Nigerian entrepreneur and fitness expert Bunmi George, popularly known as Jbums, has revealed that her husband worked in her company for 11 months after losing his job as a pilot, describing the experience as a defining period that strengthened their marriage.
Speaking on the Dear Ife podcast hosted by Ife Agoro, George said her husband responded to the job loss by reviewing the family’s finances and introducing measures to reduce their expenses.
According to her, he insisted the family could no longer maintain its previous lifestyle on a single income.
“He had a meeting with me and said, ‘We have to cut down our expenses. First of all, we had two cars, and one had to go.'”
George said although she reminded him that she was still earning an income, he maintained that they needed to adjust their spending.
“I told him, ‘I’m still making money now. I’m still working.’ But he said, ‘There’s only one income, so everything must be cut down.'”
She said her husband also suggested reducing the number of domestic staff and took on more responsibilities at home to support the family.
“He was not just saying, ‘This is what we are going to do.’ He was showing me that it was possible. He took up a lot of responsibility around the house, and he was willing to do it,” she said.
George disclosed that her husband later joined her fitness company, Shredder Gang, where he worked alongside other employees and received a salary.
“One of the things that blows people’s minds is that he actually came to work for my company. He used to come to the office, and he was earning a salary,” she said.
She added that he even handled customer deliveries himself without revealing his identity.
“Sometimes he would have to go and do deliveries. Some people actually got deliveries from my husband personally. They didn’t know he was doing delivery work,” she said.
The entrepreneur described his willingness to work in her business as a demonstration of humility and leadership.
“I thought that was humility. That was a leader. He didn’t just sit at home. He came to work for his wife and did whatever was needed,” she said.
George also explained that she remained intentional about treating her husband with respect despite becoming the family’s sole breadwinner during that period.
“I believe my husband is a leader, and leadership is not about how much money you make. It’s about the position that you have in the home,” she said.
She added, “I had to be extra careful. Not because he had an issue with working for me, but I wanted to make sure that I still honoured him during that time.”
Reflecting on the experience, George said the period of unemployment ultimately brought them closer as a couple.
“We went through that process, and that process actually brought us closer. I thank God for that time. If I had to live that period again, I wouldn’t change it,” she said.
She noted that throughout the period, her husband remained active by praying, fasting, helping with household chores and preparing the family for future challenges.
“He wasn’t just sitting there being depressed.
He was praying, cooking, cleaning and leading by example. He told me, ‘Should anything ever happen to me, I want you to know how to lead. I’m going to show you how.'”
