Marian has had an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age and used to sell beans and cassava with her mother during the primary school lunch break to make ends meet. Sadly, she had to drop out of education when she reached secondary school, as her parents could no longer afford the fees.
But she progressed on her entrepreneurial journey having been inspired by both her mother and other successful businesswomen in her community. Having gained the trust of local women, Marian received coaching and goods on credit, which she used to build up her customer base. As her business took off she was soon able to pay the women back.
However, running a retail business is challenging, which puts many others off. Marian had been running her shop for a number of years before she heard about the Women in Enterprise project run by CARE and funded by H&M Foundation.
“I was born an entrepreneur and now I am one of the most successful retailers in my region.”
— Marian
“I was finding it difficult to manage my business. Then CARE offered me free training in Financial Education and Business Management Training.”
Following the training, Marian was able to further grow her business. She puts much of her success down to sheer determination. Following the Ebola outbreak, her business slowed down due to movement restrictions. Thanks to her newly developed finance and business skills she was able to overcome these challenges.
She says that her husband and four children are happy and proud of her success, which supports the household and pays for the children’s education. Together with her husband, she has managed to build a house and now owns land in her own name.
Marian now wants to give something back and is helping other young women in her region by offering them the same opportunities that she had, including mentoring, coaching and goods on credit. She wants them to become independent and also serve as role models within her country.
“Women are expected to work hard, but they’re not allowed to succeed,” Marian says. “But I was born an entrepreneur and now I am one of the most successful retailers in my region.”
