‘Being a female newspaper vendor is exciting’

Weekly Trust: When and why did you start this business?Regina Ojhadu: I started this business by firstly serving under someone for two years, this I had to do in other to get acquainted with the rudiments of the business. After due service, I decided to start on my own and also invite my sister to […]

Weekly Trust: When and why did you start this business?
Regina Ojhadu: I started this business by firstly serving under someone for two years, this I had to do in other to get acquainted with the rudiments of the business. After due service, I decided to start on my own and also invite my sister to partake in the business. I started in January 2014. I had to go into this business because of the constant advances made by employees who wanted you to give something before getting a job and besides there are limited jobs in Abuja.
WT: How exactly did you start-up?
Ojhadu: Well, starting up was not easy, I started first by going to register with the Abuja newspaper agency, at area one, then I was given a position. You cannot just start selling newspapers without registering duly with this agency, because they have a plan on how newspaper stands are arranged. There are two steps before you become a vendor, you must first register with the agency that will give you papers to aid you in collecting newspapers from distributors and then you register with the vendors. The agency makes sure that one newspaper stand is about seven poles apart from the next one, so if they find out that there is an illegal newspaper stand, they would come in and query such an individual.
WT: What have been the challenges since you started the business?
Ojhadu: The initial challenge I had was the idea of me being a woman, getting to register was another big deal but I scaled through that. Another challenge was getting a stand; my boss whom I served under had to give me a stand to start. Getting a stand is usually the responsibility of the Abuja newspapers distribution agency which you as a distributor and vendor must register with. Right now in the business the major challenge I am having is not been given the exact number of papers due to me from the sales representatives of the newspaper houses, thereby making it difficult to supply my costumers which is not good for business. Another challenge is that you can’t display papers when it is raining, so this makes sales during raining season to fall.
WT: How do you go about getting your newspapers?
Ojhadu: I first of all go to the distribution ground at Area I in Abuja where all newspaper representatives would be present with their papers. When you get there you are given your papers in accordance with how much sales you make from initial deals; that is if you sell more papers you get more but if you sell less, then the papers given to you will be less. So the amounts you sell on previous occasions determine how many papers are given to you.
WT: As a vendor how do you make the sales deals with distributors or sales representatives?
Regina: Newspapers have their different prices; some are for N105, others N90 and N100. So what we do is that, we go and collect these newspapers from the sales representatives at the distribution ground, then after sales for the day, the next day when we go to pick papers we pay for the previous day and return papers that were not sold to the sales representatives.
WT: How much do you on each paper, how many papers can you sell in a day and what is the total profit per day?
Regina: On each paper gotten from the newspaper representative there is a gain of N45. The amount of papers I sell a day is determined by how much patronage I get, but the least I sell in a day is 70 copies, on good days I sell as many as 90 copies. In all, I can get as much as N3000- N4000 daily. At least that puts food on the table and meets other needs.
WT: How did you handle the challenges faced as a woman doing a man’s business?
Regina: In short it wasn’t easy; it took me a lot of courage to become a female vendor. I learnt from the best, Mr. Yusuf thought me well, so I was able to cope with all the challenges that come with the business not minding if I am a woman.
WT: Did you face any challenges from your customers who saw you as a woman?
Regina: Well when I started, when customers came to patronise me, you would notice the surprise when they see that the vendor is a woman, and I know that people are always proud when they see a woman who is doing a business meant for men, so that made me happy. But now they are used to it and in a way it serves as an advantage because they always want to patronise that lady who sells newspapers.
WT: How do you get customers and how do you make them come back?
Regina: Customers come every day, both new and old. You can’t really have a stable customer because sometimes they may choose to relocate. The business is a rotational kind of business, customers come and go. But even with that, I have customers who patronise me daily. I know the paper that my customers who patronise me daily read, so that’s how I keep them. When they come to buy from me, all I do is just pick their choice of paper and give to them; this makes them happy, as they know that I am observant and can meet their demands.
WT: Do you experience any kind of competition from men in the business?
Regina: In every business there is competition but that does not stop me from selling.