I really have a lot to talk about, I have a lot I would have loved everyone to read and know about but..... everything can't be on a piece of writing at once.
I'm Olawale Abigeal, a shoemaker, a designer and a book writer😂 (that's on the side for Amazon KDP).
I'd like to share a story of "Why I choose the grind", it's a whole lot but I wouldn't want you to get tired of checking out my piece so I'd be short on this.
I actually wasn't born with a silver spoon so I can relate with a lot of poor people (I'm not rich now though 😂), I am the first child of six so basically I've got a lot on me by default.
I finished secondary school in 2017 (my WAEC result no good sha). I became a teacher in a primary school back then and I was paid 6k monthly.
To me back then it was a lot as I didn't really have much to do with money, mom works with those red BRT buses in lag and Dad worked as a printer in lag too, they both came by on weekends so it was mostly I and my siblings at home.
Our last born was around 2yrs as at that time and most people thought he was my baby because he calls me mommy😂. I took him to same school I taught in and his school fees was half payment because his sister worked there.
I told the proprietress to deduct the school fees from my 6k back then so I was given 3k when the month ended and of course which went into feeding.
I said I wasn't going to take time in explaining but 🤦 I talk a lot😂.
Okay so after I left there I worked as a sales girl where I was paid 8k (Taught for 2 terms).
My new boss was harsh even to her own family members and those ones would talk behind her back about her being single at 30+ because of her attitude.
Dad came and took me to Lagos saying he doesn't want me to get pregnant for market boys (We lived in Ifo market) I'm not that type of girl please don't look at me that way, he was just worried since we are mostly at home alone.
Mom came back because of my siblings though (story for another day)
So I got to Lagos at my Step mom's place (story for another day too). I met with a long time classmate of mine Folarin Matthew (may his soul rest well). He got me a job at his work place in a barrack in Morocco.
We produce envelops, I was paid 15k monthly there until business was somehow and our boss decided to introduce (paying according to what you do) I and Matthew quickly formed a team so we could work together so our pay would be much more better.
Our work got better but the business was still somehow so we volunteered to help our boss market his envelopes because he was a good man. We walked under the sun to market his envelopes and we really didn't do much in sales so he couldn't pay us in full. My step mom said I can't continue working and then be owed for jobs done (other things added to the reasons but it's a story for another day)
I stopped working there and got another place to work for 15k too, somethings happened and I had to quit (not from my boss or me but from my Dad and his wife) yh yh I was always controlled.... because I was soft and not rebellious, I cry at every slightest thing😂😂
I worked as my dad's secretary too and didn't get paid, worked as a sales girl for my step mom's elder sister and didn't get paid (dem too toss me around)
I decided I wasn't working again and I want to continue learning shoemaking (yh I was learning before I left Ogun State but I stopped because of being unable to pay my boss)
so after 3 months of refusing to do anything and staying at home to be sent errands they decided I would go and learn. That was where I met the first female outsider I fell in love with (it's not what you think and I'd tell you another time how and why I fell in love with her)
I was learning shoemaking when I got pregnant (lots of things happened) I went back to Ogun state and started staying with mom while my baby daddy made sure he was there and took responsibilities. I go to is place on weekends... let's not delve into that for now.
I gave birth to a handsome boy...
I knew my life has changed and I needed to buckle up. The new soul in my life gave me boldness like never before, gave me confidence and made me courageous (yh I still cry when something hurts me but I'm strong)
I did teaching job again and was paid 10k when my son was 2yrs old, I went back to my boss to finish learning shoemaking. I got online course on Amazon KDP and started learning. I got a course on book cover designing too because KDP was hard....I thought I could publish any fictional story I formed from my head but I realized that I have to publish what the market wants not what I feel like....I started designing book covers for other KDP publishers and I started seeing 3k for kindle cover and 5k for paperback.
I was happy I could do something on my own at anytime I feel like so I continued learning and working.
Yh now back to why I choose the grind, one day a woman in the market told mom to help her check the price of something and give her feedback (my mom is older than the woman I know) but she is a bit well to do in her dried meat and cow hide business.
I really don't vibe with her like other people in the house does(she doesn't live in our house though, she has a store in our house).
The people in the house said I have pride and I agree because if I no get money I suppose get something.
So mom went to help her price the stuff when she was chanced and when they later saw she told her the price and the woman went "You should have told the seller it's for people like you so that he/she can cut the price" my head or maybe my heart skipped a beat when I heard that statement, she said it in Yoruba so it really hit me hard that was when something opened in me to go hard or go harder.
I knew even if my mom worked hard and didn't get to be rich, I'd make her a rich woman.
I got into my coach's design team and I learnt book interior designing, she kept telling me "you can make millions just designing books, you don't have to add any other job to it and yh I made my first 100k and 500k designing books.
I'm not where I want to be, my mom's not where I want her to be but we def getting there soon.
I'd like to help mom finish her building project this year and I know I will because I've gotten a new course and I'm going to implement like crazy, this year's target runs up to tens of millions.
Thank you for staying here with me.
I love y'all.
Abigeal.
Need a book designed? Reach out on X here.