In a showroom at a shopping mall in Lagos, Nigeria, 24-year-old Aishat runs her shoe business, Aeesha Collections. It first opened in the mall and online at the beginning of this year, but Aishat has been building her career since 2012 when she graduated from university. This past March, Aishat joined our celebration for International Women’s Day when she hosted employees from our partner Mastercard at her store. 

A Mastercard employee cuts out the leather as Aishat applies gum to the sole of the shoe.

As the CEO of Aeesha Collections, Aishat is part of an entrepreneurs’ network focused on continuing their education and uplifting each other to pursue their passion. Entrepreneurship is attractive to women on so many levels, as Aishat explained:

“Every woman wants to be on her own. No woman wants to be a liability and more so, it’s inspiring when you see a young woman like me doing well for herself in her business, you will feel like doing your own thing. Also, a salary job and getting a good pay is tasking in this country. You can’t have full possession of your time and be making good money while doing a salary job. Everyone, including women, wants their time to themselves.”

Aishat speaks at a YTF training session for women entrepreneurs.

Taking a Step in the Right Direction

Aishat chose her profession as a shoemaker with determination. She explains the process she went through in exploring her options and what path her passions led her to in the end.

“Growing up, I wanted to become a banker, but I was no longer pleased with the profession,” said Aishat. “I had always wanted to learn a skill and make-up artistry was what I considered, but my cousin advised me to do something different. I had always loved shoes so I thought to myself what could be more satisfying than making them. So I made my decision to learn shoemaking and that was the start of my career.”

Aishat explains that she had only thought of shoemaking as hobby in her undergraduate career. The idea to start her business was originally “to while away time with learning a vocational skill,” but it turned into her full-time job.

Mastercard employees assisting Aisha in applying gum to shoe soles at her workshop.

Technology Makes the Impossible, Possible

As many seasoned entrepreneurs can attest, not everything is sunshine and roses for a business owner. Aishat knows she will likely continue to face problems with the unequal manner society treats females in business, in addition to the many issues any business owner faces.

“Being in a male dominated industry has been really challenging, people look down on you thinking you can’t offer as much as a male would,” said Aishat. “Also, getting an investor, especially a male, never comes easy because they ask for some favor in return.”

Another major challenge is getting materials needed to make the shoes. Machines that produce quality leather soles aren’t available in Nigeria, so importing those materials adds to production costs. It’s in difficult situations like this where YTF’s technology training really makes a difference. 

Aishat learning the basics of 3D printing up close and personal.

About a year ago, Aishat learned about a possible solution to the lack of readily available materials for her shoemaking business when YTF and Mastercard paired up to teach women entrepreneurs about 3D printers. The entrepreneurial training sessions featured 3D printing technology and a heavy dose of inspiration, sharing the many possibilities afforded through the technology.

Aishat was thrilled. “This 3D printer will allow me to print shoe soles and customize my shoes,” she shared. “It is a phenomenal experience that I am grateful to have been a part of. I hope to get the machine to ease the stress of importation on my business.”

Aishat holding up the #BeingBold sign for International Women’s Day in front of her store at the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall.

Aishat holding up the #BeingBold sign for International Women’s Day in front of her store at the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall.

We love when women empower women. Aishat takes this call to heart, sharing a message to empower each women entrepreneur she encounters.

“I stand to celebrate every woman out there who is a trailblazer and is making waves in whatever you do. I am Aishat, and I am standing bold for change, ready to make a difference and standing in for the unheard voices of hard-working women in business.”

MasterCard’s Tayo Adesina speaking to the women entrepreneurs about customer service segmentation.

When we go bold, we go big. While you saw us tweeting away on International Women’s Day, what you didn’t see was an eager group of women entrepreneurs gathered in Lagos, Nigeria, ready to learn. Our team partnered with generous employees from technology-related companies to mark International Women’s Day as a truly actionable occasion.

While all women are celebrated every year on March 8, it is in YTF’s DNA to celebrate women entrepreneurs in particular – mothers of the thousands of youth we serve. This workshop encouraged our women entrepreneurs in Nigeria to be resilient in spite of the economic change and recession. Sticking with the global theme of International Women’s Day, we aimed to #BeBoldForChange, taking actions towards gender parity.

Formula for Fast-Track Entrepreneur Building

The first day of the workshop brought together women entrepreneurs alongside a group of Mastercard and HP employees, in addition to representatives from the Association of Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN), a network of women entrepreneurs invited by the Center for International and Private Enterprise (CIPE).

This four-hour training and knowledge sharing session included building an action wall. Participants brainstormed what they would do to achieve gender equality if they were put in charge of their country. Ideas ranged from giving free vocational training to disadvantaged girls to opening doors for a female president.

The keynote address was delivered by Alexa Lion and Oladipo Ogunshire from the Mastercard team. They introduced Mastercard and shared their vision for “a world beyond cash,” explaining Mastercard uses technology to make payments safe, simple and smart.

Mastercard’s Alexa Lion giving one of the women entrepreneurs, Charity Esezobor, a hug at the beginning of the workshop as part of an icebreaker.

