There has been a significant evolution in the way women work with each other. Over the years, there have been campaigns of women supporting themselves rather than promoting a narrative that women can not live or cooperate.
It is under this premise that participants from the Women Business Arena(WBA) came together, to talk about the importance of ‘women supporting each other,’ on the WBA Whatsapp platform – a digital market place founded by Joy Agbakoba. The group hold its first Christmas Fair December 7, at the Standard Bearers School, in Lekki, Lagos.
In this edition, Vanguard Allure features four women on the Women Business Arena group, who believe in women working together and the sisterhood it promotes. They also threw more light on the upcoming Fair.
Joy Agbakoba: Travellers Haven: On The Women Business Arena
Joy Agbakoba is the CEO of Travellers Haven, a company dedicated to luxury travel, destination events and corporate trips. She is the founder of the Women’s Business Arena; a forum created out of the need to connect businesswomen for profitable relationships.
In her interview with Vanguard Allure, Joy Agbakoba opens up on her plan to empower businesswomen in the upcoming Christmas Fair, and the importance of women working with each other to ensure wealth stays within the community.
How did Traveller’s Haven start, and how did it grow to what it is today?
I started Travellers Haven out of a passion for travel. It has grown as a result of dedication to duty, excellent staff support and referrals from clients.
Let’s talk about Women Business Arena. What motivated you to start it?
WBA started by accident. I did not have the picture of what it had become, when I handpicked a few friends in business onto a WhatsApp group, in April 2019. I am always ‘Google’ for many of my friends. I am still connecting friends to either the service provider or supplier of goods. And so by setting up the WhatsApp platform for businesswomen, I created a market place without realizing it. The first group filled up in 4 months as members added their friends in the business. Currently, we have 401 members total in both groups. Members advertise their goods and services on the platform. Millions of Naira is changing hands daily in our market place. Members are from various industries from restaurants, real estates, schools, event planners, makeup artists, fashion designers, ladies fashion and accessories, travel agents, manufacturers of leather good, butchers, farm producers, juice manufacturers etc.
If you have to start all over again, what’s that one thing you’ll do differently and what’s that thing you’ll avoid?
I would not like to change anything completely, not even in areas where I failed. The failures I have had in life made me better and stronger, and I always had lessons to learn from every failure.
Who has been your strongest motivation while juggling different roles as a businesswoman, mother and grandmother?
My mum is my biggest role model. I watched her build her business as a child. Healthy, determined with some aggression, she pursued her goals. My mum was a successful businesswoman during her active years.
What have you learnt as a woman who runs a business?
I’ve learnt never to limit myself, to dream big and work at making my dreams come true.
You seem to be involved with associations that are women-specific, how important is the concept of “women supporting women” to you? And how have you seen that play out in your business?
I encourage women network as the results give me fulfilment. There is strength in numbers, and I take advantage of this by bringing women together to support each other in business. We believe in keeping our wealth within our community. A member will search for goods and services first from our platform before sourcing outside the group. The platform has boosted my business as members of our community use my service.
Let’s talk about the upcoming Christmas Fair? How important is it to the period?
The Fair is coming up on December 7th. It is strictly for members of WBA to exhibit their goods and services. It will help the exhibitors sell, connect and network with visitors to the Fair. There must be fun activities for family and friends this Christmas season. We will have fashion runaway, bouncing castle and of course, Santa Claus will be there too.
How important would you say travel is to the mental and overall health of a woman?
Women go through so much from pregnancy to childbirth, and then the 24 hours non-paying job every mother has: The woman is the cook, the cleaner, the driver, the teacher, the nurse, the errand girl, name it. Indeed, a woman needs to take time out at least once a year to relax, exhale and enjoy an excellent getaway; it is that important.
You have been in business for over a decade, how would you say the travel industry has evolved, and what would you say to a budding entrepreneur interested in the travel space?
The travel industry has indeed moved with time. From paper tickets with coupons to electronic cards. Now you do not need to leave your house to purchase a flight ticket. For up and coming entrepreneurs interested in travel space, my advice? Just go for it.
Princess Teni Aofiyebi: TKM Essentials: Giving Life To Spaces With Unique Pieces
With a need to do more in her sixties, princess Teni Aofiyebi started TKM Essentials to provide unique and quality rental wares to events and from the inception of this business, she has done just that with the best of rare pieces.
Speaking to Vanguard Allure, Princess Teni talks about how times have changed and how women have gone from competing to collaborating.
