Miss Gbemisola Ojediran, an undergraduate of University of Ibadan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Sunsaf Superstores in Ilorin, Kwara State .
According to her, through dogged determination, she was able to nurture her dream of becoming an enterprenuer to reality.
“As a teenager, I’ve always known myself to be a very determined and hard-driven lady. Though an intellectual, I have always knew I wanted more from life than what the world of academia could offer. I longed to have an actual relationship with people, their needs and concerns and give them real and practical solutions. I love studying but I wanted a career that acquainted me with people making a real difference in the lives of people while making profit of course,” she explained.
Ojediran stated that she realised early in her entrepreneurial journey that businesses that stand the test of time have consistently exceptional customer service at their core and that’s what SUNSAF GROUP is about, you want to build a brand that provides good value for your customers.
“We provide quality that clients will fall for, no matter the price. I also consult basically for my cosmetics and baby product line and try as much as possible to follow up on my clients for patronage.
So, value creation, good consultation and consistent follow-up is key.”
The CEO tasked youths to pursue sound education so as to be well grounded in their profession other than just going to school to achieve paper qualification.
She said “I strongly believe in the power of education. Youth should strive to get good education and not just a degree.
“Find your space and pursue a very good education in that niche, carve out an area of interest, work very hard and build a career around that.
“White collar jobs haven’t solved the problem of poverty and needs in this generation. Youths have to think beyond the short-term pursuit of a certificate, open up their minds, leverage opportunities and be focused.
“Individual fortunes larger than the gross domestic product of many countries have been created in the last two decades. I would urge young entrepreneurs and innovators to approach a more benevolent form of capitalism, one that creates wealth and spends some of that, more responsibly. Business has a new sense of purpose; to prove that capitalism on its own is not enough, we must make profit while making the world a better place.”
Ojediran stressed that funding remains her major challenge though her family has been very supportive, adding that she needs more financial resources for business expansion.
“Also partnership is another setback as it is difficult to have big companies invest in or give contracts to small start-up. This is a big challenge to me. I hope to connect with people to provide a sustainable solution along that line in the future.”
She described Kwara State as a peaceful and conducive environment for economic growth and innovation, noting that Kwarans are hardworking people.
