Case studies - business support
Segun hard at work
Company: Segetini
Entrepreneur: Segun Ajayi
Website: www.segetini.co.uk
Segun Ajayi has been a professional tailor operating in Shepherd’s Bush market for eight years. His decision to design his own line of bespoke and couture shirts and waistcoats for men, therefore seemed a shrewd business move.
Segun sought advice and support from the Hammersmith and Fulham Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) in 1999. Through BEC and his business adviser, David Montgomery, Segun received advice every step of the way: from start-up to where to access finance; from business planning advice to mentoring, along with assistance in the design and development of Segetini.
As a result of joining BEC’s ‘Surviving into the Mainstream’ (SIM) programme, Segun was part of a delegation of businesses that went to the USA organised by BEC, to the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference in Dallas, Texas in May 2004. With assistance from the new international trade project Global Gateway2Trade, Segetini has expanded even further.
As a Global Gateway2Trade client, Segun participated in a three hour seminar organised by GLE oneLondon to prepare for his visit to the US market. The pre-departure seminar was led by Irene Bejenke Walsh, Director of MessageLab, a communications consultancy providing courses in the soft and hard skills of business. Specifically, participants practiced the ‘one minute elevator pitch,’ networking and business considerations specific to the US market. Segun successfully returned with an order to send samples to a buyer for US department stores.
In a recent conversation, Segun was asked what the two most critical pieces of support have been. He said the trip to the US sponsored by BEC was fantastic as it exposed him to the thrill of international business. The second was a piece of advice delivered by Sarah Runge of GLE oneLondon at the pre-departure seminar when she said: "Americans and Brits speak the same language, but do not share the same culture. This has a deep impact on the way business is done." Segun expressed amazement at the energy and direct approach Americans bring to business – but he also found it addictive.