Chuks Ogbekile, the managing director of Colorvine Facilities Limited – a logistic business that provides end-to-end relocation management.
He has a depth of experience in supply chain management, logistics and distribution, and sales and marketing.
The entrepreneur described end-to-end relocation management as the business of moving properties of households or organisations from one location to another.
“We help people remove their cable dishes, television, and other belongings, such as DStv, ceiling fans, and furniture among others from the owners’ present apartment to a one either an office or home, and install them in our client’s new premises,” he explained.
“Our uniqueness is that we lift the burden of relocating from one apartment to another totally off the client’s shoulders,” he noted.
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“We have had to help some people move so easily that they leave for work in the morning, and return to their new apartment set up,” he added.
Ogbekile, an economist-turned-entrepreneur, started Colorvine in 2017, intending to facilitate end-to-end relocation, commercial cleaning, fumigation, and pest management among others.
“Our passion, professional clout, and customer love in lifting burdens off clients’ shoulders is our core motivation in the business,” he said.
“This has been part of me even as a toddler. To be honest with you, I have lost count of people, particularly neighbours who, in the past, had enjoyed this service from me free of charge during my early years in life. Then, it was done to me that it doesn’t cost much to come about these,” he stated.
According to Ogbekile, the business is equipped with trained employees to service, demystifying all the processes with professional touches to beat clients’ expectations.
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He noted that the strategic content of the business’s value offering is one of the things that has kept the firm thriving by giving services to their customers the way they want them.
“Gone were the days when you render services the way you want it,” he said.
He cited an instance when after presentations, the CEO asked if the various organisations that have presented could dismantle some of the company’s items fixed to the wall and floor, and install the same at their new site.
He noted that the competing organisation gave a feet to the question and rather asked the CEO to look for technicians to sort that out.
However, his organisation accepted the offer and delivered promptly.
“We accepted the offer, as that was how we saw it, and politely requested for an upward review of the commercials as that would call for an additional cost on our part.”
“We don’t have a one-fit-all proposal for clients, we listen actively and customise the proposals to suit the needs of every customer. That has always given us the comparative advantage over others.”
The economist-turned-entrepreneur explained that the logistics ecosystem in Nigeria is thriving because of the country’s population, noting that what positions businesses at vantage positions is not all about the population, but the empowered population.
He said that available data attests to the fact that there is a comparative rise in consumption expenditure among the economically empowered growing consumer population that service providers are yet to have commensurate growth to match. This lag, he said, is the attraction of some entrepreneurs.
“I believe a great business with a viable mass market value proposition still has a place in Nigeria. It’s still a virgin land for some great business ideas,” he noted.
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To navigate murky waters, he said Colorvine ensures close customer relationships by always being prepared to go the extra mile with customers and ensure they are compensated for upward price reviews through quality services, especially after-sales services.
“Customers don’t live behind the cloud’ some of them are more informed about inflationary trends than we think.
“Objections are easier to manage when you ensure close customer relationships through customer love before the objections erupt,” he said.
Ogbekile maintained that a cordial relationship with existing and prospective customers is very indispensable.
Adopting these measures, he said has helped the company to thrive even in the face of numerous challenges.
“We are growing, though gradually, in line with our plans and maximising the resources at our disposal. We have been serving both individual and corporate clients, and have no issues or litigations anywhere.
“We also went into pest proofing and waste management training services recently, and we are doing great,” he said.
His expansion plans include continuing to innovate to maximise customer satisfaction.
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“No business wants to risk its resources by tasting the depth of the sea with both legs. Our moves will soon go public; we prefer to keep it to ourselves for now as we analyse the economic outlook to know when to release such plans. However, we will keep innovating to maximise our customers’ satisfaction,” he said.
He enjoined young entrepreneurs to diversify to increase their customer base which will in return lead to increased revenue.
“Let your strategic focus be on revenue maximisation rather than cost minimisation. Endeavour to have a major stake in your backward integration,” he said.
