Fadoul-Abacha; Lifestyle Entrepreneur Builds Empire Through Sheer Persistence

An entrepreneur who knew she didn’t want a white-collar job but wasn’t quite sure what she wanted, digs deep into her self to find an answer and launch a dream

Huda Fadoul-Abacha is a nonconformist. No one needed to tell her that she was not cut out for any form of regimented 9-to-5 career. However, an opportunity came up that would test her conviction. After studying Microbiology at the University of Abuja, the 2008 graduate got a chance to do her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation in Abuja in 2009. Huda narrated how that experience reinforced her belief about white-collar job: “I was just going through the motions. Everything seemed predictable and boring. I wanted to experience life my way and didn’t want to be living life with a schedule. So I decided to go into business.” However, there was a setback. Huda didn’t have sufficient entrepreneurial skills and a business plan. So she randomly picked a trade and started at it. She recalled: “I started with interior décor. From there I tried my hands at making chairs and doing minor renovations for people. It was growing and I was doing relatively well but I realised that I wasn’t passionate about it.” What next? Huda told us she realised later that she was more passionate about fashion than interior décor and decided to go into it. But this time, experience had taught her to first test the waters. “Although I registered my business in 2012, I didn’t take off immediately because I had to be sure of what I was going into and I didn’t have the finances and capacity to start off immediately,” she said. The chief executive officer (CEO) of Hudayya Couture Limited said because of her lack of capacity, she couldn’t immediately seek funding for fear of failure. This limitation made her device a means of survival. She said, “I was doing fashion delivery service, because I just get specifications and design them and take to the clients who are mostly family and friends. I was doing that until a year later when I felt I had gained enough experience to approach my parents with a business plan for their support. I also showed them what I had saved to show seriousness.” Funding With interior décor, Huda said she didn’t really need much to start. But when she moved into fashion, it required more capital. “I needed a place but couldn’t afford one immediately so I started from home. I had an aunt living in Gwarinpa (Abuja) who had a spare room so I worked from there with one machine,” Huda said. Once she was certain she had enough drive in her to survive in the fashion business, she approached her parents for support. “They supported me but it wasn’t to the extent I was expecting. They encouraged me to start small. I got a small place in an estate and started from there. Luckily, I was already making for friends and family and they kept patronising me. I started there with three machines. From there, three tailors became four and then five.” Challenges Huda’s business story sounds easy, only that it isn’t. The co-partner of Hudayya by Couture Living explained that it took some resolve and tenacity for her to take on and excel in the fashion business. She narrated some of her challenges: “When I started, I didn’t have any training. I just knew I was passionate about it and there were not many fashion schools that could deliver what I wanted. I was just learning on the job and making mistakes and learning from my experiences.” Her lack of capacity in the fashion business put her at the mercy of the tailors she worked with. She later travelled to Dubai, UAE, to study fashion and returned better equipped. Her time in Dubai exposed Huda to the solution to another challenge she was facing: “I realised that a lot of things tailors told me were impossible were actually possible. They just didn’t want to do complex and detailed designs. I had to fire those who weren’t ready to adapt to my signature style. In the process, I lost many tailors and clients because we were unable to meet up with demands. But in the long run, it was a good decision.” Hudayya also said electricity was a challenge which increased her overhead tremendously, making it longer to break even. Hudayya niche market Huda has created a niche market for herself in bridal fashion. She said social media has helped to push her products. Looking back, she said: “Your work has to stand out and speak for itself and for you. Social media has been one of our veritable marketing tools. We’ve had clients calling from the US, UK and Guinea who got to know us through social media.” Huda now has a fashion school, Hudaya Fashion Academy, where would-be fashion entrepreneurs are trained to save them from learning the hard way. She advised aspiring fashion entrepreneurs not to use their capital to fund their personal lifestyle and they should be sure it is actually what they want to do because the market is quite competitive. She added: “I will also advise that they go to fashion school first and get entrepreneurial education. They should also intern in a fashion house for a

“things whilein order to be well positioned to compete.” I realised that a lot of tailors told me were impossible were actually possible. They just didn’t want to do complex and detailed designs. I had to fire those who weren’t ready to adapt to my signature style