Nigeria has become home to many young talent, some of whom have gained international recognition.
With his name being counted after establishing a thriving startup, a young graduate of Kogi State University and the creative Director, Toubie’s Creations, Aiyenigba Oloruntobi, is an entrepreneur to watch.
All over, youths are finding a way to survive the economic situation. Increasing retrenchments in workplaces and the increase of jobless young people, fuel the rise of local innovators as people strive to fight against the tide of economic challenges . Many employed youth have shifted focus to the informal sector, often learning completely new skills in order to survive under harsh economic conditions. Young graduates are establishing successful ventures to create unique and innovative products. One area they are recording successes is in the creative industry.
The industry is helping to mitigate the country’s unemployment challenge and helping the youths to unleash their entrepreneurial capabilities, thus helping to create jobs for the local economy and lifting many out of poverty. Making shoes has become the way of life for the youth where the economy continues to recover from shrinking amid perpetual closures of industries.
A creative and versatile footwear innovator and trainer with a fantastic eye for detail, product design and development, Aiyenigba Oloruntobi is among the very few young e entrepreneurs that are pursuing shoemaking while empowering young people and women to acquire the right skills to become financially stable.
For Oloruntobi, running shoe business has become a way to escape unemployment.
How did he come about with the business idea? This was his answer: “It was shortly after I graduated that I realised that people had the need for good shoes and so I decided to go into it since I already have an idea. “The shoe industry is peculiar. This is because every sane person needs a good shoe and so, the demand for it can never come to an end. This is the reason I went into it.”
He started small in December 2016. “I started with repairing of old shoes. I didn’t start with any capital. So, speaking of how much I started with, I think it was with less than N1, 000.”
He is faring well. So far, the signals justify the upbeat mood. Local buyers are flocking in droves to patronise indigenous producers and many of them are new customers.
For the first time too, domestic manufacturers are in the enviable position of being able to turn down business.
The enterprising young business man has plunged into serious leather shoe production. The business is growing .It has five staff and a number of apprentices.
A combination of personal savings, goodwill from material suppliers built up during his business has helped the business to grow. Besides, he is fortunate to start the company with good clients.
However, for one to succeed, an aspiring shoe maker needs basic knowledge of creative engineering, shoemaking skills and fashion knowledge.
The thing about shoemaking is that one really has to know something about every process involved in the manufacturing of shoes, along with a good sense of what is happening with the market. This he has achieved.
His failures and what he has learned from them? His words: We’ve made some designs that didn’t really do well in the market. It wasn’t welcomed by people. What I learnt from there is that, not everything you do will be accepted by the masses. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying out new things.”
All this made him take a hard re-look at his business. For him, if he has to grow the business beyond Lagos or even beyond what he is doing now, he had to do things differently. The business has many challenges. Prominent among others include influx of cheap imports from China and strong brands. Right now, competition is fierce and comes from both local and international sources. Some of the big brands have the ability to mass produce shoes at very competitive prices due to their labour costs that are significantly lower than theirs.
A lot of them have managed to maintain a competitive edge by creating niche brands offering unique products.