IN MY CORNER : How Ivie Osula and Jokotade Shonowo Are Redefining Sisterhood Through Style, Storytelling & Sister Support
A feature from the “In My Corner” campaign a platform where real friendship becomes real power. There are friendships that text you when you’re down. And then there are friendships that pull up, uninvited but deeply needed, when the lights are off and the stage is empty. That’s the kind of bond Ivie Osula and Jokotade Shonowo share a powerful, creative sisterhood built on authenticity, shared vision and an unspoken “I’ve got you” that doesn’t need applause. At the heart of this year’s In My Corner campaign — an initiative spotlighting women who choose collaboration over competition their story unfolds not just in fashion and photographs, but in deep, mutual support. What Is “In My Corner”? In My Corner is more than a campaign, it’s a movement. A visual and storytelling experience created by women, for women, to celebrate the friendships and mentorships that anchor us. Through powerful portraits, honest conversations, and a lens focused on community, the campaign documents the real relationships behind success the ones that rarely make the headlines, but always shape the journey. Meet the Women Behind the Story Ivie Osula is the founder of @DWLonline, a luxury fashion brand reshaping the narrative around power dressing for modern African women. Her designs are intentional — every stitch a declaration of strength and softness, woven together. Jokotade Shonowo is the founder of @Poshclick, a creative studio capturing women and men as they are bold, vulnerable, regal. Her lens doesn’t just see beauty; it reveals truth. Together, they’re redefining what it means for women to be in each other’s corners not just in theory, but in action. More Than Just a Moment — It’s a Movement In an industry that often rewards rivalry, Ivie and Joko choose something different. They style each other’s dreams. Shoot each other’s visions. And stand side-by-side as they climb. Their friendship isn’t performative, it’s purposeful. Built in quiet moments. Sealed through trust. Strengthened by shared ambition and soft landings. Whether they’re working late on campaign visuals or sharing silent support between shoots, what they’ve built is a living example of what In My Corner champions: sisterhood as strategy, friendship as fuel. A Toast to the Real Ones This International Friendship Day, we celebrate the women who show up when the cameras aren’t rolling. Who hold the ladder while you climb. Who don’t compete with your light, they reflect it back at you. Because when you’ve got someone in your corner, you don’t just survive.You soar. To stay engaged with In My Corner, follow @InMyCornercampaign for the latest conversations. For Ivie’s work in fashion, visit @DWLonline and for Joko’s photography, explore @Poshclick. The journey continues, and In My Corner is here to remind us, every woman has a story worth telling.
How This Beauty‑Obsessed Tech Founder Is Giving the Industry a Voice
Layo Ogunbanwo has spent the last year building Splice, a software platform for salons and spas in Nigeria. Now, she’s taking things a step further with the Beyond Beauty Podcast: a platform for raw, real, and unfiltered conversations about the business of beauty. In this Q&A, she shares why she’s doing it, who it’s for, and why it might be the industry’s most important mic yet. 1. Why are you launching a Podcast? And why now? I felt like we needed a place to talk about the business of beauty. About leadership, retention, growth, pricing, burnout, and hiring. The real stuff that salon and spa owners face every day, but don’t always have the space or the language to unpack. Since launching Splice in September of 2024, I’ve spoken with hundreds of beauty professionals across Nigeria. These are some of the most hardworking and talented entrepreneurs I’ve met. But a lot of them feel isolated. They are figuring things out in silos, with no real community or steady access to knowledge. I wanted to change that. The Beyond Beauty Podcast is a place where real people can have real conversations about what it takes to run and grow a beauty business. No platitudes. Just honest, helpful, inspiring stories from people building the industry. It’s our way of giving the industry a voice and support. 