YOUWIN AND THE NIGERIAN WOMAN

We have been so excited inviting women to apply for Youwin.Yes 1-10 million can really change the lives of the lucky winners and create jobs.The problem with youwin is that it is not for the ordinary woman on the street who has no idea what a business plan is,cannot access the internet and cannot write a concept note.This woman is marginalised by poor quality education and access to the 50bn the FGN set aside for youwin.Govt cant be everywhere and do everything.That woman on the street im talking about needs just 5000, 10,000 , 20,000 ,50,000 or a 100,000 Naira to improve her life and that of her family.If we are talking about training it will take very little to train these women,we dont have to gather them in one venue we can do the training by radio.Th...

e most important thing we need are the funds. If communities can send children to school by contributing money we can do the same for women to set up businesses.I emphasize on women because it is a notorious fact that the womens business better sustains the primary and necessary needs of the family.The sucesses recorded by Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen bank in Asia is an example. If Nigerians can become one of the highest customers of the private jet industry buying over 130 new private jets between 2007 and 2012 on an average of $50million per jet we have no business being poor as a nation.Nigeria as a nation is rich but the normal citizens are poor.Nigerias wealth lies in the hands of Government officials ,politicians and their cronies.Whatever they do God doesnt sleep and He is all seeing.My grouse is what you and i are doing to build others.Seven years ago a woman asked me for 500 Naira as an investment to start selling firewood i gave her a thousand and she returned two years after to say thank you and tell me she has built on that.Most people trade blindly or set up businesses dumbly.Lets give them basic training the way SMEDAN is doing as we give them the loans,lets borrow a leaf from youwin minus the complex "turanci";Set up small business idea competitions pick out the feasible ones,mentor others to make the ideas suceed let the community or different tribal associations,neighbourhood associations,religious groups fund these initiatives.Pressure the rich men in your locality to subscribe and fund the programs.Identify people with promise;is it the kosai seller on your road ?What would she need to graduate to providing kosai,kunu,waina,moin-moin,chips and plantain for breakfast .Her small kosai corner can turn into your neighbourhoods breakfast corner with just a 2 hour lecture and less than 20,000 Naira.The possibilities are endless.Monitoring and training,will provide the necessary security to avoid diversion of funds."

YOUWIN;DOING OLD THINGS IN A NEW WAY

 

For the last two months or so I have pumped the issue of Youwin the FGNs business grant program down the throats of my friends, family and strangers especially my social media contacts. I tend to be skeptical about FG policies and programs but embraced this one seeing that it’s a win-win situation. I still believe that it’s a program for the elite and will do very little for Nigerian women, but if we can get more than the 1200 winners of the premier Youwin competition this time and they can employ at least 5 people each men and women that will be at least 6000 people employed. The remaining 140million Nigerians that are unemployed will get their chance when the competition is re launched soon.

I insist that it’s a win-win situation even if you don’t win this edition because:

1. You can apply next time; The FGN earmarked 50billion Naira for the program last year, they only got 1200 winners and I’m sure very few got the full grant sum of 10million.

2. If indeed you did good research, have a decent feasibility study and a feasible business plan your ideas or business plan cannot go to waste, for you to become an entrepreneur you need to dust your proposal and show it to investors, one may get several rejections but somewhere out there your yes awaits you.

3. There are other funds available from the FGN and other sources  do a little digging and you may find a program that’s right for you. For women we await the new CBN business program for women coming up. If you didn’t apply for Youwin you might get a chance with CBNs program.

4. If you have gone as far as submitting your concept note, that means you have a fair idea of what you’re doing. In some cases by scaling down the size of your project you may find that you don’t need outside funding after all and you can start on your own or with others. In fact by the time you start something tangible you have a shot at applying for a grant from Youwin and other sources, with higher chances of getting the grant.

5. All over the world you hear about venture capitalists and angel investors but they seem not to exist or are virtually impossible to locate in Nigeria. Instead of dumping money in the bank wealthy Nigerians can put their money to work for them by investing in some of the business plans being submitted for youwin.

