Categories
Customer Showcase

Customer Showcase – Jaya’s Cravings

From inception, we have been a small business print solution provider, empowering creatives with early access to top-quality printing and branding services. Over the years, we have learned a lot from our customers.

We have seen some grow from owning one product to multiple products, from having a 9 – 5 to being full-time entrepreneurs. The Printivo Customer Showcase is about sharing stories and ideas about the businesses of our customers.

We get to learn the different ways of making small businesses great and the best part is that we get to share the entire details with you, esteemed community member. 

And to guide you through the process of achieving this, we interview our customers with interesting and inspiring businesses where we ask them about the solutions their businesses offer, their startup story, marketing, and promotions tools, how print products have helped their businesses, and the business advice for future entrepreneurs. 

 

In this edition, you will get to know how two sisters – Kemi Anazodo and Dera Anazodo, built a confectionery and bakery business amid the Covid 19 pandemic and scaled it till they got a walk-in store for it. 

About Jaya’s Cravings

JAYA  is an upscale, luxury, confectionery business, owned and managed by Kemi Anazodo and Dera Anazodo. It is located at 150 Awolowo Way, Ikoyi, Lagos.  They specialize in desserts, cakes with unique designs, ready-to-go cakes, sweet treats, and lots more.

We spoke with the Head Chef, Dera Anazodo and she gave an insight into how Jaya’s Cravings was birthed and how they move from selling to family and friends to the public

Here’s what she told us about the business

 

About Dera Anazodo

My name is Dera and I am the Head Chef at JAYA confectioneries also known as JAYA’s Cravings on Instagram. I am a trained chef and I went to culinary school in New York. I have seen people use quality products and sort of that appeal of making things look beautiful and I think that’s one thing I thought about when it came to JAYA. It is important to make our product look nice and also taste good. 

What inspired you and your sister/partner to start Jaya?

That’s a very interesting question. I think a lot of people would think that Jaya was well planned and we decided to go into this business. But honestly, It wasn’t. Jaya started with my sister and me. Her name is Kemi.

We started Jaya during the Covid 19 pandemic. We were both out of work and had nothing to do. We were home and bored and I have a background in culinary art and pastry art and so we decided to just start baking.

I would bake and she was the one attending to customers, we forced a few aunties and uncles here and there to taste our items and buy from us. We fed their friends and honestly that’s how we started. We started really small, you know, getting one order every month and we were so excited about it and we put our all into it till it became what it is today and it is still growing.

Yeah, Jaya started during Covid.

At Jaya,

We like to add creativity to everything that we do and we like to bring people’s dreams to life, be it cakes or flavors. We have some interesting flavors on our menu, especially for people who have special birthdays or special events, weddings, whatever it is they are trying to celebrate. So we focus on trying to bring their own flavors and things that they like to live and we have fun and enjoy doing that. So that’s sort of JAYA in a nutshell. 

Jaya

How did you come up with the business name?

JAYA!

People are also interested in how the name JAYA came to be. That’s the first thing people always ask. JAYA came from the name “Jayanma” which is an Igbo name and means “glorify Him or praise Him – (God)”.

So, JAYA means glory. JAYA is beautiful so that is how that name came about.

 

Advice to businesses starting out

For any business “starting out” honestly I feel like the best thing I would say is just to start. Just start. It doesn’t matter where you are. You don’t have to think through it. You don’t have to, you know… figure out oh this is how I want to start, this is what I want to do. Just start. 

 

What makes Jaya unique?

We pride ourselves in quality.

We always focus ourselves on the quality of the ingredients that we use and our customer experience and we want to make sure that everybody that interacts with JAYA, whether it’s your first time, whether it’s your fifth time, your tenth time you are getting the best of our experience the best of your experience so customer care is very important to us. And if you’ve been to our social media, we are very focused on very clean aesthetics. We like minimalism, we don’t like too much force. So you know, trying to get the point across, the image across, the message, whatever the customer is trying to express through their cakes or their desserts but in a very clean minimalist and, you know, eye-catching and appetizing way. 

What Prints do you source from Printivo?

So we use a variety of products from Printivo. We use tags, those tags are wrapped with our JAYA ribbons. We also use stickers, a lot of stickers so all our cake slices have Printivo stickers on them. All our cakes, We have big cakes packaged. Our packaging always has a Printivo sticker from top to bottom. We use a lot of stickers from Printivo and also tags and  Thankyou Cards. Our Thank You Cards are also designed by Printivo and business cards. 

 

I would say that Printivo products are very good quality. It is also part of our image as JAYA. So we get a lot of feedback from customers that our packaging is very nice and people reach back to us based on the information that is put and how it is created. 

So I would say that Printivo products help us also get customers and also because of the quality of the product it also puts us in a good light. 

Tell us about your Printivo experience

 I would put it on a scale, so on a scale of 1-10 I would put my Printivo experience at an 8 because I know there are a lot of improvements but at the same time, it’s great. I had a great experience in Printivo. I like talking to customer care, they are very nice even when you have issues here and there. They are very patient and very understanding. Always reaching back to ask you how you use the product. I definitely enjoy my Printivo experience and that’s why we keep coming back.

