Naturebuddie Concepts - Akintola Fade-Aluko #inthespiritofenterprise

Tell us about yourself

My name is Akintola Fade-Aluko, the C.E.O of Naturebuddie Concepts, a landscape horticulture outfit based in the city of Ibadan, I am 28 years old and a graduate of horticulture from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and currently running a Masters degree programme in Horticulture at the University of Ibadan. I love nature and I take it as a responsibility to protect it. Hence, the name nature buddie.

Tell us about your business

Naturebuddie concepts is about meeting the landscape needs of the ever increasing urban population, a lot of people want their property looking all beautiful with ornamental features but there are only a few professionals who would be able to meet such needs and at the same time taking responsible decisions about the environment.

What motivated you to pursue horticulture as a career 

I grew up being passionate about plants but I never for once thought of making a living out of it, I was admitted to study horticulture in 2003 and that was the turning point for me, I got to know about the prospects of choosing horticulture as a career and that it wasn't about the road side thing I used to think it was. From that point I deliberately took steps to acquire skills in the field outside what the school curriculum was going to teach me, and that was it.

How did you get into it as a business

I had done a series of landscape jobs for free for family members, friends and churches but I never really saw it as what I could make money from, it was someone that liked what I had done at one of the places that gave me my first major landscape job and its been on like that since then, though I still do some Jobs for free.

What challenges do you face and how have you been able to overcome them 

The major challenge I face is competition with already established players in the landscape industry and getting clients to believe you will deliver a great job, also most of the clients are used to the roadside gardeners that come up with a combination of plants with some of them not knowing how, when and why a particular planting material is used in a landscape. To overcome the challenge I had to do free jobs which serve as a part of my resume. 

How will you summarize your journey so far?

So far it has has been full of highs and low. It’s a matter of time, with persistence and hard work we will get there.

Given the chance, will you do this again? 

Making nature look beautiful is a part of me, it is who I am or how do you explain going for a job interview and the first thing you notice on getting to the venue is that they need a landscape horticulturist here..lol, I'll choose being a landscape horticulturist a million times again if given the chance.

Feel free to follow here -  +Akintola fade-aluko

or mail him @ fadealukotolar@gmail.com