Doing old things in a new way; of the three tenets of youwin the one that seems to frustrate people the most is innovation. Women have been running helter-skelter nationwide trying to find or create brand new businesses. This is due to lack of business education, even those that attended schools of higher learning seem to be handicapped in that respect. I presented Youwin to an audience of 48 women to aid them in applying for the grant unfortunately none could give me an innovative business idea.

Yes new things are created everyday but you don’t have to be the one to create it, you can pick something old add value to it by making some changes or improvements. In answer to the many phone calls, text messages and visits from women who want to apply for Youwin; I say look around you, within our immediate environments alone we can find several things that can be improved upon. Don’t wait for the solution to come from Asia, America or Europe we know our challenges better and if there’s the possibility that other people have the same problem and will pay to use or own your solution then Youwin awaits you.

Do some modern marketing etc and you are good to go. It’s not a person’s level of education or social prowess that will determine their ability to succeed rather it’s the beauty of the idea by virtue of its being innovative. It’s ability to create and sustain jobs and; for it to be economically viable.

Women tend to be highly creative and innovative, entering the kitchen and creating gourmet meals out of remnants is a typical example, juggling family schedules is another. People generally need to set aside or find a way to throw out their business inhibitions after all nothing ventured nothing gained. To be an entrepreneur is a big challenge and I’m glad Nigerian women are ready.

 

Ebele Ejikeme

Ebele Ejikeme is the epitome of self employment.She is a wife,mother,teacher,lawyer and entrepreneur.

NAME:     Hon. Barr. Mrs. Ebele Ejikeme JP

STATE OF ORIGIN:     Anambra State

FAMILY SUPPORT AND CHALLENGES:    My husband and Childen

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:    Grade II, NCE (Mathematics), Bed Maths, LLB (Hons), BL.

BUSINESS : Founder / Proprietress Bright  Int.'l  Group of schools, Campuses (Abuja, Kaduna and Onitsha)., Legal practitioner and Property managers.

START UP:  I started by giving lessons to students after school when i was young.

STAFF /HELP:     About 350 Teachers  and  other staff.

LOCATION:    Abuja, Kaduna and Anambra state

MAJOR CHALLENGES:    Boko Haram crises in Kaduna State is effecting my Kaduna four campuses   

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS NAME: Bright Int'l. group of schools and Ebele Ejikeme & Co Legal Practitioners and Property Managers.

APPRENTICES AND STUDENTS:    Over 2000 Students / Pupils

LENGTH OF TRAINING:    Nursery (3yrs), Primary (6yrs),and Secondary (6yrs)

COST:    Depends on the class of the child.

ABILITY:    Professional teaching

GROWTH RATE:    Wonderful

EXPECTATIONS:    To train our students/ pupils to be good and God fearing leaders of tomorrow

WHAT ARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS:    To give my school children quality affordable education.

AGE OF BUSINESS: 22 years

No.OF JOBS HANDLED: As a legal practitioner and Property Managers I have handle so many cases

START UP CAPITAL:     I started in a very little way

REGRETS:  None except with the Boko Haram and Religious crises in Kaduna State.

NOTABLE JOBS:    A lot of them.

  

FEMALE WRITERS: BINTA RABIU SPIKIN

BINTA RABIU SPIKIN
Writing is one of the vocations that women can do even when employed or have large families and from the number of books on the streets a popular vocation; but how can the average woman venture into the writing profession and make a success of it?
There is a Hausa saying, ”Da dan gari a kan ci gari” which loosely means that it is with the help of an insider the town can be conquered. With the help and recommendation of one of the Nigerian literary worlds rising stars and National executive council member of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Richard Ali; I was able to contact Hajiya Binta Spikin and this is how our interview went;
RL: Tell us about Hajiya Binta
My name is Binta Rabiu Spikin and I am a writer, I am also a public servant
I am from Kano state. I am also based in Kano, my hometown.
RL: In our fast paced society how do you balance home and work?
 It’s not easy, I am a mother therefore I give a lot of support to my family and vice versa. The challenges of writing, working and attending to family are many because running a home with kids and pursuing 2 careers is not easy. But Alhamdulillah we are still managing fine.
RL: What are your academic qualifications?
I have a  Bsc Mass Communication (2011); a Diploma in Public Administration, Secondary School Certificate, Primary School, plus other courses to enhance my career. I have recieved alot of trainings, some Foreign based like the BBC and DFID, others internal. I just came back from an International Writers Conference in Niamey, Niger Republic.

