Rubies and Potters – Nifemi Eitaio Alao (Flawless)

Our very special Rubies & Potters guest on FamilyRubies today is Nifemi Eitaio Alao popularly known as Flawless by colleagues, friends and family.

Rubies & Potters is a section on our blog where we bring to you great minds doing great things!

We’re taking time out to celebrate them and showcase them to the world in our own beautiful way.

Join this train, let’s do this together.

Good day Mr Alao, we’re very excited to introduce you to our wonderful readers. Please tell us where you are originally from and where you currently reside…

 Good day all, I am from Ilorin Town in Kwara State and I currently live in Lagos

What is your religion, faith or belief?

I am a Christian

When is your birthday?

14^th of February 1978

Can you share your academic history/background with us?

I bagged a second class upper degree in Accounting from the University of Ilorin – I obtained my MBA (Finance) from Ladoke Akintola University Ogbomoso. I am an Associate Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and an Associate Member of Certified Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS)

Why did you choose to study Accounting?

I developed a passion for that profession growing up as a child.

Are you still practicing Accounting?

LOL…Nope. I’m not practicing Accounting

Alright, can you tell our itching readers what you currently do for a living?

 I am a Carpenter. I am the MD/CEO of Home and Art Furnishing Limited – a furniture manufacturing company located at Plot 22 Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja Lagos. We are headquartered in Lagos but we do business all around the country.

Can you tell us more about your company “Home and Art Furnishing Limited”?

Home Art Furnishing Limited primarily specializes in the manufacturing of furniture items for homes, offices, hotels, resorts etc. We also render services such as property remodeling, full home, office & space furnishing, space planning and creative design, and we execute turnkey projects.

We are also into home improvement and remodeling, full office furnishing and improvement, hotel furnishing, functional kitchen, home study furnishing, partitioning and cladding, affordable to users cut across all levels.

Our goal is to create & provide our customers with fast turnarounds, exceptional quality, unparalleled customer service and competitive pricing.

What makes Home and Art Furnishing stand out  from their counterparts?

Home Art Furnishing stands out completely from the crowd firstly because of our people. We have the best minds and hands. Great people, great ideas. The passion to create beautiful things sits naturally with me, so as the director of this company, I make perfection evident in every one of our jobs. Also, we position ourselves as a forward-thinking company that continually invests in new ideas and technologies as against offering similar designs over the years. Our unique designs, processes and services position us potentially in control of price and quality. Trust me, we create your dream home and furniture without tearing your pocket. We are an indigenous company sourcing labor and resource from within. Our prices compared to the product and services rendered clearly distinguishes us from our competitors. You can read more about us and even do some shopping online via our store www.homeandartdesigns.com

Woow…thanks for sharing. Can you tell us when and how Home and Art Furnishing business journey started?

It all started while I was a bank employee some years ago. I have always loved modern furniture, but had a problem; the things I liked I couldn’t afford, and the things I could afford, I didn’t like. So I started designing, creating sketches, and reading more about successful furniture companies like IKEA while I planned and strategized my exit from the bank, so that I can enroll properly for skill acquisition in carpentry and furniture making. After researching, it turned out that a lot of people I knew had the same problem – what they love they couldn’t afford, and what they could afford they did not like…I saw this as a great opportunity knowing fully well that my designs and dream sought to solve this problem.

Did you ever have a love for fashion/interior decoration or was it just the drive to own a business?

It wasn’t just about starting or owning my own business. I have great love for good furniture. I admire the craft so much. I had created time to study successful key players in the industry. I was not motivated by the cash that would come from the sales either, I was more interested in how my ideas and skills were going to meet and satisfy people’s needs.

 

How long have you’ve been in business?

We have  been in business for seven (7) years.

Which geographical locations do you cover?

We work nationwide

Did you have any fears starting this business bearing in mind that you had to leave a well paid job at the time you wanted to start. What were your fears and how did you overcome them?

FEAR, oh yes, I had fears. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of rejection. Fear of losing friends. Worrying over if people will support me or not. I had too many fears but the words of encourage from my mentors kept me going. And knowing fully well that God was with me in this helped to overcome all my fears.

How has your immediate family contributed to the success of this business?

My family has been so helpful – it was not funny resigning from Zenith Bank barely four (4) weeks after my wedding with zero savings. Having to train with another furniture outfit for six (6) good months without pay. Having to sell our only car to settle bills, having to deal with rejection from friends and extended family who didn’t see any sense in a man resigning his job to pursue his dreams. That’s story for another day though…smiles. I’m so grateful to my lovely wife, and my daughter.

Flawless, so right now what do you call yourself? An Accountant, a Carpenter or an Interior decorator? Please bear in mind that you are a Certified Chartered Accountant. LOL!

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I introduced myself as an Accountant, my close friends and colleagues are the ones who often remind me. As for me, I am a Carpenter.

Okay, Oga Carpenter (lol) describe yourself in one word:

Fabulous 🙂

What motivates you?

Wow! That’s quite broad you know. A lot of things motivate me. Building success with a great team motivates me. Coaching others and watching them succeed; Meeting or exceeding project goals; Meeting deadlines through organizational abilities; Handling challenging projects; Offering excellent customer service and commitment; Developing innovative ideas that come to fruition; Streamlining projects and saving my company money…

Who are your mentors?

Rev. Sam Adeyemi

What is your favorite life quote?

You cannot walk with God and live in lack #Never

What is your favorite business quote?

Go ahead even if you have to walk alone (We love this too!)

What is your best food?

tHmm…I love Pounded yam, I love Plantain, and I love Amala (Hey! this man, you like food! lol)

What are your aspirations in the next five (5) years?

I can’t wait to see Home & Art Furnishing Limited having branches in all the 36 states in Nigeria, and even extending her branch network to other countries in Africa to start with.

Do you have any political ambition?

Yes, I look forward to seeking election into the Office of the Governor of Kwara State in the near future.

What advice do you have for aspiring Carpenters or young entrepreneurs in Nigeria?

I will advice them to persevere, great things don’t come easy. Don’t give up easily. Endure, fight, persevere. Secondly, I will advice them to be extremely creative. As a carpenter or a designer, dare the seemingly impossible designs. Craft it, man it, own it and then create it. Lastly, don’t be shallow minded. Information is power. Stay informed, stay current and you will always be relevant.

Based on what you know now and the path you have decided to tow, would you still have chosen to study accounting eleven (11) years ago?

Sincerely I wish I started my entrepreneurial journey earlier. Studying accounting has helped the growth of my business in several ways. But, if I had the chance to choose studying accounting or engaging in carpentry profession – I will chose carpentry any day…smiles

Any closing remarks?

Thank you FamilyRubies for counting me worthy of this guest appearance. Thanks to all our clients and supporters too for believing in us . You can follow us on Instagram @homeandartdesigns and like our page on www.facebook.com/homeandart

Longlive Home and Art Designs, Long Live FamilyRubies!!

Dear readers, don’t forget to drop a comment below and share this article to inspire others too.

Visit www.familyrubies.com “Rubies and Potters” category for more of our wonderful “Rubies and Potters guests!”

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Photo credit for all furniture and furnishing pictures go to “Home Art Furnishing Limited”

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