Why I am into shoemaking
Twenty-one-year-old Khadija Ahmed Malumfashi is a shoemaker. Khadija, who specialises in making both male and female slippers, started her business with N50,000 seed capital from her father but today she earns about N300,000 per month. She has also employed four staff in her company, KAD shoes. In this interview, Khadija speaks about what inspired her into shoe making. supportive. My dad gave me N50,000 to start the business,of course I have more than that now.
What is the making a shoe? process of
You buy the material, then you design. It takes about a week for one person to make 20 pairs of shoes.
What are the challenges you face?
At the beginning, it was how to keep up with the demand. I could not handle the demand. I started with one staff, but now I have four. Normally, delivery is four to seven days after payment, so we have to work hard to meet demand. Nigerians are buying more made in Nigeria goods now. Many of my clients have been very happy with my product.
What is the secret of your success?
My products are good and I have a lot of customers. I have alot of friends on social media, so they patronise me as well. Most of my customers are on social media, Facebook, Whatsapp, twitter, Instagram. I market my products there a lot.
What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs?
I have hoped to be a newscaster but my biggest dream is to be a successful business woman. It’s a good thing to do your own business and also to be educated at the same time. But that does not mean you should drop education for business. The two are very important and very useful.
When you work hard, your dreams will come through. I never expected that I will get to this level in business, that I will hire staff.
How old are you?
I am 21. I started when I was 20. My parents gave me the funds to start. Start-ups should have confidence and courage in what they want to do. They should believe in themselves and take advice from other people that have been in business and also pray God helps them.
I see this business becoming very successful in the next few years. I hope to be exporting my shoes to Dubai, Egypt, Sudan and the rest of the world.
What is your educational qualification?
I went to model primary school in Garki, Abuja, I finished my secondary school at GSS Lugbe, and read Mass Communication for my National Diploma at Federal Polytechnic Bida. I hope to go for my Higher National Diploma(HND) in Mass Communication in Kaduna Polytechnic.