2. You’ve worked in tech and product for years. What drew you into the beauty space? Honestly, I’ve always been a beauty girlie. I like to do my nails, lashes, the whole works. There’s something deeply human about walking into a salon or spa. It’s where people go to feel better, to reset, to be seen. I’ve always admired the people behind that experience, especially the women who run their businesses and build from scratch. But my deeper involvement started in 2020. A close friend who owns a salon in Lagos was struggling to keep her operations organised. She was juggling everything by herself, and it was chaotic. So I helped her map out a more structured workflow using some basic digital tools. It wasn’t perfect, but it made a difference. And that’s when it clicked for me that this entire industry was operating without real, centralised infrastructure. That experience pushed me to start researching the beauty and wellness sector more intentionally. I spoke to dozens of business owners, kept hearing essentially the same thing: “We’re figuring it out, but it’s hard.” That gap between talent and tech support is what pulled me in. Beauty businesses are everywhere, but not many people are building for them. That’s the problem I wanted to solve with Splice. 3. The Beyond Beauty Podcast feels very community-focused. Who did you build it for? I built it for the people who are doing the work. The salon and spa owners with no formal support, aestheticians and therapists trying to keep up with industry trends while holding a team together, stylists who are booked out, but still aren’t sure how to scale. There’s so much skill and ambition in this industry, but not nearly enough support or visibility. Many don’t even see themselves as business owners when in reality, they’re doing the full work of entrepreneurs, including hiring, managing clients, handling marketing, and even product development in some cases. This podcast puts their stories at the forefront: the journeys, the challenges, the pivots, and the small wins that don’t usually make it into the spotlight. 4. What stories are you most excited to tell through this podcast? The honest ones. I’m particularly excited about the stories that go beyond aesthetics and “how I started” and into the heart of “how I’m surviving.” Stories about beauty business owners who didn’t know as much as they do now six months ago, who have had to let go of staff, who’ve mastered how to deal with the no-show problems, who’ve struggled with and figured out retention. I want to hear about pricing anxiety, customer drama, burnout, rebranding, breakthroughs, and bounce-backs. There’s a lot of polish in the beauty industry, and that’s great. But what we don’t see enough of are the layers underneath, the things that every business owner goes through but rarely shares out loud. Those are the stories that make people feel less alone. And those are the stories that teach. So, yes, we’ll talk about growth, strategy, and systems, but we’ll also talk about doubt, mistakes, and the bounce-backs. Because that’s real life. Because these stories don’t just inspire, but reflect. 5. How does the Beyond Beauty Podcast connect with what you’re building at Splice? They’re deeply connected: same mission, different formats. With Splice, we’re building the software that helps beauty professionals manage bookings, reduce no-shows, automate reminders, track client history, all of that. It’s the operational backbone. But with the Beyond Beauty Podcast, we’re building the voice. The narrative. The space where beauty professionals can hear from people who’ve walked similar paths, where they can learn what’s working, what’s not, and how others are growing through it. One supports the “how to do it.” The other supports the “why it’s worth it.” Too much innovation can slow tech. But I’ve always believed that community and infrastructure should grow together. If we only give people tools but no sense of identity or belonging, they’ll struggle to sustain momentum. But if you give them both, they build better businesses and stay in the game longer. 6. You’ve had some amazing guests already. Any common threads or surprises? Yes, definitely. One thing that keeps coming up is how much beauty professionals are learning on the job. There’s no formal blueprint for how to run a successful salon or spa in Nigeria, so people are figuring it out as they go, through mistakes, word of mouth, and watching others. And that’s why the conversations are so powerful. Guests are open. They share what they wish they knew earlier, the turning points in their journey, and the systems that helped them grow. For example, in
Tailored for Success: DWL by Ivie Osula Brings Chic and Confidence to the Workplace.
There’s something about a woman who walks into a room and owns it not with noise, but with confidence & presence. That’s the kind of woman Ivie Osula dresses.
