I sat down with Anita Nchat Kevin, the founder of Amina Dyslexia Center to talk about how her passion to help people achieve their goals led her to start Amina Dyslexia Center.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I began my career in teaching a few years ago. I was drawn to the education space because of my ability to identify people’s needs and help them achieve their goals. This led me to find solutions to help the dyslexic children I taught, which ultimately led to my starting Amina Dyslexia Center.
What do you feel are your biggest achievements?
Amina Dyslexia Center has been up and running for over 2 years now, within this period the center has won 3 awards and numerous recognitions.
What do you do for fun/relaxation?
When I am not working at the center, I am hiking or watching romcom movies.
If you had to write a book, what would it be on what and why?
Well, I would like to write a book that will help parents to properly educate their children. From my experience working with dyslexics, I realize there is a need for parents to understand the importance of augmenting teachers’ roles in educating children.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
In between searching for a job and developing my teaching career, I came across a quote by Richard Branson which says “When you are given an opportunity, take it, then go learn what to do”. I took the bold step of starting Amina Dyslexia Center and then learning how to run a business which has proved very rewarding.
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur is all about growth. The process refines my creativity and improves my confidence, it allows me to become a better version of myself daily.
What were you doing before this, and is this your first business?
Before Amina Dyslexia Center, I had a 7 to 4 teaching job and on the side, I had a popcorn bar so no, Amina Dyslexia Centre is not my first business, I had a series of side hustles right from my undergraduate days.
How did you come up with the name for your company?
The center is named after my cousin and best friend Amina who passed away when we were 10 years old.
Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer.
At Amina Dyslexia Center, we work to improve the learning abilities of people who are dyslexic. We do this through our 4-hour school system which assesses the condition and design individualized education plans for each student. We administer these plans using technology and multi-sensory tools.
You can learn more about us on our website at http://www.aminadyslexiacenter.com/ or follow us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/aminadyslexiacentre on Facebook and at https://www.instagram.com/aminadyslexiacenter on Instagram and finally, at https://twitter.com/AminaDyslexia on Twitter.
How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry?
Being a dyslexia advocate and starting a center solely for dyslexics and other oblivious learning challenges is a niche in itself in Nigeria’s education space.
What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder?
Each time I try to share my success and accomplishment in business I ma perceived as being proud or boastful, especially by other women. This has taught me to keep my achievemets to myself for fear of being mislabeled.
What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business?
Using technology in marketing, dyslexia assessment and teacher training has brought in significant growth for Amina Dyslexia Center. It has enabled us to reach a wider audience and has simplified our processes, especially the assessment process.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Being a business owner means you will most likely act as both a supervisor and as part of a team, and you will need to rely on effective leadership skills to help motivate yourself and your team.
Owning a business can also mean taking care of the financial aspects of your organization. You must develop financial skills even if it means learning from scratch.
Finally, there are many aspects of building a business that require making difficult decisions. Finding solutions to obstacles and using creative thinking to develop plans and strategies is very important to achieving your business goals.
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community?
Be consistent, success does not happen overnight.
What business-related book has inspired you the most? (or, what is your favorite book)?
Guy Kawasaki’s The art of the start, I love this book for how it simplifies the processes of starting a business.
Anita is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program working to grow and scale Amina Dyslexia Center to help Nigerians learn better and become the best version of themselves without being hindered by learning disabilities.
