In today’s episode, we had a conversation with Ajoke Onifaari of the Onifaari Brand, where she spoke on how she started her business, the tactics she applied to make over 5 million naira in sales last year, and how she has been able to secure grants for her business. Let’s get right into it.

Kindly introduce yourself and your business

My name is Sanni Rodiat, the Creative Director of Onifaari Brand, an Ilorin-based fashion brand specializing in curating unique gift boxes, scarves, leather bags, and more.

Why did you start this business?

I had a very stressful job during my internship while pursuing my ND in school. This made me decide not to work a 9–5 when I graduated.

Okay cool. So, I saw your tweet about how you made #5 million in 2024. This may seem big to many business owners, but to nano business owners, it could be a big deal. What would you say helped you achieve that?

Well, many things contributed to that growth. First, I bank a lot on customer referrals, and more than 50% of my sales come from referrals. This means that I take any order I get seriously because I wouldn’t know the kind of referrals and goodwill I can get from that single sale.

Also, I don’t joke with my visuals and product photography. From stand-out product pictures to videos, I make sure that I present my product in the best way possible to attract my target audience. Related to the visuals, I recently improved my gift box designs and packaging, and it didn’t cost me a lot, but it improved my branding and sales.

Another thing is tracking where my customers come from. So, if a customer sends me a message on WhatsApp, I would ask about how they got to know us. This helps me know where to put in more marketing efforts to get more customers and sales.

I also take my sales process very seriously, right from the pre-sale, sale, and post-sale stages. I don’t just get an order, send it, and forget about it. I am intentional about everything from when the customer orders to when they get their product. I check up to ensure they get their product and to get their feedback on the product. Telling stories with content is another thing that has especially given me good reach online and helped me sell better.

Wow. That’s a whole course on how to make sales. Thank you. So, how can business owners build good relationships with their customers?

The first thing is not just focusing on the monetary benefits of a sale. I always look beyond the money and focus on serving my customers well, which makes it easy for me to use them as models for my products, and reward them too. Also, focusing on retaining old customers instead of always trying to get new customers is very important.

Also, ensuring customers have a good experience buying from you is important and can help you get more customers. For example, I bought a backdrop from an online vendor last year; however, delivery was delayed, despite repeatedly reminding them. That was a bad experience for me, and because of that, 2 of my friends who were interested in buying from her decided not to do so anymore.

Interesting. Aside from good customer service, what other factors will you say helped you grow your business faster?

There are many things. The first thing is learning what it takes to run a business. Many people start their businesses because they want to make money without taking the time to learn how it should be done. And when you don’t learn something, you will not know how to do it well.

Mentorship from people who are very experienced in how to run a successful business also helps because you can learn from their mistakes, experiences, and other things to help you grow faster.

Another thing is getting a trustworthy wholesaler to get products from. I had an issue with a wholesaler once that I had to involve a lawyer. So now, I recommend buying your product from Nigeria instead of abroad. Finally, you must pray like you don’t work and work like you don’t pray.

Thank you. What is 1 mistake you made when you started that you wish you could have avoided?

That will not be taking product photography seriously. When I started, I usually took product pictures with my mom’s phone and didn’t pay attention to my visuals. It’s one thing I wish I learned early, but thankfully, I do it well now and even train others.

That’s cool. Let’s talk about the business grants you’ve gotten. What advice will you give business owners who want to win business grants in 2025?

First, always document your progress in business because it is those metrics you will use to apply and stand out. So, if you recorded a level of progress in your business, say you got some equipment, helped people solve a problem with your product/service, etc, document those things because it will be useful when you are applying for grants or any kind of funding.

The second thing is to have a strong presence on social media about what you are doing. So, create content, post customer testimonials/reviews, and just ensure people see how you’ve made progress over the years. This is important because grant owners will likely check you out on social media to see what you’ve done so far.

Lastly, have something tangible you want to use the money for. When you see a grant opportunity, don’t just be excited and apply without having a strong reason for why you should be given that money. So, think of what to use the money for that will help your business grow. This is what will convince grant owners that you will use the money well and get better returns on it.

Thank you so much for that. So, still speaking of business funding, have you ever taken a business loan?

Yes, I have. Someone made a post on Twitter a while ago and asked people to recommend a business owner in Ilorin for an opportunity.

I followed up on the post, showed him my financial statement for the past 6 months, and got a loan in 7 figures, which I paid back in 2 months and 2 weeks. Having that financial data made it easy for him to trust my ability to pay back on time, and the money helped my business grow faster.

That’s interesting. That shows that you pay keen attention to your business finances.

Oh, yes, I do.

This will bring me to my question about how you set prices for your product and manage your finances.

For pricing, after I get my products, I calculate the number of goods, the cost of packaging, transportation, and data. After getting those costs, I now calculate 30% of the cost price to be used as my profit. I add this together to arrive at the final price for the product.

Then, to manage my business money, I do a lot of things. First, I always monitor my data subscription so that I don’t spend more data than I can afford. Also, I write down the number of sales I make daily and the things I sell; this helps me monitor my stock and audit it from time to time.

I also pay myself a salary from the business, instead of just taking from it as I like. This has helped me to be financially disciplined and save money to reinvest in the business.

Wow, I love what you said about paying yourself a salary. So, what will be your advice to business owners who do not make so much in their business, and so, cannot limit themselves to just a salary from the business?

The first thing I will recommend is monetizing other skills you have and using them to make money. I do this with my product photography and graphic design skills. Also, I do thrift savings with other people, as this helps me to save money to use for other things I want, without having to take from the business.

Alright. So, people call you Queen of Offers, and I have seen the names of some of the offers you’ve come up with. How do you come up with those unique names?

The names of my offers depend on different things. For some, it could be based on the price, some are based on the target audience, a language, street slang, etc.

For example, my “Muslimah Essential” offer is targeted at female muslims to help them get better at serving God and live an impactful life, depending on the theme of the Muslimah essential. So, my offers are inspired by what I want to help people achieve, the target audience I am selling to, etc. Doing these ensures I meet people’s needs and helps me sell out.

Cool. So, what are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a business owner in Nigeria?

Ahhh. The first one is delivery issues. Delivery can get tricky, but we’ve managed to work around it, and one of my Unique Selling Points is even the ability to deliver a product within a day in Ilorin.

Getting goods from my suppliers can also be a challenge. There was a time I got goods that were not up to the standard I wanted from a supplier. Instead of selling it, I gave it out for free because I didn’t want to compromise the quality that my brand is known for.

Another thing is dealing with months of slow sales. In situations like this, I still show up online, and I always encourage business owners to show up, regardless, and not to start begging online.

And how have you overcome these challenges?

2 things. First, don’t give up. Business will bring different things your way, but if you can stay through the bad days, then you will see the reward. Also prayers. I don’t joke with prayers for my business, and it makes a lot of difference.

Thank you so much. Final question: What advice will you give to business owners just starting their business in 2025?

First, ensure you work well on your business foundation. Pay attention to things like your product photography, brand tone, and don’t just jump on any trend that doesn’t align with what your brand represents.

So, what lesson did you learn from this episode, or what statement stood out for you? We would like to hear your thoughts in the comments section. And if you would like to be featured in the next episode, kindly comment below, and we will be in touch.

At Triift Africa, we are passionate about helping business owners like you grow your business and scale to your highest potential. Through our business resources, collateral-free loans, and community, we provide all you need to grow from hustle to portfolio. For any form of consultation, send an email to us at hello@triift.africa, and we’ll be in touch.