If I’m being honest, I didn’t start my business because I had some grand vision or deep entrepreneurial calling. I started because I was tired.
Tired of sending out CVs.
Tired of those “We’ll get back to you” emails that never came.
Tired of interviews where they’d promise heaven and earth but later offer you peanuts, and still expect you to smile like you’ve won a trophy.
At some point, I just said, “You know what? Let me create my own employment.”
So I poured all my energy (and what was left of my savings) into starting my healthy drink business.
The DM That Changed Everything
Ah! I’ll never forget that message.
It was one late night in December when I saw a DM from someone asking about my mini bottles of drinks. Normally, people will say “don’t reply clients at night,” but not me o, client is client, anytime, any day!
We moved the conversation to WhatsApp, and the next day I followed up. Before I could even say “let’s negotiate,” this client just dropped 70% payment like play, like play! No stress, no back and forth.
My dear, I was dancing in my room that night. I felt so seen. It was like the universe tapped me and said, “Babe, people are watching. You’re doing something right.”
That first wedding job gave me confidence, not just in my drinks, but in myself.
When NEPA Almost Ended My Career
Last year almost finished me, I swear. You see, I’m a healthy drink vendor, which means my drinks need to be cold or they’ll spoil. The heat wave was something else entirely; it was like the sun relocated to Nigeria and decided to stay in Abuja.
One day, I had filled my freezer to the brim, ready for a trade fair. Then NEPA just said, “Let there be darkness.”
I waited, nothing.
I bought ice blocks, they melted.
Borrowed generator, it broke down.
At a point, I was begging NEPA like, “Abeg, even if it’s two hours, just bring the light.”
All my drinks spoiled, just like that. My money, my time, my energy, everything gone. I sat down and cried that day. I was so broke I couldn’t even afford to make new drinks. I remember sitting there thinking, “Maybe I should just go back to sending CVs.”
But somehow, I just couldn’t give up.
When Things Finally Began to Shift
Towards the end of last year, just when I thought God had forgotten my address, a miracle happened. I landed a big contract to supply drinks to a popular restaurant in Abuja.
I couldn’t believe it. After all the wahala, all the spoiled drinks, and silent nights of “God, abeg,” things started to move again.
That one deal was the turning point. It gave me hope, small capital, and the energy to keep pushing. Because once you get one “yes,” every “no” you heard before suddenly stops mattering.
When I look back now, I just smile. Because what started as rejection from employers turned into a business that now supplies weddings and restaurants in Abuja.
I’ve learned that sometimes, God delays a “yes” because He wants you to build your own table.
So, to anyone reading this and feeling stuck, here’s my advice:
Don’t stop because things are hard. Every challenge makes you stronger, every setback teaches you something new, and every win, no matter how small, it reminds you why you started in the first place.