We are getting there

not the best picture quality but hey !!!
















Making small steps but we are almost there.. we finally got the carpet installed.. it wasn’t my first color choice but if u are color blind.. u probably won’t be able to tell the difference.. the shop is taking shape .. I just commissioned an artist to design a rack for us.. we will see how that goes.. . $$$ not in my budget


So today we went to the store with the tees.. the goal was to figure out the best way to display the tees. My cousin and brother came out to help… we played around with a few options but I am not yet sure I am feeling the whole thing.. I still feel like its not yet clicking… what do u guys think…????


I was supposed to go pick up the shopping bags today but we didn’t here back from the guy who was supposed to drop it off… the design is pretty simple. I wanted a dark colored bag but the were out of it so I was stuck with cream… u can see it somewhere in the pics below

Anyway more pics of the progress. And Nigeria is not for the poor… things are tooo damn expensive.. to top it off there has been petrol scarcity for the past 3 days.. infact it started in lagos easily last wk.. normally its 65 per liter now ppl are paying up to 150 per liter... #@$%@

Traffic Traffic Traffic

What else can I say traffic is a bitch… I literally spent nothing less than 6hrs in a stand still traffic this Saturday 12/23/06 morning..


Nothing really has changed since my last blog… I am a little behind in opening the store… my lagos trips definitely got in the way.. but u know the lagos trip is an essential part in NS coming to Nigeria.

Speaking of lagos trip traffic was CRAZY.. so this is how it goes we get back from a nite of parting around 6 am … so instead of crashing we decided to stay up and head out to Ibadan for like 7 am… there was a wedding I wanted to attend.

We hit the express way for 7 and we get into traffic. Half an hour into it.. we are thinking its probably an accident maybe in like 2hrs we move around 10 miles.. at this point a 2 lane road is now a 4 lane trucks acting like they are mini coopers..
crazy drivers.. all impatient… so by 11 we caught a break and decided to follow some of the traffic heading on the opposite side of the expressway . like they say in rome act like the romans… initially ppl kept it simple one line on the opposite lane then it became a 2 lane traffic on the opposite lane… ignorant ppl.. so not only was the traffic on the other side at a stand still the ppl going on the wrong side were blocking traffic..

Anyway we drove about ten minutes.. and then we found out the road was blocked and we had to turn back to lagos… we got back into lagos around 12.30 and decided to take a longer back road.. that cost us another 2 hrs in traffic so it seemed like this trip back to Ibadan was not going to happen today..

we decided to go back into lagos town. I had some money I wanted to collect anyway.. but by this time I was exhausted lack of sleep and then literally sitting in the car for hours sweating buckets wasn’t a good look at all.

i know they are going to be a lot of pics.. but if u pay attention u will see everyone breaking atleast one law. lol

pictures pictures pictures

Big shouts to badprof and ejide

Destination lagos.

A lot of days all jumbled together.

Well the best news is I am back from lagos I hate lagos but I love the money……. Lol this wk was cool at the end of it all.. things went from cool ..to crazy …to insane.. to shit I need to get the hell out of this country… to ok I am cool now ppl are feelin the NS gangsta. U know we getting the swagger right and things r falling in place for NS baby…

So let me bring u up to speed.

We got an artist to paint the wall of the shop.. dude was supposed to start Thursday… story story no show..no word and 15k already dropped…. Well I finally got a call from him today 4 days after the deposit apparently began on the job… but for a sec I was like hmmmmmmmmm over 15k this dude is gonna do me grimmy? Thank god he is pulling it together . dude is my name sake too imagine that.

Store is finally painted the color is fiyah.. the babes are gonna love it… u know we do it for the ladies.. so we had to bring it strong… NS1463 all the way … definitely gonna step the game up big time here..

The carpenters came thru finished with the furniture.. all I need to do now is carpet the place and start placing the furnitures.


So lets get to LAGOS.. I came I saw and I fell sick all the way to the bank ..lolol not

I left IB on Wednesday.. crashed at my inlaws place @ dolphin… my game plan was to approach stores, sell the brand.. move some massive units.. hit up the music industry exec.. hit up the stocks dude.. scope the lagos market .. link up with some key mags and see how they can feature the NS brand in one of their pages….

So what did I accomplish? Maybe like 15% and its only Saturday today and I already have to rush back to lagos first thing Monday morning to be back Monday on some extraordinary business trip.

At the end of it all I came back with a handful of connected contacts.. ppl who believe in the brand and are tryin to see how they can get on band wagon of the NS cash cow.. believe it.. now I have the possible daunting task of screening the vultures..

