Karin001:



No it is definitely not gender specific. Many men are involved in this business in many places. however the men I know are really large buyers. There is a man in boundary market, he sells many snacks, his name starts with 'G' and he buys the chin-chin in Millions weekly. There is another distributor in Aba. He sells these products in Tens of millions monthly. There are several men out there who are doing this business, however I was recounting my own experience and I am also inclined to believe that men do big business while women are more prone to start smaller and grow. In private I I could give you the addresses of these guys for you to verify my claims but I don't have the liberty of posting names and addresses on a public forum without permission.

Its alrite ma,u've given me d ans.D company in question,do they've a specific amount u must deposit b4 u become their distributor?

Kamkamdd:

Its alrite ma,u've given me d ans.D company in question,do they've a specific amount u must deposit b4 u become their distributor?

No deposits required for small timers. Deposits may apply to Key Account Distributors. I dont know about that. I can only speak clearly for purchases below 1million.

Karin001:

No deposits required for small timers. Deposits may apply to Key Account Distributors. I dont know about that. I can only speak clearly for purchases below 1million.

.
Tanks!I'll contact u thru email for more information wen i come to PH.

Madam Karin

Sent you an email, Kindly go thru and reply when u are able

Thanks

Starting small has always been the biggest hurdle form the new business person. In my next write-up I am going to demonstrate a step by step method of how to start a new business with as little capital as possible and then grow it phenomenally within the shortest possible time. I will choose two towns in Nigeria that I have a little knowledge of and show how a determined person will go about starting and sustaining a snacks distribution business. I will also try answer questions that will arise and with relevant examples we will together demonstrate how sheer determination to to survive within this business will keep you afloat and eventually turn you into profitability. This will now be our thrust.

How do you get to introduce and sell new product over and over again?

How do you manage your finances in such a way that the business can only progress rather than retrogress?

How do you insulate the business from everyday demands of living?

These are some of the questions that will arise as we progress and I am sure fellow readers of this thread who are more knowledgeable and experienced will share whatever they have for us all to benefit.
Most importantly, I hope our discourse will will show how with simple steps, a little understanding, unflinching determination and persistence backed by MASSIVE ACTION all the challenges that will appear on our path will be preempted and overcome with little difficulties and strain.

Waiting for the next post. Thanks a lot

Whenever one thinks of doing business one of the very firs things that come to mind is the need for lots of capital and in this case especially in present day Nigeria capital must always refer to money, tonnes of money.This is also compounded by our erroneous education which is founded on very wrong predicates. In our O/L economics we are taught that capital is one of the basic requirements for the set-up of a business; please refer to the factors of production. We have all grown up and gone through a school system which at different levels emphasizes this baseless assertion.
On graduation from school almost graduate is searching for a job. They take jobs that they don't enjoy, do not grow and worst of all do not learn anything from. About twenty years ago taking a civil service job was an anathema. Fast forward to today we now have millions of young people pitching their tents in Abuja and other Metropolitan centers just waiting for an opportunity to get a job. I will have you know that some of these people actually wait for as long as 5 years and it is horrendous to note that some pay hundreds of thousands of Naira just to secure a job. Lets not even talk about what happens in Telecoms and the Oil and gas sectors of the economy. Case in point is the last immigration recruitment saga, and recently the Nigeria Police recruitment effort. For 10,000 potions we already have over 800,000 applications. And more are applying. What beats me is that more than half of the people that are applying for the police positions already hate the institution with a passion but then again 'man must wack'. Why on earth would you pay as much as 100,000 to get a job? Many cases currently abound of monies changing hands and jobs not provided. I recall during the last administration we had some people gathering at the former tollgate in Lagos in respect of jobs (subsidy empowerment people). It is only when a new party took over the reigns of power that we heard the staggering sums that people paid for these positions and they lost these sums. The biggest loss in my opinion is not the money but rather the time and and effort expended on an excercise in futility. If only you know what some people would have done with just fifty thousand in two years you will be amazed. The biggest culprit here is a deep seated fear, and the ego coupled with ignorance and laziness that cannot be described. What could be more foolish that spending 100,000 or more to get a job that probably pays you less than 35,000. Oh a job gives you security. Well if you think so find out what is happening today as regards disengagements even in the most supposedly secure settings.

