Martha Abonyi, popularly known as Christabel, has built an international digital marketing career, helping businesses strengthen their online presence while equipping young people with skills to explore opportunities in the global digital economy.
Abonyi, founder of Digitalhaven Marketing Agency, has worked with business owners and organisations across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel and other international markets.
Her entrepreneurial journey began while she was studying Food Science and Technology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where she combined her academic activities with a small tailoring business.
Originally from Enugu State, she completed her secondary education in Port Harcourt before proceeding to the university. While in school, she attended lectures during the day and spent her evenings sewing, sometimes working until 2 a.m.
Recalling her early days as an entrepreneur, Abonyi said, “I started out with a passion for fashion and tailoring. I would attend lectures during the day and spend my evenings sewing, sometimes working until 2 a.m. It was challenging, but I was determined to build something for myself.”
Her transition into digital marketing began during her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year in Abuja. Unable to take her sewing machine along, she decided to explore a skill that could be practised remotely.
She began building her presence on LinkedIn, where her first client contacted her without a direct sales pitch.
“That first client who reached out through LinkedIn without me having to make a direct sales pitch changed my perspective. I began to understand the power of visibility, consistency and building a strong personal brand,” she said.
The experience marked a turning point in her career and eventually led to the establishment of Digitalhaven Marketing Agency.
Through the agency, Abonyi has managed more than 50 brands and worked with clients in technology, software-as-a-service (SaaS), marketing, fashion, beauty and food.
Her areas of specialisation include LinkedIn personal branding, social media management and performance advertising. Her work has also generated millions of social media impressions, according to her professional profile.
Abonyi’s reported achievements include being ranked Nigeria’s number one digital marketer by Favikon and earning Top Rated status on Upwork with a 100 per cent Job Success Score.
She has also grown her LinkedIn community organically to more than 40,000 followers and was named among the top 10 women to follow globally for LinkedIn personal branding by an international creator on International Women’s Day. She was reportedly the only Black woman on the list.
Beyond her business activities, Abonyi has focused on youth empowerment through digital skills training and mentorship.
She said her interest in training young people was driven by the need to help graduates and other job seekers discover alternative ways of earning a living in an increasingly competitive employment market.
“I believe young people should not limit their opportunities to traditional employment. There are skills they can learn and opportunities they can access in the global digital economy, regardless of where they live,” she said.
She has trained more than 300 people in Canva-related digital skills, while also mentoring individuals on professional branding and how to explore work opportunities through platforms such as LinkedIn and Upwork.
Her commitment to knowledge-sharing also informed the publication of her first official paid ebook, Your First Coin, which outlines practical lessons from her online career and offers guidance to people seeking to earn their first $1,000 to $5,000 online.
Explaining the motivation behind the publication, she said, “I wanted to document practical lessons from my journey and make them accessible to people who are trying to earn their first income online. My goal is to help others understand the possibilities and take practical steps towards achieving them.”
Abonyi’s journey has also involved personal challenges. She reportedly survived a life-threatening accident that required three years of recovery but continued working towards her career goals despite the setback.
Reflecting on the experience, she said, “The recovery period was difficult, but it did not take away my ambition. I remained committed to rebuilding my life and pursuing the goals I had set for myself.”
For her, the objective extends beyond building a successful marketing agency to creating opportunities for others through knowledge transfer and digital skills development.
“Success is not just about building a profitable business. It is also about how many people you can empower, the knowledge you can share and the opportunities you can help create for others,” she added.
From running a tailoring business as a university student to working with international clients, Abonyi’s career reflects the growing opportunities available to Nigerians who develop skills relevant to the digital economy.
