For individuals and organisations, the thought of organising events can be a nightmare, but for Victoria Chinwe, chief executive officer of Greatgold Events, it is a pleasure.
Victoria was inspired to establish Greatgold Events in 2013 owing to her love for weddings and celebrations.
The young entrepreneur was able to raise her initial start-up capital from personal savings.
“I started my business with my personal savings. I started out by planning events for free for family, friends and church members and this was getting me referrals,” Victoria says.
Since starting, the teacher-turned-entrepreneur says that the business has continued to grow. “By God’s grace, Greatgold Events has grown to a level that we get good referrals, understanding clients, have best vendors and of course a committed and transparent planner in the person of me,” she boasts.
Victoria currently has seven vendors working with her. “We have seven vendors working with us currently such as caterer, photographer, videographer, decorator, master of ceremony (MC), DJ, and cake maker,” she says.
She tells Start-Up-Digest that all her accessories for decorations of event centres are sourced locally and also imported.
Speaking on the challenges confronting the business, she says, “Our major challenge is the fact that people don’t see a big deal about event planning. They feel it’s so easy and planners should not be well compensated for their jobs.
“As a result, we are badly priced for the services we render. This is killing the event planning industry,” the young entrepreneur says.
Similarly, she points out that the country’s huge infrastructural gap is also another major challenge facing the business.
She urges the government to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
She encourages people to patronise her business, saying that Greatgold Events is an organised, committed and transparent organisation that gives the best in any event.
“We help to budget well as we are budget friendly. We also get the best of all items needed, best venues that suit your event, best vendors, and a committed planner to give exactly that wow dream events of yours. We are 24/7, we are globally, and we are Greatgold,” she says.
Speaking on her expansion plans, she says that Greatgold Events is on track to meeting international standards in event planning. “We are aiming to get our online 24/7 website where you can do bookings and consultations.”
On her advice to young entrepreneurs, she says, “If you want anything, go for it. Don’t sit at a place waiting for manna to fall from heaven,” she says..
“When I started, it took three to four years before I got my first pay of about N5,000 for a two-day event. You can achieve anything you want, yes anything. You only need patience, consistency, punctuality, commitment, sincerity and of all pray well and work hard,” she advises.
Jonathan Aderoju
