By Edwina J Bawoh (Expo Intern)

At the corner of a busy street in Freetown with dozens of people and voices that screams “only the strong can survive,” a place where one hardly hear themselves, Passers-by stop to look at her products while others continue on their way. She watches closely, hoping that the next person who stops will become a customer.24 years old Aminata Seasay, arranges clothes (thrift) for customers. This may look not enough, modest, but for her, it’s not only a small business it represents independence, determination, it’s more than a way of making money, an alternative to sitting at home waiting for a job that may never come and the fate of not completely relying on someone else

Like any other graduate, she was once a student who graduated with a first-class degree at political science, she hoped like many young finished schooled graduates that completing school would lead directly to a dream job, that earning credible qualifications of papers is enough to sort out your billing, get one a decent job without stress.

She believed she would submit applications, attend interviews and eventually receive an offer. The applications continued, months passed but the job didn’t come as expected. At home, the pressure of being unemployed became increasingly difficult. She wanted to contribute to her family’s expenses rather than depend entirely on others.

This experience has not only forced her but also be a foundation to reconsider what it means to be successful after school. For many youths, success has traditionally been associated with obtaining formal employment. With formal Education, a graduate gets a job, receives a monthly salary and begins building career.

One would say am done trying, or am too big to start from scratch, that I would rather be jobless until I get my dream job. Aminata, instead of waiting decided to do something for herself. She begins to see another possibility, another chance of not being just a job seeker

Perhaps employment does not always have to begin with someone offering a job.

Perhaps it can begin with creating something useful be it small and finding people willing to pay for it.

The irony is that Aminata has the idea, she wants to start a small business connected to skills, she has thought about the products or services she could offer, the people who might become customers and even how she could eventually expand.

But then, boom!

She has almost no money to start.

Starting a business requires capital, and Aminata does not have enough savings to rent a shop, purchase large quantities of goods or buy expensive equipment.

For a moment, this made her entrepreneurship seem impossible. How can someone without money possibly become an entrepreneur? A question that is holding many youths on hang, for Aminata ,rather than abandoning the idea, she started thinking about starting with what she already has.

Her education. skills. phone.ability to communicate, network of friends and former classmates, and most importantly, her willingness to begin small. Putting valuable items to use

She began considering businesses that could be operated from home or through her phone. From selling clothes and food to providing beauty services and engaging in online businesses

Instead of buying large quantities of products, she could begin by connecting customers with suppliers and earning a small margin, instead of renting an office, she could offer services based on her skills, and instead of waiting until she had enough money to build a large business, she could start with one customer.

Her idea was simple:

“Start with what you have, learn from the first customers and grow gradually.”

She did not have enough money to rent a shop, so she started with a few items and sold them to friends, neighbours and people she met in her community and online

“I started with what I could afford,” she says. “I knew it was small, but I believed I could build it gradually.”

The business may not be large enough to provide her with a regular salary, but it gives her something she values deeply, a chance to earn an income through her own effort and creating a job that prevents job waiting tgat may not come.

“I finished school hoping to get a job,” Aminata says. “I applied in different places, but I did not get one. I decided that instead of staying home, and completely independence, I should start something small.”

This is where Aminata’s thinking of being employed as an entrepreneur is as better as employed with a formal job

She no longer sees employment only as receiving a job from an organisation, institutions or offices

If she provides a service to a customer and earns an income, she has created work for herself, and if the business grows and she eventually hires another young person, she has created work for someone else too.

“I wish to get to a point where I don’t have to wait for me to be employed,” she says. “I want to be able to create something that can give me an income and maybe create opportunities for other people.”

For her, entrepreneurship is not simply about becoming rich, it is about becoming economically active.

The Fear of Starting may arise; the decision is not easy.

There is fear. Of rejection, of being insulted and questions will pop up so hard that one would want to give up by staying at home and wait for a chance that may never come

What if the business fails?

What if customers do not come?

What if she loses the little money she has?

What if people laugh at her because, after graduating, she is selling products or offering small services instead of working in an office?

These questions sometimes make her hesitate, but another thought pushes her forward, she has already spent months waiting for a job,waiting has not produced one, perhaps trying something different is worth the risk.

Despite her qualification and expectations, she refused of not only being a job seeker and to be seen as an idler but to owned jobs and changed the way youth unemployment is viewed, she instead increasingly becomes a CEO, and entrepreneur from creating small job opportunities

Education is helpful and will always be, but don’t be that youth and students that will completely rely on government, organizations for formal jobs that may or may never come, use your skills be it during Education and other valuable items to be your entrepreneur and creator of jobs not only jobseekers

Instead of asking why are so many young people unemployed, perhaps we should also ask what can be done to help those who are already creating their own opportunities and those that have the ideas

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 12th August 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)