In case you are a Nigerian entrepreneur wishing to do business with people outside the shores of this country and you missed the opportunity to seal such deals at the just concluded Lagos International Trade Fair, then this story is for you. Not only do you get connected with some of such foreign contacts, we also link you up with the distributors of some unique products you can resell and make money.
Mr. Ocean Kofi (Ghanaian) - a foreign exhibitor from Kumasi, Ghana – is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Lady Costume and Fabric. He speaks in this interview.
What He Exhibited
Kofi says, “Well, as it has been our custom for years, we are here to showcase our costumes and fabrics. We have Ghana beads, fabrics, bags sown with fabrics, custom jewelry, long and short sokas, assorted earrings, bangles, rings, among others. The interesting part is that almost all these products are made by us, while we get few from UK or Dubai. Meanwhile, on the list of the fabrics we produce are: the four yards Plain and Pattern and six yards Ghana Kente, which can be used by both sexes and made to sew bags, as earlier mentioned.
Price
Kofi says, “Our products are affordable enough for all - wholesalers, retailers and end users, as we just added a token on all our products solely because Nigeria and Ghana are close neighbours”.
For the six yards Ghana Kente, the price is N2, 500 for wholesale and N3,000 for retail; while for the four yards Plain and Pattern, the price is N1,800 for wholesale and N2,000 for retail. It also depends on your negotiating ability”.
Benefit For Shoppers
Kofi says, “Well, the major benefit is the price at which we are giving people our products. Even if they want to resell, bountiful profits await them, as our products are highly affordable”.
Is He Looking For Distributors?
Kofi says, “Yes, we are looking forward to getting Nigerian distributors of our products. Even when we would have left after the trade fair, people can still get our products. For instance, we have been planning to have our store in Nigeria, though we are not yet ready. So, interested distributors or marketers of our products should contact us and we will send the products to them through either ABC or Chisco transportation services.
His Experience So Far
Kofi says, “To me, I will say this year's trade fair is the best Lagos Trade Fair so far, simply because it is well organised. There is very stable power supply, making us to enjoy our stay in Nigeria. If I must say this, we do attend every Trade Fair in Nigeria - like we just finished that of Abuja and after this one in Lagos, we will be preparing for the Port Hacourt own”.
Contact Details
Ghana Lady Costumes and Fabrics Plaza.
Telephone: 08066973098, 08039504469, +233246577738.
Mr. Muhammed Ahmed, Manufacturer, Egyptian Cotton Wear (Ladies' Gown)
What He Exhibited?
Ahmed says, “As the manufacturers, we are here to exhibit the fabrics known as Egyptian Ladies Gown made of cotton materials, but of different designs, colours, sizes and prices. Well, the fabrics are durable varieties for ladies even for different occasions”.
Is He Looking For Distributors?
Ahmed says, “Yes, distributors are very much welcome. So, interested distributors can get in touch with us in Egypt and we will definitely send your goods after proper negotiation and arrangement.
Price
Ahmed says, “Well, the prices of the different designs and colours can be said to be okay and very affordable for all - it is like the normal ladies wear in the Nigerian stocks. For wholesales, those who want to resell, we can give it out for N2,000, although, it depends on the quantity you are buying: if you are buying up to 100 pieces - that is one bundle, we can give it to you at the rate of N1,500 each. But if you are buying like 10 to 20 pieces, it costs N3,000. So, there are lots of benefits for intending distributors”.
Contact Details:
Egyptian Cotton Ladies Wear
Telephone: +201064885345
Email: hos1982@yahoo.com
Mr. Saen Du, Contact Person, Shandong Shengya Machinery Co. Ltd, China
What He Exhibited?
Saen Du says, “As the contact person on ground here at the Lagos Trade Fair, Nigeria, I am here to exhibit my company's different kinds of block making machines. There are also pavement making machines, hydraulic chain block making machines, mixers, crushers to colour pavements, brick making machines, among others. With our large production factory in China and division factories in Tanzania and Nigeria, our company continues to maintain high standards”.
Are They Looking For Distributors?
