All successful entrepreneurs have one thing in common: they don’t quit! They’re usually faced with too many setbacks, but rather than let it all hold them down, they find the strength to get up and try one more time. And this cycle occurs over and over again till they eventually find success in their hustles.
This is the success story of a woman who started side businesses while working full time, experienced failure severally, and eventually built a million dollar business, starting from the shed in her vicinity.
Her name is Kehinde Kamson, the founder and CEO of the Sweet Sensation fast-food retail chain.
See Also: How This Moi-Moi Seller Made Over $100,000 Dollars From Just $3!
Here’s how she did it:
The Early Life And Education Of Kehinde Kamson
Kehinde Kamson, initially a tom boy, was born a twin on the 14th of August, 1961, in Lagos Nigeria. Her father, Adeleke Beniah Adelaja, was a prominent Principal of the Church Missionary Society Grammar School (CMS Grammar School): the oldest secondary grammar schools in Nigeria. her Mother, Omoba Adebayo Evangelin Adelaja, was a proprietress of Eva Adelaja Secondary School, located in Lagos, Nigeria. She was also an entrepreneur with several small businesses.
Kehinde attended nursery school at the International Women’s Society Nursery School in Lagos, while she attended secondary school at the University of Lagos Staff School. She completed her A’Levels at Queens College in Lagos and later acquired a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She is also a graduate and MBA holder from the Lagos Business School.
Her Trials
After graduating from the university of Lagos, Kehinde Kamson got a job as an accountant at an oil and gas servicing firm. During this time, she was already married to a man named Sir Yinka Olusoga Kamson, and so, decided to start a side business where she sourced fish amongst fish mongers in Lagos. Her little business was called “Fish Mongers”, and she ran it for 5 years before she eventually shut it down because it was bringing in little to no profits, and was entirely unsustainable.
See Also: How A Former Hair Dresser Built A Company Worth Over $100 Million Dollars
Small Successes
After the unfortunate demise of her business, Fish Mongers, Kehinde Kamson proceeded to try again with another venture. This time around, she started a pastries and cakes business, since she’s had a passion for baking from childhood. This business was named “Citycate – The City Caterers”.
Now Citycate was performing as she expected, and the demand from it was so much that she would wake up as early as 3 A.M everyday to bake, and then deliver pastries to all her clients before she headed to work. The task got too demanding and she eventually quit her job to focus on her new hustle full time.
As her pastries started to get very popular, she started supplying them to the University of Lagos (which was her largest market, especially Medilag, the University of Lagos Medical School. She was also soon supplying the UTC, Leventis, and eventually Mr Biggs.
In a certain interview, Kehinde Kamson said:
“Mr. Biggs inspired me beyond imagination. It was not just the boost in my sales, but the impressions I had as I watched on a daily basis their sales staff counting away loads of cash. I must confess I found that cash counting sight very inspiring! The cash counting at Mr. Biggs went on the whole day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. My prayer point became, Lord, make our money counting session be as long as Mr. Biggs!”
Her supply-term with Mr Biggs lasted for about 4 years, and then, she decided she was going to start up her own fast-food restaurant, and she named it “Sweet Sensation Confectionaries Limited”.
See Also: How This African Entrepreneur Made Over A Million Dollars From Needle & Thread
The Start, Growth, And Expansion Of Sweet Sensation
Without a large capital to start Sweet Sensation, her new entrepreneurial passion, she decided to start up from a shed in her family house, in 1994. This shed was located in the backyard of the compound, and was their gateman’s house. In this shed, she started selling ice cream, Chinese food, chicken, and rice.
The quick success from this little shed led her to open up a new branch in Lagos, and so, she promptly setup one in the Victoria Island region.
To make her fast-food brand stand out from the rest, she got creative by improving the ambience and experience in her restaurants and introducing a very diverse menu.
By the fourth year of running the Sweet Sensation fast-food business, she was able to secure a loan of 5 million Naira from the bank, which she put back into the business repeatedly to continue its growth.
Her Business Today
Sweet Sensation today has over 25 retail outlets around Nigeria, employs over 2,000 people, and serves a wide array of dishes spanning over 60 different types.
See Also: How This African Woman Built A Million Dollar Business From Helping The Less Privileged
Her Achievements Today
Through the decades running Sweet Sensation, Kehinde Kamson dedicated herself to supporting various individuals and organizations across Nigeria with help across financial, material, and intellectual barriers.
To comfortably achieve this, she setup Sweet Sensation Education Support Scheme (SSES), whose core mission is to provide support to students from low income families that may be unable to sustain the cost of acquiring their education, to also reward and recognize students who perform exceptionally in their academics, build their leadership attributes, and improve the creative abilities of students.
Her NGO, SSES, focuses on helping students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, especially the physically and mentally challenged.
To Sum It All Up
The success story of Kehinde Kamson has shown that resilience in the face of uncertainty can eventually lead to success. While she failed at her first venture, she persisted with other businesses, scaled in her pastries venture, and eventually entered the fast-food lane when she spotted a large opportunity.
Her ability to act on time with the rise of any opportunity that comes her way, is the foundation of her success.
See Also: How This Former Computer Programmer Makes Millions From Picking And Selling Rubbish
What are your thoughts on this success story of Kehinde Kamson? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
This really inspired me, as am reading through,that I too can bring my dreams to life no matter what am surrounded with.
Thank you for the contribution Gbenga.
Have a wonderful time!
truly inspiring, l will do sth by God’s grace. thanks the author.
Thank you for the comment George.
Wow, truly inspiring and motivating and u know what she’s just like me and knowing she’s my birthday mate makes me want to meet her one on one to congratulate her..i hope to give my success in the future
Thank you for the comment Ebere.
Have a wonderful time!
I love being an entrepreneur. Thank you for these inspiring articles.
You’re welcome, Samuel.
Awesome
A story like this will be written of me someday ,soon.
wow this stuff aint easy. congratulations to her success. may go help us in our hustle
Madam Kamson is my Madam of which I’ve known for over 15 years now, and she’s such a wonderful one, but I have never have any opportunity to read about her biography as I did now, though , during my early day’s of working with her ,back in those day’s @ Head Office Opebi Ikeja Lagos, as an access gate control security operative, I notice that, she’s a noble fellow, and a very influential Woman, couteous, focus, and dedicated Woman, So I’m very happy for her.
Lovely story of a wonderful woman Kehinde Kamson,your story is a lesson and also have a good foundation ..
Wow! So inspiring and am motivated and have lernt a lots by her success story, I believed this landmarks achievement will make me strategize on my business venture. Thanks ma for sharing your success story.
Thank you for reading, Uzoka.