My Life As An Entrepreneur | By Florence Ajimobi

 

 

I cannot share my journey as an entrepreneur without mentioning my husband. I always say that Biola gave me wings to fly and I owe my success today as a businesswoman to him. I did not just jump into entrepreneurship, though I was born to parents who were traders. I started working immediately after I finished from Ibadan polytechnic in June 1979. As a matter of fact, I finished from school on a Friday, and started work at Femi Johnson & Co Insurance Brokers in Lagos the following Monday. My employment was swift because I was one of the top 5 students in my department.

The first four years of my career, I worked as a confidential secretary and personal assistant in different organizations. I was quite a restless person so I changed my job every year. I thought I was looking for better prospects but the truth was I had no passion for what I was doing. Something was missing, I learnt a lot in my career especially human relations and management but it was not enough for me. Routine life has never been for me, I knew I was wasting my time doing a job that did not give me any fulfillment. If you are not passionate about whatever you are doing, time passes slowly and I knew I was wasting my time.

I decided that entrepreneurship was next in line for me. It was not novel to me because my parents were traders and I used to sell my mother’s fabric while in school. I can say buying and selling is in my DNA.

I started my business while I was still working. I was selling jewellery and fabrics. I would travel twice a month over the weekend to London or Milan to shop. This went on until I had my 3rd child and I realized that it was difficult combining the business with my office job and family. I made up my mind to resign but I did not tell my husband because I knew that he would not approve of my decision. I had, had enough. I resigned officially in November, 1984. My boss appealed to me to stay and even promised to make my work hours flexible after I told him one of the reasons for resigning was to take care of my family, but my mind was made up.

When I got home, I told my husband that I had resigned. Initially, he was upset but when I explained to him that I make over half of my salary with my weekend trips and I believe we can make much more if I devote more time to it, and at the same time look after my children myself, he accepted. He supported the idea and even got me my first overdraft from Wema Bank to boost my working capital.

Though he was the backbone of the business, Biola decided that I should manage and run the businesses while he faced his career and never for once did we have any reason to regret this decision.

Since the main reason for leaving paid employment was to have time for my children I decided that I won’t be traveling as often again and would put a face to my business. Just a few weeks into resigning, my husband connected me to one of his friends whose wife had a contract with Leventis Stores to stock their children’s section as they were travelling to America. We negotiated and I bought her industrial machines and I put up the factory in front of our house in Femi Ayantuga, Surulere. This was how my journey into the fashion world began.

The overdraft of Five Hundred Thousand Naira which Biola got from Wema Bank helped me to bounce easily into the business. I quickly delved into sewing for individuals as the Leventis contract did not keep me busy all month. I was doing the things I loved and I was making progress but my restless nature did not allow me to settle. I needed to do more, and after a few months, I took a short course on how to make wedding gowns and introduced this into the fashion business. I made these dresses myself passionately.

My husband got transferred to Ibadan and we had to move. I didn’t move immediately because I was still nursing a 6 month old baby with 2 toddlers, plus, I needed to sort out my business before leaving. We eventually moved when the children started their summer holiday in June, 1985.

When we got to Ibadan, I opened a collection centre for my fashion outlet in the boy’s quarters of our house. Before Christmas, I added a hair salon to my business and with God on my side and consistency, it thrived beyond my expectations. I still had my trading business but travelled once a month to Lagos to oversee it. I was bringing my goods in by air cargo but in the year 1986, I brought in my 1st container of household goods and sold them in Oke Arin market at wholesale price. Later, I got myself a shop on Offin Street, Oke-Arin market and added another one a year after on Egartin Street, Oke Arin.

In January 1988, my husband was transferred back to Lagos. I was so sad because my business was booming in to Ibadan. We were living in a company house on Awosika Street, Bodija and when he got transferred, we were e xpected to vacate the house. I appealed to my husband to allow us stay there until I had my baby and the other three children started their holiday, again in June, 1989, we moved back to Lagos.

In Lagos, I opened a gift and card shop on Adelabu Street and had my fashion/salon as well. God was definitely on our side because within one year I opened another store in Iponri market and another one at the University of Lagos. My importation business grew so fast and I was doing so well. I started bringing in goods from Bangkok and China.

In 1990, I ventured into the oil business, selling consumer products (my husband worked in the oil industry at that time). Later, I went into the haulage business and had a retainership with Oando as one of their dedicated transporters. This gave me a big break to the glory of God. But it wasn’t a woman’s job. I never liked doing anything I’m not in full control of. I made money but the fulfilment was not really there.

In 1993, Abiola was posted to work as the head of Togo et Shell, in Togo. This was around March. As usual, I stayed back and as soon as my 4 kids were on holiday I went to join him. I still managed my business from Togo, and went to Lagos once or twice a month to oversee things. As you can guess, I started buying things from Togo to sell in Lagos.

