Maria Mark Mshelia is an indigene of Borno State, but she has lived most of her life in Bauchi State. She began her educational journey at Herwa Academy, Maiduguri, where she completed her primary school education. Later, she moved to Bauchi to begin her secondary school at the International Secondary School, ATBU, Bauchi.
From there, she went on to study Leisure and Tourism Management at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, where she obtained both her National and Higher National Diplomas. During her time at the Polytechnic, Maria was an active member of the Student Union Government, serving as the Director of Food and Sales.
After completing her studies, she moved to Abuja in 2019, where she also completed her National Youth Service that same year.
Maria’s professional journey is quite an interesting one. While in school, she was actively volunteering with NGOs such as Follow the Money and Sustyvibes, and she also served as the State Lead for both organizations during her HND days. During her service year, she worked with Connected Development, the parent organization of Follow the Money. She was an active part of the development space until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maria has always been a business-minded person, even from her school days. She owned a fashion and upcycle business in Bauchi while still a student. During the COVID period, after completing her service year, she found herself drawn back into business — this time, real estate. She discovered Jiji, a free platform where she had access to houses for rent and items for sale. People began asking her to sell their properties, and she did that successfully for a few months.
She later tried returning to the NGO space but lost interest, deciding instead to focus fully on real estate. Over time, she moved from handling rentals to property sales. She freelanced for about two years before deciding to work with a real estate firm as a Sales Executive for about a year. By 2024, she resigned to freelance again, having built a strong network in the industry.
In 2025, Maria ventured back into the fashion business — this time with a women’s hair salon alongside it. Today, she owns Kwasheni Realty, a real estate marketing firm, and Sheni by Marie, a fashion and salon business.
Maria also brought the YALI Network physical meetup to Bauchi, where she served as the Deputy Coordinator.
The names of her brands hold special meaning. “Kwasheni” is her clan name. Maria has always loved culture and wished her parents had given her a traditional name. She decided to use her clan name for Kwasheni Realty and shortened it to Sheni for her fashion brand. To her, Kwasheni represents strength and power — qualities her clan’s women are known for.
Being in the real estate space for five years gave Maria the edge to start her own firm. Having experienced both freelancing and working with a company, she understands the dynamics of the business. Her fashion brand, on the other hand, has always been her long-time dream — one that actually came before real estate. She hopes to make Sheni by Marie bigger and better.
The fashion business also helps support her day-to-day living, as real estate doesn’t pay daily. Maria describes herself as someone with many interests, so it’s no surprise when she ventures into something new and distinct. She believes her experience in both fields gives her the confidence to manage two different brands successfully.
Although her course of study — Leisure and Tourism Management — didn’t shape her journey directly, she believes subjects like Account Management contributed to her entrepreneurial growth. As a management-based course, Tourism exposed her to business principles and how to run enterprises efficiently.
Collaboration and delegation have also helped Maria a lot. Thanks to technology and social media, people can easily order from Sheni by Marie without visiting physically, and delivery services make the process seamless. In real estate too, she relies on trusted partners and colleagues, allowing her to manage both ventures efficiently. Time management, she says, is key — if one can manage time well, it’s possible to handle multiple responsibilities without stress.
Maria believes that when you give people the best and maintain a certain standard, you’ll always stand out. In real estate, she keeps strong, healthy relationships with her clients even after deals are closed. Many of her clients have become friends. Integrity and truthfulness, she says, are core values.
For Sheni by Marie, her focus is on delivering high-quality, unique products. She prefers to work independently rather than with people who don’t share her vision. When she realizes her goals don’t align with others’, she respectfully cuts ties.
Patience, according to Maria, is her number one lesson. In business, she has encountered different people and situations — from disappointments to rude clients — but she’s learned to stay calm and handle each situation wisely. She has also learned to stand her ground for the good of her business and cut off what won’t work from the start.
For Kwasheni Realty, her goal is to venture into real estate development in the near future. For Sheni by Marie, her vision is to deliver satisfaction to both local and international clients while expanding to become a globally recognized brand. Overall, her goal is to excel in all she does and serve as an example for young women to look up to.
Her most memorable moment with Kwasheni Realty was being part of a project that helped women secure land as a form of empowerment — many of those women are now grateful for the opportunity. For Sheni by Marie, though only three months old, her proudest moments have been receiving international requests and seeing people abroad wear her designs. This, she says, made her realize that the world is always watching — even when it seems quiet.
As for her upcoming plans, Maria says nothing major for now since the year is ending, but she’s optimistic that something good will come next year.
Her message to others is simple yet powerful: Do not despise little beginnings. Even if only one person notices your work, don’t feel discouraged — keep going, and you won’t remain hidden forever. Always give your best, and whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.
She also emphasizes the importance of prayer. Whether one is Muslim or Christian, prayer is essential because only God knows our path. “If He is with you,” she says, “then you’ll succeed.”
Maria also believes it’s okay to fail — sometimes, failure simply means something isn’t meant for you, or that something needs to be done differently. She advises others to seek God’s guidance, not to rush, and to learn from those ahead.
Finally, she adds that learning to delegate is key when running multiple businesses. Getting trusted people to help you achieve your goals makes all the difference.
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