How has it been like running TKM Essentials?
It’s been fine. We started pretty much with a bang because most of the things that I have I was one of the first in the industry to have them and so, it was always very busy. And you know how things, particularly here in Nigeria and as time goes on, other people began to bring the same thing in, so they were a lot more people who had the exact same chairs, crystals, ice buckets and many unique pices I brought in first but before they did we were able to make a killing. We made a kill initially before the patronage reduced due to the increase of competitors which is natural.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced running TKM?
That’ll be the fact that things have not been as they used to and that is also part of the economy. We’ve had to shave off our profit this year but that’s okay because we’ve them for a while, probably not so much but we’re grateful for the years we’ve had them.
Why was there a need for such a business?
I actually got the ides when I was about to turn sixty and I had an event planner and a decorated and whenever they give me a price and I complain about the cost, they’ll say they have to rent them and I was like ‘really? You rent these things?’ and I thought to myself ‘very well, I am going to do this’ and because I’m a very observant person with an eye for really good things when I go out to events I look out for what is there and just take note. But then turning sixty, I told myself I needed to do a business that I wouldn’t need to run around and that’s how we started. Although it hasn’t been entirely lack of running around because we’ve had to move about to network and know more around what’s going on.
Let’s talk about your participation in the women’s Arena…
Women Business Arena is an interesting platform. I say to people that I belong to a shopping mall because it is really a shopping mall and I’m just amazed at the kinds of things Nigerian women are doing. I had no idea that Nigerian women do a lot of things and with the Women’s Business Arena, I’ve been able to see things across industries from fashion to luxury wares and jewellery.
What would you say you have learnt as a woman running a business?
I’ve learnt you just have to keep on keeping on. You can’t rest. You can’t make the mistake of being satiated. You have to keep reinventing or rebranding and improving.
As a woman running a series of businesses over the years, how important would you say the concept of women supporting women is?
I’ve not experienced openly the concept of women supporting women until this Arena and that’s because in the past we’ve focused on ourselves and done our businesses on our own and other people are seen as competitors. Now we’re collaborating and helping each other even though we’re in the same industry. So in my industry, I belong to a WhatsApp group and there we learn together and help each other out. If someone doesn’t have something, the other person is helping to look for it for the person and we’ve realized that helping others also helps us and also in this Arena, women are helping each other and that is a new experience for me.
How important is the Business Women Arena fair to this Christmas season?
I think it’s really important and also a way of women supporting women considering it was put together by a woman who saw how important this will be to the businesswomen in the Arena.
Why would you say this fair is important?
The fair is important because people are coming to see beautiful things, beautiful things they didn’t know existed.
How important is the Business Women Arena fair to this Christmas season?
I think it’s really important and also a way of women supporting women considering it was put together by a woman who saw how important this will be to the businesswomen in the Arena.
Why would you say this fair is important?
The fair is important because people are coming to see beautiful things, beautiful things they didn’t know existed.
Sophie Ogbeide: Bellabeauty-Born into Beauty Business
Sophia Ogbeide is a beauty entrepreneur and founder of Bellabeauty. , a brand she launched ten years ago. Sophia’s mother was a beautician, and she believes her mother transferred the beauty skills to her.
In this interview, Sophia revealed the challenges that come with running a beauty business in Nigeria, and how participating in the Women Business Arena is beneficial to women.
How has it been like running a beauty business in Nigeria in the past ten years?
I would say it’s been good. As we all know, there are always challenges along the way, but by God’s grace, we are still in business and learning.
Why beauty? How did it all happen, and how did you grow?
Well, I went into beauty simply because I was born into it. My mother was a beautician who trained in London, back in the days. She transferred the skills to me, which I’ve improved on over the years to suit the present demands of my dynamic clientele.
Let’s talk about your participation at the Women Business Arena?
Women Business Arena is what the name says- a platform where we have a group of woman showcasing their brand and various businesses. It helps us create awareness for each other, and of course, as a beauty entrepreneur, I’m participating to network with other brands; get patronage and hopefully make connections for profitable collaborations.
With the challenges, a business like yours poses, who/what has been your strongest motivation?
The challenges I have been having for my kind of business has got to do with staff. It’s been so challenging to get good reliable hands, but by God’s grace, we are handling that now, and things are looking better .My God has been my strongest motivation. He has been there for me, through thick and thin, and He still is. Making way for me, even when it seems like its impossible, and I’m grateful.
