How IKPONG IFONO turned a family business to a successful bag selling business, operating in two cities.

I saw an opportunity in my mom’s dwindling business, especially during the Covid-19 period when I had enough time on my hands. Encouraged by my friend, I decided to take over the operation of the business and make something out of it. The vision became clearer after the kickoff.

For me, the inspiration came a few months after the kickoff. I realized that many people wanted quality bags but could not afford them because of the price. I wanted to build a bridge that would breach the gap between quality bags and affordability, and that’s what we did.

Verily, I say unto you, lol, You can call us the Home of Quality Bags. We understand every woman’s need to look perfect no matter their budget. Therefore, we constantly come up with ways to make them smile warmly with every purchase.

When you come to us to buy a bag, you identify with the consciousness that you are royalty and you deserve all the warmth no matter the size of your pocket.

You know, this air of confidence comes with wearing fashion items that are great quality yet not pricey. Every woman deserves to suck in a little bit of it.

In the past year, we’ve served over 2000+ women across various regions in Nigeria (Uyo, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja, Makurdi) and we are seeking ways to expand into more cities.

Running a business in Nigeria is difficult, trust me, let me take a minute to reminisce, it’s tough, yeah! But we faced it. The unfriendly economic weather (inflation rate), insecurities, and logistics have been at the fore with the current petrol price.

We’ve had to constantly find ways to stay innovative as this is a very competitive industry.

Strategies like pairing buyers (popularly known as shared waybills) have helped curb the high cost of logistics recently. We fixed that and it has been running so far.

This is an experience I love to always share. Even when we had cause to change cities (we moved our operational base from Uyo to Port Harcourt), our customers have remained loyal. They would rather wait until we have enough orders for their locations before making purchases. They trust us and prefer to buy from us, regardless of the distance. It’s a proud moment!

This goes to show that we’ve built a reputation that has left us with loyal and trusting customers.

But we have to reciprocate this big energy. So, on our part, we keep working on models and strategies to reinforce their trust and keep them satisfied and happy. You just smiled.

Something to remember: every business has core values, and for us, it’s more than just values; it’s our culture. Our core values are Quality and Affordability, Customer confidence, support, and satisfaction.

Though there are many suppliers in the market, we source from only those who are renowned and pay premium attention to quality products.

Let me tell you a secret (don’t tell anybody): We do not take referrals lightly. We strive to provide premium value so that our customers can uphold their confidence in us.

To make it fun, just like what we’re doing now, we also have knowledge-sharing sessions with our customers. During these sessions, we share insights on ways to protect bags so that they can last longer and tips on how these bags can be paired for a better and improved outlook.

I paused for minutes before writing this because it reminds me of our thick skin. Let me tell you something about an experience I don’t always want to share, but I have to. The setback! Damn! The biggest one I’ve encountered yet was during the robbery attack. It affected us greatly both financially and emotionally. But because we had people who were depending on us, we had to make a quick comeback with the help of family and close friends who offered all forms of support during those trying moments.

Now we pay more attention to security.

Mama didn’t raise a weakling, and I’ll spill something — moment or achievement for us? Awww! Let me spill. That has to be when we opened our store in Port Harcourt shortly after the two times robbery incidents. Our comeback was quick and exciting. Goes to show how determined we are to serve.

We’ve been keenly keeping track of the people we’ve served since we got to Port Harcourt, and we recently hit the 2000 mark. It has been a bittersweet journey indeed. I just said it again — yeah, 2000!!!

So!!! Our future goals and aspirations are numerous. Let me mention a few. To have outlets scattered around the cities for easy access for our growing customer base — one city at a time. I know, I know, it’s a huge one.

Also, we should introduce our luxury collection soon. The goal is to have something for every pocket.

How do we envision our business? Now, wait for it!!!! We are building a strong community of confident women. People who realize that their worth is not in how pricey their fashion accessories are, but rather a function of how stylish and comfortable they are in them.

This is our gospel, and we are spreading it one woman at a time.

What I take from our experience is exactly what I want to share now! So here it goes! It takes a lot of resilience and hard work to build a thriving business in this clime. Not forgetting the God factor. We will keep combining these codes until we reach every woman out there.

Thank you for having us. We look forward to another great interview shortly.

Cheers! Amigo, I got that from you though! lol