Aishas "Max" Industry
Sometimes in
life we overlook the achievements of our family members and close friends and
concentrate on what others have achieved elsewhere but I was lucky to look
around my immediate circle first to see who has a home based business, enjoys
self employment and serves as an inspiration to others far and wide. The first
name that came to my mind was Aisha Sa’ad Althani popularly called Ya Nana.
Aisha is the
Chief Executive officer of Décor Max and Food Max A successful catering
business based in the ancient but modern city of Kano that has the capacity and
works on projects all over Nigeria.
RL: Hajiya
Aisha why did you choose catering as your source of livelihood?
Aisha: Its
something I do with pleasure, I love doing what I do, the catering business
comes naturally to me,I love creating things that appeal to me and others. My
family got me into catering, my immediate senior brother Saad’udeen kept
telling me to turn my gift of organization and catering into a business as I
used to do it for free for friends and family members. I was always up and
about at weddings I attended helping out in one way or the other.
RL: How did
the transition happen from a habit to a vocation?
Aisha: My
good friend Amina Bello pulled out the courage in me by commanding me with so
much confidence. All she said was,” Nana, I know you can do it and you are
doing my wedding this is a job for you give me the bill tomorrow”. I froze out
of fear and apprehension.
RL: What challenges
did you face before starting?
Aisha; My
fear was fear of failure; it was no longer out of fun, I was now going to do it
for money what if my clients didn’t like my work? I questioned myself over and
over. People would now have the right to complain. Another challenge was
creating time for my family needs, whenever I had an event to work on I would
be off like a rollercoaster.
RL: What of
your husband and children?
Aisha: They
have been fantastic over the years.
RL: Is a
formal education necessary to do what you do?
Aisha: To an
extent yes, but just basics. I attended East Elementary Athens Ohio and Bayero
University Staff school for my primary school education. St Louis senior
secondary school and I have a degree in English language from Bayero University
Kano.
RL: What of
catering school did you train in Nigeria or abroad?
Aisha: I
never got any training in a school, I learned on the job, I visualize and
create my ideas, and I practice in my dining room as you can see from one of
the pictures. I notice things a lot and I store away the useful things I see
around me that I can add to my designs. Sometimes watching T.v which I rarely
have time to do or reading magazines or books I pick ideas or adapt ideas to my
unique theme. My work is a mixture of practical real life things and my
imagination.
RL: How did
you build your clientele?
Aisha: My
primary work was for my friends. I started by being my clients friend so
whoever wanted to hire me I made myself available, other peoples interest built
over time, I started full Décor and part catering with a friends nieces
wedding. Alhamdulillah we pulled it off successfully.
RL: What of
your employees how many do you have and are they all full time employees?
Aisha: I
could only afford a small staff with monthly salaries but when there’s a job I
gather my workforce from all over; Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna and of course our base
Kano where the majority come from; but It depends on the size of the job .For
small jobs my boys handle them with different degrees of supervision.
RL: What do
you dislike in your job?
I love my job
but I would rather not take a job than do an unprofessional job, some clients
can be difficult and may not appreciate what is created for them so one needs
to fully understand the clients request and keep them focused on what needs to
be done. Another frustrating thing is serving of food, Nigerians are used to
“African time” I cannot serve spoilt food .Some dishes are prepared to be eaten
in a particular way but serving the dish hours late spoils the flavor.
RL: What’s
the “Max” about?
At this point
every question had been mulled over carefully by Aisha and answered with
passion and humour but this question was answered with pride and a visible
sense of accomplishment.
Aisha: My
business names Décor Max and Food Max come from my life choices. I choose to
“Excel” not compete so we choose to live up to our name always striving to the
“Max”.
RL: How long have
you been in this business?
“Ten
beautiful years; of creating, satisfying clients, making friends and building a
reputation. We have handled well over 2,000 jobs.
RL: How much
did it take to start up?
Aisha: A
large amount to me at the time,lol!I bought all the necessary things I
could afford and set to work to build my catering empire.
RL: What jobs
stand out as the most notable in your portfolio?
Aisha: Well I
wouldn’t call them most notable because each job is different; no two are
exactly the same.
RL: What is
your success rate?
Aisha: On
self evaluation I would say 95% the rest so-so. I know of thirteen jobs that
suffered mishaps that’s a small percentile I know but I give myself 95% pass
mark not 99%,the pain of a bad job lives long after several successful ones, so
I never forget those bad jobs.
RL: What does
it take to run a successful home business
Aisha: An
understanding and supportive family, good time management, discipline, being
innovative, staying focused many things actually.
RL: Your
advice for future home business owners
Aisha: Follow
your talents and your passions; working for yourself is harder than working for
others because you command how things go good or bad.
Decor
Max and Food Max can be booked through:
ayshalthani73@gmail.com,
08034500876
Aisha-Bbm:28530A4C
Beautiful pictures to go with a beautiful story. This is a very inspirational story Saa Hamma. I am really ompressed with this lady. To do something for 10yrs and continue to be successful in a Nigeria where even the biggest companies hardly last that long is a feat indeed. Good job. And Saa, keep giving us more of such stories please.
ReplyDeleteZainab Magaji
Thanks Zee I'm going full out to get as many inspirational women as I can.
DeleteBeautiful indeed. More grease to ur elbows. Good thing you fished her out Saadatu H. Lovina
ReplyDeleteThanks Lovina.trying to fish out more.lol!
Delete