Some noice moves.. we got 2 stores on awolo road that are willing to carry the label not really big numbers like 100 a store.. they believe…. Things looking ait.. but ur boy can’t pull the trigger…the vultures are out . we still need to weed out the vultures



Still shooting for the stars… we need the right distribution channels to get this thing done right…. Not a bad look to get them in the right stores to create a buzz …


way toooo many things I need to think about… as much as I want the growth .. we need to protect this brand…. Not tryin to be the next hot shit for a season.. I am talking longevity baby.. we are trying to set our foundations right so that come 10 yrs from now.. the brand is still in full effect and most importantly… changing attitudes
Shout out to smalls… korede.. segun…mr. musa.. farouk..chris bj hakeem lanre … yall made things happen in lagos

Let the pictures do the rest of the talking

I have nothing less than 40 mosquito bites… those things don’t joke.

shop in progress

the day after monday

The Day after Monday.

So its 6 am Tuesday morning. Yesterday was a busy day.. we eventually got a lot done.
Put aside the uncivilized nature of the politicians and their goons or better their martyrs the day went by with isolated threats of violence…. If the president and the vice president are at odds why can’t the governor and his deputy governor slug it out…. Not really into politics but it was just crazy. And there is petrol scarcity in a nation rich in oil.. we eventually queued up for more than 30 mins to get gas.. after stopping by no less than 6 stations.go figure

So back to bness… we finally got the paint I wanted.. wait till u see the pics.. its gangsta I tell u. we got the electrician.. he was suppose to start yesterday.. but stories… I am hopin he will start work today.. we are recycling some old light fixtures so I am hoping it works…. I am on a tight budget. So we gast to be as innovative as possible…

We picked the furniture up but the carpenter couldn’t do much cuz they started painting the store.. so hopefully today Tuesday.. he will be able to start putting things up..

Shoot its crazy. I am suppose to head to lagos tomorrow.. and my hands are filled.. and its not like u can just let ppl do their job.. u have to supervise them and supervise them… total BS… they don’t take ownership.. and workmanship can be better.. scenario…
The guys installing the the glass for the entrance door somehow didn’t measure the specs accurately so u know how he decided to trip the glass…???? With pliers.. initially the big man was like I wont take this shit from u guys… but the worker thot he was slick and he could pull it off.. ok he did for one section.. but he eventually broke a bottom big glass and even before then his method was successful leaving cuts on his unprotected hands..



Know someone that knows someone.
We sent the paper to register the business today. Well it was convenient to have someones number that knew someone that knew someone.. anyway we dropped 7k for that and I think the structure was enterprise I don’t even know.. but the bness is NS1463 Clothing comp. now I forget if its enterprise or limited.. but it doesn’t really make a difference. We also stopped by the bank after hours to open and acct.. the bank hrs here are worse than slave trade.. well maybe not.. these dudes work 7 am to like 9 pm… well that was the consensus at this bank.. shoot that’s crazy. So to set an acct up it cost 11k cuz the minimum balance in the acct has to be 10k and a check book is gonna cost be 1k…
AC 45k, sound system 20k yet to pull the trigger. But these country is EXPENSIVE

Tough rough but I gast to maintain.

A few things are taking shape.. this wk should be big as per shop moves and also spreading the NS love.

The carpenter should be done with the shop furniture on Monday, we r finally getting a painter to come thru Monday, the sliding door should be done by Monday.. we should be registering the business by Monday.. infact Monday is a big day I am sure its gonna be very busy with periods of long waits… I am almost getting used to ..

Wkend was cool.. went to a wedding .. chilled with fam… had an extensive talk with my cousin.. fashion designer extraordinaire iconola.. u better remember that name she has already been featured in True love mag and geneivie… so she is about to do big things..and she makes sick wedding dresses… if only I have pics

She gave me some ins and pointers so when I travel to the mecca(lagos) I will atleast have an idea of what to expect and how to push the brand.. definitely looking forward to the trip.

A few good things… just spoke to Mr. Dayo of Kenny’s music group A man that is real big in the music industry in Nigeria I should be linking up with him real soon. I believe he is already a fan of ours.. I just want him to be my pplz u dig 


I also spoke to some dude connected in the stock exchange industry here.. I wish it was inside info we will be trading( I kid)…. dude is definitely a believer in the brand and he def wants to cop some shirts plus he has got some opportunities NS might explore….. we will see how that goes. So check back for pics of LA

drop the western mentality

I love my ppl but u gast to treat the next man like a mad man until they prove you wrong..


so for the interior of the shop I wanted to have a mural .. now where do I get a great artist for cheap… I had this idea to ask ppl I come across with if they know any maestro in the making.. u know being that our budget is slim.. I wanted a young one that aint about the business yet.. so this is how it goes.
I followed the big pop to one of his site… so I see this young man that seems like he is taking a break from construction so the “white man” in me is like hmmmm.. ask dude if her knew anyone that could draw.. to my surprise he said he could.. I was like naa it cant be this easy.. I asked dude again and he said he was an artist.. so I was like here u go.. a piece of paper and pen…. draw anything that comes to mind.. u know show me what u got… then my pop calls me to the side and say word is that dude aint right up there.. that he said the HOLY SPIRIT told him to come here and pray.. the dude apparently has been a nuisance that was ignored for days but my western attitude connected dude to a real world…
To cut the long story short.. dude drew a step up off a stick man figure.. shortly after he proceeded to start derobing. Lol crazy … maybe I need to shutup and ask my pop when and who to talk to… anyway great country every man is crazy.. u learn that fast.

