Otim gave up his job to concentrate on his passion

BUSINESS 

Having discovered there was nothing his job could offer, Derrick Otim the proprietor Phamous Lango an on-line clothing brand, threw in the towel in 2017.

Otim was working as a front desk officer at Hotel in Entebbe for seven years. However, Otim no longer felt any satisfaction from his job.

 "I wanted to do something that would align with my passion," he reveals. "I had special creative skills and a calling in business as well."

Otim then quit his job. "I was given sh1.5m and used sh800,000 of this, to start my business."

He bought the fabrics for making the products, packaging materials and paid printing as well as production costs.

Furthermore, the former graduate of business administration at Uganda Christian University, Mukono named his company Phamous Lango and registered it in 2018.

"We wanted a brand that is locally grown in Uganda to be able to make it on the international stage," he explains.

His company deals in assorted products like hooded jumpers, T-shirts, caps and vests.

At the moment Otim outsources the fabrics from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and he designs the work and supervises its printing.

Otim employs three people.

Getting the market

Since Otim was already an avid user of social media, he turned to the platforms to market his products.

He says most of his clients find out about the products online and referrals.

Inspiration

Otim reveals he was inspired into the business because of his passion for fashion.

"My mother worked with fabrics," he reveals. "I know its quality by texture."

He has always been inspired by good brands, but realised that the Ugandan market is flooded with fake merchandise.

"I wanted something original and that is what inspired me to go into fashion," he says.

"Ugandans, too, can have their unique products and push them to their market."

Achievements

Otim boasts that his brand is known both countrywide and internationally. 

He gets orders not only from Uganda, but as far as UK, Dubai and Canada.

Besides that, Otim makes good returns and ably pays his employees.

"In a good month, Otim says he can sell 40 items, but his best moments are during Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) competitions where he can sell 1,000 items in a day and sometimes even runs out of merchandise.

The company has also acquired two plotting and heat pressing machine whose total cost is sh6.5m.

They plan to import embroidery machines.

Effects of the lock down

Before the lockdown, Otim had planned to set up a shop in Kampala, where his clients would walk in and order items.

He has had to postpone his plans. Though the lockdown has been eased, Otim reveals that business is still very slow.

"People are spending more money on food than clothes," he says.

"For someone to give you an order, they would have thought about it a lot."

Plans

The 30-year-old is planning to venture into customisation, embroidery and screen printing for big organisations.

He hopes to set up a bigger working area and employ more youth.

Otim appeals to his fellow youth to utilise the Internet to make money, rather than being destroyed by it. 

"The Internet should be used as a platform for job hunting, carrying relevant discussions, but not gossiping," he says.

Sandra Heavens, a client says Otim's clothings are unique and of good quality.

"The prints don't fade and even if you put them in any detergent, they stay fine," she says.

Oscar Emere, an employee says Otim is a team player, innovative, a leader and he knows how to get customers.  

Emere says you cannot send him to a person to get business and he fails.