They said the past can have a strong effect in the future, and that’s true. You could choose the way it affects you, either positively or negatively, but for Oke Maduewesi she choose to make her past, affect her present positively. She believed so much in what she could do to change the narrative about something that had happened in the past, to changing and restructuring the local markets, ‘’cause who else would grow Africa if not Africans’’. She is one lady who has proven herself, and defied all odds. She is Mrs Resilient.
Oke Maduewesi is the Founder/CEO of ‘Zaron’, the biggest beauty cosmetic brand in Nigeria. It trades under the names of Zaron international limited and Zaron cosmetics Limited and Zaron hair products limited.
Oke attended the Edo state university, where she bagged a B.Sc. degree in Economics in the year 1998. She started her career as a banker in one of the most prominent financial institution in Nigeria, Zenith bank plc. In the year 2005, she lost her husband at the age of 30 in a Sosoliso plane crash that claimed the lives of many Nigerians. Oke describes the tragedy as one of the most painful moments of her life, she didn’t know what was going on anymore. Losing the love of her life to a plane crash or having to cater for two kids all by herself. Sooner, than expected, she knew she had to make a change, a solution as to what awaits her in the future. So, she decided to get more managerial and leadership skills. To do this, she had to sell all her properties including her house in Port Harcourt to move to Lagos state, so she could be more productive.
Oke’s passion for entrepreneurship is totally out of this world. Driven with determination, she completed her management courses in Strathmore business school, Nairobi; Lagos business school, Nigeria. While pursuing an MBA Program in the University of Leeds Business School, United Kingdom, she read a lot about entrepreneurs who grew an empire from nothing especially, people like Richard Brandson, and that really fuelled her passion into building a reputable Cosmetic Brand like Zaron.
The brand ‘Zaron’ got coined from her two daughters name; Zara and Ona. It began operations in the year 2011 at Lagos state, Nigeria. Zaron cosmetics has rapidly blossomed into a prominent beauty brand, with a core mission to cater for the unique beauty needs of the African woman, this has sparked a revolutionary approach to cosmetics, encapsulating both quality and inclusivity. Zaron makeup kit , Zaron Foundation, Zaron skincare, Zaron Face cream, Zaron setting powder, Zaron oil free pore minimizer, are products of these prestigious brand that has risen above and contended with other cosmetics brand in Nigeria.
Over the years, Oke has been very focused in delivering sleek premium quality products at affordable prices to enhance the lifestyle needs of African women. Having over 25 franchise outlets and 800+ distributors in Nigeria and other African countries, she has contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of Nigeria through job creation, enterprise development, strong corporate social responsibility and a business ethos anchored on reputation and trust.
Due to her resilience and determination, she has received awards and recognitions such as; SME CEO of the year-B2C 2019-Business Day Awards, A feature in the YOUWIN! Connect Enterprise Education Book- the federal ministry of finance, Budget and National Planning, Nigeria. One of the keynote speakers at MIT SLOAN Africa Innovative conference 2017, profiled as one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs 2017- Africa’s Legacy Project (Fox Life).
In an interview with Business Insider Africa, she shares her thoughts concerning disruptors in the luxury industry. ‘’The most important disruptor in the luxury business in Africa are mainly; -lack of spending power. The top of the wealth pyramid is very thin in Africa, so the luxury goods market suffers because there are not enough consumers of luxury goods in Africa. – Lack of infrastructure is probably at the top of the list. This impacts everything negatively from stable power to transportation, healthcare, internet and education. As long as we fail to invest heavily on infrastructure, we will not be able to efficiently move goods and services from one place to the other, and the cost of running businesses will erode the profit margins and inhibit (long term) survival of businesses. -Foreign Exchange Fluctuation/ Unfavourable Government Policies Africa suffers from foreign exchange fluctuations combined with unfavourable government policies leaving the economy in dire straits since no nation is self- sufficient and will always be dependent on foreign transactions. Demand for luxury goods increase when wealth/income increases, ergo a struggling economy leaves its citizen vying for needs rather than wants and the luxury industry without viable consumers”. This really boosted her passion to create a brand in Nigeria in Africa, being a fan of the local markets, she looks immensely at what the locals can do, instead of relying on the international markets.
She concludes with stating out the principles, before entrepreneurs can embark on a lifelong journey of building a sustainable brand. ‘’I would say, ‘’Go for it if you are passionate about being successful.’’ You don’t have to had any prior experience on makeup artistry, at least I didn’t. I just saw an opportunity and was driven and passionate about being a success and a role model. There are three basic concepts that I use when I mentor new and young businesses; 1) The power of the mind: Your ability to see possibilities is the start of everything, and it’s a big determinant on whether a venture will be successful or not. I always start by working from the ‘’being able to see the finished goods’’ in my mind then I start working towards it. Research shows that the outcome of a venture is 80% in the mind, while 20% is the actual work done. 2) Taking Action: Most ideas don’t get off the ground because we never take action. The difference between a dream and a goal is active timelines. You must always make a move and commit to the goal; otherwise, those same ideas will be executed by someone else. 3) Making it work: This is possibly one area where most people fall short, and they give up easily. The day to day running of a business, especially in Africa requires smart work and plenty of hard work, and it’s important to be determined to put in the work and believe you can make it. She often believe that anyone can do something as far as you just put your mind into it. She is one woman who is looking at changing the narrative about the local brands, we can have a huge market, but it all starts with us. ‘’There will be times that you will not have money, there will be times that you will feel like you can’t face the money. Embrace your failures and pains. Build your strength and mix with people that cover your weaknesses. Make it work, that is where most Nigerians fail because you start a business and nothing to make it work. That is where the work actually starts, you have to keep moving, when you hit a comfort zone, know that something is wrong. There must always be a target to pursue’’
‘’Zaron’’ is known for being the brand that redefines the essence of beauty, so while makeup can do a lot on the outside, true beauty starts from within. When you are happy even your skin shows it. The Zaron brand is a product made for the woman of colour, and by the woman of colour.
‘’There is never a comfort zone. Challenges are daily but don’t focus on that, just make it work. There is no challenge that we cannot overcome. Every challenge is a learning curve.’’- Oke Ogba .
Posted By: Patrick Kokomma