If you ever pay a visit to Alaba International, Aldipo market Mushin or indeed any major market in Nigeria( I also observed this in Ikoku, PH when we went to buy car parts with my husband) you will see a stream of young men approaching you and as they they are interested is in 'helping' you make a purchase through them. They play all sorts of pranks, tell you all sort of untruths but finally one of them wins and you finally buy from him. You must note that in observing very carefully he gets the real owner of the shop to relinquish his shop temporarily while he carries out this transaction which is mutually beneficial. These boys have probably gone through the prescribed apprenticeship scheme and do not as of yet have sufficient 'capital' but they are not waiting at home for the capital they are out there hustling to get the much desired capital and more importantly they are increasing their experience.

The concept of CAPITAL means different things to different people. for some it could be large tracts of land, form others it could be a large amount of money ( think with me; have you ever noticed that when the word capital is mentioned in many discussion circles what come to mind for most people is very large sums of money?), for others it could just be equipment, buildings. Nobody ever thinks of health as capital, fewer people think of expertise as capital and I dare say that just an infinitesimal number of people have bought into the most recent thinking of capital being nothing more than an idea or information that is temporarily exclusive to you which if backed by expertise and massive action will translate into unprecedented success. These are my thoughts.

My maternal background is phenomenal. I would like to use a maternal aunt of mine as an example in this case. She never went to school even for one day and married very early and had a total of 16 children(actually 19 but three were stillborn). This lady is a potential case-study for Harvard and Yale Business Schools. The fact that she delivered all the children naturally and without help(apart from the first) one is a story for another day. She has also never visited a hospital unless invited by nurses to help out with a very difficult delivery. Her husband never allowed her do serious work then apart from buying and reselling chewing sticks.

I am indeed very proud of my very uneducated yet accomplished maternal aunt of mine.

Her husband was a fisherman who could barely fish enough for the large family. The pressure from feeding these little ones was so much I think that he gave up very early and transited 'prematurely'.

At the time of his departure all he had to his name was an uncompleted 35 rooms apartment.
Now the expected thing is that the family and the older children had to organize a befitting funeral for the man and the money was raised through contributions from the extended family and age grade members. After the funeral, the larger family convened a meeting. The agenda was to share all the children among the kindred especially those who had a source of livelihood under the pretext of helping the children but we all know those children would be seriously enslaved. This was in the early 70s' just after the civil war and my mum was in that meeting. i will state here that the first option for this kind of situation was that one of the brothers of the deceased was meant to marry her but one look at the number of children was enough deterrent. That is why the option of sharing the spoils came up.

My aunt put up a fight and a serious one at that. According to my mum all the persuasion and threats by the family members which of course included older women fell on deaf ears and the meeting finally ended with her and her children being abandoned to their fate. Predictions were rife that it was a case of self inflicted genocide. Today, my aunt has 16 graduates, with 9 of them living in abroad and the remaining ones in Nigeria. I would like to assert that she did this all alone. Indeed at a point my aunt became a most sought after bride by her in-laws and other admirers. I understand that when the pressure for marriage became too much she bought her freedom by paying back her dowry in an elaborate celebration during the Christmas of 1983.

HOW WAS SHE ABLE TO ACHIEVE ALL THIS? HOW

Dear readers, I apologize for the very long story in the last post but I hope it is worthwhile because it is supposed to set a tone and show you some of the misconceptions regarding the much hyped excuse for Success in business; capital.

I take a break now and will return.

Maybe my aunt was lucky! Or maybe she was blessed!

Greatly inspired,learning seriously.

What a wonderful and inspirational story.

great post madam Karin001. feeling inspired.

Karin001:


No, I am not alone in Port Harcourt. They have a depot here and they even have a sales team but PH is a large town and very thickly populated. I only a very small part of PH and I am sort of deepening the market (vertically) as against widening (Horizontal). Honestly the market is too big for even 7 distributors. I am welcoming as many women in PH who want to do it to join me (but not in my own territory sha). I however insist that you make the business formal by insisting that the company assign you a territory. Are there no women who can replicate this business model in other cities around here; Owerri, Umuahia, Awka, Eket, Uyo, Yenogoa, Sapele, Ughelli. I am very willing to help as many people as I can especially people in PH and Environs.

