I am still grappling with the selection of the products that we will adopt for our launch in February.
There are however certain features that guide my selection of any product as a potentially viable product.

A lot of people have suggested that I adopt what I sell or what has yielded profit for me in the past. Now, my experience shows that withing the F.M.C.G sector, there are two broad approaches to profit making.

I call the first one 'the fast and the furious'. It works like quicksilver. Huge profit but largely unsustainable. Loads of people immediately make an entrance into the business and you are displaced but then you would have made a kill in that one outing. Please recall a T.V set called Akira(I remember it clearly as that was the my first T.V set bought during my NYSC). It came in with a bang but left quietly. It just faded from the market.

The second typology I christen slow, steady and sure (S.S.S). Goldstar on the other hand had a good product, entered the market with a terrible marketing plan which gave so much room for other brands to excel. Moving forward, they decided to re-brand as LG and today they have high street stores selling different models of T.V sets and other electrical/electronic household and technological devices all around the world. In Nigeria, their lead distributor is a Sudanese conglomerate known as Fouani.

The likes of Fouani have built a brand that has withstood the test of time. You may never have heard of Fouani because they are more than less subsumed within the brand but please note that LG electronics rides on the back of Fouani in Nigeria and many other African countries. And oh yes, electronics are FMCG, so are other households, digital cameras, laptops, phones, shoes milk, sanitary towels and baby wipes. Just name it.

A lot of emails have come in since my last post. Please the content of the email must include as a minimum; your real names(or registered business/company name), moniker, location (please note that only the town and not exact physical address is required) and whatsapp enabled phone numbers. It makes me easier for me to populate the excel sheet that I am building.

RentedReality:



Excellent work Karin!

You, my friend, have done your bit to restore faith in humanity.

Your level of knowledge share really must be commended. I see someone with extreme vertical market understanding with willingness to share, take it you've been blessed.

Should you need data analytical help for work with your mentees, I'll be glad to support by showing how your numbers are working and could work better.

For instance, you could measure growth made by mentees by measuring monthly distribution output and overlaying with those of others. This gives a good idea on the top performers and how to share what works for them with others having lower output.

Thinking even farther, this data can be used to shape a new distribution model that favors young and agile enterpreneurs emerging in a Recession of opportunities (paradox, but true). This is true because our local production is really kicking in and the implications will be what I'll term the [/b]deregulation of the FMCG sector[b], where entrants with low capital, now have access to a growing market of products seeking to replace foreign ones affected by the exchange rate.

How? The implications of your model could shape, with good oversight, the emergence of a lean and flexible distribution network powered by young individual enterprenuers. Depending on how it grows, this model could potentially run parallel with the traditional form of distributorship where high network individuals usually corner the supply of FMCGs particularly the foreign ones.

This period in my view, is the best time for entry into the market, as the collapse of the naira has led to an increase in local production. What this also says to me is that, there are lots of new manufacturers coming out who need distributorship strength and what better way to tap into it than by having a young distributor network with an online backbone. With proper research and communication, your mentee community could even assist with data collation to aid market analysis of the region each resides in, giving the advantage where you all can pool information/funds to secure exclusive distributor rights for certain regions from a new-to-market company with potential. And believe me there's lots of them. Did I also mention that groups like this are favored by the BOI? with proper documentation, expansionary concessions could be sought from financial arms of the Government.

A pilot phase such as yours, could provide insight on how this online distributor community model could be replicated across the country. Think of this, a group of 12 people comprising a Senior Business Analyst, admin/analyst and 10 young people who collectively and individually deal on say 15 - 25 product types in a specific region; SE/NW etc. The functional Business Lead, will provide direction on market flow supported by analysis gotten from feedback of the group on things like sales, product adoption rate, product feedback from consumers, competitor pricing, etc. Encouraging cross pollination of ideas as what sells cold in place A could be hot in place B, affording the opportunity for product swaps or shared distributorships all within the group. I'd be happy to know that the dairy product giving me low sales in Makurdi can't stay long on shelves in Uyo. I can thereby reach within the group ecosystem to one who is based in Uyo and would be willing to take on my stock, rather than sell at a loss.

I could go for hours on the potentials of your undertaking, but I'd rather stop here and wish you and your mentees the best.

Thanks dear Sir for this update.

Whats bv Sir?

Buddhar:
Happy Sunday.

Your number was switched off.

