Some stories begin with a business idea. Others begin much earlier, quietly taking shape through childhood, family and the experiences we carry with us.For Ebere Lucy Okafor, the story began with her mother
What do you remember about your mother’s experience of raising six children?
I am the fifth of six children and the fifth daughter in my family.
Growing up in Nigeria, I witnessed the cultural pressure placed on women who did not have male children. My mother gave birth to one daughter after another, and instead of simply celebrating the blessing of her children, some people around her mocked and criticised her for having only girls.
The pressure became so intense that when she was pregnant with me, she earnestly prayed for a son. This was not because she did not value girls, but because society had made her feel that giving birth to another daughter would represent some form of failure.
Then I was born - a girl.
Although my mother initially felt the disappointment created by those expectations surrounding her, she welcomed and loved me. She later had my younger brother, completing our family of six children. What really shaped me was what my mother did despite all of this. She firmly believed in the potential of the girl child. She was educated and understood the transformational power of education, so she made a personal commitment to give all her daughters the best education she could provide.
She wanted our lives to challenge the belief that girls were less valuable or less capable than boys.
How much did your mother’s determination shape the woman you became?
A lot.
I lost my father while I was still in secondary school, and from that point my mother carried the enormous responsibility of raising and educating us. Despite the difficulties, she remained committed to our future and ensured that we continued our education to high levels.
Her courage, sacrifice and determination taught me something very early in life: when a girl is educated, supported and empowered, she can achieve far more than society may ever have imagined for her.
My mother's experience became one of the foundations of my purpose. I wanted girls to grow up knowing that their gender was not a limitation and that they had the right to dream, lead, learn and succeed
Did you ever question the rules around you?
I was naturally curious and proactive as a child. I frequently questioned why girls were excluded from certain opportunities and why they were expected to accept particular limitations simply because of their gender.
Leadership followed me throughout my formative years. I served as a class monitor in primary school and a class prefect in secondary school. I later became the first female Head Girl of my secondary school, and at university I served as a course representative. In every leadership position, I found myself using my voice to support others, particularly girls and women.
When did the instinct to support girls become something you actively built your life around?
My experiences and passion for empowering girls eventually led me to establish Lucy Inspires Network Global in Nigeria. I also founded the Hadassah School of Leadership and Values, a leadership school specifically for young girls.
Through the school, I trained girls in self-discovery, purpose, self-leadership, entrepreneurship, discipline, vision and goal-setting. I visited schools and spoke to thousands of young people through assemblies, conferences and empowerment programmes, while directly mentoring and nurturing hundreds of girls.
Today, many of the girls I mentored have grown into remarkable women and trailblazers across different professions and sectors. Some still call me their mentor and share how the lessons, opportunities and encouragement they received shaped their lives. That remains one of the greatest rewards of my journey.
What was happening behind the scenes?
The journey was not easy.
At the time, projects centred on girls were not always taken seriously or given adequate support. There were occasions when people did not recognise the importance of the work simply because it focused on the girl child.
As a young woman completing my national service and beginning my professional journey, I carried much of the responsibility myself. There were periods when money was genuinely difficult. I used my personal income to organise programmes, feed participants, provide learning materials and keep the vision alive. I had limited resources, but I never lacked conviction.
Sometimes I had to make difficult financial decisions because I believed the work mattered. Those experiences taught me resilience and resourcefulness. I learnt that purpose is not always convenient. Sometimes it requires you to serve without applause, build without recognition and keep going when the resources are not there yet.
At some point, your work moved beyond girls. What changed?
After getting married, my work expanded from primarily supporting young girls to helping adult women grow mentally, personally and financially. I built a women-in-business brand and community in Enugu, where I supported women to use digital marketing and social media to grow their businesses.
For me, financial independence is an important part of women's empowerment. A woman who can earn, make informed decisions and contribute confidently is often better positioned to exercise agency over her life.
I watched women take their first steps, develop their brands and gradually build sustainable businesses. Some have expanded their companies and opened branches across different parts of Nigeria. When I see their progress, I do not simply see successful businesses. I see confident women, stronger families, employment opportunities and communities being transformed.
What has being a wife and mother taught you that your work could not?
Marriage and motherhood have given me a different understanding of love, responsibility and sacrifice.
