Yeside Asekun
Martin is the Chief Executive Officer of Yeside Fashion Store, an
online fashion store. The Babcock University, Mass Communication
graduate, kicked off her fashion store in 2009 and delights in clothing
young women in Nigeria. She speaks on the journey so far.
What motivated you to go into business for self?
While at the
university, my parents gave me the pocket money that I felt was
insufficient. Whenever I complained to my mum, she would respond that
if you want good things you can get it, but it is hard work and you
must be prepared to work hard.
So I started buying
clothes during my holidays to England and selling in my hostel and
making a small profit. My mum is a hardworking business woman and she
brought me up to be an independent girl.
Did you face much opposition before starting business?
No! I think this is
because I started pretty small from my travelling cases under my bunk
bed in school and got blessed with amazing and supportive team members
who, just like myself, are focused on the goals that need to be
achieved, no matter how vague or impossible it seems.
Did you have a 9-5 job before starting this business?
No, I did not have
a regular 9-5 job, but I got myself into a 24-hour regular job, that is
running my businesses. It’s exhausting, but fun.
What are the advantages of running the business?
I can plan and leap
in bounds that I am not sure I would have been able to achieve if I had
a 9-5 job and I find it mentally stimulating. Plus, I have been forced
to learn skills that I would not have bothered with, for example
learning how to build a website and I built www.yesidefashionstore.com
myself.
How do you deliver these products to your customers?
We offer free next
day delivery for orders over N15,000.00 to all 36 states in Nigeria and
offer cash on delivery within Lagos, payment via interswitch verve or
bank deposit.
What challenges have you faced over time?
They are many,
varied, and spring up at odd times. The recent one was our hosting
company taking down our website because we get an increasing large
amount of visits and exceed our bandwidth every month. Yet, every
month, we move into a larger server.
So right now, it
just feels like we are an inappropriate bed fellow to the hosting
company and are deliberating what the way forward is.
Ever thought of packing up in frustration?
No! I love what I
do and it’s a bit of an obsession really. It’s been very rewarding
financially and emotionally too, despite the challenges.
What have you learnt that they don’t teach in books?
Nothing really. I
have had to read varying subjects and I particularly I love reading
autobiography of successful entrepreneurs. However, from books I have
learnt that customers now have a firmer discerning attitude than ever
and they know what they want and how they want it. Which is not
necessarily cheap, but more of value.
So to be
successful, you must reach your customers at an emotional level with a
combination of good quality, image, integrity, and a best friend
approach in order to deliver a comfort zone and community spirit. This
has been proven to work and that’s exactly what
www.yesidefashionstore.com offers and aims to continue to offer.
What projections do you have for the future?
Our future is tied
to the future of the Internet and the Internet is playing a huge role
in the lives of the under 30’s right now and this is on the increase.
This will be a major changing force in the next 10 years. So I think we
are on the right train to success.
What advice would you give potential entrepreneurs?
a. Every business
is about the people who patronise you; if you focus on them and not so
much on competition but aim to satisfy them, they will reward you with
success.
b. What you hear, speak and think will ultimately form your success or failure.
c. If something needs to get done then it has to be done. At
www.yesidefashionstore.com, we remain focused no matter the distraction
and get it done.
