Having worked at Walmart, PetSmart and Amazon in the United States of America, Bayo Adedeji is now the Group Chief Executive Officer of an online tour operator, travel arranger in Nigeria and Africa, known as WAKANOW. He shared the story of his life with SEGUN KASALI.
You grew up in Ogba area of Lagos State…
Yes I grew up at Ogba. The biggest thing about me being a boy is that I lost my father very early. But the biggest part of my upbringing was that we were brought up with a very strong family principle. The principle was simple: whatever your hand finds to do, do it well. My mother used to say to us before she passed on in 2003 that if you decide to be an ewedu seller, you will do it after you collect your first degree. But, you should be the best ewedu seller in the world. And she used to cite ewedu as an instance. She infused into me that “what I do doesnt matter but it is the exceptionality that makes sense”. When you look at my journey, I have gone from selling waste nylon when I was a boy, renting out bicycles, to working in a bank, to selling tomatoes, selling akara, selling gold, going to America, doing laundry for people, being a tutor officer, to working with Fortune 500 companies, starting a fried yam business, doing a beer parlour business, doing an alcohol brand, to building a liquor store. Everything was dignity in labour, but it is by doing it exceptionally that you can excel.
Did you get this business dexterity from your parents?
I come from a family of merchants. My grandfather was one of the largest cocoa farmers in the West back in the days. But he died before I was born. I did not meet him. My father died before I was an adolescent. He was into multiple businesses before passing on. My mother was an hustler trying to make both ends meet for her children. What I was taught was that whatever my hand touches, I should do it well. When I was in secondary school, I was a happy toilet washer. They assigned me a toilet to clean and I happily did it. My toilet was the best one. I think the upbringing is what brought me this far. If I commit to a cause, I am there 100 per cent.
How were your boyhood memories?
I was lucky to be surrounded by people that were attempting to do well and eventually did well. I always talk about MD of Soulmate, my brother, my sisters. One of my sisters did a Ph.D in Chemistry. I saw my brother left the college and decided to start a construction firm. I saw him do multiple big projects. I saw my mother not begging people for money and being able to raise six children single-handedly through hard work. I saw the owner of Soulmate starting it from nothing to something. So, I, as a child, witnessed lukewarmness and grit and I saw the difference. I was good at acting and directing and did stageplay as a child. My mother encouraged me to do anything. I just must be good at it. My mother tuned my mind specifically that whatever path you choose to go, do it well.
How would you describe your parents?
My father was a man that brought people together. I learnt that from him because I am a gatherer of men today. My mum was same tradition but what she added was grit. My mother can recite the Bible from beginning to the end, offhand.
What was your dream career?
I had multiple dreams. One time I wanted to be president of Nigeria. One time I wanted to be a pilot. One time, I decided I do not want to go to science class but wanted to be an accountant like my sister. Then one time I decided I wanted to go to school for Marketing. And this was because of my dream as a child that if you wear a suit, you have money. My dream was that whatever job would make you wear suit was the best one. When I grew older, I began to understand it does not matter whether corporate or short and trouser. I studied Demography and Social Statistics at Obafemi Awolowo University.
Can you share your OAU experience?
Experiences were formed by being a start-up guy. I was not an efiko (bookworm), but everyone knew that I was not going to fail. I was a guy that people knew if you challenged me I would out-work you.
How social were you?
Social enough, but not very social. I was not drinking alcohol and I was not smoking. I was neither up nor down there; I could not afford to. And my mother died before I graduated. So I lost both parents. I was an orphan. My mother educated the six of us well before she passed on. I wish she was alive, but she had shown us God, that if you need anything, I cant help you. So you have to go to God. But guess what, before you go to God, you must have done your own bit.
What did life present you after school?
Before NYSC, I got into business right out of school. I went back to my waste nylon business. I started selling fire alarms in 2004. Got into NYSC shortly after. During NYSC, I sold everything. Immediately after my NYSC, I started selling door handles and went back to my fire alarm business. At the same time, I was applying for jobs. I printed 2,000 copies of my CV. My friend, Olumide Olofin and I were giving out our CVs like it was a flyer. Amidst all these, we were so confident that things would change.
Did any company call?
Yes. I did not even know how they got my CV. Back then, they used to do a lot of chain emails. People were calling me left, right and centre. But, I settled for Ecobank eventually.
So, when did you leave Nigeria for the United States?
My brother did encourage me to go and get an MBA. And my brother said ‘Bayo, this is how you would do it.Go get your MBA and you are good’. So, I did GMAT and I got a scholarship to Clark Atlanta University.
How was the Yankee experience?
(Laughs). Iya je shege la ra mi (I went through hell there). This was because I got to America with 3,500 dollars. It was all the money I had saved up that I took to America. MD of Soulmate, Ndukwe, gave me 1,000 dollars. My brother gave me 1,000 dollars and I had 1,500 which was the change left after buying my ticket. And when I got to America, I had to make a way.
Which was?
I got a job as an office boy. After leaving bank work, I came to America and started working as an office boy. There were days they gave me work to carry computers from third floor to first floor. I cried while carrying those computers. They were so heavy. I remember that I cried that day because the computers were dusty and heavy and had to carry them through the stairs. I could not use the elevator because they were too heavy. After I took them, they would tell me ‘ah it was ground floor I took them to instead of first floor’. So, I now had to carry them back up. One thing I can tell you is I was willing to do the work that was required. I was not afraid. I was never a security man. Yes I did some jobs that were not particularly dignifying. I did not do the job at the expense of school. When I got to America, I knew that if I had this degree I would get a job according to what I had been told. And when I get this job, my life will be better. So, in school, I figured out very quickly that academic was not what would take me far. I figured that I had to learn to speak their language and that my English was not good enough. That my English was British, but I was in America. So, I had to learn how to speak like an American. I had to learn how to convince people in five minutes. I had to learn that in 30-45 minutes, someone is going to make a life-changing decision based on a 45 minutes interaction with me. So, I had to learn how to impress people in 45 minutes. I had to learn how to answer your questions. And because of that, I spent my time understanding their culture. So, while I was in school, I used to watch CNN, Fox News and others. I used to repeat after Don Lemon and the like that used to be on TV. I understood immediately that if I can fix my soft skills, I will be successful.
So, you did you get better after college?
Absolutely. I already had offers before I graduated. I had like six offers. I got one of the best highest paying jobs out of college and this was Texas Instruments. People know us for calculators, but we also make semi-conductors. My life was already better from my first pay cheque. It was like 12,000 dollars, including allowance. Do you know what I did when I got this? I went to eat first. I remember the restaurant I took myself to. So, in a rough estimate, it took me two and a half years to get to that point. And again my mother had taught me not to look at present condition but focus on the future.
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