Wealth Coach and Certified Result and Performance Consultant Oludayo Adeniyi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Eximious, an organisation that helps professionals achieve financial freedom through coaching programmes. She is leveraging her over 15 year’s Human Resources (HR) background to show other professionals how to become financially independent through the identification and creation of multiple income streams. She shares her compelling and impactful entrepreneurial story with SAMPSON UNAMKA.

Even before she started her Human Resources (HR) career, Wealth Coach and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Eximious, an organisation that helps professionals achieve financial freedom through coaching programmes, Oludayo Adeniyi, had always looked forward to living life on her terms.

But it wasn’t long before an experience thought her a hard lesson that achieving financial freedom is key to living life on her terms. “I started my career in Human Resources and was looking forward to living life on my terms. But upon receiving my first pay cheque, I recall asking myself: “For how long do I have to work to achieve financial freedom?

“This became a major concern, resulting in a quest for an answer. While trying to figure things out, I forged ahead with my career and I began to climb the ladder. I was earning more money, but I was still struggling with my finances. I thought more money would solve the problem, but it did not. There were times I was broke,” she narrated.

Oludayo, while admitting that she made so many mistakes with investments, told The Nation that she became a victim of various Ponzi schemes and lost so much money. “I was trying to make more money and build wealth, but I was losing more than I was making. I knew with the way I was going, I needed an intervention,” she stated.

However, how to get the intervention was an issue for Oludayo, a first-degree holder in Biology Education and a Master’s in Botany, all from the University of Lagos (UNILAG). This was because talking about money wasn’t a usual thing, so you are not ridiculed. We all look good and glam in our corporate outfits but only those that wear the shoe know how it hurts,” she explained.

But after years of research, Oludayo said she realised that her money struggles came from the conventional way she was taught about money i.e., go to school, get a job, live on a pension. “The truth is: no one teaches us how to really make, manage and invest our money, in a way that we can create the lives we desire. This is why many professionals struggle, and retirement becomes scary.

“This is why I became a Wealth Coach & Certified Result and Performance Consultant, leveraging my over 15 years and still counting Human Resources background to show other professionals how to become financially independent through the identification and creation of multiple income streams,” Oludayo explained.

As founder of Eximious and the Wealth Code Community, she helps professionals and entrepreneurs develop the right mindset and skills to manage, master and multiply money so they can build wealth and live a better life through her coaching programs.

Through her proven coaching system, Oludayo, who has been featured in ‘Inside Business Africa’ and ‘Phenomenal African Women (PAW)’ as one of the ‘60 Women to Watch Out For in 2021’, has been helping clients transform their relationship with money and empower them with the right mindset to live a truly prosperous life.

She also does online courses tagged “The Blueprint of More Money” online course, which sets clients on their journey to financial freedom. She offers business consulting and wealth/money management advisory. “Our focus is helping individuals across the globe to see beyond their limitations and commence their journey to financial freedom,” Oludayo affirmed.

A Chartered Human Resources practitioner, Oludayo has been privileged to work with over 500 individuals across the globe, helping them unlocking the wealth in them also see behind their current limitations. She believes that everyone deserves abundance, which is why she is called the ‘Abundance Queen’ by some of her friends and close business associates.

Beyond earning a Bachelors’ and Masters’  from UNILAG, Oludayo, the first of a family of four, has also attended various training programmes both locally and internationally, including the prestigious Lagos Business School (LBS), Cornel University, Ithaca, New York, United States.

Giving more insight into her educational background, she said: “As a young child, I dreamt of becoming a pharmacist, but the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) did its thing so, I ended up with a first degree in Biology Education and a Master’s in Botany (all from UNILAG).

“Since I could not get into Pharmacy, I told myself, if I had to teach, then it had to be at the tertiary level. This informed my decision to embark on a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). But somewhere along the line, I became dissatisfied and had a career change to Human Resources (HR).

As it turned out, Oludayo’s career change, along the line, opened her eyes to certain realities which she has since been leveraging to help people create and manage wealth. For instance, with the advent of the Pension Scheme, which eliminated the gratuity era, she began to think about retirement. “I wondered how I would survive and maintain my standard of living without a salary. I became afraid for myself,” she confessed.

Her fear was justified because, according to her, she had knowledge of people who had great jobs and pay across various industries who, after exiting their jobs, could not maintain their standard of living. “These experiences made me very uncomfortable. I realised that so many working-class professionals were plagued with the inability to effectively manage and multiply money,” she said.

She, however, exonerated such people from blame “because nobody taught us that making money alone is not sufficient to build wealth. We live from pay cheque to pay cheque and many were grossly in debt.

“We failed to understand that our salary is a seed that needed to be deployed to create more income streams. I even had colleagues who had expended a year’s salary before receiving the pay. Some would receive loans to pay their rent, and before offsetting the previous loan, another year’s rent was due.”

Oludayo said all in the name of survival, people are in stress mode, hustling and trying to give their families quality life hence, there is no time to spend quality time with family. “Many are frustrated and their performance at work is affected negatively. Life is like a voracious cycle without an end,” she regretted.

For the Wealth Coach, who said her goal is to empower 1, 000 professionals to create additional income streams, so they can achieve time and financial freedom, stumbling upon two of Robert Kiyosaki’s books, ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ and ‘Cashflow Quadrant’ marked the beginning of a new experience.

“It was there I discovered a job, one income stream, alone could not offer me my desired life. I needed to take charge of my finances and not leave it in the hands of my employer, government or anyone else. I realized my education and hard work weren’t enough, I needed to be financially literate. I needed to unlearn and relearn how to build wealth,” she told The Nation.

It was at this point Oludayo started her wealth journey by reading books on finances, wealth, learning new skills, attending programmes and also giving myself mentorship.

“With the knowledge I garnered, I launched out to help people take charge of their finances. I started a book club and my first crowdfunding scheme in 2016. All of this started as a hobby.

“However, it was a great experience learning together and becoming more enlightened about our finances. I also ventured into the foreign exchange market; it was totally a new terrain for me. I realised there was so much I did not know.

“In 2017, I started the Learn & Earn Initiative aimed at educating people about the foreign exchange market. Over 500 people were empowered. It was fulfilling seeing people’s lives transform just by learning a skill set,” she narrated.

While doing all of these, Oludayo was still in paid employment. She was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Strategic Outsourcing Limited, a foremost outsourcing company in Nigeria, which had over 4000 staff across the nation as of then.

It was exiting the company after working for a decade that she set up her own business of impacting and giving hope to people. “This gives me so much joy. Interestingly, I ran away from teaching, now I am back to teaching. Life is indeed a mystery,” Oludayo, who is a proud member of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), enthused.

However, there were challenges in her journey to success, one of which, according to her, was accepting the fact that she no longer had a guaranteed monthly income when she first started out. Her words: “It was not easy after living on salary for more than a decade. I had to condition my mind to accept my new reality.

“Adjusting to this new reality was not easy,.I was ill for about two months before I got a hang of things. The other challenge was fear of the unknown. A few of my friends were worried that I was leaving the known for the unknown, which was understandable.

“Even, I was concerned. I remember informing my Mum and the first thing she said was “Hallelujah”. I was shocked. This boosted my confidence level. I also had the full support of every member of my family. Learning new skills: I had to start learning skills tailored to my new role. I had to learn how to be an entrepreneur, run a successful business, sell, use social media, etc.”

That wasn’t all. Oludayo also said there was a bit of resistance from people because, “in our society, people are often reluctant to talk about their finances. Also, we have this mindset that with a degree and a job, building wealth comes automatically. Hence, people were not taking responsibility for their finances. Right now, we are all beginning to see that we have to be deliberate about our finances.”

Having come out strong after the initial challenges, the expert has some pieces of advice for businesses particular those who wish to thrive in this post-COVID-19 era. “Focus on the financial well-being of your workforce, create multiple income streams, leverage technology, and be agile,” he counselled.

According to the expert, businesses must be agile, as the business terrain is VUCA – (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). “Any business that must survive must have the ability to respond and swiftly adjust to market changes with new innovations. There will be unforeseen circumstances, but the ability of businesses to respond before the competition will be a major determinant for sustainability,” she added.

 

Social Entrepreneur and Agri-business Executive Helen Majemite is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oeetrot Concept Limited, an indigenous facility management company with core competence is procurement and logistics. She is also the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ceeri Foods, a social enterprise in the agri-business value chain. The women and youth empowerment advocate uses her Ceeri chin-chin and brand as test case to teach and prove to women that they could start a business with little or no capital. She shares her inspiring ‘start-small-and-grow-big’ story with AMBROSE NNAJI.

With a supposedly comfortable life, largely made possible by her successful and supportive husband who is a lawyer, she probably would have, like some other women, relaxed and enjoy her life rather than put her hand in the plough. But her strong and unflinching belief in women’s financial and economic empowerment would not allow the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oeetrot Concept Limited, an indigenous facility management company, Mrs. Helen Majemite, choose that path.

Helen, who is an acclaimed social entrepreneur, agri-business executive and staunch women and youth empowerment advocate, has never hidden her desire to be financially independent; it was quite over-powering. “A woman should not rely entirely on her spouse. She needs to start thinking positively, she needs to know how to get financially and economically empowered, she told The Nation, adding that she has come to realise that women empowerment i.e. financial and economic empowerment, is very important.