How much is it per Kg?

All the new posters who have indicated their interest should please send an email in respect of their chosen locations including their full names and phone numbers.

An updated list of participants will be published on Tuesday evening.

The whatsapp group will be created soon, hopefully before the end of the month. At this stage I am seriously working at identifying potential products that we can use and start off.

My projections are that by the end of this week a clearer picture of this project will emerge. Very importantly, I will come up with a post that will guide us in choosing the kind of product that we will sell.

The characteristics of the product is a very important consideration here.

Our job will be to objectively appraise the market and decide on what products that we can adopt and promote to our advantage.

The intention is to have an M.O.U with the producers such that whatever is produced is sold to us and we then push it along our established and secure distributive network.

I hope this gives us a clearer picture of what the future will look like with focus and hard work. I refuse to divulge beyond this for very obvious reasons.

Morning Fresh is a dish washer that most of us can relate with especially we the womenfolk. As a matter of fact, todays middle-aged Nigerians grew up with. It was a major entrant that redefined the traditional method of dish-washing (the soap and sponge era).

Subsequently, Mama Lemon came into the market and had a hard time breaking into the market. The company adopted different measures including but not limited to price cuts, promotions, rebates and market storms.

Fast forward to the present day, you will find out that there now exists several other dish washers in the market which may even be better in quality than the well known brands like the aforementioned ones but because they do not have the distributive network and the finances to back an expansion they remain as small as they are only growing in small increments.

An example will be in place here. Just let me think of something.

We are going to define the products as we proceed. As a start-up we will not sell brand names so products from the stables of multinational conglomerates are out of it for now. What we will sell at inception will be non-brand names that are as good as the advertised brands. These are products made by smaller players in the industry that are better quality wise and in terms of value than the imported or popular variants.

At this point, I would like to state here clearly that the whole intention of this exercise is not to compete with the existing distributors who are mostly located in the major markets in the large cities of this country.

Neither are we going to sell the better known brands. We are going to CREATE a new channel of distribution that will be our own and if managed well will transform into a platform for the sales of various products. This is a long haul and there will be no room for greedy folks interested in making fast money.

If you don’t have staying power, then my advise is that you don’t even bother. The real rewards for this investment are in the future but when they start coming they will never cease and can only increase phenomenally.

We will set up rules that will be predicated on the interest of the group members and we will follow these rules religiously. The rules will however be anchored on already existing sales and distribution principles that will be re-emphasized from time to time among group members.

Please post whatever observations you may have so that we can resolve it as it goes on the excel sheet.

I have started compiling a spreadsheet of people who have indicated interest so far on the body of the thread with their preferred locations and contact details. All the underlisted people should please send me an email (karinebinne@gmail.com) stating their full names, email addresses, phone/whatsapp numbers and locations(not specific address but just the area in the preferred town e.g Anantigha, Calabar, CRS or Trans Ekulu, Enugu or Sabon Gari, Kano.

Meanwhile please note the following monikers who constitute the first phase of candidates;

1. Emmyaite - Uyo

2. Much30 - Awka

3. Jonaboy - Kaduna

4. Africanman85 - Umuahia

5. Imustexcel - Sokoto

6. Bigdan3550 - Makurdi

7. Biggal - Port Harcourt (Abuloma)

8. Ebukasoso - Asaba

9. Yoyostic - Lokoja

10. WonderIyke - Port Harcourt Rumuola/Rumuokuta

11. Homoviator - Ilorin

12. Chinzzy - Lagos (Please specify preferred location in Lagos)

13.Gentle Silver - Abakaliki

14. Samogbo1 - Ebonyi (Please specify your preferred town)

15. Hobat4cash - Uyo

16. Thanks4idias - Ibadan

17. Ebukasoso - Asaba

18. Mumels - Ilorin

19. Sauchy - Lagos (Satellite Town)

I took some time off to visit some major supermarkets in town today and the whole purpose is to identify some products that are used everyday in Nigerian households. I have identified some of them. So I am at this stage populating a list of products that we will commence with. Please note that the products may not be publicized here. That will be stuff for the Whatsapp group only. That much should be pretty obvious.

Suffice to state here that not everybody in the group will sell everything. Members will have the opportunity of choosing the items that they want to sell in their respective localities which will also reflect the peculiarities of their locations. We will however bargain with the producing company and place our orders as a group even though we wil make our payments individually.

