The Journey (Series 4)

The race is not given to the swift but to those who endure to the end.

We now had more than enough hostesses to start an ushering agency. We charged each potential usher N1,000 for their forms during the audition and this kind of put me under a lot of pressure to get the girls jobs.

But the jobs were no where to be found. I started wondering if I had made yet another mistake. Some of the ladies started sending me stinker messages. 

I had honestly thought that once I had gotten the hostesses, the jobs will automatically start flowing in. I was wrong, very wrong. 

I started thinking about my former bosses and how easy I thought they got jobs. Then I suddenly remembered one of my bosses statements, in which she asked us (her girls) if we thought it was easy for her to get ushering jobs. 

It had never occurred to me until that moment, that it wasn't going to be easy and I was going to have to work hard to get jobs, to gain the much needed experience that was needed for my agency to grow. My heart sank.

I was under immense pressure after demanding N1,000 from the girls, the stinker text messages were getting to me. Potential clients wanted pictures of previous jobs done and I had none to offer while some other clients wanted outfits that I did not have then. 

This went on for about 4 months, I was vigorously advertising on every platform available. Then one good day, I received a call from an old friend. He told me it was his younger brother's wedding and his contribution was to provide the hostesses for the event and he thought about me because I had been advertising relentlessly on all my social media accounts. (you are the best person to advertise your business) story for another day.

He told me their colour for the day and I told him I would get the outfits. He also mentioned that he did not have much money and that he really needed to contribute his part for the wedding. From N5,000 per girl that I charged him, he bargained to N3,000. I was desperate, I needed the job to keep the girls and also to give me some ray of hope.

I accepted.

It was after I had sealed the deal that it dawned on me that I had to get outfits, I became frantic, I wanted them to look nice but I also needed to make or buy an outfit they could reuse again. 

I also kept thinking of how much I would be able to give the ladies if I bought the outfits from the N3,000 which wasn't even near enough. 

I had to get money somehow. I bought a black and white striped peplum top at N1,500 each and I had to buy 10. I asked the girls to bring black pencil skirts. I also bought red accessories (belts and fascinators) since their colour had a touch of red in it. This cost me an extra N500 on each girl.

I paid the ladies the whole N3,000 and was left with nothing. In fact, it was a loss because I had to spend my money to buy the tops and accessories but I decided not to see it as a loss but rather considered it an investment, an investment that was to jump start La' Heiress Hospitality Services to greater heights.

To be continued...