ENTERPRISE: OMOTOSO : Glamour Means Total Confidence In Self

Abimbola Omotoso’s parents had given her the best they could, while growing up and a huge part of her successes in life is owed to their counselling and guidance. “My father convinced me that I was special and I believed him.

At every point, he was involved in my personal growth. On her part, mom influenced my self-esteem, my career path and decisions,” she says.

She is the first of four children in a close-knit family. They were lucky to have parents that were always there for them, which enabled them to love each other dearly and they have maintained these ties even though they now have their separate families. She grew up in the beautiful city of Ibadan, where family values were held highly.

“I can attribute some of my successes to the responsibilities bestowed upon me, as the first child. I went to three primary schools because my dad was a lecturer and was moved around a lot.

So, I had to move around with him,” she recalls. Her parents also taught them the fear of the Lord, which was one of their primary family values. With this, she grew up very innocent because there was little exposure to the world. Her life revolved round the church, school and home.

Those virtues and values have helped her build the foundation for all her achievements today. “All my family values have ultimately made me the woman I am today,” she explains. “They have kept me focused and responsible. I was brought up believing I could do or be whatever I chose.”

Presently, she is the MD/CEO of Glamour Place, a fashion house that was birthed by accident and started on a three-dollar note. It all started with a trip abroad after she had her second child. She had succeeded in selling all the items she purchased to friends and family.

Subsequently, she saw a brilliant business opportunity, which she took advantage of. Back in Nigeria, the venture proved to be very rewarding. Shortly after, she opened five outlets in Opebi, Osolo Way, 1004 Flats, Port Harcourt and Victoria Island.

At Glamour Place, the clothes are stylish and of flattering designs— a combination of beauty and classic elegance. The fashion house focuses on the best designs of high quality for the corporate 21st century woman of style.

Abimbola’s definition of the 2ist century woman is: That woman who has successfully acquired the most important accessory of all. This is complete confidence in her clothes.

“She is the woman that walks a little taller, speaks a little more boldly and draws the eye of everyone in the room. But the good news is that this confidence isn’t dependent on wealth, size or age and it’s not innate.

It can only be learned and acquired at Glamour Place. This means that if a woman thinks she has lost her way, when it comes to fashion, she can be that glamour woman just by stepping into Glamour Place, whatever her dress size or budget,” she says.

According to her, women who find shopping hectic and confusing or those that don’t know what to look for, or those who buy an armful of clothes only to realise that they are not getting it right only need inspiration. She believes such things are not as difficult as they look.

All it takes is an expert touch that creates the complete look. “Fashion should be fun and not something to make you feel bad about yourself or your body. Nor should it be about a set of stringent rules. Put on the right clothes, add a few basics and you come up with the right styles for the woman in you.

A good hairstyle and well-applied make-up go a long way in making you that lady of style and elegance,” she explains. Over the years, the business has streamlined its operations by maintaining the two strong outlets at Victoria Island and Opebi. Her specialty and stock is strictly US wears. This has paid off, as business boomed due to her strong follow up and feedback mechanisms.

“One of the things that distinguish us is the ability to keep tab on our customers, through their phone contacts and addresses. This art was learnt from my late Aunt, Oluyemisi Akere, a pharmacist and the owner of Yemyem Stores at the University of Lagos. She taught me how to sell on small margin.

So, I imbibed this practice of selling on small margin because it worked for her and helped her retain her customers for so many years. She did so well that she couldn’t meet demands,” she says.

But aside this, Abimbola has developed her own business ethics, which she refers to as her seven poles of business. These are great flexibility, making small profit margin, establishing customer data, treating the customer as king, placing quality before quantity, moving with the trend and being consistent in all things.

“Our customers stick because we give them the best for the least. We serviced plus sizes, as well as Mrs. Petite. Our shoes go from Cinderella sizes to giant sizes.

For us, it is simply glamour and not just a showcase boutique,” she explains. Abimbola’s 22-year glamorous walk to realising her dream is truly inspirational and this has become an effective tool in helping her retain a large number of clients. Her clients call her stores ‘Macy’s’ in VI and Opebi.