Luckily I met some one that knew someone so I am suppose to meet up with dude tomorrow to see a sketch of what he has in mind.. will keep u posted.

Driving is crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Well tomorrow came and passed and it was stories regardin the artist that was supposed to come thru.

out of the mix

Forget the phone book.. forget the internet. Forget civilization. If you aren’t Part of the jungle the wolves will eat u raw and leave you with a big hole in ur pocket and ego.

I noticed a difference in coming to Nigeria for vacation and coming to Nigeria for business. When u are here on vacation you might as well be a tourist.. u will definitely have mad fun.. go to the hot spots chill and socialize as often as u want… now if u are here for business then u will realize the vultures all around you..
Anyway so to get things done.. u better know someone that knows someone that knows someone that knows some one. Pretty much forget the benefit of the doubt idea u need ppl that can be vouched for.. otherwise u will lose urself in this jungle.

So I finally picked the store color its called poppy red. Yeap I wanted something funky.. u know to represent our g-ed up swagger.. well the one store that claimed they had a wide variety of paints in stock didn’t have it so.. the search is on….where to start lookin is another ridiculous task.

DAY 2. crazy i tell u

Day 2 stopped by the shop


Today was a crazy as day.. naija is fucked up men… shoot if this country was a business .. the business is definitely doomed… nothing gets done with efficiency.. tooo much time wasted… more than enough incompetent ppl. No one really owns up to taking ownership of simple task.. its like they expect to sweat u before any gets done… how can you request a padlock key from a building management comp 30 minutes away and they end up bringing u a car luck key… venting right? I guess u have to be there to understand it.. crazy place man…. It’s a jungle out there.. where everyone is tryin to protect their neck.. get one over the next man and trust no one. Only god knows how work gets done here for real.

Anyway back to my day.., so our driver is a drunkard.. apparently not a good idea to give him money… lol


So the plan today was to check out which store to pick out from and to see if I can start some work. Emmm the shops were all in the same location.. so my choice was pretty limited. I chose the one with the least amount of work to be done… I drew a sketch of how the shop should be furnished… a little excited…the process is moving but this is still the easiest part….. but it will be a day at a time process .

I spoke to a consultant today.. and according to him Nigerians are broke… and only the yahoo yahoo boys have the money to spend on some of my designs… imagine that.. I understood what he meant but that’s one of the differences that you realize here… Perspectives can be twisted anyway it is what it is… and this whole 419 shit has got to go for real its crazy out here.. excuse my French but its f-ed up….a country filled with unruly citizens that don’t trust themselves

Officially in Nigeria

So my trip was ait to say the least landed around 7pm my luggages didn’t come out till like 10pm. Imagine that. Anyway the good news is all mu luggages came thru so its all good u dig. Got out of the airport pretty easily wasn’t really in the mood to start explaining to the custom guys why I have 3 70 plus luggages filled with nothing but t-shirts and they weren’t meant for retail yeah right.... did I mention it wasn’t a bad idea to know someone that knows someone that knows some one that makes u walk thru the custom like an invisible man lol… that is how it is here.. so we got out of the airport and went to crash for the nite not after stopping by a closed Mr. Biggs restaurant.


It wasn’t a five star hotel but it did the job.. by the time we got in the kitchen was closed so it was a sliced bread and fanta dinner. And I did dip the bread in fanta. The sleep was a lot better when the electricity Came back on.

So we left lagos headed for Ibadan..its usually an hour and some change, but this trip was a little longer cuz we rode in a bus that the only power in the car was under the hood. Shoot it was the practical thing to do with my huge ass luggages.

Got to IB we chilled for a sec still a little jet lagged so I crashed for a sec…
So we got into the business of organizing things
Time to unpack and figure out what I packed. It’s crazy how at the end of day u never feel like u packed enough but I guess it has to do… plus we hoping this catalog thing works out :0

NS is going to Nigeria

You read that right... We are going to conquer Nigeria..atleast thats the plan.i have been travelling home often and every time i go the brand gets a great reception. the ppl are feeling the designs... anyway . We have been working on some designs geared for the naija Market. What do you think? isn't it about time that we show love to our home base??? Now here comes the wahala
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Waz up ppppl. welcome us as we welcome you

Hmmmm I guess you can say we aint that original with this blog thing. Infact we are rather late getting on this medium.. but u know what... better late than never.. plus its about time to get closer to you. We def. want to spread the NS love to you in 07 and we most importantly want to communicate with you on our plans and vision for this brand.


We welcome you to our little pet project... Yeap we definitely going to be changing attitudes.


NS

NS1463: Genesis

An intro to the voice of tomorrow and the attitude of today. We are no longer rebels without a cause we will have a voice and we will make the change. NS 1463. Changing Attitudes