Thanks a lot for this eye opening business
I send you mail pls check and get back to me ma.

Nice one. Following

After the meeting, my aunt braced herself and withdrew all her older children from school for that year while those in Primary schools continued. The entire house and chores was restructured to accommodate the present circumstances. My mum in recounting this experience says that in those days immediately after the meeting my aunt had transformed from the supposedly weak and helpless widow to a personification of determination who was committed to excel despite all the odds stacked against her.
Left without a penny, death had dealt this very young woman a deadly blow and in the aftermath society had decided to test her will and her love for her children. She started with selling the only thing she knew then how to sell; chewing sticks, The account has it that she used to go to the swamps with her older children and cut the preferred stems for the chewing sticks and return home with them daily and then she would concentrate in cutting these sticks to the desired lengths and arrange them in bundles. At the crack of dawn all the children would be in all public places; markets, motor parks, churches etc and would sell these small bundles of chewing sticks to interested people before returning home and then preparing for school. At this time my very hardworking aunt had already left their food in various plates and together with the older ones she had departed for another round of getting the stems. The cycle continued for about one year.
Exactly one year after the death of her husband her business began to experience growth and all her children were back in school. At this point everyone in the house was selling Chewing sticks before going to school. The surprising thing is that with time this lady attracted large scale buyers of the chewing sticks, traders from neighbouring states started tom buy the chewing sticks in large quantities and some were even booking for their supplies and paying upfront. The business was booming and she employed a lot of local women and some men too. She completed her husbands’ house in the village and quietly embarked on another one right there in her village but building it under her sons’ name. This business paid school fees for all her children gave them a roof over her house and made a significant name in her society. Not to talk of the fact that a lot of men chased her and desired her as one of their wives.
While this looks easy on the outside especially as we read it in black and white the eldest daughter and first child surprised everyone including her mum when she said that for many nights when she thought they had all slept she remembers her breaking down and weeping profusely but when they arose in the morning she was all steeled up and determined to face another day. Today the only signs you can see that shows the pains which she went through earlier are her very charred and rough hands that are remind the children every day of the sacrifice one woman made for 16 children.
Quite frankly how many of us can do this even for our own children?

The essential lesson I want us to draw from this epistle is the need to start as small as where we find ourselves at the moment. There is no such thing a s a business which requires capital which cannot be miniaturized for it to start small. This aunt of mine started by selling directly as a retailer and then transformed into a distributor and then a mega distributor.

Lets assume that my husband has been transferred again and this time around he moves to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State.
What would I do? Would I just arrive Uyo and immediately start selling my current brand of chin-chin? Of course not. My first duty would be to ascertain the nature of Uyo, The geography, the demographics and the economy, I would then visit the various markets in Uyo, Etuk Street market, Akpan Andem market Itam market, and some other enclaves which may not necessarily be denoted markets like the city center a.k.a Ibom Connection or Circus.

My main objective here would be to establish the buying patterns of the people and their purchasing power. What sells most in the town? I would also check out the snacks sector to ascertain the moving brands while also checking out the availability of my current brand. Then I would look for a list of large public and private primary and secondary schools within the state capital. I would then visit at least three more major towns in the state and then do the same analysis. In this case the towns that come to mid are Eket, Ikot Ekpene, Oron and maybe Abak. Another place I usually look for is a military barracks because of the pocket of population density you usually have there. Normally you also have a local economy in that kind of place. So to Ibagwa barracks I would head to and then look at the mammy market and seek out what is available in the market and how receptive they would be to me and whatever I would be selling. After this I would then sit down and map my strategy. Now my first approach would to discuss with the Regional Manager in PH or whoever covers Uyo and seek for an exclusivity clause. When I have gotten that I would then ensure that I commence the implementation of my plan.
Step one would be to make significant effort at making the product popular in the town. Initially there will be a lot of horse trading and very deft negotiations but my eyes would not be on the poor and almost non-existing margins but rather on the future. that does not in any way translate to my incurring losses at all.

