“Looking back now, I am extremely grateful for my orientation & past experiences because it has groomed me to be resilient, to always bet on myself, to do my best & leave the rest to God. “- Kosi
Hey, Motherland Moguls!!! It is time for another HGCP feature!!! Today we have Kosi Ofodile of K21 Media, a boutique creative agency that takes an iterative approach to our media production to ensure that our videos amplify our clients’ voices and appeal to their respective target audiences.
We had a chat with Kosi and we promise you mogul, there is so much to learn!
Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point?
I was born and raised in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. The first out of 4 siblings, alongside my twin brother. Growing up, I had a beautiful childhood. Loved playing Sims, lots of dancing and spelling B competitions, was such a girly girl, but still lied in a timid girl next door. Thankfully, with the help of my mother who was/is constantly encouraging me to remember where I come from & with the help of my lesson teacher, Mr. Kehinde, the journey to confident Kosi began. Looking back now, I am extremely grateful for my orientation & past experiences because it has groomed me to be resilient, to always bet on myself, to do my best & leave the rest to God. This has been my mantra since I turned 16 & I have my mum to thank for this. Both my parents have entrepreneurial backgrounds and have been of great influence, so I’m not too surprised I took on this path.
What was your dream job or career path when growing up?
To be an accountant (even if my math was bad lol)
Tell us a bit about your family and the relationship you have with them? (Mention the people you live with, family or kids)
I am so generously blessed to have a close-knit relationship and family who truly support my passions and every move. I come from a family of 4, we are all so creative & individualistic in nature. My dad is fearless, no other words to describe him. He fears no one, absolutely no one! My mum is my first friend and there is absolutely nothing I cannot talk to her about. I believe I can weather any storm with her by my side literally. My twin brother is constantly thinking out of the box and is not easily impressed by a lot of things, which challenges me to always be innovative & forward-thinking. He is also introverted and has a very high level of self-awareness which is truly refreshing. My younger siblings (sister & brother) are like my babies, they make us laugh a lot and are equally as independent. They are a vibe!
What you would to be remembered for? What impact would you want to make in this world?
I want to be remembered for showing love to others and being a solution provider in creative and thrilling ways. I want to be remembered for empowering brands and people with story-telling and positioning them to shoot for the skies
What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated?
Knowing that I have an appointment to keep by God and that I must fulfill is all the motivation I need.
Tell us more about your entrepreneurial journey.
When I moved back to Nigeria in 2016, I started working at one of the top broadcasting agencies in Nigeria, which exposed me to production. In 2017, I got an opportunity to work with a client who wanted to start a YouTube channel to share her lifestyle experiences in video content. After this project, I soon realized that many SMEs and personal brands did not have the purchasing power to outsource video production to heavy hitter agencies and big media houses/production companies. I observed this pain point and birthed K21 in 2018 to fill this gap. The rest is history
What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
No two days are the same and seeing the satisfaction first-hand on my client’s face once a problem has been solved
Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer?
We are a boutique creative agency that take an iterative approach to our media production to ensure that our videos amplify our clients’ voices and appeal to their respective target audiences. We are very modern in the way that we project the product offerings of our clients, which is why we focus on brand storytelling (i.e., we don’t do videos for weddings, bridal showers, or event videos unless it has to do with the product of the brand or the service that the brand is offering). So that is how we’ve been able to set ourselves apart from the rest. For us, video storytelling is our way of positioning brands to shoot for the skies, and our core goal at K21 is to share brand stories in innovative and thrilling ways.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Resilience, Grit & Discipline
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community?
You have to know what sparks the light in you, so that you in your own way can illuminate the world.
How do you handle or manage stresses of being an entrepreneur?
Prayer & mini breaks across intervals during the day.
What do you feel are your biggest achievements?
At a point when Covid hit and things felt like they were going downhill, our resilience and ability to pivot our offerings and make even larger income than we did pre-covid is a defining moment for me. Amidst the hurdles and challenges faced, we pulled through!
What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?
Market research & Innovation- it is so important to carefully understand what the market is saying globally. What trends can be adaptable to your start-up? How are you capturing the attention of your audience and can it be better optimized? Are there alternatives in getting to your goal/target at minimum costs? These are questions that can be answered when thorough market research is being carried out.
We would like to know what you think about HGCP and your experience so far?
What has your experience been like as one of the finalists to the program?
To put it simply, the high growth coaching program has been intense and rewarding. Intense doesn’t always mean bad because sometimes, change comes with drastic measures to hold us accountable and that is exactly how I have journeyed through the program thus far. It has challenged me to set systems & structures in place to enable my business scale exponentially and the coaches as well as the SLA team have been of great help
By the end of the 12 weeks, what would you like to have learned from the trainers and coaches?
Business Modeling & Operations