognition and certificates from free training from churches she conducted for children and women. She has collaborated with children from Makoko foundation school. She trains people and is also an employer of labour.
