How WISCAR Helped Me Turn a Simple Idea into Money-spinning Enterprise
Amara Agbim is the Founder and Proprietor of The Nanny Academy, a leading childcare recruitment agency for in-home child care service, nannies hiring and nannies employment in Nigeria. A 2010 mentee of the Women In Successful Career (WISCAR) mentorship sc
I learnt about WISCAR on the pages of a newspaper (I can’t remember which now). I was at a critical period in my life. I had got married immediately after NYSC and two babies followed quickly in succession but the job was not forthcoming despite the applications. I was getting alarmed that my life was slipping into a pattern I didn’t want and I was losing confidence in myself. I decided that whatever was keeping the job interviews from coming out successful was not going to stop me from looking out for other opportunities for growth. In the meantime, being new to motherhood, I was getting my share of managing my childcare and I noticed the problem of nannies. I freelanced for a couple of magazines and later started my own publication, ‘WORKLIFE magazine. I did an article, ‘Vibes of a Nanny’ pouring out my concern for the state of nannies in Nigeria. In the background, I was doing my master’s programme. I was groping around with an open mind and then WISCAR came along. The offer was too attractive and my joy was awesome when I was selected for the programme. up confidence. At the personal level, I keep saying to myself, ‘If Mrs. Oyagbola can do it, then, I can. If Mrs. Lynda Saint can do it, then I can. If Mrs. Ogunlesi can do it, then I can.’ They do so much professionally and are still thriving in their personal lives.
No, I have not faced any challenges having a woman as my mentor on the programme. I think a female mentor is perfect and enhances the mentoring experience through mutual empathy and trust. For example, a fellow woman would detect mood swings, family pressures and other things. I did share a couple of those moments with my mentor, Mrs. Funke Amobi. It is the little things that matter. In one of our mentoring sessions, Mrs. Amobi thrust into my thoughts: ‘Would you want us to change the time for our sessions so you can go home earlier?’ That was such a huge relief. My babies were quite small then. I would not have preferred a male mentor. I think same-sex mentoring is best. Mentoring is holistic and what better way can there be to deliver it than through someone with whom you can mirror life in entirety?
The mentorship was structured and enjoyable. We had the book reading sessions, one-on-one mentoring sessions, the win with WISCAR School of effectiveness and the meet a WISCAR series. All these structured sessions were always uplifting and all the facilitators and role models unbelievably approachable.
The programmes that I designed and run at The Nanny Academy remain inspired by my WISCAR background. Our students get more than childcare training; they get mentored along the way and go away with more than what they bargained for. This is especially true of our CPC (Certified Professional Childcare) six months programme.
Definitely! Most times, the quality of decisions we make or do not make could make or mar our career. I remember in our second year of The Nanny Academy, I was greatly discouraged at our inability to make sustainable income and I was ready to quit. I spoke with my mentor, Mrs. Amobi, about it. She was very supportive. She said it was OK to take a career break. That was the first time I heard that expression. She did not stop there. We talked through it more trying to identify the problems and challenges I was facing. It was at this point she said, ‘Amara, The Nanny Academy should have a corporate profile and a business plan ready. She shared with me the business plan she prepared during her time as a Chevening scholar. That put a halt to my plan to quit. When the ‘Youwin’ opportunity came, that profile became an easy platform to build on to submit my application which turned out to be successful. I do not feel empowered. I am empowered.
Yes; I have learnt a lot about business etiquette and corporate culture; about setting boundaries and setting goals. It is hard for my clients to believe I had no prior work experience before starting out Nanny Academy. Recently, some background check company did a check on our office and asked if I studied ‘Nanny Services’ at a school and I laughed!
Looking back now, the most important skill I acquired from WISCAR is the skill of reading for self-development. Right now I am reading, ‘The Unfinished Social Entrepreneur’ by Jonathan Lewis and I think everyone should read it. It is available on Amazon.
Yes, I do see myself as a mentor in future under the WISCAR platform. I have already started practising by volunteering as a mentor with the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme.