Meet The Youngest Managing Director In The Courier Sector

 

Brain and Beauty combined together. Nefisat Isa, a 26-year old lady who was born into the popular Isa family has not let her family wealth or background make her lazy or reluctant in life, like many would have been. A graduate of University of Toronto with B.A.(Hons.) in Communications Culture and Information Technology, Nefisat also boasts of a certificate from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. At just 26, she owns two leading businesses in the Nation’s capital, Abuja.  In this interview with The Sun, Nefisat explains how she started, who her role models are and how she has been able to manage are businesses to the level they are now. Enjoy!

Tell us about your growing up, passions, and how it has led you to where you are now

I spent most of my childhood in Lagos before moving to Canada for my undergraduate studies. I love contributing to people’s happiness whichever way I can and creating a positive lasting impact on other people. I love junk food, taking pictures and travelling. I am presently the Managing Director of “Erandas Limited- Erandas Courier”, a first class courier company based in Abuja. I am also the Creative Director and founder of Neisah Luxury Stores. I reside in Abuja and I’m a hopeless romantic.

How do you handle being a young MD of a courier company?

First of all, my dad is my mentor and I have proper guidance from him. I also work with very experienced people and we learn from each other. My educational background has also helped me to add value to the company with regards to strategy, but overall, I’m glad I have a dedicated team and we work together to achieve a common goal.

Considering there are a lot of big wigs in the game, how have you been able to deal with competitors in the business?

In any business, you have a value proposition, a customer segment to know what it is you are offering your customers. We have our clients and we offer them what other companies cannot offer. It all comes down to our value proposition which is customized courier services for each client. So, each client has a different solution to their needs.

Do you think your family background has helped you to what you are today?

Oh yes! For sure, my parents are a huge source of motivation and inspiration. Growing up, they instilled life’s values into us and I am really grateful to God for them because without them, I wouldn’t be here. Growing up, my values and morals have helped shaped me into what I am today. My hard work, determination, personal and professional achievements – I owe it all to them.

You recently open a luxury store, tell us a little about it and what’s the inspiration behind it.

The luxury store is called NEISAH. I derive a lot of inspiration from the Arabian and Northern lifestyle and culture and it’s something I wanted to incorporate into my store. It’s a fashion store that stocks different luxury brands from kaftans to Arabian perfumes and jewellery. There’s a common theme around the products the store carries.

How would you describe Nigerian Fashion Industry?

A lot of Nigerians are actually embracing their own designs and wearing what Nigerian designers are producing instead of having the mentality that everything has to be international. Nigerians have come a long way. There’s a lot of room to grow and the fashion industry keeps growing every single day.

What is style to you?

Style, to me, is being comfortable and when you are comfortable, you exude confidence.

What are your memorable moments?

I have quite a few of them. One is the day I graduated from the University of Toronto and also the period I attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Also, I am a very religious person, so visiting Mecca for Ummrah last year during the fasting period was very memorable too. Another one is when I took up position as MD of the courier company and lastly when I recently opened my store.

Any regrets?

I have made a lot of mistakes in my personal and professional life, but I won’t call them regrets. I will call them lessons because they have made me who I am today, both personally and professionally.

What is your marital status?

I am single.

How do you relax?

I love to dance because dancing helps me relieve stress a lot. I also love to travel. For me, travelling is my own way of relaxing.

Would you rate yourself as a successful or fulfilled young person?

I have goals. I wouldn’t say I am there yet because I have a lot of goals and potentials I want to accomplish, so I’m pretty much trying to accomplish them one after another. Looking back from where I am today to where I was two years ago, I would say I am getting fulfilled while trying to be successful.

What other goals do you aspire to achieve?

I have a lot more to accomplish. I have the idea of starting a business and making it successful. I want to invest in businesses, do a lot of talks like TED to be able to inspire a lot of people. I’d also like to participate in charitable organisations.

What motivates you in life?

I derive pleasure knowing that my customers and clients are satisfied with our services. That’s always a priority. Building my business and managing my company around my customers motivates me to come up with the best strategies, ideas and solutions that targets their needs. If it has to do with the courier company, what exactly do they want with their courier needs? If it’s the fashion store, how exactly do my clients want to feel? For me, my motivation is creating a solution to their problems.

What’s your view on Nigerian politics so far?

In this age of information technology, our politics is a work in progress.

Do you have any plans to go into politics?

Perhaps in the future, but not now.

Three words of advice for young aspiring entrepreneurs?

The first thing I would say is never give up. Secondly, in anything you do, make sure God is first and finally, follow your heart in whatever you want to do. With the right support system, you would achieve whatever you want to do