Schools, offices and the secretariat at Abak road would be my first port of call.

Mallams and small kiosks would be my next port of call.

My choice of these type of outlets initially is because they sell very quickly and you are dealing with the owners of the outlets directly. Should there be any issue of credit at all you will get your money that same day.

It is when the product begins to move that they will want to make commitments for higher volumes. But before this happens I would already have commenced a relationship with a major snacks dealer in the market with the intention of having him sell the products in the market, Now this will also display the product in the major markets. While it may be true that all the supermarkets in Uyo buy their products in Aba I want to assure you that some of them still enter the markets in Uyo to restock from time to time. I would also ensure that I supply the ones who will not delay my cash for too long. The most important thing here is to ensure that whether they buy from me or the guy in the market i have a share in that money no matter how small.

A car will be a very necessary tool for expansion purposes because once a week I would visit all the major economic centers to ensure that goods are always available and well displayed.

Supposing it was Kwara State what would I do? i would do the same thing. I would visit the major markets in Ilorin and then map out all the major secondary schools in Fate, Tanke, Gerialimi, Post Office, Maraba, Sango and then of course visit the major commercial centres i.e Unity, Taiwo road, Post Office etc. I would then embark on a tour of the major economically viable local Governments like Offa, Omuaro and others. the academic communities in Kwara state are very well populated in their various campuses like Unilorin; both main campus and the permanent site at Tanke, the College of Education, ilorin, Unilorin teaching Hospital, Kwara State Polytechnic, Federal Poly Offa and Land Mark University just to mention a few. The Sobi Military barracks within Ilorin would also be a small local economy that would be explored. Again to grow phenomenally you would need an exclusivity clause and a car ultimately.

Hmm madam,i was thinking if maybe u're from Akwa-ibom,until u enter Kwara state.Ur doing a great job.Well done!

Kamkamdd:
Hmm madam,i was thinking if maybe u're from Akwa-ibom,until u enter Kwara state.Ur doing a great job.Well done!

Yessoooh. Ive been around a lot of places. Im a bit nomadic by nature.

Whenever one embarks on an enduring business model, there will be obstacles seen and unseen. There will be naysayers, doomsday prophets and also a proliferation of unsolicited advise.

There will even be run-off-the mill theorists and overnight business consultants who will do everything but encourage you to face your business with determination. The biggest hurdle to your success in business stands before you.
Just take a look at the mirror.

If you have overcome your initialized fears and are now operating on the confidence freeway then you are most likely to bounce or slide off or any unwanted sentiment from whatever quarter just like a bias filter. Whatever news is trending at that moment, whatever the state of the economy at that time and no matter the number of negative responses you get in the course of the day, you will get up every morning with dogged determination to succeed and you will hit the road without a care.

I am not by any means saying that you will not be discouraged every once in a while, This must always happen but the most important issue here is not whether you are discouraged or not but rather what your reaction is. You must never dwell on temporary defeat or negative responses. As a reminder please note that in sales circles ''NO'' does not mean I don't want', it may simply be a time bound response. Lets say you met the person in a foul mood, or when she doesn't have cash to pay for it or has a recent bad experience with another snack company or a variety of other factors. Does it mean that she wont buy tomorrow or next week?

I would like to testify here that I profile my prospects very carefully and while I will not waste my precious time with an unpromising client.
I will learn as much from the person as possible and perhaps get some leads of people who can buy.

Without the intention of sounding boastful, I would like to say that even though I've made some terrible financial blunders and serious strategic errors in the course of this business, I am proud to say that I have always conquered every "real" prospect I have ever had, even if it takes me 3 months. How do you make this happen. Your singularly most important job is to ensure that your customer benefits from your business. You must show the customer genuine attention. He/She has to believe that you are interested in his/her doing well in the first instance. Your selflessness may include spending some time with him/her and ensuring that you introduce and market the product to all his/her customers. When you have won her over you have gotten his/her loyalty for life. Unless you mess up the relationship. Try to allow the fact that sales is about your love and intrinsic concern for the buyer and his progress and that is how she will remember you. You must convert her to become your associate and deepen the relationship into a rare friendship. That way you can't possibly go wrong.

