In this interview by SEYI SOKOYA, Saheed Lawal, the brain behind one of the leading clubs in Ibadan, Switch, speaks on the secret behind his success as a young entrepreneur in the entertainment and hospitality industries. Excerpts:
You are one of the leading club owners in the city of Ibadan, how has the experience been coming back from the challenges of the lockdown?
We faced a lot of challenges during that period because entertainment life was shut down completely, but God gave us an advantage. We run a hotel here and because of that, we were able to maintain our business with the hotel, but the club was shut. Instead, we used that opportunity to upgrade the club and the lounge and when the ban was lifted, we were able to give our customers a redefined experience, which made us to even double our customer base.
So, the business kicked back after the lockdown, but it became more competitive because a lot of people delved into the business after the ban. Following this development, I told my staff that I love the trend, because if you are into a business and nobody challenges you, you will feel relaxed, but when there are people to challenge you, you can challenge yourself and scale through, that is when you have truly made it. Many clubs were established, but God still gave me the grace to stand tall. We didn’t proclaim ourselves as the number one club in Ibadan, but people’s recommendations dignify Switch as the number one club in the city of Ibadan. I appreciate it, but I want to see Switch beyond that. We are aiming to be if not the best, but one of the best in Nigeria, and that is the target.
Despite the growth of clubs, Switch refuses to go low. What is the secret?
It is not easy, but it is still easy. It is like a car manufacturer; there are different models and grades produced each year, so, in the hospitality business, what you need to do is to constantly upgrade, you don’t have to wait till people get tired of your establishment before you upgrade. This was why we seized the Ramadan period to upgrade it.
Should we call it an act of respecting the Ramadan season by shutting down your business as a Muslim?
Let’s put religion aside, it is not because I am a Muslim. Generally, business slows down during Ramadan and the system of the management is to renovate the club once a year, so, we used the Ramadan period to execute that. It takes one month to do the renovation. Even if we are to open during the fasting period, we will lose at least 60 per cent of our customers. So, there is no point to keep it open at that time, so we used that opportunity to renovate the club.
How much does it cost you to upgrade the facility every year?
I will not like to mention any amount, because it is not about blowing one’s trumpet but giving customers top-notch experiences. When we started with that idea, it was a little difficult for us, but after we did the first one, we discovered that it made the business better. This business gulps a lot of money. For instance, if you make N100,000 in a year, kindly note that 50 per cent of it will still go back into the business. So, that is it, and it has been working for us.
Clubs are prone to security threats, how have you been able to handle this?
In this business, we don’t joke with security. If you look around you, you will see that we have mobile police men and other security agencies around. We also have other security procedures that we observe, which I would not like to divulge. In this business, we don’t produce the drinks, we only add value to them and the value must be there. So, all our customers must be secured. They must be rest assured that their security is guaranteed when they are in Switch and that what we are doing is government-approved. I am a professional in this game and I have always been security conscious and protect people.
Bubbles Plus was turned to Switch. Could you tell us what brought about the switch?
It is no news that we started with Bubble Plus, we ran it for about six years. It was number one at that time as well. After three years, some new clubs and lounges emerged and it became more competitive. At that time, we tried to re-strategise. After some years, we still discovered that the competition was on the increase. So, we had no choice but to revamp and change our style. I believe that, at that time, if I put all the effort I could and didn’t change the name, we might not be able to achieve our goal. So, we had to look for a name that still represented us, that was why we changed to Switch.
How did you come about that name? Is it because you switched from Bubble Plus? Or you coined the name from something?
In every business, not just in the hospitality business, you have to be creative. So, Switch was a name I created, I had to think deeply about the name people will be able to relate with and I believe that, from Bubble Plus to Switch, the brand already comes with a name, so I don’t have to stress myself too much to get a new name.
You have become a role model to young Nigerians as an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry and a mogul in the textile industry and other businesses. How have you been able to manage all these businesses without a clash?
The major thing I always do is, before I jump into any business, I will make sure that the existing business is already accepted by customers. When people have already accepted you with that business, what you just need to do is to find a good manager in charge before starting a new one. The people you have put in charge of your businesses will only have to follow your footsteps and guidelines. I am always everywhere, if I am unable to get to the place of business in a day, I will still check in and make sure everything is in order. I always monitor all my business and make sure they are well-managed.
You are a calm and easygoing person, is it not an irony that you are in this business, people who are extroverts are usually the ones who are in this business. How have you been able to cope?
Let me say this, quietness is not a requirement to run this business or otherwise. A business is a business. You just have to give it what it needs. Being a calm person doesn’t mean I won’t do the right thing. Some situations require me to speak up and tackle issues, and I do so. People see me and think I am a quiet person, and they can see me in another element because when it is time to act, I do. In life, you have to be humble, forget about the money, you have to be humble and you know, in this business, if you are too arrogant, it won’t help. There are many characters that I don’t normally exhibit, but I have to because it is necessary. In this business, you don’t know who is who. You don’t have to be arrogant, so that you can learn every day because what you think that you know, others know more. We learn every day. Being arrogant will not help you in this business.
How have you been able to make your business stands out?
In all businesses in this world, it is necessary to make research on it. You have to know what you want to invest your money into before doing it. Some people don’t know the in and out of the business very well, they just go into it because they think it is a good business. It is more than that. Every day, whether I’m in Nigeria or outside the country, I always do my research on new trends in the industry. So, before I even started, I did a lot of research. In some places, you can›t have a lounge, club, and hotel, one will affect the other. But, in my case, everything is running smoothly. The club is downstairs, the lounge is upstairs and the hotel is at the back. So, when you come in through the entrance, you will not meet anybody till you get to the hotel. It is only people that know that there is a club here that comes. We make sure that one doesn’t affect the other. It is something that we knew would work for us. We did not just think we could do it and just did it, we put some thought into it before doing it.
What is your advice for young Nigerians who believe that the government has to do everything for them?
What I can say about that is that people in that category should help themselves by taking the bull by the horn. People like me who have businesses, also need the support of the government. It is not easy to do business in Nigeria. Look at the price of diesel now. If we were not in the business before, it might not have been easy for us. So, young people, even old people, need the support of the government. Without that, this business will be difficult for anybody to go into it. At least, the 50 per cent we always put back into the business is for power generation. We have to run generators every day, yet we are not benefitting anything from the government even though you are adding to the growth of the economy. We pay tax. No electricity. We hope that things will change soon.
What is your plan to make the entertainment and hospitality business to be a force to be reckoned with?
I am loaded with creative ideas and I will be unfolding them steadily. Entertainment and hospitality are all about creativity. I know what it takes. This is why I want to remain unique in all ways. My goal is to become the number one club owner in Nigeria and I am not relenting to get to that level.
There have been testimonies and recommendations on our deliveries, but I assure the people to expect more. Our anniversary is next year, we will clock five years by next February; Switch will be five. We are planning a lot of things. We are still expecting support from many brands to make the day a very special one.
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