Women We Love: The Business Mogul – Adetola Juyitan!
Welcome to ‘Women We Love’ – our weekly column where we celebrate women doing amazing things in their areas of influence. From the tech & the fashion world to social activism & politics, these women, we think, are definitely crush-worthy. Catch up on all our crushes here!
Today, we shine the light on the business mogul – Adetola Juyitan.
Adetola…
…is the C.E.O of the Glitz Group of companies. The Glitz Group of companies is the umbrella company for several companies in the Glitz group. Glitz Event Centre, Glitz Garage, Glitz Business Services, Glitz Apartment & Residencies and a few others. She is also a Nigerian social entrepreneur, Chief Executive Officer of Glitz Group of Companies and 2019 President of Junior Chamber International.
We had a chat with Adetola on how she started her business, entrepreneurship and what’s next;
Tell us how it all started for you?
I was a banker until 2015 but I had always known that it wasn’t where I wanted to be. But at that time I needed the experience& resources to get myself ready for where I believe I was made to be. I had planned and gotten myself ready for the future ahead of me and in 2015 I took a bold step to leave my comfort zone which was the banking industry and step into the entrepreneurial world and here we are today.
Would you say you recognize the gap in your industry that prompted the creation of your brand?
Yes, when we were about to start the Events Centre, I didn’t want to be just like every other events venue. I had to carve a niche for myself. I had to be something different. One of the frustrations I had experienced in the past trying to get an Events Venue was that I had always wondered why you go to Events Centers and you still have to bring in speakers. And so by
default, when I decided to set up my Event Centre that was one of the issues I knew I wanted to solve. Thankfully, the Glitz Events Centre was able to fix that.
What challenges helped to shape who you are today?
I will not refer to Lagos as a very conducive environment to run a business. One of the frustrations has been that the government has not been very supportive of small businesses like ours. Beyond that, human resources have been a bit of a challenge. Finding the right people for the right responsibilities has been difficult. However, with a lot of training and
patience that has foxed itself along the way.
What would you suggest is the best road to take to entrepreneurship?
The entrepreneurial world is a very interesting one. I am still of the school of thought that not all of us will be entrepreneurs. The earlier we understand that the better for us. Beyond that, for those who belong to the entrepreneurial world, I still want to suggest that gathering experience from working with an already established organization is very necessary and helpful. You gather experience, resource and contacts. A lot of people I do business with today are people I met when I was in the banking industry.
What tips can you share to others in terms of scaling their business?
It is important to surround yourself around mentors that are already in that business space so that they can guide and hold you. Getting into the business, I realized that scaling might not be as easy as I expected. The scaling of business comes with its own challenges. Before we scale, it is important to create a balance. Before we started, from our business plan, by now the second Glitz Events Centre should be running. However, before we grow and expand, we want to get things right.
Can you share two tips for running a successful business that you’ve learned so far?
Be a part of your business. Even when I’m not physically present in my office, I can boldly say I know what is going on in all my businesses. It is okay to have colleagues and staff but as a business owner, you must be a part of your business.
Empower the people that work with us. Allow them to make decisions. Especially for people like me that has their hand in different pies. You can’t be physically present everywhere at the same time and at some point, your colleagues will have to make decisions.
2020 has been a rollercoaster for businesses worldwide, what Lessons are you leaving 2020 with?
For the first time, I appreciate that I have my hand in so many pies. I’ve learnt that having several sources income has become more important than ever before. 2020 has taught us that we begin to think outside the box. We are leaving this year, thinking like no box ever existed.
How do you balance your work and your life?
One thing that has worked for me personally is that I have a partner who is extremely supportive of what I do. One thing that has also worked for me is collaboration. Yes, it would reduce the profit I go home with but it gives me peace of mind. Collaboration for me is a new competition.
If you could go back in time to the onset of your business and give yourself some advice, what advice will that be?
I would have started a bit earlier. The fear that I had never existed apparently.
Can you briefly share what your worst day in business has been so far?
We had an event going on at the Events Centre and the generator suddenly stopped working. It was an event that had about 2,000 people. It was the most embarrassing day of my life. So many lessons I learnt from this particular experience.
What is your key purpose in life?
Find that thing that bothers you and keeps you awake at night. It could be domestic violence among women, helping children to get a proper education or any other cause. In your own little way, one community at a time, try to fix it. My purpose is to identify other women like myself who may be struggling to find their feet and help them, one woman, at a time.
There’s no doubt that Adetola Juyitan is definitely worthy of our love and much more!
