Meet one of Africa’s youngest cyberpreneurs
Born barely twenty-three years ago, Dada Oladele John, mathematics student of the Federal University of Technology Akure, is one of Africa’s dogged and youngest cyberpreneurs, running one of continent’s fastest-growing media outfits, www.oladeile.com. John’s firm has done public relations jobs and brand promotions for several organisations in Nigeria and beyond. The young cyberpreneur is also a recipient of many awards and has been a volunteer to over 30 organisations such as Global Youth Action Network International, Gemstone (Fela Durotoye), Minds and Moment (Joel Adeniyi), VulnerableChildren Project by Kids n Teens and UN Support for SaveAChildren Project, among others. He spoke with ODINAKA ANUDU on how he came about this business idea and why he grew this business from nothing to a net worth of about five million naira. Excerpt:
Give us a bit of your background.
I hail from Ekiti State and was brought up in a Christian family.I am the second child in a family of three. I attended and completed primary and secondary education in the state capital, Akure, where I excelled in many areas. I am currently pursuing a degree.
Give us more detail about the business you run.
We run a string of ventures which are all connected and aimed majorly at providing ICT in new, innovative and exciting ways for the populace. More so, we do media promotion as well as brand development. We are an online news media outfit. Amongst others, we are in the business of media promotion as well as brand advertisement and development.
We are also into public relations (PR) and we used to run an electronic magazine which had over 120,000 downloads.
So what inspired you to go into this business?
The passion to make a change in the world around me inspired me to delve into this venture. An inner drive to effect changes still stands as my core inspiration.
I have also drawn from the wells of knowledge of some great individuals, whose lives have spoken a wealth of words to me. The likes of Sola Borha (CEO of Stanbic IBTC Holdings), Blossom Nnodim (Founder of DMD Initiatives), Martin Mary (CEO of Kids n Teens), Fela Durotoye, Dele Momodu, Jahphet Omojuwa (curator of Omojuwa portal) as well as Dayo Israel and Chude Jideonwo have all inspired me.
How long have you been in this business?
I have been in this for about 6 years. This includes my formative years.
What is the value of your business in monetary terms?
We presently have a net worth of around four to five million naira.
Who are the beneficiaries of your services?
Everybody is a beneficiary (whether locals or foreigners). My services cut across all races, genders, classes and what nots.
Where do you currently have a strong presence?
I have a standing presence in six states (and counting), including Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, Oyo and Osun states, as well as a good footing in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja).
Are you ready to accept capital for expansion from banks or equity firms?
For expansion purposes, why not? No man is an island and in the business sphere, helping others climb the ladder of success matters a lot. So, I would gladly accept funds from external sources provided that conditions attached are not ‘choky’.
For the purpose of expansion, are you in partnership with any organisation?
Yes, we are in partnership with about 36 other organisations, both private and public ones. Partnership is the blood of what I do. We have a long-standing partnership organisations like The Dream Center, RGNconnects, GTBank, The Olusola Amusan Company, MagCorp, NetBitHost, Jumia Nigeria, Fayrouz, Agromerchant,WEDExpo, Etisalat, Miki Wears, Eso Ara, Opportunity for Youth Africa and Ondo State Wealth Creation Agency (WECA), just to name a few.
More so, our partnership with organisations have also brought about participation in major events such as Music Meets Runway (MMR), Tush Awards 2013/2014, Prodigies Awards 2014/2015, The Advancement 1.0 and 2.0 and #TheYardSale. Others are Most Beautiful & Handsome Fresher Federal University of Technology Akure, Miss Unilag 2015, Nigeria Customers Service Awards, and many more.
So where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years, I see myself and this venture in uncharted territories, breaking new grounds in the ICT and media world. I will be a force to reckon with, a voice in the wilderness.
What is your advice for youths who are still unemployed?
No dream is too big for you to carry. It all depends on how you set your shoulders. Unemployment erodes your self-worth and your shoulders stoop, making it difficult for you to carry and run with your dreams. All you need is to fight your fears and feed your faith in what you can do. Just start something, somewhere!