Uduak’s story: Bringing a taste of home to Nigerians abroad

Uduak Odungide discovered she was a gifted salesperson when she volunteered to help a colleague sell some clothes. Soon, she developed a reputation for being able to sell anything and everything, and was inundated with requests from friends who needed her help. She decided to try selling something for herself, and thus her business, Udyfoods, was born. By using our award-winning HerVenture app, Uduak learned valuable financial management skills that supported her in taking measured risks and entering new markets.

“I started Udyfoods while working a very demanding 9 to 5 job in the oil and gas sector. I’m not from a family of entrepreneurs and I never really planned on being one. It kind of happened by chance. 

My boss at the time lived in the same area as me, so we would often share a ride to work. One day, I noticed that he seemed happier than usual, so I asked him why. He said that his wife had just returned from London and had brought back several boxes of clothes for him to sell. He was excited to sell the clothes, but he wasn’t sure how to do it. I knew they would sell quickly if we showed them to the women we work with, so I volunteered to do it for him.  

That day, I went around to all the women we worked with, showing off the clothes our boss was selling. Word spread through the office and people started coming to me to ask if they could buy some. I discovered that I was a natural salesperson. Before you knew it, I’d sold it all! From that day on, whenever people had something to sell, they came to me. Sometimes I’d even approach people who weren’t selling anything and convince them to let me sell their things for them. I wasn’t even profiting from it, I just did it because it was exciting.  

Soon, I got a call from a woman at our head office who had heard about my sales skills. She asked how much I was making in commission, and I told her I wasn’t making anything, just helping people and doing something I enjoy. She told me I was good at it and said I should consider selling things for myself as a business. After that conversation, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said. You know when someone compliments you and it makes you think about yourself in a new way? That’s what happened. I realised I had potential as a businesswoman, so I needed to go for it.  

 On a trip back to my home village, I went to a market to buy cooking oils and other local products to resell. I took them back to Lagos with me and announced that this time I was selling for myself as a business. My friends and colleagues were very excited and supportive. Not only did they buy all the oil I’d brought with me that day, but they also started buying from me any time they needed to restock.  

I knew that if I wanted to expand my business, I’d need to start marketing my products to new people on social media. At the time, I didn’t really understand how businesses were using social media, but I jump at every opportunity to gain knowledge and skills, so I started taking a short course on the subject. It went so well that I decided to take other courses too. I took a course on Instagram, a course on photography, a course on Facebook ads, and many others. I set aside a portion of my earnings from my 9-5 job to pay for more business training courses. 

Then I discovered the HerVenture app. I loved that it offered so many lessons for entrepreneurs at no cost. I learned about financial management; budgeting, forecasting, and the importance of knowing your numbers. It had examples and illustrations that made the information easy to understand. Making time to learn while working a 9 to 5 job is difficult, but HerVenture’s modules were quick and simple. I could do them at my own pace, whenever my schedule allowed. 

Everything I learned through HerVenture and the business training courses made a huge impact on my business. I started gaining more customers and stocking new products to meet their needs. I offered a range of price points so that there was something for everyone, regardless of their financial circumstances. I wanted my products to be accessible to as many people as possible. It wasn’t just about business; it was also about impact.  

I’d established a strong customer base across Nigeria, but it wasn’t long before I noticed a growing appetite for Nigerian food products in other markets also. This happened when some of my regular customers stopped buying from me. If I haven’t heard from customers in a while, I always reach out to check in. I found that many of my customers had stopped ordering from me because they had left Nigeria. Several had moved to the United Kingdom, where there’s a large Nigerian diaspora. They said they wished they could buy my products there, as they missed being able to cook with quality Nigerian ingredients. I knew that exporting would require a lot of logistics, but I was determined to bring my customers the taste of home they were longing for.  

I contacted a friend of mine in London and asked if she had space to hold some products for me. I told her I would ship them to her and advertise to Nigerians in the UK, who could come collect the products. She said she did have the space and would be happy to do that for me. Talk about women supporting women!  

After selling through my friend for a while, I heard about a Nigerian trade fair in London. I knew it would be a great opportunity to reach more of my target market, so I decided to fly to the UK and participate in the event. It was definitely a risk, as it cost a lot of money. I had to be very strategic and apply all the financial knowledge I’d gained from HerVenture to ensure we got a strong return on our investment.  

I created social media campaigns and worked with UK-based influencers to build brand awareness with Nigerians in London and let them know we were coming to the trade fair. Immediately we were getting comments and messages from people saying they had been customers of ours back in Nigeria and that they were excited to buy our products again. Many of them spread the word and helped create a lot of buzz.  

We’d drummed up substantial interest, so I had to make sure we lived up to the hype. I researched what Nigerian food items weren’t available in the UK and brought them all—fresh palm leaves, dried fish, everything! I brought only the highest quality items. Quality will always sell itself. 

My hard work paid off. The event was a huge success and our website was flooded with new UK customers. We’ve been thriving in the UK market ever since.  

I hope to continue growing my business and bringing our products to more Nigerians around the world. There are so many of us out there in the UK, the US, and other countries. I want to reach them all.  

Having a successful business has changed the way I look at myself. I’m now a more confident person and I’ve handed that confidence down to my children. If you had told me six years ago that I would achieve this much success, I wouldn’t have believed you. But my journey as an entrepreneur has taught me that you don’t know how much you’re capable of until you take that first step.” 

Photos by Taiwo Aina.