Ifeoluwa Ajayi: How I Began Running Multiple Businesses as a 19-Year-Old With My Phone

When you’re away from your parents, you always remember the kind of place you are from. You always pray to never return to a place like that, a place where your mother struggled and struggled to take care of you. So you start looking for a way to make things better.  This is why I left my father’s house, to start something myself, make money, understand how the world works, and understand how hard and easy it is to earn. I wanted to build a life of my own. I didn’t want to depend on anyone anymore.

I travelled to my sister’s place in Ado Ekiti. I would follow her to the shop every day, but I got tired of just sitting there. I wanted my own. One day, I told her I needed to find somewhere I can go from morning till evening, somewhere to learn how to earn, instead of just sitting in her shop. 

My sister thought it was a good idea, but as the saying goes, you need money to make money. I knew I needed money to learn how to earn. My sister would give me money because I knew she didn’t have any. I told her I’d fix it. I went searching under the hot sun for a makeup artist shop one afternoon. I found one. The madam collected 2,000 naira for an application form and gave me a list of what to buy before starting, along with some items I had to get for her too. She said I must pay half of the signature fee, N70, 000, before I could learn anything. The total cost was over N200k.

I left there, went home and started crying. How am I going to pay these bills? The thought sat with me, overwhelming me. But tears can’t solve anything, I realised. I wanted to give up, but I remembered I still needed to build my own life. So I moved. I didn’t call my mum. I knew she didn’t have it at that moment. I know where I come from. I have no helper I can call on but God. So I didn’t bother telling her. At my age, I can decide for myself. 

The next day, I went searching again. I found another makeup shop, but it wasn’t open. I copied the number on the signboard, called, and she told me when she’d be at the shop later. When I arrived, this woman was really happy to see me. She talked to me like a sister. She was already asking when I’d start coming to learn and said I should bring a guarantor. 

When I told my mum, she sent me money for a pack of Coke, which this woman, who was now my boss, demanded. Small thing. The list she gave me was small, too. I started learning. She had 4 other students, my seniors. 

I started the work. I was going from 8 am to 6 pm every day. Sometimes my boss travelled for jobs, and she’d take me along, spending two days there. Anytime we came back early, my boss would ask me to go home and rest because of the stress. Some clients treated us well. Some wouldn’t care to feed us for two days. Hungry and stressed, we kept moving. 

As the days went by, sometimes I wouldn’t eat before going to work because there was nothing to eat. When I got to work, I wouldn’t show it on my face. No one would know if I’d eaten or not. But after working long hours, I’d get dizzy sometimes. I’d try to manage it, but it was unpredictable. I’d tell my boss, and she’d say I should go and rest for a while. Sometimes I wouldn’t eat till I slept. The days kept going. I spent seven months learning. 

One day, my boss called me and talked sense into me: “This makeup is not going to be everyday work. Put your eyes on hairdressing too.” I admitted she was right. So I started that because she also does it. I hadn’t paid the signature fee all that time because my boss didn’t disturb me. I pleaded for 2 months to work as a salesgirl. I gathered two months’ money. I paid my signature fee myself. 

My mom wondered why I hadn’t called to ask for her advice. I told her not to worry; I wanted to figure it out myself. While learning, I was also running a side hustle on WhatsApp, selling items at retail from wholesale. I sold a variety of products, including unisex clothing, school bags, travel bags, sneakers, wigs, perfumes, cartoon slides, ring lights, tripod stands, kitchen essentials, and more.

I remember one client who wanted home service. She texted me and asked for the price. I told her 10k. She said she would pay 5k. 

*I was like, _as how now?_ From 10k to 5k — that is to risk my life to come to your place and my transport fee nko? How are we doing that? I told her to pay 8k last. That 5k is for the hair I make and 3k for transport.* 

*That’s when I knew: if you don’t know your worth, people will price you like pure water.* 

With the little I was seeing from WhatsApp and from the clients I did makeup and hair for, I used it to get whatever I needed myself. 

Some of my mates are in uni now. Some think the work I learned is trash because their parents sent them to school. 

The reason I haven’t entered uni is that I wanted to learn something and make money. I am 19. Even when I enter university, I’ll still be making money while schooling. My advice to younger ones out there is: start up a thing. Have what you can be proud of that will even help you with things in school. Don’t depend on anyone. It’s not every time your parents will be sending you money.  To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable. To make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength.

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