I sat down with Omolara Olayinka Lawrence, to get to know her and the Yoghurt manufacturing company that she founded, Disney Foods NG.
My name is Omolara Olayinka Lawrence, the Founder and CEO of Disney Foods NG, a Yoghurt manufacturing company duly incorporated in 2019.
I am a graduate of Economics, an alumnus of the Enterprise Development Centre (Growth Enterprise Program) and the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a prolific author of seven books and a skill acquisition enthusiast with over 15 years experience across roles and industries.
I have trained at least 4,000 women and youths to become productive in their respective fields within the last 2 years through my NGO, The Faith and Business Initiatives. I am a Providus Bank SME Ambassador and a Coca-Cola Foundation Grant Awardee.
You can connect with me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/omolaraolayinkalawrence/.
What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated?
My drive is to help people live healthier lives, and to help women and youths become better versions of themselves.
What motivates me is knowing that I am creating value that keep our customers and clients satisfied.
What do you feel are your biggest achievements?
Starting my business from zero naira and seeing it metamorphose to what it is today. All we had then was suppliers’ credit.
What do you do for fun/relaxation?
I love playing board games such as scrabble, chess, monopoly and so on, because they bring excitement to my family time, and they help to boost our language skills. I also love visiting Nature Parks; they enhance my creativity
If you had to write a book, what would it be on what and why?
I am currently writing another book (my eighth) titled “INFLUENCING YOUR MARKETPLACE.”
The title is pretty self explanatory as to why I am writing this book and speaks directly to my WHY; to clearly explain how my readers, women and youths especially, can discover who they really are, how they can maximize their potentials and influence their respective fields of endeavors positively. Simply put, the book intends to expose how one can become a better version of themselves.
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur centres around these two words: Creativity and Co-ordination.
Creativity speaks to my ability to create products and values that bring satisfaction to my customers; and co-ordination is about my ability to co-ordinate people, procedures and processes in business.
What was the inspiration behind DISNEY FOODS NG?
About 3 years ago, my mum had a craving for a healthy drink, and being diabetic, there weren’t a lot of options available to feed her craving, and the Yoghurt idea was birthed in my mind. I learnt how to make it and began producing it for her and others around me. The positive feedback encouraged me to engage in it as a business solution.
Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer.
Disney Foods NG, since inception, has been providing healthy treats to our numerous customers, and we propose to surpass your expectation. We have a unique signature recipe using natural sweeteners, flavors and preservative.
You can browse our product offerings on our website at www.disneyfoodsng.com. You can also connect with us on social media, we’re on Instagram at www.instagram.com/disneyfoodsng/ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/disneyfoodsng/.
We’re also on YouTube, you can subscribe to our channel at www.youtube.com/disneyfoodsng/.
How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry?
We have a wide range of SKUs (18 different flavors) which give our customers so many options to pick from. Each Cup of our Parfait has as much as five or more ‘different’ flavors. The feedback we get from many of our satisfied customers indicate that it is cost effective for them to have over five different flavors (varieties) for the price of one.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
- Customer Service Skill
- Adaptability Skill
- Emotional Intelligence Skill
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community?
We should shun the Crab’s Mentality; we should desist from running others down. Rather, we should focus on helping one another grow; women supporting women should be our watchword!
What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?
Entrepreneurs must invest their time in both personal and business development activities.
If an entrepreneur is not growing personally, they may not be able to drive their business growth strategies. But if the entrepreneur grows as they should, it impacts positively on their business.
What business-related book has inspired you the most?
The Enemy Called Average by John Mason
Omolara is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program to develop herself and her business and position Disney Foods NG for growth.