My husband is very good at cultivating friendships and I have learnt so much from him in this regard and I am deeply grateful. He has friends in all strata of the socio-economic ladder; mechanics, newspaper vendors, gate-men, vulcanizers and what have you! When my family was living in Magodo GRA, my husband cultivated the friendship of a vendor who was selling him newspapers and through him we met his friend who sells recharge cards; Biodun.

This guy is a very quiet maverick. he is a friend to all and sundry. He stands all day in the rain and in the sun selling recharge cards everyday of the year with a smile on his face. He sells recharge card for so many people including my hubbys' office which now buys recharge card from this fellow to a tune of 300,000 a month. And he has never been to this office, he just loads the designated numbers by VPN and he gets his payments every Friday. A distinguished senator also patronizes this guy also buys a lot and has introduced some other senators to this guy so he sells recharge cards to people everywhere. I asked him at some time if he was not afraid and his response was very philosophical. He said that he only sells on credit to his friends and he doesn't believe his friends will deliberately harm him and more so it is a win win situation for everybody. If they default they lose a very essential service and he believes that on a scale what they lose is heavier than his own loss.

Recently there was an outpouring of emotions for this young man. His residence in Ojota caught fire and everything belonging to this guy was scorched.

Wow, it was a contributions galore, my hubby contributed substantially, his colleagues at work contributed, his office paid for six months recharge cards upfront, the senator gave him 250,000 and more cash and household items were received. What to note here is the fact that this is relationship that was formed on an economic pedestal but evolved into a full fledged friendship which expressed itself abundantly during his time of need.

In summary cultivate a lasting bond with your customers. Make them your friend and always project their interest first and you already midway to success. Make the relationship real and not the type that the banks cultivate by sending you automated and soul-less text messages on your birthdays. That amounts to nothing and sometimes may even be considered insulting.

Inspired. Not just a snack thread. Full of motivations

Madam Karin001, you are a blessing to this generation. You will stand before kings. Pls keep on the good work! And your aunt!!! I don't even know what to say about her. Her story is so inspiring. She turned her test to a testimony. And her children will rise up & call her blessed. Thanks for sharing...

For many inexperienced business men (this should make oga Kamkamdd happy, men have been finally mentioned) and women the concept of testing the waters is a very prominent feature. Even some experienced business people do this. I would like to state here that I don't subscribe completely to trying out business models and ventures. I consider it an outright waste of time, resources and energy. The first indicator whether I should do a business is my intuition; How do I feel about the business? Do like the model. Will give me any fulfillment? Will I learn what I need at this stage of my evolution? Will it constitute a rung in the ladder that leads me towards my ultimate goal? Is it flexible enough for me to tweak it a bit to suit my aspirations? These are the determining factors ti be considered when opting for a business model. This is a personal checklist and may not apply to all. If a business doesn't attract me enough by making me think about it consistently then I will not opt for it because its just a question of time before I abandon it.

I'm taking time to and effort to explain this because I consider it a serious bane among the Nigerian business community. Many people swing into various businesses without any internal motivation and when they face any squabbles they quickly swing out and then describe the business using many derogatory terms and without any introspection whatsoever.

Immediately you decide to start a business, some psychological processes commence in your subconscious mind. An energy center is created and all manners of ideas are drawn to that center. At that point you begin to have different ideas about the business. More suggestions and even support come your way. If you observe carefully more opportunities begin to appear in your horizon. These opportunities were perhaps still there before your decision to embark on this business was taken but you couldn't see them then because they were not in your focus.

The more you think about the business the more you grow in ideas and opportunities.
By the time you grow the ideas into implementation you have expended a lot of energy. And because in most cases you didn't share the ideas and the opportunities publicly your focus was intact because there was no resistance. Immediately you start voicing your dream and goals and set forth in action, a lot of hurdles are going to come your way by way of criticism and all forms of discouragement.

