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Covid-19: FG must grant tax rebates to support local businesses –Amber boss

Ms. Lola Adedeji is the General Manager of Amber Energy Drinks Ltd. She spoke on the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic as trying times for local businesses, amid other issues. OLALEKAN OSIADE brings excerpts…

Launching a new product at this COVID 19 era; you must be bold and courageous. Where is that confidence coming from?

I have always been intrinsically motivated. One of my key phrases is; “nothing is impossible”. Second, I believe in the Nigerian market; the Nigerian market is not one that will wither away because of the storm. We have been through many storms and we know how to weather them. I am a Nigerian with the original naija spirit. I am resilient and my brand is resilient.

Is Amber your first experience with the Nigerian business environment?

No, I am a serial entrepreneur. I have been around in the market. I have been in the Nigerian business environment for a long time. The Nigerian market is not for the faint hearted. If you want to do it you have to do it. With the Nigerian business experience I learnt that every challenge is there to teach you something; not that it is not going to break you down temporarily but you will definitely come back stronger. Over the years I have learnt that every time there is a blockage, I go back and look at it properly, there is a solution in it. So, using this theory, there are many things people are scared of. Most of the time fear is a function of the mind, it’s not reality. That is how I see life.

Would you advise foreign investors to come in?

Yes, to a large extent, depending on what you are investing in. Once you know what you are investing in and you have done your research and you have your data, go ahead and invest. A seed has to die to grow. This is not the time to throw around money. For someone that doesn’t know what he is doing but just wants some kind of investment, I would say keep your money in the bank and let it be giving you some little returns till we find some stability.

Do you see your brand adapting to the local business environment?

My brand is a household name. That is how I see it. For me, therefore, adapting to the environment is a no brainer. The moment you experience the brand, you’ll fall in love with it, you will take it home. Your kids will tell their kids and their kids will tell their kids. It becomes a household name.

How do you plan to grow the brand?

First and foremost, a brand takes the character of the owner and so if the owner is very fickle it is inevitable the brand will be fickle. We are indomitable. That’s my take on that. I am very passionate about the grassroots because that is the strength of the country. So, we are growing the brand from bottom up; making sure that the average Nigerian would experience the brand. Affordability is one of the things we pride ourselves in. Affordability is relative; that’s why I didn’t say cheap. Now, once you understand quality you will understand that it is affordable. So, the most important thing is to get people to understand what they are getting first. Give people value, which is key. Amber is there to show you that from the lowest to the top, you are always going to need Amber. So it is positioned that everybody should drink Amber, from the boy that is pushing Keke to the CEO, everybody should have Amber. It is positioned to meet the energy boosting requirements of everybody.

What is your take away from COVID- 19, in relations with business strategies?

For me, it reminds me that emergent strategies are very important. Don’t ever think that the strategy I have is the best and will remain so forever. It has thought m e t o always think. I always think; but it has made me to go back thinking and to find details. I am very open to new advice; but you have to be more open because COVID-19 thought us that you don’t know until you know or you think you know. And you may not even know. And that at every time you should be willing to be fluid but don’t lose your core. When we began the year, we had a strategy. But oh with Corona virus pandemic, we said this is what we have. So we have to tune it to what is happening now to get the same result. So, COVID-19 opened my mind and I faced one of my biggest fears which is staying at home and not doing anything. I couldn’t imagine it. I am always traveling. I am someone that is so used to being busy. I travel a lot and in four months I haven’t gone anywhere. Even at that, I am a very smiling person who wants to be in the midst of people; but now you can’t hug and things like that. It also showed compassion for people. Even if I have been compassionate, I now have a bit more compassion for people. Now I pay closer attention to people, to my staff, etc. It opened up that human side that I knew I had but I didn’t know the depth of it.

Why should a consumer choose Amber above any other product?

The beauty of the drink is that everybody wants to unwind with something nice; even if I want to eat or drink water, which is necessary. Sometimes I may want to have a drink. The pandemic changed only the way we associate with people and not the way we associate with the things we buy. The new normal has not affected consumption and the needs that must be met. What we are trying to do is to make you experience Amber; once you like Amber it will make its way to your house. That’s the plan. Alongside that, we want to meet the needs of our consumers. Consumers’ needs are food, drink, life, shelter and money. Those five things we are meeting. Amber will empower its consumers. We have plans on how we can ensure that because you interacted with a Can of Amber, your life will never be the same. Apart from you giving us your money, we are going to give you a reason to live.

How can the Federal Government support businesses at this time?

They should support businesses by looking at tax rebates for Nigerian brands whether it is produced here or elsewhere but it is marketed in Nigeria and it is for Nigerians. For instance, Amber is produced in South Africa but if the Federal Government has provided us with enabling environment, production in Nigeria is good. However, to produce the quality, we need certain raw materials, which were imported from all over the world to ensure top quality. Now bringing it down here, the first issue we have is with the ports. In the process of clearing, some of our things were vandalised. So, it is safe to bring the finished products in Cans. Our plan is to produce Amber in Nigeria at some point, but I cannot tell you when.

What do you perceive as challenges and what strategies would Amber deploy to surmount these challenges?

One of the biggest challenges in the Nigerian market is that quality is not what a lot of Nigerians understand. For instance, for an energy drink, the first question they ask is “Is it cold? How much is it? Is it sweet? Is it bitter? These are their four main questions. On our part, we have taken our time to come up with the Amber brand. Besides answering all those questions it also nourishes the body. The challenge is communicating to the average Nigerian why this is the best option for him/her. That is what we have taken out time to study and find ways to get to them easily. Once they have it or they come in contact with the brand, every step of the way they are being informed about the good things about the brand and why they should take Amber as their preferred brand. It will take time; but we will get there.

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