YoungEntrepreneur: I used my NYSC allowance to start shoemaking business – Engineering graduate

Johnpaul Kelechi, 30, a mechanical engineering graduate of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University in Anambra State, has made a name for himself in the shoemaking industry with his brand, Kelz Wear.

Mr Kelechi, based in Ekiti State, said he ventured into shoemaking out of a desire for self-sufficiency.

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Kelechi, who graduated in 2017 and served the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2018, said he started his shoe-making business with savings from his NYSC allowance.

PT: What drew you into the shoe-making industry?

Kelechi: I have always loved crafts since my childhood. I like creating stuff; that was what inspired me. I realised that shoemaking wasn’t just about making shoes but about creating something that brings joy. I wanted to do something that would allow me to be creative. That was how I started making slippers. After university, I just thought about doing something for myself because I already had the idea and knowledge of shoemaking, so I ventured into it, and as time went on, I got a lot of interest in it. That was how I started. And I must tell you that my shoe-making business has not only provided me with financial stability but has served as a testament to the potential for entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

PT: How were you able to raise your startup capital?

Kelechi: I raised my startup capital from my NYSC allowee savings. At the time, we were being paid N19,800, but I must tell you that the ‘allowee’ helped me a lot. I was able to save up some money from it and after my service year, the little money I saved, I started to buy the little things I needed for the business.

PT: For how long have you been into shoemaking?

Kelechi: Up to five years now.

PT: What challenges have you faced in this business?

Kelechi: I will say the first challenge is the capital because it is not easy venturing into shoemaking. If someone wants to venture into shoemaking in a bigger way, you will need a huge capital. To raise money to buy some machinery, equipment and other tools needed was challenging for me. That is one of the challenges that I encountered.

Secondly, poor power supply. You need steady power for this kind of job, but because there is a poor power supply in the country, I spend between N25,000 and N30,000 weekly on fuel (before the recent increase in pump prices). And that mostly affects my income. Unwillingness on the part of young people to learn shoemaking is another challenge. I don’t have enough hands because young people see shoemaking as a dirty job, so they don’t want to go into it. The rising cost of materials for shoemaking in the market has not also helped.

PT: Do you train people? If yes, how many have you trained?

Kelechi: I have trained a lot of people. When I was in school during my university days, I organised seminars, and I had a lot of audiences then. In Ondo State, during my NYSC too, I registered for the SAED programme as a resource person. I was training my fellow corpers so I had a lot of them that I trained and after NYSC, from 2018 till now, I have trained more than 20 individuals.

PT: How wide is your market?

Kelechi: By God’s grace, my shoe has been speaking for itself. The product has been going places and I thank God for that. I am expanding into the global market because I supply shoes to customers abroad; in places like Canada, the United Kingdom and across Nigeria. I have expanded my customer base to these places. When my customers in Canada and the United Kingdom order my shoes, I send it through a logistics company, and this enables seamless delivery of my product worldwide.

PT: Have you worked on multiple orders simultaneously, and how do you deal with it?

Kelechi: Yes, I have worked on multiple orders several times, and by God’s grace with the help of my trainee and the types of equipment that I have, I was able to meet up with time. Like making 80 pairs and more than that of footwear in a single order. In a week sometimes I make up to 20 pairs of footwear, including shoes and slippers.

PT: Since you started this business have you taken a loan?

Kelechi: No, I haven’t. Although I applied several times for a loan but it wasn’t coming by so I stopped trying and then decided that the little money I could raise would be put back into the business.

PT: Where do you see Kelz Wear in years to come

Kelechi: Hopefully, I know it’s going places. Like I said before, I have customers outside Nigeria, so I am very sure Kelz Wear is going places and it’s going to be a very big brand in the local and international footwear market in a few years.

PT: What is the price range of your footwear

Kelechi: The price depends on the design and varies for different genders. For men’s shoes, I make it at the rate of N25,000 to N30,000. While for men, slippers are N15,000. The female footwear is between N7,000 and N8,000.

PT: Recently, prices of goods and services have skyrocketed in the country; how has the economy affected your business?

Kelechi: It has been hard actually. I won’t lie about that, but I am trying to meet up. At Kelz Wear, we sell our footwear at the range of what we get materials in the market. The economy has been affecting the business because things have been so expensive in the market but we are trying to keep our quality and make sure the prices are not too high for customers to buy and also maintain quality.

PT: What key things have you learned doing this business?

Kelechi: I have learnt a lot doing this business. I have learned how to manage the little capital I have to obtain a big project. And how to take risks without fear. And also I have learnt how to work with people.

PT: What advice would you give to other young individuals looking to venture into footwear-making?

Kelechi: My little advice to them is to keep pushing, be consistent in any legit thing you are doing and believe in yourself. Start small and think big. Let me use this opportunity to tell them to venture into entrepreneurship more because Nigeria’s economy is taking people by surprise every day. The youth should try not to stay idle. Work on yourself, start up something reasonable and sell value to people. That is one of the ways you can make money without going into fraud or bad things. When you put your mind, hard work, start small and think big, you will achieve it.

PT: Some people believe that the quality of things made in Nigeria is low. Do you agree with that?

Kelechi: No, I don’t agree with that. Let me use my products, for instance. I make quality, durable footwear and my customers can testify to that. We use quality materials for our footwear at Kelz Wear. With our shoes, you can go places because good shoes speak louder than words.