Saen Du says, “We are looking forward to having distributors and or marketers from Nigeria. For interested distributors, they can get in touch with us through the following contacts:
Nigeria Contact Person:
Mr. Saen Du
Telephone: 08133015678
Lagos/Ogun State Office Address: Wihu street, along Lagos-Ibadan Express way, by MRS Petrol station, Isheri Oke, Ogun State.
Abuja Contact Person: 08180199988.
China Contact Address: Shengil Development Zone, Tancheng County, Linyi, Shandong, China.
Mr. Bobby Zhang, Manager, International Department.
Telephone: +86-1530-5399012, +86-1530-5399011.
Website: http://sdshengya.en.made-in-chi
Unique Products From The Trade Fair
LED Energy Saving Bulb
Interview with Ezeabasili-Orizu Joel, CEO, Definite Value Ltd
A Brief Introduction Of Himself And His Business
Joel says, “I started business since 1992 with importation of used items known as tokunbo. But as a company that is focused on change and looking at the trends in household equipment, we discovered that used items were not really selling at a point, that people buy them simply because they can't afford the new ones and not necessarily because they love the used items or because they feel used items are the best.
“So, we diversified into importing the brand new ones because we saw that the new ones where even more affordable and durable. We even give a warranty for products bought from us. We have been creating awareness and the business has grown. And as a way of giving back to the society, any innovation, business opportunity, information or any other thing we feel will benefit the public in their home, work or school we try to introduce it to them.
“In our quest to always give back to the society, we diversified again into furniture, and when you talk about furniture we are talking not only about things you sit on, but also about things you hang on the wall, paintings, lightings or anything that is used in a home or office. All of these are furniture to us. We opened a big outlet in Lawanson in Lagos, Nigeria. It’s a one-stop-shop where you can get all that concerns your furniture; and Lagos being what it is - you may want to get furniture for your new apartment and - having all the furniture you want to buy in one location can be a challenge.
“We try to save our customers the stress of going round the whole of Lagos or Nigeria before they can furnish their homes. So we decided to combine our electronics, household goods, furniture and lightings under one roof to meet the needs of our customers. Still in search of what can make life easier for our customers, we came about the energy saving LED bulb (Light Emitting Diode).
“LED has always existed but until we started LED powered televisions, a lot of people never knew about LED which is used for our wrist watch, for our traffic light and also some light bulbs. In United States of America today, some states have it in their legislation that their entire incandesced bulb should be LED powered bulbs. Imagine: a country like America that we regard as the world's greatest economic power is encouraging her citizens to use energy saving bulbs, then what about us? This is because they know the importance of energy conservation.
“I can say that here in Nigeria we don't really pay for the light bills that we consume; it is through the introduction of the pre-paid meters that government is now trying to make us actually pay for what we consume. With the regular meter what we have observed is that people pay for the energy they have consumed based on estimations. The meters are from time to time tempered with in other to give a fake or undue reading thereby cheating on the government. Sometimes these meters are tempered with in such a way that they even go bad beyond repair.
“With the introduction of the pre-paid meter, you will find out from those already using it, that it is like the innovation or transformation we saw in the telecoms industry that is taking place now, it is pay as you go, that is, you are paying exactly for your consumption, you are totally responsible for your consumption.”
Advantages And Benefits Of The LED Bulb
Joel says, “In the past in my house I do an average of N5, 000 recharge very month, and from research I found out that these incandescent bulbs consume so much energy. Imagine a 60 watts bulb; it consumes 60 watts of energy from your total units of energy. If you have about 10 of that type of bulb in your home or office and maybe three 200 watts bulbs for your security light, if you add up all that energy consumed with what other appliances like your fridge, freezer, TVs and even pressing iron consume also in the house, you will find out that about 1,200 watts is consumed from your energy every month. With the LED bulbs you are now going to save more than 85 percent of that previous consumption. The diode is a chip that has a multiple functions, it can do the work of a thousand.
