From One Sewing Machine to Twenty Employees

Three years ago, I was a broke graduate sitting in my mother’s living room in Surulere. I had a degree in computer science and zero job offers. What I also had was a sewing machine my aunt gave me when I was eighteen.

I started small. Really small. I made face masks during the pandemic and sold them at the bus stop. People liked the quality. They asked for custom clothing. I stayed up nights learning patterns from YouTube videos.

My big break came when a bride-to-be saw my Instagram page. She had just three weeks to her wedding and her designer had canceled. I was terrified. I had never made a wedding dress before. But I said yes anyway.

I worked eighteen hours a day. I remade the bodice four times. My mother held the fabric while I sewed at 2 a.m. When the bride put on that dress, she cried. Then she paid me double what I asked.

That moment changed everything.

Today, I have twenty employees. We make wedding dresses, corporate uniforms, and ready-to-wear pieces for export to London and Atlanta. My mother comes to the workshop every Friday to cook for the staff. She says success tastes better when you share it.

The lesson I learned? Your degree is a piece of paper. Your hunger is what matters. Say yes, then figure it out.