Bayo Adedeji, the owner, founder and CEO of Dundun Nation (a company that primarily sells fried yam). Adedeji is also an expert in building indigenous brands. Some of the companies he has built include Salubata, BayoShowSale, and Moin-Moin Assembly. We recently met with Adedeji and he shared his inspirational story with us.
Read excerpts below:
Who is Bayo Adedeji? I am a father, business man, married with two kids; work in retail, the owner, founder and CEO of Dundun Nation. I’m just a local Nigerian boy that likes to do commerce. How the idea of Dundun Nation came to life I love to tell good stories about how we transitioned into this business. My wife is half Benue and Half Ekiti. We were both in Nigeria at the time and she made yam that morning and I said perfect because we love fried yam. I had an epiphany and I said “let’s start selling fried yam”. We took the idea and my wife did a wonderful job. We opened the first location for one year and we were not desperate to expand, we were desperate to get it right. It took us three years of being in a cocoon. We actually just came online 9 months ago before that; we were not taking online orders. You have to walk up to our stores to buy your food. We continue to add to the menu as people say “Dundun Nation we only sell yam” – yes.
In the morning we sell indomie. We sell about 15 cartons of Indomie in one location in a week. It’s crazy. That’s basically the concept of the business. Challenges faced so far People call me a yam seller and I answer with pride. I say yes, I am Bayo the Dundun seller. I have never lived for the hype, that’s why I wasn’t online or putting my face out there. I’m keen about the business and that’s who I am. That’s what makes the entire board of this company. We don’t listen to people that try to talk us down, we don’t even listen to people that try to praise us. We focus on our goal. The goal for us is to be able to sell fifty thousand (50,000) packs a day. That’s the immediate goal that we have. In the next five years we want to sell five hundred thousand meals a day. That is our goal. That is what we work towards.
What should any prospective entrepreneur know before starting a business? Let’s talk about unemployment first. Yes – there’s hunger in the land. I think it would be fallacy for me to say that there’s no hardship around. I’m a realist. I say it as I see it. But at the same time, there’s opportunity.
It’s like a place with so much opportunity but yet so much hunger. We walk around the streets of Lagos and we see opportunity. We see things that are not done. I tell everyone that wants to listen me and my content that it is true we can’t all become entrepreneurs , but even if you get an opportunity to get a job, do it and do it diligently. I am a man of faith. I believe in God, I listen to the bible and the bible says that if a man be diligent in his work, he would not stand before mere men, but before princes and princesses. I listen to that and I’m marveled because all the Bible asks is to be diligent in your work no matter what it is. There’s unemployment, but if you find something, be diligent in it.
Message to Nigerians
Buy Dundun. After all is said, just buy Dundun. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter @Dundun Nation. You can call or email us if you want to order, or you want to own your own business by franchising with us. We have a customer service line on 07032477758. You can call us and we can provide you value for your parties, birthdays, weddings, naming ceremonies, burials, TGIF, get-togethers or you are just feeling happy on a Sunday. Book us and we’ll be ready to serve you.