Meet Idayat Sambo of Covermecutee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Idayat Sambo.

Hi idayat, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story is not a straight-line story. It is a story of starting over many times, using what I had, and refusing to allow where I came from to decide where I was going.

I came to America from Nigeria with my husband, three little children, and only $85. I was that Black immigrant woman with tribal marks on her face, an accent, and what some people considered “too many children.” At one point, I could not even afford daycare so I could go to work. English is my second language, and I did not always feel like I belonged in certain rooms—but I have never been afraid of hard work.

I worked in social services and later became a nurse because I wanted stability for my family. Nursing gave me a paycheck, but it also came with long hours, exhaustion, and less time with my children. I was making money, but I was tired. I knew there had to be another way to provide for my family without giving all of myself to a job.

My entrepreneurial journey started with a donated sewing machine. I taught myself how to sew and started CoverMeCutee, my modest and size-inclusive fashion brand, from my kitchen table. I did not have investors, a big team, or a perfect business plan. I simply started with what I had. That small beginning eventually grew into a multi-six-figure clothing brand, an online community, and a physical boutique.

Along the way, I applied for many grants. I heard “no” several times, but I kept applying, improving my story, and learning how to clearly communicate the value of my business. In just 12 months, I secured approximately $71,000 in grant funding—real money that did not have to be paid back. I became a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses graduate, won Cleveland Chain Reaction, and received opportunities and recognition that once felt impossible for someone with my beginning. My story and business have also been featured by Fox 8.

But even with the success, I became burned out again. I was designing, selling, packing orders, creating content, helping customers, and managing the boutique. The business was growing, but everything still depended on me. That was when I realized I did not just want money—I wanted freedom. I wanted to build wealth without losing my health, my peace, or the time I could never get back with my family.

I started learning digital assets, content creation, artificial intelligence, and how to turn my knowledge into digital products. I used my phone, my story, and the skills I already had. Within six months, I generated more than $100,000 from digital products.

Today, I am a business coach and digital-income strategist. I am also the founder of a growing community of women I call “The Village.” My students are now building five- and six-figure businesses, and one is on her way to becoming my first seven-figure student.

Every month, I host a free three-day training called the Brain to Bank Challenge. I teach hardworking women how to use their phones and AI to turn what they already know into a second stream of income. Many women think they need another degree, more money, thousands of followers, or advanced computer skills before they can start. I show them that their knowledge, life experiences, and even the problems they have already learned how to solve can become income-producing assets.

I do this work because our children cannot become what they do not see. I want my four daughters to see that a woman can start again at any age. She can be a present mother, build wealth, create opportunities, and still choose peace. I also want other women and their children to see what is possible.

I was not given a seat at the table, so I decided to build my own table—and create seats for hardworking women like me.

I went from being underestimated—the Black immigrant woman with tribal marks, an accent, and children I could not afford daycare for—to building businesses and helping other women create wealth on their own terms. My story is proof that you do not have to start with much. You just have to start with what is already in your hands.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all. One of the hardest parts of my journey was shutting down my boutique.

Opening a physical boutique was a big dream for me. After starting CoverMeCutee with a donated sewing machine at my kitchen table, having my own storefront felt like proof that I had finally made it. I had the keys, the inventory, the customers, and my business name outside the building. From the outside, it looked like success—but behind the scenes, I was struggling.

The boutique was not generating enough consistent income to cover the rent and all the expenses that came with running it. I was working constantly, but hard work alone was not fixing the numbers. I even returned to nursing for a period because I needed my paycheck to help support the business. Imagine building a business to escape burnout, then returning to the same job you left because the business was now burning you out too.

Closing the boutique was painful. It felt like I was closing something I had prayed for and worked very hard to build. I worried about what people would say. I wondered if they would see me as a failure. But I had to be honest with myself: keeping a storefront open for appearances was not success. If the business could not support itself without draining me and my family, something had to change.

That shutdown humbled me, but it also redirected me. It taught me the difference between building something that looks successful and building something that is sustainable. I realized that I did not need a physical location to create impact or income. I needed better systems, a stronger digital strategy, and a business that did not require my physical presence every day.

Most importantly, I learned that I needed to build my business around my family—not build my family around my business. I did not want my children to always receive whatever time and energy I had left after work. I wanted to build wealth while still being present for the people I was building it for.

Closing the boutique pushed me to use everything I had learned. I turned my knowledge, my mistakes, and my experience into digital assets. That decision eventually helped me generate more than $100,000 from digital products within six months and opened the door for me to begin coaching other women.