Sessions throughout the day included:

• Some practical dos and don’ts in a recession, presented by YTF staff.
• The impact of e-payment for women entrepreneurs, presented by Uwa Uzebu and Kamil Olufowobi of Mastercard. They educated the women entrepreneurs on what e-payment can do for them as a businesswoman, saying that it can save lots of time and inconvenience.
• A hands-on training on how to write a business plan, presented by Casmir Anyaegbu with YTF. The women were markedly happy to receive such a practical guide.
• A focus on empowering women in small and medium businesses, presented by Joyce Onumere and Ruth Owolabi from HP. They introduced HP LIFE – an online business and IT training platform – and encouraged the women to take advantage of the platform to gain education on relevant topics and boost their businesses.

Finally, the entrepreneurs were instructed in customer service segmentation to help relate to each customer appropriately and offered ideas on creating customer loyalty by offering discounts and deals.

Joyce Onwumere of HP speaking to the women entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs in Action: Visiting Aeesha Collections

The next afternoon, the YTF team accompanied the Mastercard crew for a tour of one entrepreneur’s business – Aeesha Collections. Owner Aishat manufactures shoes and has participated in YTF’s Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs training in Lagos. She designs the shoes, puts them together using leather and rubber, and has a couple small machines to complete the product. Very few women in Nigeria do this type of work.

Aishat (left) giving a tour

The group met her seven employees – all male – at her workshop and spoke with Aishat about her business. After exploring her workshop, Aishat took the group to her showroom to show off some of her designs.

YTF introduced 3D printing to Aishat and has been working with her to explore the possibilities of 3D printing shoe soles and other materials of her shoes. The Mastercard team learned about this process from Aishat and considered ways in which working with YTF, they can advance this vision for Aishat and many other women entrepreneurs looking at ways to innovate within their product lines. 

Boldly Navigating the New Frontier

We believe Africa is the newest frontier for creating sustainable livelihoods through micro, small and medium enterprise development – especially for women at risk of vulnerable employment. That’s why our #BeBoldforChange idea for International Women’s Day was this event.

The opportunity to get Mastercard employees to donate their time and talent, diving in by touring a business of a woman entrepreneur we support and listening to her stories, challenges, and successes firsthand was the pivotal outcome of this two-day event. Forging connections between entrepreneurs and paths to success is a role we’re excited to play – whether that’s a piece of critical knowledge or a company willing to support small and medium business.

Post by Narges Khoramshahi, Next Generation Leaders program

Since the day I walked through the doors of YTF’s Louisville headquarters in October 2016, I’ve been floored by how YTF works. Prior to joining the team, I had no idea how far-reaching and positive the impact of one organization could be.

I have the unique opportunity to embed with YTF for a year through the Next Generation Leaders program, digging deep to develop leadership skills that I can take back to my country. So far, I have been included in several talks with YTF country managers and have been incredibly inspired by how YTF leverages technology, often in places that an outsider might consider technology to be a luxury.

This exposure to emerging technologies has prompted me to integrate aspects of technology into my action plan for work back home, opening doors to become more effective.

Roots at Home and Branches Across the Ocean

I have learned that being an influential leader requires a clear understanding of the communities and people you want to work with and empower. A home base for YTF in Louisville, Kentucky, may seem strange at first, but once you get to know Njideka’s vision, experience and dedication – paired with a keen eye for the right partners and a capable team – it’s clear that no individual across the world is out of reach for YTF’s life-altering impacts.

At the same time, I’m learning that you can’t be indifferent about the community that surrounds you. Defining new projects in order to be a change agent and leader where you live is just as critical as reaching new continents. For instance, I am becoming familiar with various YTF programs such as 3D Printing Academy for Girls. While YTF’s 3D printing work started in countries like Nigeria and Kenya, this 3D printing program was recently brought home to Louisville. I have learned to appreciate the accessibility of the Louisville community and their welcoming attitude. I see a great potential for connection and collaboration.

The concept of community for YTF’s work extends beyond directly serving the people of Louisville. YTF also deeply values and benefits from partnerships and learning from their fellow changemaker organizations. YTF wants to be an active part of the nonprofit community in Louisville and as such is a member of Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNPE), based right here in Louisville. We participated in the CNPE annual conference last fall and saw the potential of the Louisville community – an inspiring reminder of the role YTF can play in this space. We especially loved the supportive atmosphere, agreeing with fellow attendees that an effort to be fair and patient with each other can pay dividends in all our work.

Want to Make a Big Impact? Make the Details Matter.

At YTF, every single appointment, phone call and visit matters. And each interaction and communication requires preparation and focus.

We evaluate ourselves before and after our meetings and calls. We try to determine what success looks like in any session. We prepare, have a plan and follow up to establish accountability to implement tasks and keep driving forward. We make it a goal to learn one thing from every meeting. It’s clear these small, organizational culture things matter and make a difference.

This may seem obvious to some, but it speaks volumes to YTF’s operating principles. How you approach your work and how you honor people’s values makes for stronger relationships and lasting, meaningful changes in the world.

Telling Our Story, Our Way

When I first met Njideka and heard the story of how she started and shaped YTF, I knew instantly I could learn a lot from her journey as a leader. As social entrepreneurs, Njideka and I co-wrote a piece in celebration of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day last fall. Talking about our passion working with Iranian and Nigerian women is certainly close to our hearts. It’s been incredible to discover the enormous similarities between our communities when it comes to women. Even more, I’m finding through YTF the potential and the desire to break through all my limitations and to stand tall on their behalf.

I’ve been reminded time and again that empowering one woman is like empowering all women. I cherish the work that YTF does to provide opportunities for girls and women and I am honored to be part of it.