She Was Tying Gele for ₦200, Now She Builds a Sustainable Beauty Business

From learning the beauty business as a stopgap while she awaits Uni, Omoyoma Lawrence has since evolved to be the owner of a thriving beauty business, GlambyYoma. In this conversation, she relives her years of training, the tropes of the beauty business and the several hitches and breakthroughs in her journey. This is Yoma’s story as told to Godswill Inneh as part of Moveee’s Entrepreneurial Spirit story series.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a beholder of beautiful things. From the nearly pressed outfit to the layered powder on the cheeks, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of helping people be at their best at all times. 

When I was done with secondary school, my parents mandated that I learn a skill before advancing to the university, and that was when I went for my first training in Makeup. I didn’t know what my mom was trying to do at the time, but today, I’m really grateful for that move. 

During my training, I was learning both makeup and gele, and surprisingly, my first ever paid gig came as a result of the Gele addition. That day in 2018, I was in church for a rehearsal when I saw a woman who was stranded, trying to tie her gele to no avail. I seized the opportunity and offered to help her tie it for a fee. She requested the amount, and I charged ₦200, as that was the price at the time.  I further asked that she pray for me, as she was my first client. She obliged and prayed for me. That gesture meant a lot to me as I’ve always been an ardent believer in the power of prayer. Prayer has been my driving force from the onset of my career, and it has kept me going for most of my journey.

When I was about to finish Uni, the question of What Next? kept popping up. I was at a crossroads, wondering if I should apply for a job or get a digital skill? It was at this point that I decided to pursue the beauty business full-time. I figured I’ve had this skill for a while, so why not improve on it? That was how I moved to Benin and started my business full-time.

Moving to a new city and starting afresh was quite challenging. I barely knew anyone around, so I had to do a lot of marketing. I shared flyers, took people’s numbers, and networked among photographers and models. I did all these alongside putting my work on social media constantly. Although it was tough, I didn’t stop and didn’t relent. I’m super grateful for the support of my family during these trying times. There are days I’d call my Mum to rant, and she’ll encourage me that business is not child’s play. I have to do it constantly over a period of time before it can pick up fully. 

The early days were tedious as I did not have a personal profit. At some point, I was even pressured to switch to something else. This was in July 2024. It was a really depressing time for me as I was barely getting any bookings. I was really tempted to close my shop down and start something else. Fortunately, that didn’t happen with my family being present in my life and active in my business. 

The pressure increased as I didn’t have any bookings for months. It was really terrible for me, because aside from the financial aspect, the situation made me start doubting myself about whether I was really good enough. I kept asking myself why people are not seeing my work. Why are they not booking my service? It was pretty tough, but somehow I was able to move away from that. 

Currently, the business is more structured, both in finances and operations. GlambyYoma is different from Yoma, the person running the business. At the end of every month, GlambyYoma pays Yoma a salary, and I had to then sacrifice Yoma’s salary to grow GlambyYoma. I wasn’t buying anything. I wasn’t indulging in any fancy stuff – clothes, hair, shoes, perfumes. Nothing at all. I didn’t abstain from buying any of these because I didn’t like them, but rather because I was trying to grow my business. I sacrificed my personal preferences and bought products. I was investing in shoots, flyers, ads, and whatever else would grow my business better. I was aggressively putting my money back into my business, and it’s finally paying off, albeit slowly.

After years of learning the business of makeup, trying and checking out various methods of operations, I now have a standard pricing system. When I trained at Layefa Beauty, she also taught us the art of pricing. My current price point is a reflection of my skill and my environment. As a business owner, you have to put your price point at a good price that is enough to sustain the business and yourself. You also have to check your demographic. What can these people afford? Although my pricing is slightly above what the people in my area can afford, it is still a reasonable price. As much as possible, I don’t overcharge or undercharge.

We also have a finance structure that we operate by. We now reinvest profits. There is usually a certain percentage of money that goes back into the business. There is a percentage that goes to paying my assistant and myself, and there’s also a percentage for marketing and every other expense. Running a business in Nigeria is not a walk in the park because it is really hard. The system makes it hard for you, and this is the more reason why you need a good structure to run your business. You cannot just treat it as a hobby. If you treat it as a hobby, it’s going to remain a hobby. But if you treat it as a business, it will grow, and with the right steps, you also will grow.

I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, and I don’t think there is any business owner who would not make one mistake or the other at some point. Making mistakes does not deter you from growing; however, it’s your ability to learn from these mistakes that matters in the long run. Luckily, I haven’t had any reason to make grievous and uncontrollable mistakes. My mistakes have been manageable, and I’ve been able to move past them to make better choices.

I’ve had seasons when there were no bookings. As much as this gets me agitated, I ensure it doesn’t weigh me down. Instead of feeling all sad and sorry, I channel my energy into building capacity. I take classes, shoot, and network with other creatives. To prepare ahead of these slow seasons, I also save. Saving is a shield against days like these, as it keeps me afloat till the bookings start flowing in again

Although GlambyYoma started as a hobby, we’ve grown beyond just a hobby to a sustainable business. For now, expansion is on my mind as the beauty of a business is in its growth. So I am looking forward to growth on all fronts, and I am hoping that everything works together as planned. 

My advice to other young women is to, firstly, work on your skills. You have to be a person of value and make sure you’re really good at what you do. It is your value that other people get to see that makes them regard you as a valuable individual and makes it easier for them to help you. 

Also, do not compare yourself to another person, because when you do, it will steal your joy. Everybody has their time. Be content, and grow at your own pace. Define what a win means to you, and don’t let another person’s definition of a win overshadow your journey. No matter how little the win may seem to be, let it make sense to you. Your journey is totally yours, so let it matter to you. 

Entrepreneurial Spirit is a Moveee series showcasing the industriousness of African entrepreneurs and business builders, exploring their triumphs, challenges, and the intersection of life and business. You can also share your story by contacting us today.