Jaya’s Contact Information

Location: 150 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos – Nigeria

Instagram Handle: @Jayascravings

Email: [email protected]

Comments

comments

Categories
How to Productivity

Top ways to handle rejection as a creative

rejection

Rejection

/rɪˈdʒɛkʃ(ə)n/

Meaning: the dismissing or refusing of a proposal, idea, etc
.
Rejection comes in different forms – negative feedback from a job application, cold outreach, idea pitch, project bid, and lots more. Being turned down really hurts and if not managed properly,  it might begin to affect your self-worth.
.

You’ll never grow as a person or as a creative by staying in your comfort zone and trying new things increases the risk of rejection.

rejection

Here are our top tips for dealing with rejection and even how you can turn an unpleasant experience into a positive one

1. Understand that rejections are not always reflective of your talent

There are plenty of reasons for rejection. Maybe you weren’t the right fit for the job (or the timing was off), your creative style doesn’t match the brand aesthetics, or the agencies you’re contacting aren’t the right fit for your niche.

2. Consider where the feedback is coming from

In important cases, try to learn why they are providing this type of feedback. Consider the feedback you receive and where it’s coming from to determine whether it truly is helpful.

3. Pick the lessons and learn from it

Knowing the reason you were turned down will help you know what you might want to correct before another opportunity arrives. Try writing down why this experience was painful, allow yourself a few days or weeks to grieve, and then write down a list of things this experience has taught you. Be thankful for the experience, and start moving on.

4. Accepting the pain of rejection is a form of healing

If you are let go from a job or lose a client, there’s bound to be some pain associated with the experience.

It is important not to bury the rejection or maintain a toxically positive outlook despite what you’re feeling. Allowing yourself to feel and experience the pain of rejection is a form of healing.

5. Use it to become more creative

Psychologically, rejection can mess with our heads, rather, use it to become more creative.

Letting rejections fuel your fire can push you forward and even help redirect your energies into something much better than your initial concept. Remember the rejection, but don’t let it make you spiteful. Always stay humble but driven.

 

Have you experienced rejection in the past? We would like to know how you handled it. 

Please use the comment box.

Comments

comments

Categories
SME Tips Uncategorized

Smart Goals

Small businesses tend to interact with their audience more directly, and on fewer fronts than corporations. Although you may have fewer resources, small businesses have many advantages if used wisely. Creating SMART goals to connect with your audience can make all the difference.

What are SMART goals?

The SMART acronym stands for goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. They are impactful for business marketing strategies, project management, and overall growth because they encourage you to look into your market and evaluate how your business stacks up. It provides a model to identify strengths, track progress, and have room for improvement.

Here’s a more detailed SMART goals definition:

Specific

Having a clear, specific outcome in mind is key to making a SMART goal. Making a specific goal means that you can narrow your focus—whether this is on marketing, data collection, sales, or customer relationship management—and get a concise picture of exactly what you want to achieve and thus, what steps you should take to accomplish this goal.

Measurable

When you set goals, it’s important to make sure you know what metrics you will use to evaluate whether and when you’ve met your goal.

Measurable goals and objectives can be quantitative, like how many returns or outputs you receive or produce; or they can be qualitative, based on the quality of those same returns or outputs.

Achievable

It’s important to prioritize achievability when you set business goals. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t dream big, but a goal that you can take feasible steps towards will tell you more about the nature of your business, the way you run it, your customers, and the goal itself, rather than working towards something outside your capacity. By defining achievable goals, you’re also allowing yourself to experiment with what works best for reaching this goal, based on your measurements.

Relevant

Relevancy, in the case of SMART business goals, refers to the pertinent characteristics of your business. Most businesses want to attract a bigger audience and increase their revenue, of course, but relevant goals help you identify what you will do specifically to grow your business. If you run an online magazine, for example, a relevant and time-bound goal is to increase the number of monthly subscribers by 25% this quarter. Subscribers are relevant to the success of your business, and thus the goal meets SMART criteria.

Timely

Having a timeframe for when you want to achieve your goal makes the process of planning and executing clearer and more organized. A deadline can be a powerful motivator, and it will help your team work together towards a clear finish line and better time management. Plus, working towards timely goals can give you insight into a certain time of year or the seasonality of your business, which might inform future goals.

Why are SMART Goals Important?

Why is being SMART important, and where does it factor into your small business plan?

SMART goals offer small business owners actionable steps towards improvement, measurable outcomes, and ultimately, scalable success.

Vague goals (like, “Find more customers”) can leave business owners feeling over-extended without a clear focus, or unsatisfied without substantial evidence of achievement.

Actionable, achievable goals, that are relevant and timebound, with measurable outcomes are crucial for surviving the inception years of your new business. They can lead to sustainable growth and innovation throughout the life of your company or your career development.

