‘I started my bookshop in a wheelbarrow’

Basically, how would you describe your shop?

The shop is named Hyjon Bookshop owned and managed by me and is located in Area F, Nyanya, Abuja.

What does it take to start a business?

To start a good business, it requires a lot of capital, knowledge, idea, hardwork and goodwill to facilitate it.

What are the challenges in your business?

The business is faced with so many challenges such as government policy and poor quality books being produced. Strikes also affect the business seriously.

How can you maintain your business?

It is not easy to maintain business because of the challenges I have mentioned. Also, the economic situation ravaging the country has not exempted us. Generally too, good maintenance involves money. There is the element of hard work too as well as the mercy of God.

What types of books do you sell?

My business is based on novels, primary and secondary school textbooks, past questions and answer papers and tertiary institution text books.

Are you happy doing the business?

I am delighted and excited about the business because that is where my earnings come from. It helps me to train my siblings.

What aims and objectives guide your business?

My objectives are to make good profit and to facilitate business in a standard way.

How did you start the business?

I started it from a low-level way. I began with using a wheelbarrow. I also hawked the books on the streets. I took books to schools too. I did all these things to generate more income and to get other books required by schools in the neighbouring states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well. As time passed we began to supply books to schools, especially secondary and primary schools. It all started in 1997 and today it has generated more shops.

What motivated you?

My primary motivation was the income and you will agree that money is the first consideration of any businessman. I chose books in particular because I love education although I did not have the opportunity to go far in it because my parents were very poor. I try to make up for this by using the money I generate from the business to train my younger ones so that they can be educated. I encourage them to go to school because education is the key to success in life.

Why did you locate the business in Nyanya and not a high-profile place like Wuse?

I am in Nyanya for several reasons. One, there are more schools and more students in Nyanya than Wuse, for which reason we sell more books in Nyanya than Wuse. Two, shops in Wuse are more expensive than those in Nyanya. Three, there is more security in Nyanya than Wuse.

How do you relate with customers?

We try always to build a mutual relationship between us and our customers. We reach out to other people also to convince them to buy books from us. We sell more of original books which we get by collaborating with companies that produce the books in Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan.

Do people buy your books yearly, weekly or daily?

The books are sold daily. People use all kinds of books daily and Nyanya is densely populated with people of varying needs.

How many shops have you established since you started the business?

We have four shops in the Nyanya market and we pray for more to come.