Challenges of running boutique business – Onyeuka Sophia, CEO, Sophie Couture

Every industry and business comes with its pros and cons as well as challenges that may be either transient or permanent. In Nigeria, running a business is never a tea party given the inconsistency in government policies and the debilitating ease of doing business in the polity. From the manufacturing sector to shipping, entertainment to broadcast, real estate to import and export, unwholesome stories abound in getting things done.

Speaking from her own neck of the wood, Onyeuka Sophia Anwuli, the Chief Executive Officer of Sophie Couture, who operates in the upscale rung of the ladder in the fashion sector gives insights into what it takes to run a fashion outfit vis-a-vis the inherent challenges.

According to her, the challenges are quite numerous.

“First is inconsistency in exchange rates and high rent fees. There are also the challenges of inconsistency in shipping and clearing fees. Another, is lack of constant electricity power which has now made one getting a store where service charges are applied in order to have uninterrupted power supply. These and many more are the challenges we face in this line of business. Challenges are bound to happen in business. First, I go back to the drawing board to think deeply from the root to see what has actually made challenges occur. Then, I try as much as possible not to allow it happen again by implementing a plan B,” she says

“There happens to be a lot of work to be done here in Nigeria. Abroad, the government has made things easy for them; hence, making basic necessities needed for them to have smooth sailing of their businesses. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the case. We citizens have got to provide everything all by ourselves. This happens to be a great challenge as compared to what is obtainable in the Western part of the world,” she adds.

On the question on whether the business is lucrative or not, the boss lady at Sophie Couture affirms that no business is lucrative harping that it is passion that runs a business and not greed for reward.

She lectures, “First and foremost I tell anyone who wants to venture into any form of business never to look into the lucrative part first . Rather, loving it as a passion should be your first step because most times business you assume would yield money may not . But what makes you keep going is the love and passion that you have for it . Trust me, in little or no time it would surely pay off.”

After graduating from the Imo State University with a Bachelor’s degree in banking and finance she picked up a 8-5pm job while her passion for fashion burns underneath.

“I started my boutique business in my home. My passion grew when I formerly used to work an 8-5pm job and when I dressed up to work my colleagues always admired my outfit so whenever they wanted it I just told them I had it and when they made payment I would go source it for them. Little by little the business started growing and I was able to save up capital to rent a store, operating it while I continued with my office job. 11 years after, here we are today. It’s been a long journey,” she said.

Onyeuka Sophia Anwuli floated the Sophie Couture brand in 2007, a little over ten years ago. Although she has an inspiring success story to tell but the journey has not been smooth sailing she has had to weather her own storm and paddled her canoe to the shores she has found herself today.

“The journey hasn’t been easy at all . I happen to have had my business running alongside an 8-5pm job. It was a hell of a stress. I used to work in the shipping sector and my schedule was as hectic as hell. How do you equate my leaving the office on a Friday straight to the airport to board a flight to Istanbul or Dubai just to shop for my store, get there early hours on Saturday, rush to check in a hotel, take a shower and immediately zooms off to the market to shop because I would need to leave Istanbul or Dubai the next day, all because I need to be in office on a Monday morning. It became worse especially when I had already exhausted my annual leave for the year and also had run out of stock . It has been a roller-coaster journey of pain, frustration, high energy and of course triumphs at the end of the day,” she enumerated with passion.

Onyeuka Sophia Anwuli has taken the Sophie Couture brand to the apex of the ladder in fashion and boutique business by deploying technology-driven marketing skills and also by selling luxury items at affordable prices.

“My marketing skills really played a role in my business. I can market anything marketable. I can make something ugly look very appealing to the eyes. I market my goods with so much passion that I must say contributed immensely to the growth of my business.

Onyeuka Sophia Anwuli is a Delta Igbo woman from Ndokwa East Local Government area of Delta State. She attended Learning Field Nursery and Primary School.

Her secondary education was at Hope Bay College before proceeding to Imo State University for a degree in banking and finance.