To some, a challenge is a stumbling block, an excuse not to push through the realization of dreams. But for the Chief Executive Officer of Sonaira Business World, Sonia Omon-Obehi Ovuehor, the dearth of infrastructure in the country provided a springboard for the success of the conglomerate.

In a session with a team of business editors recently, Ovuehor said rather than bow to the pressure of a difficult economic environment in Nigeria, Sonaira Business World is taking advantage of windows thrown open to earn some good income.

“There are lots of lessons that budding and aspiring entrepreneurs can learn on how to do business in a tough and harsh economic terrain like Nigeria,” she said, adding that Sonaira Business World was able to rise above the negative tidal waves in Nigeria’s economic climate with ingenuity and doggedness.

“We have experienced enormous challenges, including theft and fire outbreak, but we never gave up. That is why the clientele base of Sonaira Business World continues to multiply daily.

“The Nigerian business environment is extremely tough due to the country’s depreciating economy, but at Sonaira Business World, we focus more on the future.”

The Sonaira Business World boss advised business owners to prioritize offering of excellent services to their customers in their quest to succeed against all odds, saying, “if an entrepreneur wants his or her business to survive and thrive in Nigeria, the individual must not relent in the area of improvement of their products and services because things are already difficult and customers will only patronize a product that offers more without eating deep into their pockets.

“At Sonaira Business World, we endeavour to keep up with the time by constantly and quickly upgrading our goods and services to meet the demands and expectations of customers. What we do is that we try to exceed the expectations of our customers.

“We are always one or two steps ahead of our customers’ expectations, which makes customer retention possible for us.

“We focus on our strengths while making genuine and spirited efforts to shore up perceived areas of weaknesses that we have because no matter how perfect we may think we are, there will always be areas of weaknesses in one.  And in doing so, we don’t try to imitate any other business,” explained the Sonaira Business World CEO.

Dubbed, “Jack of Most Trade,” the conglomerate has recorded tremendous achievements in the past few years to the delight of its teeming customers spread across the country.

According to the business magnate, Sonaira Business World directly runs a real estate arm, with interest in the sale and development of housing projects, real estate consultancy, and a haulage wing with proven competence couriers and logistics to any part of the world.

In a parley with journalists at the headquarters of her business world recently, Ovuehor noted that the sweetness of today was not without some hassles, as she went down memory lane to narrate the setbacks she encountered in the course of her journey to the top.

“We started with skeletal services in 2015 but started fully in 2017. Sonaira Business World has experienced enormous challenges — theft, fire incidence, and other setbacks that I can’t begin to name here.

“Despite these setbacks, Sonaira Business World has never stopped conquering and overcoming the negative storms that life and the business climate have thrown at us. We can beat our chest to boldly say that our clientele base is strong and keeps growing every day. This is the reason we regard our clients as a family”, she said with a glint of satisfaction.

While noting that Sonaira Business World was borne out of a genuine desire to make a difference, Ovuehor said she’s never in self-denial of the reality that succeeding in business, especially in Nigeria, comes with a stubborn determination to squeeze water out of stone.

While recalling that the first challenge that confronted Sonaira Business World was gaining customers’ trust, she noted that it was finally overcome with focus and determination.

“It (gaining customers’ trust) was a major problem and it was so evident when we started as an online store. We also had challenges that hinged on getting reliable logistics companies to carry out our shipping and courier operations around the world.”