Post No. 5 in a 7 post series.
Previous Post: Driving in Lagos
Surviving the morning commute, I would arrive at the office and start working. My client was Design Options, a furniture manufacturer and retailer. The FATE Foundation thought this would be a good fit based on my software engineering background. In truth I actually requested a company very different from what I was used to, and this was that for sure.
Design Options had been in existence for 18 years, though they had gone through a period of rapid growth in the last three years, with annual revenues tripling to roughly $2 million. However, monthly sales had recently declined from 25 million naira, to about 15 million (roughly an $80K drop). The company had different locations for their showroom, factory, and warehousing. Design Options was run by two directors; one was a trained accountant but had a passion for interiors, and the other who was trained in interior design. The directors believed the primary reason for declining sales was an ineffective sales force. Thus, their plan was for me to suggest and implement improvements. As a result, my first two weeks were spent at the showroom where I dealt with their client service staff made up of fifteen women.
The second day, an employee came up to me, almost in tears, because she couldn’t figure out the best way to display ten different kinds of curtains. This is when I knew I was in trouble. An hour later, we came up with something that pleased her, and she was happy. How the final solution was different from the other ten, I have no idea. Work soon became more interesting as I was able to spend time with the production managers, logistics managers, and accounts managers. I spent a couple of weeks with each, suggesting and making improvements where most necessary. Honestly, I found myself as much of a teacher as a worker.
Speaking of teaching, one of the requirements for all interns was to teach a class to Nigerian entrepreneurs. The class I was assigned was “How to Develop a Sound Business Strategy.” Two lessons learned: When teaching a class of 35 Nigerians, don’t necessarily use the first example that pops in your head. When given a question about the value chain, I began discussing the digital music industry. This was bad. Once I converted it to yams and plantains, it was much more effective. Part of my class also went through the organizational lifecycle. This went well until I mentioned ‘death’. I soon learned that, culturally, there’s a widespread fear of death. From that point on, I had lost them. If the goal was to encourage entrepreneurship, then I did just the opposite – no one wanted their company to die.
Perhaps my favorite part of the job was working with the warehouse guys. I spent a significant amount of time working through inventory management issues and delivery schedules which took me to the warehouse about 20 miles away. These guys needed a little direction but they worked hard and spending time with them was a blast.
My experience working with Design Options was priceless. A lot of us westerners think we have the solutions to the ills of the developing world. How presumptuous we can be. Though I left with more questions than answers (more on these thoughts in the last post) the people of Design Options are a testament to the intellect, skill, and work ethic that exists in Africa and that’s needed to bring economic prosperity to a much needed region.
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