Traits to Consider Before Settling on a Business Partner for your startup
You have been working for five years, in this time you have set out a plan to help you become a Motherland Mogul. The plan is getting into the business. You have gone as far as saving up for a couple of years to finance your to be start-up. Recently, you have been toying around with various business ideas, the idea that encompasses both your passion and need to make some extra cash on the side wins. You have looked at the various ways you can implement this business idea and realised you need a partner to do so. This could be because you are a good accountant but for the business to be a success you need a partner who will be the face of the business. Or you are the sassy lady who is good at communication and drawing in the customers, and a manager is needed to make sure all that money you are raking in is properly managed. So currently the idea and the money are in place the only thing that remains undone is getting a business partner on board. What are the things that you should consider to ensure you end up with the right person as a partner in your business? Sharing the Vision of the business. At the beginning, the business is usually just an idea. If implemented correctly, it could impact your lives and those of your clients tremendously in a positive way. The person or people you choose to work with as partners in the business must own the vision of the business as much as you do. If your partner does not agree with you on the levels to which you want to take the business. They will always have negative vibes on the job that will result in your business losing money. A partner is part of management, and if they are pessimistic with regards to the business, the employees will notice and get demoralised. The vision is the business. It’s what positions you strategically against competitors. It is thus a prerequisite that before you decide to partner with someone on a business, be in sync on where you see the business going to in three months’ time or in five years’ time. Honesty and Transparency Honesty is a virtue that is a must-have in business. Individuals who are shrewd and unscrupulous ruin your business. You could have been saving for a really long time to start off this business or you got a loan from your bank to get it running. Therefore, you cannot afford to lose the money or destroy your business name. It is therefore necessary to vet the person you intend to partner with. Inquire into the person’s character from others who have worked with them prior to you considering to partner with them. If the feedback is positive you have a partner. If not, find your business train another station to disembark, as this one is a definite NO! Hard work and Resilience Start-ups are a mountain to climb on their own. The faint-hearted cannot survive this climb. Setting up a business from scratch is not a walk in the park. A partner will share in the business profits. This means they have to put in the work and the time needed to get the business to the top in your chosen field. There are qualities that you will compensate for each other but working hard and smart is not one of them. One could be unquestionably talented but if they never take time to create and get their skills or work to the market no one will ever know of their talent. Moreover, if you partner with a lazy person you will shoulder the whole burden of the business which beats the logic of having a partner in the first place. Resilience is also key in your partner. Quitters run at the first sight of trouble. With new businesses, you will meet challenges that you never anticipated at the start of your journey. This will not mean that you quit. Overcoming this challenges is exactly what you will need to do to solidify your position in the market.
Your ultimate guide to starting and ending the year strong in 2023!
It’s 2023! Whoo hoo… It is not a year to rest on your oars, not a year to be complacent because of the level of success you have achieved so far, it is a year for doing more. There is still much work to be done no matter what your life vocation is. This year is bringing you a new opportunity to start (if you are yet to join the moving train of achievers), and to get better at what we do for our best is yet to come. The following steps will set you on the path of getting more done this year. If you know what you want, you will get it easily: Brain Tracy quote aptly puts it this way, “People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine”. I will put the emphasis here on “clear”-you are very sure what it is you want to achieve, you are not indecisive, thus, when you spot an opportunity that links to what you desire, you grab it with your two hands. Focus: You might have given yourself a pat on the back for the various feats you accomplished last year and this year you have so many ideas and you just want to execute them all at once. This might not turn out well and will slow down your productivity. It is important to balance your creativity with wisdom. Not all your beautiful ideas will fly so focus on your competitive advantage (that which you do so well or makes you stand out). See Success as a journey rather than a destination: When you see success as a destination, not only will you be tempted to wait for it to happen instead of working towards its achievement, but there is also the danger of being complacent. After the achievement of one goal, there should be the desire to get another. So don’t spend all your time trying to achieve one thing. Get it done and move on. Stop procrastinating Most of us are guilty of this habit. We push off what we are supposed to do now to a later time, and before you know it, it’s the year 2024. You don’t want to wake up tomorrow and you are a 105 years old; that dream you had when you were fifteen is still in your heart unaccomplished and you will know you have not lived because you will not feel fulfilled. Start working on that dream now so you don’t have regrets tomorrow. Be accountable: Arese Ugwu the author of the smart money woman in the acknowledgment page of the book mentioned that Steve Harris played a huge part in helping her finish the book in time-he kept checking up on her to make sure she was committed to writing her book. I believe if she hadn’t been accountable to him, she would not have finished the book at the time she did. There is this thing about the right time. If the book had not been published at the time it was perhaps the doors she said the book opened for her would not have happened. Find someone you can be accountable to especially if you are not naturally self-motivated or goal-oriented. Stay close to your inspiration: Life is not a walk in the park so are your dreams or things you desire to achieve. You need to stay inspired to reach the finishing line. Read articles regularly here on SLA, you will find stories that will help you learn from other people’s experiences so you can navigate your world better. Attend seminars and conferences aimed at making you improve the way you do things, watch movies that will motivate you, and surround yourself with people who can talk you up just when you need it. Be flexible: You don’t have to stick to one thing or one strategy if things are not working as expected. This year is for getting things done so don’t get stuck, find a new way for life is full of options. Oprah Winfrey puts it this way “Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.” I look forward to a greater you this year 2023!
