Tuning into BBC one evening, I stumbled upon Abimbola from Africa and her Bimbeads organization where she makes customized beaded jewelry for women. A little research on the internet led me all the way back to how she started her journey. In 2006, after graduating from the Petroleum Training Institute Warri, Abimbola ‘Bimbo’ Balogun couldn’t find a job as a petroleum marketer. She decided to keep herself busy by making beaded necklaces until a good job came her way.
Bimbo initially invested 400 Naira(about $3) in beads to make two necklaces. Interestingly, Bimbo never had any prior training in making bead jewelry. Later, she sold them for 5,000 Naira, extracting a profit of more than 1,000 percent! Since then, Bimbo never had the need for a job.Currently, the value of her business stands at nearly 5 million Naira (about $30,000) and she seems as enthusiastic as ever. Also, she has some very high-profile clients, including wives of governors, kings and women in politics.
“Of course, I was scared. I had the fear of failing but the passion kept me going. My designs are different because they are customised. They are designs that are uniquely and individually crafted,” Bimbo explained.
In a market full of bead necklace makers, Bimbo decided to stand out from the crowd and got on the internet to learn more intricate and creative ornament designs and for inspiration she started looking at design websites.In Africa, where there were a whole lot of people that made beaded necklaces, she separated herself from the pack by making high-end products with special gems.
“I knew I had to be different from every other beaded jewellery designer so I went online,” Bimbo says.
After starting her business, she got a scholarship from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Woman Initiative to study Entrepreneurial Management at the Lagos Business School. Bimbo currently hosts a weekly Nigerian television show that focuses on beaded jewelry making. This has boosted her profile and business, which currently serves the country through two outlets in the commercial city of Lagos.
Bimbeads is also involved in empowerment for individuals and groups through workshops, seminars and training programs. Mrs.Balogun also talks extensively about the significance of networking and of women working together to achieve success.
She speaks at mentoring and motivational events and is a member of a number of organisations, including the Nigeria Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), a platform of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).
“I started by calling myself a mobile trainer. So I was going from one house to the other, training people and earning some money but when I joined NNEW I was advised to take the bold step to get an outlet which I did” says Abimbola.
Bimbo believes that her learning was enhanced and improvement came with every new necklace and earring she made. She perfected her quality by adding precious and semi-precious stones which made her products stand out.
She plans to expand her business in the long run and currently is aiming to open new outlets across Nigeria and West Africa.
If you want to try some jewelry that is laced with African culture, please visit www.bimbeads.com to shop a wide range of beaded jewelry!