Helen whose company, Oeetrot Concept Limited, has core competence in procurement and logistics, said she left school at 21 and started raising her family almost immediately and wasn’t working despite having earning a university degree.  It wasn’t until I was 40 years old that I realised that I needed to do something. I had a supposedly comfortable life. My husband could afford to take care of me, but that satisfaction wasn’t there, you wanted money, you had to rush to your husband.That wasn’t what I wanted,” the Delta State born social entrepreneur said.

However, her realisation that she needed to do something on her own was quite dramatic. Her story: “My mother in-law was sick. That was in 2003. I didn’t have even N5, 000 to travel to Delta State to see her in the hospital, and I could not ask my husband, it didn’t sound very good. I had to beg somebody to give me money before I could travel home to see my mother in-law. But when I came back, I said ‘NO,’ this is the turning point. That was when I started doing what I could do and as God would have it, I was able to use my network. So that was when I discovered myself.”

According to the 1989 graduate of Botany, from University of Benin (UNIBEN), she knew that there was something missing and she needed to discover herself. “At 40, I said even if I had a supportive husband, it’s his money and not my mine. No matter how you look at it, even if he provides for you, it’s not your money. And I knew I had to start up something. I knew I had to pick up myself,” she said. And she did just that. With her flare for baking, she started baking cake. She also proceeded to FATE Foundation to further home her skill in baking.

Helen, an alumnus of FATE Foundation, said with what she learnt, she was able to improve on her cake baking, and also went into other things that were associated with or are similar to baking, catering, event management, which were all in the same line of the business. “That was my breaking point. I now have satisfaction, I now have something called my own because,” she proudly announced, noting that before now, she had to run to her spouse for whatever she needed. “Now, even if I still have to go to him, I have a bit of money that I can say this is mine,” she emphasised.

Although Helen has been running Oeetrot Concept Limited since 2007, with its educational consulting arm, much of the satisfaction the budding entrepreneur  appears to have come on the strength of the establishment of Ceeri Foods, 10 years later, precisely 2017. Ceeri Foods, which is an agro processing company in the food packaging sector, The Nation learnt, was borne out of its founder’s passion for women empowerment. In fact, it was used as a test case by Helen to teach and prove to women that they could start a business with little or no capital.

Helen confirmed this much, saying: “Ceeri was set up because of our passion for women. I’ll say it’s our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).” “I stand for women. I feel that women’s voice should be heard. Women need to be economically and socially empowered no matter how small,” she declared.

According to her, “that’s the reason I went into agro product (the Ceeri chin-chin) because I found out that when you ask women why they are idle, not doing something, they will tell you there’s no fund. So, I had to start the production of chin-chin with a minimal amount of money just to prove to them that you can do virtually anything/you can start a business with an amount as little as N5000 or N10, 000.”

Helen started Ceeri chi-chin with the sum of N20, 000. Her words: “When you speak with some of the women, they will tell you that they don’t have money to start business; that they are looking for N200, 000 or N500, 000 to start business and we said ‘NO,’ you don’t need so much before you start a business, you can start a business with N20, 000, you can start a business with even N10, 000 and grow the business. What you just need to grow the business is passion. So, that’s where Ceeri chin-chin came up.

“We started Ceeri chin-chin with N20, 000, but today we are in shops, we are exporting. We have all our certifications in place, including National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), but we started from the scratch. We started from a paint of flour, but today we do Chin-Chin in bags. So, I tell women you must start small, you manage something small and you grow that to high level, you don’t have to start big, when you start big you may not be able to know how to manage it.”

The Nation learnt that Ceeri Foods product is found in most departmental shops across Nigeria, though its largely concentrating in Lagos. It is also exported to Canada. “We started exporting when people over there (Canada) wanted it, we are not boasting, we are putting our bet on it. We are not baking because we want to bake and apart from that, we are not doing it for commercial purposes,” she explained.

While emphasising that “Ceeri Foods is an impact company, not just producing, Helen underscored the company’s focus on quality, saying: “If we are supposed to add milk, we put the milk, we don’t say because milk is expensive; if we are supposed to put the quantity to make a premium brand, I call it premium chin-chin, we use it, we don’t cut corners because we know our focus.

“It’s a little bit more expensive, but we are happy it’s what we do. So, whenever anybody takes our Ceeri chin-chin, they will know it’s different. What did you add to it, what did you put in it, these are questions people ask when they taste it because it is different from the conventional ones they eat.”

Practical in her approach and commitment to women empowerment, Helen said she started when she was the President of Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) by giving women funds to start business and also monitor, advise and give them training.

“Presently, we work with the United Nations (UN), we enable, empower and educate women and the girl child. With what we are doing, with the Ceeri chin-chin, women now know that they can start a business with little or no income. Just have the passion and have a focus for what you want to do,” she stated.

A woman of many parts, Helen does a lot of volunteering and philanthropy. For instance, apart from being the immediate past Denary Coordinator for CWO, Lekki Denary, she is also a marriage counsellor and the President of Soroptimists International, a global organisation that leads a voice for women and girl child. The organisation is in 52 countries across the globe. She is also the President of Ikoyi Club.

Unflinching in her pursuit of the amelioration of the plight of marginalised members of the society, Helen, under the auspices of the Jitobs Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), which she and her husband founded, has been contributing greatly to putting smiles on the faces of impoverished masses, particularly in her home town of Ughelli, Delta State.

She is the Executive Secretary of the Foundation and has been responsible for generating innovative ideas as to the effective implementation of the Foundation’s charitable projects such as scholarships for brilliant but indigent students.

Empowering women, changing their mindset

Using YAYI Women, an NGO, which is  focused on social and economic empowerment of women, Helen has since prioritised the women and girl child’s financial and economic emancipation through aggressive training programmes. She has also been changing the age-long narrative that appears to put women perpetually relying on men.

“At YAYI, we’re changing the mindset of women, it’s a mindset change. Women need to start thinking positively, they need to know how to get empowered and that’s what YAYI stands for,” she said, adding: “In YAYI, we have a community of women, it’s a community where we empower women, and we have periodic meetings and all that. We are not many, we are about 35 women.

YAYI also works with companies that are women owned and also collaborates with women-owned businesses. Its training doesn’t take too long, it’s about four week’s intensive training in different skills, where it teaches women the rudiments of business. There’s also a vocational training place where it trains its women in areas such as tie and dye.

“We are speaking with the vocational training for sponsorship. We have written letters, the training for this is a bit more expensive than what we envisaged. That’s the vocational skills training, where they will be trained on catering, fashion, sowing. We work as a team. I am the executive director, but it’s not me alone; we work as a team,” she explained.

There is also YAYI Consult, the educational consultancy arm of Helen’s far-flung business. “Under the firm, we do educational consultancy, we do marketing and Public Relations (PR) and we do event management. We also assist people to get quality education both here in Nigeria, but mainly outside the country.

“If you want to relocate to tourism (tourism is something I think we have not really harnessed), so, I think it’s something we need to harness in this country. So, what YAYI Consult does is to help in the area of tourism, if you want it within Nigeria or outside the country. We also do event management, organise tours, Annual General Meetings (AGMs) within and outside the country,” she explained.

According to her, the company’s clients are either those who are relocating to other countries or whose companies are opening another branch in another country and they have not been there before. She said YAYI Consult helps such people to settle down. “We have partners, we have a huge network. What YAYI does is to help you settle down before you start work,” she said.

The social entrepreneur also pointed out that YAYI Consult partners some international schools outside Nigeria’s shores, especially for clients who want quality education for their children in Canada, for instance. “In the next few years, I see YAYI as a global brand. I see it as the best source for tourism consultancy and event management,” Helen projected.

For her, combining the busy nature of her work with family hasn’t been easy, but she gets along.

“It’s not been so easy,” she confessed. According to her, “My husband is a lawyer and also a politician, and he supports me. Most times, he is in my state (Delta).

He was a two time commissioner in Delta State, and he is in support of what I am doing and my children have grown.”

She said she has six children, and “thanks to technology, we know how to manage and communicate. A woman is a naturally multi-tasking, God has given us that gift so, you need to know how to take care of your family. Do your business, you must learn how to delegate, it is critical. A woman should be the manager, the leader.”

Encouraged by how she has been able to meander the entrepreneurial space and still keep the home front running, Helen is now naturally in the position to advise other women. Her words: “There should be no limiting factor, whatever you want to do, go for it nothing should limit you. Whatever passion that you have, focus on it, there should be nothing limiting you.

“Fund should not limit you; your family should not limit you, just go for it and be the best. Whatever you want, you will get it. Also, women should learn to collaborate, collaboration is very key, you must learn to collaborate. Collaboration has helped a lot in our organisation, and you must learn to collaborate with other people.

“I am a member of WeConnect International, a certified firm for women-owned businesses. It’s in America, we collaborate with women that are in the same field or something similar. YAYI also works with companies that are women owned, we collaborate with women owned businesses.”

Even in her mid-20s, Ajasa Jadesola Damilola is already off to a good entrepreneurial start. She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Scentsbyjade, distributors of quality perfumery products, perfume oil and diffusers. Driven by her desire to be financially independent, the Estate Management graduate from Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, says her target is to make the brand a household name. The perfume vendor also shared her plans to expand the brand’s footprint from its current two branches in Ibadan to Lagos and Abuja with TOFUNMI SANUSI.

The caught her entrepreneurial teeth early in life. At a time her peers were still financially dependent and struggling to find their feet, Ajasa Jadesola Damilola, while still in her mid-20s, had put the right foot forward, flouting a formidable brand known as Scentsbyjade, a company which is into the distribution of quality perfumery products, perfume oil and diffusers.

