Tuschen resident explores entrepreneurial skills
By Michel Outridge
AFTER the pandemic and she had to be at home and adapt to online learning and with no income, Soyinni Craig realised that she had to do something to earn and began exploring the possibilities of starting her own small business.
Late last year, the mother of two told the Pepperpot Magazine that she got the idea after she was trying to get a proper wooden desk and chair for her daughter to be home-schooled via virtual classes and she could not.
Craig added that she was trying to source the desk and chair but she was unsuccessful because the items were either too pricey or not durable.
The 31-year-old stated that she began watching videos of how to make wooden furniture and after many online tutorials, she decided to give it a try.
At first, she was intimidated by the electrical circular saw she had to cut the wood, but after some tutoring and encouragement from her father, she started doing it on her own and got better at it.
The final-year student at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) will become a qualified teacher when she graduates and will then be placed at a school.
She attends CPCE full-time and gets a stipend and that went towards travelling from Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, to CPCE at Turkeyen; so money was needed to do other things in the home.
Craig knew she had to come up with a plan on starting her own small business really soon and after saving up to buy the tools needed, she began making her first wooden table and chair for her daughter.
It was successful with the help of her father, who would source the wood needed from sawmills and make the other purchase while she does classes online, completes assignments and take care of her daughters and the home.
Craig is a resident of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, and lives in an extended family setting where she is a single parent.
She used to teach at a private school for two years and she wants to upgrade herself academically and applied at CPCE for the two-year course to become a qualified teacher.
Craig reported that when she started it was difficult, because she could not afford to buy all the tools at the same time and bought what she can and as time progressed and she began earning she purchased all the tools she needs to become equipped for the job.
Today, she has her own small business making wooden desks and chairs for children ages five to eight years old and as her business continues to grow, she is taking orders for large wooden tables and chairs for daycare and playschools.
Craig would make custom-designed wooden desks and chairs and the desk can be equipped with a compartment for storage and it is a well-painted complete set.
“I am a parent of two girls and I know how hard it is to buy things for them, so with that in mind I make my prices affordable so parents can afford to buy a desk and chair for their child or children,” she said.
“I don’t feel woodworking and making furniture is a man’s job and nothing is wrong with women being empowered and take it up as a job,” she said.
She disclosed that online classes have been difficult because of being at home and having to deal with children, housework and other things, it is hard to stay focused on studying outside of a classroom setting.
She would advertise her small business via Facebook where she has a page and she is part of a group called “Sit and Stay Handcrafted Furniture for kids” and through that, she would get orders for her furniture and that business is gaining momentum.
“When I have extra time I would try to put in some hours in getting furniture made, because I like to spend time doing a proper job for customer satisfaction and not do a ‘hurry up’ job,” she said.
Craig, the self-taught furniture maker told the Pepperpot Magazine that it is a learning experience for her and at the same time, is it money in her pocket to provide for herself and children, a ‘side hustle’.
She does her deliveries only in Tuschen via a motorcycle that has a carrier and when she has to deliver furniture to other places she would use a taxi.
“Having my own small business and being self-employed is a dream come through for me and regardless of what you are going through you can become a small-business owner once you are determined to,” she said.
