Emily Cho
My Business Training
Maryam Muhammad
Quick Facts
Maryam Muhammad, affectionately nicknamed "Doi," is a resilient 28-year-old entrepreneur from Dutsen Tanshi, Bauchi State.
Raised in a vibrant, large family of nineteen children, Maryam successfully completed her university education despite the difficult financial hardships following her father's forced retirement.
When her father passed away during her final semester, Maryam took matters into her own hands, walking long distances to pursue a professional makeup apprenticeship.
Now a skilled beauty artist with three years of studio experience, she serves as her household's sole provider, single-handedly balancing her cosmetic work with supporting her 13-member household with chores.
Maryam Muhammad
Business Goals
Maryam strives to establish her professional beauty studio, Marry’s Glamour, as a leading destination for high-quality cosmetic care.
She aims to provide customized bridal, casual, and special event makeup designed to boost customer confidence and trust no matter the occasion.
Targeting young professional women and urban executives who value a polished, long-lasting look, she prioritizes quality craftsmanship and fixed, affordable pricing.
Maryam plans to operate daily from a main street location, anticipating four clients a day.
Ultimately, she hopes to leverage digital platforms like Instagram and TikTok to promote excitement, building a recognizable brand that celebrates creative beauty.
Maryam Muhammad
Business Obstacles
Maryam maintains excellent artistic and technical standards despite working with just a few basic cosmetics, including foundation and eyeshadow.
To support her large household, she is dedicated to her work, but her primary obstacle remains the lack of a proper commercial studio and advanced beauty tools.
Operating without specialized lighting, styling chairs, or extensive product kits greatly restricts her daily abilities and reduces her client outreach.
Because the beauty market is heavily competitive, Maryam struggles with standing out while simultaneously managing inventory without financial tracking. Overcoming these immediate resource shortages is essential to secure a competitive edge and ensure commercial growth.
Maryam Muhammad
Vulnerabilities
Maryam seeks support from Leadership Initiatives to scale her beauty enterprise, requiring a permanent shop space, specialized makeup chairs, LED studio lighting, and funding.
This partnership will provide the necessary funds to fully stock high-end cosmetic inventory, allowing her to confidently meet customer demands during the peak wedding season.
With this assistance, Maryam’s business will transform into a professional, multi-room studio featuring a cozy reception, dedicated changing area, and an organized workspace.
This collaboration ensures long-term business success, empowering Maryam to thrive as a self-reliant entrepreneur while providing exceptional cosmetic services to local working women.
My Business Proposal
Throughout the program, we worked closely with Maryam Muhammad to develop a clear understanding of their business goals. Though they have leveraged their skills and years of experience to create their business, they face obstacles hindering the expansion of their work.
Guided by their vision, we created a proposal detailing the marketing materials necessary to support the growth of their business. We devised a plan that would allow Maryam Muhammad to optimize their business through a new brand identity
Investments in a logo and marketing materials, such as signs and flyers, are vital for establishing a strong brand identity and expanding the customer base. These visual assets create a consistent and memorable image that builds trust and recognition among potential clients.
My Business Proposal Presentation
As part of the International Leadership and Business Internship, I collaborated with top development experts to strengthen my business partner’s brand.
At the conclusion of the program, my team presented our final proposal to a panel of judges from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee. This formal pitch allowed us to demonstrate our entrepreneurial skills, showcase our strategic plan, and advocate for meaningful change in our partner’s business.
Our team was awarded grant funding to support the implementation of our business partner’s plan, providing life-changing support that will expand operations, strengthen financial stability, and create new growth opportunities. Over the next year, this grant will help transform the future of their business and improve the quality of life for both the entrepreneur and their community.
Internship Highlights
- Business Partner Meeting
- Visit To The Embassy Of Norway
- Diplomacy Briefing At The Egyptian Embassy
- Professional Mentorship
Our business development journey began with a one-on-one Zoom meeting with our partner, Maryam Muhammad, and our Nigerian project coordinator. This initial conversation laid the foundation for strong collaboration. It allowed us to better understand our partner's background, family, goals for the business, and the specific challenges they were facing.
Hearing directly from Maryam Muhammad provided the insight we needed to begin brainstorming practical, personalized solutions. Each morning, our team held focused discussions to refine our ideas, reflect on expert advice from the day before, and adjust our timeline to move our plans forward efficiently.
Throughout the process, on-staff project coordinators and business development experts offered guidance, helping us ask the right questions and turn our ideas into meaningful, actionable strategies.
I had the unique opportunity to visit the Embassy of Norway, where I gained firsthand insight into the role of diplomacy in fostering strong relationships between Norway and the United States.
The embassy serves as a center for international collaboration, partnering with countries and global organizations to address pressing issues such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change. Through this visit, I learned how diplomats engage in meaningful dialogue and policy development to create sustainable, people-focused solutions.
Officials from the Embassy of Norway shared how they collaborate with local communities to identify needs and implement programs that empower individuals and strengthen long-term development. This commitment to community-driven impact inspired my team and me as we worked to develop our own business proposal focused on creating lasting change.
During my visit to the Egyptian Embassy, I gained insight into how diplomacy shapes international cooperation and development. The experience deepened my understanding of the embassy’s role in promoting peace, fostering economic partnerships, and addressing shared global challenges.
Embassy representatives discussed how their work supports cross-cultural exchange, advances policy priorities, and strengthens relationships between the Egyptian people and the United States. I learned how embassies serve as bridges, connecting governments, communities, and organizations to create innovative solutions for global issues.
This visit broadened my perspective on international leadership and inspired me to think critically about how collaboration, cultural awareness, and strategic planning can drive meaningful progress- principles that our team applied while developing our business proposal.
Throughout the internship, our team had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with leading experts in business and economic development from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
One of the highlights was a session with Carla Brooks, Business and Development Officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
My team also worked directly with a personal mentor. Our mentor provided us with career insights, project support, and feedback for our business ideas. The meetings we had throughout the week with our mentor provided critical insights from the initial business ideation phase through our project presentation.
With support from Ms. Brooks and other global leaders, including Eric Rosenstein, we refined our ideas, strengthened our strategy, and developed a powerful and polished pitch deck to present at the end of the week. Their guidance helped us take our business proposal to the next level, creating a plan designed not only to launch a venture, but to transform our business partner’s future.