Nollywood actress cum businesswoman Liz Anjorin has revealed how she became the richest actress in Nigeria.
According to Lizzy in an interview with Seye Kehinde of City People magazine;
“When you see my videos, you will see how I spend the whole day dancing and recording. It takes a lot to sell one single boubou. Dance & dance. I travel abroad myself to source for fabrics you won’t see here.”
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“I also go to buy Jewellery myself. You can’t find my collection elsewhere. I go for very rare pieces, that you won’t find anywhere. Even the fabrics. After buying the fabrics we still have do stoning. Many don’t know I have a full fledge tailoring workshop. I have a staff strength of about 60 Tailors and those who do stoning for me.
I put in a lot into my business because I don’t want to depend on any man for money or existence. What many people don’t know is that men don’t give ladies like me who work free money. How much will any man give a lady like me? My salary bill alone, monthly, is close to N1 million. So how much will a man offer me? I just wonder”.
See excerpts from the interview with Seye Kehinde below:
How did she get into the Fashion business we asked her?
“What has kept her going?” The Grace of God. We give thanks to God. Perseverance, Endurance. Its God. You have to be tough to be able to do business in Nigeria. There is so much pains doing business.” Each time you see Liz these days what one can see is affluence. How does she put all these together? “I am fashion conscious. I love fashion. I love buying because I work so hard. I buy to keep, I buy fabrics and clothes and keep. Then later I will begin to match them and they come out nice. For my designs, I always want something very unique, something that is not common. I love my things to be very, very unique. That is why if you look around this shop, all you will see are unique things, fabrics that are not common. Kaftans, Boubous, Abayas that are not common. I love my things to be very, very unique. When you wear unique things, you look gorgeous, classy and dazzling.
Let’s talk about Liz and Jewellery…
“Don’t go there. I am in love with Jewellery. I am in love with Gold. What I have on is 18 Karat Gold. I sell 18kt Gold. I also sell Zaconium Gold-Zaconium gold is a copy of the Diamond set. But 18 Karat Gold is 18 Karat Gold. My jewellery are very special and different. My clients marvel when they see my collection. They always say I have special jewllery and that my Gold collection is so unique. It has to be. Every time I travel. I usual visit 7 countries. I have supplies in the Middle East countries. I go to countries like Turkey, Germany, Italy, Austria, Qatar, Dubai and Jeddah. When I go shopping for my Jewellery, I pick the very best. I don’t mind the amount. I pick the best. I love hand-made. I love the antique. I am into Jewellery. So I know the trends. Some are made by machine. Some are handmade. I love hand made jewellery”.
How did she make a success of the business of fabrics, clothing, jewellery?
“They go hand in hand. Fashion is art. Art is fashion. If you have a clean heart, you will see beauty in things. So, once you have it in you, you will be able to add one or two ideas together. That’s what I do. And I don’t copy because I always want people to copy me. If I copy that means I am an Apprentice. If you copy me, it means I am the Boss”.
Why did she decide to go into fashion when she went 20 years ago?
“I did fashion for business’ sake. I needed to make money from my hobby. I sent myself to school. I paid my way through school single-handedly. I started off by helping people to pack their clothes and taking them to laundry. People will just make statements and comments like I like good clothes, I wish I can have more. That gave me the idea that I can get it for them and sell it to them. That is how I started when I was in Poly. When I was in Jos I did the same thing. When people say they want to buy Ankara, I will go and get it and sell to them.”
So, there is a way in which her growing up shaped her going into Fashion. “Yes, my growing up shaped me. My mother shaped me also. My mother is behind everything I have become today. She really helped me. She was tough on me. She was very, very tough. Being the only child, I was supposed to be getting away with very many things. No. If I want to get anything I have to work for it. Even as a child. That really helped me”.
“When I was much younger, my mother used to tell me, people you line-up with will determine your future and your personality, in the society. She used to tell me to greet rich kids when we were young. Greet them over & over again because you want to be rich in life. If you join the group of kids that hate them or that snub them, that means you don’t want to be rich. She said you should hold on to people below your calibre. If you see people of your calibre, hold on to them also. She said at times you will need people below you to do some things which people above your calibre won’t be able to do for you. That has really helped me. She has been a wonderful mother.”
