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| Auwal Ahmad Abdullahi, CEO Soofwa Fashion |
In this interview with Auwal Ahmad, CEO of Soofwa Ventures, a company based in Kaduna with interest in fashion design, he shares his entrepreneurial journey and his passion, challenges and optimism.
ArewaWatch: Tell us a
bit about yourself.
Auwal: My name is Auwal
Ahmad Abdullahi. I studied Computer Engineering, I am married with two kids, I
am from Jigawa state and I was born in Zaria, Kaduna state- Nigeria. I am an
entrepreneur, a fashion designer and a fish/poultry farmer.
ArewaWatch: You
mentioned that you studied computer engineering. Do you have any work
experience in engineering or any other sector?
Auwal: Yes, I have
about six years experience working in a couple of organisations. I worked with
two different media companies, and I also worked with a bank in Nigeria.
ArewaWatch: What
inspires you to drop your career in computer engineering and banking to venture
into the fashion industry?
Auwal: As a little boy,
between the age of 6-7, growing up in the ghetto area, I usually always walk
barefooted. I don’t like wearing shoes at all. I totally detest putting on
shoes. My mother will scold me, beat me and do all that she can to make sure
that I put on my shoes, but as soon as I am out of her sight, I remove the
shoes and go on with my walking barefooted. On a particular day, I was
strolling with a cousin of mine and we saw a pile of refuse, unknowing to us,
there was fire burning beneath the pile of refuse, so I decided to step on the
refuse. Upon doing so, my leg got burnt severely. From that day I learnt my
lesson and decided to start putting on shoes wherever I am going.
Whenever I see people without shoes, I advise them to
always put on shoes sighting my personal experience. From then on, I started
developing ideas on how to design shoes. When I see people with shoes, I am
like this shoe doesn’t fit you, this is the kind of shoe that fits you best,
and so on.
After graduating from
secondary school, I started buying and selling shoes. I will travel to Kano
state, buy shoes and come sell hear in Kaduna. Afterwards, I decided to go into
clothing. Fashion has always been a passion to me. I am always cautious of the
type of clothing I wear.
ArewaWatch: The name of
your business is Soofwa, why the name Soofwa?
Auwal: It is actually a
coincidence. Soofwa is an Arabic word in a partial sense, and also a Turkish phrase. An Arabic word gotten from “Sabr” – meaning patience. Similarly, it means
“patience is a virtue” in Turkish. It is also a combination of my name, my
wife’s name, and that of my kids.
ArewaWatch: How did you
get started?
Auwal: I actually
started designing cloths just for myself to wear. Initially, I never intended
to do so as a business. When I designed and produced my first shirt, someone saw
it on me and immediately developed interest in it. He enquired about it and I
told him that I designed it myself. He requested I sell the shirt to him, which
I did for N4,000. Someone else saw it on him, and requested for same. I
immediately saw a business opportunity in it, and that is how Soofwa started
about five years ago.
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| Team Soofwa |
ArewaWatch: What was the first thing you put in place?
Auwal: One of the first
thing I did was developing a brand name for the company. A name that will
remain in the head of people, in their pockets, and in their mind. So I came up
with Soofwa. Secondly, I got a logo that rhymes with the business name, and the
business itself. I then proceeded to register the company with the Corporate
Affairs Commission, and got a trademark for the company name.
ArewaWatch: What are
the difficulties you experienced when getting started?
Auwal: One of the
difficulties I experienced was selling our products/services. At some instances,
we will design and produce a product and it will take about 2 – 3 months before
selling it. Meeting up with customers taste and expectations was also challenging
then, so also cost of production. This is because when I started, I outsource the
production of the cloths after I must have made the designs myself, since I do
not have the necessary machines for that.
ArewaWatch: Was their anytime
you ever thought of giving up?
Auwal: Actually, there
was no time I ever felt like giving up because it is something I love doing. I have
passion for fashion designing. This is something I will trek 20 – 30 kilometers
to go get a job done. I have done several jobs without even having anything in
return.
ArewaWatch: What
challenges are you currently experiencing?
Auwal: Our major
challenge is electricity. Electricity supply here is very poor. As it is now,
we use generator to do over 75% of our work. This makes our cost of production
higher.
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| Soofwa Product |
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| Soofwa Product |
ArewaWatch: What is
your advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs?
Auwal: I will advice
any aspiring entrepreneur to have passion for anything they want to venture
into. Passion will take you very far. Passion will make you have the patience necessary
for succeeding. The truth is, we are the architects of ourselves. We design
what we want to be by determination. If you are determined to do something,
just work hard, have passion for it and pray hard, and success will knock at
your door InshaaAllah.
ArewaWatch: How can
someone place orders for your products and services?
Auwal: Customers can
reach us at our office situated at Shema Shopping Complex behind Shema Petrol Station.
Ribadu Road, Tudun Wada, Kaduna State, Nigeria. We are open Mondays to
statudays, 9am to 6pm.
Customers can also
reach us via the following online channels:
Email: soofwaventure@gmail.com
Call/Whatsapp: 07037079942
Call: 09027222074
Engineer, Banker Turned Fashion Designer - Meet Auwal Ahmad, The Young CEO of Soofwa Fashion
Reviewed by AbuZahra Ahmad
on
August 12, 2018
Rating:
Reviewed by AbuZahra Ahmad
on
August 12, 2018
Rating:
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