In a country where access to capital is often seen as the biggest barrier to entrepreneurship, Oluwapelumi Nuga, founder of Nuga Fashion Worldwide, proved that determination can outweigh financial limitations.
With just N5,000 and a bold vision, the fashion entrepreneur laid the foundation for what would become a thriving business, turning humble beginnings into a powerful success story.
Oluwapelumi. A graduate of Systems Engineering from the University of Lagos, started his business with his weekly allowance of N5,000 back in 2018, by buying and reselling plain t-shirts and jeans.
“I started the business as a means of survival for me while I was in the university, and then it became a passion.
“From there, I began to run a clothing manufacturing and fashion business. I manufacture and sell fashion items and accessories,” he said.
Oluwapelumi says his fashion business has grown progressively over the years, from a one-man business to five employees; thriving in a slow and steady movement.
On his expansion plans, the serial investor revealed that he intends to gradually spread out his business tentacles by venturing into female fashion and uniform production as well. “We also intend to plant new production spaces all around,” he stated.
However, he emphasised that what makes his business different from others is that his firm is customer-centric.
“We’re very particular about quality, and we never allow competition to catch up with us,” he noted.
Speaking about the strategy he adopted to survive the accelerating inflation, Oluwapelumi said, “We just try to make sure that we always have products on the ground at every point in time to help keep the business afloat at every point in time.
Nevertheless, he emphasised that the fashion business in Nigeria is very promising.
“I believe that this business is very promising and a lot of opportunities in this industry remain untapped because it’s a universal business and there’s still a lot we need to learn from our counterparts in other countries of the world,” he said.
Just like every other venture in life that comes with its challenges, Oluwapelumi explained that the major challenges he has faced since starting his business, are accessibility to machines and varieties of raw materials in the market. Besides, he said, there are challenges of how to survive the unexpected government policies.
On how he has been able to mitigate these challenges, he said, “To be honest, we’ve just learnt to make do with what we have here.”
Oluwapelumi counsels upcoming entrepreneurs to stay hungry, consistent, and not allow competition to catch up with them.
Besides, he urges them to keep their mind fixed on their vision as they advance.
