Just yesterday, I was an inexperienced undergraduate, trying to joggle businesses in and out of campus as a student entrepreneur.
Twice, I attended the International Model United Nations Conference (IMUN) because of the drive to garner knowledge, network, and inculcate those relevant skills that would enable me to become the confident, independent and successful business guru that I’ve always dreamt to be.
You can say I was determined to get on the front cover of Forbes as an “under 30 CEO”.
I had a vision of the future I was passionate about. Oftentimes, I came up with several ideas for creating that future. In fact, I loved to think of myself as a high-flyer, with such endearing confidence.
I was that person whom everyone in school knew as the go-to “Business Junkie” always ready to take on every and any opportunity while constantly making sure it counted for something although most of the time I failed, due to my inexperience.
However, I couldn’t stop taking the plunge no matter how many times I failed. There was an irrevocable inner drive, one that eventually saw the birth of a recycling company I started on campus that got me on Channels TV, and today has contributed to the establishment of the recycling plant in the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Yes! My very little successes may have been encouraging, but my persistent failures opened my eyes to the realisation that to better understand entrepreneurship, I had to start by studying past entrepreneurs and of course, successful startups (precisely in the tech industry).
I had to learn skills and gain experiences that would make me more capable if I ever wanted to become a truly successful entrepreneur. I felt a strong need to see something grow from nothing. This is where the hunt for a startup began…
GradelyNG: The Genesis
When Facebook launched its first hub space in Lagos, Nigeria, I became one of the frequent visitors. As someone who was very driven and particular about tech startups, I was so excited, already envisioning working in the building.
An opportunity surfaced as I happened to be in the building on the same day the FB startups were coming in, and Gradely was one of them. I got introduced to all the startups, and of course, applied to all of them, hoping for a job opportunity with at least one. I eventually got called for an interview by three and got offers from all three, but I chose Gradely.
The Gradely solution is something I had once upon a time imagined as a social project, and so seeing someone pursue it as a business venture was pretty exciting and I couldn’t have just walked past the opportunity of being a part of it.
I became the first official employee at Gradely as an NYSC intern. Needless to say, I was fresh from university.
I started off as the Customer Success Manager, but 6 months down the line, I migrated to the product department which I found really varied and engaging.
As Gradely grew, I got more involved with it, and I can say categorically today that after the Product Lead, I’m your next go-to guy in the product management team.
Comparing my starting point and now, I must say I’ve gained significant insight into how companies are founded and scaled. I’ve also seen what is possible with vision, focus, and a great team. Whatever growth we see today at Gradely is completely merited, legitimate and justified.
Even though technically I don’t own Gradely, I almost always feel like I do, because that is the way I treat it, “like my baby”, and that ultimately is critical in the journey of an entrepreneur.
Based on my experiences and my time here at Gradely, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no classroom substitute for developing the vision, hustle, and pluck that is demanded by entrepreneurship. You can only acquire those elements once you dive in.
In other words, you become an entrepreneur by being one. I’m super grateful for the opportunity and foundation Gradely has provided which would, in the long run, bring this to fruition.
Get to Know a Little More About Odunmolorun – Q & A
Q: What are you likely to be caught doing in your spare time?
A: In my spare time, I’m likely to be taking a course on finance, running, reading, watching Suits or Billions, random youtube videos on entrepreneurship.
Q: If you could meet one person in history, who would it be and why?
A: John D Rockefeller- I’d like to know first hand if he did set out to build the most successful business in his time and why.
Q: What’s that one thing most people don’t know about you?
A: Actually a lot of people do not know that I’m a “mummy’s boy”. My mum literally still pampers me.
INTERESTED IN MEETING THE REST OF THE TEAM? KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OUR NEXT SPOTLIGHT, HERE ON OUR BLOG!
Check out our other employee spotlight stories:
Emediong Akpan, Content Writer
Sami Ullah Shah, Backend Developer
Olawunmi Fashina, Customer Success Associate
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Amazing!
Thank you Aluko Deborah