The A – Z of water packaging business

(Biz tool Kits)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
LAT week, we started a discussion on water packaging business, here is the conclusion of the series: Water Purification Technology
The packaged water business requires a high level of water purification so consumers’ health wouldn’t be compromised for monetary considerations. Those already in this business and those venturing into it could utilise the latest water purification system called Reverse Osmosis Purification System.
This system removes all contaminants, odour, harmful chemicals, volatile organic compounds, and totally dissolves solids and pathogens. It has been discovered that chlorinated water is carcinogenic. The US Council of Environmental Quality says that the risk of having cancer is 93 per cent high among people who drink water treated with chlorine.
Gradually, concerns are being raised as to the hazards created by chlorine-treated water as research now shows that not only does chlorinated water cause cancer, it also leads to immune system impairment, diabetes, neurotoxicity, birth defects, decreased fertility, hormonal imbalances and reproductive dysfunction in men and women.
It is therefore of utmost importance that those going into or already in packaged water business should mind the health of the consumers and upgrade their technology, totally eliminating the use of chlorine as is now done by the Coca-Cola company in Europe, Namibia, and the US and some other parts of the world.

Target Market for Packaged Water Products: The target market for packaged water products includes everyone, from the young to the old. It covers school children, workers, schools, business places, worship centers, marketplaces, eateries, posh and local restaurants, formal gatherings and events, parties and celebrations.

Technical and other requirements: Organisations that are into packaged water are to seek registration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which is the regulatory agency in the country that monitors and controls the food and drugs sector. NAFDAC insists that water and water-based industries must not be close to a cemetery, abattoir, petrol station, refuse dump, sewage system, saw mill, etc.
Owners of this business need to get clearance from NAFDAC before commencing production. The technical and architecture of the business will determine its overall success. For instance, in this business, the owner needs bottling/sacheting water machines, a factory environment for production, cloak room, packaging material room, finished product room, a water treatment plant (using preferably Reverse Osmosis Purification System), borehole or a water source, and so on.

Income Potentials: Let’s take for instance Lagos State with an unofficial population of about 18 million people (from the Lagos State website). If 85 per cent of this number patronise packaged water products, what we have will be 15.5 million potential customers. If 75 per cent of the market take sachet water, then the number comes to approximately 12 million, while 3.5 million represent those who take bottled water.
If your business captures 1 per cent of the sachet water market, you will be serving 120,000 customers. If every day, each one takes three sachets of water on the average, we are talking about 360,000 sachets.
Since a bag of sachet water contains 20, this means you’ll be selling 18,000 sachet water bags daily.
If the cost of producing a bag is N40 and you’re giving it out at N55, you’ll be making N15 per bag as profit and N270,000 daily.
For a 24-working day period in a month, you will be talking about N6.48million as profit monthly and N58.32 million for a nine-month business year (factoring in the rainy season).
If you achieve 50 per cent of your income potential in the first year, you’ll be talking about N29 million profit. I have not worked out the income and returns on bottled water.
You however need a good and comprehensive business plan to show you how to effectively market and promote your packaged water products, build a strong and effective business and technical architecture and evolve a workable corporate strategy for overall business success, competitive advantage and customer growth.

Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd., bridgetolotu@gmail.com





How to get what you really want
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
IN life, you can really get all the good things you want like buying a new car, building a new house, getting an award, finding your true love, and the list goes on.
The tips I will show you are simple, but effective to help you get what you really want in life. The tips are determination, vision and focus.

Determination: One day, a disciple asked a wise man what it takes to obtain wisdom. The sage led the disciple to a river and plunged his head under water. After a few seconds, his anxious follower began struggling, afraid that he was going to drown. But the teacher continued to hold his head under water. The student’s struggle grew harder.
Finally, the wise man let him go just before he would have drowned and asked him, “When your head was under water, what did you want most?” “To breathe,” the frightened boy answered. “Well, there you have it.”

How bad do you want to succeed? Understand that there are different levels of determination. To be among the top 10 people in your field, you need a red-hot desire. The proof of your determination is dependent on the amount of comfort you are willing to sacrifice, to achieve your dreams.

Vision: Paint a picture of your future. The first time I was asked what I’d like to be in future, I replied that I would like to be a medical doctor. I usually picture myself then putting on a white overcoat with my stethoscope to diagnose patients. Today, I am an emotional doctor. That’s what life coaches are.

A life coach is a healer. He/she helps others to determine their emotional problems by asking open-ended questions and let the ‘coachee’ come up with his/her own unique solution.

Determine your life vision. While growing up, the charming, easy-going and humble youngman D’banj had one major ambition: To be the biggest living African artiste in the world. By and large, today, he has achieved his ambition. D’banj has recorded songs with notable artistes such as Ruggedman, Dare Art Alade, Sasha, JJC and 419 squad and others. He has also performed alongside international artistes like Bennie Man, Wayne Wonder, Ja Rule, Nas and Nelly.
Once you have a vision for your life, just like D’banj, then you need to focus on that vision, taking one step at a time towards its attainment.

Focus: To focus means to bring to view or concentrate on an image. If a photographer does not focus on the image, he/she will only produce a blurred picture.

Focus on your focus. D’banj is one artiste that has mastered the art of focusing on one thing at a time. That is the ‘koko.’ The ‘koko’ as used by D’banj is his focus at the moment. The ‘koko’ can be powerfist, Globacom, a new product, a nite club, or simply an event.
When you focus on your focus, people will focus on you. “A trained genius can never be hidden.” ( E.W. Kenyon).
agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com