I was stranded without an idea

This is my story.

It all started when I was an undergraduate,  it was during my industrial training program in 2017.

I was seated beside a friend of mine, Adewumi by name, who approached me and said, let’s start a business, “think of anything that can fetch you money”, just like magic.

I asked him if I could start an ushering business, knowing fully well that I have two years of experience in ushering and I have organized ushers for my hostel party in the past. My classmates didn’t take me seriously because I have no funds, but I was determined.  I used my roommates and their friends for ushers and it was perfect. My friend then agreed to be my manager.

That is how it all started, Adewumi helped me with some flier designs, we approached ladies who we think would be interested in being ushers for events. We registered a few, did little training and we all had a photoshoot.

Starting   Mayfas events wasn’t just about anything that would fetch me money; I was an usher before I thought of starting my own ushering agency. Firstly,  I am a social person, secondly, I was a student that loves to be financially independent; looking at my family, my parents are trying their best raising three children in school. I was in university, my brother was in secondary school, and my sister was working for her master’s degree.

The idea came up as an opportunity to help myself and other young ladies in the university overcome financial instability, this was to give them an alternative source of income and help them become independent. During my industrial training, I thought of starting this ushering business.

I started out and in a short, while I employed more ushers, among the female undergraduates, and trained them, then it occurred to me that I can actually create jobs for young women like me, build them to be financially stable, and provide them with another source of income other than just normal student monthly allowance. This was actually what I saw as I know the difficulties, I faced trying to make ends meet and also trying to catch up with my education, so many young females face such problems today and I have decided to be their solution.

Mayfas events is an ushering agency that started 11th of August, 2017. We provide Ushering and Hospitality services at events. Our services cut across corporate events, wedding parties, birthdays, comedy and music shows, fundraising programmes, and others.  We help to solve the disheartening experience gotten from chaotic events. We achieved this through our ushers who are neatly dressed, well-trained youths with great customer service.

Mayfas events most times host events on weekends; which gives our ushers (female ungergraduates) the opportunity to work without having to miss a class or lose out on any academic activities.

Mayfas events will grow into a national brand by scaling, developing more female undergraduates, and leveraging the use of social media and trends to reach out and showcase our work to a wider audience. We don’t only want to be well recognized among other agent but to be unique and different also suit the main purpose which is providing jobs for female youths because that is the foundation on which I started Mayfas events.

Female youths have passion for events, social activities where they can connect, do things they have interest in while making money. We plan on training our ushers on physical appearance, communication (how to approach guest), endurance (how to stand for long at an event) and many more.

I had my first client when I was in my final year as an undergraduate in 2018, my client requested for twenty ushers, and I was able to provide the ushers in uniforms. I felt so fulfilled, I kept on having customers, it was a bit difficult getting another client after that major event and I almost lost my ushers to competitors until I met a friend who was doing well with his business, he exposed and encourages me to try out grants and other opportunities to raise funds for my business in other to be in the right standing and position well for my client. I applied for grants to raise funds, so we can use to get usher’s uniform, photoshoot, and to be visible to our potential customers I ended gaining a lot in business management and skills, which is presently helping me.

I got a little space in my dad’s office to use as my office. Then I had to apply for a job which I got. I work Monday to Saturday (9am to 5:30pm). From this job, I could raise little fund to get my business registered, I paid for some online adverts, fliers and I was able to get some uniforms for my ushers.

I have since then been able to put together a mix of more than 30 ushers, men and women, and have successfully done about 45 events since inception.

The goal for Mayfas events is to provide a more reliable and sustainable alternative source of income for young people who need a legal source to become independent and remain social while making money.

The Journey as absolutely not been easy but I have decided not to quit but see an opportunity in every problem faced in other to give a lot of young people hope and let them know they can survive and live their lives in jobs like this not necessarily having to bow to peer pressure and other social vices out there.

My name is Faromika Mary Oluwaseun.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Stay blessed