#CreatorStories showcases the honest personal experiences of digital creators who monetize their knowledge of a skill and sell it on Selar. We share these stories every week to inspire you to create and sell a product out of your wealth of knowledge and be a part of the digital creator economy.

For our first episode, we talk to Efe Kiki, a Nigerian Undergrad that made over ₦500,000 in her first month of selling her hair business academy course.

The course is targeted toward people looking to get into the hair business, it contains everything needed to start a successful hair business including 100+ contacts of suppliers from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and India. 

The course generated quite an impressive amount of sales in a short period of time and we talk to her to learn how she did it. 

Let’s start with the first time you thought about venturing into the hair business

It wasn’t a thought that sprung up on its own. Actually, the thought was planted by my partner who is now of blessed memory.

So sorry to hear that. That must have been tough on you

It really was. It was almost impossible to move on but I did with time. Sometimes I think God just brought him into my life for a purpose, to hold my hands and walk me through that season.

It’s a good thing to have someone who loves and pushes you to do more

I completely agree. You see, I was really broke at the time and happened to be a lover of good hair. Despite this love, I always ended up getting cheated by online hair vendors. I would order hair only to have them delivered in very low quality.

More like ‘what you ordered versus what you got’. Lol

Exactly!! To solve our financial problems, my late partner came up with the idea of venturing into the hair business. He felt it was a lucrative business to explore.

Were you convinced that was the right path for you?

As I mentioned, I got cheated by hair vendors a lot. This made me skeptical about going into the business full-time. However, he persisted, and coupled with the fact that I needed to make money in any legit way possible, I decided to give it a try.

And how did that turn out at the beginning? Starting a new business isn’t always easy. 

It was something else entirely!! It was not an easy one at all because we didn’t have any form of mentorship or guidance to put us through.  We learned the hard way and made mistakes with our advertising strategies. Things got so bad we literally had to go round a particular area in Benin on foot, telling people about our business.

You’re kidding!!

Lol. I wish I was. It was such a tiring experience and I still laugh whenever I think about it.

Did you make sales though?

Not a single kobo. It was all an effort in futility.

That must have been hard. What was your next move after that?

We kept learning from our personal experiences and networking with other people in the industry also helped. We shared our challenges with Emmanuel Abolo – CEO of Income Boomers. He then took us through the whole Advertising (running ads the right way) and Copywriting process which really helped our business. 

Another way I overcame the sales challenge was by representing my brand and growing it organically. I began to attend events solely for the purpose of networking. I was always dressed to kill while rocking one of my hair. I got to converse with ladies, compliment them and try to start meaningful conversations that will lead to me telling them about my business.

Indeed, Rome wasn’t built in a day

I tell you. But it’s all worth it in the long run. I’m no longer where I used to be financially and neither is my business.

I can’t dispute that considering your recent cashout on that course you created with your phone. 

That’s even little compared to the kind of sales I want to make moving on. Let’s just call it a rehearsal phase. You guys should get ready for me.

You bet we are! Why record with a phone though? We assumed when it comes to course creation people try to go with high-end cameras and all that

I believe the important thing is being able to pass across your message clearly. I don’t necessarily need to get a professional camera and then a Videographer to film me. I felt I could achieve that with my phone. The main thing is to break things down in such a way that a layman understands. I felt ‘why waste money buying a camera when I can as well make an awesome video with my iPhone 11pro.

Who needs a professional camera when there’s an iPhone 11pro? Lol.

Exactly!!.

How did you convince people to pay for your courses?

Basically, I’ve been able to establish myself as an authority in my field. Prior to the paid training, I organized a free training where I taught them about hair – the best way to sell, how not to get scammed again, what they might be doing wrong in their hair business, e.t.c. Dishing out that free knowledge hooked them and made them see more reasons to pay for the course. They saw the value and grabbed it. Organizing the free training and dishing out value hooked them.

Would you say free training is your marketing strategy?

Not exactly. I’ll say offering valuable content and knowing how to engage my audience. I also ensure my prices are as affordable as possible for my paid training. Despite being affordable, the sessions are always value-packed, the Hairlo Business Academy course is just ₦ 20,000 

How many people have you trained from inception till now?

Looking back, I have trained over 1,800 students in the hair business. They are all doing so well in their individual businesses right now.

That’s really impressive

Like I said earlier, I hope to achieve even more this year.

Your journey is an impressive one. Any words of encouragement for those considering this path?

Before starting out, try as much as possible to get adequate knowledge of the business you’re venturing into. Learn from those who are already making it in the business and have a strategy in place.

We’ve come to the end of our interview with the ever-inspiring Effia Kiki. If you’re looking to get into the hair business, then you need to check out her hair courses here on Selar.

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Our mission at Selar is to empower millions of African creators with the tools needed to monetize their knowledge and turn their passion to profit.

We’ve created a simple online store builder with creators at the core of it, so in less than 5 minutes, you can create an online store to sell any kind of product like ebooks, courses, training, services, physical goods, e.t.c

Also, with Selar, you get six currencies by default so you will be able to sell to anyone anywhere in the world! To get started, sign up at selar.co/register

Shout out to Zikoko for pioneering this interviewing style, we love them ❤️.