Top Nigerian designer Swanky Jerry, has narrated his inspiring journey to success, as he urged his fans to not only want to be like him, but greater.
Taking to Instagram, Jerry who was made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, revealed that he got no support financially or emotionally when he started his business.
He also shared some throwback pictures, showing the early days of his career.
See what he wrote below;
“In the beginning ……
I have gotten countless messages, emails, DMs, etc from young Africans all over the continent inspired by my journey and most of them ended their messages with “I want to be like you when I grow up”. I couldn’t reply everyone, but I took my time to read every message.
Don’t be like me, BE GREATER.
But know that nothing good comes easy.
I failed many times, some days I almost gave up… I tried different things, different jobs and just kept pushing. My goal has always been to inspire at least one person out there, but with the amount of people who reached out to me, God!! I’m so moved to know that I have inspired so many young people to never give up on their dreams… better days are always ahead.
This pandemic has given me so much time to reflect on life and my journey and just be grateful for every moment. Listen I’m that boy that knows almost everything and everybody. I started off working as a PR agent helping other people’s businesses grow intensely.
For example, say you started a small business and wasn’t doing well, I would step in and make it blossom because I can literally make people buy an item they don’t need just because of the way I have sold it to them. This is what they call “sweet mouth” LOOOL.
Earlier in my life I worked as a PR agent for clubs, beauty brands, small fashion companies and the list goes on.
And because I was so sure of myself, I would always opt for commission as mode of payment for my services; I always refused to be paid a salary because I felt like it would be me cheating myself. My strategy was to simply bring the client and get a percentage on what they spend, and this went on for a few years.
Fast forward to 2012 where I started my brand “SWANKY’S SIGNATURES”. I struggled with the business at first because I didn’t get any support financially and emotionally. That same year, I managed to pull off a small launch event with the help of a few friends Things started to pick up… fast!
YOUR DREAM IS VALID DONT GIVE UP.”