Established in September 2018 by Jadesola, a graduate of Estate Management from Covenant University, Ota, Ogun, Scentsbyjade, four years down the line, has two branches in Ibadan, Oyo State. Plans are also in the works to open more branches in Lagos and Abuja. “The next branch (outside Ibadan) will be in Lagos because about 60 per cent of my customers reside in Lagos,” Jadesola said.

Her ambitious expansion programme is not limited to Lagos. “After Lagos, we can also extend to Abuja, but our Ibadan branch will always remain. I am particular about the Southwest like Ago-Iwoye and Ile-Ife too because these places do not have perfume stores,” the perfume merchant said, adding that the company also has customers from Ogun, Ife, Port Harcourt, and Abuja.

Jadesola told The Nation that the ultimate goal of her on-going expansion is to make the Scentsbyjade brand a household name. “We are actually targeting to be the name that comes to mind when perfumery products are mentioned. Also, we plan to have our collections of perfumery products. We have our collection of home fragrances in diffusers. It’s called Flusx series. So, in the next five years, every household should have an item produced by Jade,” she said.

However, the Scentsbyjade brand did not drop from nowhere; rather, it was borne out of a rich and inspiring entrepreneurial story of Jadesola, a young lady whose single-minded focus was to hold her own in the highly competitive world of business, and more importantly, achieve financial independent. From the beginning, my motivation was that I did not want to be broke at any time, I didn’t want to have to ask people for money,” she said.

According to her, females are sometimes ill-treated by the opposite gender because of the money factor. And in her case, it was an abusive relationship she found herself in then as student that motivated her to throw her hat into the perfumery products, perfume oil and diffusers ring. “As funny as it may sound, Scentsbyjade was birthed because of my thirst for independence. I did not and still do not like how girls are being treated because of money,” she explained.

Jadesola gave an example: “You’re with a guy that knows you probably don’t have much money and then he just expects a whole lot from you because he gives you money. I once used to be in an abusive relationship, by abusive I don’t mean he was hitting me physically, but he was messing around badly with my mental health and it was because at the time we were still together, I was still a student who always needed pocket money.

“Here’s an instance: whenever he sends me N3,000, he made it so much of a big deal and even when I was so excited and appreciative of the money as a typical student, he insinuated that a ‘thank you’ wasn’t enough to show my gratitude.”

That shabby treatment meted out to her by her supposed friend and benefactor actually birthed Scentsbyjade, as the budding entrepreneur was determined to end her financial dependence. Not long after that, precisely in September 2018, after graduating from the university, Jadesola ventured fully into the perfume business Though not a perfume lover in the beginning, Jadesola ventured fully into the perfume.

At that time, she was still living with her parents in Ijegun, Lagos. While there, the opportunity to launch herself in business came when she got an online giveaway on Instagram, winning a perfume oil. “I got my first set of perfumes from a giveaway online. I constantly followed up on some perfume business pages on Instagram and followed instructions on how to win free gifts. Luckily, I was part of the winners of perfume oil; a bottle was sent to me,” Jadesola confirmed.

However, upon receiving the perfume oil, Jadesola said she was wondering what the content was because as at that time, “I only knew perfumes and not the oil form.” At that point, she was curious. “Inquisitively, I checked online about it and then knew what it entailed. At that time, I was in my final semester in school, I applied the oil on my body and got series of compliments from roommates and friends about how nice I smelt,” she narrated.

The compliments she got motivated her. “By September that year, I got another giveaway, this time around 12 pieces of the 3ml perfume oil. I wondered if I was supposed to use all of it for personal use. So, I decided to sell it. At that point I even needed money urgently because my convocation was around the corner. I started selling from my home, my family members were my first set of customers,” she stated.

Although Jadesola didn’t have a physical store when she started, she endeavoured to market her products to friends, neighbours and church members. Although she made her first sale to her family members who she described as great support for her business, especially her parents, she also proceeded to sell to her friends in school on her convocation day.

Interestingly, her first outing in business was a shot in the arm. She said she made N6,000 profit from the N6,500 she invested. “I made N6,000 profit. After I made the first N6,000, I was able to buy a product worth N50, 000 for sale and after sometime, I started to import,” Jadesola said, in a tone laden with excitement.

Apart from the profit, Jadesola, from Ikorodu in Lagos State, said “we also have five members of staff and two major partners. We also have someone that runs our social media page, another person that handles the delivery. Two members of staff do the labour at the store and the manager’’.

Interestingly, nothing in particular prepared Jadesola for this line of business, not even a training. She wasn’t even a perfume lover, but only just fell in love with what she does in the process. However, because of her remarkable energy, focus and, of course, her resolve to be financially independent, she has been able to gather sufficient strength to dish out a number of success nuggets to other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Her words: “There is something people need to know about business and that is if you cannot account for your capital and profit, your business will run down. I kept an account of my profit in a small book. Intending business owners should note that they are the first resource, the capital is also important but being disciplined and accountable is key.”

She also advised young business owners and those aspiring to go into any business to stay true to themselves. “Remember that you are the first resource. Be disciplined, and prudent with money. Little by little, your business will grow. Be diligent, do not encourage debts, keep record and set goals,” she admonished.

But Jadesola’s meteoric rise to fame and fortune was not entirely a smooth jolly ride; there were surmountable challenges at the beginning, one of which was logistics. “Anybody that knows Ijegun in Lagos will know that it is far from virtually everywhere in Lagos. So, I had a major problem of delivery.

“At that time, logistics companies weren’t as common as they are now so, they charged more. So, when you tell a customer to pay a N1, 000 for instance, for delivery to his or her home, he complains that it is too expensive. Some despatch riders even declined coming to my area and it really discouraged me and that was part of the reason I moved to another state. (Oyo State).”

That wasn’t all. Jadesola also said convincing people to buy a small bottle of perfume oil was a problem, as she had to do a lot of convincing and sometimes at the end of her talks, she still didn’t get a patronage. “I had to do lots of talks and whenever I got a ‘NO’ for an answer, I felt bad. I had to work on myself and know that a NO is bound to come,” she stated.

Despite the challenges, the budding entrepreneur refused to give up, encouraged by what she considered as the bright side of the business. According to her, “the products we sell are re-usable in the sense that after weeks or months of use, there will be need for a new one. So, everyday there is a stream of customers no matter how small. So, there are definitely comeback customers.”

The perfume vendor also lamented that exchange rate was, and still is, taking its toll on businesses and causing an almost-loss situation. “The exchange rate has really been taking businesses five steps backwards. For example, if we used to import products for about N6 million, it’s now about N8.5 million. Also, settling the customs fee is a whole lot and that is why a lot of people have given up on importation of goods,” she lamented.

The business woman, therefore, implored the Federal Government to come to the aid of businesses, particularly small businesses with regard to the clearance fee for goods which has become a serious issue.

From a catering company when it began business in 2013, Nylah Catering Limited has blossomed into a food and beverage manufacturing company with products retailed nationwide from Shoprite, PricePointe, Next Cash N’Carry etc. Working with 20 employees, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Orighoye Dore, aka Chef Nylah, aims to grow the brand into a household name that offers value to customers and employees. The United States-trained chef shares her entrepreneurial story with Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA.

She came into the entrepreneurial space with a clear head on what she wanted to achieve. From the onset, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nylah Catering Limited, a catering company, Orighoye Dore, more popularly called Chef Nylah, by her friends and close associates, wanted to be a dominant player in the burgeoning food & beverage segment of the Nigerian manufacturing sector.

“We want to grow the Nylah brand into a household name that offers value to both customers and employees. We want to be the next Dangote in the food and beverage industry,” she declared. And it wasn’t an empty declaration; rather, it was one backed by Chef Nylah’s experience, skills, unwavering commitment, clear and strategic roadmap, and above all, patriotic zeal to make her footprint indelible in the sector she plays.

For a start, Chef Nylah demonstrated her unparalleled patriotism and commitment to contribute her quota to the economic development and growth of her motherland, Nigeria, when, on her volition, she ditched her flourishing career in the United States of America (USA) and relocated to Nigeria and set up a business.

She told The Nation that in choosing to return to Nigeria and start up a business, she was motivated by her strong belief that “With the right direction, Nigeria has great potential. Indeed, prior to her relocation and subsequent setting up of Nylah Catering Limited in 2013, Chef Nylah, from Delta State, Southsouth Nigeria, is a trained Chef from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Washington in Rosslyn, Virginia. She holds a degree in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management.

That’s not all. The budding entrepreneur is also a retired United States Air Force veteran, having served as a Nuclear Weapon Security Specialist.  She is also a certified customer service specialist and a graduate of the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) at the Lagos Business School (LBS). Chef Nylah is also a graduate of the Valucon and GOPA Accelerator programme held by the German Embassy, as well as a grant recipient of the Women in Business Growth Lab.

Founded in 1965, GOPA is Germany’s leading development consultancy and a member of one of the strongest consulting groups in Europe. On the other hand, Valucon Enterprise Development Services Limited is an enterprise development firm that helps organisations improve their bottom line through capacity building and technology.

“I served in the United States Air Force as a Nuclear Weapons Security Specialist. That experience taught me resilience. I also have a certification as a customer service specialist as well as attending several business training programmes,” Chef Nylah emphasised. And it was her resilience and intimidating credentials that she eventually brought to bear on Nylah Catering Limited which she floated in 2013, though the company was registered much earlier in 2009.

Since 2013, Nylah catering services has been offering a diverse range of food products, including the rarest dishes. Its cuisine has been the toast of customers from far and near, drawn by its freshness, flavor, presentation and its unique blend of herbs and spices, and an all-natural taste. With its philosophy of providing quality food and service for every budget, the company understands the importance of meeting its clients’ needs.

