Onasanya
Tewa Onasanya is the publisher of Exquisite, a lifestyle magazine for women. The publication also creates awareness for cervical and breast cancer, hence, the Exquisite Walk Against Cancer every September. It recently clocked 10 years on the newsstand. In this interview with Asst. Editor, Life, Temitope David-Adegboye, Onasanya shares with us what has kept her going even in the face of difficulties and the future of publications in Nigeria.
You recently celebrated 10 years of publishing Exquisite magazine in Nigeria. How do you feel about Exquisite magazine at 10?
It feels great and wonderful. I am happy at the point we are now. We can only get better. We waded through storm and all the challenges. Now, the sky is just the starting point for us.
How will you describe the journey so far?
The journey has been like a roller coaster, up and down, back and forth. It has been a great learning experience and I am happy to have gone through it. We started the magazine 10 years ago with the passion to put out a magazine for women of colour and then in the end, we had
to get into the business of running a magazine and the business of running a publishing house.
It has been fun and exciting. It has been a very great learning experience.
What would you say has been your highest and lowest points so far?
Highest point is being able to use the Exquisite magazine platform toraise awareness; screen people for cancer, motivate and inspire people. Lowest point would be when we had challenges which as God lives we were able to overcome. I have joy seeing people opening the pages of the magazine and reading it. There was a time I went for an event and saw a lady reading a magazine. I was just wondering and asking myself, which magazine was the lady reading. By the time I got closer, I realised it was Exquisite magazine. I was so happy. That is the kind of thing that makes me happy. Or when I introduce myself and they can identify the person. All of those are the high points.
As for the low points, let me start with the financial reward. I am not at the point I want to be yet because we are passing through a lot of things but I am comfortable and I thank God for that.
What are some of those challenges of being a publisher in Nigeria?
They vary. Getting a team of good staff that understands the vision. It is staffing and dealing with other people who are in charge of putting other things together. Again, funds, in terms of client paying on time. We have had cases of vendors who were destructive.
Then other things associated with people outside. One way or the other, we have been able to mingle and merge. We are now at a comfortable level with everyone we work with. It has been fun and interesting.
You started publishing the magazine in UK before you brought it to Nigeria. What is happening to the UK edition?
We are still being sold in the UK; we haven’t left the market we started with. Our content is now more Nigerian because a lot of our Nigerians in Europe and America want to read about what is happening in their home countries.
It must be really a challenge churning out edition after edition. Have ever felt like quitting?
I did think of quitting once but then again, my passion for seeing the magazine succeed outweighed the desire to quit. So I trudged on with the belief that I can do it. God has kept me going, along with my family. There were times when I felt, should I just leave this and do
something else. That was when my husband gave me a deadline. I remember that day that I prayed to God. I told God that I love doing what I was doing. I really wanted the magazine to be a success. We got to the deadline and things started changing. Here we are today.
There are so many other lifestyle magazines for women out there. What has been the unique selling point of Exquisite magazine?
Exquisite is in a league of its own. We are foremost a fashion magazine with the infusion of lifestyle and beauty. You need to pick up a copy to understand what I am saying.
What was your print run when you started?
I can remember that I had this exciting idea of printing a 200-page of a 5,000 magazine but my friend had to bring me back to earth. When we started, our first issue was 24 pages and it was a thousand copies.
From there, we produced 1000 pages with 2,000 copies. When we came into the Nigerian market, we printed 3,000 copies. Now we do 7,000 or 10,000.
When was the turning point for you?
When I started Exquisite, I was still working as a clinical data manager. I couldn’t leave paid employment just like that. I had to, one way or the other, balance the act. I was working in a pharmaceutical company and still running Exquisite magazine. I left paid employment when I had my daughter. One day, I woke up and made up my mind that all I wanted to do was to edit the magazine and bring out another issue.
For me, it wasn’t a job, it was something I just love doing. I think that was the turning point. I spoke to myself that I wasn’t going back to paid employment that I will continue with the magazine.
It’s the fifth edition of Exquisite Lady of the Year (ELOY) awards tomorrow, how do you feel about it?
I feel blessed. Blessed because we could have stopped but we kept it going. The ELOY award is the only award ceremony for women in Nigeria and the only award ceremony that celebrates women of excellence. I am happy that we are able to continue to inspire, celebrate and motivate one another.
What is ELOY award about?
It is a medium to celebrate women of excellence in different fields; to appreciate one another and to be able to inspire others.
What would you say you have achieved by hosting the yearly awards for five years?
We have been able to show that women are doing exceptionally well in different fields. We have been able to inspire other women, we have been able to screen women free for cervical and breast cancer, we havebeen able to instill Exquisite in the minds of people. We have been able to achieve a lot through the help of God.
Many people say awards like these are paid for. How much do I have to pay to get one?
I wish it was paid for. If it was, I would be on a new high but sadly, it is not. You win an ELOY award only because you have satisfied our criteria and because people have voted for you.
What qualifies any woman to be nominated and maybe emerge as a winner?
The criteria include being a leader in your field, be it direct or indirect leadership, showing service through helping others to grow, your commitment and dedication to your goal, achievement in your business or career, integrity and your character, meeting your responsibilities and being a good Nigerian.
If you were not into publishing, what else would you have been doing? What are your other passions?
I would probably be designing shoes. I love shoes. Or working in a pharmaceutical industry because I studied pharmacology at University.
What is your projection for the magazine in a couple of years?
The next level should be bigger than the sky. It is bigger than me. God has great plans for us and I am going to follow His plans.
You have always said you love shoes. Any hope of setting up a shoe factory soon so you can meet the needs of fellow shoe freaks like you?
As God lives and like I said, watch this space.
So, have you ditched that for publishing completely or do you hope to return to them soon?
I wouldn’t want to speak so much about that now. Again, I will say, watch this space.
What drives you to achieve?
God. The strong will to be able to show the talent he has given me and the desire to fulfill his plans for me. Of course my husband, kids and family. Also the desire to inspire others to succeed.
What has being a publisher in Nigerian market taught you as a person?
Patience. You need to be patient as a publisher. Your staff, the writers, the printers, and all that make the magazine a success. You just have to imbibe patience.
What is the secret of your success so far?
Again, I’ll say God is the secret because He has given me the will to remain consistent.
What would you say prepared you for what you do now?
My desire to write and look good and my parents also encouraged me to imagine things and writing about them.
Who do you take after, your mum or dad? What exactly did they teach you?
They taught me how to be my own person; to believe in myself, to always study. My mum will always say to me, “your education is your property.” From my dad, his meekness; he is the most pleasant person ever, doesn’t judge and respects everyone.
What is the future of publishing in Nigeria vis-a-vis the advent of online magazines?
There is still room for improvement. Yes, the world is going online, some still love their hard copies. The future is bright for everyone as long as we move with the technology advancement and re-strategise.
Have they been a threat of sort?
Not really, we do both and our online copies are taking off. We are moving with the change and working with it.
How do you juggle your different roles as a publisher, wife and mother?
I have been lucky. I have a very supportive husband and understanding kids. I am not perfect but I am doing it well with God on my side and my very supportive husband. We wouldn’t be here today if my husband was not supportive.
What would be your advice to any youth who wishes to go into publishing now?
I will simply say choose your niche and be passionate about it. They should be sure of what they want to do, what they want the magazine to focus on. In terms of target audience, be clear and define it. If you say you want to focus on business, do and don’t move. Focus on your core, dedicate time to it and be patient because you have to prove to the world that you can do it.