AS they waited to be interviewed in the posh room of the Hotel Bon Voyage, Victoria Island, something stood them out – their enthusiasm and appreciation for a brand which has inspired them to get out of the ruins caused by unemployment by seeking a self-made life through signing up to be beauty ambassadors.
These three graduates from reputable universities in Nigeria have gone from being job seekers to job creators for other young people in the society. Their inspiring stories is told through ‘100 Voices’, a platform created by House of Tara, a make-up and skin care company owed by Tara Fela-Durotoye to share their inspiring stories as torch bearers to the rest of the world.
Olawale Durojaiye, Jessica Osayande and Aleema Kadiri are part of the 25 reps whose stories made the lists of the beauty reps sponsored in an all-expenses paid trips to Lagos where they were hosted to a celebrity status outing.
Olawale Durojaiye, one of the few guys amongst the lots of ladies graduated from Lead City University with a degree in International Relations. Having made a promise to himself long ago that he was not going to work under anybody, he left for Ghana where he used to sell weavon to ladies. The terrain was not soft to tread as his experience later proved. “The Ghana sun was very harsh. I worked in the sun, approaching ladies to buy my wares and I often get embarrassed by disgruntled customers most of the time. My trip even appeared to be a dangerous mission looking at the risk involved as I often had to travel by road. By the time I came back to Nigeria, I was already looking for an alternative”, he confessed. The alternative came in a flash when he was driving around Ibadan and he saw the House of Tara make-up studio. Encouraged by a make-up he did on himself and the comments he got from friends when he used the picture as Display Picture on BBM, he signed up to be a beauty rep and make-up artist. Now he has his own studio and also does make-up services and sells other accessories. It was this unique selling point that made his story inspiring, thus becoming part of the 25 beauty reps whose stories were selected to be part of the project. Wale’s word of encouragement for other young people toing the path of survival is that hard work pays. “I had always said I will never work for anybody. I do my marketing myself and I am always coming up with different strategies”, the Ibadan-based beauty rep said.
Jessica Osayande was a little bit hesitant before sending in her story; it was a surprise to her that she made the list of the chosen few. She describes her experience so far as a beauty rep for House of Tara as a voyage of discovery. “After I joined Tara in February 2012, I got a call in the mouth of March from a new private TV station in Benin. I went as a make-up artist but getting there, it was a different thing entirely, I was asked if I had worked in a TV station before because of my voice but I told them no. I told them I have gained confidence in the cause of my trade as a beauty rep.
The department of History graduate of the University of Benin said that she had to resign from her TV job when the salary was not forth-coming and the tight schedule was affecting her business. She now works full time as a make-up artist and would be opening her studio in Benin City in a matter of days. According to her, her job as a beauty rep now pays her bill and she is giving back to the society by signing up five girls to learn the act under her tutelage.
Speaking on the basis of her inspiration, she said, “I watched Tara once when she was giving a speech on empowering women and I felt very touched. Then after school when I couldn’t get a job, instead of sitting at home doing nothing, I signed up as a rep in House of Tara and here I am today. It has been a voyage of discovery for me because now I do not have to wait on any uncle or aunty to take care of my needs. I do not rely on anybody.”
Aleema Kadiri used to be a gentle person, but that has changed now. “I meet new people every day in the course of my work and it has helped in no small way in boosting my confidence,” she declared. The beauty rep and make-up artist who also graduated from the University of Benin was also torn between the walls of confusion as to what to do with her life when she finished from school two years ago. She started with the belief that her dream job would be delivered to her on a platter of gold but later she woke up to the realisation that life does not end in a box, so she had to come out of her shell.
As it happened, someone introduced her to House of Tara; she became a beauty rep and also attended a make-up school. After going through a period of her life when she had to search within for survival strategies, she now has this story to tell: “I hardly think about getting another job because each day if I decide to leave my house, I make a profit of about N5000 minimum, this is not to mention weekends when I go for special jobs.”
She believes she is giving back to the society through her job. According to her, “by selling make-up you automatically boost the confidence of women because all women are beautiful but make-up only helps in enhancing the beauty”. Her message to other job seekers is that life does not end in a little box, “come out of your shell”, she urged other young people.
Speaking on the rationale for the ‘100 Voices’ initiative, the business development manager of House of Tara, Omotola Adeniyi Martins said the initiative is a bigger platform about Tara’s beauty reps as women and men finding out what they do best. The inspiring stories of the sales rep would be published in coffee books which would be distributed across various embassies internationally.