Buky Asehinde: Afrocentric Businesses in Nigeria will Soon Be Globally Accessible

BUKY ASEHINDE IS THE CEO OF BELLAFRICANA, AN OUTFIT THAT BUILDS STRATEGIC COLLABORATIONS FOR MADE IN NIGERIA PRODUCTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.  SHE TALKS TO OMOLOLA ITAYEMI ABOUT HER PASSION, CHALLENGES AND MORE

What inspired you to go into this line of business?

I am a passionate Nigerian entrepreneur that has a dream that one day, Afrocentric businesses in Nigeria (Africa) will be globally accessible. This led to the birth of Bellafricana, a business focused in promoting quality Afrocentric creative (Made-in-Nigeria) business development through a platform that bridges the gap between producers of quality creative/indigenous products in Nigeria (Africa) and their consumers globally. I am highly motivated and self-driven in my effort to make an impact in job creation and building-up of local talents for economic drive and growth through the use of digital marketing to grow the community.

Interestingly, I started the business in the hope of creating more jobs and to help develop talents in the area of creative expertise. This is underscored by the fact that I observed a vast increase in the number of unique products made in Nigeria (Africa) but noticed a huge gap between local producers and consumers.  Hence, I created an online platform to bridge that gap.

What excites and motivates the things you do?

The motivation is seeing the verified Bellafricana members businesses grow and not just the business, but the business owners too. Helping them to understand the business of their creative talent and how to be sustainable, have access to market, get access to the right target audience, build the right partnerships whilst joining a network of other businesses willing to help each other.

Tell us about some memorable moments in your life and career?

I have so many memorable moments in life and it will be hard to list them all. If I were to choose one, it will be when I got married to my best friend.

As for career, it varies from both in Bellafricana’s accomplishments and her members. My most recent memorable moment was when I got a mail from the founder of Leading Ladies Africa that I had been selected as one of the 100 most inspiring women in Nigeria based on the great strides and commendable impact of Bellafricana.

What are some of the challenges?

Challenges are endless if you choose to focus on it. You see, I am a very positive person, so this attitude keeps me going. If I were to pick a few challenges, it will be self-doubt at the beginning, when you are not sure you can actualise what your mind conceives. I realised that for a tree to stand the test of a strong wind, it must be rooted and grounded. I love to use the tree so much as an illustration. If you focus on building your business and ensuring it is rooted with the right business process, team, growth strategy, etc., then, gradually, it can start having branches. The leaves and fruits eventually come out. But these processes take time to grow.

Another major challenge was pricing, understanding what made the business profitable.

How have you been coping with the challenges?

I will truly say I have coped by focusing on my vision, staying relentless, remaining consistent and persistent. I understand what it means to grow, starting from almost nothing, with what I have, who I know, building the right relationship, recruiting thought leaders as mentors, surrounding myself with forward-thinking-positive-wise people, staying focused, improving my knowledge. The list is endless.

Let’s compare when you started and now, what has changed?

When I re-started Bellafricana, it was more of a vision for me, about telling a story of creative African businesses, and that’s how it really started. The goal was to merge the two people; producers of niche products and consumers of same. A lot of the producers were out there, and ready, so I decided to create a platform that bridges that gap between quality producers and their consumers. I had to start by re-orientating the minds of the consumers and educating the producers on the importance of understanding the business of their creative talent.

I usually say that the ‘Made in Nigeria’ & ‘Buy Naija to Grow the Naira’ trend is the best thing that happened to Nigeria, because it brought and is bringing a positive psychological effect. However, it’s not just about “Made in Nigeria”; it’s about the quality of the products made in Nigeria, because now you can’t get away with fake or inferior goods any longer. People actually want original things and if you don’t yet know what sets you apart from the next person, you’ll just get consumed. Even Aba made is getting better because they now know that it’s not just about making a copy of Gucci, but being a proudly “made in Aba”. So the “made in Nigeria” stamp really helped give the people confidence.

So, a lot has changed and still changing, Bellafricana is playing a key role in this and enjoying the journey.

What are some of the changes that you would like to see in the sector?

I would like to see producers remaining true to their craft, continually creating and innovating products that can compete globally and restoring the wealth of the nation. Consumers understanding that for us to grow our economy, we must be patronising the local industry more, not only buy but make it a lifestyle. Seeing more of our quality local products being exported and sold by top International stores in each sectors is interesting. Also the fact that Nigeria is gaining most of her income from these creative locally produced products. I can assure you that Bellafricana is not going to rest until her members are not just selling locally but are also selling internationally with a verified stamp.

What are some of the principles that you hold on to?

I believe it is important to focus on building knowledge. This means that learning must always be a constant thing; every successful entrepreneur never stops building knowledge. It is also good to surround yourself with wise and knowledgeable people: Be deliberate and work hard on getting wise and smart people on your side. You can’t know everything. But you can know enough smart people that together you know almost everything. For example, I have surrounded myself with amazing mentors, likes of Prince Adeyemi Adefulu, Mr. Lanre Adisa, Mr. Segun Awolowo, Mr. Tobi Asehinde (husband of life), Mrs. Joyce Akpata, Ms. Shade Bembatoum-Young, Mrs. Toki Mabogunje, Mr. & Mrs. Funbi Taiwo and so much more.

Never compare your business to another. Although it might seem like they are doing well on the outside but it might not be the case, some might look like they aren’t doing well but they are doing well. So the truth is, learn to focus on the growth of your business and ensure it is profitable. I also believe that you must act on your ideas: It’s easy to have an idea but it’s easier to sit on it and not do anything about it. Next you must be a thought leader: A great thought leader has a vision and courage to build an enterprise or product and brings together the right people and resources to make it a reality.

To succeed, it is also good to create a great customer experience: My past experience working as a crew member and becoming a manager in McDonalds, London taught me this. It’s very vital to develop a customer service strategy that is so effective that people buy from you and tell all their friends about you. This helps differentiate you from your competitors by taking better care of your customers than your competitor does.