By Ayo Alonge,
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Temitayo Tella is a Lagos fashion designer who has carved a niche for himself across borders. He could have been a topnotch Chartered Accountant today but he decided to quit working for people and harness his entrepreneurial potential, which according to him, has been rewarding.
In this interview, Tella shares his success story with Sunday Sun while encouraging Nigeria’s teeming youths to pursue their dreams. He also highlights government’s pitfalls in skills acquisition enhancement and recommends ways to address it.
How long have you been in business?
It’s about five years now and we have been able to take our business beyond the shores of Nigeria.
You could have been a Chartered Accountant by now. Why did you choose to start your own business instead of being a banker for instance?
The quest for financial independence led me into it. I registered my business since 2010 as an undergraduate. I obtained my ND from Lagos State Polytechnic after which I bagged a degree from Imo State University.
After graduation in 2010, I was an executive secretary for an NGO. Subsequently, I got an accounting job in a hotel but I wasn’t fulfilled. I was still looking for jobs so as to put my expertise into practice. I wanted to be a core businessman and I was also looking for financial independence. Back in school, I was already making some ready-to-wear attires and it was easy for me to switch to fashion designing. At a point, I got a job with a bank. At the instant of getting the job, the woman who interviewed me told me I would be saying “yes sir” to many people I am better than and she asked if I could be able to cope. I knew it was just for the financial gratification and I didn’t want to miss that opportunity. Instantly, I knew I would be maltreated by my potential colleagues; someone I knew I would beat down in terms of administrative and managerial skills, but what could I do? I knew I couldn’t cope. That was how I opted out.
How were you able to raise the capital you needed?
As a start up, creativity is always crucial and you can address the financial challenges later on. One can raise the money may be through savings and start doing what you can do. You may not be thinking of an office yet. I started from home but in the last one and the half years, we have cornered major contracts that boosted our business. So, it’s about perseverance and hard work. Even rich men have their financial challenges. In 2015, I enrolled for the Federal Government YES programme and luckily enough; I was short-listed from among 4,000 applicants. We had a weeklong programme with the Lagos Business School that was supported by the Bank of Industry. After all, they promised us that we were going to get a loan of over five million naira. The most challenging part of it were the requirements. Eventually, they told us they only wanted to teach us some skills in business. The information reaching us is that everybody has the same challenge of getting a guarantor and despite that, you pay nine per cent annual interest and one per cent management fee.
What’s your general impression of government bureaucracy in the light of your experience and for enhancing empowerment?
First, I was impressed that I was short-listed, because it was done evenly and across. Secondly, there is quality in the training. It is only in the area of finance that I would say they are straining people. Many people are complaining that we are being stressed. Government should just make it easy for people. For example, I employed seven workers and if I get the loan, then, I can employ as many as 15 workers.
What do you do in the area of apprenticeship?
Yes, I get apprentices too but that’s not my core area. I believe if you want to have a fashion school, you can have one, but we have some on internship.
Where do you source your fabrics; locally or from overseas?
We buy some from Dubai and some from here in Nigeria. Unfortunately, most of these fabrics are imported and that is one area government should just look into. We have to start producing locally. We produce adire and then of course black and white stripes from Benue State but we don’t even produce the ankara.
What can government do to resuscitate Nigeria’s textile industry knowing it used to thrive?
Well, the textile industry is huge and it needs government intervention. Today, you cannot make an outfit without a touch of African. Government can create room for investors, create the firms or empower those who are already in the business. It should also provide loans with single digit interest rate and less cumbersome requirements.
What does it take for one to be successful in the business?
You need a business mindset. In Lagos, we have about 1.5 million people who are willing to spend over $500 dollars on clothing monthly. That means the market is huge and designers are not even enough. That is why an average person would say tailors disappoint. Have a business mindset. It just requires training and hiring qualified persons. People pay for value and it is only value that can speak for itself. Just try and build a reputation and for me, just Google my name. A lot of people even send money to me; yet, I have not seen them before. You must also be creative because stereotypical designs bore people. For example, I don’t wear anything trendy.
As a nation, how do we address the challenge of unemployment through skills acquisition?
A Saudi Arabian once said that God wouldn’t change anything until humans change themselves. You need that mindset as well as a need that you can satiate. It gets me angry when people say finance is the major challenge for them. There are some people that have the money but keep asking what they should do with the money. Individuals need to create means of survival for themselves. Also, government needs to encourage courses in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship as a course should not be graded, but you must pass it. That would encourage people to be entrepreneurs. We should also make finance available through the Bank of Industry.