Shoe Making in Nigeria

Shoes are very important for everyday living.  Not just do they protect the feet,  they also go a long way to show a person’s class and wealth.

You’ll think that because shoes are worn at the feet then there is not much to them,  but that is not true at all. Shoes come in different shapes, sizes, make, design, colour, texture, quality amongst others.

The type to wear can be determined by what the cloth the person has on and the occasion. A wrong shoe can ruin an entire outfit and a right one can show better the beauty of an outfit. So they are really important.

That being said, having a shoe manufacturing company is not a bad idea and can be very profitable. However, the undeniable fact is that there is a lot of competition already in the business because a lot of people are already into it. That not withstanding, your business can still thrive and you can make a lot of profits but it means you have to be very prepared for what you are going into. You have to arm yourself with the necessary arsenal and be ready to put in a lot of work into it.  Yes,  hard work is not negotiable. You also have to be very creative or have someone with that ability on your team so that your work can have originality and authenticity.

We are going to give you some helpful tips to enable you start your shoe manufacturing business and to be successful in it.

Shoe Making Business Plan / Feasibility Study

The first thing you have to do before going into the business is to decide on the particular Niche you are going to concentrate on.  You might be overwhelmed if you decide to start your business by making different types of shoes. There are shoes for males, females and children.  And each of these categories have different types of shoes that can be made for them. There are heels,  flats, slip-on(s), cover shoes,  loafers, sandals, boots, formal shoes and informal shoes. So you see the scope is quite large and for that reason you have to choose a niche for yourself. It is advised that you select one that you are comfortable with and one that you can easily get the materials required to produce as many as possible.

When you have decided on the particular area of shoe making you want to get into the next thing you have to do is to write a business plan.  The business plan you will write is so that you can get acquainted with all the necessary areas of the business.  It will help you take note of a lot of things which you might not have taken into cognizance ordinarily. A business plan also helps you to become very aware of your goal and you will have to write down all your plans and actions towards achieving your stated goal.  This way you will see if it is something that can be achieved and if there are things you have to adjust in order to hit your target. A well prepared business plan also helps to attract investors to invest in the business and can be used to obtain loans.

An important craft of a business especially one as this shoe making business we are currently discussing is “standing out”. This is why we talked about originality, creativity, and authenticity earlier. You have to try as much as possible to distinguish your products and make them recognizable as yours in an instant. This is known as having a brand. It does not take something so elaborate to be distinguished,  it could be in small details like the shape of your heels or the design of the straps. This makes your work unique and easily distinguished from the rest.

In addition, you have to register your business name or company.  This is done at the Corporate Affairs Commission. You can get a lawyer to handle this for you.  It is very wise for you to register your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission because it implies that your business is legally recognised and also gives you priority over your chosen name. Let us let you in on a secret, people are more comfortable making their purchases from a business that is recognized and that has a legal recognition than one without.

Now let us talk about Location. Location is a very important factor in any business venture and should be considered carefully. For your shoe making business you need to have a location for shoe production, storage, sales and enquiries will be done. You can have production and storage at a different location and have sales and enquiries at another location. It all depends on you. But one thing you should have in mind is that anywhere you want to make your sales location has to be accessible and visible so that your customers will not find it difficult to get to you.

Customer care is another important aspect we have to look into. This goes a long way to determine whether your customers are satisfied and happy.  Bear it in mind that if your customers are happy and satisfied they will always come back to patronise you and that way you will retain them. Not just that,  they’ll also tell other people about you and who says no to free advertising. To achieve this you have to be very careful with the staff you are hiring.  Train them if need be but you have to make sure that they attend to your clients very well and make sure that they do not leave in an angry mood.

There are different materials used in the manufacturing of shoes. Shoes can be manufactured with leather, wool, rubber, Ankara, etc.  Some luxury shoes are even made with gold, diamond,  and other precious stones.  Whichever raw material you wish to use in the production of your shoes, you have to search for a place where you can purchase them at a cheap price so that your price will not be so high that the target market will not be able to afford it.  So you cannot just make your purchases at any random place seeing that you are engaged in mass production. You have to consider the fact that people love quality stuff but would also want to buy at a cheap rate.  Hence you have to consider your options critically.

Finally you have to seriously look into advertisement. If people do not know you,  how will they patronise you. There are various means of advertising which include bill boards,  posters, flyers,  social media, bulk SMS, radio and television broadcast etc.  Just pick an option you can afford and advertise.  However, you have to make sure that your advert is getting the target group otherwise you’ll be wasting your money. You could also try to liaise or collaborate with online shops. There is also the referrals you get to enjoy from your customers if they are satisfied and if you treated them well.