Making fortune by inspiring others

Victoria Praise Abraham is a woman of many parts. She is an entrepreneur, writer, motivational writer and singer with an album and three books to her credit. The Founder/Executive Director of Vic-Abraham Media Nigeria Limited holds a degree in Physics Education and a certificate in Media Enterprise & Script Writing from the Pan Atlantic University in Lagos.In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde , she talks about her passion, the things that motivates her and life working with Prof Pat Utomi.

HOW did the idea of designing with frames start?

I am a wordsmith. I love playing around with words and this has become more than a hobby but now it is a profession. Initially, I used to write quotes and people used to commend me about how great the words were: for example “If you can think it, you can pray it. God listens to every word of prayer”. I wrote these quote and then I got a graphics person to create designs for the words, I then got my photographer to frame it up and so my company started producing these kinds of products which I called portraits.

Who are your targets?

My targets are the discerning, the educated and those persons that desire to be inspired by these frames which they use to decorate their living rooms, offices and give out as corporate gifts.

Tell us about the women that you admire

I admire women who are strong, godly, and purposeful and focused. Some of them include Mother Theresa, Margaret Thatcher, BeBe Winans, Joyce Meyer, and Pastor Nike Adeyemi.

What was it like starting your own business and what is unique about it?

Start-up, like we have everywhere in the world, is very challenging. There is also the challenge of finance. Having said these though, I try not to see a challenge as any form of difficulty. Rather, I see opportunity in them. I’m a very purposeful and focused person, so I try not to let anything weigh me down. Choosing to start small has been beneficial in this regard. But in terms of selling my books, the major challenge is finding a market because, generally, a lot of Nigerians do not read. I am, however, driven to continue despite these challenges. It was really tough. It took very great faith in God as well as commitment. You know, Nigeria is not an easy place to do business but God has been helping me. Every year has been better and I’m hoping for greater years. Ever since I set up my business in 2009, I have been utilising the gift of motivational words, which I make use of in making unique designs, frames and distributes for sale.

Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

Jesus Christ is my greatest influence because he alone knows everything. He is the unseen manager of my life. A lot of the things I come up with are His ideas. Every creative person gets inspiration from somewhere but mine comes directly from God; the things that I pen down, create and so on, all come from Him.

Pastor E.A.Adeboye is one person that has also influenced me over the years. I have learnt, as a Christian under his ministry, that virtues such as integrity and humility are things I need to carry on in life. Of course, my local parish pastor, Pastor Fred Odekhian, has also played a pivotal role in my life. On the international scene, someone that has influenced me greatly is Nelson Mandela. Even though he was in prison, he chose to be free. Meanwhile, a lot of us are free but live as though we were incarcerated. Interestingly, religion doesn’t clash for me in business. Rather, it enhances my business because I’ve chosen to ensure everything I do is as God wants me to do it. So, even though I’m a Nigerian, I’m Jewish when it comes to business. And you know Jewish people are very prosperous in business. My progress over the years amazes me most especially because I have stuck to doing business God’s way. I do not compromise.

What are the things that you are passionate about?

You know, most entrepreneurs buy, sell or provide services but I operate beyond those three. Interestingly, I got the name ‘Creative entrepreneur’  when people saw the passion I exhibited on the job, it was actually a name an editor in Business Day coined because of the creativity I bring into my work. I’m gifted with words, so, I like to play around them. I decided that I was not just going to be writing them but also create portraits for them. So, I play around words that are inspirational and get experts to add graphics to them, as well as some sort of photographic finishing, and then I sell.

That is not where my creativity ends. I’m also a singer and writer. My maiden album, Jesus Did It, is a nine tracker that comes with six motivational poems (as I’m a motivational writer and speaker) and three songs.

Apart from the portraits, I also have posters, diaries, key holders and many other items that I embellish with inspirational words.

What were you doing before this?

Officially, I started my business in 2009. Prior to that time, I had worked in a Bible School in England for about two years before returning to Nigeria. I was later a College Administrator at Trinity International College in Lagos until 2003 when I joined Leadway Assurance as Assistant Training Manager. I left Leadway in 2008 and worked briefly for Vivante Media, a company owned by Prof Pat Utomi. I was deputy editor of the magazine called Viva. I was there until 2009 when I officially began my business. I have written and published three books. They include Treasures, Twelve Golden Law of Success and Hope on the Go. I still have two others unpublished and I strongly believe that those two will see the light of day this year.

What was it like working with Prof Tom Utomi, and what are some of the things you learnt from him?

Personally, I would say that he is someone I see as a mentor even before I started working with him. When he was running for presidency years back, I was also part of a youth organisation campaigning for his election. At that point, we had a small think-tank and I was one of its leading members.

Looking back now, I would say that working with Vivante Media was quite good, but, somehow, the magazine didn’t last in the market. I guess that was because Prof Utomi was not directly involved in the running of the magazine. You know, with magazine business, it pays when the owner is directly involved and gets people to buy into what he or she is trying to do.

What plans do you have in the next five or ten years?

I have this dream of Vic-Abraham Media owning a radio station or TV station of its own. But ultimately, I’m starting with my gift; the things that I can do without needing huge capital. I’m not going to the bank to borrow money so as to embark on anything too large. I first have to walk my way up and that’s what I’m doing at the moment.