Though she isn’t a billionaire yet, Bilkisu Muazu is already making a name for herself. Bilkisu is the CEO of Lady Bee Collections, a company that specializes in making handmade Nigerian slippers with a touch of Ankara and leather.
She started and incorporated the company in 2016 with a little amount of capital.
“My business was born out of my desire for fashion and love for simple slippers. My startup capital is not much, but start-ups are not the problem in such business. You can start with as little as 50,000 Naira, which will in turn grow substantially” she told YOUTHVILLE.
The young entrepreneur, who confessed the business is a lucrative one, says she makes a fair amount of profit enough to take care of her daily needs.
“For me the business is not about profit but passion and being able to see people use my innovation and ideas for the purpose of fashion. My turn over is fairly good but I cannot be specific because I always reinvest my profit to the business due to my passion”, she said.
According to the foot ware designer, her number one fan who also motivates her is her husband.
“My husband motivated me to start something and I thought “why not go for something I have always liked” and also in line with the government agenda to buy Naija and grow the naira, I started the shoe line”, she said.
Bilkisu who holds a degree in Business Administration from Heriot Watt University Dubai, UAE, uses social media and referrals for her marketing strategy which she confesses has proven to be very effective.
On the challenges she faces, Bilkisu laments that there are a lot of copycats in the industry.
“Like any other business there are challenges but my main problem is copy right because here in Nigeria we don’t get protected from copy right crimes, people copy your design and put their name on it and you can’t doing anything about it. Secondly timing and effective delivery is another challenge. Then the materials and the constant price change in the market”.
Her advice to youths is to start something for themselves while perusing their dreams no matter how small, noting that it is with humble beginnings one grows. Daily Trust.
