IS NIGERIA READY FOR COMBO MEALS?

I grew up knowing Mr. Biggs and..... well, just Mr. Biggs. My dad used to take us kids like twice a year. During Christmas and of course Easter celebrations. It was like a silent agreement and a treat that we all looked forward to. Such nice memories. Things have dramatically changed. So many fast food outlets have sprung up and Mr. Biggs has become a shadow of its former self. I guess the competition was too strong. As Nigeria's economy grows, multinational companies are flocking to the country to tap into a sophisticated middle class. With a population of around 170 million people, Nigeria's economic potential has attracted firms like Shoprite who has seven profitable stores. Fast food is not as we know it any more. From just being chicken pie or meat pie, scotch egg and sausage, it has grown to be burger with fries and a drink referred to as a combo meal. Fast food companies that offer such are expanding into Nigeria with many treading cautiously unsure that the country is ready for combo meals. International companies like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Johnny Rockets are already here providing combo meals to many. But even with the positive opportunities that exists in our dear country, running such businesses is not without its challenges. Multinationals cite poor infrastructure, corrupt port authorities, supply chain problems and road networks as challenges being experienced. I had my first combo meal few years back. I loved it; it became like a monthly experience but then I thought of how much weight I was adding. Oh, dear! I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me my next line of action. So, are we ready for combo meals? Is it an experience you would love to have daily, weekly, monthly or just during celebrations?

We did a story on it recently. I hope for companies like Johnny Rockets who are looking to expand and open more eateries in Nigeria, that the infrastructure challenges will become a thing of the past in the coming years.

Please click on link below to watch the story:

Nigeria's Fast Food Craze

MAKEUP ENTREPRENEUR - BLAZING A TRAIL

The idea came to me out of the blues. Why don't we do a story on Tara? She's achieved a lot in Nigeria, surviving as a female entrepreneur and recording so many successes. Yeah, let's do this. After the story was approved, we got right to it. It took weeks to get her phone number and few more weeks to fix a date for the shoot. She is such a busy lady. Also a woman who loves her family as the initial date we had picked was close to Valentine's day so we had to look for a more appropriate timing which paid off. Her company, House of Tara International, set up the country's first make up school. She was also inspired to introduce her beauty products in order to build a global beauty company of African origin. Tara has trained so many makeup artists and is currently involved in empowering young ladies in a bid to make them financially independent.One thing that struck a chord about her company was how she deals with customers. I have issues with customer care service in Nigeria as a lot of companies really need to train their staff on how to deal with customers. I can't recount the number of times I had to tell myself I ain't never visiting that store again or telling off someone for not serving our order on time or having to forfeit my balance cos they just didn't have 'change' to give. It was quite a relief that finally, someone gets it, customer service is key. Tara's case was just so different. First time I walked into the reception of her office in Lekki, all the ladies had a smile on their faces and the first thing they said was "Welcome to house of Tara". I was impressed. Just three weeks ago, my atm card got stuck in the machine, no thanks to the epileptic power supply in the country. It was a Saturday and it happened right at the market where I needed to purchase food items. The security man was so rude. I told him; gone are the days where I will have to return the following week to pick up my atm card as he was suggesting I do. I am leaving here with it and that's it. An hour later, I had my card but what a time wasting experience. Anyway, would be nice if other companies and establishments, no matter how small or the kind of business they run, it would be great if they could just try to be nice and polite to their customers or clients.
Kudos to Tara for blazing a trail in entrepreneurship skills with the establishment of her make-up company.
Please, click on link below to watch the video and do have a wonderful week.
Nigerian makeup business mogul blazing a trail in entrepreneurship