It is often said that looking good is good business. Make-up has become a necessity which many people, especially ladies, use to enhance their beauty and complement their dressing. Not many people can apply make-up for themselves. They, therefore, engage the services of make-up artists.
Aisha Kasumu is a seasoned make-up artist based in Lagos. She is the chief executive officer of Beauty and Hairstyling by Aisha. A graduate of Mass Communication, the University of Lagos, Aisha started her business during her second year in school. She has always had a flare for make-up and enjoyed making people beautiful. Therefore, make-up came to her naturally.
She started her business with N5,000, which she got singlehandedly by working. She started by getting basic make-up products which she used on clients. She saved her profits, invested in trainings and acquired more quality products to fully establish her business.
Today, her business is worth millions of naira while she engages in training as well as sale of make-up products. Presently, she has partners, assistants and interns whom she engages, especially when she has lots of clients waiting. In addition to this, she trains no fewer than 15 people monthly, both online and physically.
“I use quality products because I deal with the face, which is one of the most delicate parts of the human body,” Aisha says.
“I get my products from verified make-up stores in Lagos and abroad,” she adds.
Speaking on challenges, she says that lack of regular power supply is a problem. She requires constant electricity whenever she is at work, the entrepreneur says. She explains that sometimes it may be difficult to get original products of some brands in the Nigerian market, adding that her encounter with some difficult clients can be discouraging.
She urges the federal government to help ease the business environment for start-ups and encourage them with grants and cheap, single-digit funds.
She discloses that she is an advocate for customer satisfaction and maintains a friendly relationship with all her clients. She attends all kinds of trainings, including webinars and seminars to ensure she develops herself and her services.
Speaking on her business expansion plans, Aisha says she intends to incorporate full-time cosmetology, have her own branded products and expand her business internationally.
Her mentors are business moguls who started small and have built empires, especially those dealing with beauty products and cosmetics. Advising other entrepreneurs, she says that they should start first and not give up.
Gbemi Faminu