RL: How costly is it to write and publish?
I started out with very little money, skill and determination.
 RL: Do you have a staff or assistants?
I employ help when I need it, like when I am on a vast research. otherwise i work alone.

RL: What major challenges have you faced in writing?
None really, just the usual every day challenges, especially for a woman in a male dominated world.
RL: How hard is it to get success as a writer in for example the kano society?
Well one starts by writing, publishing is generally self publishing that’s what most people do. The problems are more in distribution and breaking into the market as an unknown writer people go for the books written by established writers. Their’s also the problem of piracy.

RL: Do you have a brand name?
My business name is BSIKIN Concepts
RL: Have you trained others or have students?
I don’t have any students or trainees. I do advise those that ask
I didn’t train to be a writer, all the trainings and workshops I’ve attended came after I started writing.
RL: Whats your personal growth rate in writing?
Growth rate in writing cannot really be quantified, I cant really say.
RL: Whats your professional ambition?
My professional expectation is that my company will be a brand name some day, like Nokia, personally I aspire to be good

RL: what are you working on at the moment?
I run a page on Weekend Triumph, "The Cybergist", I have unfinished projects im still working on. There is no specific time frame for completion for my personal projects .

RL: How long have you been writing?
I have been writing for over ten years
Some of my works:Books: Ribar Rayuwa 1 and 2- published 2004.
Sultan and Sultana Published 2006.
Muryar A Daidaita Sahu (a biography of Abdullahi Sani Makarantar Lungu, a renowned journalist, sponsored by Kano Sate Government) 2008.
A page in Weekend Triumph; 'Cybergist' from January 2012 to date. It focuses on the Nigerian Context and happenings in the political arena
Script Writing: 'Yanci na’ for DFID it touches on the rights of women in Shariah.
Jingles on HIV/AIDS for BBC in 2009
Radio Script on Garin Muna Fata, SFH.

RL: You said, “Women are not only writing for pleasure, no, we are writing because we are seeing what is happening in the society and we want a lot of corrections,We want amendments made. That’s why we write.”
What’s the difference between what you told Associated press in 2008 and now?
It’s still the same.
RL: Any pointers for aspiring writers?
People can see this as a home business and self employment but once success comes it cannot be so contained.Ones career grows beyond your expectations but it depends on the attempt one makes to keep things controlled.

AMFANI DA NAURAR BINCIKE NA GOOGLE

AMFANI DA NAURAR BINCIKE NA GOOGLE

Duk wani mai amfani da yanar gizo ya kamata a ce ya fahimci naurar bincike na Google domin shine uban dakin duk wani naurar bincike da ke kan yanar gizo wato intanet. Akwai naurorin bincike kala daban daban irin su Yahoo, bing, ask da dai sauran su, ama idan akace uban dakinsu kun san cewa ya sha gaban su ya yi masu shal inji kanawa. Kusan duka wani bayani a kan abubuwa wato ma’ana kama da sauran labaru a kan abubuwa za a same su a kan yanar gizo misali shine kaman idan kana son tarihin wani ko wata a nan bari in yi misali da Sarkin Kano Mai Martaba Ado Bayero.

Idan ka/ki na da waya mai aiki da intanet ko kuma komputa wanda an saka mashi layi mai intanet  kuma an biya kudin browsing sai a bude shafin yanar gizo a rubuta www.google.com a dana inda aka sa a dana a gefen dama wani lokaci ana rubutawa da harshen turanci cewa a dana a wasu wuraren kuma alama ce kawai idan shafin ya fito za ku gan an rubuta Google a saman wani dogon gida idan za ka rubuta abun da ka/ki ke so ku bincika.

 A saman wannan sunan Google din akwai inda aka yi wasu rubutu inda ake tambaya a kan bincike da za ka yi hotone? Labari ne? ko bincike a kan yanar gizo?

