Emmanuella Onyekwere owns three businesses. She is a model for other young people who are desirous of success. Emmanuella is the CEO of Signature By Ellah, a clothing line; Ellah Event, an event planning platform; and Zobo By Ellah, the Zobo drinks section.
Emmanuella is a graduate of International relations, who was inspired to go into the businesses when she lost her mother while still in school. She decided to make ends meet by exploring her marketing skills. She started her business with as little N50,000, which she got from her savings and some family members.
Emmanuella says her businesses has grown more than the way they started, over one year now, as she has a lot of customers that testify to her services every day. She has customers outside Lagos as she gets orders and delivers promptly.
The entrepreneur employs about three people permanently and offers part-time delivery jobs to many young people.
She sources her materials from China and the popular Obalende Market in Lagos.
“The challenge confronting me now is related to the importation of goods from China,” she says.
“Most times, my goods are delayed, thereby causing delays to my customers. But thank God today that I have been able to get my customers’ trust because I deliver on time most times.”
She urges the government to support entrepreneurs with more skills acquisition centres and provide tangible start-up funds to help boost businesses.
“The government needs to support our manufacturing industry so that we can stop importing everything we know we can manufacture here in Nigeria,” she admonishes.
“In Aba, there are so many talented young people. If we have a textile company that is up and running, these guys can get jobs there, but, of course, we need steady power supply to make it run. So the government should look into the power sector too. Trust me, this country has a lot of potential.”
The entrepreneur says the reason her business stands out from those of her competitors is that she understands that the customer is king and is always true to her word.
The young entrepreneur says she has the capacity to deliver to customers wherever they are.
On her business expansion plans, she is looking forward to establishing outlets of Signature By Ellah in many parts of the country so as to make delivery efficient. Also, she has set her sights on rebranding her zobo with more delightful taste and packaging.
Emmanuella’s businesses are registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and she attends a lot of entrepreneurial seminars and events that help grow her businesses.
Ella, as she is fondly called, looks up to Dan Lok, a Chinese-Canadian business magnate, global educator, and founder of Closers.com as a benchmark for her own business.
The entrepreneur wants to become one of the most successful female youths in Nigeria and Africa in the next five years.
She advises youths to stay focused and convert their weakness into strengths. “Don’t look down on yourself or the situation of the country. The sky they say is the limit, but I say to you, the sky is only your starting point and also remember to make money in a legitimate way.”
Jonathan Aderoju