It was, therefore, hardly surprising that between 2013 when she opened her doors for business and now, Chef Nylah has successfully grown the company from a simple catering company to a thriving food and beverage manufacturing company.

Explaining the transition, she said: “We went from catering traditionally to being more conscious of our environment. After careful observation, we realised that a lot of fruits and vegetables go to waste due to post harvest loss and are not consumed, but end up being thrown away, she said.

She estimated Nigeria’s post-harvest losses at over N3 trillion yearly, describing the huge loss as “depressing.” “We haven’t begun to scratch the surface as there’s a lot we would like to do. We decided we wanted to be more creative with our offerings and to reach out to more people. Not only do our products taste good, they also have fantastic nutritional benefits as they are made from fresh fruits,” she explained.

She pointed out that as a food and beverage manufacturing company that focuses on sustainable foods and helping to reduce post-harvest loss, Nylah’s products incorporate fruits and vegetables in their production process, some of which are artisanal breads, granolas and lemonades.

According to Chef Nylah, the lemonades are made from fresh juices and infused with lemongrass, which are fantastic immune boosters. The granolas are nut allergy friendly and rich in fiber, low cholesterol and minerals and nutrients. She said she believes that food is not just about eating, but an experience that should be savored passionately.

Interestingly, all the company’s products are available in all Shoprite stores nationwide and other retail stores in Pan Nigeria such as PricePointe and Next Cash N’ Carry, Abuja. And with 20 workers in its payroll, and plans to hire and train more, with focus on women, the company, according to Chef Nylah, is  seeking to partner with distributors nationwide to expand the Nylah brand.

However, Chef Nylah’s entrepreneurial exploit hasn’t been without challenges. Her resolve to bring more value to the local economy, grow the Nylah brand into a household name and ultimately, achieve her dream of becoming the next Dangote in the food & beverage industry is being challenged by the harsh business environment in Nigeria.

“I knew I wanted to come back and set up a business here in Nigeria. I, however, underestimated Nigeria.  But I have learned to take what she gives one day at a time,” she lamented, pointing out, for instance, that “things never work the way you want them to.  In fact, the environment for small businesses is harsh as well as for investors.”

Although Chef Nylah said there are challenges every day, she specifically bemoaned the lack of electricity supply to businesses and households in Nigeria, bad roads, and lack of access to funds to run or setup a business, and abuse of authority by various government regulatory agencies. She also said banks are not friendly towards small businesses.

Asked if the myriads of challenges are enough to make her consider leaving Nigeria and probably going back to the US, Chef Nylah’s response was a resounding “No, I won’t.”  She re-emphasised that “with the right direction, Nigeria has great potential.”

While hoping that some, if not all these challenges, will be addressed someday, Chef Nylah appears to be drawing so much strength to remain in business from the quality of her company’s products and services which she described as unassailable.

“The quality of our products and services as well as our people is our competitive edge. Our products are more natural and very nutritional.  We have something for everyone, from our bread variants, granola and beverages- lemonades and flavoured waters,” she said, adding: “Our staying power is hoping for a better country.”

The tech ecosystem is witnessing the rise of change agents who are driving initiatives to help prioritise Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in schools. One of them is the founding Curator of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Shapers, Ozubulu Hub, and Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa, Amanda Obidike. She says her mandate is to build an “Africa by us, for us” STEM ecosystem that prepares young talents to become more experienced for the continent’s workforce. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

It wasn’t for nothing that Forbes Science recognised her as the African changing the culture fabric for young talents to embrace opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Across 19 sub-Saharan countries, including Nigeria, where she has emerged as a change agent, the founding Curator of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Shapers, Ozubulu Hub, and Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa, Amanda Obidike, has been preparing the next generation of young Africans with STEM lucrative skills for the continent’s workforce.

Global Shapers is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. It is an international network of young leaders driving dialogue, action and change. With thousands of members, the Global Shapers Community, spanning hundreds of city-based hubs in several countries, empowers young people to play an active role in shaping local, regional and global agendas.

Amanda’s Ozubulu Hub is one of such hubs. STEMi Makers Africa, on the other hand, offers a first-to-market approach that combines capacity development and skills in STEM pathways to help young talents access new markets, work flexibly and integrate the learned skills needed for the workforce – after they are digitally empowered.

Amanda, who is a social innovator, technologist and data scientist, has been leveraging these platforms to provide leadership, strategy management and overseeing the design and implementation of sustainable community projects and STEM education across the sub-region. She has been aggressively campaigning to equip young Nigerians with the necessary product development skills to build ground-breaking innovations.

Under her watch, STEMi Makers Africa has also been addressing the unemployment scourge, as well as the under-representation of young women and girls in STEM and the fragmented education system by training teachers and students in STEM education.

For instance, The Nation learnt that STEMi Makers Africa has over 10,000 beneficiaries, and has undertaken about 651 projects in 65 communities across 20 African countries. Amanda also said she planned to offer over 400 skills-based training through a triangular approach.

The approach, according to her, includes an offline learning management system pre-installed with over 600 courses, instructor-led live classes and online classrooms accessible to 19 countries in Africa.

“Our target is to offer quality STEM education and resource tools to 120,000 classrooms by 2030,” she added.

The entrepreneur is also promoting an enabling environment for 100,000 women and increased girls’ participation in STEM, while strengthening competencies, particularly in STEM and digital literacy, for youths to effectively transit from education to employment so that they can excel and become more experienced for Africa’s workforce.

As change agent, Amanda, whose focus is on supporting schools and universities drive innovation and entrepreneurship, has also been promoting innovative programmes that prepare students not only as engineers, but also as entrepreneurs who can engage in technology transfer activities and thus make a positive economic and technological impact nationally and globally.

“I envision a more integrated and practical approach to education by involving schools, communities, empowering women and offering future-focused training as this goes a long way in alleviating the challenges of having a labour market that meets the demands of our economy.

“Ultimately, I provide a sustainable boost to economic growth by fostering a STEM ecosystem where we unite, inspire and equip a diverse talent pool of Africans with lucrative STEM knowledge and skills prepared for the jobs of the future,” Amanda explained.

She said she and her team had designed a national innovation base that supports key sectors of the economy, including agriculture, energy, healthcare, information and communications technologies, manufacturing, transportation, and defence, along with emerging areas like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum information science.

“I have a mandate to build an “Africa by us, for us” ecosystem that prepares diverse young talents with future-focused options in STEM lucrative pathways to become more experienced for Africa’s workforce, Amanda declared.

Read Also: U.S Consulate, ASF lift women entrepreneurs

She pointed out that with the growing workforce of 200 million youths today and a projected labour force of about 600 million people by 2030, “our strategy is an opportunity to scale a new form of economic development to help young Africans succeed soon.”

“I believe my social impact goals are an important indicator to help us get at the very needs in the communities we work in, in a way that enables solutions that truly make a difference while building an inclusive workforce consisting of women, educators, students, and the low-income communities for meaningful careers and building Africa’s workforce.”

In all these, Amanda has never failed to prioritise women empowerment. While noting that women still remain under-represented in technology, especially Data Analytics, she, however, expressed joy that some organisations are now designing and supporting initiatives to encourage young women and girls to explore lucrative fields in Data Science.

The social innovator said although, pay gaps, boardroom inequality and the prevalence of men in the C-suite are things that can’t be ignored, she believes there is a lot more to do towards ensuring that work environments are more favourable, conducive and women are confident in putting themselves out there.

“In the technology industry, women keep shattering the glass ceiling every day. I trust this will only improve in the coming years. Hopefully, soon the conversation will be all about meritocracy and not gender,” Amanda said, insisting that women contribute enormously to the development of a nation.

Her words: “They are our mothers, our teachers and our sisters. Women turn wastes into treasures. Studies show that women re-invest up to 90 per cent of their incomes back into their families, compared to just 30-40 per cent by men. Investing in women and girls creates long-term social and economic benefits for all individuals, their communities, and the world as a whole.

“From my experience, I have seen that educated young women and girls use the skills imparted on them to make choices over their own future and lift themselves, their communities and their countries out of poverty. Our ongoing Project Kuongoza mentoring programme for women in Africa has shown us how these fellows champion change and begin community initiatives that are driving agriculture, health and education through technology and innovation.”

She attributed the gender imbalance in tech fields and in entrepreneurship to the lack of role models and mentors in technology and entrepreneurship. “A lot of times also, successful women fail to share their stories of “How I built this” or their experience so far as they climbed the ladder in their career. Surviving in a fast-paced field as a young woman requires a thick skin,” she stated.

To make workplaces gender-neutral, safe and nurturing, Amanda said there is need to help women to develop their confidence in the workplace, encourage them to apply for job positions, promotions, grants, etc. “We can also build lasting and healthy connections consisting of superwomen who can support through advice, networking, mentoring, and giving young women the visibility they need,” she added.

The Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa also said organisations, on the other hand, need to design favourable policies that are aligned to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI), because “this will steer progress, counter stereotypes and enhance productivity.”

Amanda obtained a Diploma and Higher Advanced Diploma in Business Management from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. She also has a certificate in Biomedical Research Data Management from the Harvard Medical School; STEM Education from the Open University, United Kingdom; and Economics from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Armed with her intimidating credentials, Amanda has since been addressing thematic topics on social innovation, youth development, entrepreneurship and reform in education curriculum and has won several awards and accolades in the course of her successful career.

