Inspirational Woman: Aisha Shafii Ndayako | Founder, The Visual Book

Aisha Shafii Ndayako is Founder of The Visual Book. Here, she talks to us about building her business, what she hopes to achieve in the future and shares advice for her younger self.

Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role  

I was born in Nigeria and raised there. I moved to England for university and graduated with a first class honours in business management and economics from the University of Brighton. I am currently doing my masters in applied economics and international development  at reading university whilst running my business, The Visual Book.

Did you ever sit down and plan your career? 

I did sit down to plan my career: where I want to go, and what I need to do to get there. At the same time, I try not to be too hard on myself and accept things as they come, even if they don’t go as planned.

Have you faced any challenges along the way? 

I’ve certainly encountered a great deal of difficulty, from stocking issues to problems with my website, which caused me to miss out on more than 15 sales in the first week. When you first launch a company, I believe in most cases you will face a new obstacle each week; you simply need to be prepared for anything that may come your way. 

What has been your biggest achievement to date? 

My greatest accomplishment, I believe, is having created my product and built my company from the ground up at such a young age.

What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?  

My accomplishments can be attributed in part to the help I’ve received from others, as well as to the effort I’ve put out and the constant prayers I do. My mother, siblings, other family members, and close friends have been very supportive, and they have continually encouraged me to put in a lot of effort.

How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?  

I believe that mentoring can be of great benefit in a variety of ways, including enhancing one’s self-confidence and communication skills, among other things. I have not yet mentored anyone, nor am I now being mentored by anyone else, but I would very much like to do so in the future.

If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Parity, what would it be?

If there was one thing that I could alter, it would be to ensure that there are sufficient organisations that support women and provide money for women to establish and expand their businesses.

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be? 

The world is bigger than you believe and your worries aren’t as significant as you think, so just be kind to yourself always. Never stop praying, and never lose your faith. 

When you are faced with a significant choice, always think about how it will affect your life in a year or two.

What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?  

My present objective is to grow my business, put in a lot of effort, have my product sold in retail outlets, and ultimately have my company be recognised for the innovative product it offers.  Also, I want to keep working hard in order to successfully complete my master’s degree with first-class honours.