How to set SMART goals

You can start writing your own SMART goals in a few ways:

  • Use the SMART acronym as an outline. Write down a goal, then break down how the goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. Provide details about your goal for each letter in the acronym. You can use a list format, a flow chart, or an outline—whatever keeps your thoughts organized and helps to reach this goal.
  • Use a past/present/future question model. Ask yourself questions like: What have I already done? What is the current outcome? Where do I want to be at the end of this month/quarter/year? Although this model prompts you to look to the future, make sure to keep the goal time and focused.
  • Use marketing software data. Marketing software can provide a foundation to set SMART goals. SMART goals are based on the quantitative data you’ve already collected. Remember, the data itself is only a starting point; its usefulness is determined by what you do with it.

Use this SMART goal framework that will help you to definitely a better action plan with the steps you’ll need to take, resources necessary to get there, and milestones to track progress along the way. With SMART goals, you’re more likely to achieve your goal efficiently and effectively.

Small business goal examples

Let’s take some common small business goals and make them SMART:

  • “Build more customers” vs. “Secure 6 new business accounts before the end of the quarter.” Six is specific, securing new accounts is relevant to the ultimate goal of the business, having a quantitative goal correlates to measurable success, it’s small enough to be achievable, and “end of the quarter” is timely.
  • “Make more profits” vs. “Increase revenue 10% each quarter until the end of the fiscal year.” 10% is a specific, measurable amount that’s relevant to the goal of increasing overall profits. It puts “increase revenue” into achievable terms, and using quarters of the fiscal year is time measurement.

SMART business goals are about building focus, deepening relationships with your audience, achieving your goals, and improving your strategies as you grow. By using the SMART framework, you can improve your business operations, and project management and start achieving the goals that matter most.

You can also write SMART goals for personal use, goals that can help you in your career development and achieve the success you want. Using the SMART goal framework can organize the process and provide structure before you begin any projects for your small business.

Comments

comments

Categories
Startup Advices

After getting your business off and running, what’s next?

 

After getting your business off and running, the next step is to take care of it and make it flourish.  

Here are a few factors to put into consideration to help manage and grow your business. 

Marketing 

Now that your business is off and running, your marketing goals will relate to increasing sales, building demand for specific products and/or services, increasing awareness among specific target markets, and maintaining customer loyalty.  See a free marketing plan template here

Money

You need money to grow – after all, you need to sustain the business, get or service machines/tools, pay bills and create more products, before the business starts yielding profit. Angel investors, friends and family, and venture capitalists can be of great help at this time.

Management

The biggest problem in growth, especially when you’re small, is that you’ve done things a certain way that works for a smaller-scale company.  As the business grows, you will have to hire and delegate tasks. You need to have a system and a process for it. 

Mentoring

You need somebody who’s giving you some wisdom along the way. There are all kinds of issues around navigating as an entrepreneur that you don’t know. It’s having somebody who’s been there before to say, Hey, yeah, I remember that, and here’s what we did for it. 

Partnerships

As you grow, you find out the limits of what you and the company can handle.

When you realize there are other capabilities that you need, you might come up with the solution in-house or hire more people.

You might also consider employing the expertise of other like-minded businesses, whose services/products compliments yours. For instance, if you sell products, you may employ the services of a logistics company to handle the delivery of your products to your customers. 

Comments

comments

Categories
Marketing Prints Valentine

5 Marketing Materials to Promote your Valentine Campaign

 

Image showing gift boxes

Valentine’s day is just around the corner and we understand that businesses are as prepared to utilize the season. This is to enhance sales as well as brand awareness. For the effectiveness of every campaign, prints have been discovered to play a major role. A study carried out by the American Marketing Association further gives credence to this. This is a result of its tangibility. People find it easier to remember a brand whose tangible item they possess.

So, here are a couple of prints to boost your Valentine’s marketing campaign;

 

1. Flyers

Image showing flyers

Flyers are foundational to any campaign. You simply need to ensure that it is well designed with a love theme and printed ahead of time. This is to enable you to have ample time to spread the message about your valentine’s packages.

 

2. Posters

Image showing a poster

Posters are quite effective when it comes to grabbing the attention of people. However, be sure to use clear and attractive images, and bold text, and include vital details about your brand. Additionally, your neatly designed posters should be placed at strategic locations. This implies locations that are known to have an influx of people. Remember to add a call to action to your posters.

 

3. Stickers

Image showing a marketing sticker

Stickers have the advantage of affordability/durability. This is due to the adhesives which are on one side of it. Hence, they are a good fit for valentine’s marketing. Simply craft a good and short copy. Also, remember to include your brand details and quality images.

4. Banners

Image showing a Flex banner

Large-format prints have always been known to be great attention grabbers. These include Roll banners, X banners, A-frames, Flex banners, etc. Write a good copy and include clear images. These could be images of your valentine related products and be sure to include necessary details about your business. These banners should be placed at strategic locations.

5. Brochures

Image showing a brochure for marketing

One of the most important marketing materials for businesses is Brochures. They are cost-effective and easy to distribute. Brochures offer a good space to talk as well as show a little about your brand, valentine’s packages, etc. You could add them to packaging materials prior to valentine’s day or have them distributed to passersby.

 

To round this up, remember to begin your marketing early. You know what they say about the early bird catching the worm right? Also, know that your marketing would work better when you connect your brand to people’s emotions. Get ready to spread the love all over town!

 

To get any of the above-mentioned valentine marketing campaign prints, see Printivo.

Comments

comments