Joy Orido: Makeup artist who grew from N90, 000 to N500,000 in 3 yrs
Joy Orido is the CEO of J.ymakeover, which specialises in providing makeup services to men and women, including producers.
A 300-level student of Hospitality Management in the National Open University, Joy started her makeup outfit in 2014 with just N90, 000. Today, she is worth half a million, which was achieved through resilience, hard work and belief.
In fact, Joy’s gradual rise to stardom is a proof to young Nigerian students that it is possible to combine studies with entrepreneurship and be successful in both.
Due to hard work and grit, Joy won 2Side Model Look Award in 2016 and believes more is coming.
She said what motivated her to go into the makeup industry was her love for making people beautiful.
“I loved fashion and I was in the entertainment world. So I decided to go into makeup business to make people, especially women, beautiful. I started my makeup business when I found out that I was good at carving people’s eyebrow. Right from my childhood days, I had always used other things to carve people’s eyebrow, things like pencil, which I used in drawing it. This was what motivated me to go into makeup business,” she said.
Joy further told Start-Up Digest that eyebrow was the foundation of a good makeup, because it enhanced makeup work.
The makeup artist assured aspiring entrepreneurs that there was more to gain in the industry.
“Makeup items are expensive, but if you have quality products, you will always do a good job. I bought my makeup box and some other products which I started with and I am getting there,” she stated.
She further explained that makeup job was all about being focused and getting updated.
“You need to study the face of your clients and be creative. You need to know the kind of makeup to put on people’s faces, because there are night makeups as well as those for weddings and parties, among others,” Joy said.
“You need to meet people and search online for different styles. You need to attend events and whatever you spend will definitely come back to you when you become a professional,” she added.
On how she combines business and studies, Joy said doing the two at the same time had not been easy, noting that it looked like serving two masters at a time.
Despite the difficulty, she still creates time for my studies.
When asked the steps that led to her growth, she replied: “My business is worth half a million now because I went to a microfinance bank and I was assisted. I paid back, and am doing well now. I also persisted and worked hard. Even though I didn’t get much money in some jobs, I kept on pressing on and pushing further. When I won an award, I realised that I was heading for the top.”
Joy plans in the long-term to make people fall in love with makeup and raise a generation of makeup artists.
She, however, faces a challenge, which is unique in some sense. Unlike other entrepreneurs who say their challenges are funding, market or skills, her biggest challenge is getting connected to the right people.
“ You have to be connected to get contracts. I am trying to use my handwork to get what I want, getting the right people to invest in my dreams,” she said.
Advising younger Nigerians and aspiring entrepreneurs, Joy said it was important for them to search and know what they knew how to do best.
“Being creative is the best so far in Nigeria because the state of our economy. You must find one thing in yourself. We have fashion schools. Go into where your handwork fits your career. Even in school, when you discover your talent, you know what to study and you will never regret it,” she said.
Odinaka Anudu & Angel James