Someday, I’ll compete with Mr. Biggs – Ogisi Israel

Even with Nigeria’s rough, tough and patchy business environ­ment, the country still is a land of amazing opportunities good enough for small business start-ups to thrive. Business analysts and economists continue to harp on the immense oppor­tunities to make money in the nation, that don’t even exist or are easily overlooked in other parts of the world.

Fortunately, there seems to be a growing number of entrepreneurship awareness in the country and among youths. Today, Nigeria has a bludgeoning army of small scale entre­preneurs who are already exploiting the lu­crative opportunities through their MSMEs. The key that tends to drive their success is their ability to see things quite differently and in getting practical, by dirtying their hands when floating their small business concepts.
One attribute of throughbred entrepre­neurs is that they see potential and opportu­nities where there are problems. Again, while others complain about everyday challenges, entrepreneurs tinker, create solutions and start earning well.
Ogisi Israel is a graduate of Mass Com­munication from the Our Saviour Institute of Science and Agricultural Technology (OSIS­ATECH), Enugu. As the last child in his fam­ily, he absorbed a lot of culinary skill from his parents and siblings. And with this skill, he ventured into starting up a small scale fast food business and today that skill he ac­quired he paid off. Hence after bagging his HND certification, Israel bothered not to go job hunting, he settled to build a brand from his small business.
“I started in August 2011 at the National Youth Convention of my church. I decided to go into something different from what oth­ers have been serving the people as food in the camp. I decided to go into toasted bread, noodles and egg, the response I got was very encouraging, so I delved further and added Shawama to my menu.
“I am a graduate of Mass Communica­tion from OSISATECH, Enugu where I had my HND and did my youth service in Kogi State. After which my desire to create jobs made me go straight into entrepreneurship.”
With a start-up capital of N10,000 for his fast food business, Israel has reaped 10-fold. Today, he has six undergrads under his pay roll as he aspires to further expand so as to compete with super brand fast food joint like Mr. Biggs, Sweet Sensation and the like.
“When I commence business in 2011, I started with N10, 000, but today I can tell you that my business is now worth much more than my start-up capital. Now, I have six employees. They are all undergraduates from different universities. Whenever their school is in session they retire to their dif­ferent campuses, while I continue with the business, and when they are on holiday, they join me in running the business and I pay them. He continues: “I have also purchased three big gas cookers for business and I’m looking forward to acquiring a bigger space and a strategic location so that I can expand more and compete with the big players in the business.”
Fast food restaurants, otherwise known as quick service restaurants (QSR) or eatery, are specific food outlets that specialise in the fast and efficient preparation of foods that are always ready for takeout at an affordable price. They also provide seating arrange­ments for customers who want to eat their food in the restaurant.
Like the name implies, one of the benefits of fast food restaurants is that, it is fast and efficient. This means that people can get food on-the-go, without wasting time and the food can be packed and ready for takeout at any time. It is convenient and affordable. You don’t have to go through the stress of prepar­ing your own meal if you don’t want to, all you need do is locate the nearest fast food restaurant, and you can get varieties of food that you may not even be able to prepare by yourself at home. People working at a far dis­tance have to leave their homes very early in the morning. And many of them are unable to cook or eat a decent meal before scurry­ing off to work. Hence, they resort to buying food from fast food restaurants.
Indeed, fast food business is one of the most lucrative businesses in any country. And according to business consultant, Na­poleon Omotunde: “This is because food is a necessity and no one can do without it. Fast food restaurants have become very popular in Nigeria because of the quick nature of their service and varieties in food menu.”
Ogisi agrees to this: “I can tell you that the business is very great. I feel great when come for me to serve them my meals. Every work is about passion. It is my passion to be doing this work. And I feel very proud and fulfilled about it. ”
Just like Ogisi, a lot of local restaurant owners are delving and upgrading to become fast food restaurants. This could be attrib­uted to the high cost of sizzling meals and snacks at popular blue chip fast food joints, hence majority of Nigerians embrace the op­tions of local breakfast restaurant sprawling over the streets.
Some vital tips need to float and excel in this line are, ensuring the food looks appeal­ing so as to entice customers. Again, it is important to make sure that the environment of the restaurant is clean at all times for the customers to come and keep coming.
Furthermore, “make sure that meals cooked in your restaurant are always fresh. Don’t ever serve left over foods to custom­ers,” says Echezona Amaechi, another local fast food operator. He continues: “It is also a good idea to eat your meals while preparing it in the presence of your customers. Also, you would get more customers if your joint is known to render prompt and quick service to hungry customers.
Change, as they say, is a constant thing in life. And this is another essential tip to excel in fast food business. “Your customers will not like taking one kind of food every day”, hints Ogisi
 SOURCE:SUN NEWS