‘Start-ups need grants, cheap loans to unleash potential’

Gift Oranyelu is the CEO of Giftedartistry, a make-up studio based in Lagos. Gift is a graduate of Sociology from Houdegbe North American University, Benin Republic, Cotonou. In this interview with BUNMI BAILEY, the young entrepreneur shares how a clear-cut vision is driving her business.

Introduce yourself, your business and tell us when you started.

I am a professional make-up artist. We help clients look better while attending weddings or other special events. We give beauty makeovers to people who want to upgrade their everyday images.

 What prompted you to pursue a career in this industry?

I am a fan of the arts. I have always had this talent for drawing/painting and I actually wanted a skill for myself, but I knew that being an artist was too complex. Then I thought of being a make-up artist, so I enrolled and started attending make-up classes.

Like other enterprises, make-up businesses fail within two to five years of inception. Why is this so and what do you think can be done to reduce this?

First of all, being an entrepreneur is all about risk-taking. Those who cannot take risks go under. There is going to be a lot of losses, wasted time and other things, but if you cannot overcome them, you may fail. Also, saving is very important in entrepreneurship. Lack of savings culture is bad. Every entrepreneur needs a back-up and saving is one of the most reliable back-ups. However, lack of vision can bring about failure. An entrepreneur must have a vision for his/her business, because it is only vision that can keep you moving forward.

What was your initial start-up capital?

I started with about N100, 000

Every business has its challenges, what are the challenges that you are currently facing?

I wouldn’t say I am not facing any challenge, because every entrepreneur has a challenge. One of my biggest challenges is electricity. My business requires electricity to run. When I am not getting enough electricity, it’s a challenge. When I am spending most of my profit on petrol for my generator, it’s a challenge.

Also, as an entrepreneur, I save, which serves as my backup, but then, it is not enough. I need more capital to keep my business running. I still need to buy more equipment to produce more quality products. Lack of adequate capital is a challenge.

How can government improve start-ups in Nigeria?

Government should help in providing sufficient electricity for businesses to thrive. This can help in reducing cost of getting petrol.

Another point is that government should help in creating funds for start-ups or existing entrepreneurs who want to expand. Although I have heard of them doing such, the procedure is a long and can make one frustrated. They should try to release grants or loans to individual who have a reasonable business plan.

What has helped you to sustain your business since you started?

It has been God. Starting up the business has not been very easy, especially when there is no back-up. There were ups and down; there were challenges and some people were not ready to pay for my services. But when you have that zeal, passion and are prayerful, things will definitely go well.

What would you tell young people like yourself who would want to go into your type of business?

There are five things I would tell them. Dreams are nothing without action. Dream it, then do it. Smile more, and worry less. Positivity is infectious and happiness is a choice. Do not worry about getting knocked down, instead, focus on getting back up as quickly as possible and never stop learning.