Ndidi Obioha is not a run-of-the-mill event planner, fashion stylist or businesswoman. She conceptualises, organises, defines, plans, manages and coordinates every single project that she is involved in. She speaks with IVORY UKONU about turning 50, some of the things that drives her in business and her most recent enterprise. Excerpts:
What have you been up to lately?
I have been quite busy working on a few things. I am opening a new concession store in the Lekki area of Lagos State. As a fashion enthusiast, amazed at what Nigerians are doing with fashion and as my own way of encouraging them, the concession store will store different ready-to-wear brands. The mistake we make with our fashion business here is that designers just attend fashion shows to showcase what they are capable of, but thereafter they are unable to create an outlet for their goods. I mean how many of them can really rent a N5 million-naira space to stock their goods for sale? The concession store will be like going to Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. You go there and see different brands being showcased. So that is one of the things I have been working on, to create an outlet for our fashion designers to showcase their brands. The entire ground floor of the new building I am working on is what this will be all about and upstairs will be my own brand, my own thing. It will be a one stop lifestyle shop. I am really proud of what Nigerian designers are doing and I am trying to create an outlet for them.
You predicted this over eight years ago, when you talked about having mini malls. How does it feel seeing your dream come true?
I am grateful to God for making this happen.
What happens to your famous outlet covered in crystals?
That will just be an extension of my businesses, the new place will be the corporate headquarters.
What did you really have in mind covering the entire building in crystal stones?
Everyone knows me for my ‘bling’. It is actually an inspiration I got from my many trips around the world. I remember seeing the interior of a building all ‘blinged’ out and I instantly knew it was what I wanted to do. But rather than just the interior, I touched up the exterior. ‘Bling’ brings me so much joy and ‘blinging’ out the building was my own way of trying to make people understand that ‘bling’ can be used in a very sassy manner. I like to be different; I like to do things differently because I see life differently. I like to show how creative and crazy my imagination can get. I like the excitement I see in people when they see all that I have done. I am overwhelmed at the excitement I see in them and it gladdens my heart and it encourages me to try to replicate this same look around town. There is really nothing like this in town. I have since come to realize that the way you present things totally remains in the mind of people.
You are one of the most sought after event planners in the country. Which of the events you have handled is most outstanding and why?
The most challenging ones I believe stand out for me. There was one we did that was planned in less than 24 hours and it was in Enugu State. The client only confirmed our go ahead on a Thursday at about 11 am and the event was for Friday at 10am. Now being able to pull off that event even at short notice is what makes it stand out. As long as you have the guests, a venue and the money, you can comfortably go to sleep and leave us to handle the rest. I will never forget the All Progressive Congress (APC) convention of 2015, the one where President Muhammadu Buhari was adopted as the APC candidate. We were notified two weeks to the event. You can imagine what it is like handling politicians and almost 10,000 delegates, it was crazy but we set a record with the event. You know each time there is a political party convention, it takes about four days before it comes to an end. I worked with former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi on the project. He was then the Minister of Solid Minerals and I told him my aim was to end the convention in one day. Of course, he laughed it off, saying it was impossible but the convention ended in one and a half days. It was a well organised and transparent convention. It was very challenging, but it was a huge success and I was told a big thank you. There is no event that we do that the client hasn’t told me thank you and that for me is more fulfilling than the money I get paid.
Being most sought-after means you do high-profile events. Do you also handle low-profile events?
Of course, we work according to budget. I am very affordable, but it isn’t really all about money because there has to be a chemistry between me and the client before I take a job. The client should be willing to allow my creativity to flow without hindering it in any way. It is very important that a client should be able to trust me enough to deliver as well as laying the cards on the table. If a client is not ready to allow me to do my job, then I am not ready to take on the job. Because if anything goes wrong at the event, the event planner is always to blame. Again it is always good you have other streams of income so you don’t make it a do or die affair, that way you are able to retain your dignity. There are some event jobs I do pro bono. It will surprise you to know that I do pro bono as well. I want to be able to add value to my company as an entity, such that when people think of events, they think about one.
Do you live by any rule for events?
I have a contract form with the clients, but I don’t always enforce it so as not to appear too rigid. With vendors, it is non-negotiable. I have certain vendors I use that I can vouch for, but if the client insists on his or her vendors, then it becomes necessary to pull out the contract form in case anything goes wrong.
A few years ago, you started a television programme on events. What inspired it?
There are quite a handful of non-professionals in the events industry. When the industry is full of non-professionals, they will gradually take the industry to the doom era. Some come into the industry because of the money, some because they think the industry is booming. It is also an avenue to educate those interested in coming into the industry, to know what to expect and understand some of the skills they need to acquire. It is a first of its kind reality TV show in Nigeria titled ‘The Event Pros’. The show was conceptualized to expose and review everything that makes event planning flawless and stylish. Basically the behind the scene efforts. It is an infotainment kind of show about the event industry; the madness, the tension, and the entire craziness that go on when putting together an event. People often wonder what event planners really do. They think beautiful arrangements are effortless and as such do not think an events planner is necessary in the scheme of things but they are a major aspect of a well organized event.
Do you still run the TV programme?
Not anymore.
Why?
You know, it is really funny because just today at a meeting with a lady, she recognised me from my TV show and she was begging me to revive it, wondering why I stopped it in the first place. I stopped because I got too busy. You know it takes time to produce a good show and I no longer have that time to spare. You know when you pray to grow bigger with your events business, God answered my prayers and that ate up whatever time I should have deployed into the TV programme. However, I am looking to go back to it but not so soon. People want the show to continue so I must deliver but I need to plan my schedule to enable me to pick it up again. But I will. What I do not know is if it will just be it or together with my talk show.
