A lion in the ancient city of Ibadan

By Jide Alex-Oni

I read with wrapped attention combined with intrigue in anticipation of where Paddy’s inspirational story was taking us. And to my greatest surprise, it was like a movie that had that mixture of “did he or did he not live happily ever after”?

What got my attention even more aroused were the interesting follow up comments and reactions that met Paddy’s blockbuster story by fellow Nigerians which I might add here were even more interesting. And as I also couldn’t resist, I decided to drop my own comment, which simply read:

“At 29, I bought my first brand new power bike, I got married to my beautiful wife, I bought my first landed property in Kubwa, Abuja, I bought my first 2-bedroom apartment in Lagos.”

So this is my take, I did achieve all these through the Grace of God and relentless hard work before the age of 29. But some who saw my comment on Twitter including Paddy, liked it, but some later reached out and felt I needed to share my own story of how I did all that at 29 so people can relate with my story and be inspired. Initially I felt a bit reluctant because I wondered what was there in my story that will interest people? Particularly with Nigerians who are always pessimistic and very quick to clap back no matter how genuine ones motive may seem. Besides this was not going to be another blockbuster story telling by another omo olowo so why should it excite them? Eventually I told myself after some pressures that this wouldn’t cost me anything to put my own story too down in writing and share how I started and what led me to this point of being able to achieve all I said I did by 29.

The difference between Paddy’s story and mine is that while Paddy was A Lion in the North Sea at 29, I was A Lion in the Ancient City of Ibadan at 19.

Now let me back track to the early 90’s when I got admission into the University of Ibadan after writing and passing the almighty JAMB. We had barely just finished our first semester exams when I experienced what you call my first baptism – ASUU strike. I am very sure our Paddy didn’t experience this bitter sit at home moments while schooling in the abroad? 

Because of the anxiety of being an undergraduate, I became restless and started making trips between Lagos and Ibadan to confirm when the evil strike would be called off. As far as I was concerned, I needed to get back to my newfound independence and freedom. I started making frequent trips that today I define as dangerous, avoidable and unnecessary if only we had an efficient and effective medium of communication then. Everything in the 90’s was just too manual and analogue. Imagine going to queue at a NITEL booth then for hours just to make a phone call. Had there been an efficient telephone system, it would have saved me those horrendous experiences of always going to Oshodi or Ojota Parks to take those “death wish” interstate buses to Iwo Road or Ojoo in Ibadan. Between which I told myself on those trips many a time that I just had to be successful and get my own car some day. When you sit at home for almost seven months doing absolutely nothing, waiting and hoping that ASUU strike will be called off soon, it will take a miracle for one not to derail as an undergraduate in Nigeria.

During one of those check-up trips, it dawned on me that I needed to do something exceptional if I wanted to make a difference and be successful in life. I had observed from my own unprofessional research that Ibadan as a city then didn’t have the Lagos type of eateries or like we say, “joints”! The types of joints were you would go to have that tasty and desired chicken and chips or fish and chips with all the sides you could possibly crave. (I hope the true Ibadan people reading this wont take offence. I still got plenty love for the city).

This, for me, was the point of no return. The point where the desire to own a joint in Ibadan started eating me inside, tearing me apart and giving me more restless nights. The Lion in me had woken up hungry and that was the beginning of my passion and firebrand to own a joint in Ibadan at the age of 19.

Then the search and research started for what I needed to copy from Lagos and go paste in Ibadan. I eventually settled for a chicken and chips restaurant business model after consulting with some owners of similar small businesses in Lagos who also gave me some of the best advice a 19 year old could possibly get for free. One of these pieces of advice, which I will never forget – “When you start your business and start making money, you won’t need to depend on anyone to survive. You will always be respected because money is the only thing people respect”. These restaurateurs were the mentors that I had adopted in this early entrepreneurial journey.

The other leg of the equation was the Ibadan factor, which was to source for a space at a suitable location. My cousin Doksy B,who was based in Ibadan was the leverage I needed and I must mention was quite supportive and instrumental in helping this Johnny Just Come make his dream come through.

Together “we” made visits and calls to various agents. “We” identified many locations but given what I now know about business startups and locations, I truly didn’t know what spirit kept telling me then “Don’t look for a space on campus”. But Doksy B on the other hand was more than convinced that “we” would do well on campus. Please note the sudden use of the word “we” with no defined partnership spelt out. This is a story for later though!

The compelling guts decision not to look for a space on campus was so strong because of the ASUU strike at the time. It left a scary thought in my head and as far as I was concerned that was a bad sign for any business located on campus and was student dependent. So my candid advice to anyone reading this – It is said that students have one of the highest purchasing powers, but please do not be student dependent when proposing to start a business in any Nigerian Federal or State University, it will become a seasonal business if and when there is a strike or closure.

