Thank God I lost my job – Babatunde, CEO, Greenpath Cleaners

Gutter cleaning business is one  of the most untapped business opportunities in Nigeria. Yet many, especially youths would scoff at the idea of going into it. But Mr Oshodi Faud Babatunde is a Nigerian young man who has keyed into this line of business and is reaping bountifully. He is a 2010/2011 graduate of Accountancy at the Crescent University, Abeokuta. But  he would gleefully describe himself as a consummate manager of the drainage system.
His advent into this line of business started when he lost his job in a bank. When Babatunde got the sack from his employers, his spirit fell to the lowest ebb. Finding himself in the sea of unemployment, he knew he must either swim out of the desolation by starting his own means of earning, or give up and sink in despair. Fortunately, he chose to swim and fight the turbulence by going into gutter cleaning. And three years after he made that decision, he now believes that getting booted out of the bank was a blessing in disguise.
“I studied Accounting at the Crescent University, Abeokuta. When I left school, I worked in a micro finance bank, afterwards I got a contact job in a bigger bank. But while working in the bank, the urge to be making little money doing one thing or another was much. I recalled that when I was in the university, I discovered that I have knack for cleaning things and everywhere. So, I thought of delving into laundry and dry-cleaning. I would pick up clothes from my colleagues in the office, dry clean them and then deliver them at the office. My supervisor had problems with that, and decided to report me to management. And I was asked to stop work. I first started out as a dry-cleaner, and later delved into gutter cleaning.”
According to Babatunde, he went into gutter management when he thought about the many places that get flooded and messy after any minor rainfall in Lagos and believed he could add value if he starts a business that cleans drainages. “I went to one area in Lagos Island to pray in a mosque. There I approached one man and told him I can make his area not be flooded any more. He agreed and gave me the go-ahead to clean the gutters. So, on a weekend, I gathered 12 of my friends and we went to the island and cleared the massive debris blocking their drainage channels. Two weeks after, there was a heavy downpour and the waters all flowed freely away via the gutter. That is how I went into drainage cleaning business. And so far, it has been so good and we look forward to partnering Lagos State Government so that we can manage for them areas that grapple with floods due to blocked drainages.”
Gutter cleaning is a very in-demand service, according to business consultant, Chukwuka Dibia. “Blocked drainages is a big issue in major cities like Lagos and many other parts of Nigeria, and with inexpensive tools and simple marketing, one can start a gutter cleaning business, solve the problem of block drainages and make money. The demand is high because people and institutions would rather pay someone to do this tedious, dangerous, and dirty job, than do it themselves.” Dibia further agrees that a gutter cleaning entrepreneur faces huge opportunities if the individual runs an organised venture and has the necessary equipment.
With simple equipment like a shovel, garbage bags and a study pair of gloves, one get into the fray and stake a claim in the big opportunities that abound in gutter management. For beginners, setting prices for their services could be confusing, but this shouldn’t be if they had undergone some training. Babatunde hints on how he charges for his services “Gutter cleaning is a very lucrative business; we could charge N50,000 to N100,000 or more to clear and manage drainages. Our charge is determined on the extent the gutter is blocked. If the drainage would require us bringing in machines to clear  the debris, then that would attract a much higher cost.”
Marketing and looking for clients is another vital aspect when floating gutter cleaning service. Kayode Ojo, another business expert, suggests that distribution of flyers, word-of-mouth, placing adverts in newspapers and local online classified adverts are some sure ways to get attention. “Print up several thousand flyers and distribute them to homes, offices, religious centres, hotels, etc before the rainy season. You can also go from door to door sharing your business card and telling individuals about your service. This is a very effective strategy, because many companies are prepared to pay and have you do the job on the spot for them.” Also contacting homeowners associations and estate unions could give gutter cleaners great mileage in making the business known.
Note, gutter cleaning is a dangerous job. The sheds of scars littering Babatunde’s hands attest to this fact. Hence taking certain precautions to minimize the hazards of the job is very essential.
Offering this business might seem daunting and dirty for many, but Babatunde does it with pride and he is not looking back. He claims he feels more fulfilled earning his living cleaning gutters than working as an accountant. And he plans to take his company to the level he would be contracted by bigger companies like Dangote Company Plc, and get many more estates to come and partner the uncountable estates sprawled all over the mega city. “I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. I don’t care if people make jest of what I do. As it is in Nigeria now, you might not survive if you consider some ventures to be a dirty business. You just have to do something to make ends meet. I must tell you that I have very bright plans with this business, because I look forward to working with the like of Dangote PLC and to partner many estates in Lagos,” he said.
Babatunde  said an emphatic ‘No’ when probed as to whether he would ever consider quitting drainage management for a return to a banking job. He further called on youths to stop complaining about the soaring unemployment in the country and go into cleaning gutters to earn a living. “Youths should just drop their ego, and never consider any enterprise as a dirty business. They should go into entrepreneurial ventures that would make them have story to tell in future.”
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isn't it funny that we av 2 be forced 2 succeed?

Good thinking good product.

Sh*t business is really a good business

Congrats on your job. More power to your elbow

congrats man. See you at the top.

sweet man

....hmmmmm

ALL IZZ WELL