Last year, for instance, she was given the Global Award for Achievement by Tech Women 100; Rising Star Award Winner of DITA Microsoft; and Role Model Finalist in Booking.com Technology Playmakers Awards, for successfully championing diversity in technology and innovation for the girl child.

She serves as a Mentor in the New York Academy of Science, Cherie Blair Foundation, the 1million Women in Tech, Global thinkers for Women where she lends her voice, knowledge, and serves as a role model to girls in Africa.

What inspired this young, beautiful and dynamic social entrepreneur to channel her energy and resources into nurturing Africa’s next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs capable of embracing STEM opportunities? “The lucrative jobs of the future require technical competence and 21st century skills that many people don’t have,” she began.

Continuing, she said: “Nigeria began to transfer major resources and job opportunities to skilled professionals and expatriates due to a lack of competent and domestic STEM workforce. Seeing this economic disparity, I began to research on new labour market skills that youths like me can successfully thrive in.

“I got an opportunity to be trained by IBM in Business Intelligence/Analytics for eight months. Upon completion, I took the initiative to serve as a knowledge panel in preparing Africans with 21st-century skills and future-focused options for an emerging workforce.”

In other words, Amanda established STEMi Makers Africa in a quest to learn, research, and identify young partners and team who understood the necessity of  STEM education and empowering the younger generation to match world-standard pathways.

This, according to her, led to building a formidable team and facilitating inter-state and country networks to coordinate community STEM activities. The leadership team is made up of young leaders who epitomise this aspiration with proven work experience in community mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation, project management, operation and technical support.

“We strive to create a unique, engaging work environment that fosters the kind of loyalty and long-term commitment that makes for consistently happy employees, beneficiaries, communities and customers…,” she said.

Broadcast journalist Abenmire Adi is leveraging her weekly radio programme, the Orange Show, at Hit FM (Calabar) to address the fifth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on gender equality, among other women rights issues. The 2020 Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) Journalism Fellow and 2021 Fellow of the Margaret Ekpo Youth Fellowship Programme is also mentoring young women on leadership. She shares her journey of using the show to change negative gender stereotypes and narratives with ELO EDREMODA.

In less than three years, the Orange Show, a weekly radio show founded by a broadcast journalist, Abenmire Adi, with keen interest in feminist and social injustice issues as they affect women, has garnered a listenership of at least two million. The show, which she birthed in May 2020, in the thick of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Calabar, Cross River State, has been helping girls and women cope with the pandemic and the increasing cases of violence against them.

The show has also proved a veritable platform to help nudge the world closer to the United Nation |(UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which is gender equality. “The Orange Show is a programme working towards empowering more women, fostering gender equality – in all our diversities – to fully enjoy our rights and dismantle patriarchy, integrating our different realities using the power of radio,” Adi explained.

Indeed, with partnerships from notable non-governmental bodies, including the Gender and Development Action (GADA), Action Aid and Global Affairs, Canada, the show, The Nation learnt, has created help lines across the city and its environs. Adi confirmed this much, saying: “Since then (May 2020), we have been tirelessly working to ensure that conversations on gender equality and creating saner societies for women and men to co-exist are brought to the front burner.”

Adi said having worked as a broadcast journalist with key interest in development journalism and human angle story telling for over seven years, birthing the Orange Show (inspired by the United Nations Orange the world campaigns) was a move from only writing development news stories for broadcast to dedicating a show time for conversations around the SDGs, especially Goal 5 (gender equality) which she had been working on in partnership with development experts in her community.

The journalist, who is a Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) Journalism Fellow, gave insights into some of the topics of discussions so far. According to her, they cut across addressing challenges of different classes of people, strongly embracing diversity and inclusion such as child rights, patriarchal bargains and constructs, feminism, women in politics and power, women in the digital space, mental health, and menstrual hygiene management.

Others include tackling issues of water, sanitation and hygiene, interrupting misogyny, parenting, men’s place in the gender discuss and so much more. “It’s always amazing having these conversations, some of them, issues often overlooked by society. The calls, the opinions, the questions, the debates, they all give room for educating and every week on the show, we encourage conversations that ensure education to bring about a world where no one is left behind. The show has been a safe space and a home to many,” Adi told The Nation.

To improve on the knowledge of gender equality and to foster efforts to change the negative gender stereotypes and narratives, the show birthed the Orange Fellowship, with facilitators from organisations working to achieve the SDG. This, Adi pointed out, was designed to amplify efforts to support young women on campus to “learn the ropes of politics beginning from the Student Union Government (SUG) level and build strong partnerships to enhance female political participation and reduce gender-based violence on campuses in Nigeria”.

Adi also said “uncovering more of the gaps created by gender inequality exposed the reality that women sometimes cower to patriarchal bargains and jet with the narrative that ‘women are women’s worst enemies,’ thus internalising societal norms to such an extent that they are unable to reflect injustices done to them, especially when it comes to taking leadership positions.

Accordiong to her, “This led to some of the fellowship highlights including strengthening women’s rights’ advocacy work at the campus levels, promoting the involvement of women and girls in politics through mindset reorientation and involvement in on-campus politics as a headway, preparing young activists for the challenges entailed in working for gender justice, creating a network of emerging activists who will take the lead to change political narratives on campuses among others.”

Thirteen fellows of 20 students selected from tertiary institutions within Calabar and willing to go into leadership made it to the maiden close out ceremony which took place at the American Corner in Calabar on Saturday, November 13.

Some dignitaries at the occasion included United States Consulate Education Adviser, Adeola Adejumobi, former Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Hon. Nkoyo Toyo; representatives of FIDA and other human rights groups.

Adejumobi gave plaudit to the Orange Fellowship Programme for its contribution and commitment to improving women’s representation in leadership and politics. “If there’s going to be a change to low female participation in politics, then issues of concern to women must draw the interest and resources they deserve. Women’s empowerment and integration into politics are key to Nigeria’s long-term development,” Adejumobi said.

Continuing, the US Consulate Education Adviser said: “I am confident that your participation in this fellowship has provided you with tools, best practices, support networks and other avenues for you to advocate for increased women participation in politics. Although this fellowship is ended, the US mission is confident that you will continue to advocate for gender equality and increased female representation at your university, the University of Calabar and across all levels of governance”.

The keynote speaker and founder of the Gender and Development Action (GADA) Nigeria, Toyo, tasked the fellows to be confident and rise up to the challenge of speaking up and working for gender justice, including increased female representation in leadership and politics.

The convener of the Orange Fellowship expressed hope that subsequently, the opportunity will expand to other campuses across Nigeria, as well as availability of facilities to carry women with disabilities along. Describing the journey so far as “challenging, eye-opening and surreal,” she revealed that the fellowship programme got a commendation from the US Mission in Nigeria, “with a mention on all their social media pages. This is a huge win for us to be recognised by such a reputable outfit.”

Adi charged women not to mind the crowd drowning their voices, but keep speaking wherever they find themselves, as “there are no borders to change making”.

The fellows, who were handed certificates, expressed gratitude for the three-month mentorship period and assured of their preparedness to impact positively on campus. They have equally established an Orange Club, Nigeria, to strengthen female political participation and women’s rights’ advocacy work on campus.

The maiden edition brought on board fellows carefully selected from tertiary institutions within Calabar, Cross River State, to ensure that fellows are properly monitored and mentored even after the fellowship. Students of tertiary institutions are allowed to apply to be a part of the fellowship programme.

“Fellows only needed to be willing to go into leadership and be students of tertiary institutions in Cross River State to be part of the first edition. Subsequently, we hope to expand to having cohorts from campuses across Nigeria and Africa,” Adi said.

Asked what Nigerians should expect next from the Orange Fellowship, Adi said: “Improved inclusiveness, more fellows coming on board the fellowship, hopefully drawn from different parts of Cross River State, not just the capital. We hope that we have facilities to carry along women living with disabilities, among others. There are also plans to expand the reach to other campuses across Nigeria and subsequently, Africa.”

Having come this far, the broadcast journalist has these pieces of advice for women generally: “Keep speaking even if your voice is just a tiny one in the midst of millions. There are no borders to change making. It is necessary that we play our part wherever we find ourselves. While we play our part in making sustainable development strides, it is pertinent that we appreciate the strength in our diversities and the uniqueness that everyone brings to the table to ensure a world where no one is left behind.”

Hair and wigs vendor Shaddash has emerged a formidable fashion brand. The company, which started 10 years ago with N60,000 seed capital, has blossomed into a multi-million naira business. Having positioned itself as one to beat in the Nigerian fashion industry, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mrs. Adegbenga Folashade, says her next target is to take the brand to the international market and open stores abroad so that “the brand can be closer to our customers.” She also shares her plans for the company’s 10th anniversary with Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA.

Hers is a story of tenacity and focus, forced by the harsh reality of her upbringing in a polygamous family, which compelled the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shaddash, a luxury hair and wigs vendor, Mrs. Adegbenga Folashade, to decide, early in life, to fend for herself and her siblings.

By applying time-tasted but rare personal attributes, Folashade has, today, successfully built the brand, which she started 10 years ago with N60,000 startup capital, into a flourishing multi-million naira fashion business with seven workers on its payroll as well as several ad-hoc members of staff.

Located on Opebi Road, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Shaddash is into sale of hairs and wigs, clothing, hair accessories and cosmetics. The company, under Folashade’s result-driven management, has  become the toast of fashion-conscious women.

Shaddash, according to Folashade, boasts affordable and luxury collections of quality hairs and wigs, mostly import from Vietnam and China. She said the company caters to the fashion needs of various categories of women, ranging from the low, to middle and the high income group.

