Oj Awa Ibraheem: Two Decades of Thriving in the  Beauty Industry

As the Perfect Scents Designer Perfumes formally launched  its flagship store as well as unveiled its niche fragrances, recently in Lagos, its Chief Executive Officer,  Oj Awa Ibraheem, who has been in
the business of beauty for over two decades, talks about her struggles as a businesswoman and her passion for creativity while she explains why she decided to introduce the new  brand to Nigerians and more in this interview with MARY NNAH

How has your journey into the business of beauty been?

I studied political science at the university and when l got married,
my husband felt that 9. am to 5. pm job is not going to be easy even though l had my mother taking care of the children.

So, he wanted me to do something flexible enough that will give me the chance to keep my eyes on the children and still do what l wanted to
do.

But, l needed experience so, l started bringing products from the UK and was selling those goods at the back of my car because l did not
have a shop. So, the best way to get experience is to suffer a little.

Originally, l brought into the country an Italian brand known as Nouba, unfortunately, it came in before the boom of make-up artists,
whereas now, if you want to go to a party, you will call make-up artists.

At that time, l had a chance of meeting with a supplier in the United States and when l realised that the Italian brand was not moving as I
wanted, l introduced perfumes then but, not on the scale l am doing now. I did and established contact in the US for the supply of
perfumes, that was where the perfume business started and that was about 15 years ago, recently I unveiled arrays of niche perfumes into
the Nigerian market.

What are some of the challenges encountered and how have you been able
to navigate through them?

The challenge was majorly the unbalanced foreign exchange that is
currently killing a lot of businesses in the country. It made bringing goods into the country difficult. Even if you are
going into the production of goods, you still have to buy raw materials such as fragrance, you still need to use foreign exchange,
so that is the major problem l see, otherwise it is just reputation trying to get the right supplier and trust. The fact is that the
reputation of the country outside is difficult and it is affecting business transactions at the international level.

The foreign countries where you are importing products from will not do any business with you unless it is on a cash basis, unlike before
where you will get credit facilities, now they will know you and they will do business with you but, it has to be on cash, you will pay them
and you will get your goods.

But, l was lucky because l have made contacts before things got out of hand, so l had established contacts with some suppliers years back and
l had maintained the relationships, so l did not have a problem in that respect.

Are you thinking of having a brand for yourself in the time to come?

I do not think l want to be an industrialist, I think l will rather be the way l am now, l have one or two brands that l am already planning to take the franchise and help them focus, but for now, it is still early, we have not decided yet, because it involved a lot of money, l
have done franchise before and l know the requirements, sometimes it may hinder the other brands, but we are still talking.

 A lot of fake and substandard products are being manufactured in the
country. What are your views on that?  What is the way out?

For me, there is also creativity, but l wonder the reason people will go into the production of substandard products or copy other people’s
creativity instead of doing something that could be called their own. l know it is difficult to copy most at times because established
brands already have names so, there is no need to go through the stress of trying to establish such brands as your own, but the truth
is that such an individual will only succeed in killing his own business at the end of the day.

My advice is that they should produce something that is uniquely theirs.

There are some products l cannot buy because there is a lot of fake in the market. l am not talking about perfume only, l am talking about
other products in general.

Unfortunately, the manufacturing and sale of fake and substandard products have to do with the market,  many want such products and that
is what is selling,  people are forced to do that because they have to eat, and l do not support it. A lot of the big brands have fought over
it in the years past, but they are not winning the battle. We just try to make buyers understand that what we are selling is authentic and
then it is left for them to make their decisions either to buy original or substandard products.

Who is your mentor?

My husband is my mentor, he is a chartered accountant and has been in business for many decades, so l have learned a lot from him. He has also been a source of encouragement to me.

Besides, l read a lot and have garnered useful information that has helped me in running my business.

So, l will advise those in business or those who desire to venture into business to read business-related books, it is not as if they
should take in all that they have read from such books.   They should only extract useful information and apply it to their businesses.

Advise to women who want to venture into business?

I discovered that when you are young and you are starting a business and at the same time you have children to take care of, it is better
you lower your expectations. It is difficult to be a mother taking care of children and also runs a business successfully. So, l do tell
women that while they have a dream of owning a business, they should not expect much until their children get to a certain age that will
enable them to focus fully on their businesses.

They can engage in something profitable that will also give them a chance to look after their children until they have grown up. Such women can then venture into the business of their choice and l am sure they will do better.

As an entrepreneur what is your advice to the new administration?

When l started a business, a dollar to naira was 150, l know each administration has its challenges,  but if this administration can get it right, it will boost businesses in Nigeria, and entrepreneurs will make a profit. Consumers also will spend less in purchasing goods and
everybody will be comfortable in the country. Africa’s Largest Entrepreneurship Organisation Felicitates With Its