We need more enabling policies to help FMCG businesses in Nigeria —Theresa Aromesule, business consultant and coach

Theresa Aromesule, (popularly known as Tess), is a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business consultant and coach, and the convener of EvolvingwithTess Initiative, with a career in business that spans over 18 years. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about her business and career; FMCG and why people should be coached about it, branding and women in business, among other things.

You have over 15 years of entrepreneurial and business experience. How was the journey in the beginning? Do you have any business degree or certifications?

Yes, I’ve international and local certifications in business and business-related fields. My career in business spans over 18 years working for multinationals across Africa, Europe and Asia. That said, I’ve always been entrepreneurial in spirit. So, as I worked my 9-5, I had my business running on the side, until a few years ago when I started to consciously build my personal brand.

Briefly tell us about your job description as the lead consultant of Tess Aromesule Global Access (TAGA). Before TAGA, what were you into?

As lead consultant, I manage the operations and lead our team especially in business development. I’m responsible for the strategic direction and development of the organisation

Prior to this, I worked in a few multinationals across sub-Sahara Africa, Europe and Asia in functions that span across brand management, portfolio or category management, marketing sales, and key account management. Some of the functions helped me build a strong base in B2B management. I also worked with a few indigenous companies to help build my B2C and market knowledge especially in FMCG.

You pride yourself as a FMCG coach. What is FMCG? And, why do you think people should be coached on FMCG?

FMCG is the acronym for Fast Moving Consumer Goods. These are basically items we use in most homes on a daily basis. Some of the categories include food, beverage, toiletries, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc. These goods are usually sold with small margins—profit would usually only come with volume—that’s the more of the products you sell, the more profitable your business.

It has become necessary to coach business owners, especially SMEs in this sector because the exponential growth in their business can only come via an understanding of the sector they’re in and that’s what drives the profitability. In this case, since volume is the game changer, it is essential to coach them on how to create and recruit profitable distribution channels to sell their products.

Most FMCG products in the country are mainly imported. Why are people like you not advocating for the manufacturing of these products in the country?

We belong to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and that’s one of the strong points we’re pushing forward. We need to have a more enabling and supportive environment in terms of government policies

That said, manufacturing in Nigeria is not for the faint hearted, so kudos to everyone who has been doing it and still keeping at it. At a point, for one of my clients, it was easier to private label and import one of their SKUs (shelf keeping units/product) than it was to manufacture locally.

Factors like power alone constitute a great chunk of the operational cost. FMCG, being a low margin business, how then do you compete when the cost elements are not adding up. So we need more favourable economic polices to be able to thrive.

How really safe are these products, health-wise?

I believe NAFDAC has done a great job thus far and the recent drive to ensure compliance is helping to put everyone on the toes to ensuring their products get the NAFDAC certification as well as other regulatory certification.

Many people in the FMCG business chain are finding it difficult to infiltrate the local markets/stores. As an expert in this business, what do you think they can do to record success in this regard?

Most product owners don’t take the time to understand the pre-requisite for the different outlets/stores. For most of the outlets, NAFDAC certification is compulsory. So I tell product owners to first ensure their products are NAFDAC-certified.

There are other issues around commercial terms and product quality that are most times ignored or underrated by the product owner. Promotion or advertising is another thing that most SME product owners don’t pay enough attention to. Advertising doesn’t need to be on a big budget for a small brand but do something to drive traffic and attention to your brand. Attention is the new currency for consumer conversion.

Secondly, for the open markets, your surest bet would be to identify, agree and appoint wholesalers or distributors to help you penetrate the market via their own existing trade channels. If you understand what consumers are looking for in terms of your product and how or where they want the product to reach them, you have done 80 per cent of the work.

COVID-19 and border closer took significant toll on virtually all businesses. In these trying times, how are you strategising to reach more Nigerians with your products and make more profit?

I don’t have a product of my own aside the service I offer. However, I help my clients with distribution. These days, we’ve had to look beyond the norm to create new channels for products to reach the final consumer. That means we’re doing more direct trading via e-commerce and digital platforms For our businesses, we’re building a strong presence online now.

As a brand manager, do you think every business in Nigeria should be branded? Which businesses do you help with their branding?

Branding is the soul and identity of any business. Owning a business without a brand direction is like birthing a child and not giving that child a name. What would become the destiny of that child?! So, I always preach on the importance of understanding that everything we do, especially within the FMCG sector, is driven by the need to have a good and present brand that can become household names. A lot of the multinationals and their brands that we see, love and use today may not necessarily be from a user-experience point but from a brand perspective—most times, riding on heritage, from one family to the other.

So, our focus and expertise is within the FMCG sector. We not only coach these businesses on profitable channels and how to penetrate the market, but also and very importantly on the need to build a strong brand along the way because that’ll contribute to the sustenance of their business.

Your Facebook profile says you have an engagement with Evolve Woman (evolvewoman.com). What is it about?

EvolvingwithTess is a social project based on my passion for women to succeed generally. I believe there is a star in every woman—some of us recognise and run with the vision, others need their embers to be stoked and fanned into flames.

My objective is to help us understand that irrespective of your stage or state in life. We’ve a common thread that weaves the tapestry of our essence as women and collectively we can empower, help and win together in all spheres.

Looking at the Nigerian business/corporate space, are you comfortable with the number of women and their participation in this space?

The future is woman!  Although with all the talk about gender equality and diversity in the corporate world, I think we need more women in the board rooms. There are a few great examples to learn from already, but there is room for more. If you look in the business world, especially within the middle class and specifically SMEs, you will find majority are women, so, I think, in a matter of time we’ll see more women emerge.

How is your work/business coping in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic? What are your plans for your business this year?

We’ve had to adjust to the norms of this new normal. We hold most meetings virtually and integrate with our distributor’s digital solutions. This year we plan to focus on driving our business online and consolidating our offers in distribution.

What are the major challenges you face in your line of work/career? And, what do you like doing in your leisure?

Some of the challenges we face is in dealing with brand owners and the entrepreneurial mindset to detach emotions from sales or product creation and to invest in personal development.

For leisure, I enjoy reading, cooking and watching movies when time permits.

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