But the fascinating thing about Shaddash’s emergence as one of the most sought-after brands in the fashion industry is the grit, focus and tenacity of its founder. Despite coming from a polygamous family, with attendant stress and struggle for available resource, she was determined to brace the odds and carve a niche for herself.

“I came from a polygamous family,” Folashade, a 2017 graduate of Office Technology and Management (OTM), from Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), began. Continuing, the Ijebu, Ogun State-born budding entrepreneur said: “My dad is not a poor man because he has houses, but eventually, I realised that his focus was on his wives.

“I also realised that when my elder sister, the first born, was in school then, she had to call my dad to send money to her and my dad would not oblige her. You know all those stress. So, I began to think about it that I will have to go through the same stress before I can make it or get my education.”

Not one to go cap-in-hand to her dad or anyone for her upkeep, including those of her siblings, Folashade resolved, from the beginning, to be financially independent. “So, I said Folashade! You have to work. That was where my entrepreneurial journey began. I just needed to have a better life. I can’t afford to depend on anybody,” she said.

Encouraged by her love for business, particularly her flair for fashion right from childhood, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work. Immediately after finishing secondary school, she secured a sales girl job that was paying her N4,500. That was in 2006. However, the N4,500 pay package was, in her estimation, a drop in the ocean. “How can I be paid N4,500?” she asked.

It was at that point that Folashade took the decision to do the job for only three months, save the money and use it to start her own business. “I gave myself a target, I said three months is what I will spend in this place and I will use the money to start my own business,” she said. And she did just that.

“The first money I got I used to get an umbrella and a chair. My mum supported me with her own money to get other things. So, I was always getting recharge cards on credit. When I sell, I return the money to the man, he gives me another one. So, I was using the profit to get little things. I grew from one to two to three. I had another make shift kiosk at Agbado Bustop, Lagos,” she disclosed.

With proceeds from the business, Folashade was able to pay for an eighth months computer training course. She also trained herself through school, acquiring her National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) while working. With her diploma in Desktop Publishing and Graphics, for instance, she secured a job as secretary in a Health Management Organisation (HMO).

While working at the HMO, Folashade started her clothing business. “I was getting clothes from someone in the United Kingdom (UK) who was sending them to me and I was taking them from one office to the other. That was what I was doing until I added the hair business,” she explained, noting that, at that time, people had started making wigs and braided wigs was in vogue so, she went to learn it.

By the time she started making braided wigs for people, a fashion brand was in the making. According to her, this was the turning point in her entrepreneurial journey because from there she was able to save up money to further launch fully into business.

“You know in braided wig, you don’t need to import it, and you can source for everything locally here in Nigeria.

“So, I was having a lot of orders locally and internationally. People were ordering 20 to 30 pieces of wigs. That really helped me to build my capital because I didn’t have enough capital when I started the business. I think I started this hair business with N60,000,” she stated.

However, as it turned out, that N60,000 startup capital became the biblical Mustard Seed planted by the riverside. And the opportunity for that seed capital to blossom came when Folashade had a chance meeting with a Chinese woman in Opebi, Lagos. The Chinese woman, who saw the hair Folashade wore, said she liked it.

The Chinese, who, incidentally, has a company in China that makes hair, wasted no time in inviting her to her warehouse. And for that N60,000, she gave Folashade two hairs then. “She said I should go and see how it will go. When I got home, it was Brazilian hair.

“In that my office building, there is one big woman, auntie Toyin, she is into skin care. So, I showed her the Brazilian hair and she liked it. She also said she used to buy it when she goes to the US,” the fashion entrepreneur narrated, noting that she added about N10,000 on the product’s cost price and the woman paid her three times.

When the woman (Toyin) got the Brazilian hair, she liked it and she also introduced it to her friends. In no time, she placed order for more, and Folashade, accordingly, quickly called the Chinese lady to give her more.

“That was how I started the hair journey. So, each time I went to an office and showed them, they said they liked it and they would buy and pay by instalment. That was how I began to build my clientele. People began to know me with hair,” said Folashade with excitement.

Her excitement is understandable. “I was able to get enough money that can sustain me then because I still had a lot of responsibilities because I became the bread winner since I was seeing a lot of money that I can use to take care of my siblings and my mum,” she said, gleefully.

Encouraged by her supportive husband, who is a medical doctor, and the bright prospect the hair business presented, Folashade resigned from her job. But before she did so, she had concluded plans to travel to Dubai on a business trip. The same year she resigned, she embarked on a trip to Dubai with N1 million, proceed from the hair business.

Eventually, that trip transformed the Shaddash brand. Folashade’s story: “When I got to Dubai I said I was going to buy hair. When I saw those hairs, I said I don’t think I will buy hair because there were other cheap things I could make a lot of money from. So, I used the money to buy a lot of clothes, shoes, wristwatch, cosmetics, anything salable.

“I was jack of all trade then. When I got back, that N1 million that I invested in the business then skyrocketed. That was the turning point businesswise. That first trip to Dubai in 2013 transformed everything.”

Drawing strength from what she has achieved since that transformative encounter in Dubai in 2013, Folashade now has her eyes set on taking the Shaddash brand to the international market, where she plans to establish more stores.

“We have a lot of clients in the US and UK. We can have more stores abroad so that we can be closer to the customers while we still maintain our store here,” she said, pointing out that she gets more referrals abroad. “I export more than I sell locally. I pay DHL every month to take my products everywhere and outside the country,” she added.

 

Leveraging the power of social media

The Shaddash brand, which comprises Shaddash Hair, Shaddash Clothing, and Shaddash Collections, owes its rise to fame and fortune to the deployment of technology, specifically social media such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and even Twitter. Since 2017 when Folashade discovered the magic of social media, the mileage and visibility it has given to her brand have been evident.

“Social media has helped us to achieve scale and connect to customers. Immediately I joined social media, I started using Instagram to connect globally. That was how we eventually got a lot of clients that we have abroad. Some of them in the US, UK, Germany and other parts of Europe will call me and say they saw my products online,” she confessed.

Reiterating that the Internet has helped her scale the business globally, she added that most people, who now know her brand, don’t even know her physically; they only saw her photo and products online. “Social media also helped me stop selling on credit. I also have a brand ambassador, Mide Martins, who also works with me,” she added.

Folashade has also leverage her competitive edge in the knowledge of the intricacies business of the hair business to stay ahead of the competition. “I do customized wigs. The Chinese don’t know the size of everybody’s head so, it becomes a problem when you get a hair from China and you need to do some little torch ups to make it fit into your personal shape.

“So, I learnt how to make the wigs, style them to fit into customers’ needs. This business is not about buying and selling; it is also about quality and innovative services delivery. So, I went into other aspects of services by customizing products to suite people’s taste and shape.

“I can make a colour for a customer for different occasions. I can buy the hair as a black, natural colour and say okay, let me give you little strands of gold; it has really helped me to stand out,” she said.

 

 

Giving back to society

Easy-going and focused, Folashade said she loves to help people a lot. “I love to carry people along. I love to impact people’s lives. I love to see others win,” she declared.

Perhaps, to underscore her avowed commitment to impacting lives, she said the sum of N1 million in the form of an endorsement deal is up for grabs as part of activities lined up for the 10th anniversary of Shaddash.

 

“We are seeking for a brand ambassador; it’s just a way of giving back to the society. We are putting up a contest, the Face of Shaddash brand 2022 and the winner will go home with the sum of N1 million in the form of an endorsement deal.

“We are starting the contest next week so, people should apply and we are going to be plain about it,” she announced, adding that the company is also launching its hair care brand.

She said women who wish to emerge the ‘Face of Shaddash’ have already started applying via the company’s Instagram handle, @official_shaddash. “When they apply, we ask them to tell us why they want to be the face of shaddash.

“We have what we are using to pick our winner, which we are not going to disclose, but definitely intelligence is also part of it, what the person does and all that. They will make a video for us, we post it on our page and they will solicit for votes,” she explained.

Also, as part of its 10th celebration, the company has concluded arrangements to train people by January next year at a subsidized rate. “I want to do training so that I can train more people on this business because it is a wonderful and lucrative business. The training won’t be free, but it’s going to be subsidized. The duration of the training will be two weeks,” Folashade announced.

Dr. Yinka Opeke is the managing director of Smart Gas, a tech-based company that leverages technologies to promote the adoption of Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG), otherwise called cooking gas. According to her, Smart Gas is the only tech-driven, app-based platform in the LPG business designed for clients to experience a more convenient way of purchasing cooking gas, increasing transaction efficiency and optimising user experience. She also runs an international consulting firm, a real estate company in the United States, and a not-for-profit organisation. She shares her story with GBENGA ADERANTI.

She is versatility and dynamism personified. This was why, in the midst of grief over the loss of her dad at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic sometime in February 2020, the Managing Director of Smart Gas, a tech-based company in Nigeria that leverages technologies to promote the adoption of cooking gas, Dr. Yinka Opeke, was able to pull herself together to allow a business idea birth and flourish.

From March, last year, just as the pandemic was gaining global attention and shutdowns imposed, till now, Smart Gas has emerged a major player in oil and gas procurements for manufacturing, construction, maritime and oil and gas servicing companies.The company is into LPG cylinder sales to wholesalers in local markets across Nigeria, LPG and cylinder sales via their mobile app in collaboration with established gas retailers and logistics agents.

It is also into procurement and leasing of heavy duty equipment, oil and gas procurements and LPG storage tank sales.