What have you learnt as a woman who runs a business?
I have learnt over time not to rush things. I need to be focused, and in all I do, things have to be done professionally, to ensure that the clients get their money’s worth.
Being a businesswoman who caters to an essential need of women; looking beautiful, how important is the concept of “women supporting women’’?
‘Women supporting women’ is one of the most robust most reliable platforms I have come to experience. I am very fortunate to be in the field that caters for the necessities of a woman’s everyday life. We have all come to a conclusion that says “if there is no me there will be no you’. If I am not there to do your makeup and your gele, there will be no you on Snap Chat, doing a selfie video on that event (Laughs). It spreads out in the fashion industry, skincare and so on. So you see, we have to support one another.
Let’s talk about the upcoming Fair. How important is it to he Christmas? As an exhibitor, how important is it to you?
The Christmas season comes with a lot of shopping and celebrations, with that comes a lot of spending. We look forward to more clientele at this time of the year, to patronize us at the Fair. So yes, it is essential because I’m looking forward to making more money. We are taking advantage of the holiday season, which has been know over the years as a time to ‘spread the love by giving.’
You have been in this business for ten years, how would you say the idea of beauty has evolved, and what does the future look like for the beauty industry?
Last year, I was in Italy for a beauty fair, and they had made a projection of what cosmetology 2022 would be, and it was so amazing, I can’t even put it into words. In the world of beauty, right now, I’ll say there has been a lot of improvement in beauty products, also technology has helped a lot, but we can always get better.
Bola Awosika: A Pioneer In The Hair Business
Bola Awosika is the Managing Director of B-Events and Laviva Hair, a beauty brand that has provided women quality hair for over 15 years. Working at a time when there was scepticism about wearing wigs, Bola Awosika kept on delivering quality to a clientele, which has grown to accept the evolution of beauty her brand provides.
In this interview, she makes a case on the need for women to work together for a better result.
How has it been like running Laviva Hair since inception?
When I started Laviva hair 16 years ago, things were very different in the country, and I was a pioneer in the business. Apart from Funmi hair and Lolita, I think I was the only other hair brand that was popular. And now you have so many people selling hair; the problem is all sorts of people are in the business, so we have more bad hair in the market than good hair. So, in recent years, it has been very challenging for us in the business of hair, but you know, consistency and excellent customer service have kept us in business.
What’s the most challenging aspect of running hair business in Nigeria, and how have you been able to handle it?
The most challenging aspect of running a business in Nigeria today is that they’re so many bad quality hair, and it takes someone knowledgeable about hair to buy good hair. I always say to people; ‘cheap hair is not good.’
Let’s talk about your participation at the Women Business Arena. Why did you decide to be a part of it?
Women Business Arena is a new platform, and it’s a platform that we hope will still be in existence years to come. The whole idea is for us to help each other, market each other’s product and patronize each other’s product. I’ve been a member of the group for over two months, and it’s been good so far, as we’ve had patronages and collaborations within this team. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
As a businesswoman who caters to an essential need of women- looking beautiful- how important is the concept of “women supporting women” to you?
Women must support each other, but as the saying goes, women are also the enemies of women. We need to stop backbiting, we need to encourage each other, we need to be there for each other, and I think if we can work as one and form like a women’s club, we would be great.
Let’s talk about the upcoming business fair? How important is it to Christmas?
There are a lot of Fairs that are coming up for this December period. I think this year has the highest number of Fairs, but what I also know is that I’m optimistic because we have numbers. The number of women in the Women Business Arena, which are about 500 entrepreneurs in total, is a good thing and we look forward to maximizing it.
So imagine if we have every member invite one or two persons to the Fair, we would have a thousand, if not more and that’s great for any exhibitor for a period like this because it promises excellent sales for them.
How has the idea of beauty evolved, and what is the future of the industry?
I can only relate what I’ve noticed about the evolution in the beauty industry from my experience. I remember that when we started making wigs, I received reservations from people who said they didn’t wear wigs, now everybody wears one. Hair is a big moneymaker in the economy, with new people coming into the business. Also, there is something for everyone to do in different areas of the beauty industry. The truth is, it has improved tremendously.
Creative Director: @nellymesik
Photography: @_jorgewong
Hair Supply: @lavivahair
Hair Supply, Nail and makeup @bellaBeautyng
Ankara: @buyyourankara
First Published In Vanguard Allure By Linda Orajekwe
