Mimi Orjiekwe: Why Folorunsho Alakija Inspires Me

Ifunaya Mimi Orjiekwe, a model, scriptwriter, actress, and presenter is a graduate of Caritas University, Mimi rose to fame in the late 2000s being  featured prominently in over 10 Nollywood epic movies as lead and supporting character.  In this interview with Tosin Clegg she talks about her career in Nollywood

I’m a Nollywood actress and an entrepreneur

Right now I’m a business woman set to launch my own new line of cosmetics business. Nollywood started from the scratch for me, as I started out as a Beauty Queen which I won in 2009. After I emerged as the Queen, one of the judges, who was a Director, offered me a hand into Nollywood. We met later on and talked further about it then I was featured in a movie with Jim Iyke and other casts. 

 

 2013 was my break-out point I didn’t stay long in Nollywood at the beginning, as I had to go back for my youth service, and when I came back in 2013, I landed a new role. This was when I started building the buzz again. 

 

 Nollywood, a way of life 

Just like when you are working and you get to do your job that’s how I see acting. And you have to face the good and bad, which is going to happen. It’s my job, and not about it being fun or challenging, but it’s about combining both and making it fun for yourself. 

  

I’m an actress and producer

I have produced about three to four movies. And I haven’t produced in a while because I have been busy but, as you know, you have to keep learning every day. The first film I did was easy, and I spoke to Iroko TV and other platforms about having it and it was successful. Second production was tough because I took it to cinema standard and we shot some scenes across water, which was challenging. You plan a particular budget but things tend to go up. I learnt at the end of the day that you have to be ready. 

  

Being an enrepreneur from in infant

As a Corp member, I was already looking for contracts in Abuja. I still do stuffs for NAFDAC, where I served and WRPC in Port Harcourt and they pay me. Being an actor and also doing business has always been a part of my life, so I combine both. Not because acting isn’t paying well, but I love money and I want to make more of it. 

  

Lauching Flawless Beauty by Mimi  

It’s a makeup line but a cosmetics brand because I intend to produce other things and grow bigger. But first, I started with makeup for women with things like lashes, eye liners, eyebrows and more that every woman uses. 

As women, we all use makeup every day, so we started with that and we hope that with time we will grow and expand. 

Doing Things Differently

And that’s one thing I learnt growing up. When I started this, I knew I had to make my products different from others’, and I put into consideration women of different races, because everyone needs a shade that fits them. In the production of my lashes, I looked at what people use every day and I noticed that it’s more of the upper lashes. Then I thought of how we can make it look sexier. Now, I have lashes with upper and lower lids. My lashes make you look sexy and my lipsticks are very good, well-pigmented and of good standard. 

 

 Working with good team 

The team was majorly to work with me to put everything right. We are opening our retail store in Lekki, and I’m working on putting it together and getting people to work with me. Aside that, you can’t leave your business to people, so I’m going to watch it and manage it with other things I’m doing. Many people manage several businesses together, as it’s about doing things as they are supposed to be done. I’m hoping it’s going to work, as I have a good team. 

  

Folourunsho Alakija is my role model 

She is a rich woman who is happy with what she is doing. I have read her interviews and she said the only time she rests is when she is flying, but that when she is out of the plane, her phone starts ringing. 

She has to attend to one meeting or another and, I was like, women can be this busy? I think she inspires me a lot, as from nowhere you become somebody, and she grew very big too. She is someone I look up to and want to be like. Starting this business is the smallest thing, because I will grow bigger. 

 

 Meeting Folorunsho Alakija would be a blessing 

She is going to teach me a lot of things. But right now, we are expanding in what we do and we hope that by December this year we will open our foundation. My team and I have a whole lot of things to work with as time goes by. 

  

Right now I’m focusing on my business 

I really don’t have time for locations yet. But aside all that, I do, I’m just a simple girl that fears God, I don’t talk too much as I watch you do your thing. Sometimes I crack jokes and people don’t expect it to come from me.

 I play and I’m just a normal person. As a child, I wanted to be a Lawyer but I thank God I didn’t find myself in that circle as I enjoy what I’m doing now.