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| Chief Executive Officer of ourwedding.com.ng, 28-year old Miss Oluwafunmilola Elutade |
The Chief Executive Officer of ourwedding.com.ng, 28-year old Miss Oluwafunmilola Elutade, shares with TOBI AWORINDE the importance of customer satisfaction and networking in showcasing one’s business
Tell us about yourself.
As a child, I had a lot of hobbies and
interests such as chatting, singing, reading, writing stories, trying to
join pieces of clothes together, gossiping and listening to people. I
am a lawyer. I got my law degree at the Lagos State University and
attended Nigerian Law School, Kano. I have always had a passion for
wedding ceremonies, starting from the planning to the execution of the
event. It is always fun and colourful.
Why didn’t you venture into something close to what you studied in school?
It wasn’t intentional. We can find our
dreams in different things, irrespective of what we studied. From a
tender age, I have loved listening to people’s stories. I just love
relaying wedding stories; from the proposal and pre-wedding stories and
pictures to the actual wedding ceremony and every other thing getting
married entails. This was what brought the ourwedding.com.ng dream into being.
How and when did you establish the business?
I had my National Youth Service Corps
programme at the Oyo State Ministry of Justice in 2012. Sometime during
my service year, my fiancée encouraged me to start thinking about
something else that I could engage in, just in case I don’t get fixed on
time after service year based on the common predicament that befalls
corps members that they can’t get jobs on time after service year.
At that moment, I was helping him out
with his business and I couldn’t figure anything out until after service
year, precisely May 12, 2014, when I decided to start a wedding blog,
which would revolve around everything weddings.
The moment the idea came up, I decided to
key into it, despite the fact that there were a lot of wedding sites
out there. I discussed it with my fiancée, and he helped me to develop
the idea. We put all of the things needed in order and it ended up as a
wedding site.
My major sponsors are my wonderful mum, my ever loving fiancé, Kennedy Adetayo, and my brothers, Dayo, Dapo and Ayo.
What were some of the challenges you encountered while starting up?
A whole lot of challenges came up: funds,
getting constant internet service, creating awareness through social
media, getting couples to feature on the site (even though it was free
then), and so on. Most people felt it was a waste of time; it took quite
some time to get used to such comments.
How do you convince potential clients to patronise your services?
I was advised to keep doing more of
social media posts since that is one of the easiest ways to access and
draw people’s attention, most especially on Instagram. I would like
people’s pictures and then comment on some of the pictures, telling them
to come and feature on my website.
My fiancée helps me out with stories that
are wedding-related and when he comes across pictures, he forwards them
to me. He did a lot of convincing too. I remember that often times, he
would just call me and say: ‘Jumoke, you are not posting stories. Have
you posted this; have you posted that? You didn’t open the Instagram
page? I am not impressed; you are not doing anything on the site.’
I often felt he was harsh and sometimes I
would want to cry, but he knew I needed the push and that’s why he kept
on pushing. Gradually, I began to gain grounds on social media. Vendors
began to tag us with their pictures and ourwedding.com.ng became
relevant.
Are there any misconceptions people have about your business?
To the best of my knowledge, there are no
misconceptions. I have noticed this generation has got over the
stereotype of not publicising weddings because of one superstitious
reason or the other.
You appear to rely heavily on partnerships and word of mouth. How do you establish these networks?
With our social media influence,
networking is easier, but I try to add them to my personal network,
which gives birth to new friendship, and does make partnership and
communication easier online and offline.
How do you deal with unsatisfied customers and inevitable hiccups?
Luckily, I haven’t had any unsatisfied
customer, but there is a contingency plan for such, which is a
50-per-cent discount on the next order, or a 50-per-cent refund.
What is a typical day at work like for you?
After saying my prayers, I surf the
internet for wedding /relationship stories and I post them on the site, I
post pictures on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus and then
do drafts of pre-wedding stories that I have to post. I do a lot of
picture downloads and editing too, and meet up with clients and wedding
vendors when necessary. On less busy days, I help my fiancée out with
his business.
How do you manage the cost of operation and manpower?
I do most of the jobs myself, with the
help of some friends, who help out voluntarily too. The only challenge I
have is cost of internet data and electricity. On an average month, I
use up to 10 GB of data, which is self-sustained by the website and I
have to work very early when there is electricity and leave social media
posting to my trusted phone and power bank.
Who is your target market?
The age range 21 to 35 and since most of them are on social media, it makes it easier to connect with them on that platform.
Do you consider it necessary to have mentors?
Yes I do. It is necessary to have someone that inspires you, and motivates you towards the path of success.
Who are your mentors?
The famed talk show host, Mo Abudu, is one of my most influential mentors.
Do you think government is doing enough to encourage small businesses like yours?
The government can do better. There are a
lot of people out there with wonderful initiatives and ideas, but they
can’t execute them due to lack of funds and proper grooming. The
government needs to encourage small businesses so as to reduce
joblessness, unemployment and poverty on a large scale.
Would you say enough young people own businesses?
Not really, most young people focus on getting jobs and earning money, rather than on owning businesses and leaving legacies.
What are some ways you think more young people can be motivated?
They need reorientation and sponsors, who
will provide them with funds and proper training to see them through
whatever they have to do.
What are the most significant lessons you have learnt as a young entrepreneur?
As an entrepreneur, I have learnt the
power of networking. I have also been able to understand that for me to
succeed in running and growing my business, it is important to be
strong, determined and to stay focused.
What are your greatest achievements so far?
My greatest achievements so far include being the chief executive officer of ourwedding.com.ng, and being a lawyer.
How do you balance work with your personal life?
I balance them well; when I have to work on ourwedding.com.ng, I do, and when I have other things to do, I do them too.
What are your short, medium, and long term goals for this enterprise?
My short term goals are to have more
followers on our various social media platforms, improved site visits,
and hire more hands. My mid-term goal is for the site to have a large
network. And in the long run, I want international recognition and
affiliations with newer brands of ours springing up in different parts
of the world.
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