HGCP 2021 Participants: Seclot Vet co-founder Olasunbo Atekoja shares how Seclot is providing security through address verification
I sat down with problem solver Seclot VET co-founder Olasunbo Atekoja to discuss how she is building the footprint of Nigeria through address verification. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Olasunbo Atekoja and I am a co-founder of Seclot VET. I graduated with a degree in business Administration and Management 8 years ago. I have worked as an assistant supervisor with a fast food outlet, cash consultant with a Lagos state hospital and I am currently a country manager at Seclot. I spend my free time listening to music, going on road trips and spending quality time with my family. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? My biggest achievement is having overcome the fear of moving from paid employment to self employment, makin the leap to from regular income and structured work t the uncertainties of entrepreneurship such as business regulatory acts and stiff competitions. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur is having the power to dictate how I spend my time, which allows me time to care for my household as well as the vastly available networking opportunities with other businesses and entrepreneurs. What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder? The first and major challenge I faced as a founder is managing the team, some of the vetters are older men who find it difficult taking orders from a younger female and thus questioned my credibility as a manager, which is frustrating. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Seclot Vet is building the footprint of Nigerians one step at a time leveraging physical address and identity verification. We carry out employee verification, guarantor verification, NIN verification, driver’s license verification, Voters card verification, NUBAN verification and BVN verification. We perform physical address verification to confirm the authenticity of the information you’ve received from people you are working with in a seamless and effective manner. After using technological best practices to keep tabs on people we verify for our clients, we also provide after service support for them. You can learn more about us by visiting our website at https://vet.seclot.com/, you can also follow our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/seclotdotcom/. You may also direct enquiries to vet@seclot.com. How did you come up with the name for your company? Considering the state of insecurity in the country, we created a company that could reduce this insecurity by ensuring there is enough data for security outfits. We needed the name of the company to sound reassuring to our clients, hence the name Seclot which literally means Security for the Lot. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We have carved a niche for Seclot VET by ensuring we are registered as a security technology company. We do not only verify addresses and identity, we keep a repository of data which can be used to track the footprint of people over a period of time. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years? In 5 years time, we have a vision to have built the footprints of over 10 million Nigerians leveraging physical address verification. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? The most significant thing we did in growing our business was to increase our customer base to 1,600 while also applying to accelerator programs to scale up the business. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? The top 3 skills needed by any entrepreneur are marketing, people management, and bookkeeping. Entrepreneurs should invest their time in these activities (acronym KEN): Knowledge – research on your industry and best practices; Exposure – start marketing early and get feedback from potential customers and; Network – meet with people that are in your field or related field. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-toNday busy schedule? The trick I have discovered is that I have control only over myself and my actions, so I don’t get unnecessarily worked up over other people’s behaviors. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I go to my place of relaxation. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? The best advice I would love to share is “If you want to go fast, move alone; if you want to go far, move with a crowd”. Olasunbo is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program preparing Seclot VET to build the footprint of Nigeria.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Co-founder Amanda Etuk is solving problems one delivery at a time with Messenger.ng
