Extra Income from Skills: Marianne's Story (#LearnASkillChallenge)

Bio: My name is Marianne Simduwa Papka, I'm 29 years old, a Christian, MARGHI by tribe from Askira/Uba LGA of Borno State, North-Eastern part of Nigeria. I am a proud Wife to a handsome and hardworking young man, a Mother to an amazing, smart boy, a Medical Doctor and an Entrepreneur.

I started my early years of education at Ruby Model School and proceeded to secondary school at Maiduguri International School, both in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. I went ahead to study Medicine the course of my dreams at the University of Maiduguri; I have always wanted to be a Medical Doctor. After graduating in the year 2014, I relocated to Abuja where I have continued to work and serve humanity in my best ability.

   

How I got started:

I ventured into business about two (2) years ago. It started out really small, had very few customers - basically friends and family but today, it has grown so much; I cater for all events including weddings of up to a thousand guests. My business was purely born out of my passion for cooking and baking which started from childhood. 

 

  

I have always been interested in what my Mum did in the kitchen; she is an amazing cook and she bakes too, so I learned almost everything from her. I never went to any culinary school mainly because of time (planning to go for a short course soon, though). I learnt a lot too by trying out new recipes on my own, watching lots of food network and endless YouTube videos, lol! But then all the basics came from what my Mother taught me.

  

I know you might be wondering, how I combine all of this with such a busy lifestyle. Well, I will say once you have a passion for something and put your mind to it, then there is nothing you cannot achieve.

The journey has not been smooth all through, there are lots of challenges I must say: sometimes having to stay up till 2 am, and then waking up early the next day to get my son all set for school and set out for work myself. Other challenges include, not having a proper business plan, no set rules and was therefore, exploited by some friends and family by making you slash down prices and so on. However, in business, you learn every day! I made lots of mistakes, but I learned from them and today I have terms and conditions and a plan, which has helped my business grow a lot and I'm still improving by the day. Today, my passion has turned into a money-making business for me (don’t have to wait for monthly salaries, lol!!).

Advice to Youths: 

My advice to every young person out there is:

“Do not limit yourself to a Monday to Friday office job, please go the extra mile and be INDEPENDENT.”

Find out what you have a passion for and think of ways to build on them; you should have a VISION and MISSION for your business.  You don’t have to start big, start small and watch yourself grow as you put in conscious efforts to do so.

    

When I started I had few customers, but today I decline some orders, get calls from people and also deliver outside Abuja, I am an employer of labor, I cater for weddings etc; all these started as a small dream. I see myself owning one of the biggest pastry outlets in the heart of Abuja soon by God’s grace.

 

Today, I am the proud CEO of a registered company and an employer of labor. You can check out my page on Instagram @mariespiscolabis and my facebook page Marianne Papka. For enquiries, if you wish to be talked to about your little business or on how to start a business like mine, please contact me on 08065162200, Marianne.mangga@yahoo.com.

Thank you.