How you can master product branding, sales – Ope

Ope Michael runs a fashion hub known as ‘1403’. The entrepreneur with a master’s degree in business administration, in this interview, speaks about the importance of branding and his platform empowers youths to master the art. You are holding a forum this week, what is it about? I wouldn’t call it a forum, it is […]

Ope Michael runs a fashion hub known as ‘1403’. The entrepreneur with a master’s degree in business administration, in this interview, speaks about the importance of branding and his platform empowers youths to master the art.

You are holding a forum this week, what is it about?

I wouldn’t call it a forum, it is more like a full-blown course, titled the “Art of manufacturing, branding and selling your own products”. It is a course that is designed for creative entrepreneurs, who dream of one day starting their own brand and selling their own product line. The course would teach you the entire process of coming up with a unique product idea, getting the product manufactured, how to create a high-end brand, and then sell this product at a profit. It’s going to be an online course where anybody from anywhere in the world can take on the course but it’s targeted at start-ups. There is also the One of One done for you programme. To help achieve a dream of manufacturing, branding and selling your own product.

How can Nigerian youths be empowered to pursue their dreams?

I believe that everybody has a dream that they would love to fulfill, what hinders most Nigerian youths from achieving their dreams is usually their mindset which stems from a lack of knowledge and opportunities. In Nigeria, the youths are not trained to have an abundance mindset, they rarely believe that they can achieve anything they set their mind to. We need to eradicate this mindset from their youths, give them the belief that they can achieve their dreams and then provide an avenue in which they can learn the necessary skills and gain the needed experience to do so.

What strategies do you employ to pursue youth empowerment?

I have a personal brand “the ope michael”, where I teach smart and enterprising youths how they can produce their very own products, create their personal brand and business and grow this business to make at least seven figures yearly.

What have you done differently from what is being done?

You see, what our universities suffer in regards to business and entrepreneurial knowledge is the fact that most things being taught are theoretical in nature. I teach directly from my experience; of the things I have tried in my business “1403”. Of the various wins and setbacks, I have faced. I give practical knowledge that can be applied to get the results you desire.

What is your advice to Nigerian youths on finding prospects in businesses?

Learn to build a business around what you love to do. And also switch your antenna to listen to people’s problems. Problem equals Money. If you can see problems, then you see help with the solutions and automatically money comes and a reward. There are tons of materials out there to learn from. I tell my mentee that YouTube alone is a university on its own. Be proud of the business that you are into, leverage social media channels, talk to friends and families. And be consistent in this, the rewards would come in due time.