Nineteen years ago, when Dr (Mrs.) Joy Dominic, Chief Executive Officer, Joy Skin Maintenance and Beauty Parlour had a chance encounter with the art of beauty therapy in Accra, Ghana, she didn't know that fate had thrust a gold mine on her laps. Almost two decades in the business, Mrs. Dominic has every cause to thank God for her strides in beauty therapy which has earned her fame and fortune.

My name is Dr Joy Dominic. I am the Chief Executive Officer of Joy Skin Maintenance and Beauty Parlour. I am from Akwa Ibom State. I did my primary school education in the then Cross River State. My secondary school was done in Lagos. While I obtained a diploma in Accounting in my state.

When I was pursuing my diploma, I was engaged to my husband who was living in Ghana then and when I went to visit him, I saw something that was lacking in Nigeria then, because people were not beauty conscious.

There in Ghana, it was like a carnival. People were doing facial treatment, massaging and all that. That was about 19 years ago. I went into the study because I have always loved beauty right from my childhood. I appreciate people who are beautiful.

After my studies, I came back to Nigeria but the art was not in vogue then, so I went into fashion and made a lot of money, but in 1993, God told me to go back to what I studied in Ghana, so I opened my beauty parlour.

When I started this beauty therapy, it was like trying to introduce something new. And you know the way Nigerians treat new things. Some people tried to make jest of the thing.

However, I was not deterred. I knew my target, so I began to go to hospitals to meet nurses and mothers whose babies had rashes, stretch marks and other skin diseases.

What convinced them was that each product I introduced to them worked well. From there, words began to spread. I was not producing the cream myself. My study in cosmetic chemicals and cosmetics surgery gave me the advantage that I can look at a particular cosmetic that has a particular chemical and another that does not have and ask you to mix it to get a desired result.

I started the business in my sitting room and when money began to come in, I rented a shop at Agege. From there to Ogba and now in Allen Avenue Ikeja.

What really encouraged me was when I started, if I mix creams for people or introduce some to them, it worked very well. From there, words began to spread. When my baby had rashes, I met one Joy who recommended one cream. That gave me the motivation to keep on. At a time, my house almost became a hospital and I told myself that it is high time I moved out.

I can say that it has been wonderful. Even the Bible says that we should not dispose even the little we get. I studied what I am into and then lay the foundation. A very good business even in marriage, any woman that jumped into marriage and did not understand how the man started, it will not last but any marriage that the man and woman laid the foundation together, such a marriage will stand the test of time.

Well, I am proud of my country. We are very talented and very beautiful too. Anywhere in the world, I always discovered that Nigerians are the most beautiful. We are committed. We are hardworking and intelligent. I wont say because I have business outside the country and condemn my country. Nigeria is such a beautiful place.

Managing any type of business needs knowledge, wisdom and understanding and all these come from God. With the grace of God, there is no way you cannot manage something you spent years to study and you understand the rudiments. I know my staff very well and before I employ somebody, I will make sure that the person is level headed and can be a worthy ambassador of the company any time and anywhere.

I believe strongly in reaching out to people and that is the reason why you see me in most of the television stations like Galaxy, MITV, AIT, NTA and Silver Bird I also run advertisement in newspapers like Daily Sun and The Punch.

That is my little way of creating awareness because in any business you are in, you should make provision for awareness so that people will know what you are doing and patronise you.

I want to thank God for the type of husband he gave to me. My husband is the kind of man that is exposed to life and he likes beauty too. He encourages me in the business. In short, he is the backbone of my business.

Nothing can affect my marriage because I know how to manage myself. Everything has its own time. I wake up in the morning, clean up my house as a mother, prepare breakfast and lunch and get my children ready for school. We come home before eight in the night and that gives me enough time to prepare the supper. I wash my husband and childrens' clothing during the weekends. So, I know how to package myself. Being a career woman cannot stop me from being a mother and a wife.

It all depends on the man. For me, I am in support of a husband and wife having joint account. There is nothing wrong with that if both parties are honest to themselves. I used to have one with my husband when he was in business like me but when he became a pastor we had to separate but then, he still knows every income that comes into my hands. I tell him everything. I don't hide anything from him.

I have women empowerment programme. I train woman on how to create wealth, because you cannot just go to church and when you come back home money will fill your house. But when you pray, God will take care of the spiritual angle and you should take care of the physical angle. After all, God said that he will bless the work of our hands.

I engage them in handiwork no matter their level, whether they have masters degree, first degrees or school certificates. This is because if you are working now, there will be a time you will retire then what will you be doing?

They should not believe in being full time house wives. I personally don't believe in it. I believe in having my own personal money and spending it the way I want, helping people, encouraging people, seeing to the affairs of their family.

Men should even encourage their wives to work. If a woman marries a rich man and later things fall apart, what will happen next? I have seen many marriages like that. If you are a full time house wife, then your family will be in problem.

It is good for husband and wife to work. You know that when two heads join together, it is better. I have seen a couple of men who said that they won't allow their wives to work but it is wrong. These women did not spend all the years in the school to be staying in the house. They should be allowed to practice what they studied. There are men when they allow their wives to work, they will discover that they are materials for success.

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