Good morning,
Let me tell you the truth that will save you from depression in business.
Your first customer is NOT your family. Your first customer is NOT your best friend.
And that's okay.
You started uniform business. You told your uncle. You told your cousin. You told your church member. You posted on your family WhatsApp group.
Nobody bought. Nobody even replied "nice one."
You felt bad. You said "my family doesn't support me. They are jealous."
No, my brother. They are not jealous. They just don't see you as a businessman yet. They still see you as "that small boy who used to follow us to farm in Eket. Your family cannot be your first customers because they got your cloth for free when you were small. How will they pay now?
Let me tell you who your first customer is.
Your first customer is a STRANGER.
A stranger who doesn't know your father.
A stranger who doesn't care about your story.
A stranger who only cares about one thing:
"Is this uniform good? Can I trust this man?"
That stranger in Kano who has never been to Akwa Ibom will pay you 15k for uniform without pricing you too much. But your own cousin will price you from 15k to 4k and still say "you should give me for free na."
Stop wasting your energy convincing family.
Go and find strangers.
How? 1. Post your work every day where strangers are - Facebook, TiKTOK, Instagram.
2. Go to schools. Meet proprietors you don't know. Tell them what you do.
3. Let your work speak. One good uniform sewn for a stranger will bring 10 more strangers.
Your family will come later. When they see strangers rushing you, when they see you are now serious, they will come and say "my son, I need uniform for my child too."
But by that time, you won't even need them.
Because strangers have already made you.
So stop crying that family didn't buy.
Family is for love. Strangers are for business.
Focus on strangers, and your family will be proud of you later.
Thank you.