In the quiet hours of the night, when most homes in Osogbo had long gone to sleep, the steady hum of a sewing machine often echoed from a small workshop where Mrs. Aduragbemi Babayemi worked relentlessly to complete orders.
Many nights stretched into the early hours of the morning, sometimes until 2 a.m., as she single-handedly stitched baby beds to meet customers’ demands. With only one manual sewing machine, limited capital, and no employees at the time, the young entrepreneur pressed on with determination and hope.
Five years later, that determination has transformed her modest beginning into a growing enterprise supplying baby products to markets within and outside Osun State.
Now 29, Babayemi runs Aduragbemi Baby Design, a small but expanding venture producing baby beds, baby load bags and other infant care items for traders who distribute them across several markets.
“I started with just one manual machine,” Babayemi said during an interview. “I didn’t have money to buy all the machines needed for the work. But as I kept producing and selling, I used the money I made to gradually buy more machines.”
Babayemi’s journey into entrepreneurship began in 2020, shortly after she completed her training in baby bed production in Ido-Osun, a community near Osogbo.
Although she had acquired the necessary skills, starting the business proved difficult due to lack of funds. “When I finished learning the work, I wanted to start immediately, but I didn’t have money to buy materials or machines,” she recalled.
Rather than postponing her dream, she decided to begin on a small scale, relying on trust from suppliers to sustain production. “At the beginning, I used to collect foam on credit from suppliers,” she explained. “I would produce the baby beds, sell them and then return the money. The supplier trusted me, and that helped me a lot.”
With little capital to hire workers, she also turned to family members for support. “I taught my younger siblings how to sew so they could assist me,” she said. “This work cannot be done by just one person, so teaching them was the only way I could keep producing.”
Over time, Babayemi began expanding beyond her immediate environment as demand for her products increased. She now supplies baby beds and related items wholesale to traders who distribute them in different markets.
“I usually take the products to markets in Osun and even Kwara State,” she said. “That is where many traders buy from me in bulk”, adding that the steady demand for baby products has helped sustain the business.
“This work does not have a particular season,” she noted. “People will always give birth, so the demand for baby beds and other baby items will always be there.”
Despite the growth, Babayemi said the business continues to face a major challenge, finding workers willing to learn the craft. “One of the biggest challenges we face is getting people who are ready to learn the work,” she said.
“I have been looking for workers, but many people are not willing to stay long enough to learn or master the craft.”
She explained that the shortage of skilled hands has limited the business’s ability to increase production and supply more markets.
“If we had enough workers, we would be able to produce more and supply more markets,” she added.
Today, Babayemi’s workshop tells a story of gradual growth. Where she once worked with only one sewing machine, several machines both manual and industrial, now occupy the workspace.
“All these machines you see here were bought from the money I made from this work,” she said. “When I started, I didn’t have them. The business helped me acquire them gradually.”
While she acknowledged the progress made so far, Babayemi said she still hopes to expand the business further. “I know I’m not yet where I want to be,” she said. “But I’m grateful to God for the progress the business has made.”
Beyond the demands of running a business, Babayemi also manages the responsibilities of family life as a wife and mother.
Having admitted that, balancing both roles is not always easy. “It’s not easy combining marriage with this kind of work especially now that I have a child, it can be challenging, but with the support of my husband we keep pushing,” she stressed.
She credited her husband’s understanding and encouragement as an important factor in helping her sustain the business.
Reflecting on her journey from apprentice to entrepreneur, Babayemi believes perseverance remains the most important lesson. She recalled the intense work schedules she experienced while learning the trade.
“When I was an apprentice, we sometimes packed beds and loaded them for the market until 3 a.m.,” she recollected. “Even after returning from the market, we would continue working.”
Those experiences, she said, helped prepare her for the realities of running a business.
“My advice to young people is to be hardworking and patient,” Babayemi said. “If you persevere and stay committed to learning a skill, it will eventually pay off.”
Despite the challenges, Babayemi remains optimistic about the future of her business and hopes to expand production to reach more markets across Nigeria.
For now, she says the doors of her workshop remain open to anyone willing to learn the trade or work with the business saying that interested individuals can reach the business through 08133638057 or 08166817863.
From a single sewing machine and borrowed materials to a growing enterprise supplying multiple markets, Babayemi’s story reflects the resilience and determination driving many small-scale entrepreneurs across Nigeria.
