OCHOUBA Chidinma Mary, from the ghetto to professional cleaning agency owner
Chidinma is a young woman who broke the odds from the ghetto to a professional cleaning agency owner with success. Her ground-breaking story will stir your emotion and even clench your teeth. We have heard many stories of humble beggings of giants and business moguls, but hers is heartbreaking.
Mary is a young, industrious 26 year- old young lady who was born and raised in Lagos, one of Nigeria’s urban cities and business centers. She is a vibrant and self-motivated individual who strives to contribute to productivity, growth, and development.
She is an alumnus of the University of Lagos with a BSc in Public Administration. She is an expert in Customer Relations and has worked with many reputable or noble companies with good standing. Chidinma, during her days with these companies as Front Desk Executive and Customer Relations, she starting a cleaning service as an aside job (gig).
Beginning in 2022, she dreamt of starting her own company, but funny enough, she fell on her gig. So she registered her cleaning business under “Cintg Cleaning Services.” She started fueling this dream alone but can now boast of 4 permanent workers.
In an interview with Golden City Business Magazine contributor Mr. Adjei Boakye, Mary said, “starting a business alone as a young girl in Nigeria in this state of our Economy needs a lot of effort and dedication. Raising a start-up capital for this small-scale business didn’t come easy. But, it is something I worked for”.
Motivation and Challenges.
Her number one source of motivation has always been God. In addition, her parents have motivated her over the years, always asking her to challenge herself with complex tasks. She never let her faith down and worked towards her dreams and admirations.
Many challenges have visited her business line, including financial difficulties. Starting a business from scratch, renting space, buying machines, and paying salaries have not been easy. Competition in the industry is another headache you can’t write off. However, the competition is taut, and industry players are doing what they can to make the sector lucrative.
The Future.
The future here is bright amid all the challenges she is going through. Chidinma wants her cleaning services company to be one of the best in the industry, with different branches across the globe. She plans to open branches in Kalaba, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
Chidinma also heads a foundation, GOD GRACE GHETTO (GGG), which started as a movement and now has gained a solid ground as an avenue to help correct the misconception people have about the ghetto child. That not all who are born or bred in the ghetto are “hoodlums.”
GOD GRACE GHETTO brings together the supposed “unruly” people from the ghetto (between the ages of 13-35), equips them to show their talents, and positions them in a suitable frame of mind for a brighter day in a Godly way.
However, funding these projects has not been a walk in the park, but GOD GRACE GHETTO FOUNDATION keeps pushing on and doing in its capacity to help these ghetto kids. She is looking forward to raising enough funds/getting sponsors to create a safe space for the ghetto, where one can come and be at peace, producing capable people who can stand at the forefront to represent their community and Christ.
GCBM Contributor: Adjei Boakye
