By Boluwatife Adedokun
For 29-year-old Mrs. Aduragbemi Babayemi, a baby bed producer in Osun state the first months of her baby-bed business were a test of endurance.
Working alone with only one manual sewing machine, she often stayed up until 2 a.m., sewing, cutting, and assembling beds to meet orders. “Only me would be working till 2 a.m.,” she recalled. “It was not easy.”
Babayemi, who lives in Ogooluwa, Osogbo, produces baby beds, pampers, and baby load bags. She started the work in 2020 after learning the trade from her boss in Ido-Osun.
But starting the business came with immediate challenges.
“When I started, I didn’t have money to buy all the equipment,” she said. “I had only one manual machine. I didn’t buy the rest, but as I worked, I gradually got money to buy the 5st.”
Starting with Credit and Family Support
Without funds to hire staff, Babayemi trained her younger siblings to help her meet market orders. Materials were often bought on credit.
“I would take foam on credit until I finished making the bed and sold it before paying,” she said. “Thank God the supplier was understanding.”
She remembers the exhausting pace of work: nights stretching into the early hours, with no one to share the load. “This work is not something one person can do,” she said.
Growth and Achievements
Five years into the business, her workshop is filled with industrial, weeping, and manual machines she purchased from the income generated by her work. “I’m not where I ought to be, but I’m grateful to God,” she said.
“All these machines you see, I bought them through the work. I didn’t get money from anywhere else.”
Her products now supply wholesalers across Osun and Kwara states, yet the business still faces hurdles.
The Challenge of Finding Workers
“The biggest challenge is that we don’t see people willing to work or learn,” Babayemi said.
“I have always been looking for workers, but people are not ready, especially in Osogbo. It’s a big challenge because I always need someone to help me.”
She explained that this shortage affects her ability to expand. “We should have reached other markets if we had enough workers,” she said.
Despite challenges, Babayemi believes the business will always have demand. “This work doesn’t have a season, unless people stop giving birth, which is not possible,” she said.
Babayemi has a simple message for young people hoping to succeed in business: perseverance and hard work. “They should be serious and always persevere,” she said.
“Even when I was learning this work with my boss, it was not easy. Sometimes we packed beds and loaded them till 3 a.m. before going to the market, and we would still work after coming back. Perseverance helped me.”
Juggling Marriage and Business
Now married with a child, Babayemi admits balancing family and business is challenging. “It’s not easy juggling marriage with this kind of work, but with the help of an understanding husband, we are pushing,” she said.
Babayemi encourages anyone interested in learning the trade to join her at Aduragbemi Baby Design. She can be reached on 08166817863.