If for instance you have started marketing the cakes and other snacks in Emene, Enugu state, and you proceed through Trans Ekulu and pass through Upper Chime and hit Holy Ghost and come descending to Ogui road and down through Presidential and back to Agric. Bank Junction in Independence layout and you have not been able to make a single sale while being offered a myriad of reasons/excuses then you most certainly will experience a lull no matter how confident and determined you may be.

If this happens twice and then a third time even the most resolved person will waver.
but there is something subtle here which a careful observation will reveal.

The process of going through that route once was a sowing experience, the second and third attempt could be likened to a manuring and watering of the seeds previously planted. Since the process of development of the seed is an invisible action, will the planter/farmer abandon the seed on account of the fact that his eyes cannot see the germination process until the seed sprouts? definitely not. He will nurture the seed until it sprouts and he will continue tending the plant until it yields a multiple of the seed thus resulting in a bumper harvest. If you start a process especially as it regards attempting to convince a prospect, you have started a an activity. You must nourish the process whether the prospect is an easy or difficult one because unknown to you and even the prospect at times certain actions in favour of his purchase of the product or service has already begun invisibly even though his outward countenance may not reflect this but that is the case. Supposing after browbeating this prospect or simply persuading you now get to the verge of closing the sale and you then withdraw from the process out of despair or exasperation you have lost the race. If now another person is assigned this territory and om just one trip he convinces the prospect everybody including the previous salesman will attribute it to luck. The new person is just inheriting the harvest.

PLEASE NEVER START SOMETHING YOU DON'T INTEND TO CARRY THROUGH. IT IS A GROSS DISSIPATION OF ENERGY.

This is the bane of many Multilevel Marketing distributors. Whenever you meet obstacles always return to the starting point and review the process and ask yourself the most objective and extenuating questions and the answers will come.

You may wish to read the book; Acres of Diamonds by Russell H Conwell. A most interesting read for all but especially entry level sales professionals. Please note that a free downloadable PDF copy is available on the Internet.

@karin001 I don't know how to praise you but you are more than a mother can be to this generation.
Your husband is the most luckiest man on earth.
Well done ma
And God reward you.

Gud am madam!To tell u d truth,u'll do well as motivational speaker in dis area.U've really inspired me thru dis thread & mi thinking cap is on.
Wat i want to ask u is dis;wat are d hurdles some1 who wants to start dis biz but as a manufacturer(though in small scale)will ave to face b4 he/she can succeed?
2ndly,is it not posible 4 sombdy to adopt dis ur biz plan & apply it in anoda product?Eg,instead of producing chin-chin,one produces plantain chips.Don't u tink it can sell like chin-chin?

What's the name of this company? And do they have any branch in the FCT?

The purpose of the thread is not to advertise any company but rather to cause you to look out for small and apparently insignificant businesses that you can invest in and make monies by the day. the poster above me should note. I may be willing to divulge the name of the company if requested personally via email or pm but definitely not on thread.That would amount to free advertising and I don't think Seun will like that. Then again it isn't even fair play.
But yes they do have a branch in the FCT.

Kamkamdd:
Gud am madam!To tell u d truth,u'll do well as motivational speaker in dis area.U've really inspired me thru dis thread & mi thinking cap is on.
Wat i want to ask u is dis;wat are d hurdles some1 who wants to start dis biz but as a manufacturer(though in small scale)will ave to face b4 he/she can succeed?
2ndly,is it not possible 4 sombdy to adopt dis ur biz plan & apply it in anoda product?Eg,instead of producing chin-chin,one produces plantain chips.Don't u think it can sell like chin-chin?

Oga,the hurdles here in this business are the same hurdles you face in every other business that you commence. there are first of all teething problems and then growth challenges and the competition. In order to succeed however you must balance out the entire spectrum of hurdles as this will enable you emerge triumphant.

The plan is actually a one fit all kind of plan but it emphasizes sales in great detail. of course you will have to tweak it here and there to ensire compatibility with your with your own plan.

Plantain chips sells a lot. In fact I dare say plantain chips sells more and faster than chin-chin or indeed any other product. It has its own issues all the same.
Production is a totally different ball game. You simply cannot imagine the wahala that goes with production. You really must be very careful in considering whether to get into production or not. But whatever your choice please don't combine both of them especially as a startup business.