Omondia Promise Entrepreneurial Journey in Totebag Making -

Omondia Promise Lucky’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming a successful entrepreneur in tote bag making is a story of resilience, creativity, and determination. Born and raised in a financially struggling family, Omondia transformed his circumstances through hard work and innovation. This narrative highlights his path from early money-conscious endeavors to overcoming challenges and achieving notable success.

Omondia Promise Early Life and Background

Omondia Promise was born in Mushin, Lagos, and raised in Yaba. As the eldest child in a family of three, with two younger brothers, he hails from Esan in Edo State. His family struggled financially, despite his parents’ best efforts to provide love and care. Realizing their financial limitations early on, Omondia became money-conscious. By JSS1, he began selling sweets and other items to his classmates at his school.

Birth of His Business

In JSS3, Omondia expressed a desire to learn sewing, prompting his mother to find a place for him to train. He learned fashion design from JSS3 until he graduated from SS3. During this time, he made clothes and altered school uniforms for his classmates, earning some income. Knowing that asking his parents for money wouldn’t work, Omondia pursued activities that could earn him money. After SS3, he worked as a fashion stylist for a brand for a year before entering university. During the second semester of his 100-level at UNIBEN, he began making tote bags.

How It Started

While still making clothes for university events, Omondia became well-known for his excellent sewing skills, earning the title of number one tailor in the boys’ hostel. He made a tote bag for himself to carry his notes and other items, which garnered admiration from his peers. They requested bags, bringing their fabrics for him to use. Realizing the potential, Omondia decided to turn this into a business, taking orders and delivering bags. Thus, THETOTEBAGSHOP was born.

Challenges Faced

In Benin, Omondia struggled to find quality fabrics and prints. His lack of design knowledge initially hindered his ability to meet customer requests, such as printing names on bags. Furthermore, he faced difficulties with delivery logistics to other states, as friends from different regions wanted his bags after seeing them online. Omondia also lacked business acumen, struggling with pricing and profit-making. Despite these challenges, the joy of creating something people loved kept him motivated. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought his momentum to a halt, as he had to leave school and was stuck alone in Benin.

The Biggest Challenge: COVID-19

The pandemic’s impact was severe. Omondia found himself broke, hungry, sad, and alone in Benin, unable to return home due to Lagos’s closed borders. With ample time on his hands, he sought ways to improve himself. Though he couldn’t afford the 100,000 Naira fee a popular photographer demanded for training, he found a free opportunity through connections. Omondia honed his photography skills and read extensively on business, branding, money, and creativity. This period marked a significant transformation for him. While others were home with their families, he was strategizing and making plans. He credits COVID-19 for his growth.

Moving Forward

Omondia Promise decided to create an Instagram account for his tote bags to reach a wider audience. Building an online presence in early 2020 was slow and discouraging, but his friend encouraged him to persist. Together, they rebranded themselves. However, he still faces challenges in forming a reliable team and ensuring easy logistics for international deliveries. High shipping costs often discourage potential buyers from other countries.

Achievements

Over the past four years, Omondia has made beautiful tote bags, earning significant income and changing his family’s financial narrative. Some find it hard to believe his success stems from selling tote bags, attributing it to other sources. Nevertheless, he remains grateful for the grace and opportunities. He has worked with major brands like Netflix, Google, Dell, Microsoft, and Spotify, and collaborated with organizations, schools, universities, podcasts, and artists.

Future Plans

Looking ahead, Omondia Promise plans to expand his business, establishing outlets in various Nigerian states and other countries. He envisions outlets in Dubai, New York, the UK, Paris, Accra, and Johannesburg. His website is nearly complete, and a rebranding is imminent. With his service year ending next year, he is ready to fully commit to his brand, taking THETOTEBAGSHOP to new heights.