I sat down with problem solver extraordinaire Amanda Etuk, to get to know her and learn more about Messenger, the delivery business she co-founded. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Amanda Etuk and I’ve always been inspired to solve problems. I consider myself a full Nigerian, my father is from Akwa Ibom and my mother from Kogi State. I was born in Makurdi, Benue State and grew up in Lagos and Abuja. I am excited by change and being a part of something great and this makes logistics and supply chain a perfect industry for me. During my spare time, I try to create processes that allow me to have maximum time for relaxation. I typically love to stay in bed, watch series and eat a lot of food. I am a published author with two books so far; one is on personnel management for the delivery business space and the other is so far left; an erotica under a pen name. Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point? My background is in Pharmacy from the University of Lagos. After working a few years as a Pharmacist, I went on to get a postgraduate in Global Supply Chain and Logistics managementand then worked at a Supply Chain and Logistics company as the General Manager. After this I co-founded a delivery business with my brother where I manage modern trade supply chain for major household brands. I also work on last mile deliveries focusing on expansion plans for Messenger. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? My bottom line is to be able to create a great life for myself and my loved ones. I want to create products and services that would serve people and still be very profitable. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? I have a lot of heart warming moments in my life but my biggest achievements are seeing projects that started as ideas come to life. I am most proud of where Messenger is right now, we are the second largest partner for Jumia Food in Abuja, we have recently ventured into last mile cold chain and have a contract to move COVID samples for Medbury Medicals in Lagos. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is creating work place conditions that I wished for when I was working. It is having the power to make decisions and seeing the immediate outcome on my bottom-line. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Welcome to Messenger.ng, you can absolutely trust us with your deliveries. Messenger.ng is a full-service logistics and dispatch company with key operations cutting across package delivery, cold chain solutions, warehousing and haulage. We provide end-to-end delivery services and serve a wide array of customers including SMEs, corporate organizations and private individuals. Since 2018, we have ensured that clients enjoy smooth, safe and efficient delivery of packages without stress or worry, no matter the volume or location. We are focused on creating value for money and improving the logistics ecosystem in Nigeria. We provide efficient logistics services to support your business. You can find out more about us on our website at www.getmessenger.ng or connect with us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/messenger.ng/ or LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/messenger-ng/. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We are doing well in the B2B space for last mile deliveries with dispatch bikes. I would say that we are making a name for ourselves as a reliable 3PL partner. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? The most significant thing I have done to grow the business was to become unafraid to ask for help, especially when raising funds from angel investors within my network to fund operations and expand to Lagos. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? As cliché as it sounds; PERSISTENCE. You decide your fate, if you quit, what else is there? If you were given $1m to invest in Messenger, where would it go? If I was given $1M to invest in Messenger, I would invest in tech to make it even easier to order deliveries or logistics like you would book a cab and the assets; motorcycles, vehicles etc. Talent would definitely be a part of the budget. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? Scheduling. I love scheduling all my activities in advance, I am centered through the day and it helps me keep track of my deliverables. What business-related book has inspired you the most? I’m currently reading “Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa” by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and I am more inspired to take audacious risks. Amanda is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program preparing Messenger to grow and keep impacting Nigeria’s delivery industry.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Founder of Bakerlicious Titilope Akinola talks about how her love for cake inspired her confectionary business
I sat down with Titilope Akinola, the founder of Bakerlicious to talk about how her love for cake inspired her to start a confectionary business Bakerlicious, which makes tasty treats for all of life’s important occasions. Tell us a little about yourself. I’m Titilope Olubukola Akinola, I’m the Lead Baker and Sugar Craft Artist at Bakerlicious, a ProHire & Craft Company. Bakerlicious is a business I run on the side in addition to my full time job at Ventures & Trusts Limited, a Financial Advisory firm where I practice Human Resource Management. At V&T, I’m responsible for Human Resource Management and Administration. I have thirteen years of HR experience as a Generalist. I am a resourceful, tenacious and passionate person who is crazy about all things craft and beautiful. I enjoy travelling, reading, watching movies, coordinating events, cake baking and decorating, as these are my super powers. What do you do for fun/relaxation? I spend my spare time watching movies, hanging out with my family and friends. I also love travelling and reading. What is your ‘why’ and how do you stay motivated? In everything I do, I always embrace opportunities