And through them, she has been privileged to meet the who-is-who in the banking, telecoms and oil sectors. She uses the marketing strategy of buying one and getting one free.

She is also good at communicating and connecting with her customers. Customers are treated according to their individual needs. “For instance, every member of Glamour staff is considered family.

I am a perfectionist. My weakness is not being able to say ‘no’ and putting a lot of pressure on myself in my bid to attain perfection,” she says. Her biggest strategy has been sourcing the best merchandise for her customers at the least prices, so they get premium purchases without harming their pockets.

“I run it like it’s a calling. I accept and recognise all my customers as friends and by extension family. I put a personal touch to my interaction with them. At Glamour, we make our guests feel at home like they are part of us. The most common feedback we get is that our merchandise is unique, classy and affordable.

So, I think these are some of the main things our consumers are looking out for,” she says. She enjoys her work and one of her prayers is to live long and healthy to enable her enjoy all of life’s special and precious moments. She cherishes openness and honesty and so, it doesn’t come as a surprise that she surrounds herself with family and the people she trusts.

“We take full responsibility and we meet the challenges. We are forward thinking and we make it work. The testimonials and referrals from clients have served as my inspiration for decades, while delivering on promise, coping with challenges and meeting up with demands,” she says.

Her advice to young people aspiring to carve a niche for themselves in life is to believe that nothing is impossible with God. “If somebody had told me while in school that I would be where I am today and doing what I am doing, I wouldn’t have believed it because I was one of the best chemistry students in my class in high school,” she says. But here she is today, glamorising corporate women and really loving it.

“Mentoring is a powerful success tool, one that is playing a great role in the development of human capital. I have had the advantage of many mentors and have in turn been a mentor to numerous men and women,” she says.

“Although, I was born in the United States, I have maintained a strong touch with Nigeria because it boils down to one’s roots.

There is nowhere like home. We have a rich culture here. I see building our businesses here as building our country. I recommend young people to build their businesses in Nigeria and use the world web to go international where possible. They can make the best of all worlds.

The tools are out there — social media and instant communication. The whole work is one place these days”. Reminiscing on her growing up, she recalls that it was a wonderful experience. “I started my journey in life from Chicago, born to the best parents I could ever have.

I was privileged to go to the best schools, starting with Staff School in UI, Sacred Heart Nursery and Primary School, Staff School Ile Ife and Federal Government Girls’ College, Oyo, and from there to International School Ibadan and then to the University of Lagos,” she explains.

Unlike many people that flaunt their success through the ephemeral indices of life, Abimbola places a high premium on family life. And she is not ashamed to say her family is her most outstanding achievement. With a sense of fulfilment, she says: “I wouldn’t be who I am today without my husband and sons.

And though I may no longer be the little girl of yester years, but I still have dreams. I have always dreamt of being happy and fulfilled in every aspect of my life.

My plan is to attract bigger business opportunities and to continue to deliver in order to fulfill not just my dreams but also that of my over 4,000 customers who take pride in being clothed by us. Everyday, I see great potential in Nigerian women, as they have what it takes to excel.

If we all work hard and are patient to go through the process, each one of us will get to the very top,” she says. On how government can assist practitioners in her industry, she advises government to urgently address the rot in the different sectors of the economy, especially the huge power challenge in the country, which is key to sustainable development.

“The availability of power and its effective distribution is the only way to ensure that businesses in Nigeria can compete favourably with the rest of the world.

There is no other way that Nigeria can effectively connect with the rest of the world.” As a loving wife and mother, she says; “My greatest opportunity in life is being married to my soul mate in the person of Rotimi Omotoso, who is the registrar/CEO of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Accountancy runs in the family, as my two sons are qualified accountants like their dad. Being married to Mr. Omotoso has been a fantastic experience. He is my pride, my mentor, teacher and a dependable man. He is a God-fearing and likable person. He is a great husband to me and a great father to our sons, who I see as the greatest that life has bestowed on me while I am here,” she says.