“In this case it is programmed to generate light at a much reduced rate of energy consumed. With a five watts LED bulb you will find out that it even illuminates more than the 60 watts incandescent bulb. And the LED bulb doesn't generate much heat: the incandesced bulb will consume 60 watts of energy, give out 20 watts illumination and the remaining 80% will generate heat. This you will observe if after 5 minutes you put on that light: when you try to touch the incandesced bulb it will burn your hand because a larger percentage of its energy consumed is used to generate heat.
“But with the LED bulb, it gives out 80 percent illumination and 20 percent heat is generated. You will find out that everywhere this LED bulb is being used you will experience less heat and more illumination. It is user friendly, it doesn't contain powdered substances that are hazardous, and is is unbreakable. In Texas in America more than 140, 000 street lights were changed from incandesced bulbs to LED bulbs. Nigeria is place where we need these LED bulbs because of our attitude towards managing resources. What we receive as a nation is about 5, 000 megawatts and yet we cannot manage it.
“The minister for power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, as recently reported in newspapers encouraged Nigerians to embrace the use of energy saving bulbs and other devices. Quoting the minister, he said that “over 1,200 megawatts of electricity generated is being consumed by these incandescent bulbs used by Nigerians without adequate management. This is only a waste on a yearly bases.” He went on to say that if we're to convert to using LED bulbs, that we will be saving about 1, 200 megawatts of electricity channeled back into our reserves - that is the national grid.
“That means instead of wasting it, we conserve it and this means we'll have more stable light. It will even cost Nigeria more to build a turbine that will generate that amount of energy that is being wasted on an annual basis than to convert to the LED bulbs. In other words, let Nigerians abandon the incandescent bulbs; buy the LED bulbs because it will be cheaper at the long run. Now you can see how much we as individuals will be saving if we on our own change to start using LED energy saving bulbs.
“Another benefit of LED bulbs is that one bulb has a life span of 5, 000 hours. That is equivalent to 6 years of usage. Now if you even try to manage the usage perfectly, that is, when you don't have need for any of these bulbs, either night or day you turn them off, you are going to have times two of that 6 years, making it 12 years. To satisfy that what we are saying is real, we back up every sale we make with 1 years warranty.
“In other words, if the bulbs were to disappoint you within one year, just call on us and it will be an instant replacement, no questions asked.
“Also they are unbreakable, like I said before, they don't contain any hazardous substances that could harm anyone, and they are highly environmentally friendly.
“They reduce your energy bills by 83 percent - like I said earlier, I used to recharge N5, 000 monthly but now with the LED energy bolds, for 6 months I'm still on my 5, 000 recharge.
“The wattage ranges from three watts to five, nine and 12 watts respectively. This is for the bulbs: we also have the florescent tubes the two feet and four feet, they don’t contain powder like other tubes do. They are unbreakable, they don't use chokes to start, and once you power it you don’t beg it to come on.
“We also have floodlights as low as 20 watts, these 20 watts is equivalent to 500 watts of the other halogen bulb, while the 50 watts is equivalent to 500 watts of the regular halogen bulb. The beauty again is that with your small I better pass my neighbor generator, you can power up to 20 units of floodlight and the environment will be lighted up like a stadium.
“It can be used at home, office, schools, as street lighting, as garden lighting, at factories, even hotels, these are our target markets. Hotels spend about 50% of their income on maintenance, replacement of bulbs, servicing of generator, etc. But with the LED bulb your generator will work less, you will pay fewer bills and you will not be changing bulbs every week again. Your design can be customized to meet your need. You can get any design of your choice because it is manufactured here in Nigeria by Nigerians.
“In a situation whereby the bulb refuses to generate light if we check it may just be the diode that is faulty and once replaced, you have your bulb working perfectly again.
“Like I said before it is expensive but at the long run you will enjoy it.”
How Can One Market This Product?
Joel says, “Distributors are needed nationwide because this is the work of an indigenous company called Chivitec Nig. Ltd. If you are interested in marketing the products, first you have to indicate you interest by writing us then we initiate a meeting, and you will be trained on how to communicate these values to your customers. From there the company tells you how they can accommodate you and what you need to put in place because it is an open market now and from there we are in business.