After the aggressive search for a space, we eventually found an ideal spot somewhere along the Bodija – Secretariat Road, Zuma Stores to be precise and for the first time in my young life, I was forced to learn how to draft a proposal, negotiate terms and conditions, vet and keep to agreements. As a novice in this aspect of business dealings, I didn’t have a choice but to take the agreement my ‘would-be-landlady’ had drafted to my newly adopted mentors in Lagos for their inputs, contributions, suggestions and amendments. Again, at the back of my mind, I didn’t want my landlady to think she could easily ‘shaft’ this small boy with difficult conditions while on her premises. So I came back to Ibadan fully loaded and prepared for her like a true businessman in the making. I was a Lagos boy after all.

For funding of this new joint, just like Paddy was troubled and challenged in his quest to acquire Chevron Netherlands, I was equally troubled and challenged to get funding. I had just signed the tenancy agreement with my new landlady and didn’t have a choice but to show seriousness and commitment to her. I had very little saved from pocket money, which could barely do much. Like any entrepreneur would do to raise their FIRST serious funding, I had to look inwards. My solution was FAMILY! The first person I pitched my funding request to was Doksy B. Yes, I had to remind him of his loosely used word “we” in all our sojourn of the last few weeks while combing Ibadan together. We are by force partners’ right? He was able to come up with some amount, which I later found out was made available by his mother. We proposed and committed this amount to my landlady with a promise to make the full and final payment within the next two to three weeks.The pressure had started, how I was going to do it I did not know but I had incurred my first major gbese at 19 and this IOU must be paid back.

With this initial part payment, I had gained the necessary confidence I needed to proceed to Lagos to source the remaining funds to start my new joint. Before I left Ibadan for Lagos, I had completed my final business plan, which had estimates of massive figures that would scare anyone who wanted to start a business without a dime. For every time I picked up the business plan, all I saw was the amount needed to buy a fairly used car at that time. The plan wasn’t to buy a car but to start a restaurant. Staying focused on setting up the joint was the ultimate goal and there wasn’t room for any unnecessary distractions. Somehow I had moved away from thinking of frivolous things that I wanted to do or own to being goal oriented.I was about to become a student-entrepreneur, a serious businessman and a potential millionaire at the age of 19;it was just a matter of time.

I carefully thought through a creative way of sourcing the rest of the funds needed to execute this huge project. The next Sunday at Grandma’s place will be the day to kill many birds with one stone. Why? How? My Grandma’s place is the go to place to have that discussion with my close Uncles and Aunts at the same time. My Grandma always cooked her delicious Sunday rice and swallow meals with stew and soups that usually had all the assorted meat, fish and snails for all her children, nephews, nieces and grand children.So what better time and place will there be than when they have eaten and are all happy?

To believe I was working in blind faith, silly me, I didn’t even think of praying before discussing with my target financiers. I shared with each Uncle and Aunt who had that amazing soft spot for me what I wanted to do. I showed them proof of my tenancy agreements with receipt of part payment,a breakdown of my business plan showing figures for different aspects and stages of the proposed joint. I literarily got each of them to commit to different portions of the various expenses so it wouldn’t seem like I was putting one person under undue or unnecessary financial pressure. To my utmost surprise, the plan worked. I got follow up appointments with dates to go see my Uncles and Aunts in their various homes and offices for their material and financial contributions. These were not borrowed funds or an IOU to be paid back but massive moral, material and financial support from those who not only trusted and believed in your dream and aggression but most importantly because they loved you as family. It got even better with some of my Aunts going as far as looking in their store reserves to dash me spatulas, deep fryers, garnishing brush, frying pans, plates, cutlery and every other thing I would need to get the joint started on a smooth run.

The only commitment and promise I had to make in exchange for all the unflinching support was that this new venture would not affect my studies in any way. I went as far as writing an undertaking to one of my Uncles who had given the largest financial contribution.

By the time I had ragged every relative who were all potential contributors to my joint, I had built a war chest big enough to get me started comfortably. The next move was to engage a graphic artist to help design various options for my business name and logo.This was one of the last things I had on my to-do list before jetting off to Ibadan. I returned to the city of Ibadan this time more confident than ever because I knew I was set to conquer.

I immediately paid my landlady her outstanding balance for my first year rent and committed funds for the renovation of the allocated space. Though I had Doksy B’s IOU with me, I knew making his funds available to him will leave me in limbo giving that there was so much work and running around to do before the launch date of the joint. He also didn’t put me under pressure to pay him because he appreciated or better put respected me for all the effort I had put into making this venture become a reality. He couldn’t believe I was able to raise the funds I needed in less than 2 weeks to achieve this mission impossible task. By the time the renovation was nearing completion and with the logo readily available, “we” agreed a firm launch date and got our flyers designed and printed.

Now the real work started when “we” physically started moving from offices, supermarkets, schools, homes (within and around Bodija), churches, campus and polytechnic Ibadan to share our flyers. You know if this business was to have been created now, all the social media platforms, connects and influencers like Linda Ikejiwould have made awareness creation much easier. But we did it the only and hard way we knew then by physically speaking to everyone we came in contact with about our new restaurant. My advice to those reading this – If you’re committed to something and you want to make it happen, always set a date and work towards the set date.

