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The Comfort Entrepreneur: Miracle Moses Onuoha’s Vision for Fluidé Home
From passion to profit, Miracle Moses Onuoha’s journey as the CEO of The Fluidé Company Limited, a thriving bedding, bath, home goods, and wellness brand, is a shining example of the power of innovation and dedication.
As he prepares to launch Fluidé Home’s Abuja store in early August, Onuoha, in this interview with MARY NNAH, shares his story of turning a personal passion for comfortable living into a thriving business, and how his unique approach to home goods and wellness is poised to disrupt the industry
Congratulations on the upcoming launch of your Abuja store! What inspired you to expand Fluidé Home to the capital city?
Expanding to Abuja was inspired by client interaction and feedback. We understand that bedding and home goods are personal items that customers and people will prefer to feel and touch before purchase. Abuja being the centre of the country just made sense to us, we also noticed we have some pull and growing clientele from here, so why not bring the Fluidé experience closer?
Abuja represents a vibrant and diverse market with a growing demand for premium home decor and wellness products. We believe that our presence here will allow us to better serve our customers and meet the increasing demand for our products.
You have a passion for traveling and exploring diverse cultures. How do your travels influence your approach to designing and curating home goods at Fluidé Home?
Traveling has been a tremendous source of inspiration for me. When I travel, my must visits are beddings and home goods stores. Just experiencing the product and imagining the thought process that went into creating them inspires me, this kind of exposure has allowed me to bring a global touch to Fluidé Home.
Last year I had the opportunity to visit some top bedding and home goods manufacturers in Europe, to learn more about texture, design, fabric composition and how all these components come together to influence the comfort level of a product. This also has helped in the decision making process of choosing our collections and designs.
Take us back to your journey, how did you transition from a career in PR and digital marketing to founding Fluidé Home?
I am quite introverted, my home is a place where I store up my energy so I do my best to make it very comfortable and functional. However it was after the pandemic I decided to turn this passion into a business. I realised there was a gap in the market for products that combined comfort, functionality and aesthetics. It was difficult to find quality products that had the perfect combination of cool, aesthetics and functionality. This was the pivotal moment that inspired me to create a brand that would cater to these diverse needs, providing products that are cool, functional and promote both physical and mental well-being, and to make the home a comfort haven. My career in PR and digital marketing equipped me with valuable skills in brand building, communication, and customer engagement. With this, I realised I can apply my skill in PR into building a business that will be an extension of me.
You’ve achieved remarkable growth and success at Fluidé Home. What leadership strategies have contributed to your accomplishments, and how do you plan to sustain this growth?
I like to think of two things that have brought me this far, one is team-work, the second is maintaining a customer-centric approach that ensures we are always attuned to our customers’ needs and preferences. Investing in our team’s development and creating a supportive work environment has empowered the team to excel. We focus on the welfare of our team, the work culture is more interactive, no idea is a bad idea to us, everybody has a creative idea to move the business forward during our creative meetings. I think it has really given us the opportunity to take everyone along and move with the vision.
Reflecting on your journey so far, what have been some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?
A significant challenge we faced was in July 2022. We had just officially launched our store in Lekki phase 1, one week after, the rains came and unknown to us, we had a very bad leaking roof. The property managers did not mention or warn us about the leakage. When the rains came, it poured inside the store, destroying all the furniture and fittings we just installed. We were lucky to save the goods. After that, we had to stop receiving walk-in clients, to repair and redo the place. For a month we redid the interiors while we only took online orders. It was a difficult time but we used it as an opportunity to also upgrade the look and feel of the store. We were able to overcome it because we saw the devastation as an opportunity to try a new look for the store. We took the negative situation and made it a positive one and we still enjoy that renovation till today.
Your brand prioritizes self-love, wellness, and healthy living. How do you ensure that these values are reflected in your products and customer experience?
