NAIJAPARY INTERVIEW: I Started My Catering Business with #15,000—Tosin James, CEO T-friez Kitchen

Alamu TosinApril 16, 2018

I Started My Catering Business with 15000—Tosin James3.dailyfamily.ng 300x225

Tosin James makes a living from frying yam, puf-puf, akara, fish etc. He ventured into this roadside catering sort of business in 2017. He is passionate about the business, though he is also a professional dry cleaner.

Tosin James putting Akara on fire
In this exclusive interview with NAIJAPARY, Tosin James shared his business experience, what created his passion for catering and the role of his
mother in his choice of career.

Tosin James at his business location in Ibadan

Here is the full interview:

Can we meet you?
My name is Tosin James, C.E.O of T-friez Kitchen

What do you do for a living?
I’m a caterer.

Why did you choose catering as a profession?
I didn’t choose to do so, It’s my passion.

What created the passion?
I just love cooking and from there, the passion grew.

Do you have any professional training in catering?
Not really.

How long have you been into catering business?
Ten months. I started June 2017.

Why did you choose roadside catering?
I learnt from my Mom, it’s what my Mom does.

Do you do any other Business apart from Catering?
I am a professional Drycleaner

How lucrative is the roadside catering service?
Not really lucrative, I just have to focus more on what I do, catering and dry-cleaning. I also cook for events and parties on demand.

What did you study in the Tertiary Institution?
I studied Business Administration at Gateway Polytechnic.

What are the challenges you have faced running your businesses?
When I started, I started with N15,000. The money to expand was the major challenge I had. I later realised that it is only God that can help and I have to put in efforts.

The major challenge is capital because there are some packages that I also want to add.

How do you see running a business in Ibadan?
Doing business in Ibadan is somehow tricky, people always prefer cheap stuff, that was why we changed our package to different types that both the rich and poor can benefit from.

What is your short/long-term plan?
I have a short-term plan and a long-term plan. The short-term plan is to open a restaurant, I want to have two big conglomerates for my dry-cleaning and catering business.

What is your advice for Youths that want to venture into business?
You must know the in and out of the business you want to do and you must be very good at it. Don’t do it because of making money alone, thinking others are gaining much from it but it may not be your line and you may end up losing much.