The last leg of the daunting task was staffing. Why I didn’t mention this anywhere in this story earlier or let this key aspect of the business equation bother me was that I had met my own Edgal during one of those many trips to Lagos. Remember I said I settled for a chicken and chips restaurant? So the confidence that I had was sealed when I negotiated with that famous knowledgeable and sound Edgal. This Edgal was the main man (Manager) in charge of my mentors chicken and chips joint in Lagos and I had negotiated with him to make him available for about a week from the launch date. This of cause was in agreement with my mentor since it was for only a brief period to train my potential staff and myself. Unlike Paddy, I negotiated an amount with my own Edgal on our first meeting, made a part payment to him when I raised the bulk funds to show seriousness and commitment and constantly kept him posted on developments and progress of the joint whenever I made any of those regular trips to Lagos. My Edgal was the one who had helped me come up with my set-up list and cost for the chicken and chips joint. He was already running a joint with my mentor in Lagos and knew everything I needed to ensure my set-up was watertight.

We recruited two extra hands for starters and with myself we were three in number. We later realized how blessed we were with these two hands we recruited because when Edgal arrived on the Thursday before the launch date on Saturday, from the little time he spent putting them through the operational procedure of this new business, we didn’t need to support it with an operational manual. They got the hang of things quite easily. We knew we were ready to run like on your marks, get ready, go!

With all these variables in place, I knew I was going to do well in this new business venture. To crown it all, the never-ending ASUU strike that lasted for seven whole months was called off two weeks before our launch date. This for me was the true icing on the cake because it gave me the opportunity to create a road show within the University of Ibadan campus community. We printed more flyers and got some groundwork going to ensure our flyers were pasted and distributed across departments, faculty notice boards, hostels and inside campus shuttles.

Come the launch date, I actually went on my knees for the first time and prayed to God. I thanked God for helping me see this business idea through and for protecting me all through those crazy trips I made by road from my own London to Netherlands. Iprayed for every member of my family who had supported this crazy idea of mine and most importantly that we should have a successful launch. All I could say to myself was: I am only 19, a 100 Level student in my second semester and the owner of a business. Go get MAD (Make A Difference).

I had a feeling of self-accomplishment and fulfillment when I saw the massive crowd that turned up to be a part of the latest “joint” in Ibadan. The one major thing I was even more grateful for was that my Edgal had kept his own side of the bargain and delivered beyond expectation. Another key factor that contributed to the massive turnout was the ASUU strike that was called off. Most of those who turned up were students and I will like to add again here that they always will have one of the highest purchasing power.

The first day of our launch proved that I had done something right. We had a successful sales turnover and actually covered all expenses in one day. This was quite encouraging for me knowing that I took a huge risk and all my fears had been conquered. I paid off all my outstanding debts in order of priority, Edgal’s balance and Doksy B’s jump starter IOU. I put an extra smile on their faces with a little extra on top of their monies as a way of showing my appreciation for their overwhelming support.

I not only sustained this business throughout my undergraduate days, I actually evolved it into a much bigger venture. I migrated from an eat-in and take-out mini restaurant to a full-blown restaurant were we prepared proper continental dishes. This helped the business bid and cater for yearly departmental and faculty events, birthday parties and church programs that required our catering services. For those who went to my Alma Mata during this period and might be reading this, I say a big thank you for believing in me. Friends, lecturers and the Club Boys who patronized my business all through my stay while roaring like a lion in Ibadan, you all made me proud.

Reflecting on all of the above, by 19, I had employed my first set of staff. By 19, I had fired and hired people much older than my age. By 19, I was a major off taker from Zartech Farms in Ring Road. This for me was the true definition of being bold and courageous. My academics did not suffer for once and how I was able to juggle my academics and business remains a mystery to me till date. By the time I was graduating, I was able to sell this business to another student who was much hungrier than I was for almost 10 times the value of my set-up cost five years later.

Though I didn’t pursue an entrepreneurial journey after graduating, it took me eighteen years to come back to what made me happy being an entrepreneur after being gainfully employed for so long. Success awaits those who are daring enough to do the unthinkable. We live in an amazing world and if you can think it, you can surely do it. However, it is not to say there won’t be disappointments and setbacks but you have to do what you’ve go to do to overcome your challenges. Try to worry less about what you don’t have control over and spend more energy on creative solutions.

It is my hope that those of you who read this and particularly those who pushed me to share this story will draw inspiration and learn some valuable lessons just like some did from Paddy’s story. You can be your own lion and you can also start early, you don’t have to be 19 like me or 29 like Paddy to try to achieve your dreams. Life is all about risk, take all the risk you can. If you don’t try, you wouldn’t even know if you would succeed or not.

Alex-Oni is founder/partner, Pancake Hub

@jidealexoni