We live in a world where first impressions matter, and one’s fragrance speaks before he or she does; it whispers elegance, radiates charm, and lingers long after he or she has left the room.
Ogunlaja IseOluwanimi, the chief executive officer at Sugar-Drip, a ‘feel good’ service providing firm she started in January 2025, with N250,000, with the understanding of the impact the right scent can have not just on how people are perceived, but on how they feel about themselves.
The 21 year- old final student of Social Work at Babcock University was inspired to venture into selling perfume oils with the aim of giving people that luxury fragrance that complements their personalities.
“My business is under the product and services enterprise; I sell perfume oils as well as customise the scents to my clients’ unique preferences.
“You know when you pass someone and they say, ‘Oh my gawd! What are you wearing?’ That is the biggest compliment anyone can ever give,” she explained.
IseOluwanimi leveraged her personal savings, and family support to start her business, which is still growing and becoming a bit more popular than before, because her products niche are in the quality they possess.
“Quality is what I pride myself on. I started the customisation aspect a month after I started the business due to my unique scent as an individual, which I had used for over a year before I started my business.
“I have a few clients in school who see me and shout: ‘Sugar-Drip’. It’s such a confidence booster! It’s not even up to six months, and my business is growing well to the glory of God,” she said.
The customisation aspect of her business is something that stands her out among her competitors, because most people in the scent business space have not opened themselves to that.
On blending academics with business on campus, IseOluwanimi said it was not easy, but she devised a means of using dispatch riders to ease her burdens.
Though she is the only person managing the business, however according to her, the business has expanded to the point where she will need more people.
“I plan to become a wholesaler and to have a physical location where consultation and customisations can take place. The rest will be a secret,” she said, buttressing her expansion plans.
In the of the economic crunch amidst surging inflation, which tend to paralyse many businesses, she said she adjusts her prices based on the need for it, to navigate the murky waters.
“Inflation isn’t a new thing to the business world. I adjust my prices based on the need for it, while ensuring that I provide quality oils at affordable prices,” she said.
For IseOluwanimi, the major challenge doing business on campus is the constant explanation to the security on patrols (SOP’s), who would always stop, search and demand explanations, and the challenges of moving the products from her hall to the gate and back.
And to address that challenges, she said she has reached out to the head of entrepreneurship club for assistance. Besides, she has adopted the use tricycle (Keke) when it is available.
To other entrepreneurs, especially the upcoming ones, she encourages them to be determined and persevering, because it takes time to succeed.
“Trust me, you will always succeed no matter what goes on. It takes time to succeed,” she said.
