Starting my brand was a divine move orchestrated by God - 24 years old Female Entrepreneur & CEO of Toomsfruits

By Kemi Mobuse - Tuesday, June 07, 2016


Whether you’re trying to build your personal , business or a product brand, the basic steps involved in making it a success are always the same.  Brands aren’t built overnight.  You need to be prepared to commit to it long-term and have no hope of ever giving up.
This is because; building a brand is just like building a reputation in that, you need to prove yourself again and again in order for people to trust you and for you to gain their loyalty. This holds true for individuals, small companies and even the largest, most trusted brands all around.
Ms. Temitope Macaulay, wasn't sure about what business to embark upon, until she God intervened and she was convinced to start out Toomsfruits, which has become an immense success. Check out below, excerpts from the interview that, she granted to KMB, where she told us her story....

KMB: Can we meet you?

Tooms fruits: Hello, my name is Macaulay Temitope Olubusayo Aka Tooms. I come from a family of 5, I’m the First child and I have two lovely sisters, 24yrs of age and a Female entrepreneur.
 
KMB: What do you do?

Tooms fruits: I am the Founder and CEO of TOOMSFRUITS VENTURES, a Drying Factory in Nigeria focused on Drying Fruits and Nuts packaged into a Delicious healthy snacks. Professionally, I am a startup entrepreneur. My career is focused on starting up businesses in Nigeria that can compete internationally while abiding with the World Bank sustainable goals, of eradicating Poverty through the empowerment of Women with Education, jobs, training etc. I am more focused on creating Jobs for Women within the age group of 18-30yrs without any prior education or qualification.
 


KMB: What inspired your going into this field?

Tooms fruits: I think it is my calling, my divine destiny.

God gave me the inspiration but my background and encouragement from family and friends definitely played a role. My grandparents and parents were also successful entrepreneurs and professionals in their field.

I decided to discover myself... That led me to study MSc Entrepreneurship and innovation at the University Of Essex, Uk. The plan was to start a business after completing my course but I didn’t know what.

One of my very good cousin who is a dentist suggested Smoothies, Lawunmi is a fitfam but I wasn't convinced. I wrote my final project on recycling but yet, no conviction. So I just prayed about it silently until I went on visitation to Kent.

One day, my little twins cousins took me store to buy them Dried fruits. Subsequently, we went there almost every day to buy that same product.
And one day, they said, "aunty Tope, can't you do this in Nigeria?" and I said yes, I’m sure I can and that was how it all started!
That's why I said at the beginning that TOOMSFRUITS is Divine, it was meant to be.
 
KMB: What is the name of your brand and how old is it?

Tooms fruits: the name of my brand is TOOMSFRUITS, officially it is 1year and 3months.
 


KMB: How has the market reception been since inception versus now?

Tooms fruits: I think it is better now. I had very little expectation about the market then. You know when I started, my packaging was horrible. I honestly was still learning, developing myself and understanding the industry. So with time I improved and the market reception improved as well.
 
KMB: What flavours of fruits do you have?

Tooms fruits: - we currently have just three. 1) dried pineapple 2)Dried banana with coconut 3) Dried Apple.
 
KMB: Are they all natural or include preservatives or additives?

Tooms fruits: They are all natural. We don't add anything to it. TOOMSFRUITS is 100% made with Fruits and nuts.
 
KMB: How long is the shelf life and how can it be preserved?

Tooms fruits: It has a shelf life of 12 months. You can preserve it by keeping it in a refrigerator. A cool and dry place. The most important thing is that, it should be covered properly.


 
KMB: What major challenges have you experienced that almost made you give up, but more importantly, what did you learn from it?

Tooms fruits: Well, the major challenges right now is Transportation and finances.. We don't own a car or a motor vehicle yet. This has been a major challenge for us. Moving our fruits from the farm to the factory isn't a joke at all, a lot of wastage occur because you know fruits are perishable so we have to be really careful with them on public transport. Then, after production, transporting our products to retailers is also very tedious. Well, that, has taught us to always select the best fruits from the farm and look for ways to protect the fruits during transportation... We don't keep our fruits down. That's why a lot of customers say our fruits always smell and tasting fresh and we produce based on demand because we can't afford any wastage
Financial challenges are simply that, we don't have enough money to grow the business as fast as it should. This has taught me to plan ahead, minimize waste and produce according to demand

KMB: Given a chance to start what would you have done differently?

Tooms fruits: - Nothing, like I said everything was divine. God has been my help since I started and I am truly grateful for what I am achieving, I can achieve and what I will achieve. Like my father always says, there's a blessing in following due process.
I am learning through the journey and it’s a blessing I can't trade for a billion dollars 😂
 


KMB: What advice do you have for future entrepreneurs?

Tooms fruits: - Discover yourself, follow your passion and dreams, let God lead and motivate you and when the time is right, you'll be blessed with more than you dreamed of.
 
KMB: Lastly, how can you be contacted?

Tooms fruits: Toomsfruits@gmail.com or temitopemacaulay@gmail.com
Call: 07063451511 or 09098781711.
 
More pictures below;























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6 comments

  1. Yaaaay.... I'm proud of you cousin... The sky is your starting point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macaulay Temitope8:15 am, June 14, 2016

      Awww. Thank you Aunty

      Delete
  2. This is good babe!! I am inspired already!! Congrats dear!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. which must be paid each month without fail. In the first few months of starting your business you may have little or no income coming in, so keeping business costs down is essential. Busines

    ReplyDelete