Make millions from footwear making business

I started with N5,000 now my brand is an household name —Bamidele Omeiza, Creative  Director, Bambata Footwear & Accessories

A graduate of visual arts and creative design from the School of Arts of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Bamidele Israel Omeiza, having discovered his flair for creative works, especially footwear making, enrolled himself at Young Aro Shoe Works, Mokola Ibadan for few years, after which he established Bambata Footwear & Accessories.

The soft-spoken, creative and well-rounded footwear designer said: “Art and creative works are natural to me. They had been part of me since my childhood. I grew up to see some of the sketch pictures of animals I did on the walls of my mother’s room.

“The more I grew, the more my penchant for footwear making grew. My decision to fully explore the industry made me go through series of trainings, while my course of study at the tertiary institution was of great advantage.”

Bamidele disclosed that his ability to mix traditional and African patterns with modern shapes carved a niche for him in the industry, making his brand, Bambata, the toast of the celebrities, students and professionals, among others.

“My creativity and passion for footwear making industry and my commitment to doing it the best way the best person in the industry could do it, place my brand side-by-side Italian brands, and a fast-rising brand in Nigeria. This has in turn earned me fame, local and foreign connection, exposure and good financial rewards.

“Footwear making industry is, and will always remain a good business with enviable financial rewards,” Bamidele said.

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 Make millions from footwear making business

THERE’S always a big demand for shoes and people love to shop shoes as part of their collection or hobby. No matter what the economy dictates, it can’t stop people from buying shoes, making it as a stable and profitable business venture to deal with.

Because of this, the industry of shoe making around the world is still growing and continues to get bigger in the coming years. In shoe making business, the key ingredient to success is your creativity and your incomparable skill in creating and designing footwear for everybody.

Who is an ideal footwear maker?
Footwear-making business may be the right move for you, especially if you are creative, artistic and energetic. A professional makeup artist can use his/her skills to endear him/herself to kings and emperors through his work, thereby enriching himself. The skill can be acquired in a school for shoe making and leather technology; school for visual and creative designs, or from footwear making companies.

Start up cost:
The basic equipment needed are sewing machine, which costs about N16,000; filing machine N7,500; adhesive gum, N100; scissors N120; shoe-lass (wood N1,000, plastic N2,000); three pairs of quality leather to make a pair of shoe costs N900; imported sole N500; lining N550 per yard; hollow punch costs between N150 and N200, depending on the size. Industrial machine costs N80,000 and above.

Learning:
Learning the terrain may take up to two years to master and get an all-round knowledge of the industry. Training fee varies, depending on who is teaching you and the aspect of the business you want to learn. The fees could be as high as N70,000 and above, and as low as N10,000 and below. Make sure you learn the art from a creative practitioner.

These basics can also be learned by attending workshops offered by certain companies or by the local government as a livelihood programme. You can also check the community colleges if they offer short courses for shoe making.

Reputation and marketing
Marketing yourself and building a sellable reputation for yourself is best done through your work. Your work will speak for you; hence you must continue to work on your expertise.

To create your initial portfolio, make good pairs of shoes or slippers for yourself. Those who appreciate this will inquire from you about where you got it, which will begin to bring in more customers to you. You may also go a step further by offering business cards to each client; open a promotional blog or website, set up social networking accounts.

Research and planning
Decide which kind of shoe business you’d like to start. The type of shoe company you want to start will determine the initial capital and backing you will require.

Then, get familiar with the brands and styles in your shoe market. Read books on shoe design and start-up business plans, and get industry secrets and know-how from “WSA Today” and “Footwear News.”

Create a storyboard, which is a visual representation of your designs that encompass a trend. This may be a trend you’re creating, or you may be following trends of designers that you like.

Design your product. There is plenty of footwear design software to fit every computer literacy level. Browse the online stores for product reviews, and pick the software that suits you best. Sketch your designs by hand, these can be even more persuading to potential backers, because they show artistic creativity, which is key to design.

Do some research and find out which trade shows the highest traffic. Sign up for the ones that seem most appropriate for your shoes.

Cost and potential earning
Your charge is determined by your expertise, the value you place on your services, your location, the financial status of your clientele and your strategy. Taking all factors into consideration, you can make between 50 and 70 per cent profit on each of your product.

Do you have great passion and knack in crafting and designing shoes? Explore the industry and make cool millions.

• Written by  Olaoluwa Mimiola

• Source: Tribune