that allow me to fully maximize my God given talents, abilities and deploy my expertise. I am motivated by my utmost desire; which is to build a wealthy legacy that will outlive me and generations to come after me. What was the inspiration behind your business? Cake baking and decorating was a childhood fantasy (I also wanted to be a lawyer and an actress). I love to eat cake and all kinds of desserts in any shape or form (lol). Growing up, apart from birthdays or other occasions that involved eating cake, the only time I could have cake was when my sister agreed to bake for the family, provided that I would volunteer to manually cream the batter to a dropping consistency because we didn’t have a mixer. So my sister would measure the ingredients and leave me in the kitchen to struggle with the ladle and the cake batter; picture a skinny little girl seated on the kitchen stool in one corner of the kitchen with a mixing bowl on her lap turning butter and sugar in one direction with all the energy that she could muster. As much as I love to eat and enjoy the activities involved in making cake, I never did anything to grow and nurture the passion until I volunteered at Awesome Treasures Foundation (ATF), a faith based NGO where I was inspired and my passion to bake was rekindled. In 2015, two years after my first Cake Baking and Decorating Class, I registered a business in 2015 and started baking for family and friends. This is where I got my first paid order as a home based commercial entity fulfilling orders from the kitchen. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer Bakerlicious (by ProHire & Craft Limited) is a Baked Confection, Sugar Craft, Food and Beverage Company. Our luscious treats include a wide variety of moist, yummy, fluffy and beautifully decorated cakes with a wow effect. We also offer scrumptious butter cookies and nutylicious fruity granola. We also produce the best homemade thick, lush and creamy yoghurt drink and Greek yoghurt in plain and sweetened with date fruits (no colors, artificial flavors or preservatives). All our products are homemade from premium quality ingredients sourced from local and international markets. Whatever your order, what you get is balanced indulgence and a treat for everyone! You can see our products or make an order on our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/bakerliciousng/. You can also visit our website at https://bakerlicious.business.site/ or give us a call or a WhatsApp on +234 81 8399 9299 and to view our WhatsApp catalogue. We’re also on TikTok at http://tiktok.com/@bakerliciousng. How did you come up with the name for your company? When I was naming my business, I wanted a name that speaks for the business without requiring much explaining, and my research for business name ideas led me to Bakerlicious. The name is a combination of two words describing exactly what the business is about (baked goods) and the customers’ experience when they see and taste our luscious treats (deliciousness). How have you carved a niche for yourself? We primarily cater to mothers who would give anything and go the extra mile to celebrate moments, birthdays, milestones, festive seasons, landmark occasions etc.. With our luscious boxed treats specially catered to their needs, and made with them, their children, spouses and loved ones in mind, we have positioned ourselves to be their preferred family baker. Our promise is to stay with them for lifetimes, offering the best luscious treat options for life’s every occasion. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite thing about being an entrepreneur is the joy and sense of accomplishment I get when an order is fulfilled, knowing that the customer is satisfied and will return with repeat orders and send us referrals because they are truly happy with our products. I also appreciate the opportunities that unfold with each step taken towards growing my business. Every opportunity unfolds in layers just like when you peel an onion and I love to experience it. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? Starting my business and staying the course is my biggest achievement. There was absolutely nothing that guaranteed that I could come this far. Although I’m not where I would like to be yet, I am proud of how far I’ve come and excited about the journey ahead. I am also proud of the product categories and variants we are able to serve our customers. We’ll definitely have more products to offer as we evolve. I am also grateful for the learning and development programs I have been privileged to benefit from like She Leads Africa’s High Growth Coaching Program, which has helped me to streamline a path and equip me with useful knowledge and information for the
HGCP 2021 Participants: Big Mama Africa Biz Concept founder Ukamaka Okolo discusses her passion to provide good quality food at an affordable price through her food production business
