UDOBIZ-NESS OF THE WEEK : THE VALERIAN EVENTS

This week, we will be featuring the brand; The Valerian Events.

A rising star in the event space, The Valerian Events specializes in planning, strategy, coordination, execution and catering for all kinds of events. Affordable yet exceptional service is key and they will certainly have you feeling like royalty from start to finish. Like a few businesses out there, this one was conceived due to unsatisfactory experience provided by a now competitor. According to Faith (the CEO); it all started at a terrible wedding somewhere in Lagos. Almost nothing was done right at this wedding. The fashion choices of those involved were questionable; the food was not enough for guests and the hall was an eyesore. She decided that day that nobody truly deserves an event that cannot be talked about positively and that was the first step to birthing Valerian events in 2017.

Faith, much like your average business owner, has had her challenges. Starting from humble beginnings, funding was almost non-existent and in fact, is sometimes still an issue today. She said something which resonated with me;

“Even your friends and family who should support you would rather give the job to the big names and then prospective clients start to wonder why your portfolio is empty and then refuse to give you a chance.”

That statement captures a lot of the issues that entrepreneurs deal with today – Lack of support from friends and family. Most times they want things done for free or just outright do not want to help. If only they knew how important having a big portfolio is to an entrepreneur, especially with attracting new customers. Due to the mentioned challenges, Faith believes that The Valerian Events Co. is extremely far from its full potential. One thing we love about her is the drive and work ethic shown in overcoming these challenges to succeed. Her aim is to see The Valerian Event becoming a huge national event conglomerate with a diverse workforce and skillset to make any event memorable. She works on this goal every day and it shows. << We’re 100% behind you, Faith!. >>

Faith believes that to be a good entrepreneur, you have to enjoy client interaction; even if the client is considered “toxic” by some. You might not enjoy working with them but while that is happening, you have to treat them with as much respect as you would a business partner. Aside from the affordability of The Valerian Events, the customer interaction and respect is definitely a huge strong point. Customer interaction is so important that The Valerian Events co. is not considered a side hustle in any way but a full time gig.

“This is my legacy” – Faith.

We went on to further probe into opinions on business in Nigeria as a whole. She definitely did not have any positives regarding ease of business in Nigeria. She basically compared doing business in Nigeria to hell. She explained how, despite the large population, the poor economy has made it so that people cannot afford to spend as much on a service and they always try to price down. The government also provides almost zero grants, electricity is still an issue and it is extremely difficult to save because you have to provide your own basic amenities. The country just does not provide a great environment for business growth or development. Despite this though, she still believes in never giving up because a big break is always around the corner. Her words - “Keep working hard because there are people around us making it and we can join them.”

Being a Nigerian myself and knowing the issues women face in the country, I had to ask about challenges as an entrepreneur directly related to her gender. Her biggest issue was toxic masculinity. According to her, various male clients try to cross professional boundaries and make passes at you. Some people (men and women) also occasionally voice their patriarchal opinions; a common one being that they just do not feel that women are cut out for business. Her answer to how she felt about issues like this was superb.

“I face them, crush them and keep moving ahead. I give no opportunity to anyone who seeks to frustrate me. I stay focused. (To all women out there) Stay focused and face your dreams. Fight every obstacle and everything that stands in your way until you win.”

Thank you Faith for allowing us the wonderful opportunity to get to know more about you and your “legacy”. You have inspired us to improve ourselves here at Udobiz as well!

Follow The Valerian Events on Instagram @thevalerianevents.

You can find The Valerian Events on UdobizNG at http://www.myudo.biz/tcec or even contact the business at: +2348189472133.