How MTL Hair & Wig Care Founder Seamlessly Manages Studies and a Flourishing Business

MTL Hair & Wig Care is an online hair store. Launched just a year ago in 2022, the goal for the business is very simple - helping women slay effortlessly on a budget. Miracle Sambo, the founder tells us about starting a business with small funds and how juggling school and a business can be.

Visit their website here.

First, how do you juggle being a student and running a whole business?

Lol. That’s a good question. I can’t say it’s been easy, but one of the things I try to do is understand my schedule, and when I know I’ll be super busy with school, I cool off on marketing or reduce the number of orders I take in that period. It also helps to have useful apps like Bumpa.

Would you call it the perfect studentpreneur toolkit?

Haha, that’s a great way to put it.

Tell us about your business, and how you started.

My name is Miracle Sambo, and I'm the CEO of MTL Hair & Wigcare. We deal with budget-friendly wigs and hair bundles, wig revamping and construction services; that’s basically rejuvenating your old wigs to make them look better and finer.

I started the business in July 2022. I'd wanted to start the business for the longest time, but I kept thinking I didn't have enough funds and was waiting for more. I eventually decided to start with what I had, and that's how the business came to life.

Wig revamps done by MTL Hair & Wig Care

What was the process of starting with small funds like?

I decided to start with dropshipping because I really couldn't afford to stock my own products then. I researched about vendors that I would get wigs from, and I went with mostly trade-fair vendors because their products had great prices and the quality was top. So when I shared product pictures and people placed orders, I would then process the orders and even had the vendors deliver for me, but without their branding.

Related: How I started my Business with just 10,000 Naira because I wanted to Solve a Problem

That sounds pretty straightforward. Was it always this easy?

I noticed along the line that most people want to see the wigs on you, as opposed to some random model. In the wig business especially, people want to be sure that they're buying quality hair. So, I saved up money and started buying 1 piece each of some hair, styling it myself, making videos and sharing on Instagram. It helped increase the trust my customers had in the business and also helped them put a face to the brand, which I think is a very necessary thing to do if you own a business in Nigeria.

Founder of MTL Hair & Wig Care, Miracle Sambo, wears wigs styled by her brand.

You’re very right about that. How much did you start with?

It was around 150,000. I saved it up for a few months. I wanted to save some more but you know how Nigeria is; the more I tried to save, the more the money kept going into other things. So I just started with what I had.

The part about savings is totally relatable. Would you say your business has really kicked off in the 1 year since you started?

Oh yes! There were ups and downs (I even needed to take a break because of school and stress) but we're not where we started at all. The gains started out really small; for example, in a month I would maybe sell 2 wigs, revamp a wig or two, and then make around 15k in profit at the end of the month. It was really small but I was excited about it because I saw it as working for my own money. Now in a good month, we close out with about 300,000 in profit. And that's just from selling wigs.

That's amazing growth! How did you grow your customer base?

So, my first customers were actually from WhatsApp, through WhatsApp influencers. It was relatively cheap to run ads with them, and I got some solid customers from there, and even retailers who wanted to buy in bulk over time.

Over time, I also started using Instagram, TikTok and Facebook (Marketplace and also ads). Facebook actually brought more of the customers who wanted to revamp their wigs so if that's a business you're thinking of starting, maybe go there first.

Related: 10 Ways to Get more Customers & Increase Sales for your Business

Lol. That's solid advice. Thank you.

You're welcome! But yes, putting my business on more social media platforms exposed it to a wider audience. The beauty of social media is that your content can be seen by anyone, anywhere and the next thing, your business is leaving your small space. TikTok for example, was where I got my first interstate customer.

Some businesses still struggle with TikTok and figuring it out. Any advice on that?

I would say you need to be super consistent. People are on TikTok more than most platforms these days, even Instagram. It's a lot of work, but try to have outstanding content. I think that's the only thing you need for TikTok.

Amazing stuff. Thank you.

Sure thing.

You mentioned earlier that you were stressed about your business and had to pause for a while. Would you mind sharing what caused the stress and how you dealt with it?

