Cecilia-Harrison
Cecilia Harrison
My Jumpstart Training
Jamila Bitrus
About Jamila Bitrus
Jamila Bitrus is a skilled and passionate entrepreneur with over 13 years of experience in hair care and salon services. She is committed to helping others feel confident and beautiful through high-quality, affordable beauty services.
Jamila’s dream is to build a thriving hair salon that stands out in her community as a welcoming, professional space. She believes in continuous improvement and aims to grow her salon into a trusted hub for personal care.
Her long-term vision includes creating jobs, supporting local talent, and meeting the beauty needs of a diverse and loyal client base.
Jamila Bitrus
Business Goals
Jamila’s business is guided by honesty, quality, hard work, and compassion. She aims to solve all hair-related problems while uplifting others through service, mentorship, and opportunity.
Her vision is to operate a modern, well-equipped salon in Yelwan Tudu that delivers affordable, high-quality beauty services. Jamila wants her salon to be known for affordable excellence, personal care, and professional integrity.
She hopes to move from her current rented space into a salon she owns, expand her services, and build a recognizable brand. Jamila also plans to mentor young women, helping them develop confidence and skills in the beauty industry.
Jamila Bitrus
Obstacles
Jamila began her hairdressing journey informally by assisting a friend, later advancing through a two-year apprenticeship and a year of full-time salon work. With 13 years of experience, she is known for her customer service and skill across hair types.
Starting her own business in 2015, she faced financial and logistical hurdles. Though she received equipment from her former employer and help from her husband, consistent funding remains a challenge.
Balancing family responsibilities, expenses, and local competition makes growth difficult. Still, Jamila stays committed to expanding her salon and offering quality services that boost client confidence.
Jamila Bitrus
Our Partnership
Jamila is seeking support from Leadership Initiatives through mentorship, funding, and essential equipment to enhance her salon. She needs a washing basin, hand dryer, towel warmer, and more hair products to improve service quality.
She also hopes to receive guidance in marketing, an area where she lacks confidence. With this support, Jamila believes she can grow her client base and strengthen her business.
Her goals include owning her shop, securing land for expansion, and becoming a respected brand. She also hopes to support her son’s education and create jobs for women while serving as a role model in her community.
My Jumpstart Proposal Presentation
During the Jumpstart Program, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading developmental experts in order to expand my partner’s business and brand identity.
At the conclusion of this internship, our team pitched the final proposal to Bill Stefan, Leadership Initiatives Board Member and Deputy for Enterprise Management for the Department of Defense. This formal pitch allowed our team to practice our skills and utilize our entrepreneurial toolkit, all while showcasing our efforts to transform the business we partnered with.
At the end of the pitch, we were able to receive feedback on our proposal for our business partner. Over the next year, Jamila will utilize our proposal to propel sustainable growth of their business.
My Jumpstart Proposal
Throughout the program, we worked closely with Jamila Bitrus to gain a clear understanding of their business goals. Though Jamila has leveraged their skills and years of experience to create their business, they face obstacles hindering the expansion of their work.
Guided by their vision, we crafted a proposal detailing the infrastructure and marketing materials that would support the growth of their business. We devised a plan that would allow Jamila to optimize their business through a new budget, financial tracking systems, and logo.
This new budget enables Jamila to allocate funds toward essential materials and equipment, supporting the optimization of their services. Effective financial tracking will be crucial for managing growing profits and preserving assets, ensuring the business’s long-term growth and stability. Investments in a logo and marketing materials, such as signs and flyers, are also vital for establishing a strong brand identity and expanding the customer base.
Career Exploration
Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Jamila Bitrus, and our Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.
After discussing important considerations for our marketing materials including local populations, family situations, and prior experience, we began our exploration of the business industry.
We received briefings on marketing and branding tactics from Carla Brooks and Nikki Hendricks.
Outside of the classroom, we received a personalized tour of the Embassy of Austria where we learned about Austrian culture, US/Austria relations, and international business.
To begin our exploration of the medical field, we learned about patient histories and doctor-patient interactions from Dr. Zainab of the Kidney Center of Kano State, Nigeria.
We also got hands-on training for building plaster casts. After receiving this training, we had the opportunity to build model casts and practice assessing damages and breaks.
At the end of the week, we got to put our medical skills to the test through a demo EMT scene where we used triage and emergency response.
To explore the legal field, we received a briefing on legal advocacy from Professor Sarah Stiles, an experienced educator and leader in advocacy and leadership.
I also got to meet esteemed DC District Judge, Adam Hunter. Judge Hunter taught us about questioning, data analysis, and evidence collection.
I also received a personal tour of the University of Maryland Crime Lab where I learned about forensics science, evidence viability, and how to assess crime scenes.
We got the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the intelligence community from an active government investigator, Kesha Middleton. Ms. Middleton taught us about the role of investigators, how careers in government work, and the process for entering the government and intelligence fields.
Outside of the classroom, we took a tour of the International Spy Museum. Throughout this tour, we learned about intelligence and counterintelligence equipment.
We also got the opportunity to discuss topics related to global affairs and government relations through our meetings with the Austrian Embassy officials, government officials from the NSA and DoD, and through collaborations with representatives of universities including Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, American University, and more.