South Africa-based Nigerian, Mr Iverson Nedu, who is a personal luxury shopper, believes no item is too hard to find and that smart work will always yield a better result than hard work will do.
Is there an item out there that you are dying to get your hands on, but it is absolutely impossible? Well, impossible for anyone but not Iverson Nedu. Having built his personal brand through social media the luxury personal shopper has become a go-to for some of the industry’s biggest names
Any big fashion must have name in clothes, shoes, bags and accessories, Iverson Nedu will purchase it on a whim, and because of his speed and accuracy, his social media account is gaining followers and has created an even more loyal base of clients.
Through ambition and hard work, Nedu has managed to build a team and a system that helps them not only source pieces worldwide, but allows for top-notch communication with clients.
Venturing into the world of personal luxury shopping to learn all about what inspired Iverson to start his eponymous business, the 32-year-old said it was while living in SA that he discovered the world of ‘personal shopping’, and recognised very quickly that it was an untapped market in Nigeria.
He hails from Anambra State and schooled in Fasta International College in the Omole Phase 1 area of Lagos State, Nigeria.
“I’ve always had a desire to be unique, to step outside of the box, to do something that nobody else is doing, and that is where the idea of ‘product sourcing’ stemmed from – to find the items that are sold-out and impossible to find.
“Back to some years ago, my heart was in fashion, but I knew that I didn’t want to be a stylist only, which was what I was doing up until this point. I’m extremely ambitious, anything that I put my mind to I can’t stop until I make it happen, I feel that is the essential ingredient that has made my business what it is today. I simply can’t and won’t give up until I find the item my client has requested,” he explained.
On how his career begin as a personal shopper, Iverson Nedu said it was when he started living in SA.
“I spent quite a lot of time purely doing research, and growing and strengthening my relationships with clients. The idea was in motion, but I wanted to execute it correctly. When I launched, I had just few clients to my name. I wasn’t very well known in Nigeria, let alone globally, and I knew that I had to prove myself quite quickly,” he said.
Describing how his typical day looks like, the shopper guru said it begins behind the scenes, adding, “it is madness and extremely busy. I feel looking from the outside in, it can appear to be a very glamorous job, shopping for a living, but I do feel that is very far from the truth. It’s not me simply walking into a boutique, purchasing the items, and walking back out. Everything I do, all the sourcing, is all done remotely and digitally. That was a big part of my business model, I wanted to create a business that I could work on from anywhere, at any location, at any point of time. I don’t need to be based in United States to do what I do. My daily routine is very precise, to ensure that I am connecting with the correct contacts at the correct time, depending on where they are based globally. It’s definitely not a 9-5pm position, I work extremely long hours, and pour my absolute heart and soul into my work.”
His advice to anyone looking to venture into the personal shopping industry is to start from stylingand to build up the knowledge of fashion and grow client base from there.
He said: “Styling can teach you so much within the fashion industry, there is a lot to learn, and I feel styling really helped build that foundation for me. Once you feel confident with styling, you will be able to naturally and organically move into personal shopping. You will have your client base ready to go, your contacts on call, and the world will be your oyster. Remembering, personalisation is key.”
Iverson is known to be a high spirited individual amongst his peers, as well as sensitive and open-minded. Anyone and everyone who has worked with him can relate to his discipline and flexibility. Even though he makes exceptions when needed, people also know how loyal and courageous he has been over the past years.
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