A 22 year-old UNILAG student setting the pace in the branding and packaging industry.
Meet 22-year-old UNILAG Student Oluwafayokunmi Olutomiwa a 400-level Electrical Engineering student of the University of Lagos making a huge impact and difference in the branding and packaging industry as an expatriate businesswoman in the printing, branding, and packaging industry. She is the fore-runner and co-founder of PrintPlaceNg,
PrintPlaceNg is one of the fastest-growing modern printing and branding hubs. It has amounted to many revenues of up to fifteen (15) million naira a year.
Oluwafayokunmi Olutomiwa explains how she had managed the business so far.
PrintPlaceNg has been around for two years, while you are 22. Did you start this business when you were 20 years old?
Oluwafayokunmi Olutomiwa explains that she started the business when she was just 19 years old.
She said “I got the idea while growing up as a teenager I realized that young people like to put on oversized T-shirts. I wouldn’t have thought that at the age of 19, a viable business idea could be born out of my curious observation.
It was seen to be a nice fashion style. So, it got to me as an idea that could be turned into a business of closing the gap between demand and delivery, which will in turn be successful in the shirt sales industry. This was how I came about with my first business ‘Tees2Drip’.
Then why didn’t you start with branding, packaging, and printing?
No, I was just having in mind to sell oversized T-shirts as a business that will generate money for me.
How did that lead to full-time printing and branding work?
Subsequently, I thought to take the branding and packaging of the “Teen2Drip” T-shirt to the next level. I mean I wanted to make them look more peculiar, so I decided to print and make designs on them to create awareness and popularized the brand name so that customers or people will know it’s coming from “Teens2Drip”. So What I did was continuously reach out to people, especially vendors who offered printing services.
These vendors’ charges were ridiculously high to the extent that I couldn’t join the cost of printing on my “Teens2Drip” shirts with the cost of purchase of the shirt and still make it affordable for my target consumers which were mainly students.
So how did you make your way through it?
I discussed this with one of my dear friends who has become a partner in the business as well. I discovered he was into printing, but was vastly into the traditional kind of printing production. He provided me with advice on how intermediaries control the supply chain as a result. I learned from him that these middlemen add prices that can be up to three or four times the actual cost of printing.
For example, suppose 100 business cards cost 6 naira each with middlemen. It might cost as little as 2 naira when purchased directly from printing companies.
Amazingly, the inflation in prices and profits is approximately 200%!
True, but that would also be defrauding customers, which is wrong. Yet, this revelation was sufficient to pique my curiosity in printing manufacturing and motivate me to conduct additional research. I visited printing businesses in Shomolu, the hub of the printing industry in Lagos.
There is the biggest industrial printing apparatus imaginable. I explored the market’s numerous nooks and crannies on foot to understand the sector and how the internet and technology may be used to enhance my firm and expedite my operations.
What did you discover, then?
In response to a sizable audience, I discovered that only 1 in 15 stores offer digital information. Even the minuscule number of those that utilize social media for business do not do so. This is a result of educated middlemen controlling the supply chain and casting substantial doubt on social media’s usefulness for these users. I spotted a potential opportunity for a printing-related business there. I wasn’t going to serve as a middleman. I’d be a printer with experience in packaging, digital branding, and other fields. a refined one.
Using social media and providing excellent printing, creative branding, and special packaging at affordable prices were key factors in the company’s success. I believed that if I could perfect everything, the idea would catch on and last for all of the time. PrintPlaceNg was established in February 2021 as a result of the fusion of these possibilities.
When you first started selling T-shirts, you said that students were your target market. Does that correspond to PrintPlaceNg?
For certainly, yes. I still sell branded t-shirts under the “Tees2Drip” brand, but PrintPlaceNg now handles their production and packaging. A percentage of my target audience is made up of students.
As you are aware, I am still a student, thus it seems to reason that I would keep helping students as they are the foundation of my company’s growth. Even if I quit being a student, they will always get my preference.
My primary target market has grown since the establishment of PrintPlaceNg, which primarily focuses on printing, branding, and packaging different goods. Thus, my primary target market now includes both large enterprises and SMBs.
Since PrintPlaceNg’s inception, I have worked with more than 400 small businesses in addition to several well-known companies, like Spleet Africa, Lemonade Finance, Babalakin & Co., Audacia Prime, AM Properties, Wave Beach, Mwangwa, and many more. With celebrities like Victony and Dorathy from Big Brother Naija season 5, I have branded and packed goods for concerts and brands. Famous musician Praiz once received a T-shirt from Tees2Drip from a friend. He wore it and cherished it! She gave me examples and endorsements!
