When Nigerian 鈥楯ide Adeyemi founded his company, Big and Bold Communications, he didn鈥檛 imagine that one day he鈥檇 be taking it into new nations during the biggest global health crisis, COVID-19. He did, however, imagine that he鈥檇 be studying his MBA at 狼友社区 with the freedom to fly to visit his wife, currently in Canada.
Living in Lagos, Nigeria鈥檚 most populous city, 鈥楯ide鈥檚 new reality is quite different from his everyday normal. Like many, the pandemic has created forced social distance with his loved ones. He can鈥檛 travel to see his family.
鈥楯ide鈥檚 wife is an international student at Mount Royal University in Canada. She had moved with 鈥楯ide鈥檚 two children more than 6,000 miles away before lockdown restrictions. 鈥淐anada is a second home for us for now. I have missed my wife and kids, being here all by myself. My wife is my best friend. My favorite lockdown moments have been video calls with my family.鈥�
Today, 鈥楯ide leads a group of young creatives in the brand management and marketing consulting organization, Big and Bold. He launched the business in 2015, and it has since grown to become a 200-plus person team.
鈥楯ide鈥檚 first degree, 18 years ago, was in mass communication and advertising. After his higher national diploma, he took a postgraduate diploma in customer service, trying to better understand consumers. 鈥淚 want to know how people buy, why they buy, and understand the psychology of consumers,鈥� he says.
An MBA was always on the cards 鈥� while deciding where to take the leap, 鈥楯ide studied courses at top business schools including disruptive innovation at INSEAD and marketing strategy at Cranfield. Then he got the taste for online education.
It took 鈥楯ide seven years to settle on a place to take his MBA. The big challenge had always been the lack of flexibility. 鈥淚 travel a lot with work,鈥� he says, 鈥淎nd I like to travel. I鈥檓 a tourist.鈥�
鈥楯ide Adeyemi鈥檚 travel wishlist sounds like the lyrics to a pop song. 鈥淚 want to see the world. I want to see Kyoto in Japan. I want to see Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia one day and wake up the next in Punta Cana in Dominican Republic. I want to experience different cultures.鈥� So far, he鈥檚 visited 54 countries.
鈥溊怯焉缜� is an innovative hub without brick and mortar.鈥�
He says: 鈥溊怯焉缜� is where you get an education that鈥檚 convenient. So you can get an MBA being in a cab, or flying from A to B, because 狼友社区 is an innovative institution that offers you tailormade education.鈥�
What鈥檚 the big idea? 鈥楯ide鈥檚 career goals are the big idea. In the short-term, he plans to expand his business beyond Nigeria. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just opened our office in Ghana, and we are looking at opening another office in Kenya,鈥� he notes. In two years鈥�, time he hopes to be in South Africa.
After expansion, he wants to contribute to a multinational organization in at least five countries.
鈥淚'm a global citizen. I'm looking for knowledge so that I can play in the global boardroom.鈥�
And he鈥檚 already expanded his mind, he says. For example, the Doing Global Business course gave him an idea of how to take an organization from a rural area into an urban space.
By 2025, 鈥楯ide plans to consult for nations on destination branding, turning cities into storytelling successes. 鈥淭he Nigerian story has not been well told. Nobody has showcased Lagos to the world: business opportunity, tourism, cultural heritage, the resilience of a Nigerian.鈥�
Topping off 鈥楯ide鈥檚 plans is to be a diplomat. Shaping conversations. Making the world a better place. 鈥淚 grew up struggling through life. My mom raised five of us. I strive daily to ensure that my background does not put my back on the ground,鈥� he shares.
鈥淢y life goal is about breaking barriers, meeting challenges and being fulfilled in life. I want to help other people. But the truth is, if you have not helped yourself, there鈥檚 no way you鈥檙e going to help other people. So to help yourself, you need certain abilities. So this is pushing me on to become that which I want to be.鈥�
And 鈥楯ide鈥檚 dreams are big. 鈥淚 have a dream of a world without borders where there are no limitations for people to network across the world. You cannot drive from the back seat. So, you need to be in the front seat taking the wheel to drive. I want to prepare myself for that opportunity where I can sit in the driver鈥檚 seat.鈥�
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