Debby Lawson, founder and COO of Fastizers, talking throughout launch of the corporate’s Nibit model.
Debby Lawson, founder and COO of Fastizers, a Nigeria-based producer of cookies and snack meals, had not initially deliberate to start out her personal enterprise. Her authentic objective was to construct a profession at a financial institution or within the oil business.
Upon finishing her college research, Debby discovered herself employed at a bakery in Lagos whereas making use of for jobs. She loved the function as she all the time had a ardour for cooking. Her tasks included not simply baking, but in addition being concerned in a number of different areas of the enterprise starting from managing workers to dealing with advertising and accounting duties.
On an event the place the bakery workforce needed to work by means of the evening to fulfil a big cookie order, Debby was struck with an thought: she may bake these cookies herself and have her sister promote them at her workplace. With simply 1,000 naira (equal to US$1.11 on the present change fee), she bought substances for her preliminary batch of cookies. “I returned residence with solely 40 naira left, so I all the time say Fastizers began with 960 naira,” she reminisces.
Utilising the ovens on the bakery, Debby created her first batch of cookies, packaging them in easy paper. She handed 20 packs to her sister, who managed to promote all of them by midday. Inspired, Debby elevated the amount to 30 packs the next day, and these too shortly offered out. Debby believed {that a} identify and branding would possibly increase her cookie gross sales much more. She named them Enjoyable Cookies, a product that continues to be Fastizers’ flagship immediately. Gross sales additionally slowly expanded past her sister’s workplace to incorporate just a few native neighbourhood shops.
Juggling her job on the bakery together with her burgeoning cookie enterprise quickly turned too difficult for Debby. Consequently, she determined to depart her place on the bakery. With no additional entry to the bakery’s ovens, she transitioned her operations to her sister’s small kitchen in a three-room flat. Her baking commenced each night following the completion of household meals. “Typically I’d be within the kitchen at 2am baking cookies. However once you’re doing one thing you’re keen on, it actually doesn’t really feel like stress,” says Debby. “Seeing the progress, from 20 packs to 50 packs to 100 packs per day… It was thrilling.”
Learn our full article on Debby Lawson and Fastizers: How this cookie firm cracked the Nigerian market
