Afrigather Oluwafayokunmi Olutomiwa is a 400-level Electrical Engineering scholar of the College of Lagos. She’s additionally carving her personal path and setting the tempo as an entrepreneur within the printing, branding, and packaging trade because the fore-runner and co-founder of PrintPlaceNg, a fast-growing modern print and branding hub. Leveraging social media advertising and promoting, the startup has been capable of scale as much as a rake in revenues of as much as 15 million naira a 12 months.
We had a chat along with her and it was attention-grabbing to study her journey thus far.
You’re 22 years outdated in the intervening time, and PrintPlaceNg is 2 years outdated. Did you begin this enterprise at 20?
FK: Truly, no. All the pieces began after I was nearly exiting my teenage years. I imply I used to be 19. By no means would I’ve thought that at that age, a viable enterprise concept might stem from my curious commentary. My enterprise inclination began after I realized the rising demand for outsized T-shirts amongst younger folks.
It was perceived to be a cool style model. So it occured to me {that a} enterprise concept of bridging the hole between demand and provide will thrive within the shirt gross sales trade. This birthed my first enterprise ‘Tees2Drip’.
Oh, so that you didn’t begin out printing, branding and packaging?
FK: No, I didn’t. I simply wished to promote outsized T-shirts and make ends meet. Serious about how inhibited that mindset was now, I simply snigger.
So, how did that result in full-time printing and branding?
FK: Subsequently, I wished to enhance the branding and packaging of the shirts I bought. I imply I wished to make imprints and designs on them that’d be peculiar to me, in order that when anybody noticed the design, they’d instantly comprehend it’s from “Tees2Drip”. So I started reaching out to on-line distributors who supplied printing providers.
To my shock, these distributors charged ridiculously excessive costs. I couldn’t mix the price of printing on my shirts with the price of shirt buy and nonetheless present affordability for my target market which was largely college students.
So how did you discover your approach round it?
FK: I mentioned this concern with my buddy who’s now my enterprise accomplice. I discovered that he was straight concerned in conventional printing manufacturing. So he enlightened me on the domination of the provision chain by the middlemen. From him I bought to know that these middlemen add costs as excessive as 3 or 4 instances the precise printing prices.
For instance, let’s say 100 items of enterprise playing cards with middlemen is pegged at 6 naira. Straight from the precise printing outlets it may be as little as 2 naira.
Wow, that’s over 200% value inflation and revenue!
FK: Sure, however that’s additionally swindling clients, and that’s improper. Nonetheless, this discovery was sufficient to spark my curiosity in printing manufacturing and led me to do extra analysis. I went spherical to printing outlets in Shomolu which is the guts of printing manufacturing in Lagos.
There, you’ll discover the largest industrial printing machines you’ll be able to think about. I combed the jam-packed nooks and crannies of the market on foot, in a bid to know the market and the way the web and expertise may be leveraged to higher my enterprise and optimize my operations.
So what did you uncover?
FK: I bought responses from a large viewers and found that just one in 15 outlets have digital data. And the only a few that find out about social media don’t put it to use for his or her companies. It’s because the well-informed middlemen have taken over the provision chain and solid a dense fog of doubt on the effectivity of social media for these folks. There, I realised a chance for a doubtlessly viable enterprise within the printing trade. I wasn’t going to be a intermediary. I’d be a printer with digital branding and packaging edge and extra. A fancy one.
So the hit was leveraging social media and offering topnotch printing, inventive branding, and unique packaging at inexpensive costs. I knew if I bought an excellent cling of all of it, the concept might blossom and go on to face the check of time. The synergy of those potentialities led to the delivery of PrintPlaceNg in February 2021.
Wonderful work!
FK: Thanks!
You talked about college students being your main viewers if you began out with shirts. Is that the identical with PrintPlaceNg?
FK: Oh, positively. I nonetheless promote specifically branded shirts below the Tees2Drip merchandise, however now produced and packaged by PrintPlaceNg. And college students are a part of my main viewers.
As you understand I’m nonetheless a scholar, and it’s simply best that I proceed catering for them as a result of they’re the muse of my enterprise progress. Even after I’m not a scholar, I’ll positively nonetheless give them choice.
In the meantime, I’ve skilled an growth in my main goal market because the creation of PrintPlaceNg which largely revolves round printing, branding, and packaging of various objects. So my main target market now consists of SMEs and large firms.
Because the inception of PrintPlaceNg, I’ve labored with over 400 small companies and another notable firms like Spleet Africa, Lemonade finance, Babalakin and co, Audacia prime, AM Realty, Wave beach, Mwangwa and way more. I’ve labored with celebrities akin to Victony and Dorathy of Massive Brother Naija season 5 to model and package deal merchandise for live shows and types respectively. A buddy of Movie star musician Praiz as soon as purchased him a T-shirt from Tees2Drip. He wore it and liked it! She despatched me footage and opinions!