A talk show?
Oh yes. I intend to host a talk show in the near future.
Would you say the events planning business stands you out from the other businesses that you are involved in?
That is difficult to tell because people know me for different things. However most people don’t know that I do one on one styling even though I run a style clinic.
Do you have any formal training as a stylist?
No. Everything I do is all about innate skills which I develop.
How would you really describe your style?
Style doesn’t have to be expensive. At the end of the day , it is about how you marry everything in your ensemble together. it is a total package. So for me, I possess my style, I own it. My style is elegant, glam. I don’t make an extra effort to look good. I always say to women that when they have crossed a certain age, they should invest in good body shapers to give you that clean look. A wrong undergarment can ruin a very good outfit, they are the canvas on which a good dress hangs.
You also ventured into food business. This is to say the least, different from what you have been doing. Why food business?
Well, it wasn’t the first time I ventured into the food business. I remember when I finished secondary school at 16, I got my dad to loan me N300 to start a business. I bought flour and made some pastries which I supplied to supermarkets around. I incurred a huge loss, but I was happy doing it because I was getting paid for it. For me, it is about meeting the needs of the masses with ‘Royal Food’. Everyone likes good food, pastry to be precise. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford well baked bread from high end bakeries which is why ‘Agege bread’ still thrives because it is very cheap. My mission was to make nutritious pastries, bread baked in environments with top notch hygiene and make it as affordable as possible for the masses and even corporate organisations in a modernized factory. But I had to rest the business.
Why? Were you not breaking even?
No, far from it. It’s a long story. I realised that the bread business is more like a cartel. It’s the truth. It is just like rice business. It is not everyone that can get up and do rice business. It’s a cartel and they will run you out. There are some businesses that are like that.
How were you able to manage these businesses without one of them suffering?
I enjoy what I do currently and I enjoyed starting the businesses I have now. I am passionate about them all. So they keep (kept) me going. For some reason, God just helps me such that none of what I do suffers. Call me a serial entrepreneur if you will. I have been in business like forever. I remember telling my father that I wanted him to stop paying my school fees by the time I attain 21 years. I have always had the drive for business and ironically, not from any of my parents. I like to think about it and do it. This is me living my dreams. When I see a gap, I try to fill in that gap. All that I do is intertwined but where I stand out is that I bring a lot of style and panache in what I do. I started out selling clothes while in university. I left that for banking, left banking to set up a hair salon which gave birth to the event business. I then revived the clothing business and that gave birth to the bridal business which has now given birth to the lifestyle business.
What are some of your business challenges and how were you able to overcome them?
Human resources is top on the list. It is a tad bit difficult getting the right people who would share your vision, mission and objective. I do on the job training and I am continuously trying to imbibe into my staff, my own standards. With event planning, the challenge is basically about depending on different vendors to implement your vision, the concept, and how you want the event to turn out. Some of the vendors do not pay attention to details and would therefore try to suck you into their mediocrity. But I am usually firm and put my foot down to insist on certain things being done the way they should and that is what makes my work professional. I have been able to inculcate my insistence on professionalism into these vendors. And they don’t seem to realize that it helps to take their business to the next level.
You recently turned 50. What does that feel like?
I realise that I am more daring. I have always been one who isn’t afraid to explore. I have always been an adventurous person. The thing with turning 50 is that you become hungrier to achieve more, because it looks to one like, how much more time does one have left? It is a good thing though. So you hit 50 and the next thing, you are 65 and then 70 and all the time has gone. Hitting 50 brings that realisation. You find yourself trying to do more, achieve more. At that age, you are looking at retiring in another 20 years. And 20 years goes by just like that. A child that was born in 2003 is 23 today, meanwhile, how far ago was 2003? Just the other day. That is exactly how it feels to be 50. Now I am more aware, more precise with what I want out of life. I am not looking to gamble with my life or the time I have left, it is like I am racing against time. A few months before I turned 50, I was so proud to tell people I was hitting the landmark age. There was this joy, pride I exuded.
Do you have any regrets about life so far?
Not at all. God has been absolutely amazing. My case has been one of getting everything I ever wanted and I am happy. Some of the things I envisioned probably didn’t succeed but the fact that I tried, is always my joy. To be honest, it has been a good story, apart from the bakery. The bakery for me was an experience. I thought of it and tried it. If I never did, I would have been filled with regrets. Knowing who I am, I may likely go back to doing something that revolves around it in the near future. It may not be a bakery but it may be food related. That is how I function. I never give up. Whether I succeeded or not, I learnt a lesson and I am grateful for that. Loss is the prize one pays to learn something. If you spend your time being bitter, you will never see the good in anything. Every disappointment is a blessing.
What would you consider to be your biggest achievement thus far?
A few years ago, I would have said the ‘blinged’ out corporate headquarters which, no doubt, was a dream come true in terms of business. But in life generally, I would say my children.
What has significantly shaped you to be who you are in life?
I believe I have been destined to do what I do and I am just living out my dream. When I was a banker, my friends told me I was wasting my time in the banking industry seeing that I would thrive well doing what I am presently doing. So basically, passion for what I do has invariably shaped me to be who I am today. My passion is my guiding force, which is what has gotten me thus far.