“I did not set out to operate in this sector, but, over the years, I have always been flexible to listen to the Holy Spirit as he charts my course. I’m quite spiritual and quick to identify the hand of God,” Yinka said, pointing out that she was grieving over the loss of her dad when the idea of setting up the business was birthed.

“Amid my pain, I poured my energy into developing a business plan, mobilising a team, developing our mobile app, started manufacturing our cylinders, procuring equipment, and the rest is history,” Yinka narrated, noting that the company leverages technology to solve challenges faced by consumers when purchasing cooking gas.

“We are the only technology driven, app based platform in the market designed from the ground up for clients to experience a more convenient way to purchase cooking gas, increase transaction efficiency, and optimise user experience. This makes our gas distribution model smart and efficient,” she stated.

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Smart and beautiful, Yinka, a Yoruba, raised in a Christian home with her three other siblings, came into business with  qualifications. “I am extremely business- oriented, quickly to identify opportunities  in challenges, and I’m not afraid to take actions at the risk of failures

“I also strive towards living an intentional and purposeful life, consciously balancing the things that matter to me. Besides, I celebrate my little and big wins, learn from my mistakes, find time for family and friends while nurturing scalable ventures,” she said.

No doubt, a  business creed and philosophy. Added to this a rich and intimidating educational background and qualifications, it is easy to see why Dr. Yinka’s has been hugely successful in business.

For instance, her parents were well educated, simplistic and with very high moral values. Her dad was a PhD holder and her mum was a professor. “We grew up knowing a master’s degree was the basic minimum we had to achieve,” she said.

Yinka graduated from the University of Ibadan (UI), with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Geography, and a Masters of Science (M.Sc.) in Geographical and Information Systems (GIS). She later proceeded to the United Kingdom (UK) to obtain another M.Sc. in Project Management from Queen Mary University of London.

In 2018, she bagged a doctorate from Walden University, Minnesota, U.S., where she specialised in Entrepreneurship and Organisational Leadership. She is PRINCE2 certified and has been privileged to attend several local and international trainings and workshops.

With her avowed belief in self-development, Yinka, who is a multi-tasking entrepreneur,  runs four active companies, with Smart Gas being the most active. “I also operate an international consulting firm and a real estate company in the U.S. My siblings and I also established a not-for-profit in honour of our late parents,” she said.

Indeed, apart from being a major player in the oil and gas industry, Yinka is a Houston U.S.-based international business consultant with over 15 years’ experience, connecting businesses, mentoring startups, and brokering mutually beneficial relationships among organisations at private and government levels.

She is the founder and CEO of Trade Expo Africa (TEXA), a U.S. registered, Houston- based company focused on promoting bilateral trade relations, investment opportunities, educational advancements, international collaborations and information exchange between businesses in the U.S. & Africa.

With her strong business networks with Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), public and private organisations in Nigeria, she has succeeded in helping businesses penetrate international markets.

She achieves this through exhibitions, study trips, Business to Business (B2B) meetings and trade missions. She has received certificates of recognition from congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, state representative Shawn Thierry and Mayor of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner for her tremendous efforts at promoting trade and investment in Houston.

At present, she holds an executive board position at the Texas West Africa Chamber of Commerce (TWACC) as their Treasurer, Head of Strategy & Corporate Governance. Together with her team, they promote trade alliances between businesses in Texas and West Africa.

Since the inception of TWACC in 2019, Dr. Yinka and her team have hosted the President of Guinea, three Ambassadors, and visited over seven African Ambassadors in Washington D.C and Houston.

A result-oriented realtor, Yinka is also the managing partner at TEXA Property Group, also a U.S.-registered, Houston-based company focused on empowering individuals through real estate investments in Texas. A real estate professional with proven sales and marketing experience, her business ethics are centred around a “win-win or no deal”.

She is also the co-founder of Raph & Rosa, the not-for-profit arm of Smart Gas. Their vision is to enhance the quality of lives of vulnerable and older adults in Nigeria. They do this by providing individualised care via their adult diapers and bed mats drive.

Raph & Rosa also cater to beneficiaries’ overall physical, mental and social well-being, in an environment that is safe and promotes social interactions among the elderly.

A common thread that runs through Yinka’s business ventures is smartness; her innovative and deliberate effort to leverage technology to make things easier. Talking about Smart Gas, for instance, she said: “Our mobile app is the first of its kind, and its functionalities ease the cooking gas buying process for consumers.”

Yinka also said the company was collaborating with other gas retailers by encouraging them to sign up to sell their products on its app.

“That’s a win-win. In addition, we empower the associates (drivers) who sign up to fulfill clients’ orders, that’s job creation.

“Convenience, safety, business integrity, technology, efficiency are some of the benefits and features clients will enjoy by partnering with us,” she averred, assuring that the company would continue to improve on its technology, service delivery, products, and exceptional client services.

She attributed Smart Gas uniqueness to “our technology, strategy and business model, retail focus areas, and our dynamic and young team’’. The company is involved in LPG sales, LPG cylinder sales, heavy duty equipment leasing and sourcing, oil and gas procurements and LPG storage tank sales’.

Yinka listed some of the benefits that have accrued to Nigerians from Smart Gas to include empowerment through job creation for associates (drivers) who fulfill clients’ orders, and increased sales for gas retailers who sell on its platform.

Others are safer cylinders and lesser casualties for customers who replace their damaged or expired cylinders, lesser carbon emission via gas adoption, and lesser health issues caused by use of other solid fuels, amongst other benefits.

Asked if her products and services are affordable, Yinka said: “Prices of cylinders are set based on cost of production, and reasonable profit margins. Devaluation of the naira, increased cost of steel, increased cost of containers by shipping lines, corruption at the borders are some of the factors that lead to hike in prices.

“LPG prices, on the other hand, are hugely dependent on government policies and the other obvious and not-so-obvious reasons. How expensive or cheap our products are is largely based on external factors.”

She, however, described the business climate for Smart Gas as encouraging. “It’s a very scalable business because its structure is tech-based retailing.”

But that’s not to say it’s been a walk in the park for this smart entrepreneur. There have been some challenges, particularly when she started out, mostly from regulatory agencies who, according to her, “weren’t straightforward with the approval processes, requirements for approval and even what the penalties were in cases of default.

“Bureaucracy, endless levies from different angles, general inefficiencies in the line of duty, malicious residents in the areas we operate amongst other issues,” she added, pointing out, however, that “all businesses come with challenges and obstacles, so, we had to face the issues head-on and we are making remarkable progress’’.

Encouraged by the “remarkable progress” she has been making despite the challenges, Yinka, having garnered sufficient experience and clout, is in a vantage position to dish out a few success nuggets to other entrepreneurs.

Her words: “Just like any business, be your first cheerleader, equip yourself with information, do your due diligence, have access to considerable capital, speak with people in the industry, be aware of government policies, take calculated risks, and learn as you go along.”

Mrs. Ono-Asi Bassey Akpanika is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Onart Concepts. The company, which is based in Calabar, Cross River State, has a cake-making arm trading under the brand name ‘Onart Cakes,’ and a hair business that goes by the brand name ‘Hair Growth Solutions.’ Registered in 2008, Onart Concepts has been growing in leaps and bounds, with Mrs Akpanika projecting that by leveraging the quality and efficacy of its products and services, the company plans to corner over 70 per cent market share in the next couple of years. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

Tough and rewarding. That was how the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Onart Concepts, Mrs. Ono-Asi Bassey Akpanika, described her experience running one of Nigeria’s flourishing enterprises since 2008 when it was officially registered.

Admitting that nurturing the business, which originally sprang from her childhood hobby in baking to its current enviable position in the market, was “very tough,” Ono-Asi, with unmistakable triumphant tone, however, said it was “hugely rewarding.”

Indeed, Onart Concepts’ rise to prominence wasn’t tea party for Ono-Asi. Even though she started baking at the tender age of 9-10 years, the entrepreneur, who is also a professional artist, said it wasn’t entirely a jolly good ride.

“As an artist, I discovered along the way that talent wasn’t enough when venturing into business. As a startup, there were skills required to get your brand out there in the big market. And as a CEO, you have to constantly review and evaluate your progress, be dynamic or flexible about your approach to the demands of the market,” she told The Nation.

Some of the requisite skills Ono-Asi brought to bear on the brand to take it to new heights, according to her, included regular market research, aggressive marketing, building a community around the business and building a network of fellow businessmen and women that she admired and liked to work with.

These, coupled with her dynamism paid off. Today, Onart Concepts has managed to diversify into two successful businesses. While its cake-making arm trades under the brand name ‘Onart Cakes,’ her hair business goes by the brand name ‘Hair Growth Solutions.’

It all started when Ono-Asi, as an artist, discovered she is multi-talented, especially when it comes to vocational skills that deal with the use of one’s hands and creativity. “I started baking as a little girl of about nine-10 years old.

“Of all my siblings, I took it and made a hobby out of it. By secondary school, I was baking birthday cakes for my classmates. Then I started having friends of my parents who ate my cakes and paid to have me bake for them,” she narrated.

Since 2008 when she registered Onart Concepts and also went ahead to start the hair growth business, sometime in 2019, The Nation learnt that both arms of the business, which is located in Ekorinim Layout, Calabar, Cross River State, have become destinations of choice for various categories of customers who are desirous of quality, top-notch products and services.

“Our customers have no complaint about our products except for the price. Our major customers are individuals who are deliberate about quality. They are willing to pay to get what is comfortable for their standard,” Ono-Asi said.

She listed some of her customers to include brides about to wed, family members, professionals in various field, private companies, students, civil servants and fellow businessmen and women. The seasoned entrepreneur and artist said she has been able to stay ahead of the competition, encouraged by Onart Concepts’ emphasis on quality and efficacy of its products and services.

