Let your children have good knowledge of the type of business you do.
The benefits of allowing or training your children in your line of business can not be overemphasized. Irrespective of the line of business whether small, medium, or large scale, do ensure your children have some knowledge of that business. It is an added advantage to them later in life. I want to use my experience to tell this story.
Growing up as a tailor’s child, our daily routine was always from home to school, then from school straight to mum’s shop. At the shop, we would eat, sleep, wake up, do our homework, and then somehow play within the shop.
As this lifestyle was the norm, we could go to the sewing machine and play with it, learn to peddle the machine, sew some nonsense with a couple of pieces, could run a straight sewing then. At teenage age, we started sewing little stuff already. I went to a boarding school. My sis was a day student, she could sew already with little or no supervision. I could sew too during my holiday, but with supervision from mum.
During our high institution level, after lectures, my sis (elder sis) Chioma Lucy would go with some tailor shops to sew and make money, the money she was making was just for her as an addition to what my mum gave us for upkeep in school. She learned sewing better, I wasn’t very good at the time, I could sew, but could not confidently pick a material and cut and sew on my own. But then I wished I had learned the work better. At least, I would have been making money for myself too.
During our NYSC year, she was posted to Niger state, she still took machines from Abuja to Niger state where she was also making clothes for her fellow corpers, she made lots of money from NYSC, gave my mum some money, and her savings. I served in Plateau State, I was only depending on the allowee and PPA salary. I was just buying books as if I was preparing to open a bookshop, NCCF. I didn’t make much savings like that.
After our NYSC year, normal Nigeria style, you’ll start looking for jobs. My sister searched for a job a little and went back to her sewing business. Me 🙄 I was busy looking for a job. Babe(my sis) was already making her money o. I was spending my little money on transport, my shoes were getting spoilt.
I had to advise myself to go and perfect my sewing skills. I went back to my mum’s shop and calmly learned the sewing perfectly well and started making money for 3 years before I got my first job.
While working, I started meeting clients and also sewing for my colleagues. Same with my current job.
What am I trying to say?
Expose your children to the work you do. It will be of help to them.
P.S. Some customers will come to my mum’s shop and be like, my mother was a tailor o, but we didn’t learn the work. And I like the skill, but I can’t learn it again.
I hope I passed a message with my little story.
Thanks.