The boutique shutdown was not the end of my story. It was the beginning of a new version of me. It taught me that sometimes the dream is not wrong, but the way you are carrying it has to change. I stopped trying to prove that I could keep everything going and started building a business that could also take care of me.

Today, that lesson is at the center of everything I teach: build your business around your life and your family—not your life and family around your business.

As you know, we’re big fans of Covermecutee. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
CoverMeCutee started as a modest fashion brand, but today it has grown into something much bigger—a business coaching and income-empowerment brand for hardworking women.

In the beginning, I helped women feel confident and beautiful through modest, size-inclusive clothing. I understood how difficult it was for women, especially curvy women, to find modest clothing that was stylish, comfortable, and made with them in mind. That was the problem CoverMeCutee was created to solve.

As the brand grew, women started asking me questions that went beyond fashion. They wanted to know how I built the business, how I received grants, how I sold through social media, and how I created income without having a traditional business background. They were no longer only asking me, “Where can I buy this dress?” They were asking, “How did you build this, and can you teach me how to do it too?”

That was when I realized the real product was not only the clothing. The knowledge I had gained while building the clothing brand was also valuable.

After closing my boutique, I began sharing more of what I had learned about digital assets, content creation, selling online, artificial intelligence, and creating multiple streams of income. CoverMeCutee went from helping women look good to also helping women create what I call “cute money”—income that gives them more choices, more confidence, and more freedom.

Today, I am known for teaching everyday women how to turn what they already know into income using their phones and AI. I especially work with mothers, immigrants, women with full-time jobs, burned-out professionals, and beginners who do not consider themselves tech-savvy. Many of the women who come to me have ideas, experience, and valuable knowledge, but they do not know how to package or sell it. I help them take that knowledge from their brain to the bank.

My business offers digital-product education, group coaching, business strategy, AI training, and a community called The Village. Every month, I also host the free three-day Brain to Bank Challenge, where I show women how to identify what they know, turn it into a digital offer, and begin building a second stream of income using their phones and AI.

What sets my brand apart is that I do not teach from theory. I teach from my real-life experience. I have been the woman who could not afford daycare. I have worked long nursing shifts. I have built a business from a donated sewing machine, secured approximately $71,000 in grant funding, grown a multi-six-figure fashion brand, opened and closed a boutique, and then generated more than $100,000 from digital products within six months. I understand both survival mode and what it takes to build your way out of it.

I was never a techy person. I did not have access to a computer in high school or even at the university. I had to learn technology as an adult while building my businesses and raising my children. I built much of my digital business using my phone. That is why I do not accept “I am not techy” as the final answer. If I could learn it, I believe other women can learn it too when it is explained in a simple way.

Because English is my second language, I also do not believe business education should be complicated or filled with big words. I meet women where they are, break the process down, and show them how to start with what they already have.

Brand-wise, I am most proud of the transformation happening inside The Village. My students are building five- and six-figure businesses, and one is on her way to becoming my first seven-figure student. But I am equally proud when a woman makes her first sale because that first sale changes what she believes is possible for her.

CoverMeCutee may have started with clothing, but the heart of the brand has always been the same: helping women feel seen, helping women believe in themselves, and helping women create a better life on their own terms.

We went from covering women in cute clothing to covering them with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to build wealth. The fashion brand was not left behind—it became the foundation and proof of what I now teach.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like best about Cleveland is the peace, affordability, and support available to small-business owners. It is a city where a hardworking person can still build something, raise a family, and create a good life without the pressure and cost of living that come with many larger cities.

Cleveland also has many business-education programs, grants, and organizations committed to helping small businesses grow. I have personally benefited from opportunities such as Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and Cleveland Chain Reaction. These programs gave me education, resources, connections, and the confidence to grow as a business owner. Cleveland gave me room to learn, make mistakes, start again, and build my businesses.

What I like least is the lack of collaboration, especially among entrepreneurs and content creators. We have many talented people here, but sometimes everyone is building in their own corner. Cleveland also does not have as many visible content creators or a strong, connected creator community compared to larger cities.

I would love to see more creators, business owners, and organizations come together to share resources, create content, host events, and open doors for one another. There is enough room for all of us to win. Cleveland already has the education, resources, and talent—we just need more collaboration and more opportunities for that talent to be seen.

Pricing:

• Free Monthly 3 day challenge

Contact Info:

• Website: https://digitalincomevillage.ai/optin-v1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covermecutee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057369542208
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idayat-sambo-463b58295/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IdayatSambo
• Other: https://digitalincomevillage.com