On this week's edition, our focus is a renown documentary photographer, a business man, a media personnel , a publisher and an author.
He is also the brain behind Ibadan's e-commerce platform @ibadanmarket.
Meet the CEO of @officialsmilephotography.
In an exclusive interview with ibadanslayers, he share with us his journey into the entrepreneurial world.
CAN YOU GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO YOUR BACKGROUND?
I was born and brought up in Ibadan. I studied marketing at OND level after which I proceeded to The Federal Co-operative College, Ibadan, where I studied, co-operative Economics management for my HND.
.
LOOKING AT YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND, WHAT MADE YOU DEVIATE AND VENTURE INTO PHOTOGRAPHY? .
Photography as my career is my key while my educational background is my key holder. A career without a good educational background gets lost. Its more or less like having a key without a key holder, the key gets lost eventually. My educational background is what has helped to enhance my photography career to be different from others. My knowledge of marketing has helped me to give a good presentation, how to present myself and my image, how to interact with clients and solve people's problems. Studying co-operative economics management has really helped me to relate with the grassroots and how best to economize funds. It is that knowledge that has helped me to maximize resources .
WHAT WERE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES YOU FACED WHEN YOU EMBARKED ON YOUR JOURNEY INTO ENTREPRENEURSHIP? .
For me, my sense of adventure into business is about identifying a problem and preparing myself to solve the problem. So I consider any challenge that comes my way a great opportunity for me to earn more. In as much as I can face it and overcome it, it will definitely turn into profit for me. So i never see any challenge as a stopping stone, rather a stepping stone. And I must tell you, I love challenges. I believe that if you solve a major problem, nobody negotiates the price. People only negotiate the price of things that don't hold the solution they desire. Nobody negotiates the price of medicine prescribed by a doctor, likewise if you are a problem solver, nobody will be able to negotiate your price. So the challenges faced is not the issue but the ability to provide solution at the end of the day.
WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER AS
THE MAJOR PROGRESS IN YOUR WORKS?
I wouldn't call it progress but increments. Because i believe there is still a lot more to achieve. Well i started my business with my school fees when I was in HND 2. I used my final year school fees to purchase my first camera. While running my HND, I made up my mind that I didn't want to finish school and start looking for a job here and there. When I took the risk with my school fees which some people would consider as abnormal, today I don't regret because if I had not taken that step, I would not be where I am today. Although I am not where I dream to be, where I am still going is way bigger than where I am today, I am still striving. To God be the glory, I have received recognition locally, continentally and internationally.
TEN YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO HAVE ACHIEVED?
In ten years time,i think there are lots of problems that need to have been solved. I see myself solving a global problem and being in corridor power of a global platform. I see myself as a global striker, not a local or just a national striker.
WHO AND WHAT ARE THE MAJOR INFLUENCERS OF YOUR WORKS? @ : As much as i desire people's results, I am more interested in their process. There are lots of people that have influenced my works. Like the personal photographer to the president Obama, Pete Souza. I study his works and it has influenced me a lot. If you look at my works,you can see a kind of blueprint of his works. Likewise one other person that has influenced me is Bayo Omoboriowo ,the,personal photographer to the president of Nigeria. Also anybody that does something unique, i follow their work and it influences me.
IF GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? WOULD YOU CHOOSE A CAREER IN PHOTOGRAPHY ALL OVER AGAIN? Of course I would choose photography over again. photography has taken me to places where my certificate could not have taken me. I have met with not less than fifteen presidents of African nations, been under the same roof without restrictions, dialogued and dined with them. My academic qualifications could have never taken me to such places if not for photography.
IF ANYONE WERE TO WALK UP TO YOU SEEKING ADVICE ON HOW TO BE AN ACHIEVER, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HIM/ HER?
The first thing i would tell him/her is to discover his/ her passion. Once that has been done, be sincere to yourself. Don't wait for a perfect / convenient time, process the discovered passion in time. No vision / idea comes with perfection. You are the one to perfect it over time. Also, strive to increase your sense of self confidence, don't wait for people to praise you because if you do, you will end up frustrated. Stay focused and keep moving. It might look rough initially but one day,you will get your recognition. Your talent will lead to your passion, your passion will give you joy and your joy in turn will command wealth for you. Don't worry, whoever mocks your ideas now would end up being your fan when those ideas begin to command wealth.
In conclusion, What i would like to add is with regards to documentary photography. This is one aspect of photography that isn't being taken seriously in Nigeria and we ought to. For example, the white man has used documentary photography to project negative stories about our country. Now its our job as documentary photographers to correct the mess that has been made. we show people both the beautiful and the ugly side. I also urge entrepreneurs to partner with one or two documentary photographers that will help tell their story and project the image of their brands. I also would love to implore the government to invest more in documentary photography. Thank you. We appreciate @olawoyinsmile of officialsmilephotography for making this edition of entrepreneurs watch both inspiring and entertaining.
We say God bless you
God bless your brand
God bless Ibadan.
No comments:
Post a Comment