Ossai Chineye Gloria is the brand owner of AskChiChi online store where she helps people find the product they need and make purchase hassle-free. She is also a consultant for brands. She manages her business with her scheduled job as a customer service representative. And she holds a BSc Ed in Biology Education from Delta State University.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
Ossai Chineye Gloria owns an online store where she sells different kinds of products, ranging from unisex wear to house interiors, etc. The young entrepreneur, who holds a BSc Ed in Biology Education from Delta State University, started her online business in 2024 with the purpose of having an extra income to her 9-5 job. “At the time, I wasn’t earning enough, so I wanted an extra income and something I could sell fast. That was where the retail selling, ‘AskChiChi’, came in,” she said.
She started first with her contacts, creating a WhatsApp page, posting, and telling people what she does. As time went by, she started getting referrals and gaining visibility. “It wasn’t easy at first, but because I was able to satisfy most of my customers who referred me to people, it enabled me to get more contacts and expand my reach,” Ossai told TheNiche in an interview. Today, the brand AskChichi is becoming a household name where people search to shop for their everyday items.
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Ossai also adds consultancy to her services. She consults for big brands to meet customers’ desired service. According to her, it was to help people solve the problem of identifying quality stuffs, the motivation was informed by her own personal experience ‘what I ordered versus what I got’, having had experience with both products and services.
“So, I felt that having known and been in contact with some good brands that I have not only seen their goods work but have also patronized them, I just felt I could easily direct people to patronize this brand while I become an intermediary between the clients and the brands”, Ossai enthused
Start-up capital
Ossai said capital wasn’t a challenge when she started at first because it was just a customer paying for what they wanted while she got it and delivered. But later, it became a bit of a challenge when she expanded and needed to buy some goods upfront so she doesn’t give her customers that “oh, it’s sold out” response.”
Penetrating the market
Ossai was having low sales when she first started because her items were quite expensive and this was because she didn’t have the right connections of how she could connect with suppliers, making it difficult for her to penetrate the market. But when she got the right connections, her products became cheaper and she was able to navigate through the market.
She said it took her six months to penetrate the market. “The main challenge I experienced at the beginning stage was the fact that my items used to be quite expensive and that was because I wasn’t so familiar with the main suppliers. Unlike now that I buy directly from the main suppliers. At the time I started, I didn’t have those connections. I didn’t know how to navigate my way through the market and that contributed to why my items were expensive. I had low sales at that time because I was still trying to find my feet around,” she explained.
She added: “One thing I won’t forget is the rejection at the beginning stage – the rejection of ‘oh, it’s cheaper somewhere else’. I got a lot of ‘nos’ because I didn’t find my way around the market, around the suppliers as early as possible. So, the rejection was just there.”
Breakthroughs
Finding a way around the big markets and the top suppliers was Ossai’s first breakthrough. And then, returning customers. She recalled: “The fact that I had returning customers gave me the notion that, oh, if I can actually get better with this, I would have more returning customers. So, those returning customers kept me going.”
She added: “Referrals – it takes a lot for a client to refer someone else. The client must have been satisfied with your service or your product. So, that really encouraged me to push on.”
The business environment
Ossai said currency instability, leading to continuous price increases, slows business down.
Citing example, she said: “If something is sold at the rate of N5,000 and 10 people are willing to purchase it at the rate of N5,000, the moment that price increases to, let’s say, even if it is N5,500, the numbers of people who want to purchase would definitely reduce. If it reduces, the inflow, revenue is affected. When the currency is not stable, it leads to hike in price and it affects businesses.”
Japa
She said if you have to stay in Nigeria, you have to fight through. According to her, one can work around the hard economy by expanding business and networking because the more people you have, the more they patronize you. And that leads to more money that could help you stay through in the hard economy. That’s if the only option you have is to remain in the country.” Ossai also said she has remained because she hasn’t gotten enough money to leave the country.
She explained that business is business whether in Nigeria or outside the country. “The most important thing is to have a good business plan. I could also decide to stay back in Nigeria whether the money is available or not. I have a very good business plan. I intend to expand all my businesses,” she said.
About Ossai
Ossai Chineye Gloria is the brand owner of AskChiChi online store where she helps people find the product they need and make purchase hassle-free. She is also a consultant for brands. She manages her business with her scheduled job as a customer service representative. And she holds a BSc Ed in Biology Education from Delta State University.
