Michael Chibogu is the chief executive officer of ‘Thots on
Tees’. Established in 2010, ‘Thots on Tees’ is a branding and fashion line that
customized inscriptions on T-shirts. A University of Ibadan drop out, Chibogu
speaks to X2 on his business.
What motivated you to go
into business for self?
I would say, because I got broke trading Forex, my sense of creativity
came out. While I was at the university, I used to write loads of poems. People
used to buy blank cards to come copy from my big book of poetry. Then, I had a
passion for creativity but I wasn’t patient to let it turn into Naira. After I
dropped out from the University, I started doing all sorts of businesses which
was not glorifying God.
So when I found Christ I decided to do something with the money
I had made from my various businesses, I went into forex trading. I think God
just used that to suck out the remaining money I had so I could start afresh. I
lost all my money and I decided to bring my skills to life.
What inspires the
inscriptions on your designs?
Back then, I could compose a poem from almost any situation; I
used to get inspired from things happening around me. I still get inspired from
things happening around me and also surf the internet for ideas.
Did you face any
opposition before starting your business?
Actually my Dad and I stop being close after I dropped out of
school, my mom and other siblings are in the UK and my grandmother is old. So
there was really nobody to stop me from going into ‘Thots on Tees’.
What are the upsides of
running the business?
It’s what I am passionate about. I have always been a crazy
artistic person, I love coming up with different write-ups and designs for
T-Shirts. Sometimes I wake up 2am and scramble over the internet for ideas I
would love to inscribe on a T-Shirt.
What challenges have you
faced over time?
I gave my life to Christ before starting this business, I didn’t
look at them from the challenges perspective. I just looked at it as a training
process, because God had already told me he would bless the works of my hands.
The initial low patronage, no financial backup, ‘Okada’ and all, God was just
trying to tell me not to despise the days of little beginnings.
Ever thought of packing
up in frustration?
No, because of the work I do for God. I work in the counselling
department, I am always motivated to move on against all odds. There are times
I would ask God why some issues are still there but I know he is just trying to
prepare me for something better.
What have you learned
that they don’t teach in books?
A lot. In books they would tell you never give up. But there are
different situations that would come that they won’t explain how one would deal
with it emotionally. When you face these challenges, you would look at the
person that wrote the book as a stupid person.
What projections do you
have for the future?
I want to go into the e-payment where people would buy my tees
online because I really don’t do any form of advert, I just put up pictures on
my Facebook page and people started calling me to make orders. Now I am working
on my website so I could reach people all over the world.
What advice would you
give potential entrepreneurs?
The first thing I would tell them to do is to let God order
their path because there are so many things man won’t explain to you. Men would
tell you there are challenges but to God there are none if they can understand
that whatever they go through God would see them through.
