Another great thread by the Maestro on FMCG. Very impressive madam. I wish more of the unemployed youths could take a cue from here and turn around their lives for the better.

Thanks Madam Karine.

This was a really great thread. I was awed and had to read through the entire thread over the weekend. I wish it didn't have to die. I am sure one or two people may have benefitted immensely from here.

missbronze:
karin, thanks for explaining better.

And no offense taken.

My response was for the poster that called people that left "Lazy,. That people choose not in invest in it, doesn't mean they are lazy.

Where you see a goldmine .. , another person might see a mud.

Yes, you invested in it, another person may not see any reason to invest in it.

And, i admit, i was wrong for writing its not worth it.

Cheers.

We learn everyday and you are one humble lass.

Again my intention was never to undermine or belittle you.

Your previous position is the generic view of the majority of Nigerians but that has got to change. Things are not always the way they appear.

So many otherwise lowly vocations/professions are undergoing a major makeover such that the returns are unprecedented. The operators are very coded in their activity for very obvious reasons. Suffice to state here that some of these businesses have always made money whilst presenting a lowly and disadvantaged facade. Point to boot; a widow in my village trained her kids to university level many years ago and sent them abroad through selling chewing sticks (in bulk).

Very difficult to believe but verifiable.

nuggybabe:
I can equally start my own chin chin production rather than investing #2m in someone's else chin chin wit #100 gain per 50 pcs. Dts wickedness of d highest order. Me should cum n invest #2m in their chin chin wen am not sick.

You will never be sick. And I would like to quickly add that those among us that invest 2 Million and above in chin chin-chin business and other not so attractive ventures are also healthy, hale and hearty.


Your post would have been very funny if it were not so sad and perhaps unintelligent.

How many enterprises can you start from scratch? You would rather start your own chin-chin business rather than invest 2 million in distributing an existing brand?

Does this sound intelligent to you? An investor in distribution is likely to recover his investment faster than one who commits his resources to manufacturing/processing.

It’s rather sad that our thinking can be this prosaic and unimaginative.

Your position reflects the fact that for someone who aspires to trade in palm oil should invest in starting a palm plantation rather than investing 2 Million Naira in buying palm produce from an already existing farm. Just because he/she doesn’t want to invest in the farmers business, forgetting that he is not doing charity but only investing for a return on investment.

In an earlier post on this same thread you said you were called apparently by the Op and told about the chin-chin and you took off.

Please keep running. We have more than enough people selling chin-chin and making 100.00 per 50 pieces.

Permit me to inform you that this is FMCG and volume counts. Even if the profits were as low as 100.00 per 50 pieces (which is far from being the case) 100.00 multiplied over 100 bags/cartons per day amounts to 10,000.00 daily.

That earning I am sure is fair enough for the vast majority of diligent and honest Nigerians who probably are just starting out in business.

Try to moderate your posts and opinions in the public space. Your words reveal more about you than you care to imagine. You may allow your expression to be guided with the popular aphorism; better to keep quiet and be considered a fool than open your mouth and erase all doubt.

No offence meant.

missbronze:
not that they are lazy, they probably feels its not worth it.

Be sincere, will u invest 2 million on chinchin biz?

This post was brought to my notice yesterday.

Yes I would invest two Million Naira in Chin-chin business/distributorship.

Miss. Bronze, no offence meant but I must state here that typical of we Nigerians we appropriate knowledge even where we do not have the requisite experience in the particular line. Its all about conjecture, speculations and assumptions and this mostly predicated on our own very narrow perspective? You just draw conclusions on areas you do not have any knowledge whatsoever about.

Perhaps it would have appeared more sincere if you had simply wondered how chin-chin as a business can attract an investment of 2 Million Naira. It is best you understand that all scalable businesses can attract any amount of investment capital. Bread distribution, plantain chips, bottled and Sachet Water are businesses that have all evolved before our very eyes in such a short timeframe.

With due respect to modesty I do know a few people who have invested over 5 Million Naira in chin-chin distribution in one tranche and the returns I must confess are awesome. Supposing I tell you that there are bread vendors in different parts of this country that invest over 2 million Naira daily in a particular bakery, what would be your reaction?

I could go further to inform you that there are people who invest over 10 Million Naira weekly on products that appear slow, pedestrian and inconsequential to you. Some of us have a penchant for awakening to reality only after pioneers have raked in so much from creating a new path.

