Honestly, I thought for so long to try remember my first earning and the story behind it... It just kept coming in bits by bits and I saw myself smiling at every thought of it.
Before my first earning...
I've been the daddy's girl who always get allowances from dad so long I was leaving home to school, to church or a birthday party I was invited to. Dad never let my siblings and I go out without pocket money (It was an habit for him and it got used to us too).
The lowest amount he would give to us then was #150 and that amount could buy a lot at that time (I mean it could buy me lots of sweets, chocolate, peanuts and my favourite drinks) haha yeah, I was the worse sweet tooth back but dad kept giving me money.
But like they say, everyday isn't a good day... Dad couldn't keep up giving us pocket money (He actually had to leave us with his sibling, my aunt and we stopped getting allowances). I didn't felt it as a challenge since my aunt tried her best to take care of our little needs almost like my dad.
Where my first earning idea came from...
My aunt had a small store where she sold provisions and food stuffs, I started to help her at the shop but without pay of course... She was feeding my siblings and I very well. Sometime later, I heard my aunt say something that I simply can't forget up till now.
She suggested that we think of making our own products and use her store as an avenue to sell them off then earn for ourselves. Honestly, I didn't think I was ever going to work for my own pay because I had the notion that dad would give us allowances again when he was back and continue with it.
Well, my thoughts changed and I liked the way my aunt was earning from her shop... I decided to think of what I would do to earn in her shop, I was 15 years at that time so an idea didn't take time to come in.
I learnt a skill to make my first earning...
Uhmm can I really call it a skill? Maybe I can since I learnt how to make candies, package them and sell at my aunt's store. Believe me when I say I learnt how to make them from words of mouth (People tried explaining how they make them) and I got better at every trial until I made very good ones fit for sales.
Thanks to my aunt and younger sister, who gave me packaging tips after I made fine candies (coconut candies and groundnut cakes). I decided to sell some in my aunt's store and took some to school to sell too... Trust me, it was a whole new feeling of excitement for me.
Whoever bought from the candies had a good remark for it, I felt like I was a genius in the skill and I couldn't wait to see if I had the profit from making them. Aunt gave me money to start the business so I had to give her back and use my profit to continue.
My first earning, my pride
I got home feeling excited with the amount I got from selling at school (I was able to sell all the candies I took to school) I wish I had taken all of it to school but when I got home, aunt had sold the ones I left at her store too.
I calculated my first earning and it amounted to a total of #1200 (about $2) giving me a profit of #500 (about $1). You needed to see how happy and proud I was of myself. Even my aunt praised me for my first earning.
You can imagine the joy in my heart when I was holding my own hard earned money... I used it to make more candies and I earned more while I got better at making candies.
I don't make candies to sell anymore but I have the skill and the memories to keep, thanks to my aunt who inspired it, to my brain for having such a thought and to all my supporters and customers when I started.
Thanks for reading!!!