I see that you have printing machinery for businesses. How did you get the cash to purchase them?
Yeah, we have tried out a variety of funding methods. For the most current financing, which I applied for, Paga is holding a competition. It’s referred to as the “#HerBusinness Initiative” and is only for women. I’m now in the competition’s voting-required final round.
I initially funded the business with funds I got from an engineering scholarship before it became self-sustaining. I added that money to my savings and used it to purchase my first printing press machine. Thank goodness I wasn’t required to pay for a place. I was allowed to operate a little company out of the house by my mum. I can still envision how jam-packed with coolers that place was.
Looking back, I’m simply so grateful. I’ve tried TEF and several other grants and foundations, and I’ve sought money, but nothing has come through. I have only been able to advance via my own steadfastness, strategy, business cash flow, caution, and God’s help. Although my office has become more aesthetically pleasing over time, we’re soon moving into a much bigger space! I can’t wait to share it! Yet I’m still hunting for cash!
What challenges have you faced most in growing your business?
Nigeria has several challenges, such as electricity problems and price instability, but thankfully we have been able to overcome them. But I still think that our biggest issue is still exposure. Through time, social media has significantly enhanced it. We occasionally run effective commercials. Maybe they don’t. But, organic traffic has been helpful, especially on Instagram.
For example, there have been days when Instagram’s algorithm inexplicably favors our account, resulting in the virality and high viewership of our reel videos. It not only increases our readership but also fosters steadfast consumer loyalty. We carry on regardless and move forward. The objective is to become the most talked-about print hub on the internet!
What and how regularly do you utilize social networking sites?
The first I’ll mention is Instagram. It is the main factor in increasing both our visibility and our consumer base. Because we’ve received so many leads from Instagram, I’ve had to create content as well as promote PrintPlaceNg, and trust me when I say that people are paying attention!
There are always observers. I’m just appreciative of the fortitude I’ve been able to summon to consistently produce stuff and turn up even on days when I don’t feel motivated.
Whatsapp is one of the other channels. You can contact me on WhatsApp and our official line from Instagram. I use my WhatsApp since I have a sizable number of contacts that I’ve accumulated through time. I consequently also promote the business on WhatsApp. Thankfully, because we place a high priority on excellent work, people frequently recommend us.
The quantity of Facebook advertising we undertake this year is something we want to increase.
You’re doing an excellent job! How did you manage to juggle such a busy business with Unilag and Electrical Engineering?
Sincerity be honest, I had to make a lot of decisions. Sometimes I’ve had to make decisions and set priorities. I can’t jeopardize my academic objectives, yet I’ve expanded my business to the point where I can’t take a long leave of absence. The only thing I need to do is to constantly remind myself that studying Elect/Elect is simply for the interim period. That won’t always stand in my way. PrintPlaceNg is a long-term objective for me at the moment. I am quite optimistic about what I can accomplish with this concept that has developed inside of me.
I’ve had some horrible days because Elect/Elect is as difficult and depressing as it sounds, especially around test season. My clients must meet deadlines as well. You might inquire if I don’t have any assistance. Indeed, I do, but to reduce overhead, I only employ them on a contract basis. Also, I am unable to just grant them access to my resources. I give God praise that I have now been actively participating on both fronts for more than two years. ridiculous but valuable.
What activities besides business and technology are you interested in?
That sounds like music, holy cow! I love music. I have an unfathomable, unfathomable love for music. It’s mainly spiritual for me. If I do say so myself, I have a distinctive and beautiful voice, and I adore singing. I have triumphed in several music competitions. For instance, at the AccessTheStars online auditions in 2020, I finished in the top 5 out of hundreds of applicants. The competition was arranged by Star Lager beer and Access Bank.
Even though I’ve given up acting as a hobby, a handful of my close friends believe that I have a great sense of humour and would make a great actor. Nonetheless, I do have plans to pursue music. Maybe when my business has developed to the point that I can largely resign and concentrate only on running operations. But, we currently adore printing, branding, and packaging.
Kunmi, our talk was amazing. A final word for our audience?
I continue to advance. It does get better, though, when I consider where I started. Launch that project while keeping the overall picture in mind. Do not wait for the perfect time to come, start with the basics and keep getting better.
Thank you, Kunmi. We value your time and work. Please keep developing as you Succeed.
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