I am a wife and a mother of three young children, and there is a lot that comes with trying to balance family, marriage, work, business and community leadership.
Motherhood has made me more patient and more intentional. It has also made me think much more deeply about the kind of world I want my children to grow up in.
There are seasons when you have to put your own ambitions to one side because your family needs you. There are also moments when you have to remind yourself that loving your family and pursuing your purpose do not have to be competing choices.
I have had to learn how to carry both.
What does love look like when you are building a life that asks so much of you?
For me, love is not just a feeling. It is sacrifice, presence, patience and choosing each other through different seasons. My family has been part of the journey. They have seen the long days, the uncertainty, the rebuilding and the moments when I have had to stretch myself.
I have also had to learn that I cannot pour into everyone else and neglect the people closest to me. That balance is still something I am learning.
I relocated to the United Kingdom in 2022. Moving to a new country required me to rebuild many aspects of my life and identity. I arrived with experience, dreams and a strong record of impact, but I still had to navigate the reality of beginning again somewhere unfamiliar.
I initially worked in care and support roles while adjusting to a new country, raising my family and finding my place within the wider community. Starting again can be humbling. You know what you have achieved and what you are capable of, but you enter an environment where very few people know your story.
You have to rebuild relationships, credibility, confidence and community. At the same time, I was navigating motherhood and family responsibilities. But I did not allow that season to silence my purpose.
What did you see around you that made you realise there was another community you needed to build?
I looked around and saw Black, African, immigrant and minority ethnic women experiencing some of the same challenges I understood personally.
Many were talented and hardworking but lacked visibility, supportive networks, access to information and a sense of belonging. Some had businesses but struggled to reach the right audiences. Others had dreams they had placed aside while focusing on survival, employment and family responsibilities.
I recognised the need for a community where these women could be seen, heard, supported and encouraged to grow. That conviction led me to establish BizWomen Hub CIC in the UK.
Our Black BizWomen community has grown to more than 500 women. It is not simply a business network. It is a space of encouragement, connection and belonging. We want women to understand that they do not have to build alone.
Our mission is to help Black and African women in business become seen, heard and paid. We have created programmes and events including BizWomen Market Day, BizWomen Voices, business networking sessions, learning opportunities and community gatherings.
One of our major events brought together more than 65 women-led businesses and attracted more than 500 registrations.
For me, every business logo represents a person, a family, a dream and a story of courage.
You have also written books, coached businesses, worked in digital marketing - Are these separate parts of your career?
Not really.
Writing, speaking, coaching, digital marketing and community building all give me different ways to do the same wider work — help people recognise their value, communicate it and create opportunities from it. I have written more than seven books covering business, personal development and inspirational life lessons.
As a business coach and digital marketer, I help business owners clarify their messages, position their brands, identify their audiences and market their products and services more strategically.
Media is another area I care deeply about because of its power to shape narratives, amplify overlooked voices and connect people with opportunities.
When you look at everything you have built, what matters to you most?
When I look back at my journey, the words that come to mind are resilience, purpose, empathy, service, courage and consistency.
I have not followed this path because it has always been easy or immediately rewarding. I have remained committed because I believe it is more than a passion, it is my calling.
My greatest joy comes from looking back and seeing women and girls who are now living more confidently and purposefully because something I taught, created or said helped them recognise their potential.
And what would you like the next chapter to look like?
I know there is still much more to do. My vision is to build stronger platforms that give Black, African and immigrant women greater access to business opportunities, mentoring, visibility, wellbeing support, funding information and meaningful professional networks.
I want BizWomen Hub to grow into a widely recognised support system for women who are rebuilding their dreams abroad and for founders who need the right community, resources and encouragement to move forward.
I also want to continue speaking, writing, coaching, mentoring and creating opportunities for women and girls across the UK, Nigeria and beyond. My journey has not been perfect or easy, but it has been purposeful and fulfilling.
When I think about where it all began - with my mother being mocked for having daughters and me being the fifth one, I cannot ignore the full circle.
What society once treated as a disappointment became the foundation of my purpose. And I have never stopped building from there.
*Images: Photos by Ebere Lucy Okafor
Great job at Salha kaitesi for bringing this story out.
A very inspiring read.
Its a great honour to have worked with Lucy Ebere at tje biz women hub.
Weldone to you all.