I see you’ve industrial printing machines. How did you get funding to accumulate them?
FK: Sure, we’ve tried completely different funding initiatives. In truth, the most recent funding I utilized for is a type of competitors organized by Paga. It’s for females solely and it’s tagged the #HerBusinness initiative. I’m presently within the closing spherical of the competition which requires voting.”
After I started, earlier than the enterprise began funding itself, I used the funding I bought from an engineering scholarship I gained. I added that to my financial savings and bought my first printing press machine. I didn’t need to pay for area, fortunately. My mum allowed me to make use of a small retailer in the home. I can bear in mind how that place was stuffed with coolers.
Trying again I’m simply so grateful. I’ve sourced for funding, I’ve tried TEF and a number of other different grants and foundations however none have been forthcoming. I’ve been rising simply on my consistency, technique, enterprise cash-flow, prudence and God’s assist. Whereas my working area has improved in aesthetics additional time, we’re shifting to a a lot greater area very quickly! I can’t wait to unveil it! I’m nonetheless sourcing for funding o!
What are essentially the most notable challenges you’ve confronted in rising this enterprise?
FK: Nigeria poses numerous challenges, from electrical energy, to cost fluctuations and all, however we’ve fortunately been maneuvering these. However I feel our most notable problem remains to be visibility. It’s improved lots over time, because of social media. Generally we run advertisements and so they convert. Generally they don’t. However natural site visitors particularly on Instagram has been of assist.
For instance, there have been days the place the Instagram algorithm simply decides to favour our Instagram account and our reel movies blow up, raking in hundreds of views. Other than this growing our viewers progress, it additionally converts to patronage. We hold pushing regardless. The imaginative and prescient is to be essentially the most talked about print hub within the digital area!
What social media platforms do you actively use and the way?
FK: Instagram is the primary I’ll point out. It’s confirmed to be the largest driver of our visibility to outdated and new clients. We’ve gotten so many leads from Instagram that I’ve needed to double up as a content material creator and push PrintPlaceNg on the market as a lot as I can and imagine me after I say, individuals are watching! Individuals are at all times watching. I’m simply grateful for the resilience I’ve been capable of conjure for consistency in content material creation and displaying up even on days when there’s little or no motivation.
Different channels embrace Whatsapp. From Instagram you’ll be able to reach me on WhatsApp and likewise our official line. I’ve fairly a lot of Whatsapp contacts constructed over time, so I take advantage of my WhatsApp standing to advertise the enterprise too. Fortunately, we prioritize and ship wonderful work and this will get us referrals.
Fb is the platform on which we’re trying to intensify promoting efforts this 12 months.
You’ve been doing nice! However how have you ever been capable of mix such a demanding enterprise with Unilag and Electrical Engineering?
FK: Truthfully, I’ve been at crossroads many instances. There’d been instances after I needed to choose and set a precedence. Whereas I can’t jeopardize my tutorial pursuit, I’ve constructed my enterprise to some extent the place I can’t afford to go on a protracted break. So I’ve simply needed to console myself with the truth that learning Elect/Elect is only for the imply time. It gained’t at all times stand in my approach. In the meantime, PrintPlaceNg for me is a long run dream, I’m so passionate and optimistic about what I can pull off with this blossoming concept that began in my head.
I’ve had very unhealthy days particularly amid exams, as a result of Elect/Elect is simply as powerful and miserable because it sounds. And I’ve to satisfy consumer deadlines too. You might ask if I don’t have serving to fingers. Sure l do, however I convey them on on contract foundation to handle working prices. And I can’t completely hand them my tools or facility. All in all, I’m grateful to God that I’ve been displaying up sturdy on each fronts for over 2 years now. Loopy however value it!
What different issues are you keen about asides enterprise and tech?
FK: Woah, that needs to be music! I like music. I like music a lot that I can’t put it into phrases. It’s fairly non secular for me. I like to sing and I’ve a singular and delightful voice if I need to say so myself. I’ve been tops in numerous music competitions. For instance, in 2020 I made prime 5 for the AccessTheStars digital auditions that started off with lots of of entrants. The competitors was organized by Star Lager beer and Entry Financial institution.
A few my shut buddies say I’m humorous and that I might be an excellent actress however I’ve additionally left that as only a passion, I hope to do music sooner or later although. Perhaps when my enterprise is at some extent the place I can take the backseat to a big extent and simply oversee operations. However for now, we dig printing, branding, and packaging.
It’s been stunning chatting with you Kunmi. Any final phrases for our readers?
FK: I’m nonetheless rising. However trying again at the place I began from, I let you know, it will get higher. Begin that factor, and hold the larger image in thoughts. It will get higher!
