From Personal Shopper to 2023 African Irish Business Person of the Year and 2024 Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year, Chika Njoku tells her success story as an Irish Fashion Entrepreneur based in Dublin.
I first arrived in Ireland in 2003 during the freezing cold winter. This was enough to shock me out of the cozy warmth of the Nigerian weather I had known all my life. I also experienced some cultural shock, and like most immigrants, I was not too enthused with the idea of starting afresh, but I embraced the changes that migration had brought my way and took the challenge as a learning curve.
I am a trained accountant, and it took me a while to obtain the proper certifications and education to land my first accounting job in Ireland. After a while, I completed my master’s degree, graduating with distinction.
However, during this time, my love for fashion was unwavering, and it showed in my everyday dressing. In time, people began to notice and admire my dress sense, describing it as cute and unique. This led me to establish my side hustle as a personal shopper and wardrobe consultant. Over time, I gathered a large network of clients, and then I started my online fashion boutique called Kalicious Collections, which I derived from my nickname – Chikalicious. Kalicious Collections went viral and became a big sensation, and now that I reflect on how I started, I am glad I took the initiative and just started. I did not overthink it; I just went after what I wanted and started.
Another thing that worked for me was my ability to adapt to change. So, coming from Nigeria, I was willing to adjust my thinking and embrace change. I saw an opportunity for me in the fashion sector and embraced it. I started small as a personal shopper, going with people to do their shopping and advising on appropriate and fashionable styles for specific body types, and this opened doors for me to start my own business.
In 2023, I won the African Irish Business Person of the Year, and in 2024, I won the Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year. These awards were the highlights of my business and entrepreneurial journey, and they validated all my efforts, sweat, and grit. At this point, I could pat myself on the back for the success and milestones I had achieved. I was overwhelmed with joy – pure and unadulterated. Looking back, I would have gained more visibility if I had leveraged the online space earlier in my business. However, I am grateful for the process and the challenges that have helped me build fortitude and resilience.
Another beautiful aspect of my story is that all the experience I have gathered has culminated in a business coaching consultancy where I teach start-ups and budding entrepreneurs how to start and establish their businesses. This has made me like the proverbial giant upon whose shoulders people climb to see the future of their business. So, business mentorship is an honor for me, and the ability to help people birth their business ideas and bring them into reality is a tremendous privilege that I do not take for granted. This is what KCL Academy is about. At KCL Academy, we coach aspiring business owners on strategies to start and grow their business and also we teach time proven selling techniques on Amazon, Walmart and using ebooks.
To every woman of color out there, I encourage you to be open to learning and try to find and fill a gap. This could start as a business for you to make a global impact. No matter what you want to do, start small. There’s power in just starting. When you start, you have crossed the boundary of wishful thinking into reality, and then from there, you push and keep pushing; you move and keep moving until those doors open. This does not mean you won’t get rejections, but when has anything good ever come easily? The way to handle rejection is to use them as fuel for your determination and drive. In this way, we are developing essential life skills which we would never have gained if we didn’t start. So do not underestimate the days of small beginnings because these are the days when grit, fortitude and resilience are developed as a part of our personality.
Remember, if it does not challenge you, it does not change you. No pain, no gain.
Chika Njoku tells her story from Dublin, Ireland.
