HideWorks — Artisan Leather Goods & Beaded Accessories in Nigeria

Business Plan

Financial Snapshot

Executive Summary

HideWorks is a Nigerian artisan leather-goods and beaded-accessories brand that designs and manufactures premium bags, sandals, belts, and wallets alongside handcrafted beaded jewellery and accessories. Drawing on centuries-old craft skills concentrated in Aba (Abia State) and Kano, HideWorks sells direct-to-consumer through its own e-commerce storefront and Instagram commerce, and wholesale to select Lagos and Abuja boutiques. Secondary revenue streams include curated corporate-gift packages and a growing export channel targeting diaspora buyers and African-aesthetic boutiques in the UK and US.

The business launches with a lean artisan workshop — hand tools, a solid workbench, and two skilled craft workers — keeping fixed overhead below ₦300,000/month in Year 1. Blended average selling price across categories sits at ~₦28,000 per unit D2C, yielding a target gross margin of 48–52%.

Key projections (3-year horizon): • Year 1 revenue target: ₦18.5 million • Year 2 revenue target: ₦42 million • Year 3 revenue target: ₦78 million

HideWorks is raising a ₦12 million seed round from angel investors and a grant application to the Bank of Industry's SME Creative Sector Fund. Proceeds will fund initial raw-material stock, workshop fit-out, website build, and a six-month marketing runway.

> Nigeria's artisan leather market is vastly under-branded. HideWorks converts genuine craft heritage into a scalable, modern consumer brand — without moving manufacturing offshore.

The founding team combines product design training, supply-chain sourcing experience in Aba, and digital-marketing execution capability. With rising pan-African consumer pride, growing interest in African craft exports, and a ₦/USD tailwind favouring locally made goods, the timing is deliberate and compelling.

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Company Description

Legal name: HideWorks Crafts Limited (incorporation in progress, CAC registration target: Q2 2025)

Registered address: Lagos, Nigeria (operational workshop: Aba, Abia State)

Structure: Private limited liability company

Founded: 2025

HideWorks occupies the intersection of heritage craft and modern brand-building. Artisans in Aba have produced machine-stitched and hand-finished leather goods for decades, supplying markets across West Africa. Kano's leather tanneries and bead traders represent a parallel, deeply rooted tradition. HideWorks does not displace these traditions — it organises, quality-controls, and brands them for a premium urban and international audience that currently buys imported alternatives.

Mission: To make Nigerian-crafted leather and beadwork the first choice for quality-conscious buyers in Nigeria and across the diaspora.

Vision: Africa's leading artisan leather house — premium, honest about materials and making, profitable by design.

Core values: • Craft integrity — no cutting corners on finish quality • Maker visibility — artisan stories featured in marketing • Sustainable sourcing — preference for chrome-free or vegetable-tanned hides where available • Fair piece-rate pay — artisans earn above Aba informal-market rates from day one

HideWorks products carry a distinctive branded hangtag, a short-form QR-linked artisan profile, and a serial batch code — small details that signal the brand's premium positioning to boutique buyers and export customers. The business model is intentionally asset-light in early stages: no owned tannery, no large warehouse lease. Lean production batches of 20–50 units per SKU are planned, tested for sell-through, then scaled.

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Problem & Customer

The problem has two sides.

For buyers: Nigerian consumers and diaspora shoppers who want quality leather goods currently default to imported brands (Zara, H&M leather lines, Chinese-made "African print" accessories) or unbranded market goods with inconsistent quality and zero brand story. There is almost no mid-to-premium Nigerian leather brand with a credible digital presence, c