My search for an attractive box to package a gift hamper, led to me starting my brand - CEO Drab to Fab
By Kemi Mobuse - Saturday, May 07, 2016
Can you just imagine, your business inspiration popping up to you , just out of frustration, simply cause you couldn't seem to lay your hands on something you really really wanted? Don't be surprised, it happens. Most successful men or women are people who have something that drives them, but the underlying message is being able to do something about it.
The CEO of Drab to Fab too happened to be one of those people, Frustration due to her inability to get hands on a box she needed urgently, set her on the course to starting her packaging solution brand. Read more of her interview with KMB below;
KMB: Can we meet you?
Drab to Fab: I am Adedotun Ibrahim. I
grew up in Lagos, although I attended Comprehensive High School Aiyetoro Ogun
State. I also graduated with a B.Tech in Quantity Surveying from the Federal University
of Technology, Minna. I worked briefly with Mosalab Consults and Sageto Limited
in Abuja after my youth service before I started my Interior Design business in
2012.
KMB: What do you do?
Drab to Fab: I provide packaging solutions for small and medium
scale businesses.
KMB: What inspired you going into this field?
Drab to Fab: I recall looking for a really attractive box
to package a gift hamper some years back and not being able to find what I really
wanted. People that know me well know that I’m a stickler for perfection. The rest as they say, is history.
KMB: How was starting out like and how has the market reception been?
Drab to Fab: I was initially skeptical because I was
already into interior design and making gift baskets so I had to do a lot of
research (I still do) on what packaging was as a whole and if it was the next
business idea I wanted to venture into. Next I took a beginner’s course in box
making and developed my art from there.
Market reception has been good (thank
God for that). My first major job happened 3 weeks after my foundation course
and thus far we can’t complain.
KMB: What is the name of your brand and
how old is it?
Drab to Fab: The brand is called ‘Drab to Fab’ and it was
incorporated in March 2012. The packaging arm of Drab to Fab will be two (2)
years old in November 2016.
KMB: What can you say makes your brand special and set you apart?
Drab to Fab: The name says it all - Drab to Fab - the
ability to take something boring and turn it into something completely amazing.
Be it a carrier bag, a cookie box or a hamper box, we hand make them with the
utmost care and consideration for beauty and quality.
What sets Drab to Fab apart is our drive
for perfection and our commitment to wowing the customer, creating a community
of faithful who in turn help spread our message.
KMB: What do you aim to achieve with your brand?
Drab to Fab: Our aim is to be the one stop shop for custom
made and affordable packaging solution for small and medium businesses with
locally sourced materials.
KMB: What major challenges have you experienced since starting out, and
what has it taught you?
Drab to Fab: There are a lot of challenges but I will
mention just a few:
1)
Materials
– getting the right kind of paper especially handmade paper has been a major
issue. Since we aim to provide affordable solutions, this has been a major
challenge.
2)
Lack
of skilled labour – getting the right kind of people to work with is also an
issue. Not everybody sees packaging as a go to career. They are either in a
hurry to leave or refuse to take time out to learn and better their skills.
The dye makers we have around sometimes have a hard time
interpreting our designs on blade.
3)
Availability
of advanced tools – a tool as small and fragile as a scoring board is not
available locally in Nigeria. Most times we have to buy tools and materials from
abroad. This in turn involves shipping fees which indirectly will be charged
back to our clients.
KMB: What is a typical day in the life of
Drab 2 Fab CEO?
Drab to Fab: Ha! That is a tough one, no day is similar.
Some days are slow and some feel like 24 hours will never be enough.
05.00am: get up and say my morning
prayers. Read the Quran for a while.
06:00am: do I bit of exercise mostly
yoga
06:30am: Set about making breakfast
07:15am: Check my emails, Whatsapp
and BBM messages, prepare my to-do list for the day, take a shower, and prepare
to leave the house
8.30am: I respond to my emails, reply
text messages, chats and finish unconcluded discussions from the previous day.
9:45am: Develop a new design for a client or work on
an existing one.
2:00pm: Do a bit of research; see
what’s new in the paper craft world
4:00pm: back to work
6:00pm: Follow up on my artisans, clients
on other requirements for their packaging work before we commence production.
7:30pm: crank through my to-do list,
see what was done and what needs to be done.
KMB: Any advice for future entrepreneurs?
Drab to Fab: I say work in a structured environment for a
while; learn how to run an office. Take up accounting skills (trust me, you
will need it). I might be sounding like a broken record but don’t go into it
solely for the money, it will come later. NEVER stop learning. NEVER be afraid
to ask for help.
KMB: Lastly, how can you be contacted?
Drab to Fab: We are a social savvy business and can be
reached through the following:
Telephone: 08184853458 (also
available on whatsapp)
Email: drab2fab1@gmail.com
Twitter: @drab2fab_
Instagram: drab_fab
BBM: 2BB35F70
More pictures below:
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