My advice is that you stick to what you know and if you can muster some humility you may wish to keep your mind a bit more open as so many people in this economy are doing great things in sectors that you can never imagine.

As a parting shot, try going to Dufil Prima and seek to register as a distributor with your 2 Million and then come and share your experience here on Nairaland.

Once again, no offence meant. I am just trying to reposition the signposts appropriately.Some people actually make a living and create wealth just from selling chin-chin and other 'unattractive' products. Indeed I am a major chin-chin distributor and even if I say so myself I am a big distributor and invest far beyond 2 million Naira.

mamboqueen:
Good morning MA and Sirs, pls i need help will be going for service next month, and i want to start a business i have 50k even though its small but i just want to make something out of that one year program. Pls i need your advise am a lady so i will appreciate if u can just advise me on what to sell. Thanks in advance

This is quite impressive. You must be an early starter. My advice is simple.

Look for something to sell in your immediate environment. What you sell is not half as important as the exposure the selling experience will afford you.Selling will give you a number of benefits during your service year. Some of the benefits that will accrue are;

you will earn a little extra income that will augment your 'allowee';

you will develop self confidence and also acquire selling skills.

Above all and most importantly,you will be able to overcome all manners of fear that are synonymous with first time/entry level sales people and this will put you on a more employable pedestal in your immediate post NYSC future either as a fresh job seeker or an emerging entrepreneur.

Good luck

This journey started at the beginning of the year. So far we have expended about 90 days pushing it as much as possible. I am really happy and grateful for all the testimonies that have come my way via emails and whatsapp messages.

We started out by discussing the nature of distributorships and then looked at many variables and then reviewed what could make us start small and yet retain some measure of control over areas we had begun selling in without interlopers displacing us now or in the near future.

A whatsapp group was created and that led to a more detailed analysis of distribution as a concept. Several prolific and experienced salespersons came on board and made it exceedingly worthwhile. It has been such a humbling experience and very fulfilling too but definitely not without its fair share of disappointments and surprises.

So far we have quite a few people in the group who have mesmerized us with their performance even as newbies, we have those who are still struggling to overcome the initial hurdles that will come with venturing into a totally new terrain, we have another set of participants who have started really small and have experimented with two different brands of the product and are now analyzing the path to tread. Some of us in all honesty are yet to start for some reason or the other but we encourage you to do something by way of ACTION.

Its a great time to be alive and we have to take the advantage presented by the imperfections in our environment and circumstances and convert them into whta it really is; OPPORTUNITIES.

aboutbiz:
Thank you so much Karin please can you guilde me through on how to packaged dodo ikire and sell and also can it also fall under FMCG
Thanks

Sir you have to explain what dodo ikire means. I really don't know what you mean here. Dodo I know, Kpekere I know.

Pojomojo:
I am quite sure you are very single. If you have responsibilities, you will understand that leaving a job just because your boss talks to you anyhow is not easy.I want to believe you are still a dependent on someone or group if persons

On the contrary Sir, I am very married and together with my spouse we have serious responsibilities that we attend to judiciously. My husband is a salary earner and I voluntarily resigned from a mouth watering experience to pursue that which has been closest to my heart.

My take on this matter is that your self dignity is very hallowed and must be protected with every fibre of your being. The day you compromise on this tenet is the beginning of a very fast slide into self destruction.

No one deserves to be emotionally terrorized by anyone else irrespective of the accompanying rewards. Your sanity is better than all the material rewards you can get from any job.

The emotional trauma that you can draw from certain tolerant dispositions may haunt you for a long time.

Just beware of emotional abuse in the workplace. There is usually more damage than meets the eye.

I have read this thread right through. Its unfortunate that apart from a very view posts most of the posters are a direct reflection of the sad situation we find ourselves resulting from terrible programming which has transformed us into a generation of citizens who dwell in the state of entitlement.
For the ''graduates'' among us I would expect a different perspective. You get a job in a an organisation where your expectations are not met I am sure you know what your next line of action should be. I have worked in HR capacity for many years and I can tell you just one thing. No organisation at home and abroad undermines its very productive staff. The hangers who are very dispensable in the system may be besmirched and abused but in all honesty a performing star who is invaluable to the system will always be respected and courted. Unless of course it is a very foolish manager that is running the place.

Even among the Asian companies, the performers stand out. In a certain Plastic company in Lagos, they have a Nigerian female staff that is really well paid and is provided a staff car with a four bedroom apartment in a highbrow location in Lagos because she is good. The lady in question has been there just 2 years and is excelling beyond their imagination and they have no choice but to make her life easy.

