That realization that I could make money without having to work from 9 to 5 kind of job before I can make money made me decide like I think I can be a business person and that is how it all started.
Pamela Chinyere Eke is the CEO of PAMCHECK GLOBAL SERVICES from Imo state, she just recently launched her fragrance called Venom, she took time to speak to Zandex Boss on SPEAK BEAUTY EDITON to share her experience as a young entrepreneur and business owner in Nigeria. The conversation began as an interactive session with question like!
- HOW DID YOU BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR AND A BUSINESS OWNER?
Well I didn’t plan to become a business lady or woman, but after graduating in 2014, I waited for a year without doing anything then in 2016 I went for youth service NYSC, during my youth service year I started marketing and trying to just earn a living as a corp member and then one day I realized I just made up to a million naira, I have not made that kind of money before and that was an eye opener for me, it’s inspired me to be self employed and to be able to do my own business by myself and that is how I took that decision to go into business.
In 2017 while rounding up my service I founded and registered PGS pam global services as a business name even though I was not sure what I wanted to do as a business, but along the line I learned and discovered what my niche was and key into that part. 
It’s has not been an easy journey, but we are growing as a business it’s not something to just do in a day, so we are doing our best and consistency is the key to success that is the public secret its my strategy to continue to do what I want to do because business is all about being in the face of people so that they get to know that you are doing such business and I have been planting my feet down because I know I am against a huge market with enormous competitors, I set out to offer something different from usual. 
- WHAT DO YOU STUDY IN THE UNIVERSITY.?
I studied History and international relations, and basically the idea of going to school is always because our parents would expect that after school we start working for other people.
So that has been a trend until late this century people begin to think for themselves how to be independent.
Now you can see that I can decide to do anything as long as I have the information and can acquire the knowledge. Why put your life on hold when you can do more? That is the point.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN NIGERIA AS A POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY GROUND FOR YOUTHS?
The thing is that the amount of information at your disposal is your key factor to determine how far you can go. It’s not rocket science, there are opportunities everywhere, it’s just the lack of the right information that made it seems like there are no jobs and opportunities.
There are opportunities everywhere it all depends on how the youth position themselves to recognize these opportunities and that has to do with information. Let’s take me for example! I have a lot of information that can ensure that I don’t go hungry anywhere I find myself.
This is because I have acquired information that will help me not only identify opportunities but to tap into it anywhere in the world with the technology and the right knowledge to apply the information and knowledge that you have , so I think is what every young person should start doing.
I have spend allot of money to gain more knowledge and more information and when you have the right information you can easily recognize an opportunity get to grab it as you see it.
Anybody who doesn’t have enough information may not be able to grow above a certain level. And to be able to get information, you must be able to be open minded and not being enclosed, because you need to position yourself to be identified.
Secondly, you need to expose yourself to the right set of people, your mindset must unlearn the things that are not important to you as a person. Thirdly, youths should always research for new Information because that is how you get to know what is obtainable and trending, that is how to recognize opportunities.
That is why I can’t say there is opportunity in agriculture or marketing because people have their different ideas based on the kind of information they have.
So the youths need to purge themselves of the information that is not giving them the right result and learn new things to help them see an opportunity and take it. 
WHY DO YOU THINK MOST GRADUATES DON’T WANT TO GET INTO CERTAIN KINDS OF LABOR INDUSTRIES.?
It is understandable if a person who is a graduate decides not to go into any kind of business or industry because, yes a lot of people spend so much money to train themselves through school and they now understand more than an average person. So after a lot of training you want to have a plan with a better idea even if you are going to make a lot of money as a graduate who have been to school, you don’t want to be doing business like a regular person who haven’t been to school, that is the reason why you see some graduates avoiding to take up certain kinds of jobs or go into certain types of industries.
So most of the time what this graduate do is to access the business, for instance cleaning jobs, if I feel people are making money from cleaning jobs, I will sit down and think of how to start my own cleaning company; that is the essence of going to school, then after that, I have to employ people to work for me and that means I am still in the same cleaning business but with different approach but because it is difficult to put together the resources required to start a decent business also is another factor for youth avoiding such ventures, you have a proper idea and a better knowledge so you kind just go into the business just like that.
So I don’t feel like when graduates don’t take up a job because they need a job because it requires some critical thinking and innovation, like in other words, you as a person need to be presentable even if you are doing business that involve dirt’s, to distinguish yourself as a learned person, there is no profession that should be neglected but that doesn’t mean you can’t package or rebrand any kind of business as you like. You must be ready to do what others have not done in that same business.
AS A CEO OF PAMCHECK GLOBAL SERVICES, HOW DO YOU COORDINATE YOUR BUSINESS.?
Trust me, it’s been a lot of learning and strategizing. I keep leaning everyday on the new trends on business and how to position my company, because I am the kind of person that is always hungry for information, I have spent a lot of money acquiring new ideas through new information.
Now I can tell you that with the things I have spent money to learn, I have positioned myself in a way that anywhere I find myself I can just flip open my laptop and do my business; that is how I coordinate and conduct my business.
