UNEARTHING THE ELEMENTS OF ‘THE CHEMISTS’

Passion, creativity, and resilience are the most crucial skills in business. If you’ve got those, you’re ready to embark on the journey.” -Jo Malone, Founder of Jo Malone

Let’s get today started with some lights, sounds and fireworks from THE CHEMISTS!

When Emeric Elliott, an MBA graduate (from Heriott Watt University in UK) returned  to Sierra Leone to manage his father’s printing and photocopying business – Genet and Partners. He was to be a realtor on the side.

But in his mind, he was brewing a storm- a reaction that was to be the ‘talk of the town’. He was nurturing an idea, that will not only bring ‘cool people’ together but it would revive the lost art of socialising.

‘The Chemists’ was set up as a cocktail business. Having lived in Miami for a while, Emeric had developed a love for cocktails . He had kept in touch with a friend  who was a bartender. This friend kept him updated on the happenings of the mixology world. He would share his handiwork  with excitement, showcasing the different types of drinks that he made. It would nearly always look like a chemistry class, birthing the idea for-  “The Chemists”

THE MIXTURE

Let’s go back to September 2018, Emeric had just come back to Sierra Leone from Kenya. Still burning with a desire to do something unique, different and entertaining. Then he had a meeting with a friend about starting a games night event, but they never got through with finalizing the proposals and He left that on the back burner.

In November He was asked by the Power women 232 (a women’s network) to do cocktails for their Networth Ball, having heard that He was about to launch The Chemists.  After that  successful event He decided to launch the business officially and have it registered.

In December, Ma Dengn ( The biggest Sierra Leonean Cultural Festival held in Sierra Leone) was couple of weeks away and he decided that He wanted to give the cocktail business another try on a wider scale. So He did his  SWOT analysis and decided to take up the challenge and it was a huge success.

Boom Boom ! January 2019-  Emeric went a little bit further by trying out the original games night concept but with a twist, it was built around cocktails and coincidentally the brand name worked . Right now ‘The Chemists’ is a mixture of cocktails,networking,games that is hosted at different locations in Freetown, showcasing the Land that we Love.

THE REACTION

His dream is to take the cocktail business to higher levels and in the long run be one of the biggest bar-tending companies in Africa and beyond, creating employment for young people with an interest.

This dream is nurtured by the huge turnouts He gets for the monthly events.  Emeric thinks this is due to the fact that he has been able to tap into the power of his network. The guests are friends , young professionals and happy people with great vibes.

Due to our hectic lifestyles, people constantly feel the need to relax. The Chemists presents an opportunity that curbs the desire of people to enjoy their leisure and socialize in a great space.

Interestingly once people get a feel of what the nights are like in terms of delivery, they tell more friends.

Perhaps another key tip for such an exponential growth is the fact that they ask for feedback.  The Chemists cares about the customer experience. They make it a habit to have one on one discussions with their clients. This helps them to know what they like and what they don’t like. This helps them to build on customer satisfaction .

Free Marketing Tip from The Chemist: Make your customer your number one  priority.

THE BOILING POINT

He says His greatest challenge since launch is running two businesses at the same time.As a hands on person , he struggles to delegate.  His battles with the fear that if His not on top of everything that will affect  the overall outcome. Learning to let go , is a hard pill to swallow. That said, He is learning to breathe in between projects and trusting His team.

At the moment the company has 4 bartenders and 6 support staff. See how easy it is to provide employment for young people.

MODELING THE FUTURE

When asked to share on the three businesses He admires in Sierra Leone. He did not disappoint:

 ‘Firstly my Father’s business, Genet and Partners which is a Printing and photocopying business and has been in existence for 30+ years .75% of his staff has been with him for 20yrs and above.That says a lot!

Secondly, I’d say Estu’s Delight which is run by Mrs. Haja Myers. I know how difficult it is to run several businesses therefore I admire her greatly, being able to run a family, produce refreshing healthy smoothies and manage her Engineering firm all at the same time.

Next would be Visit Sierra Leone which is Managed by Mr Bimbola Carrol and he has been working very hard in boosting the tourism industry in Sierra Leone.

Now that you’ve got a few of the elements together. Watch out for The Chemists’ next event in a location near you!