A kasa kuma idan kai mazaunin Najeriya ne za ka gan an rubuta harshen Hausa, Yoruba da Igbo, wato mutum ya zabi wanda ya ke so, zai kuma fi fahimta ba dole sai da harshen turanci ba, tun da munce bincike mu ke so muyi a kan Sarkin Kano Ado Bayero, sai kawai mu rubuta Sarkin kano ko mu rubuta Ado Bayero sai mu kuma dana inda aka rubuta search wato bincike kenan, cikin gajeren lokaci za ku gani bayani dubunai akan Sarkin Kano, sai dai mutum ya zabi wanda zai fi mai amfani ya karanta za a iya bude shafin yanar gizon da ya fi kusa da abun da a ke so a samu wasu lokutan har a kwafa a komfuta ko waya. Wasu  binciken  kuma sai dai a karanta a barshi.   

A cikin misali na Sarkin Kano za a ga hotuna,tarihi,labaru daga jaridu daban daban,film na video da aka dauke shi a wurare daban daban da dai sauransu.

Wani misali kuma shi ne kamar mutum na son samun bayani a kan wani ciwo ko magani ,mudin ciwon ko maganin sananne ne idan a ka rubuta sunan bayanai za su fito dalla dalla.

Uwargida kina son ki san amfanin wani abinci ko yadda za ki girka shi?

Wannan ma abu mai sauki ne,idan ki ka fara samo girki iri iri daga kasashen duniya da biki taba ma sanin sunayensu ba,maigida sai ya baki hakuri ya ce ya gode canji kulum a dawo miyar kukan nan dai ta gargajiya dan ya manta kamar ta. Bincike ki ke so akan kwalliya?Kula da gida,Tarbiyyar yara,Jan hankalin maigida da gyara zamantakewar ku duk ki bincika za ki samu na kasashe daban daban sai ki zabi wanda ya dace da akidar ku.

Yan makaranta kuna neman Karin bayani akan abubuwan da aka koya muku a aji ko an ba ku aiki ku yi a gida? To ku doshi Google duk wani karatu za ku tar da shi a bayane daga na yan shekaru biyu har kurewar boko.

Bincike kan ilimin addini  da na kimiya  ma duk da akwai idan aka bincika.

Akwai bayanai da mutum zai iya samu ta fanin sana’a kamar a ina zai samu masu sayan Ridin da ya ke nomawa,ta yaya zai gyara noman na shi?. A wace kasa a ka fi samun kayan aikin gona da yake nema.A wane shago ne ake samun shadda a sari wanda mutum zai iya oda ba sai ya je da kansa ba. Abubuwan dai  ba a cewa komai.

Ama fa duk abun da aka ce barka da shi kila a ce Allah ya wadaran sa domin ba duk abun da aka saka a kan yanar gizo ne ya ke zama gaskiya ba wasu da akwai karya da zamba saboda haka sai mutum ya kula ya yi amfani da hankalinsa.

Wajen binciken yara kuwa sai a yi kokarin jan kunnen su domin da akwai miyagun abubuwa na batsa da batanci da bai kamata su rika bincikawa ba suna budewa.Wannan aikin iyayene shi yasa yake da muhimmanci mu kanmu mu gane kan komfuta da irin su Google din mu dakanmu.

CAKES BY HAIZA

CAkEs BY HAIZA!

 CAkEs BY HAIZA!

Haiza Baraus interview was done by Blackberry messenger and this is how it went

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Salam alaikum.

Saadatuh:  Amin wa alaikumus salam:)

Saadatuh:  I've seen some scrumptious creations on Aysha Saads dp. Great work

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Thank u :)

CAkEs BY HAIZA!: My gratitude

Saadatuh:  Pls check my blog before I ask you any questions. Its http://rayuwa-life.blogspot.com

After a few minutes she returned.

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Woow! interesting.

Saadatuh:  Thank you too.

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Thank God to have u as part of the northern elites. Because we need such steps forward to make things work better for others.

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Jazakhallah khair.<3<3

Saadatuh:  Amin amin. I'm writing on home business and self employment so I want to hear your story and experiences

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Ok.

