In 2006, after graduating from the Petroleum Training Institute Warri, Abimbola ‘Bimbo’ Balogun couldnt find a job as a petroleum marketer. She decided to keep herself busy making beaded necklaces until a good job will come her way. ADEOLA TUKURU writes.
Bimbo invested N400 (about $3) in beads to make two necklaces, which she later sold for N5,000 – more than 1,000 per cent profit! Bimbo never searched for a job again.
Today, the value of her business stands at nearly N5 million (about $30,000) and she shows no sign of letting off.
In a market full of bead necklace makers, Bimbo decided to set herself apart from the crowd and got on the internet to learn more intricate and creative ornament designs.
Her learning drive and determination earned her a scholarship to study Entrepreneurial Management at the Lagos Business School.
Interestingly, Bimbo never had any prior training in making bead jewelry.
She said, learning and improvement came with every new necklace and earring she made. She perfected her quality by adding precious and semi-precious stones which made her products stand out.
Challenges in the business
Bimbo remembers how tough it was in the beginning to break into the top tier of the market. However, with consistency, passion and hard work, she was able to overcome the odds.
Today, her satisfied clients include the rich and famous – celebrities, wives of prominent politicians and high-profile women in the society.
Bimbo currently hosts a weekly Nigerian television show that focuses on beaded jewelry making. This has boosted her profile and business, which currently serves the country through two outlets in the commercial city of Lagos. Like every typical small starter, she is nursing plans to expand her business across Africa.
Bimbo’s experience is proof that anyone can turn an ordinary craft or hobby into a successful business. Let’s take a look at the art of making beaded jewelry and how you can build a cottage business out of it.
Africa’s population is overwhelmingly young (more than 70 percent of its people are below 35 years old). These young men and women are very much in tune with the times and are increasingly brand conscious, have a very discerning taste, and closely follow the latest trends and styles in fashion.
In countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya and several others, there appears to be a growing sense of pride in African identity. This identity is further spread by popular culture in African music and movies.
The love for bead making
The growing love and influence of Nollywood, Africa’s biggest movie industry, is helping to cultivate this renaissance in African fashion.
It is now very common to see both young and not-so-young Africans adorned in traditional attire and laced with bead jewelry at weddings, social engagements and traditional festivals.
Celebrities, politicians and many other figures who enjoy the public spotlight do a good job of ‘showing off’ these delicate pieces of art.
In addition to the growing demand for bead jewelry within Africa, the endless wave of tourists who visit the continent every year are responsible for a huge chunk of the demand.
How can one start a business in African bead jewelry?
Beads are small (or large) decorative objects or pieces that are pierced and strung on threads or thin wires. They can be made into all sorts of jewelry and ornaments such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
In fact, beads have been used as jewelry in Africa for a very long time. They were also one of the earliest forms of currency used in trade by the colonists. From the 16th century, a lot of decorative beads were manufactured for the exchange of goods, services and slaves.
Beads are made from an amazing diversity of materials – polished stones, glass, plastic, wood, ceramic and seeds. Others are made from bone, animal teeth, horn, ivory, metal, shells, pearls, coral, gemstones, clay, gemstones (like gold, rubies, etc.).
Because beads can be made from all sorts of materials, it provides a lot of room for artistic creativity and flexibility. The size, shape, style and form of bead jewelry anyone can make is entirely up to their imagination!
Anyone can make beaded jewelry. All you need are a few simple tools and a little creativity.
In today’s internet-based world, you really don’t need any formal training to start making beautiful pieces of bead jewelry. There are hundreds of resources online that can get you started in this venture in less than 30 minutes.
To make bead jewelry, you will need:
some metal strings for connecting the beads,
wire cutters,
a tape measure,
pins, clasps and different types of beads.
More importantly, you will need a bead design board to help you make the job much easier and organized. .
Like Bimbo, if you intend to become successful in this business, you will need to take the time to learn more intricate and complex bead designs that will make you stand out in a very competitive market.
On government’s effort to boost locally made products
The President of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) Mr Ahmed Mansur has reiterated his commitment to strengthening the association’s level of collaboration and interaction with the Federal Government to ensure full implementation of the policy and to boost local patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.
Mansur, made this known during the 2018 Annual General Meeting of the association with the theme: ‘Mainstreaming Industrial Policies to Catalyse Industrial Renaissance’.
He said MAN would continue to engage all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to showcase made-in-Nigeria goods.
He said they have to know who and where to contact to get quality made-in-Nigeria goods; so, this is the first step we have carried out.
According to him, their interactions with the Bureau of Public Procurement are also steps in the right direction so that we understand the requirements and their expectations.
Mansur, who is also an Executive Director of Dangote Industries Limited, applauded the Executive Order 003, which aims to increase the level of patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods by public procurement agencies, saying that the policy showed that the present administration was serious in building local productive capacity.
“We will work with the Federal Government to ensure that the Nigerian manufacturing sector is competitive.
“When this contact is made, it will encourage members to compete both in terms of price and quality. I believe if we continue to work with the government in this manner, we will bridge the gap between us and the public sector requirements,” he stated.
Also, the guest speaker and Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, who was represented by a senior minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, said the meeting had re-echoed the need for African leaders to fast-track the creation of conducive environment for success of industries and for creation of African millionaires and billionaires.
“I strongly believe that the theme of the AGM will lead us to take stock of the prevailing frameworks and measure them against the current industrialisation results in order to determine if there is the need to deepen the policy initiation, development and implementation to spur economic growth through enhanced industrial activities in Nigeria, in particular, and the continent as a whole,” he stated.