“The process is very flexible and affordable - it is a business that you will do and make money if you are sincere. We have not yet fixed a price tag for our would-be distributors, because the product is just three years old in the market. Just come to us and we negotiate terms that will be favourable to both of us.”
Have There Been Any Issues Or Challenges?
“In these three years of selling this product we have never had one complaint that was not resolved and because our customers are satisfied, they have become our leg disciples that go about telling others about the products without our commissioning them to do so.
“You can be sure to have challenges when you make promises and are not able to fulfill that promise. For the few cases we have had, backed by our warranty, we have responded swiftly and the customers are happy to tell others their encounters.”
Final Word
“A stitch in time saves nine. We have read books, attended seminars on wealth creation and all of that, and one basic instruction that cuts across all life’s endeavors is the need to save by cutting costs, being prudent in your spending, this is a life principle that you must imbibe it if you must create wealth.
“So, no matter how wealthy you are, you still need to be prudent in your spending, it is almost becoming our culture to avert our responsibility for others to take. Imagine that we have the capability to operate like developed countries whose economies are automated. The money that will be realized from defaulters alone will be enough to boost the economy, now that our oil is losing value gradually and attention is shifting towards the non-oil sector of the economy.
“My advice is that anyone who wants to do this business should not only look at the money they will be making. They should also see that they are contributing to nation building because the energy that is saved goes back into the national grid, thereby ensuring steadier supply.
“We need to imbibe the culture of conserving our energy. We must always think of ways to help the government so that there can be steady power supply. Don’t ever go out of your home with some lighting points on - you are wasting the energy even though you are paying or not paying for it.”
Cooking Made Easy Range Of Products
Food Chopper: Just as the name implies, this can be used in chopping meats such as cooked meat, chicken, fish, liver, etc., and also dry fruits such has almond and walnut; as well as vegetables such has green chilies, mushrooms, etc. It can also be used to chop pepper, okro and onions, among others.
Max Multi-Function Vegetable Slicer: This unique product can be used in slicing cabbage, carrot, cucumber, Irish potato and salad ingredients. Another uniqueness this product has is that, its three different sizes of grater can be used to cut vegetables to form different shapes. This is really good for those making salad. It can also be used for okro.
Cutter: This is used for cutting tomatoes, boiled egg and onions.
Peeler: Used in peeling potatoes, yam and the scales on fish. Also for scrapping carrots. It is used in place of a knife.
Potato Cutter: This is used for cutting potato into beautiful shapes and sizes.
Hand Protector/Picker: This is used in protecting your hand when using the max multi function vegetable slicer. Instead of sliding your hand against the sharp edges of the slicer. For example, if you want to slice carrot or onion, you simply use the hand protector to pick whatever you want to slice (because it has pickers) and then you can grate using the slicer.
Interested in selling any of these unique kitchen products? Contact: Terry 08035644233 or Jennifer 08064481001. 2 Adefala Macus St. Off Powerline, Egbeda, Gowon Estate, Lagos.
FRUIT JUICER
As goes the popular phrase, ‘Health is wealth’. This is undoubtedly true. Even if you have all the money in this world, without good health, your money is really of no value to you.
One of the best known factors for keeping healthy is consuming fresh fruit.
They contain all the goodness of the whole product in a condensed form.
Fruits are good but sincerely having to chew some fruits can be a whole lot of hard work. For example, eating about 6 to 7 carrots on a daily basis can give you a significant source of calcium and protein but sitting down to eat 6 carrots can make your jaw ache; but imagine you juicing about 10 carrots into a single glass. Wow! Stress free and you still get the same value of nutrients. And these nutrients are quickly assimilated by the body since the body does not have much work to do breaking it down. And the same goes for several other fruits.
Hence, if you don’t enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a good way to add them to your diet. And you can also have a combination of fruit juice. E.g., juicing water melon and carrot together.
NOTE: Make only as much juice as you can drink at one time or in a day.
Culled from: successdigestonline
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