Happy Birthday, Yeye Aje!

Everyone calls her Yeye Aje. A titled chief, Mrs. Aderonke Mohammed cannot be ignored in a crowd. Bubbly and very enterprising, she’s got the verve for what she does. The Chief Operating Officer of Borrydollar Luxury Jewellery Company, she sells high-end Brazilian gold, American diamonds, Italian gold and many gold-plated fashion accessories. Based in Canada, her large clientele in Nigeria is quite impressive. Marking her birthday today, March 27, she is also celebrating her 25 years in the jewellery business. She talks to Owambevibes in this interview Owambevibes: When and why did you decide to go into jewellery merchandise? That’s a great question. I think my experience growing up with my grandmother who was a business merchant, motivated me to love business. I started in 1996, traveling to Dubai and Italy to buy jewellery and other clothing materials. But in between my business journey, telecoms arrived in Nigeria. I quickly diverted to telecommunication and became trade partners with most of the telecommunication companies such as MTN, Vmobile, Globacom, Starcom and others. As a CEO of Bayso Global Nig Ltd, we became a major player in our region. Later, I relocated to Canada, but my passion for jewellery never died. I registered Borrydollar Group of companies in Canada and started showcasing my products and began to make meaningful connections. Owambevibes: Do you do other things aside selling jewellery? My major business is jewellery— l have passion for sketching iconic jewellery collections, and innovative designs from luxury jewellery and timepiece. However, I also work as a social worker in Peel region, specifically in Mississauga Ontario. My role as a team leader in a Violence Against women sector in Mississauga, has been challenging and demanding but because of the passion for humanity and social justice, I am able to cope well.

Owambevibes: How is the jewellery business abroad? Are Nigerians really crazy about buying Jewellery? To God be the glory, l have received many acknowledgements and award as an outstanding jewellery merchant, who has been able to carve a niche for herself in Nigeria and in Diaspora. I am particularly proud that my customers swept across all walks of life, regardless of class /economic status. This includes people living in Nigeria, all over Europe and North America. Owambevibes: Are Brazilian gold jewellery acceptable among society women? What makes the difference between Italian and Brazilian Gold? Brazilian Gold is widely accepted by society women because of its unique design, quality and durability. Moreover, they are most importantly cost effective. It can always pass as Italian gold when worn. Most times, l advise and provide my manufacturers with unique and exact Italian gold design. Jewellery from Italy is considered one of the best, and people all over the world have enjoyed it for centuries. In the past, women love to invest in Italian gold but recently, due to the state of insecurity especially in Nigeria, most people prefer to buy Brazilian Gold rather than Italian Gold. On the other hand, few people still invest in Italian gold.

Owambevibes: Does any aspiring merchant need millions of Naira or dollars to have a business like yours? I have always shared with intending jewellery merchants that, ‘you do not need to break the bank to start this business, just start from whatever you have.’ I am proud to say that l have groomed over 1,000 entrepreneurs in jewellery business and it is still counting. Owambevibes: Kindly proffer advice to young entrepreneurs on how to stay successful in a business like yours My advice to young entrepreneurs is to stay focused, persevere and endure. Also, having a role model is important to successful business owners but it is not a must. While working hard and remaining focused despite challenges ahead, it’s helpful. I will not tell you it is a free ticket to success but your ability to sustain challenging moments will help you. Finally let your “yes” be “yes”. You will need to build trust with your customers in order to expand your network. My watchwords are integrity and endurance. Integrity is what made me relevant in business up to date. Slowly and steadily you will get there.

Owambevibes: Does your husband support what you do? My handsome and God-fearing husband, Alhaji Abdulakeem Mohammed, is the Aare Bobagunwa of Oyan Kingdom. He has been very supportive and understanding. These achievements could not have been possible without a great man behind me. God has also blessed me and my husband with absolutely brilliant children as well and I’m very grateful. God has been good to me.

Owambevibes: How was growing up? I was born in Lagos Nigeria. My dad and mum are from Ogun State, specifically Ijebu Ode and Ago Iwoye. In my high school days, l grew up in Ijebu-Ode with my grandmother who was a major clothing merchant at that time. After finishing my secondary school education in Ijebu-Ode, I returned to Lagos to continue my education at Yaba College of Technology and the University of Lagos. Owambevibes: Are your kids very conversant with their roots as Nigerians? You were in school with one of them at a time, what prompted your choice to go back to school? My children are very familiar with their roots, l have always had passion for education and wanted to be a role model. Despite the huge success and challenges in business, l recently bagged additional degree at the University Of Toronto, Canada, alongside my two sons. I value women who are in business, the combination of being a woman and in business is always demanding as women are always being limited to certain level of achievement.

Owambevibes: Are you a titled chief? Where did Yeye title spring from? The chieftancy titles, Yeye Aje and Yeye Aare Bobagunwa were given as recognition to my immeasurable experience, continuous success as an entrepreneur and positive contribution to the economic and social conditions of Oyan Kingdom. Owambevibes: How fashionable are you? What determines your mode of dressing? Generally, I just love looking good and making others look good. Regardless of how I feel, I just like to look good and not necessarily putting on expensive accessories. It can be simple and nice. Owambevibes: What are your dreams concerning Borrydollar? We have been in Jewellery business for the past 25 years and we are still standing. My dream for Borrydollar Luxury Jewellery is to continue to be relevant in the fashion industry and also providing quality and timeless jewellery. Owambevibes: the jewellery industry is vast and many entrants come in daily, how do you manage competitors? Apart from my passion, I think honesty, timeliness and perseverance are crucial in making headway in business. Customers appreciate when you are transparent and make delivery promptly to meet their specific needs. Also when things are not going the way you expect them in terms of sales, your ability to come up with business strategies to increase sales and persevere is really important. One of the strategies that has worked so well for me is to keep the profit margin extremely low to beat competitors.

Owambevibes: Why is this birthday so special to you? I am excited about my birthday. I usually thank God for sparing my life to see another new year. Moreover, it also marks my 25 years of being a jeweler.