Have you ever wished you could get someone to do your shopping for you? The thought of going through the stress of the market environment could sometimes be overwhelming but guess what? My Leading Woman for this week makes a living from it and enjoys satisfying her customers. This she has successfully done for several years. She is the MD/CEO of Easyshop Easycook service Limited. Welcome into Saudat Salami’s colourful world of meeting your needs through her proudly Nigerian domestic outsourcing company that specializes in shopping services. They provide customised domestic solutions to the working professional who otherwise cannot meet up due to work and timing challenges. They buy fresh foodstuffs, perishables, non-perishables, provisions, household items, stationery and deliver to homes, offices and restaurants in major locations all over Lagos.
“Our service is customized to you so feel free to let us know what you want grated, blended, peeled or cut before delivery. Go ahead, drop your shopping list and pay using your debit card, everything we buy for you comes with a money back guarantee.” Saudat says.
Saudat Salami
From data processing, programming & operation, to desktop publishing to database management, Microsoft programming and so on…to Easyshop Easycook… a wierd combo you would say but Saudat has a different opinion. Hear her “I.T fascinated me at a young age and I was good at it, but if you want to be a programmer or developer you have to be ready to upgrade your certification regularly, learn new coding skills otherwise you’d easily be obsolete and I was not ready to do that. When I was brainstorming with a close friend of mine the idea of Easyshop Easycook came about and I went online to research about it. The online groceries retail industry in 2005 was non-existent. To find out if the business was viable in Lagos, I had to do feasibility studies. When the responses were positive I went ahead to start it with my savings and money from friends and family.” She says and continues “Easyshop Easycook has grown from just an online grocery retailer to a customized domestic outsource company targeted at the working woman. Everything we do is to make life easier for the working woman to pursue her career without neglecting the home. Shopping is very tasking, food preparation and cooking is also very tasking so our job is to help our customers shop and prep their food so cooking can be easier for them. It is more than online shopping. We have a relationship with our customers because we help them plan their homes. We understand the challenges faced by the working woman so our service is tailored to their peculiarities.” Saudat informs me.
Saudat’s father is a lawyer and he worked in First Bank for 25 yrs. Her mother an astute business woman who also loves to cook. “Good cooking for my mother starts from good shopping. When I was younger I would go with my mother to the market; I loved the way people display their wares, colours and the camaraderie of the market place was fascinating to me. My love for supermarket started with UTC; I grew up on Adeniran Ogunsanya street and we had UTC down the road, my parents were strict so going out alone was a luxury, whenever we needed something in the supermarket and someone had to go to UTC I always volunteered because that was like a haven for me. My love for the market place started right from my youth, even till now I can spend hours going round the local market or supermarket without buying anything.” She says.
It is true that women are multitasking however, Saudat cautions “Women are good with multi-tasking but sometimes they overdo it. That is why we breakdown a lot, our husbands outsource to us and focus on their careers. Women must learn to outsource as well. The challenge I have is when I talk to women and they complain about the so called work-life balance and yet when you talk to them about delegating some of their duties they feel it makes them less of a woman.” She explains and further expresses to me how she manages to strike the balance. Hear her “I balance it the way every other man or woman balances it. One of my mentors Ibukun Awosika always says work-life balance is a myth and I agree. I am an outsourcing expert so I don’t stress myself. I only do what is necessary for me to do myself, every other thing I get good people to do it for me and I supervise. Friday is date night with my husband,Sunday is family day with my children but
nothing is fixed. I am not a socialite so I have a lot of time to work and rest.” Saudat tells me.
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Saudat’s story will be incomplete without the mention of the impact Fate Foundation and EDC had on her career. She tells me why “I went to Fate foundation and EDC for entrepreneurial studies. These institutions are for anybody that is serious about running a business. I went to Fate in 2005 immediately I started my business and that helped me put a solid foundation at the beginning. EDC came in 2008 after 3 years and these propelled me to a new level. From day one till date, I have kept my books different from my personal finance, we have annual accounts, a board of directors and have strict corporate governance policies that has helped us to stay in business since inception. Business is tough in Nigeria generally but when you have the right foundation it helps you put things in better perspective.” Says Saudat.
Getting clients didn’t come easy for Saudat who says “initially, my sister gave me her database of friends then her friends gave me their database of friends. After I joined WIMBIZ, the women there helped me build my client base. It has all been due to referrals. God has been very good to me with the customers I have. Somehow they just keep referring their friends and family and also the companies they own or work for.”
Saudat Salami
For Saudat, her sustaining factor has been her husband and children who she describes as her Rock! “I could not have done anything without them. I have followed the training I got at the two business schools I went so this helps me daily. Building the operating process is a daily challenge because we are a customized service but we keep doing our best. My board of directors give us yearly targets and this has also helped motivate us.” She expresses in gratitude.
Very recently, a lot of companies have sprung up in the online retail space and for Saudat, this is encouraging. “The industry is still in its infancy so we have a lot of work to do. We are presently working with some institutions to expand our business to service more working women. We specialize in fresh groceries so quality and freshness is very important to our business, that is why we are talking to farmers directly so that we can influence the quality and also be sure of traceability. Everything we are doing now is to position Easyshop as the official website for the working woman. When you are serious about your career and managing your home, you have to talk to Easyshop because we are the only service that is tailored to the working woman” She confidently tells me.
To graduates waiting for a white collar job to make a living, Saudat has this piece of advice for you in conclusion “white collar jobs in established companies is safe and a good foundation for fresh graduates but if you can’t get a job there, it is best to go for entrepreneurial training and start a business. If you are not the business type then look for small businesses where you can work for and help them grow.”
“The big companies all started small. Nowadays, people do not want to help small companies grow, all they want is salary at month end. If you are ready to work then look for a small business that needs your skills and help them build a company that will give you the big salary you want. Another thing is the quality of graduates out there, our graduates have to groom themselves for employment after they leave school they are just not equipped for the work place.” Saudat admonishes and gives her parting shots when she says “I am a woman and I have no desire to be a man or to be treated like one in other to be successful. I like my dresses and girly things and I like my husband to call the shots at home, that is one thing I have learnt from my mentors in WIMBIZ. If you want to be a successful business woman, learn to humble yourself with your husband and get him on your side, once your husband is on your side, half of your problems are sorted”
Kemi Ajumobi
