President of a luxury service providing outfit, Nattylaw Concierge, Bisola Lawal speaks to TOFARATI IGE about the intricacies of her business
Considering that you studied English Language at the university, how did you find yourself in the service business?
Naturally, I’m the kind of person that likes getting things done and I have always been that way. Most of my friends live abroad and many of them rely on me to get things done for them and that’s how Nattylaw Concierge started. Another reason I started this business is that I was working in Abuja sometime ago and I noticed that many of the people living there were busy and didn’t have the time to go shopping, so I started doing grocery runs and other things for them. The business was called Executive Errands at the time but along the line, I added other things.
What was your initial experience when you started the business in Abuja?
It was fun because I was meeting people’s needs and I enjoyed it. I was also working as a journalist then, so I was doing it alongside my day job. However, at a point, it wasn’t fun anymore.
Why was that?
The demand became so much on me because people now had trust in us. I had staff that I had trained but most of our clients wanted me to work personally on their demands and they felt offended if I delegated it. However, I made them understand that I had trained my staff to do it as well as I did so it became fun again.
How were you able to combine this with your regular job?
I made it an Internet -friendly business so our clients could communicate with us online and that made things easier. I also prioritised and did a lot of delegation such that I didn’t have to do everything myself. However, I do this full -time now.
How long have you been in business?
As Nattylaw Concierge, we’re two years old but as Executive Errands, we’ve been in business for about five years now.
What’s your staff strength?
Most of my employees work on part-time basis but in all, I have about 27 people working with me. There are teams for each service we render and all the teams have leaders.
How do you ensure that your staff are trustworthy considering the fact that you also provide domestic helps?
Almost all our staff are graduates and we place a lot of emphasis on employing the best people who we know their track records. Our staff are trained for specific duties so when our clients demand for any service, we know the right people to send to them. Before sending our people out to clients, they must have worked with us for a while so we have the opportunity of assessing their character. Because we are dealing with the elite , we have to be extremely careful. We know that we would be held accountable if anything goes wrong, so we take extra care in sourcing for our staff.
Do you think Nigerians are really ready to embrace the kinds of services that you offer?
People look down on so many things in this part of the world. Meanwhile, in other countries, I could be a social worker with dignity because it is something that is well embraced and people would respect you for your profession. Not everybody here understands the meaning of concierge but I think Nigerians are becoming more aware and they now let professionals handle their domestic jobs for them. When we charge people, some of them could also be sceptical as to why they have to pay so much for such services, not knowing that it takes a lot to get the job properly done. But after we’ve handled the job for them, they realise that our fees are actually moderate.
It could be quite tasking working with the elite because they are usually finicky when it comes to getting things done, how do you ensure you don’t run into trouble with your clients?
We all come from different backgrounds and react differently to situations. As such, we always train our staff to be very professional when dealing with clients. We also conduct etiquette training for people so our staff know that they have to be very courteous in their dealings despite any provocation they may face. I have also learnt a lot from the house of God because I’m an usher in church and I meet different kinds of people so I overlook a lot of things.
What are some of the challenges you face in the course of running your business?
In this business, one has to be transparent and transparency is something that could be cumbersome in this country because Nigerians don’t trust easily. It is a big challenge when people don’t trust you even if you give them all reasons to do so. Some people also don’t believe that Nigerians can do a good job for them. However, I deliver an excellent job that would even surpass our clients’ expectations. As a result of that, most of our jobs come from referrals.
What are the important lessons you’ve learnt in business?
I’ve learnt to always get better with every passing day and to be accountable. I’ve also learnt to be resilient and accept people the way they are.
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