Summarily, if you really know your onions well and you can deliver, it is the organisation that you work for that will tolerate a lot of nonsense from you because they need you and your professional delivery. Anyone who complains about any organisation and is still working there needs a full length mirror.

My opinion though.

deking:
This thread is too useful to be dead. @KARIN01 please bring back the vibe

Thanks Deking, I actually thought that the thread had outlived its usefulness. A lot of people followed thwe thread for a while, a few followers invested in FMCG businesses f their choice; some under my guidance and some on their own. Some of the investors fell aside on the journey and quite a few transformed their thinking into mega status.

I am happy a few people also appreciate the effort I put into this thread. On the whole I am happy that it was helpful to a few Nairalanders.

We will fill our ink jar and revisit this thread essentially every other day.

Once again, thanks Dekin for prompting a rebirth.

newness12:


Karin, I respect your endurance & tolerance gauge but there's something I want to add. After such a profound show of higher integrity & culture you threw everything away to reduce yourself to her level. I expected you to have sealed that deal after educating her not to judge the quality of the container but the content. The greater approach would have been to maintain your higher character & integrity. You may look at it differently but note this.
Martin Luther King Jr.is the only American, black or white that has a holiday to himself. Of course I know you know he led the fight for the equality of blacks but that's not what stands him out. He refused to use the weapon the enemy used to fight against him to fight his enemy. While the whites used violence he used nonviolence because he said if you use the same weapon with the enemy then you're not better than him. So while whites were killing blacks he refused blacks to retaliate. He lost his life in the process but he taught America a big lesson. That's why he has that honour.

Newness, I thank you for your advice. When I got home and recounted my experience to my husband, he held the same position with you and insisted that I should go back and to the proper thing. So with my tail in between my legs I crawled back(seething inside though) and helped facilitate her purchase. the most wonderful lesson here is the fact that on getting to know her better I discovered that she was not such a golliwog after all. Its just the traders thing and I also made a fundamental mistake which my husband had identified without even being there. The mistake was that I arrived there speaking my regular Queens quality English and I must have smacked of a certain snootiness albeit unknowingly. My second visit was definitely better. By the time we got to the third visit, we could even pass for friends. We had become reasonably close that I introduced her and guided her in setting up and using whatsapp.

Once again, thank you Newness.

The concept of distributorship at least in the context of this group is apparently not very clear to us at the moment. Some of us have exhibited some inexperience in the discharge of this responsibility. You must understand the dynamics of distribution before you embark on this effort.

Too many variables come into play when embarking on a project like this. The first and most important one is providing an answer to that apparently very easy question.

Who constitutes my target market?
The natural and spontaneous response to that question is the customer; that is the person who buys directly from us. But are they really the target. Quite frankly, the answer is no.

ibizgirl:
Hello, I sent you a mail regarding the WhatsApp group, but no response and I also haven't been added to the group.

You may wish to resend.

I have attended to all mails in my inbox and I don't remember yours being among them unless I got it wrong.

These are really exciting times.

lovetrust:
how can I join the whatsapp group plz

If you have actually read through the thread, you would have come across the directions on how to get on the whatsapp platform.

Damolux01:
Pls, how do I become distributor of soft drinks especially Teem? I'm really interested in this. Thanks!

My suggestion is that you direct your findings to &up Bottling company.

You can reach them in Ijora or 7UP at the former Toll Gate, precisely Ikosi Road, Directly adjacent to the Motorways house if you are resident in Lagos.

At the moment our focus is on one product genre but drawn from different companies. We also have participants from different parts of the country and virtually all of them brimming with determination to embark on this project and succeed. Many lessons have been gleaned and parallels drawn.

The most beautiful experience for me as a person is the help so many experienced group members are giving each other. I am also very grateful to the different producers whom have yielded to our demands and made the products available to us in our various locations at minimal costs. As a matter of fact some of them were so magnanimous that they sent samples to locations as far out as Kano and Kaduna from their locations in the south and no cost.

I am really grateful for this show of selflessness in these times.

It has been quite an eventual month driven by our desire to entrench ourselves in the FMCG distributorship segment of the economy. So far we are pleased with the results we have had so far especially with the whatsapp group.

The experience has been very enriching and most rewarding.