I sat down with Ukamaka Okolo, the founder of Big Mama Africa Biz concept to discuss how she founded what she hopes will be Enugu’s food market hub. Tell us a little about yourself I’m Ukamaka Okolo, the founder of Big Mama Africa Biz concept, a business which is all about farming; production of crops and animal processing and packaging. I am a fearless, energetic, resilient, God fearing woman. I am a graduate of Applied Biochemistry of the Prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University. I have background in banking where l spent nine years and got the award as the Best Supervisor of South East Nigeria. I am a great believer in woman power; yes I believe that women are very powerful. What is your why i.e. bottom line? and how do you stay motivated? My why is to live a life that does not conform to stereotypes about women; I am working everyday to be a successful, productive, independent, financially free and Godly woman that other women can look up to and feel motivated to aspire to more than they imagined for their lives. I don’t believe that anyone is here just to get by, exist and to make up population numbers, and my entire life is proof that everyone can live the best life they can possibly have. This hunger to change the status quo and become a pioneer and innovator is what drives me and keeps me motivated. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? The courage to step out of the banking industry to start my entrepreneurial journey is my biggest achievement as taking that risk allowed me the opportunity to truly start living my life fully, meeting people and expanding my network, getting more knowledge, and being exposed to enormous opportunities. If you had to write a book, what would it be on and why? If l have to write a book, it would be on the struggles of the average African woman. This is something close to my heart, to bring light on what women suffer through just for being born in Africa. This book would also serve as inspiration to how women can become pillars of society, and support each other towards making Africa a better place for our girl children to be born into. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? Folorunsho Alakija is definitely my greatest influence in business because she defied the odds and that’s exactly what l am all about; she is a go getter, a fighter, a big achiever, a business mogul and more so a God fearing woman, she is indeed a perfect representation of the kind of woman l aspire to be. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? The ability to see problems as stepping stones to greatness is one of the best things about being an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have the uncanny ability to easily fall in love with problems, which is something I also enjoy about being one. How did you come up with the name for your company? I actually find this question very interesting. In 2017 while l was still working as a banker and pregnant with my fifth Child, a colleague (former now) chatted me up for something (l can’t remember exactly what it was but certainly on the job) and called me mama Africa. l thought she was referring to someone else but she insisted she was referring to me and asked, “Are you not mama Africa?”. It was at this point that l got her point; I am pregnant with my fifth child and the fourth l would have in the bank in a space of 6 years. Ordinarily, l was slightly offended but after thinking it over l realized that it was the perfect name for my business business, something I had been struggling with for over 2 years. So I took that, tweaked it a little and Big Mama Africa Biz Concept was official. l am actually currently in the process of modifying it to Mamafrika foods. Indeed l am Mama Africa as l have seven biological children. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Big Mama Africa Biz Concept is all about food. We farm; we produce crops, animals and fish. We process and package high quality food. Big Mama Africa is also about crop production and reduce the dependence of food from the North. We want to make sure that people are able to get decent food with their hard earned money and we fill this gap by creating quality food at an affordable price. Our vision is to become the best food hub in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria and we have already started with the production of garri. At Big Mama Africa, we produce food at a great quality, I like to say we sell what we eat, so if if it’s not good enough for my family, it’s not good enough for our customers. Though we currently produce garri, we intend to have the following products; fresh and dry corn, tomatoes, turkey and model a world class cattle ranch. You can connect with us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mamafrikafoods or follow my personal handle on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ukamaka.ogbuokolo. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We have done extensive research in our industry for more than 6 months and have identified that food necessity is a genuine need and people are willing to pay for our products. We do not undermine quality and we understand the power of good customer service. The combination of these three factors placed us at the forefront within two months of production. Currently, we have 3000 backorders for garri, which is our only live product because we have consistently delivered as promised. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? Taking part in the nitty gritty of the business at take off has significantly helped to grow my business. I led
HGCP 2021 Participants: Founder of KIDSREADART Ogechi Ogbaragu is making Africa better by teaching kids to read
