Today we’d like to introduce you to Nyorh Agwe.
Hi Nyorh, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Cameroon, the first child to two up & coming Dr.’s- one in the medical field and one with a Ph.D. to be exact. So you can guess how much of a surprise it was to them that their daughter would grow and take the direct opposite path as an artist! My little sister was born 3 years after me and in 1999 our family moved to America for greener pastures. Our family expanded with the coming of my 2nd sister and our baby brother.
As we grew so did my exposure to life and my desires of what I wanted out of it. Art & fashion became my most fond tool for expressing myself, especially in an African family where “expressing oneself” out loud wasn’t necessarily welcomed. By the end of high school, I’d decided that I wanted to become a fashion designer professionally. My mum was always supportive of any dream I had, even if it was one she didn’t fully understand. My father… not so much. Nonetheless, I pursued it. I thought the school that hosted my favorite show Project Runway would be a great place to start. So I applied to the Parsons School of Design and got in.
There, in the heart of New York City, I fully explored my voice as an artist and even explored love. He was a tall, dark, and handsome musician. We were young and had no idea what true love was. And in an attempt to save our downfall, I sought God. I accepted an invitation from my sister to a spiritual retreat. It’s not that I never knew God. My family was Presbyterian. I hadn’t spoken to God in a while, but I at least knew if anyone could give me an answer to save my relationship it would be Him.
At the retreat, I received much more than I intended- hope, love, and salvation. Returning to NY, I had a new frame of mind about who God was and therefore a new frame of mind about my future. Which apparently, would not involve the relationship I originally sought to mend.
It was this truth of God and who I am in Him that guarded my heart and mind through 1 failed fashion business, 7 years of unemployment, 2 years for an MBA, and 28 years of questioning my worth. It was this truth of God that prepared me for where I am today; embracing my call as a full-time entrepreneur, encourager, teacher, and creative.
Entrepreneurship is a scary career path. No wonder not many of us step into it. For me, I was paralyzed because I thought everything had to rely on me and my success. However, I’m empowered by the fact that with God, that couldn’t be further from the truth. You get an extra pep in your step when you know that the Creator of the entire Universe is backing you up and setting the stage for you to win.
You make bold moves like launching another business even though the last one failed or finally setting up the blog when no one’s called you a writer. With that boldness, I’ve launched a branding agency supporting other small businesses and solopreneurs, created a community empowering women to achieve their wildest dreams, and partnered with my family in building a Content Studio that could fill in the creative needs of my community. And that is just the beginning.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It certainly was not smooth! There were so many struggles; lack of funds, job rejection after job rejection, distractions, the list could go on.
However, one of the big struggles I had was my mindset; what I chose to believe. I wanted a lifestyle I envisioned in my head that in my heart I didn’t believe I was worthy of. In the end, mall thinking will cause you to make small moves. At the same time, big thinking with no real plan of execution gives you something nice to boast about but nothing to build. I had both types of thinking and didn’t even know it!
For me, it was God that cleaned that all up. This brings me to my second biggest struggle: Change and quickly adjusting to change. Cleaning up my stinking thinking was God pulling me out of the cluttered streets of New York into the slow pace of Florida where I studied for my MBA (which I wasn’t too happy about at first might I add, neither the moving nor the additional degree). It was a season of solitude, dryness, and closed doors. There’s probably nothing worse than stillness or silence to a workaholic or a busy bee. Yet there were no words from the jobs
I applied and every rejection forced a shift in my plans. I never once thought I’d be cleaning bathrooms for Airbnb hosts or driving Uber. However, if I’ve learned anything it’s that change will test how loyal you are to the vision. Are you still going to make it happen no matter what? Or is this the point where you’ll throw in the towel and forget it all? Many times, my dreams of being a serial entrepreneur seemed so far from me. And having to adjust to life’s changes so often wore me out! But it’s funny how in so much change I learned how to submit to change. Instead of fighting its waves, I learned how to ride its waves and it gave me the endurance to handle change better the next time it came.
Along the way, I also picked up tools that made me more flexible and pliable so that change was welcomed to happen in my life. From studying to be a Scrum Master I picked up project management skills tailored to work in frequently evolving environments. From a book called Atomic Habits, I learned how to develop effective habits that could work for me and not against me when enduring change. From a leadership program at my church, Union Church, I learned how to prioritize and delegate my life, my work, and my team well.
I still am not fond of change. Just like any other human, I’m a creature of habit. However, I wanted to grow and keep growing. If one wants to grow, change is inevitable. The quicker you can adjust to it the faster you’ll grow.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As a serial entrepreneur, I have my hands in a couple of businesses. One of them is a branding agency I launched in 2020, Nyorh Agwe Studio. Our agency serves to empower brands through marketing solutions that harness their unique stories. We offer services in brand coaching, brand identity design, website design, photo production, video production, and personal branding. What sets us apart is how we serve our clients.
We take the time to listen and connect to our clients, their needs, and the needs of their customers. For us, customer retention is more than a marketing objective but is about crafting brand identities founded on making meaningful connections. What we’re most proud of is that we’ve been a part of lifting clients out of financial depressions and stimulating the growth of small businesses that were once stagnant.
We don’t shy away from the complexities that make each business different. Instead, we tap into it. Because no one can do you like you. We also work to create opportunities and platforms that can equip the creative needs most small businesses and solopreneurs have. That’s why, in collaboration with my family, we also opened up Agwe Studios. This studio space offers three uniquely designed spaces conveniently located in Prince George’s County and provides podcasting, audio, photography, and lighting equipment a digital creator needs to create quality content at an affordable price.
Outside of these ventures, I’m the founder and writer of ThngsHopedFor- a platform shared through a collection of thoughts and life experiences that explore and exercise the vehicle of faith to reach promises we could only imagine but are ours to hold nonetheless. The platform is shared through a blog with writings from me and guest contributors on topics from faith, fashion, fitness, finances, and lifestyle. ThngsHopedFor is also shared through a podcast featuring a variety of special guests.
Something I’m super proud of is the accountability program we launched this year called Resolve. It’s a virtual community of creative women ready and willing to break the cycle of inconsistency and bring to life their wildest dreams. It’s our first ever time doing something like this and I’m elated by how many members have already seen so much transformation in themselves and in all they hope to achieve this year!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was very explorative creative-wise. I liked to make a lot of things with my own hands. Treehouses, toys, appetizers for dinner. There was this one salad mixer I made as a kid with apple slices in it that I wish I knew the recipe of today! All I remember was that it tasted good and that I was proud I thought of it myself. I thought I was going to be a chef when I was younger.
I had a big white binder with pictures and writings of all the recipes I had made. I was also quite business-minded for a kid. In elementary school, I had a knack for making gimp bracelets and a lot of kids loved it. Before I knew it I was making and selling them during lunch! I preferred creating something myself instead of buying something already made. In middle school, I even turned my science project demonstrating a plant cell into a cake because why not?
Looking back, I think my path to becoming an entrepreneur makes a lot of sense now. Throughout my life, I’ve always really enjoyed the ability to build something positive and share it with others.
Pricing:
- Resolve Accountability Program: $22
- Book Agwe Studios: $60
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nyorhagwestudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thngshopedfor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nyorh-agwe/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thngshopedfor
- Other: www.thngshopedfor.com
