‘Every job seeker should become an entrepreneur’

Awoleke, Priscilla Olanike is a confectioner who believes that every customer is king. She speaks to Favour Boluwade about her passion for service delivery, food industry challenges, among other issues.

 

How do you connect with your customers and consumers?

I connect with my customers by listening to their needs. For me, it’s not just about making money, the satisfaction of my customers is very important to me and once a customer is satisfied, they bring in more people and referrals are very good for any business. After delivery, I also check for feedbacks, this helps me to know what I need to improve on next time and try to make it up to a customer that may not have been satisfied.

 

Why did you decide to be involved in the catering and confectionery industry?

As an undergraduate, there was a need to augment the pocket money I was getting from home and while thinking of how to make money on campus, I remembered that I loved cooking and making cakes even though I only had the knowledge from food and nutrition classes from secondary school. One of the things that most students spend money on then was birthday parties so I saw an opportunity to make money and I started with my immediate friends and roommates. From them, I got referrals and that was how I found myself in the industry and since then I’ve always enjoyed being in it.

 

What are your present challenges and how do you overcome them?

We face different challenges on a regular basis. One of the challenges is that we have different classes of customers, mainly the high class and middle class and each of these classes have different expectations. The middle class often want cheap service but good quality while the high class just wants quality service not minding the price. Where the challenge comes in is being able to identify the class a client belongs. I’ve been able to overcome this by firstly listening to the needs of a client and asking questions to have an idea of how much they are willing to pay. Secondly, I’ve been able to come up with a pricing system that accommodates both classes of clients not compromising standard and quality service. A lot of money goes into the setup of a business and there’s only little help coming from the government for start-ups. It’s also challenging getting a business loan from financial institutions because, in most cases, you need collateral, which might be difficult for start-ups. I’ve been able to rise above this by starting small, not despising little beginning and also working on freelance jobs to make extra income.

 

What does your brand focus on?

My brand is focused on delivering quality products like celebration cakes, dishes, mock tail drinks, small chops and variety of snacks.

 

Would you advice job seekers to toe the path of entrepreneurship and why ?

Yes, I would certainly advice job seekers to try the path of entrepreneurship, although I would also advice them to get the appropriate training in their chosen field and also acquire knowledge on how to be a successful entrepreneur. My reason for this advice is that there are a lot of opportunities around us that can put food on our tables and it’s better to get something legit to do than just staying idle. Remember, an idle hand is the devil’s workshop.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I see myself greatly impacting and influencing the industry I belong, by creating a stable system that can accommodate trainees from different parts of Nigeria and training them to be successful business owners in my field.

 

Can we meet you?

I’m Priscilla Olanike Awoleke. I am married to Samuel Oluwatosin Awoleke. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree and Masters degree in Music from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I’m from Igosun, Oyun in  Kwara State. I’m an entrepreneur and I cater for all kinds of events and corporate meetings (@pastryplus). I run an online store where I sell baked goods (@bakewares_n_more). I train and mentor upcoming bakers and also organise free trainings some times for people with genuine passion for what I do but can’t afford the training fee. I’m a musician and I love singing with passion and I have a recorded album titled ‘Darasimi’. I also run an NGO called ‘Lets show love’, where we reach out to orphans and the less privileged in society.