Our
business is to makepeople beautiful
By CHRISTY ANYANWU
Monday, September 11, 2006
 |
• Arinola Adeniyi
Photo: The Sun News Publishing |
|
Arinola Adeniyi is the Director of Venivici Health Club and
Urban Spa. Her outfit deals on body theraphy, aromatherapy,
body polish, back flip, mud rap, body brushing and wrap, steam
therapy, stone massage and other body treatments that deal
on preventive health and beauty enhancement.
Because of this, Ms. Adeniyi left her banking career that
spanned about 14 years for a bold step into the beauty world.
Seven years ago, she started at Kofo Abayomi Street before
relocating her office to Ligali Ayorinde, on Victoria Island.
She spoke to Daily Sun on the outfit, her
background and vision.
I attended St. Theresa’s College, Ibadan. I have a B.sc
degree in Economics, from University of Ife, and MBA degree
from University of Lagos. I used to be a banker. My ambition
was to be a bank Managing Director. So, while I was in the
bank, I did my Professional Banking examinations, I am a chartered
banker. Also, I am an associate of Chartered Institute of
professional bankers in Nigeria. I was the second vice-chairman
of Professional Women Banker before I left the banking industry
to face my vision which is Venivici Spa and that involves
making a difference in people’s lives.
I got to management position in banking and that was not just
enough for me. I remember one day I was in church, and I heard
my Bishop (Oyedepo) saying you can never be a solution provider
when you are in paid employment. I also knew God had more
for me to give and before I totally left my job, I was pursuing
this as a hobby, so I knew it was time to devote full time
to it and pursue the vision. Today, I’m so happy, I
see people go up the stairs, when they are coming down they
are smiling, they are fresher, they are rejuvenated, that
is the whole essence. Even the name of the company Venivici
(meaning) I came and I conquered because you won’t leave
the same way you come in here.
Insight into Spa
We have been able to make people appreciate that therapist
is not just frivolous, it is not just for relaxation, it is
also very therapeutic. But complementary therapist is the
fastest growing industry all over the world. Every corner
of the world you turn to, there’s a massage going on.
On the plane, shopping mall, even at the last ‘OTC’
conference in Houston, there was a whole row dedicated to
massage therapist. It’s something we can no longer ignore.
Even in the bible, people took care of themselves. These ladies
were taken care of for one year and I liken that to a Spa.
Some of the essential oil that were used on them, frankicence,
myrr and all those purification technique we give them at
the Spa, we use all of these essential oil. Ours should not
be different now, we need to create time to take care of our
body. The therapic is natural, no side effects. There is no
better alternative to healthy living and living longer.
Man is a three dimensional human being. Man is a spirit, that
has a soul and lives in a body.
This body is the only one that we have and it’s going
to serve us for a long time, so you need to care for your
body and that is what we are emphasising.
And there is no way that you care for your body and your soul
is not affected, because of the emotion that goes with it.
By the time you finish the massage, your back pain is gone,
your stress has been relieved, you are a happier person, the
people around you are happier, because you are smiling.
Therapist at the Spa have both short term and long term effect.
You see the immediate effect and the cumulative effect.
Therapist are anti-aging, they are therapeutic, they are stress
relieving, we address a lot of needs. What we are telling
people is that they need to balance their body. You need to
care for those bodies. We take care of our cars for servicing,
we care for our generator after so many months of use, we
go and service them but what of this body that takes you everywhere?
We hop up and down playing, meeting deadlines in our offices
and stuffs like that, then on weekends, you have your special
obligation. Just a roller coaster life we are living. We have
a 24-hour of existence and people just don’t have time
for themselves. What we are telling you here is come to the
Spa. Come and refresh yourself, come and renew, come and rejuvenate,
come and revigorate.
Because when you take that time out, just that one hour, you
silence all the noise, you take care of yourself, you go back
more refreshed, you are stronger and you are able to care
for those people you are supposed to be caring for.
The Spa theraphy is not just for women, it is for men also
because men also have the body. Men need to be strong, they
need to be able to live long to enjoy the money they are making.
It’s for everybody, young, old, male, female, white,
black, Asian etc there’s something for everybody at
the "SPA". If it’s just a manicure and pedicure,
you did you will be feeling better. If it’s the massage,
all the stress is gone, if it’s the facial, you have
some confidence in yourself.
Initial stage
Seven years ago when I started this business, Spas were relatively
novel in Nigeria. People were saying this ‘Oyibo’
business in Nigeria and stuffs like that. But I caught the
vision and I was very sure what I was doing. Though, we took
much time to educate people and create awareness. For about
10 months, we were on television, placed some adverts, here
and there, because it was very new. Also, we spent much time
counselling people when they come in here for the first time
because most people does not know the uses.
Challenges
Every challenge is a stepping stone. You come across different
people everyday. You need to keep the business running and
by so doing, you need to provide virtually everything yourself.
you need to buy tankers of water, when there is no water,
you just need to keep going. Though, we don’t magnify
the challenges, we just look at how we can get over them and
keep moving.
Competition
Competition is a fact of life, but my own assignment is a
unique one. So, I’m focusing on the assignment at hand.
Venivici is the Spa to be, we have a mission, we have a vision
and we are pursuing it to make sure that we achieve the best
result for our customers, so that they get the best out of
us. We make it a memorable experience for them and that keeps
them coming back. We don’t compromise on standards,
we don’t compromise on products, we don’t compromise
on the calibre of tactics that we use.
Relationship with clients
Fantastic, wonderful! Over the time, they all become your
family. The relationship has been very encouraging. It’s
so cordial, it’s warm and we respect them for whom they
are. We appreciate what they have come for. Really, when you
provide the solution, they will be endeared to you. We work
with doctors that refer people to us because they feel the
importance of complimentary therapy. Like abroad, you have
massage therapy attached to hospital and health care unit.
Professionalism
I went to school when I was going to do this. It’s always
good to know what you are getting involved with, I went to
a schol in England to update because there is always something
new in the industy, it’s a growing industry, so we always
have beauty fairs and exhibitions going on all over the world,
periodically I try to be part of those every year to update
my knowledge. So, I try to partake on those so that I update
my knowledge on what is new in the industry, what can be done,
what improvement has been found out.
Cost
It is very affordable. We spend so much on aso-ebi,we are
charging our phones and all of that, if we did our budget
properly, more people can afford to partake in Spa therapy,
it’s not for only people up there. Everybody intrested
in their health and wellness should create time for themselves
and partake in it.
Vision
We have much more bigger and brighter vision. The only way
is forward and upwards.
Advice to upcoming entrepreneurs
They should believe in their vision and have passion for what
they are doing and never give up. Also, they should work very
hard to achieve success. You must have a passion, and be tenacious
about what they are doing.
|