Funny story! It was the first sale I ever ran, in December 2022. You know how people are always praying to get a ton of customers? In my own case, I got way more customers than I was prepared for. I didn't have enough products to cater to all of them and ended up in financial debt because I had to start buying products in the middle of the sales, refunding customers and just trying to sort things out. I basically wasted my time and effort.

Wow. That must have been demoralising.

It was. After it all played out, I decided to just take a break because I was really depressed for a while. I decided to clear my head and recalibrate, and basically get my priorities and plans for the business straight, especially if I was ever gonna run another sale.

Have you done that since then?

Yeah, twice even. And they went surprisingly well.

That's a success story right there!

It is! And Bumpa was one of the catalysts actually, to that success. I was able to set up a discount with ease, it was easier to track inventory so I didn't have the problem of running out of stock or struggling with what customers were looking for, and made the order process so much easier for me and my customers thanks to the website.

Sneek peek into MTL Hair & Wig Care's Bumpa website

That's amazing. And how has Bumpa helped you with your business generally?

It's been such a great addition to my business really. You know, I actually considered Shopify but because I was just starting out and didn't have around $30 to spare, I decided to consider Bumpa the second I discovered it. I started with the free plan, but I had to step up when I saw how great the tool was.

One of the things I love the most is the ease of getting a proper website for my business without having to sweat or spend a lot. As I mentioned earlier, it makes ordering so much easier for my customers and reduces conversation time. In fact, they don't have to wait till working hours to place an order. As a student, this is super important to me so that I have time for other stuff. I just love when I wake up and I'm seeing all the orders on my notifications panel. It makes everything easier; I process orders, send invoices and receipts and wrap up everything in less than minutes, and I have more time to do other things for the day, like source for more products and create content for my brand. And regarding the invoices part, it helps me save time that I don't have to sit down and create invoices and receipts anymore. I used to do that but now I just send them with one button.

Amazing stuff. I've been dying to ask this particular question. How did you learn how to revamp wigs?

I actually learnt it all on my own, from the internet. I didn't have the money for that, so I gathered all the information I needed from the Internet. One of the things I did was get a curriculum from a wig vendor who was teaching classes and instead of attending the classes, I sourced videos on YouTube, watched them all and practised while at it.

More wig revamps done by MTL Hair & Wig Care

Smart woman. That clearly worked out.

Yes, it did!

Where do you get the most customers and sales from?

WhatsApp actually. Majorly because I've built a community there and sales come mostly from returning customers, which speaks a lot to the quality of our service and products. Our Bumpa website is also a great source of traffic and customers as well.

Happy customers leave glowing reviews

What's a real business hack you'd like to share with other business owners?

Hmm. You know how delivery men and logistics companies can be disappointing most times? One thing I do is book them at least 2 days ahead. It's a bit more work because I then have to follow up and make sure they come on the day I need them, but it's safer for me and less likely that they'll disappoint me when they have that heads up. I found that it helps me with making deliveries on time and not disappointing my customers. Another thing that works magic is giving free stuff away to your loyal customers once in a while.

MTL Hair & Wig Care add freebies to their customer's deliveries

Amazing. What would you like to say to business owners who are just starting out, or considering starting?

I'd say if you're considering starting a business, there's no better time. eCommerce is a thing now and with the right products and content, you can hack it. Another thing is that you need to take your business online. It's so much easier to do that now with online business apps like Bumpa. Running a physical store in Nigeria isn't easy, and requires you to have a plan B and then a plan B for your plan B. Also, you don't need to wait to have all the money in the world to start your business.

Word! Thank you so much for your time and for talking to us!

Thank you, this was fun. And you’re welcome!

Read our Bumpa Success Stories, a series that features some of the most innovative and successful businesses on Bumpa. Through this series, we're showcasing how our merchants reach new audiences, engage with customers and increase sales. These stories provide real-world examples of how our platform can be a game-changer for businesses of every size and industry, inspiring businesses to try Bumpa for themselves and achieve boosted engagement, increased revenue, and limitless possibilities.

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