Monica Tanee, a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the University of Portharcourt sells smoked fish because she’s determined not to stay idle.
She came into the limelight when she posted a picture of herself smoking cat fish on her Facebook page. She towed a familiar terrain because her parents were involved in buying and selling while she was growing up.
Monica Tanee’s biggest inspiration is her late dad who passed away recently. Her late dad didn’t have any formal education but he ensured she had her first degree, and she would do everything within her power not to disappoint him.
The hard working orphan who also lost her mum 11 years ago started her catfish business during her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year at 32 Artillery Brigade Barack Akure, Ondo state where she did her first primary assignment.
Monica Tanee studied how to train fish. She trained some batches of catfish with a fellow Youth Corp Member before she passed out. She didn’t want to stay jobless. She and her friend harvested and took the fresh catfish to (TIkIFISH ) for his unique processing method. This method of processing fish is not common in Rivers state because it guarantees sand and smoke-free, tasty smoked fish. So she decided to partner with him.
Even though it has been very challenging for this young lady, the reception she gets from people has been encouraging. Monica Tanee has a good relationship with her customers and they truly believe in her business and also refer people to her from all over the country.
But no venture comes easy. Life is filled with challenges and many times, people are tempted to give up. There have been times when Monica Tanee felt like giving up. For instance, when some of her friends see her as a fishmonger after graduating as a Chemical Engineer, she feels sad. But she has to encourage herself so as not to fail her late parents.
For the budding entrepreneur, marketing her fish is another ball game. Monica Tanee doesn’t have a shop for now. She markets her business through word of mouth to friends, family members and neighbours. She also makes use of social media to get more customers. Sometimes, she goes into the market to network with other fish sellers and partner with them so that she can sell her fish.
Monica Tanee says that self-determination is one key budding female Entrepreneurs should work with. She told herself that she won’t stay idle after her service year, even though what she’s doing is not related to her field of study.
She advised young women that are currently jobless to pick a business or skill of their choice and start working on it. They shouldn’t be ashamed because hard work pays especially for a woman. Working hard and not depending on people for money will gain them respect from people around.
Now I want to eat smoked fish