How DEYOLA WILLIAMS Plays BIG In Drinks Business

•RICHBETH Drinks MD/CEO Tells City People Her Success Story

In the area of drink logistics in the events business in Nigeria, Mrs Deyola Williams plays big. She is one of the top drinks suppliers for parties and events. She presides over an award-winning drinks business called Richbeth Drinks. She is doing so well, and her services are in high demand. No wonder she and her team, work back-to-back, non-stop. She is good at what she does. When you see her team at work at parties you will love their appearance and service. They are professionals to the core. Whether she is at a party or not, her team delivers top-notch service. And when she is at any event, she is usually on her feet, making sure everybody is okay and well served. How did she veer into the drinks business? How did she build Richbeth Drinks into the big brand it is today? How did she become the most sought after drinks company on the party scene today?

City People asked her these and many questions, a few days ago, during an exclusive interview with this beautiful woman of style. She hardly grants interviews. But she decided to speak to City People about her success story in business. Below are excerpts of the interview.

How has it been supplying drinks for events and parties?

I have been in business for over 15 years and my area of speciality is primarily in the area of drink logistics. The journey began at 14 Demurin Street, Ketu, in Lagos. At first, we sold iced cold drinks to passers-by and surrounding businesses who needed them for customers in the scorching hot weather. Thereafter, a handful of already existing clientele noticed we were able to always deliver cold drinks despite unstable lights in the community. So we began to ice drinks and serve them to guests at the request of customers and it’s been a success story from that point.

What set my business apart is that I strongly believe in keeping the standard of services, it brings comfort to all parties involved in the transaction. We have all kinds of costumes to suit the theme of the event; for instance, a variety of traditional attires in a wide range of colours for the servers, or western/corporate attires for an upscale event, we also have attires for masquerade glamour parties/ carnival parties. My company can provide cost-effective services to any individual planning an event regardless of budgeting from high-end clientele to the average family organizing a soiree.

I meet with my clients face-to-face and provide them with advice that only a certified drink vendor can provide. Since I have a long list of successful experiences, I can resolve issues that may arise during the buildup of the event.  Regardless of the circumstances, we deliver.

Tell us what you do?

I am into events. And I specialise in the drinks aspects of events I handle the drinks at parties. As in we ice the drinks, and serve. We also do cocktails. Anything that has to do with drinks, is what we handle. The name of my outfit is Richbeth drinks. I have been doing this now for over 15 years.

I have been married for 30 years but for like 15 years, I was at home doing nothing because my husband insisted that I stay back home and bring up the children. After my 1st daughter entered Secondary school, I decided to set up a business. My husband advised me to get a store and fill it up with soft drinks, and other drinks. That was what I was doing until one of my friends came to buy drinks from me, for her housewarming. She now asked me: are you not going to ice the drink for me?  I said I don’t do the icing. She insisted that I must do the icing. I now called my cousin. We now got 3 drums. I have a delivery van to deliver drinks. That is the way it all started. Ever since then, God has been faithful. I started the drinks business 15 years ago.

What advice do you have for people who want to have parties and need drinks? What are the things they need to do?

They should call people like us to help them handle drinks. We are professional servers. Serving drinks has gone beyond just getting drinks and serving it. We take care of your guests. We make sure our drinks are very cold. That is our signature. We have equipment. Nowadays, serving drinks is more than just putting them on the table. It is more than icing and serving alone. We make events classy, memorable and lovely with our equipment.

How did you come up with the name Richbeth?

Richbeth is a combination of my children’s names. One of them is a medical doctor, to the glory of God. Wuraola Elizabeth. That is where the name Beth comes from. One is Richard Abiola Williams. So we joined both Rich&Beth together to form Richbeth.

How do you see the growth of the drinks business over time?

It has been good. There is not much profit in the business, but the turnover is also good. That’s the most important thing is business. Transparency is key. Some people don’t know me and they send money into my account. You have to be accountable. Many people who don’t know me have paid N2 million, N5 million, N7 million or N15 million into my account out of TRUST. If somebody gives you money, buy the drinks and make sure the Inventory of your purchase is taken before and after the party.

What are the services you offer?

When you are planning an event and you call Richbeth, we would ask you questions to know the number of guests to be expected, if you want alcohol or not, because it determines what the bill looks like. Remember there are different types of drinks and when we get to the market, we see drinks that cost up to N1 million, some bottles of wine can cost more than N150,000 while others can cost as low as N700, so it depends on the individual and what his/her capacity is.

What is your message to your clients?

All our clients should keep patronising us because they are the ones keeping us in the market. Please continue to reach out to us. To the upcoming drink vendors, they should be patient with customers because sometimes when the event is like 3 days to the event, they will start behaving somehow due to tension. So for you who is their vendor, you should try to be patient. Most importantly, you should be transparent in what you do.

How did you develop the stylish aspect of yourself?

That part just came to me because my husband has always been a fashionable man and a socialite.  Therefore I have to keep up the pace. Even while at work and at the same time taking care of the home, you should still look nice.

How do you also cope with the fact that you have to attend so many events and dress for them?

I thank God I have been able to train a girl who is my Manager and is also behaving the way I would like her to. She has been able to cope with the events. She attends most of the events because there are some that I might not be able to attend. Sometimes I get 2 to 3 jobs in a week and as a married woman, I cannot attend all. Like my husband doesn’t go out until around 10 am in the morning because he is a hotelier so I have to ensure that I cook for him before leaving home. Then by 7 pm, I have to be back home no matter the event I attend. So, I get young ones who are well trained with better stamina than me to do the work. So, I have been able to cope with this.

What part of Nigeria are you from?

I am from Oyo State in Awe, while my husband is from Ekiti State.

What event shot you to the limelight?

To the glory of God, there has been a lot of events, I delivered drinks for Senator Dino Melaye’s mother’s funeral some time ago in Kogi State. We also handled Lagos State jobs at Alausa. So whenever they have their end-of-the-year parties, I deliver drinks. Presently, I have also worked with Governor Sanwo-Olu. So they are too numerous to mention and God has been so faithful.

How many events can you say you handle in a year?

For every weekend, I usually end up with more than 3 jobs, like today, I have 3 jobs waiting and I also have another one tomorrow. It is not like the money is big, but the turnover is encouraging. This is because whenever Richbeth handles your event, it is always classy with a unique vibe we bring to your event.

How can you be contacted?

My number is 08034886658, that is my direct number. We can also be contacted on Instagram with our handle @richbethdrinksice.

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