By Nigeriacurrent

Copyright nigeriancurrent

A Kaduna-based entrepreneur, Mrs Hadiza Suleiman, popularly known as Hadeedee Makeovers, has said she started her thriving makeup business by saving her monthly NYSC allowance.

Suleiman, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kaduna, said she saved N10,000 monthly out of her allowance in 2016 and raised N120,000 to open her first studio.

“I didn’t know where the next rent would come from, but I took the risk. From that small space, countless blessings followed and today, I run a studio, employ seven staff and had trained more than 1,000 students,” she said.

The entrepreneur, who bagged a Diploma in Insurance and a Degree in Business Administration at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, said her passion for financial independence began during waiting years for university admission.

“I wrote JAMB six times before I finally got admission. While waiting, I learnt makeup at House of Tara, Lagos, in 2011. That was the turning point that shaped my journey into entrepreneurship,” she recalled.

Suleiman explained that she built her brand largely through social media, where she had amassed over 300,000 followers and more than 30 million views across different social media platforms.

According to her, social media not only attracted clients but also created opportunities for international students to travel to Kaduna to learn makeup under her mentorship.

She said beyond business, her greatest fulfillment was in empowering women and girls, stating that many of her former students had established their own studios.

“I have worked with NGOs, government, and even offered scholarships to widows, school leavers and newly married women. Some of them are now running successful businesses. I also founded the Pink Women Foundation in 2019 to provide free training in makeup, catering and fashion,” she said.

On challenges, Suleiman said the journey had been tough, especially in the early days when finances, tools and visibility were limited.

“Most young entrepreneurs get discouraged because they don’t have good phones, studios or backgrounds for content creation. I started with my small phone and free YouTube channel; even negative feedbacks pushed me to improve my craft,” she said.

Suleiman urged young girls to start with whatever resources they have and not to be discouraged by slow beginnings.

“Passion is everything, if you are truly passionate, you can even work for free just to learn. The social media positively and start small and from there, growth will come,” she advised.

Suleiman, who is married with two children, said her vision was to become one of the leading makeup artists in Nigeria and West Africa while continuing to empower young women to be financially independent.