How I met my husband at the banking hall- Monique Imoni Ededuan, CEO Rentadress Nostress

Having started her business with the sum of Ten thousand naira, Monique Imoni Ededuan has proved to the society that one can succeed if you are determined and dedicated. She is the CEO of Rentadress Nostress Limited, a leading bridal shop that specializes in renting wedding outfits to women.

In her bid to encourage women, she established a Nongovernmental Organization called Independent Woman Initiative where women are been empowered and encouraged not to remain idle and be independent. In this interview with ABIMBOLA OBATAYO she spoke about her love life and also elaborated on how she scaled through and stand tall after a year of establishment.

Who is Monique?
Monique Imoni Ededuan is a Christian, an entrepreneur, a business development consultant, inspiration speaker and philanthropist. She is currently the CEO of Rentadress Nostress Limited, a fast growing bridal one stop shop that specializes in renting wedding outfits to women, saving brides to be precious money by enabling them rent their dream luxurious wedding dresses as against expending it all on a new dress. She is also the Founder of the Independent Woman Initiative, a business and entrepreneurship network and private Non-Governmental Organization that was founded in 2016. On the family side, Imoni is the fourth child of a family of six growing up in Lagos. She is a graduate of History and International Studies from the prestigious Delta State University, Abraka. She is happily married to the love of her life.

How did you come about Rentadress Nostress Limited?
I had just resigned from my job three months before marriage and as a business development manager; I thought I was going to get another job almost immediately. I applied to several organizations; I kept hearing they will get back to me. After applying and waiting for four months, I had become fully dependent on my husband for everything. This situation was not funny to me as I have never being idle since I graduated from the university. I decided to do something about my situation. I had two wedding dresses I bought for my wedding and they were just occupying space in my closet. After praying and seeking Gods face on what I should do, one morning I opened my closet and I asked myself, why don’t you start renting wedding dresses? I called two friends of mine who had just gotten married to put up their dresses for rent. They quickly jumped at the idea as long as they were going to make money from their dresses. The knowledge and experience I have, paved way for me to set up the business and by the special grace of God, Rentadress Nostress Ltd established in 2016 has rapidly grown and evolved with store outlets in Lagos, Abuja and Accra Ghana.

What gave you the impression that the business would thrive despite that you started small?
The faith and trust I have in God to bless and prosper anything I find to do have kept me successful even while I had my paid 8-5 job. It didn’t matter whether I had only N10, 000 to start the business, the most important factor is I know who I am. Everything I do prospers. Most people are amazed when they read or hear that I started the bridal store with only N10, 000 which seems almost impossible. Well what N10, 000 could do for me was to get an affordable mannequin which was about what I needed to showcase the two wedding dresses I had. I knew I could work from the comfort of my house. I turned my dining section to my show room. I took advantage of the knowledge I had with growing businesses and products and knew the fastest way to get my clients was to engage them online. With my Samsung smart phone I took pictures of the dresses, set up a Facebook and Instagram account for Rentadress Nostress and started uploading pictures. Every tool available to me was useful and today I am thankful I was not discouraged by the little capital I had.

Was your husband in support of the business in the beginning?
My husband is my greatest supporter but that is after he truly understands w