Saadatuh:  So where are you from?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  I'm from Kano, Danbatta Local Government Council.

Saadatuh:  Very good. Are you married? Any kids?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!: Yah, I'm married with 3 kids, a girl and 2 boys.

Saadatuh:  Also your age and the most memorable mistake you've ever made in your baking and its impact.

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  I'm 33yrs old. I can think of some cakes I made and they kind of failed to look the way I wanted them to, I decorated them and gave them a name as Naija potholes and they sell very well, The first batch were all sold during a funfair at Afficent.

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Im based in Kano. I bake at my house, that’s in Goron Dutse in Kano city. Saadatuh; Do you sell from home?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  I sell at my shop at Nassarawa Hospital Road, Kano.                                                   

Saadatuh: What of support ?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  I am well supported by my parents and husband.                                                     Saadatuh:  Did you study baking?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  No I studied Bsc Islamic studies/Hausa. I started by myself, learnt through trial and error,and won the game alone.                                                          

Saadatuh:  Do you have a large staff?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  I've got some workers,  like 6 employees so far.

Raisings cakes and more. I am yet to start planning on teaching and coaching students.                              I've been baking for almost 10years.           

Saadatuh:  What other businesses have you tried?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:   Poultry, clothing, and lots more.   

Saadatuh:  What was your initial investment, your start up fund?

 CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Well can't say, my capital I can remember something like 10,000-15000 or so.                                                               

 Saadatuh;  Is the work frustrating?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Sometimes I get pissed off ,and think why this work, because its time consuming, and hectic. It makes u knackered all the time. I can complain, but I’m not giving up ,I’m doing very well and I'm planning to open a new branch with lots more fast food soon, InShaaAllah

Saadatuh:   Great Haiza,What are your aspirations?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:   My aspiration is to win the goal of being the BEST!!

Saadatuh:   Is your business registered?

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:  Yes my business is well registered including with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control(Nafdac )Registration.

Saadatuh :  So whats your advice for people that want to go into the cake making business

CAkEs BY HAIZA!:    Well they are welcome but I intend to stay the best so they better work hard!!!!Lol!

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR MY SISTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2 (BROTHERS INCLUDED BY POPULAR REQUEST)

3. Phone numbers; A female friend of mine was awakened by a strangers call at 2 a.m, his excuse they belonged to a group and they were to handle some research for the group.
4. Facebook and Twitter are now also the gossip and rumour capitals of the world, Be careful what you believe and pass on!
5. Computer hackers and Identity thieves; the senior 419ers are having a field day, with every new advancement in technology. Ebay and Craigslist have suffered too many cases. We give so many details in our profiles and posts; We are lucky in Nigeria our criminals are still carrying guns  and cutlasses to steal(if that can be called luck)otherwise imagine you giving all sorts of information about yourself and where you live and then one day you post,” On our way from Kano we are all going to Kontagora for my sisters wedding till next week. Now in Zaria your prayers are needed please. The combination of data could be dangerous.
6. Tracking; are you trying to avoid someone or keep them at arms length? A former lover, debt recovery agent? Then be careful what you post and who sees it. That announcement that your wife had a one in town birthday on Saturday and the Owambe had King Sunny Ade was the first musician to play will not only interest your landlord, your manager or supervisor and that nephew you promised to send for when you got settled in Lagos. Keep posting o! But he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. My hand no dey!
7. Interactions: To avoid HIV?AIDS an advert says zip up, well the same applies to social media being loose and carefree assuming its only online is a great mistake. Online relationships tend to be more intense due to the elements of mystery and fantasy which entices people to fall more into relationships good or bad.
8. The number of friends one has may be a sign of popularity but it also opens one up to lack of privacy. Imagine a situation where Kemi has 3000 friends; without any privacy settings all of those friends would see Kemis posts,wall or timeline and updates. If kemi out of the 3000 has 1000 friends that each  have at least 1000 friends and kemis posts appear on her friends walls…...
If Kemi is a politician campaign don start be dat.
9. There are many psychopaths out there in the world you don’t want to meet. With the anonymity guaranteed by cyber interactions you cant know who has been taking their medications or not. In Nigeria the psychos are not on medication so you don’t know who you are letting into your life be careful what info you divulge. A friend of mine had to change their Fb name and cancel their account because of a stalker.
10. Dupes and frauds; its hard enough vouching for the character of your childhood friends and colleagues. Social media comes with no affidavit of good character for anyone. Your new bosom friend (just like it happens in the physical world) may be a murderer, rapist, ritualist or even terrorist. My hand no dey if SSS or JTF lands at your door after going through someone’s phone or internet activity and finds you are the highest supporter of a mad mans ranting or extremism.
11. The time factor; spending countless hours on social media can best be redirected for other important things unless you’re marketing. The world is filled with all kinds of people good and bad. Social media keeps one well occupied but just don’t let your cyber friendships be at the detriment of your physical day to day relationships, your job or studies.
12. If you are in a weak, vulnerable state, have relationship problems in your normal life and have commitments a cyber relationship is not an escape route. Sort out your problems and resist temptation. Temptation carries on the airwaves abi cyber waves
Change your settings for different posts and categorize your friends and who sees what. All 12 points can apply to men and women on the virtual and physical level. The cyber world is here to stay and improves daily all we need to do is be careful in all our dealings and account settings.