In 2002, my husband retired and veered into politics. He was elected as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the year 2003. Luckily, 3 of our children were already in schools outside the country, so I had only 2 left with me at home; my son and my last daughter who was only 6 years old. We put my son in boarding school and I went off to Abuja with my husband and our baby. I am sure you have noticed that I moved with my husband whenever he had to move. My friends tagged ne “Ruth a boko ku” because I could not just stay apart from him for too long. The moving around took a toll on my business only for a short time. By the time I settled in whatever new location, I bounced back within a few weeks.

In 2006, I moved to Ibadan ahead of my husband since his tenure in the Senate would end in May 2007. I opened an outlet of my gift and card store in Iyaganku, Ibadan, and when I found myself idle, I only went to Lagos once a week to supervise my stores. In December same year, whilst reviewing my business with a view to improving, I incorporated the supermarket arm into my store in Iyaganku. Within a year, I opened another branch in Cocoa House Mall. In 2007, I opened a warehouse on Ogunlana Drive, Surulere alongside the one in Oke Arin. In 2008, I opened another outlet in Iponri Market, Surulere.

In 2011, my husband was elected as the Governor of Oyo state. I still maintained my business and visited my stores in Ibadan and Lagos regularly. I remember one time my Chief Security Officer told me I could not be visiting my stores as it was a security risk , I replied her saying ‘this is my life.’ My passion for the business never weathered regardless of my title or my husband’s office.

Besides helping to set up my businesses, Biola pushed me to upgrade my education by getting an MBA in 2014. I was afraid at first because I didn’t think I was up for it. I already had motherhood, business and my role as the wife of a Governor on my plate, adding academics to it seemed like a lot to deal with. I expressed my fears to Biola and to my surprise, he said, ‘Florie, you have combined so many things in business so you can do this, and I am going to pay your school fees, so you cannot afford to fail’. My heart melted at the way he said it and I promised not to disappoint him. I started the course and put in my best. I not only did well, I passed with flying colors. I was proud of myself and grateful for Biola in my life.

In 2016, we opened the 1st Grandex Bakery as it was necessary to have one for our supermarkets. Before then we were selling other brands in our supermarkets. In 2017, we opened our facility arm that oversees and manages all our stores and warehouses. In 2018, we opened our Grandex Plus warehouse in Abuja. In 2019, when I turned 60 years, I bought my own marquee, chairs and tables for the day. After the celebration, I thought of selling the whole set off but my husband suggested I start a rental business. This birthed our G-rental business. That small store in the house in Lagos has grown to be;

• 4 supermarkets (2 in Lagos and 2 in Ibadan)
• 3 warehouses (Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan)
• 3 bakeries (Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan)
• A facility arm
• A rental arm

Being an entrepreneur has so many advantages; you feel alive all the time, you control your own destiny and you get to see and notice the difference you are making in the lives of people and the world around you. I feel so fortunate to be an entrepreneur and would encourage whoever is interested to take the big plunge. As much as I have shared these nice stories of how I built my businesses, I can also tell you for free that entrepreneurship has its ups and downs. There are 4 personal challenges entrepreneurs face which I’d like to share;

1. It can be surprisingly lonely. You spend the first few years of the business struggling and you have people around you that will tell you that your dreams are impossible. I was really lucky to have beside me a man who believed in me and gave me his wings to fly on. I could not have asked for a better teacher and supporter. I relied so much on him and it was both of us against the entire world around us.

2. You cannot share your true concerns without being discouraged or criticized. I was so blessed to have my husband share my problems with. Sharing them with him worked for me because he was involved in my business with me. Though, sometimes he got frustrated at my obsession with the business and my coming home late on special seasons like Valentine’s Day and Christmas period.

3. Losing a part of yourself. Part of your role as a founder of a business especially one that is scaling quickly is to manage your mood. Any display of emotion; anger and frustration will have an impact on those around you. So you need to cut off one end of your emotional spectrum by learning to control your emotions for the good of your team. Almost 40 years in this field I still find this the hardest part.

4. You risk losing your vulnerability. This to me is the scariest part. It took me over 20 years in my business to realize that I no longer needed to carry a shield around me. Just because I’m a founder does not make me less human, so I stopped pretending to myself and my staff. Being more open and comfortable in your own skin not only makes you more human but makes you a better leader.

 

My life as an entrepreneur has been nothing but splendid and I may sound like a broken record, but I am grateful to God and my husband, Biola for lifting me the entire time. God has been faithful and He has blessed me beyond my expectations. Biola was my greatest supporter. I owe whatever success and growth that I have recorded today to his unwavering support and unrelenting effort. He literally gave me wings and taught me to fly. He encouraged me morally and financially. Today, I am a successful business woman and I can hold my head up high because of God and because of Abiola.

I can say that my husband deliberately prepared me for this season.

 

Chief (Mrs). Florence Ajimobi, is the wife of the Late Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi