7 Lessons Every Business Owner Can Learn  From A Tribe Called Judah (The Highest Grossing Nollywood Film Ever).

Since December 2023, a certain Nollywood movie has been on the lips of Nigerians across the country and even the diaspora. A Tribe Called Judah, a comedy film produced by the renowned actress and producer, Funke Akindele broke the Nigerian Box Office as the first film to cross N1,000,000,000 in ticket sales.  The movie follows the life of a woman and her never-do-well sons, who had to get involved in some illegal activities to save her life.

The movie was very educative and intriguing. It is also very refreshing to see a Nollywood movie do so well. While the film was absolutely interesting, there are some business lessons to be learned from it. Let’s look at a few of them.

Know your Customers

In the movie, Mama Jedidiah Judah had kids for different men from different parts of the country. This gave a ‘Wazobia vibe’ to the movie making every Nigerian a customer of this product. The storyline is deeply rooted in the Nigerian setting, showing the audience that the product entertains and understands the plights of the average man. Always make it a habit to know your customers.

Meet Your Customer’s Needs

The movie is an ever-green product that will forever hold the hearts of many Nigerians, this is because the maker of the product put a lot of thought into it and it shows.

At a time when Nigerians needed a break from the hardship of the country, the movie provided a sweet escape with a pinch of morality. Funke Akindele (Mrs Judah), the key actor and initiator of this project ensured that everyone played their part well to give the audience (customers) an unforgettable experience. This wonderful experience has in turn generated uncommon profit. Every great business must pay attention to the product, the product must meet a need for a target audience.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Mama Judah wasn’t the wealthiest person in the community, but she was the most generous, giving from the little she had. Most organizations aren’t intentional with their corporate social responsibility. They always put it as the last thing to do. In this age and time, the yardstick by which your customer judges you now includes what you stand for and how well you impact your environment. So, pay attention to this part of the business.

Timing

Timing is critical to premiere a product, the movie came at a time when a lot of movies were yet to premiere, leaving a gap in the interest span of the audience which the movie filled. Timing is a critical factor for every business-oriented person. There is a time to pitch (sell, market, distribute, etc) a product. Once you get this, your product will do well. Timing is decided through observation, surveys, and experience, you have to know what your customer wants and when they want it.

Great customer Experience Vs Skimp-flation 

The economy is so tough, yet the makers of this movie spared no cost to ensure the production quality stayed top-notch, without sabotaging excellence and today the reward is over a billion naira gross. Most business people turn to skimpflation (cutting down on the quality of a product whilst maintaining the price to keep up with the economic downturn) or shrinkflation (reducing the quantity/size of a product whilst maintaining the price to keep up with the economic downturn) when the economy seems to be nose-diving, instead of turning to a great customer experience. Customers are the reason why you are in business in the first place, if your product/service provides them with a great experience, you’ll see them respond with an increased profit for you.

Having a dedicated team

Every actor in the movie aced their role and everyone did well. We don’t know if they were paid the same amount or not but what we know is that they did well in their respective roles. This might have been because they received one incentive or the other for the movie; while some got a platform to act, others got an opportunity to make money. Irrespective of their desires and differences, they were put together as a team to deliver excellence. Always have a great team and always treat them as well as you would want them to treat your customers.

Take Inventory

Funke Akindele made sure that the movie premiered only in cinemas and closely followed the numbers, this was why when the movie crossed the billion-naira mark everyone knew, and no one argued because numbers don’t lie. Inventory is very important for every successful business even after you achieve a set goal, you need to take time to reevaluate and recalibrate.  

P:S – We are looking forward to another banger from Aunty Funke, she sure knows her onions when it comes to making great movies.

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