Goodness Adeosun is making waves with her striking story. A Nigerian native from Ogun State, Adeosun is a twin who graduated from the esteemed University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan with a degree in dental surgery and hails from a medical family.
“Since my parents and older sister are doctors, it seemed like the natural path to follow,” she told Ventures Africa. Even though she is in the medical field, the 25-year-old enjoys shoemaking. She is the CEO of “Gudie” Footwear.
She has always been fascinated with creative endeavors and handicrafts, and she has manufactured a variety of things throughout the years. In 2018, she began producing shoes in an attempt to keep herself occupied while she waited to return to the university following her A-Levels.
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She initially resolved to crochet shoes for her relatives who were visiting Nigeria in exchange for the presents she expected from them. Adeosun, however, admitted that she didn’t know at the time what designs to create for the shoes and that, after six months, she had created multiple designs.
She recounted, “People saw the shoes I had made for myself and asked if I could also make for them. At first, I was not charging them for my service, I only collected enough money to cover the materials, but that changed later.”
“With time, I started posting pictures of the shoes I made on Facebook and later on, I paid some WhatsApp influencers to advertise for me,” she told Sisterly HQ.
Despite the challenges of balancing medical school with shoemaking, the young entrepreneur noted that her motivation came from the positive feedback she received and the revenue she was generating.
She said, “Besides the money, I have found purpose in it. I have come to form a bond of sorts with my customers. It is also important to me to continue to serve them, come what may. It is now something I want to be remembered for, a brand that will outlive me.”
She made an effort to allocate the appropriate amount of time for the two taxing tasks. For example, she said she tried not to accept orders during examinations so she could fully concentrate. Adeosun, who enjoys playing musical instruments, particularly the piano, as well as cooking or baking when she has free time, intends to expand her audience and build her brand going forward.
The young achiever, who shared on X on July 4 that she is now a doctor, reflected in her interview with Sisterly HQ, “I had a mental breakdown once and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a while. I even stopped going to school for some time, and that made me repeat a level. This shoe business gave me hope, something to look forward to, like a light at the end of the tunnel. Any time I catch myself contemplating some of my ordeals, and start to feel like a victim, I remind myself about how far I have come with the business and I feel better. It keeps me so busy that there is no time to think about things that make me unhappy, and I am more than grateful for that. It is always one thing or another, but we must keep going.”