There are indeed many opportunities that are open for us at this point. I can assure you that we will have a swell time while growing our income on a consistent basis.

Kcxee:
Sorry please what's up country and secondly what are you products and finally i am Michael i am based in Jos but presently in Bauchi so if i can be a part please let me know.

Upcountry means (at least contextually) out of Lagos.

jonaboy:
I reside in Kaduna and you are yet to make any analysis about Kaduna.

Kaduna is a great location for any kind of business. I have been selling snacks for a while and I have come in contact with other distributors selling snacks in Kaduna and other Northern Nigerian states and I can tell you the success stories are super. I think similar stories will also be traceable to other products. Think about it, there are a great many products out there being produced by small and medium scale enterprises which are not yet available in Kaduna. Now lets imagine that you are the person that gets the franchise for selling these products in Kaduna and it is well received, what do you think your cashflow will look like after a few months? Let this guide you accordingly.

ebukasoso:


Okay. Patiently waiting for further directives/guidance from you. Also, a briefing on the products so that we know ones we can handle

Aha! There is need for me to correct an impression here. I will not choose the product(s) for you.

My intention is to create a platform for interested Nairalanders to view and study various products that will be advertised here by the producers/promoters and then decide which one we consider best serving and profitable for our various locations. The key here is to be objective and shrewd enough in deciding what will sell your neighbourhood with reasonable return on investments for you.

I can however proffer some guidance drawn from my personal experience where necessary.

Homoviator:
Greetings Karin! I suggest you create a WhatsApp group for this, I think it will be easy to receive notification on WhatsApp. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion. There will be a whatspp group but it will only be exclusively for the paritcipants of the project. Only those who are consistent players irrespective of company or brand they sell for will be allowed on this platform. We will eventually delineate the territories appropriately and assign same to the interested participants and then provide the necessary support from that group.

Kcxee:
Sorry please what's up country and secondly what are you products and finally i am Michael i am based in Jos but presently in Bauchi so if i can be a part please let me know.

You have to choose one of both cities. You cannot have them both. Kindly choose the one you know better and think can give you better returns on your capital (cash, effort and otherwise)resources,

thanks4idias:
I represent ibadan metropolis,

Ibadan is too large for one person.
Where are you staying? Start from your immediate location and grow from there. many very busy and potentially profitable locations in Ibadan. Dugbe and Agbeni markets are a distributors delight but there are many other commercially viable locations in Ibadan including but not limited to Challenge, Ojoo, Bodija, Ring road etc,
t
Emphasis is on choosing a location and starting work from there.

Samogbo1:
well done Karin, i reside in Ebonyi. must commend ur effort in business enlightenment.

Where in Ebonyi?

Abakaliki, Afikpo or Ishiagu? Specifics please!

Chinzzy:
Hello
Top of the morning and happy new year. This is a good pet project. I am based in lagos. 07053142193 is my whatsapp. I am interested.

Good Lagos, Which part? Topo, Badagary; Poka, Epe; or Imota. Ikorodu? Specifics please!

Homoviator:
Greetings Karin! God bless you for such innovative contribution to humanity. I'm Anthony, I base in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Good to know Anthony.
Ilorin is a very large city. There is absolutely no way that just one person can cover Ilorin effectively.

The ideal option would be three people covering the entire expanse.

Ilorin central where you have the city centre that accommodates the Post Office, Police Head Quarters, State secretariat down to Kwara Hotel/Government house and then through Flower garden to St. Anthonys Secondary school an then via Sabo -Oke in through the front of C and S college doan to Maraba junction is already enough market for one person.

Another person could take from Post Office down towards Unity, Taiwo road and go as far as General, Saw mill or even Gerialimi (hope spelling is correct). A third person could start from Maraba and expand towards Kwara Poly, veer off into Fate and enter Tanke junction/by GT bank and flow all the way down to the permanent site of UNILORIN.

Even with this very skeletal analysis, we have still left out some pockets of population density like Opomalu, emirs palace and Sobi Barracks.

So I hope you don plan to take on the entire Ilorin as an individual.

You would be too thinly spread and would tire out sooner than later.

wonderiyke:
Hi Karin. I'm Ikenna representing Rumuola/Rumuokwuta axis, Port Harcourt.

Hi Ikenna, in order to maximise your potential I think you will have to expand into Choba and Rumouokoro. Just my thoughts.