We believe dearly that good sleep can fix a bad mood, improve wellness, promote health, quality of life and make people generally happier. That is why we do our research and source high quality bedding and functional home goods that will promote relaxation and self care. Our products are designed with these principles in mind, using materials that promote comfort and well-being. Additionally, our customer service is geared towards creating a unique and customised experience for our clients because everybody sleeps differently. We educate our team on how they can impact positive and supportive experiences to the client and ensure that every interaction from purchase to after sale service, leaves our customers feeling valued and appreciated.
What approaches do you use to motivate and empower your team members, and what advice would you give to aspiring leaders?
I believe teamwork makes the dream work and my mentor always says, you can only go as far as your team. To motivate and empower my team, I focus on creating a collaborative and inclusive work environment where everyone feels heard and valued. I encourage open communication and provide opportunities for growth and development. Recognising and celebrating achievements, both big and small, also plays a crucial role in maintaining high morale. For aspiring leaders, my advice is to lead with empathy, be adaptable, and always be willing to learn and grow alongside your team.
What sets Fluidé Home apart from other home goods brands, and how do you stay ahead of industry trends and innovations?
Fluidé Home stands out due to our commitment to quality, unique design, and our wellness-centric approach. We prioritise creating products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also contribute to the well-being of our customers. Travel gives me the opportunity to see what people in the industry with advanced technologies and innovation are doing. Continuous research also helps us stay ahead, and keep an ear to the ground for emerging consumer preferences. We also invest in innovation by exploring new materials and technologies that enhance our product offerings.
What milestones do you hope to reach in the next few years?
In the next few years, I envision Fluidé Home as a leading name in the home decor and wellness industry, known for our commitment to quality, innovative products that are sustainable, and continues to enhance the lives of our customers. We will continue to broaden our product range to include more wellness-oriented items and enter new markets both domestically and internationally. We are also exploring collaborations with other brands and designers to bring innovative products to our customers. Additionally, we plan to expand Fluidé’s presence to Europe, to reach a wider audience and make our products more accessible.
Looking back on your journey, what are some of the most memorable moments or achievements that stand out to you, and how have they shaped your vision for Fluidé Home?
A memorable time for us as a brand was when we caught the attention of big names like Tiwa Savage, Toke Makinwa, Lola OJ, Beverly Naya and others. We were only two weeks in business, operating only online when Lola OJ saw one of our sponsored ads and patronised. She gave a review because she was pleased by the customer service, the review caught the eyes of Toke Makinwa and Tiwa Savage who contacted and patronised on multiple occasions. Meeting them changed the game for us, if we count our blessings at Fluidé, we count these first three names. Toke Makinwa and Tiwa Savage went ahead to leave their reviews on many occasions after purchase, this gave us a platform that we still enjoy till today and it opened us to the support of their family and fans Their support gave us hope and strengthened the vision even more, I mean if Tiwa and Toke uses Fluidé and loves it, everybody will.
How do you balance your role as CEO with your passion for traveling and exploring new cultures?
Balancing my role as CEO with my passion for traveling requires careful planning and prioritisation. I try to combine my trips with work so that they align with business opportunities, such as visiting factories and exploring new markets. This allows me to combine work and exploration seamlessly. For future trips, I have Sweden in September which is totally for relaxation and France in October which is for work, but I am looking forward to this trip because it is to the South of France.
What message would you like to share with your customers and the community as Fluidé Home expands to Abuja, and what can they expect from the new experience centre?
As we expand to Abuja, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our customers and the community for their unwavering support. The new Fluidé experience center in Abuja will offer a unique and immersive shopping experience, showcasing our latest collections and providing personalised design consultations for hotels, rental apartments, interior designers and individuals who seek quality products for their homes and projects. We are excited to bring Fluidé closer to our customers in the Capital city and look forward to continuing our journey of enhancing your living spaces with Fluidé.
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In the next few years, I envision Fluidé Home as a leading name in the home decor and wellness industry, known for our commitment to quality, innovative products that are sustainable, and continues to enhance the lives of our customers. We will continue to broaden our product range to include more wellness-oriented items and enter new markets both domestically and internationally