Aisha Sule posted this on Facebook.It was their wedding anniversary, and Maryam, was waiting for her husband (Bashir) to show up...Things had changed since their marriage, the once "cute, couldn't-live-without-each-other couple" had turned bitter.. Fighting over every little thing, both didn't like the way things had turned so negative. Maryam was waiting to see if Bashir remembered it was their anniversary. Just as the door bell rang, she ran to find her husband wet and smiling with a bunch of flowers in his hand...The Couple started reliving the good old days. Making up for fights, there was a plan 4 candle light diner, light music and rain outside! It was perfect, but the moment paused when the phone in the bedroom rang! Maryam went to pick it up and it was a Man voice "Hello Ma'am, I'm calling from the Police Station. Is this Mr Bashir Isa's Home?" Yes it is answered Maryam. " I'm sorry Ma'am, but there was an accident and a Man died. We got this number from his purse; we need u to come and identify his body." Maryam's heart sank.. What that Frickles! "But my Husband is here with me?" "Sorry Ma'am, but the incident took place at 2pm, when he was boarding the subway. Maryam was about to lose her senses. How could this happen!? She knew these type of things she heard about the soul of a dead coming to meet a loved one before it leaves finally! She ran into the other room..He was not there.. It was true! He had left her for good!! Oh God, she would have died for another chance to mend every little fight before! She rolled on the Floor in pain. She lost her chance, forever! Suddenly, there was a noise from d bathroom,the door opened and Bash came
out and said..."Hun, I forgot to tell u my purse was stolen today"! LIFE MIGHT NOT GIVE U A SECOND CHANCE.. SO NEVER WASTE A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAN STILL MAKE UP FOR YOUR WRONGS!!! The second half of d year is rolling out so let's start making amends..To parents,To spouses,To lovers,To in-laws,friends, everybody. I will start from u I am sorry if I wronged anyone of you with my comment"out and said..."Hun, I forgot to tell u my purse was stolen today"! LIFE MIGHT NOT GIVE U A SECOND CHANCE.. SO NEVER WASTE A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAN STILL MAKE UP FOR YOUR WRONGS!!! The second half of d year is rolling out so let's start making amends..To parents,To spouses,To lovers,To in-laws,friends, everybody. I will start from u I am sorry if I wronged anyone of you with my comment"