I sat down with Ogechi Ogbaragu, the founder of KIDSREADART to talk about how her passion to help African kids create a better Africa by teaching them to read. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Ogechi Ogbaragu and I’m the founder of KIDSREADART. I am an Early Years Accelerated Reading Expert, a certified Early Childhood Practitioner, Montessori Directress and Jolly Phonics Specialist. Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point? As a teacher in the early years I found out that a lot of parents were worried about their kids’ reading struggles and would go all out to see their kids be able to read. Most of the time they would enlist me to teach their kids privately. Over time I saw it was a common problem as kids who could speak very well struggled to string two words in a book correctly. I thought of ways through which I could help more kids overcome this challenge in a fun and engaging manner, which gave birth to KIDSREADART. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? The reason I keep doing what I do is that I want kids to enjoy the thrill of reading a storybook, I don’t want to see any child discouraged from furthering their education because they lack the basic literacy skill of reading. I want to see well-read kids that are inspired and motivated to aspire to greater heights by the stories of those who challenged the status quo, I want the African child to see themselves as the agent of change that Africa and the world need to make our continent better. All of these keep me going knowing that I’m making a difference by contributing my own quota to help the African child succeed. Describe a typical day for you. A typical day for me starts with my personal time with God, after which I start working on the resources for the program. I check up with my team to ensure that they are on track with their deliverables, call clients and follow up with leads. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? My biggest achievement is the birth of KIDSREADART especially because it was born out of nothing, from having no idea on how to go about it to overcoming the problems with the developers, designing the lessons and finally seeing it come to life. What do you do for fun/relaxation? Sometimes I love snacking on a bottle of peanuts while reading supernatural fantasies on Radish or Dreame, other times I watch Netflix or play with my kids. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite aspects of being an entrepreneur are having time for myself and my family, getting to meet new people all the time, continually learning new stuff as well as getting paid for doing what I love doing doesn’t seem like work. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. KIDSREADART is a reading program designed for African children between the ages of 3-8 years which teaches them how to read and spell difficult word formations through animations and games for a great and fun reading experience. You can learn more about us and our program by visiting our website at https://kidsreadart.com/or follow us on our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/kidsreadart/ Have you always been entrepreneurial, what led you to taking that first step and setting up your own business? I haven’t always been an entrepreneur , I used to work a 7-5 job before the Covid 19 pandemic changed the entire world. It was during the pandemic that I decided to walk down this path and I began by signing up for an accelerator program with The Founders Institute Lagos where I shared my ideas and was guided on how I could bring it to life. We got incorporated in November 2020 and started developing content by January and went live in July with the first 2 modules while we continued working on the last 2 modules in the background. The last 2 modules are still in development and will be released very soon. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? I have carved a niche for KidsReadArt by making myself an expert in this field by taking feedback from the success stories of the parents I’ve worked with. I design and sell literacy resources for teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers that has generated funds and have recently started a Teachers Training Program for schools who wants to use our reading program. We ensure that we help not only the learners but the teachers and parents who use our program. What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder? First getting the required funds needed to develop the idea was a huge challenge. I also had problems with the software developers and learning about the business side of managing a business. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years? In the next 5 years, KIDSREADART will have become the foremost reading program in the country, used by schools as a learning resource and by parents as an after school program in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Expertise in the chosen business, commitment to see it thrive and passion for your business, without these you can easily get discouraged when you encounter challenges. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? First talk to GOD about it because God always has a way of bringing things to life even when you don’t know the next step you should take. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in? Know your business. If you don’t know research and learn, join an accelerator program like Founders