Hello Hive community! 👋 I'm new to Hive and this is my second post. Today, I'd like to share my journey as a Nigerian student and entrepreneur.

My journey as a student and a business owner is an ongoing adventure I’m always eager to continue exploring. I started this journey in 2022 when I first got admission into the university. The need to be able to support my parents in paying my tuition fee, pocket money, buying textbooks and hand out covering accommodation and other miscellenous expenses led me to embark on this journey. I couldn't imagine what would have been of me if I didn't have any side job as a Nigerian student.

Being a Nigerian student comes with numerous challenges.Without a strong financial back up, one might have no other option than to drop out. In contrast, this might not be the case in other countries
After thorough thought and observation, I decided to venture into perfume business.I started selling oil perfumes with a small initial investment. My initial customers were friends, course mates, family members, neighbours etc.

I sold out quickly and made a significant profit on my first purchase. However, my second purchase didn't go as smoothly; I didn't sell out quickly as the first time, I made low profit due to having many debtor that patronised me on credit. Following my disappointing experience with my second purchase I decided to take an online course on running a small business. In this course, I acquired a wealth of skills in online marketing including Dropshipping. I then began promoting my business on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, my strategy involves taking high-quality product images accompanied by detailed descriptions and prices.

I expanded my products line to include other types of perfume products such as body sprays, perfumes sprays ,designer perfumes, roll-ons, deodorants and oil perfumes. With my newly acquired skill on Dropshipping, I was able to sell high-end perfumes online to friends living in other state and strangers I met online.

My picture from my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=746076281000611&set=a.166300998978145&type=3&mibextid=NOb6eG

HOW I SELL BY DROPSHIPPING

Dropshipping is a retail strategy where a seller partners with a supplier to ship products directly to customers, without holding any inventory.

As a small business owner, I don't have the capital to stock most perfumes, nor do i have a physical shop to display them. In my business environment ,finding customers willing to pay the full price for these perfumes can be challenging, and even if I do , it may take a long time. So I decided to use dropshipping to sell expensive, luxurious perfumes online. )

HOW I PARTNER WITH MY SUPPLIERS

I find my suppliers on social media platforms like Facebook,with some located in different state, others in my local area. I exercise caution when dealing potential suppliers, taking the time to make researches and observe their online presence to avoid falling prey to scammers. Fortunately, I've been successful in finding legitimate suppliers. After verifying their authenticity. I initiate a conversation explaining my intention to dropship their products. They agree and add me to their wholesaler platform on WhatsApp, where they show product images, descriptions and prices, I use this informations to creat post on my social media pages. adding my markups .

When a customer expresses interested in a product, we agree on the price and delivery fee. I then placed an order with my supplier, paying for the product and delivery fee, providing the customers details including address and phone number, I also confirm estimated delivery time and proceed to update my customer on when they should be expecting the product . Once the product is delivered, the customer notifies me. Everyone is satisfied 😌

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=746428954298677&set=a.166300998978145&type=3&mibextid=NOb6eG

MY CHALLENGES IN MY SMALL BUSINESS

Doing business and studying hasn't been that easy, sometimes I go through some challenges. But in all I do I put my studies first. One of the biggest challenges i face is transportion, some times the estimated time of delivery might take longer than expected, making the customer worried and question my authenticity, and this makes me worried that the customer might not want to patronise me again

MY GROWTH SO FAR

I've made mistakes, learnt valuable lessons, and am continually striving to improve and grow in various aspects of my business, Specifically, I aim to enhance my packaging,streamline my delivery processes and expand my social media presence.
I've already established a business name, Estelle's scents, and am actively working hard to increase my social media audience and build a strong online presence.

Thank you for taking time to read my business story to the end. I am opened to suggestions on how to improve in my small business.