With a staff strength that runs into multiple thousands and boasting over 30 outlets, Sweet Sensation is indeed a huge brand. For the Managing Director, Mrs. Kehinde Kamson, only one factor sustains any business empire—God. A chartered accountant, who worked in a multi-national oil servicing company before delving into confectionery, she clocked 60 years recently. What is Kehinde Kamson’s winning streaks?
You are welcome to her world as she takes you through her sojourn from being a chartered accountant to baking cakes and pastries in this interview with Kemi Ashefon.
How does one feel at 60?
Mrs. Kehinde Kamson simply answered, “I have a feeling of appreciation to God for having guided me all the way. I also feel great like any girl at 60. Indeed life begins at 60.”
You are free to mention Sweet Sensation, an eatery she founded 28 years ago, is a success. Indeed, the brand but she would remind you that, “Success is very gradual and comes in phases. Success is about sustaining what you are successful at. Success for me was not recorded at a certain time but it’s a continuous journey.”
That seems to sum up her story, which is contained in her biography, “Pots, Pans and Spoons.
Then, as a chartered accountant in an oil servicing company, Lummus Crest, she had to give up a career.
That must have been hard on her, considering the benefits of such a job?
“Well, it was not an easy decision because I was doing well professionally,” Kamson recalled.
Born of parents, who were educated (Her father was the first principal of CMS Grammar School for 25 years, while her mother founded the Vivian Adelaja Girls Secondary School, Lagos) nothing gave her an inkling that she would leave her blue collar job.
“But I was having my kids in quick succession and I needed more time with my family because I also worked during weekends. I knew I needed to engage in something that was more compatible with my role as a mother. So, I delved into the world of business. I started baking cakes from a small gate-house in my father’s house, then it was expanded to the back of the house and I operated from different food capacities—outdoors, baking and more. Though Sweet Sensation is 28 years old, I would add the 10 years of humble service from my backyard to it. Those were the sacrificial years but the focus has been on food and confectionaries.”
Now a grandmother, she would never forget the experience that birthed Sweet Sensation.
“At some point after I left my profession, I knew I needed direction. The colleagues I left there were moving up and I felt ashamed of my baking business. Whenever we met on occasions and they asked what I was doing, I would reply that I was into confectionaries. The look on their faces said it all—I was wasting away! I also saw it that I was wasting away because I have always been smart at whatever I did. That I was baking at home in soiled aprons was shameful to me and I decided seeking God’s face to get out of what I termed as slavery.
“So, I embarked on a seven-day fast and asked God to show me what He wanted for me. By the seventh day, I didn’t get any signal from God and I almost gave up. But an amazing thing happened in my dream. I saw me dressed in a suit and was plying one of roads on campus (I graduated from the University of Lagos). As I walked, I saw catering equipment thrown everywhere. To me, these were strong and good equipment and I would look at them, walk towards them and be so ashamed to be seen with them. Suddenly, someone said to me, ‘why are you ashamed of these things? When I woke up, I knew what the message was and I faced my catering business with a new spirit.
With staff strength of over 3000 and many outlets, Sweet Sensation has turned a brand. What has kept her going?
She responded with enthusiasm, “God. But your God-ordained success needs sustenance. Sustenance and keeping it up, is also key. If you don’t want to lose your success, you have to keep it permanently. Mind you, it’s not just about human effort, it’s a divine gift.”
On how the brand has sustained the success over the years, the beautiful grandma opened up:
“Food is a delicate item and it is also human resource- related. It’s about the brain, the hands, and there is the issue of standardisation across board. With many outlets, people want to see same taste. But in any management, people constitute the team and that makes things easier. The success is not mine; it’s a team work, which I am one of. That team helps us to chart a focus, share and run the vision and this is replicated in all the outlets. The art of replicating that vision is challenging but God has seen us through.”
Married to Yinka Kamson, a businessman who hails from Ikorodu, the union has produced five children.
Of her husband, she said, “He is the chairman of Sweet Sensation and has been a pillar of support to me since inception. I cherish our union and always tell women that there is nothing as good as having a successful business but if it’s coming against the needs of your family, it’s not worth it. It’s good to work but don’t work against your happy home.”
Kamson would not describe herself as very fashionable.
“I am not a fashionista either but I have my peculiar style,” she explained. Describing her style, she said, “I like unique things—a dress that is well produced, regal, and not too much of embellishment. I don’t like bling-bling. At this age, you really can give the quality of what you wear some attention. I think I am fussy about accessories. I have a subtle love for jewellery.
“My figure? I have always been full figured but I lost weight when I started feeling uneasy with it. Now, I take less of carbohydrates and more of vegetables and fruits. In fact, I have not touched a bottle of soft drinks in many years.”