Salads were boring, so we switched it up - Lessons from my 10 years running So Fresh!

Yes! So Fresh will be exactly 10 years on the 6th of November 2020. What a ride it has been. I promised to share lessons learnt on the journey to inspire and help someone out there. So, let’s dive in.

 1. HAVE AN AUTHENTIC PURPOSE

Starting out with a strong sense of purpose that was over and beyond making money helped us to stay focused and create strong emotional engagement both within the company and with our customers and partners. An authentic and inspiring purpose should inspire employees, excite partners, attract customers and deliver value to all stakeholders. In summary it must be bigger than YOU. Every company needs to pin down “why we do what we do” if it will remain sustainable and relevant in the long term.

2. CHART A UNIQUE COURSE – Create a Niche

Most people did not believe in the SO FRESH dream when we started, there was mostly doubt, ridicule, confusion and even pity. Why would a full-time employee of one of the biggest IOCs in Nigeria and a practicing Lawyer with her own law firm result to selling apples, oranges and lettuce....... lol. You see in 2010, nobody saw the clear and now seemingly glaring opportunities in the healthy food space. Nigerians didn't even consider salad as food (at best it was coleslaw by the side of party rice) until SO FRESH changed the game and pioneered the growing healthy food space in Nigeria, with still so many opportunities to explore. Salads were boring to Nigerians, so we switched it up and localized it to our taste, no wonder the SWEET & SPICY SALAD remains a best seller. Have you found a need in the market? Find a unique way to solve that need?

3. BE CUSTOMER CENTRIC

In the early days, we were very focused on listening to the CUSTOMERS and we learnt quickly that it was all about the customer. We wanted to sell whole watermelons (I love watermelons), but guess what the customer wanted? They wanted Watermelon & Pineapple Juice and that’s exactly what we gave them. Actively listening to feedback and learning from how customers interact with your products or services could be a powerful competitive advantage for your business. Rather than obsess over competition, become customer-centric, afterall they are the reason why you have a business.

"Companies that solely focus on competition will die. Those that focus on value creation will thrive." – Edward de Bono

4. PLAN

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."—Mike Tyson

I am a sucker for planning, I can plan for Africa, and we started out with a clear plan, but I quickly found out nothing trumps execution, because guess what? Plans are just plans. Planning in and of itself accomplishes little especially in our current fast-changing world. "You can come up with a plan that is perfect for a world that passed you by while you were spending all that time planning." Have a plan, but be attentive to the market, stay flexible, hence testing out your ideas with real customers as quickly as you can is important.

So, here’s what I have learnt.

PLAN meticulously! EXECUTE swiftly! FAIL quickly! LEARN your lessons! PIVOT and move on.

PLAN, but most importantly TAKE ACTION!

5. POWER IN SYNERGY

There’s tremendous power in synergy. One of the best decisions we ever made was to partner on this journey as a couple. Starting out with a co-founder made all the difference for So Fresh. Creation is an act of collaboration, and the reality is, there’s just so much 1 person can do. Nothing of significant value and substance was ever built or accomplished by a single person, even Serena Williams has coaches, medical staffs, psychologist, PA, fans etc. Creating a company that stands the test of time requires a network of team members, allies, advisers, and partners. Learning to select the right partners and, in turn, trusting them, investing in them and giving them room to grow is vital for success.

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Once again, thank you for the past 10 years, you have been the heart and soul of our business, and it’s been an awesome pleasure serving you, learning from you and bringing you the best of Fresh, Yummy, Healthy and Safe Meals across our 10 outlets nationwide. You indeed have been the singular reason for our continued success and growth. Watch out for my next letter, where I will share more insights, talk on what the future holds and what we have planned for the big 10.

Thank you for being so fabulous.

YOU rock and WE LOVE YOU.

With love and lots of freshness

Olagoke