Necessity is the mother of all invention and Udiong Edikan’s business was borne out of pure necessity.
Udiong’s sister and friends searched for a particular weight loss supplement but because the supplier was no longer in business the search was fruitless. It was at this point that she had her light bulb moment and she decided to become a supplier of these weight loss products. In 2012, Oleander House was born. Using the advantage of social media she was able to promote her business and soon became swamped with orders.
This seemingly immediate success made her reject an offer from a bank for full-time employment. However, her budding success did not impress her father. He wanted Udiong to quit the business and get a job as an electrical engineer. She was dogged enough not to give in but two years into the business it started to fail. According to her “A lot of people started to source the products and before I knew it the country was flooded with them. As is the trademark of the industry, new products began to emerge. My sales dropped drastically, and customers began to request for those new products from me.”
In a bid to be competitive, Udiong decided to create her own range of products, Flat Tummy Teatox. It helped save the company. Oleander House has since grown from selling that one product, to owning an online health shop and its own brand of products. She is truly an inspiration!
