When I am not so busy, I try to catch up with some TV programs and one of such is Dr.90210, an American reality television series focusing on plastic surgery in the wealthy suburb of Beverly Hills, California. My ‘date’ for this week reminds me of the display of opulence in attention given to skin care in America but in the Nigerian environment.
She is a multiskilled medical doctor with an interest in dermatology and over 10 years experience in the sales/marketing of various products and services not only in the medical line. She has attended several local and international continuous development and training programmes and her passion for the development of women folk has led her to establish a beauty training academy for young girls seeking to be gainfully employed. She is a member of several professional organisations including Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nigerian Association of Dermatologists (NAD) and Medical Women’s Association (MWA). Ifeoma Abajue is my ‘date’ for this week and she is the MD/CEO of Total Beauty Ltd. Total Beauty Derma Centre is an advanced centre for skin specialty services geared towards filling a gap in the non availability of expert skin care solutions. It’s a blue ocean strategy that aims to combine the clinical aspects of skin care and the aesthetic components of the already existing industry.
A visit to her office in Lekki Phase tells you she is indeed passionate about what she does. Total Beauty Derma and Beauty Centre began as a retail centre for dermalogica products in August 2009 by Abajue. In the course of retailing the products the need for comprehensive skin consultations and treatments gave rise to a comprehensive service centre for professional skin treatments and dermatology consultations and treatments.
Today the centre has evolved and their ultimate aim is to ensure clients’ beauty needs in: The Dermatology Clinic – for medical skin problems, the Med Spa – for professional skin treatments using renowned professional strength products, The Retail Centre – For purchase of products for home use as recommended by their trained skin therapists, The make-up Studio – make-up and gele tying services for special occasions and weddings, The Hair Salon – Where you get more than great styling because they care about the health of your hair, The weight loss clinic – where you get to a desired healthy weight in three months with a customized lifestyle change for lasting results. No fad diet. “Guaranteed or your money back!” she assures, and finally The Academy – where they train aspiring therapists in skin care and make up.
Obviously at Total Beauty, you will find a centre of excellent services, dedicated to meeting your every skin and beauty needs in a warm and cosy environment.
Abajue’s determination as a medical doctor to impact the society the way she has been doing through skin care, training among others didn’t just start today. She tells me her parents have been positive influence to her. Hear her “I had a normal childhood, growing up in a middle class family. My dad insisted we all had a good education and studying medicine was almost a conclusion once I started doing well in sciences. My parents taught us to be God fearing and to be the best we can be in our endeavours. I am not sure I know where I got the drive that I had to do business, but I believe we all have it in us; it just needs to be awakened.” She says.
Curious to know how and why she started Total Beauty Limited and she bares it all. “I started a Marykay business in the UK in February 2004, my second son was just two weeks old and a friend in the UK introduced me to the business. My husband was doing his postgraduate studies in the UK and I had joined him three months earlier. I couldn’t imagine sitting still for months on end while waiting to do the medical PLAB exams and get a placement. Even though I had done some businesses on the side now and then, that was when the entrepreneurial bug really bit me because I haven’t looked back ever since. I had Total beauty incorporated in 2009, when it became obvious I was in for the long run. By this time, I was carrying dermalogica skin care range and some other beauty lines and I started undergoing training to start offering services as well.” Ifeoma says.
Ifeoma’s area of specialisation is Dermatology and she tells me more about this “dermatology is my area of specialisation and it goes a long way in offering top notch services to my clients because studying the pathophysiology of skin makes it much more easier to understand the normal workings of the skin which by the way is the largest organ of the body and is much more complex than people realise. The rigorous medical training has also been useful in my interaction with my clients; they trust my calmness and extensive knowledge and great memory. My professionalism and the fact that I engage in continuous learning, going for courses and introducing new treatments makes my clients constantly patronise me. I also know instinctively what works for my client’s skin. I can’t explain that, it is just a God given gift.” She explains.
Speaking further on her business, Ifeoma says “in offering services to clients, I realised that the therapists I employed did not have international best practice and constantly needed training and retraining even in basic things. I also realised that being a beauty therapist was seen as something for the lower class and not an option for university graduates. I believe that is a misconception. Being a beauty therapist should be a viable option for every intelligent young lady with a love for offering beauty services. I am working on setting up a beauty academy of international standards where even graduates can go to learn about beauty therapy. There will be different levels and grades depending on your capability intellectually; financially and so on. There will also be short courses being offered for brushing up skills or for specialising in certain areas”. She reveals.
Ifeoma has succeeded in growing her business from a one-man- back- of- the- booth cosmetic business to a fully fledged medispa and salon with a staff strength of 18. “In the near future, I will be offering full medical aesthetic services including Laser, Botox and fillers. I have already been trained to do them, just trying to set it up properly.” She says.
As for her personal and professional challenges, Ifeoma says “My personal challenges are not alien to women who have to juggle a career and family. My husband has been totally supportive from the very start. I won’t have come this far without that. I have 3 children, all boys and it can get really hectic but I have refused to let that be a deterrent to my goals and aspirations. My major professional challenge is having to run a business with all the headaches and requirements involved. I don’t think I was trained for this in medical school. I also had challenges getting capable staff who can share my long term vision and staying power even while facing challenges. But that has improved significantly since attending courses where I learnt to put systems in place, I am still learning. Lack of infrastructure like power and potable water is also a daily challenge.” She admits.
Empowering women is what Ifeoma is also highly passionate about and she does this through WELA. According t her, “WELA (Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership for Africa) is an innovative programme designed by CEIBS (China Europe International Business School) for African women. It is designed for women who already run or who would like to start a business. I call it a mini MBA, in my opinion, it covers the principal requirements for running a successful organization and making it a sustainable enterprise that will outlive its owner. It’s also flexible and not as demanding as some courses, taking into consideration how busy a woman can be. It runs for 3 days a month for 5 months with a 12 day trip to China in the 6th month where the participants are mentored and tutored by successful Chinese women in careers and business. As a bonus, there’s a 6 month training for the participants to become certified coaches for other women. The price is highly
subsidized and I feel it’s a must do for any woman who wants to, not just build a successful enterprise, but mentor and coach other women into doing so. And really that’s what it is about, empowering not just yourself but other women, thus giving back to the society and ensuring a better future for our children.” Ifeoma says and adds “The first WELA programme took place in Ghana in 2012. I was part of it and when I learnt from them that Nigeria was a target market, I offered to work with them in ensuring that a successful programme could be run in Nigeria. The first Nigerian WELA programme took place from September 2013 to March 2014 and we had about 20 participants who successfully completed the programme. They are currently undergoing the coaching/ mentoring session and will be certified by September 2014.” She quips.
Living a healthy life is very important, this Ifeoma agrees to when she says “Diet, exercise, drinking lots of water and being happy is crucial. I think that deep down we instinctively know what is good for us. Eating the right type of food and regular exercised is not easy, but it’s the key to ensuring longevity of our bodies which are essentially liked machines. Finding peace within ourselves is also very important and that can only come from God. A daily sincere communion with God ensures that we are in line with his will for us.” She admonishes.
Ok, now that you have all read this piece and I have informed you on where to go to have your skin and beauty needs met, I will be sending you my bill shortly…lol!
KEMI AJUMOBI