After the initial theoretical exchange involving more of sharing our previous experiences in similar efforts, we then identified a product genre and then adopted it from a few companies and started out with understanding the product, surveying the territory and sampling the product in the specified territory. This was concluded in February and now we are on the threshold of a major take-off. We already have some people who launched out big time and are already Key Account Distributors in a particular town or city with exclusivity terms being seriously considered.

I do not understand what this is all about but I wish to be included please.

I can say at this point that this thread has been quite a success. I am quite grateful for the opportunity it has given me to affect other people in a most positive way, The whatsapp group has been very useful and has transformed to a very educative platform. I am learning so much myself such that the investment in terms of time and other resources is justifiable.

Indeed, Nigeria is a great country filled with a lot of talents almost bursting with energy. In the one month or thereabouts that the whatsapp platform has been launched I can tell you that it has been a most wonderful experience with all the active participants advising, motivating and guiding each other in more ways than one.

Also evident is the diverse nature of Nigeria. We have different participants from different parts of the country and the story is the same. Different markets/locations, similar results and reactions. It simply super. The testimonies are simply out of this world. We hope that more testimonies will come in and people will gain greater insights on how to become better distributors in the F.M.C.G sector of the economy.

I cannot just add you to the whatsapp group. I need names and location including email addresses.
Kindly forward a mail as indicated previously.

Please confirm that you have been added.

much30:
good afternoon, i have sent it to ur e-mail. my phone number is 08067553843 for the whatsapp

Please send me your details again.

My apologies.

much30:
@karin001, i have not been added to the whatsapp group. Good evening.

So I arrived H.E Shop and there she was as cold as codfish.

After introducing myself to her and explaining my mission she just looks at me as if I am something the cat just dragged in.

She indicates again coldly that I sit on a chair just by her. And I do just that.
She takes her time dealing with customers first and then starts counting her money and wrapping them in elastic bands. This she does quite noisily and without any recourse to me. I cough, I sneeze and make other sounds just to remind her of my presence, for where. The lady will not budge. Finally she asks me about the chin-chin and after doing a very detailed verbal description of the product and marketing strategy, she then asks me what my role in the company is? I then tell her that I am a Distributor based in Port Harcourt but that I could supply her if we agreed. Her questions and her facial expression when I provide answers was already enough indication for me that I was up an alley. Nothing was going to come out from here. One of the most humiliating episodes I have ever had since selling this product. Questions like; what makes me consider myself a distributor, do I know what it means to be a distributor, Distributors can only be labelled as such if they are recognized by so, so and so company adding for effect that it is the frustration of the berserk economy that is bringing young people into trading and who have the audacity to describe themselves as distributors.

At this point I say a mental prayer for patience. I needed to get out fast.

Anyway, she goes on and on and on and finally she asks me how much she can give me as transportation back to Port Harcourt since she wasn't willing to buy and at any rate she would only buy from an established company and then through their staff and not some supposed distributor who was probably still job seeking on the side. I had had enough and was going to give it back to her. But then I events changed in my favour surprisingly. Just as about to spew the venom that had accumulated another trader apparently from a neighbouring shop walked into her shop and in one glance noticed the products that I had displayed on the desk for her. He practically screamed in surprise asking if she had secured the distributorship for the product already and that he had been trying to get it for over six months but they kept referring him to a certain lady in Port Harcourt or another gentleman in Aba.

The discomfort radiating from Her Excellency was palpable. And I did not disappoint. I just gathered while she just looked at me in shock. Then she blurted out 'how much is the distributorship?'' to which I responded 3 Million Naira and she asked if I could recommend her and I told her that is what brought me from Port Harcourt in the first place but I wasnt going to recommend her again after what transpired between us.
Greed and selfishness walk hand in hand. I made to leave and she blocked me begging me initially and then threatening me with all sorts including the fact that I couldnt sell in her market and after all she could buy direct from the company. I just asked her to suit herself and walked out heading to the Okada ramp by the market entrance. She has called me over fifty times since then and has called my national Sales manager repeatedly and that one is on my side and has told her that only I can install her as a Distributor in that market.

Today, I had to travel to Okigwe, precisely Uturu to meet a potential customer who was introduced to me by her sister who is already my customer in here in Port Harcourt. The lady is a major distributor for UAC foods and other F.M.C.G products. She is interested in buying Chin-chin from me and insists on seeing me in person. So, I had to travel all the way to Okigwe for 'Her Royal Majesty'. She really brought to life the maxim 'the customer is king'.