“Our customer services and experience are impeccable,” she said, pointing out however, that appropriate pricing of her products and services has been a challenge. “Some customers are ignorant about quality; they expect you to sell like everyone else. While some customers are aware of the value I bring to the table, they are unable to afford it,” she said.

The situation, according to Ono-Asi, appears to have been made worse by the fact that some customers are now more discerning. Her words: “Now, we have smart customers. Before meeting you, they must have been to two or more businesses that sell the same type of products.” This, she said, makes it difficult to find customers and by extension, records consistent sales and profit.

Appropriate pricing of her products and services is not the only challenge Ono-Asi and indeed, others operators in the business face. Inadequate finance, or lack of it, is also an issue. “Yes indeed, finance helps you solve areas in the business that you may not be very skilled at such as marketing.

“Also, there isn’t any policy that protects startups. As soon as you set up a physical structure, the tax levied from various sectors is enough to fold up the business within a year,” she complained.

Prices of raw materials like sugar and flour for baking and hair growth products have also been skyrocketing in recent times, with Ono-Asi attributing the situation to government’s policy of banning importation of goods, insecurity around farmers who cultivate wheat and sugarcane (raw materials), as well as COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. “Also, the rate at which the local currency, the Naira, is losing value has brought us to this point,” she added.

The business woman said under the high cost operating environment induced by high cost of critical input, “The price of baked goods will of course be on the high side and the volume of demand will also decrease. Bakers now try to come together to purchase ingredients in bulk, to try and reduce cost in some way.”

Ono-Asi, therefore, appealed to the government to come up and execute policies that help support operators in the business of processing and also standardize their products. “Create business hubs for startups that that can’t afford physical structure yet. This can be rented at a subsidized amount. The government should also help subsidise tax for new startups for a certain period of time,” she added.

However, while the entrepreneurial landscape is littered with challenges, Ono-Asi is not discouraged. She has continued to charge on, drawing sufficient strength from the “rewarding” nature of the business.  Although, she said most often, she does the work alone, but when she has high demands and little time to meet up demands, “I employ the services of ad-hoc staff who can handle specific areas of the business.”

Working with her dedicated and motivated staff, she said her ultimate goal was to increase Onart Concepts’ market share within Cross River State to over 70 per cent in about five years.

Blessed with a husband and beautiful children, Ono-Asi has managed to keep the delicate balance between her work and family. Explaining how she does it, she said: “I purposely permitted my business to stay at the cottage level because I place value on relationships, especially with my immediate family.

“This has helped me stay involved with my family while growing my business bit by bit. I also take advantage of major local and international holidays and celebrations to bring in more sales to my business. Those two key areas have helped give some sort of balance for me.”

Having come this far, the business woman has some success nuggets for young and up-coming entrepreneurs. “Put God first, develop yourself via training and retraining, build relationships and network, be so good at what you do that you can’t be replaced,” Ono-Asi added.

You_See_Arts, a company that specialises in handmade fabric design, weaving and pencil drawing, is making good its promise of taking textile art to the next level, in line with its tagline, ‘Textile beyond Clothing.’ The company’s Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director, Teslim Yusirat Adebusayo, says she uses fabrics and wool to create portraitures and by so doing, documents human history through arts. She shares her plans to groom You_See_Arts studio into an art hub with Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA.

She knew what she wanted from the outset, and wasted no time in pursuing her dream of becoming a renowned textile artist. Despite being a science student in her secondary school days, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Creative Director, You_See_Arts, a company that specialises in handmade fabric design, weaving and pencil drawing, Teslim Yusirat Adebusayo, had always loved art.

To demonstrate her passion for art, Yusirat went for a one-year art training at Royal Draw Galleria, Oke Ado, Ogbomoso, in Oyo State.

“I trained there a year before I was admitted to study Fine Art at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUCTECH). I combined the training with academics. That was my first exposure to art. I was a science student. It was during the training that I decided and concluded I wanted to study Fine Art,” she narrated.

According to Yusirat, who eventually earned a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Fine and Applied Art in 2018, art was initially meant to be a vocational job to indulge in while she continued seeking for admission in the university.

“I have always loved art, but I never knew people do it professionally. So, I am glad I did art, graduating as the best student in my department during my set,” she told The Nation.

After undergoing art signage and prints training before admission, Yusirat, upon graduation, chose to carve a niche for herself in textile art when she set up the business.

“I love art generally. However, I concentrate more on textile art,” she declared. Rather than have her finger in every pie in the art business, she chose to carve a niche for herself in textile art and become an expert in the field.

The textile art enthusiast said, for instance, that her woven art, which she dubbed Asoism, a style she experimented with in school and developed afterwards, bridges the gap of textile arts as a perishable art. “Textiles are mostly utility arts, majorly for clothing. However, I use fabrics and wool, which are textile materials, to create portraitures and by so doing, document human history through arts,” she explained.

Yusirat’s decision to specialise paid-off handsomely. Today, You_See_Arts, which she started in 2019, a year after graduating from the university, has claimed the number one spot in the provision of quality, durable and cost-effective textile art pieces. The company has managed to warm itself into the hearts of customers from far and near, creating top-notch fashion sketches, pencil and charcoal drawings, Adire fabrics and bespoke wears, woven artworks, mini-artworks for interiors, and customised patch bed set.

Enthusiastic, but an introvert of sort, 31-year-old Yusirat, from Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, has in a remarkably short time positioned You_See_Arts as one to beat in the textile art space. Her thriving enterprise, located on 16, Okiki Street, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, has become the destination of choice for textile art lovers, both men and women. “I am sure my clients are satisfied. I get most of my orders from referrals,” she said, in response to the steady stream of customers coming her way.

Working with a team of three regular staff and a number of temporary workers, depending on the demand, the company has continued to churn out eye-popping textile art pieces.

“I am immensely grateful I can empower other people too,” she said, pointing out, however, that the level of patronage was sometimes low, compared to other businesses, as art is generally for the elite.

“Majority can simply not afford art,” she said.

But how does the Fine and Applied Artist, who also teaches art, get along under the low patronage that has hit virtually all businesses in Nigeria, sometimes forcing some of them to either wind up or switch to other businesses?

“I create pieces that everyone can afford so this can make my business grow. I also source for good quality materials, both local and imported fabrics, for my designs and I simply give my best creating a top-notch art,” she told The Nation.

Noting that art is an expression of the innermost mind, which makes all art pieces unique in their own way, the budding entrepreneur, however, said the quality of her fabrics and her attention to details in designing them gives her an edge in the fashion industry particularly in the area of textile art. “I create designs myself. I solely do the weaving. I only work with people on fabric,” she explained.

Yusirat, however, said one of the challenges she faces as a textile designer is the way people perceive handmade fabric such as Batik and Adire.

“Batik and Adire are seen as local and less valuable fabrics. However, these fabrics are art on their own, several hours of planning, drawing and designing go into the production of a Batik, for instance,” the entrepreneur, who organises private classes for students, both online and physical, said.

Despite the challenge of wrong perception, unstable patronage, which she described as “a setback for small businesses like mine,” the business woman is undeterred; she has refused to give up, but instead, kept her eyes on the ball.

“Our target is to groom You_See_Arts studio into an art hub, where I can teach Nigerian youths art. I also hope to project our product internationally; more so, create more awareness until average Nigerians can afford and have a You_See_Arts in their wardrobe and living rooms,” she said.

In setting such ambitious goals, Yusirat is banking on her wealth of experience in arts to achieve them. For instance, while at Royal Draw Gallery, between February 2010 and March 2017, she started as trainee but ended up training other employees. Working part time whilst studying, she learned about the role of marketing in business and how the marketing mix is used.

At the gallery, she also crafted and designed awards, created and imprinted sketches, writings, and designs on clothing materials, papers etc. She also designed inspiring representative art that maintained accurate scale and quality standard; created pieces of rough sketches and successfully created custom paintings.

Yusirat was also an intern at Femtex Fashion Design and Fabrics, Ogbomoso, from July – December 2015. There, she learnt actively on the job and maintained a continuous learning process during breaks in her undergraduate years.

It was at Femtexs that she had an in-depth understandi8ng of different kind of fabric, styling, ironing etc. She also had the opportunity of repairing defecting garments and analysing customers’ complaints and ensured alterations were made accordingly

Before then, the textile art impresario was into art freelancing. That was around March 2014. And that was when she became a fine art professional in media such as charcoals, textile, ink, wool, twine and fabric.

She mastered the art of sketching and crafting portraitures, painting and crafting canvas paintings, designed logos using Corel Draw and Photoshop, regularly interacting with clients to obtain feedback on product quality and service level, and creating and developing new fabric designs, among others.

Yusirat was also a Fine Art teacher in Enugu State, where she did her compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2018. While on the job, she developed and implemented teaching strategies, evaluated the success of individual students through key evaluating metrics and identified insights to drive increased performances.

Her quality and creative teaching techniques, as well as the use of instructional materials employed while carrying out her duties earned her outstanding commendations. Although, she hopes to draw strength from her feats in the industry to achieve her targets, Yusirat also said “Consistency and resilience are my watchwords. God blessings crown it all.”

She, therefore, urged young and upcoming artists to imbibe the virtue of consistency and resilience if they want to succeed in their chosen career. “I have never sent my Curriculum Vitae (CV) out in search of employment, because I believe so much in my dream to train people in arts,” she said, in justification of her decision to follow her dream.