The world of work has changed, people are building profitable careers and businesses out of roles and services that didn’t exist (or that weren’t popular) 10 years ago. So to provide inspiration and advice for people who are trying to find their niche, we convinced Kaka Amanoh (click here to see her work) to share the story of her not-so-conventional journey from Law to Lifestyle Consultancy.
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What do you do?
I am an Etiquette & Lifestyle Educator.
You know how people dream about having the homes or lifestyle of people they see on Instagram but think it’s not achievable yet because they don’t have enough money to make it happen?
I help people make those dreams a reality within their budget, I help them become better versions of themselves by educating and coaching them on various sectors of etiquette, virtue and lifestyle.
My work puts people on the path to achieving their life goals and dreams by helping them cultivate a healthy, wholesome, tasteful and sustainable lifestyle within their financial realities.
What influenced your career choice? How did you go from Law to Lifestyle Consultancy?
After school, I didn’t become a practising lawyer, I started a beauty business instead and I was great at it.
For me, the best part of being a beauty artist was seeing the way people respond to makeovers.
Makeovers have a way of boosting self-confidence, the only problem is that this feeling is short-lived.
I wanted to help people in a more sustainable way so I went into skincare.
I got professional training and added skin care to the list of services I provided but it still wasn’t enough, it still felt temporary, transient and skin deep.
What would happen, if God forbid, something ruined your skin? It would be over.
I went through a long phase where I battled with career fulfilment because I wanted to do more, I wanted to transform my clients in a more permanent way but I didn’t know how.
What happened then? How did you figure it out?
I have always been the kind of person who tries to learn stuff and pick up certifications along the way, so one day I sat down and decided to go through all my qualifications to figure out exactly what I enjoy doing.
Of all the things that I had been interested in enough to pursue a training or formal education, I had to figure out which one of them was something I loved enough to do as a job.
This process made me realise that all my pursuits were lifestyle-focused.
I grew up in a home where etiquette was second nature and my mother taught us timeless lifestyle lessons that went beyond good manners and influenced my behaviour.
For example, at age 3, I was learning how to eat with a fork and a knife.
Even though I didn’t realise how different my upbringing made me initially, I sort of figured it out in the University when I realised that there was an etiquette gap in the world.
Not everyone adopts good manners and proper behaviour as a way of life but for people who do, they stand out.
You can see it in everything they do, from the way that they are dressed to the way that they speak.
So, when I was searching for a unique career path that would help me transform people in a more permanent way, it hit me that this was something I could do.
I could help people bridge the gap in a way that would not only boost their image and self-confidence but also put them on the path to achieving their life goals by cultivating sustainable etiquette and lifestyle habits.
How has it been so far?
It has gone very well except for one or two times when Nigeria has tried to frustrate me.
This one time, I had a client who wanted to eat healthier and after developing a plan for her, I couldn’t find squash anywhere.
I remember thinking “Wait. Is it squash that will end my career like this?” 😂
Right now, I am looking for a place to buy whole-grain bread and there has been no luck so far, even after asking on Twitter.
Things like these have taught me to find substitutes or learn ways to make things myself at home, even if it means buying all the grains and milling it to make bread.
What big lessons have you learnt during the course of your career?
The biggest lesson that I have learnt is that the root of the problem is not always what you think.
With my clients, to make sure that we are focusing on the right thing, I always start with an audit.
I had a client come in recently trying to find ways to improve her work-life balance, she wanted a specific service because she thought that would fix everything but after the audit, we realised that the problem wasn’t what she thought at all.
The real problem was that she did not like her house, that was why she was spending so much time at work.
Working on this insight, we found ways to revamp her home within her budget and make it into a space that she loves and this has made such a huge impact on her life.
Her house has become a place that she is happy to come home to.
I am currently teaching her some cooking and food presentation skills because she likes to cook and so far it’s been a very fulfilling journey.
Beyond training and certifications, what else would you say prepared you for this career path?
I would say that my entire life prepared me for this, I just didn’t know it then.
From a mother who taught me valuable lifestyle lessons, to friends who supported me through school where people who don’t understand it might make fun of you for being different, I have been very lucky.
My upbringing helped me understand the power of lifestyle choices and their effect on the behaviour, actions and emotional and physical well-being of a person.
What does success look like in a career like this?
Visibility and clientele expansion.
The more people see you, know who you are and what you do, and the more your client list grows, the more you grow.
Your client list could expand to include celebrities, in turn, creating more visibility for your brand.
What would you say is the Etiquette and Lifestyle Education Edition of Expectations vs Reality?
I didn’t really have any expectations so there are no drastic variations between what I expected and what I am experiencing now.
Coming into this, I kind of understood that it is not an area that has been explored a lot in Nigeria over the past 10 years.
I know of a few etiquette consultants but what they do is different from what I do, especially in regard to my focus areas and the way that I channel etiquette and infuse it with lifestyle.
In fact, if any, I expected that it would be hard to break into the Nigerian market and get clients but so far it hasn’t been too bad. It’s a process that gets better every day.
To be honest, I am still figuring out a lot of stuff so I am growing with my business.
Are you where you want to be?
I am not where I want to be, but I am where I should be.
And I am well on my way to where I want to be.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
There is nothing else I would rather be doing.
Every week, we share career stories like this from people across different industries to motivate you and help you learn from the stories of others.
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