AISHAS "MAX" INDUSTRY IN PICTURES

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

Balquis-Bbm:260C4706

Teeteetah Cakes

TEETEETAH CAKES “I get my pleasure in creating masterpieces, making my customers forget where they are when eating my cakes”. Hadizah I met an interesting lady at a seminar a few weeks ago and the issue of entrepreneurship and the need for better managed businesses came up, we simply hit it off. We exchanged business cards and Pins. When I decided to start my articles on home based businesses I automatically thought of her despite my sheet long list of ladies I have wanted to interview for ages. I asked her to send me pictures of her cakes; I saw the pictures and fell in love despite my intention to diet. This is Hadizah’s story. “My name is Hadizah Abdurrahman-Yazid, I am happily married with two children. My business Teeteetah is based in my home in Kabala Costain, Kaduna. I bake cakes for a living, all kinds of cakes; cakes for different occasions. I also run a catering service, do bridal make up, event planning and management. I have been baking professionally for four years.” Hadizah studied International relations in A.B.U Zaria, and is a graduate of BUK where she studied accounting. In her words; “I worked for about two years in the insurance arm of Bank PHB but I was unable to cope with targets and other stuff, I was retrenched when they were downsizing. I have always loved cooking but I fell in love with cake making when I visited my aunt as a child, I didn’t know cakes could be made at home at the time so I set out to learn. As a home economics student I learnt how to bake well and kept on baking at home for my family and friends over the years.” Do you miss formal employment? “No way, I chart my own course and any work I do is for me no one else no boss no salary, my salary depends on my personal effort.” Is cake making your first attempt at home business? “No, I have tried different businesses like making up friends faces, liquid soap production and liquid room freshner but stopped production in commercial quantities due to lack of NAFDAC registration. I only make a little for domestic use now.” What made you turn to cake making? “My husband actually suggested I take my baking seriously and I met a decorator who had a school where decorating, pastries, baking, event management and planning classes were taught. The training cost was 25.000 Naira but over time with buying of materials it cost almost 100,000 Naira before we finished. I was ahead of my classmates in baking and I probably just polished my decorating skills in that class. My plan at that time was to go into pastries; sandwiches, pizzas, pies etc but I later decided to make cakes my signature product.” You have an interesting business name, what’s the story behind the name? “The name Teeteetah is how my son Amir called his sister Ummita when he was a toddler so I use it as my business name.” Do you have a large staff? “No, for assistance I have two house helps that help me in the house and in my business they help me in the baking”. How frequently do you get orders? “I once spent two weeks without a single order but the most I’ve done is six cakes in one single day, Most of my customers are my friends or friends of friends.” What are the major challenges you’ve faced? “The disadvantage of your friends being your primary customers is lack of payment and delayed payment. My advice for anyone who wants to have a home business is to take their business serious, draw a line between personal relationships and getting paid for their goods and services.” Apart from the training what ten things cant you do without in your business? “The most important equipment I use are ;an oven, cake mixer, baking pans, piping bags, stencils, spoons, mixing bowl, egg whisk, napkins there are so many other things without which I wouldn’t be able to work well.” Is the cake making and catering business competitive? “Yes it is highly competitive .It is not a job for lazy people and those that lack imagination. To carve a niche for yourself you need to make the taste of your products excellent that is my own signature the taste. Another key aspect is appearance, looking good is good business. The cake maker needs to be an artist and a scientist at the same time. Quality and hygiene are of great importance I never compromise on those points. To get to where I am today I made a lot of sacrifices; in terms of time money and ingredients, carried out several experiments taught myself. Made myself, family and friends guinea pigs to try out different flavors, consistencies etc. I also don’t cut corners I would rather not do a job than do a bad job or sloppy job. I don’t believe in ‘managing ‘my ingredients, if I don’t have enough time and resources I don’t even try.” Do you have a cake makers association? How do you relate to each other? “We don’t have a union but we know each other or know of each other. We get along quite well.” What new marketing strategies are you using? “I currently have fliers and business cards to promote my business.” Have you tried using the internet and social media? “Yes, but I intend to use them more now”. How has the business grown? “The business has grown over the years and brings in a decent income and gives me flexibility to take care of my family and other interests. Very soon I will start trainings for those interested in the cake making business I already have a set of six people waiting for me to set up the training package. My trainings will be customized and I may partner with others to make it a bigger success”. Advice for budding entrepreneurs: Don’t be afraid to try different things but choose what you are most comfortable with. Then put your mark on it by making it better than others around”. Teeteetah limited Cakes –Event solutions –Bridal makeover- Accessories- Consulting /Training Phone no’s 08083124444/08099605815. www.teeteetah.com

Teeteetah cakes some pictures