Digitalising my business remains most cherished moment of my life – Anne ATS

UK-based Nigerian entrepreneur and boutique owner, Anne Namgbeh, who is fondly known as Anne ATS, says her most cherished moment in life was when her fashion business went digital.

According to the Edo State-born Anne ATS, she was glad that the marketing of her products would be easily done online unlike what she used to do through physical contact and Facebook marketing with would-be customers.

“My most cherished moment was the launch of my website. I cherished that moment because I was making my dream a reality and that feeling was priceless,” she said.

According to her, not being in the digital space was a huge challenge for her when she started the business.

“The initial challenge I encountered in my business was making a profit. I didn’t make a profit for the first six months and that was very difficult for me.  This wasn’t because I was doing something wrong; it was a new business and needed publicity.  At the time I had no website. So, I started selling on Facebook. I also would drive around universities and share my business cards.

“I used to tell the students they’d get a special discount if they refer one person and get more discounts if they refer two or more people. This strategy worked for me until I created my website. I still sell my products on Facebook marketplace, Instagram, my website, as well as on Dogebay.  The major lesson I have learned about doing business both in Nigeria and UK is that it’s impossible to predict the future. We had plans to launch new products as well as working with some major celebs last year, but the pandemic had a different plan,” Anne ATS said.

The COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, Anne ATS’ business continues to grow, while the profiles of the two companies, ATS Hair and ATS Boutique, are also on the rise with acceptance by customers.

Anne ATS disclosed that before now the ATS Boutique dealt only in female apparel, but there is the need for the boutique to consider bringing men wardrobes into the business.

“We’re looking to add a male collection to the business as we’ve been getting requests and questions from our male customers so this hopefully will be launched in the near future,” she said.

Apart from ATS Hair and ATS Boutique, Anne ATS is also a wardrobe consultant, helping clients make the right choice of clothing that suits their personality.

“I help clients organise their closet and also update them with latest seasonal wardrobe collections, analysing suitable colours, cuts and designs for outfits, including jewellery. I also select outfits for photoshoots, fashion shows and social events for my clients.

“I am also a brand influencer and I have worked with reputable companies including Fashionnova, BoomBod, Diva Boutique, VIP Chauffeur Car Hire, Femmeluxe and CQ Beauty.

“I’m also an affiliate marketer at Dogebay UK, which is a platform for users to buy and sell products using Dogecoin only. If you are a business owner and would like to use this platform, you can sign up at dogebay.co.uk and use the code Anne ATS,” she said.

Anne ATS recalled how tough it was for her to quit her day job and went into her own business on a full-time basis.

“It was tough for me to go fully into the business, but I am happy today that taking that tough decision has helped me,” she said.

“As an entrepreneur, one of my toughest decision was quitting my job. Quitting a job is hard because first, you have to think about how you’re going to tell your boss you’re quitting. Quitting was particularly tough for me because I loved my job and that job paid my bills.

“Also, I didn’t know what challenges were ahead of me but I believed in my dream and that made it somewhat easy for me. I knew in order to be successful I had to make some if not many sacrifices and quitting my job was one of the sacrifices I had to make,” added Anne ATS.