Port Harcourt is a wonderful city with small pockets and enclaves filed with human beings.

Dexpro:
Karin thumbs up. Keep up the good works. I've got something to discuss with you. Hope we can discuss here?

I am still waiting expectantly for your discourse.

biggal:
Am in based in ph abuloma

Good. This is my sister in my hood. I used to sell a lot in that neighbourhood but you can now have it. trust me the Abuloma, Slaughter, Woji, Trans Amadi axis is a seriously pregnant territory.

Bigdan3550:
wonderful business idea, I'm joyfully in, Name:DANIEL EJIOGU, I base in Benue state Makurdi to be precise, I'm interested pls remember me

Makurdi, you are welcome. I however dont think you will handle Makurdi alone because of the size of the town. The two sides of the bridge wil have to be adequately covered. We must also not forget the smaller towns like Gboko and Katsina-Ala that have significant purchasing power. Do remember that everything adds up ultimately.

ebukasoso:
Asaba here.

It appears this is the third indication for Asaba so far. We will confirm and work something out.

Imustexcel:
Hello Karin, thanks a lot for your selfless passion to guide people to financial freedom. I have been reading your insightful topics/posts and I am happy to say that I am a better person now business wise. I represent Sokoto.

Wonderful!

Please can you let us know what snacks move very fast in Sokoto? What do you think that you could take there that will ensure massive sales and long term profitability for you?

Are the established names like UAC foods, Chivita, Kaira, and lacasera visible there? How many major markets do you have in Sokoto metropolis (state capital).

Please revert.

Dexpro:
Karin thumbs up. Keep up the good works. I've got something to discuss with you. Hope we can discuss here?

Yes you may put it up.

onyeudo234:
Hello OP, I have really learnt a lot from this thread. But I will like to know something. Plantain chips business is a profitable business in Nigeria at least for now. But what if one decides to go beyond just producing and packaging in transparent nylon but to give it a more better branding . Will it still be profitable. At least that would mean going beyond the state of production and moving it across Nigeria at large. Please I need your opinion on this

Your observation is very correct and your thinking is in sinc with the future. I currently sell plantain chips from two different companies and I can tell you that we are yet to maximise the potentials of this product. in the future it will be a principal export as the processes will be further improved. Just think clearly and if you are old enough you can see where it has come to in the last twenty years.

The future is bright for the entire plantain value chain. Right now plantain chips contributes over 25 percent of my earnings and it is about to increase. That is part of my goals this year; to triple my plantain chips earnings.

Stay in touch and I will show you how we can position ourselves to benefit from the Plantain uprising that I am expecting in a few years. Other products will come but mark my words, plantain will be king.

Do however note that right now the plantain chips demand is on a steady incline but nobody has harnessed it properly as of yet. The marketing is defective and the strategy poor thus making the earnings rather pedestrian.

Emmy9ite:
Great idea Karin, I am totally in. My name is Emmanuel and I base in Uyo/Abuja. I can successfully run any business within the two locations..

Emmanuel, good to hear from you. Please choose one town that you reside in. Where do you spend more time in? Where do you understand more? For some reason I feel it will be Uyo as against Abuja.

This is what I suggest you do. You can use Uyo as a nucleus and then traverse the entire Akwa Ibom State from there.

Let us assume for instance that you have been able to secure a distributive rights for a particular brand of plantain chips, maybe cakes from another company and coconut chips from another one while a another company gives you juice sales right then all you need to do is take delivery of the goods in Uyo right in your living room.

Your first step will be to create a supply chain that covers all the supermarkets on the Oron road/Nwaniba axis, Aka road up to Ning Udo and NTA on the other axis, Ikot Ikpene road up to the New Motor park and of course Abak road up to the Teaching hospital. You will also try to get resellers in the main market Ituk street and Akpan Ndem Market.

Having secured these areas, you will repeat this effort in Eket, Ikot Ekpene, Abak, Ikot Abasi and Oron. Ultimately, you will appoint sub-distributors in these locations to ensure that the coverage is aggressive and airtight.

I must also add that if your coverage is not effective you will lose some customers to the distributors in Aba because almost all retailers in Cross River and Akwa Ibom draw their goods from the Aba wholesale markets. Your primary job is to ensure that your customers always have whatever product you are selling in stock at all times.

Kindly indicate if this line of thought is acceptable to you.
Good luck.