I always advise people to start moving their business to a digital space. It’s important to learn the power of marketing and be able to sell using the digital space.
If you don’t spend money to put your business in the faces of people, you will struggle. You need to take your business away from the normal because everyday people want more fascinating style or ways of doing business, and that is what I have been able to do.
At the beginning I didn’t know how to market my business and I went ahead to import some beautiful products and at the end, I began to struggle to get my capital back.
By the time I discovered a friend of mine who was into business though at the time she was still small in the business, and she told me how Facebook marketing works; and how she started making more money which earning her a good living, I knew I have to do more.
When my friend told me that I have to pay to learn the strategy, and I was ready and happy to pay and learn, that knowledge have helped me scaled through, I have as well taught and trained more than 5000 people in different business marketing strategies and so on, this all is possible because I learn and keep learning new things
Progressively I continue to learn from professionals and that is how I can confidently coordinate my business from any where in the world.
HOW DO YOU THINK NIGERIAN YOUNG WOMAN CAN APPLY THEMSELVES IN ANY INDUSTRY WITHOUT COMPROMIZING WITH SELF ESTEEM?
First of all, the number one thing is the mindset. As a female you must cultivate a mindset of a warrior, you need to know what you want and how you want it.
Woman need to be ready to explore opportunities, and be willing to adapt to new things and not depend on easy handout. Let’s say it’s women who are not sure what they want that get compromised in the process, your self esteem and personality come first, so most times, they are attracted to immediate things that is why they get compromised.
As a young woman, you need to define what kind of life you want for yourself, some women or people wants short term wealth and others work hard for a long term wealth, and that is the category of person I am. I plan and work for a long term wealth so I don’t allow anything to distract me.
What I think women should do is to know what they want. Because if you want things that are just easily given to you, you will definitely get them, but how long would those things last, that is why you see a miss representation of some women of women who don’t feel like there is need for their own career, they just want to live an easy life.
There are a lot of things ladies can do and be independent without getting into a dirty lifestyle by doing all sorts of things to get it.
Let me start with myself. I understand many things based on my knowledge. I know when an advances from a man is to lure me to something I don’t want to do, that is the idea. Some ladies see it as an opportunity when a man pumps money into them or into their business and buys them stuff; but at the end you have to give your dignity as a woman and serve the man who gives you money what he wants.
Women should not be afraid to start from somewhere, some women will tell you that they can’t be selling anything because they feel it’s difficult. It’s hard to start a business, but it’s better than depending on a man to provide for you all the time.
Woman should be carried away by flashy life style only to get hooked, women need to start getting into real business and that is not every woman though, there are woman doing well in different fields, both business, private and public sectors, yes, so women need to learn how to apply themselves to move in the direction where there will be a new narrative to the women.
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HOW DO WE ERASE THE MENTALITY OF WOMEN WHO GO AFTER MEN WITH FLASHY LIFE.?
That is a huge topic that we cannot finish now if we start, but I can just tell you that most women don’t have content other than their body that is why. I always say! it’s not about the quantity but quality, any woman that have substance and knows her life goal, will not be attracted to small things, flashy life styles, cars and pink lips.
Most of the times, it’s very complicated though for women because men knows how to drive girls crazy with money, they will flash you with money that can change your life and if you follow the money; you may end up where you don’t want to be, so it’s about your personality and dignity as a woman first.
A lot of people of both genders are on a shallow level. They are not ready to see beyond today, why some other people have gone into depression because they feel they are not doing enough. Some women are complaining that why can’t they meet such men that will spend for them, why others are avoiding such men and running away
There is always going to be different types of women with their way of reasoning, so isn’t a general thing, it’s individual, there are hard working ladies and successful woman who will tell you a different way to how this or that can be better done; women just need to learn ways of doing things appropriately and be contented without men given to them.
There is a certain frivolity that can convince you to go astray and such thing will not move another. So for me any woman that is going after men because of things like that are not confident about how they can make it without men.
SO IN SUMMARY BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD DO TO IDENTIFY LIFE OPPORTUNITIES.?
I think we need to position ourselves and be open minded. If you believe only in one way, you will not go far. You must be ready to be diverse and progressively keep learning.
You as a person who is intelligent, you need to apply your intellectual capacity into practical action. When people say a person is intelligent, it has to show in everything you do.
Let your friends, your colleagues, family members, and everyone who see your appearance know who are, everybody wants to be something, everyone wants to make it, and not everyone is willing to do what it takes to make it. You must be willing to pay for what you need.
I believe every body want to balanced themselves in the global economy to sustain their life and have a good life, but you can’t have it all. While you are building your intellectual reasoning, you must as well build your outward looks, because your outside looks matters, before people begin to access you, they start with your appearance, people don’t need to get too close to you before they can know your good qualities, no, it should show in your way of doing things. 
Lastly, now, we are all heading to the space of artificial intelligence and pretty soon, a lot of things will be replaced by robotics. As we are moving, you have to move whatever you do in the direction that things are moving and be ready to accept and adapt to new things and take advantage of opportunities that come with this new innovation.
