Twenty-six-year old Kayode Oluwamotemi owns Shawarma.come, an eatery. He shares his business secrets with MOTUNRAYO JOEL
What did you study in school?
I studied Electrical Electronics Engineering at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.
How did you come into the business world?
Before I completed my first degree programme at the university, I had already known I would not work for anyone but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet. I initially thought of going into a clothing business but I felt that the business line was already ‘flooded’ with a lot of people. So, I did my research on some other business activities that are of interest to me. I settled for cooking and baking. But I didn’t want to go into the regular restaurant business where many big names like KFC, Barcelos are dominating. I just thought of something Nigerians love eating a lot but had not been exploited by these established restaurants. I came up with Shawarma. All I did was to change the regular look of the Shawarma joint by making the it more appealing and combining it with a mini lounge where customers can watch football, chill and listen to good music under a conducive environment.
So Shawarma.come is not the regular shawarma joint we all know. Ours is different because it is more modern, with colourful environment. It is a place people can eat Shawarma as well as get hot fresh bread, barbeque and chips, pizza, ice cream among others. It also has a mini lounge. And currently, we have two branches.
What attracted you to business?
I was motivated by Bishop David Oyedepo who was my chancellor in the university. He always advised us to be job creators and not job seekers.
I was also motivated by the fact that I really want to be wealthy and probably own a private jet someday. This, I know, is more likely attainable as a Chief Executive Officer, and not an employee.
What was your first entrepreneurial experience?
As a kid, when I travelled to the United Kingdom with my parents for a vacation, I took a loan from my dad to start a small business. I bought some clothes, which I later sold to my fellow students when I returned to school. This was first experience in business, which turned out to be a success. Also, when I was in the secondary school, I used to barb my friends’ hair. It was initially for fun but when other students knew of my talent, they kept coming to me for barbing. And I started charging them for the service. I used to make about N2,000.
How is the Shawarma business doing?
I think it is doing well. Sometimes, people tell me they want to be like me; some ask me for advice. They make me feel embarrassed the way they treat me with respect. But this has given me more strength and I am more encouraged to do more and achieve greater heights in the business.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far?
My greatest achievement so far is setting up a new branch without taking any loan from anyone or any bank. And the branch is also doing well.
What’s your most memorable experience as an entrepreneur?
The massive response I got on the first day I launched my business almost two years ago has remained my most memorable experience as an entrepreneur. The crowd was massive and people were actually thanking me for opening shawarma.come in that area. I was amazed that people could be thanking me for spending their money. I made a lot of sale that day. And I have been receiving a lot patronage up till today.
How did you start the business?
I started with three members of staff but the demand was so much that I had to employ five more people the next month and the funny thing was that there other shawarma spots in that area but the extra effort I put in making my brand different has paid off.
What nervous moment have you had in the business?
The most exciting moment of my entrepreneurial journey, which was also my most nervous moment was the day I launched the business. Different thoughts were on my mind. I was scared. Will people come and buy? Will they like the taste when they buy it? What if they don’t like it? These were some of the questions that came to my mind. But to God be the glory; it went well. I was excited when I saw people trooping in. I felt fulfilled.
What is the most important reason for the success?
The fact that I chose to be different accounted for the success. And I have to give God the glory. He gave me the inspiration to be different. I believe no man can make it on his own without God. And He made to do what I enjoy doing from time.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
What I enjoy most about my job is that I don’t go through traffic every day. I don’t have to wake up early so as to beat the traffic. This is because the head office of the business is close to my house; it is about five minutes’ drive. I enjoy making good food. Also, seeing people eat the food gives me so much joy.
What is your advice to unemployed graduates?
My advice to unemployed graduates is that they should try to start something, no matter how small. Once they start, the business will start growing and even if the business fails, they have ample time to adjust and try again. Youths should not to be discouraged when a business attempt fails because that’s not a failure in actual sense of it. It only becomes a failure when they give up. I will also like them not to give in to some discouraging comments by other people when they are about to start any business. I will advise them to do what they will enjoy doing. They should not do what other people are doing; they should rather be innovative and different in a very positive way.
Everything is not about oil and gas. You don’t have to work in an oil company to make it in life. It is not everybody that will work there in the first place. All people need to do is to identify a need: what people really want and try to provide it for them and get paid for it.
