MONALISA AZEH FROM LAW PRACTICE TO SHOEMAKING
Totally transformed into her new vocation of shoemaking, Monalisa Azeh does not look like one called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985 or who practiced law for almost two decades. Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha write that she is one of the most sought a
Monalisa Azeh does not wear the look of a conventional CEO. There is no power suit adorning her tall, big frame. Not that she does not like to wear suits. Going by her original profession as a lawyer, she should appear in formal outfits daily. But she dropped her wig and gown, the day she earned it. Rather, you find simplicity and elegance stylishly oozing out from a dress. Her shoes are her major statement. Colourful and vibrant, she walked long and far in search of footwears, often, she returned frustrated. Her feet were just too big for the shoes!
Keeping a consistent appearance, there’s certainly no airs around her. She exudes a cool demeanour. It is possible to find her seating on her table in the luxury showroom of her shoe brand, Mona Matthews, in the exquisite Eleganza Building along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, tapping and clicking on her laptop while keeping an eye on the happenings around her. Her attention is snapped once a first-time shopper/customer walks in. With one glance, Monalisa can tell her customer’s need. For a first-time buyer, this can be done in a matter of minutes. She welcomes you with a smile while mentally assessing your personality. She’s listening to your needs, while simultaneously taking in details of your appearance-the bag, the shoes, the dress, and more importantly, she is listening to every word you say. Her keen eyes hardly miss a thing. This uncanny ability helps her offer solutions to customer.
In her 15 years of running her luxury fashion brand, Mona Mathews, she has inculcated the habit of seeing her customers like human beings more than a naira or dollar sign. On many occasions, she has given free advice to customers which may lead to no purchase. It could be a referral to another retailer who has the customer’s specific need or simply advising the customer to stick to what he or she has. Rather than view it as a counter productive business mannerism, she believes it does not hurt her in any way. Instead, she is proud of her empathy trait, something that was instilled in her right from her home, but was properly groomed at the Business School of FATE Foundation.
The seeming simple acts of care have, however, anchored her on good relationships. For instance, The Glitterati team witnessed her dialogue with one of her customers, a middle-aged woman. It was friendly and relaxed. The woman had come to mend her shoes, while seeking advice on the best heels for her age.
“I relate to my customers as human beings. Your first instinct should be to help them. Do not see them as a Naira or Dollar sign but as human beings who need your professional help. It’s become a way of life for me. So when people come, they don’t feel like they are coming to spend money, rather they feel they are coming to see a friend. One of my customers came in the other day to pick up her shoes and bag. She looked at my leather bag collection. What she actually needed was a pouch. I looked in my drawer and found one and gave it to her. She was very grateful. Because people will remember you for those acts of kindness and good services. People will even trust you more because they will find out that you are not after every penny of theirs, it’s more about relationship. They will bring their friends, family members and colleagues to you. They may end up being your ambassadors. There is really nothing like integrity. Once people know you are honest, that is it. They stick with you for life.”
Paying attention to the lifestyle of her customers is one of her trump cards in business.
“One of the things we do is to produce shoes to suit our customers’ lifestyle and it is very deliberate because we want to retain the customer. When I design, I’m designing with the particular need of that customer. So at the end of the day, I have something that is functional but at the same time aesthetically attractive and suits my customer’s lifestyle. We want you to think about us when you need any shoe, not one specific type of shoe. I imagine the average customer thinking of what to wear on Sunday to church, on Monday to work, on weekends, as well, maybe on holidays. For instance, an average customer could be a parent in their forties. We try to make school shoes for their children. When they come, they can get shoes for their children, and because we are quality conscious, we give you durable shoes that can last for more than one year. What we envisage is all your footwear needs in one place. So you are not stressed from the effort put into looking around.”
She relayed this example of two satisfied customers. “It was Dobrina’s first time in Mona Matthews and she had such fun trying on the shoes and picking her preferred types. She was like a little girl in a candy store. Judith is an old customer but even though she kept trying to control herself and not buy too much; I am not sure she succeeded. We even had to design a sandal named after Dobrina.”
Monalisa obtained her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Lagos in 1984 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in August, 1985. She worked for the (then) Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (Now Bank of Industry) as well as the firm of Adebo –Kiencke & Co. for the mandatory NYSC year. Thereafter she continued with Adebo-Kiencke & Co. until she set up her own firm, Mona. A. Eperokun & Co.
In 1993, she joined the firm of Norma Jackson-Steele & Co and worked in chambers as the only other lawyer in the firm apart from the principal.
In 2002 as she began her shoe designing Company, Monalisa Abimbola Azeh attended Fate Foundation where she obtained Entrepreneurial Training when she took part in the Aspiring Entrepreneurs Program (AEP) She also attended the Lagos Business School (EDC) in 2009 as a Goldman Sachs Scholar where she obtained a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management and she brings the skills she acquired from her formal and informal education to bear on her current business, Mona Matthews.
The Mona Matthews brand provides jobs for several shoemakers and bag makers as well as other service providers along the value chain. It also conserves foreign exchange because people who have discovered the brand no longer have to depend on foreign shoes. Monalisa Abimbola Azeh hails from Ekiti State and is happily married to Mr. Charles Azeh from Delta State.
Monalisa did not set out to be a shoemaker. By profession, she is a lawyer. Nowadays, most people know her by her business name Mona Matthews which she coined from her first name and her father’s first name. It all started with her passion for shoes and the inability to find her shoe size in the market. She described the first shoe she made for herself as very ugly, but she wasn’t discouraged. Someone else introduced her to another shoe maker who did a better job. From one trial to the other, she suddenly found herself making shoes for others. She described her transition into the shoe business as a smooth one.
“When the idea came, I was advised to do a business course. That, to a very large extent, helped the transition because I acquired knowledge I didn’t have until
MONALISA DID NOT SET OUT TO BE A SHOE-MAKER. BY PROFESSION, SHE IS A LAWYER. NOWADAYS, MOST PEOPLE KNOW HER BY HER BUSINESS NAME MONA MATTHEWS WHICH SHE COINED FROM HER FIRST NAME AND HER FATHER’S FIRST NAME. IT ALL STARTED WITH HER PASSION FOR SHOES AND INABILITY TO FIND HER SHOE SIZE IN THE MARKET