Before departing Port Harcourt, I had asked her of how many bags she would like me to come along with and I she insisted that she had seen the product already and would just like me to come in person so that we can discuss about a major distributorship possibility.

I was wondering why she couldn't just to it on the phone but then I buried my ego and went through the rough trip to see this Madam.

I am in the bus now and after a rigorous trip through the ever exciting Aba and sleepy Umuahia junction I was dropped at the Okigwe junction. I hope this woman will justify this discomfort is what is going on in my head at the moment.

I will update everyone later today on what transpired.

I really hope it will be good even though I am having some premonition with goose pimples all over.

xprimate:

haha. its basically a way of getting data/information from people in a central way. just like the form you fill when signing up for an email, u get all the filled form data from different people in one central place from your google account and its free. just creat the fields and share the link.

Thanks very much Sir. I am most grateful and will explore this potential asset.

xprimate:
good evening karin, may i suggest you use a google form for us to add our detail. its easy and convinient, you simply share the link, then we can click and add our detail. I can help out if you want: just list the necesary fields.
The synergy you talked about is brilliant, that perspective could only come from experience. Some say we are in the sharing/synergy economy. look at the recent tech companies that are making it: uber(sharing of ride), abnb(sharing of leaving space), cloud computing(sharing of computer resources). Its sharing all way.
To butress the point you made earlier. some imported motor parts are actually cheaper in onisha than in Lagos. In fact in some case Onisha is the last resort.
You have given use the qualities of a FMCG which is very awsome. May I suggest you spoon feed us a little by listing about 7 fmcg you think will be a good starter please. so we can justerpose with the one we have in our mind.
Good bless you forever karin.

Never heard of Google form before. Please help me out. How does it work? Or maybe I should just google google form abi?

I saw your request on my thread for distributorship. I cannot put it up there, but you can have it here. Please limit our interaction to just email and whatsapp only.

But please no inducements as this is just a contribution I am making. I desire no direct compensation.

That is my only wish.

valenu:

I have gone through your threads and had seen you know very much about this.

Know is a strong word. It wouldnt be appropriate usage in this context.

I can however say with due respect to modesty, that I have had quite an experience in F.C.M.G and may equally add that my experience is quite varied and diverse. I have now found some very salient secrets that will surprise you. Up till today I can tell you that the majority of Nigerians do not yet know the secret of making money. We laugh at the tomato sellers in Mile 12 market, we scorn the women selling plantain at Idi-Oro, we laugh at the women who sell crayfish at Onyingbo, we scof at the women selling palm and vegetable oil in Badagary and we deride the women who sell Nylon(cellophane in Idumota and Oshodi. If only we could have a peep into their world, we would marvel at their accomplishments. But that is a story for another day.

I may tell you right away that you must never underestimate the masses. They hold the key to your massive and consistently growing wealth machine. There are at least twenty Million people present in Lagos in a given day. Over 95% of that figure belong to bottom rung of the Socio-economic triangle.They spend money as if it is going out of fashion.Though spent in small individual amounts the aggregate is in Billions of Dollars (yes I mean dollars, only in its Naira equivalent) on daily basis. And your Bariga axis accounts for a very significant proportion of that spending.

More than 1 million of those people buy Biro pens daily, buy razor blades daily, toilet tissue daily, toilet soaps daily, detergents daily and what have you. Let’s not even begin to talk about the number of people buying caprisonne, gala, Beefie, coconut chips, plantain chips, pure water,bread, biscuits and so on. Do you get my drift? Emzor pharmaceuticals I believe sells more Paracetamol by the hour more than all the Pizzas sold by all the Dominoes outlets in Nigeria put together. Her margins may be very small but very consistent and high volume.

I no longer reside in Lagos for now but I could still reach out to help. At your request, I could send you the contacts of a few people who can lead you into products that can give you a t least 10% interest of that money every week. The caveat here is that the 10% profit per week will only be attainable after an initial gestation period which may span about two months.

Finally, I may not be able to mentor you physically but can help via whatsapp or email. That’s what I can offer at the moment.

yugeekay:
Hi Karin, I had sent u a mail for over 2 weeks now with my details, asking to cover Ikotun Egbe, Lagos. Pls, I av, forwarded it again. Thank u and God bless you.

I missed it the first time but i have it now and have added you. I will also email you the chat history for you to study.

My apologies for the omission.

BlongTrendies:
Add me up 08057965797

Please you have to send an email.

The details of what is required in the mail are above.