For Harold Olamilokun, RIM’s chief executive officer, the journey for building a high-powered company, was one which commenced 32 years ago as an eight-year-old lad at a time when computers were basically for word processing, spreadsheets, sending and receiving emails, and conducting basic searches.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
In the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) space, Rane Interaktiv Medien (RIM) Limited is a household name. With clients in the military, banking, telecom, entertainment, and media sectors, it is a platform that aims to rule the industry. Attaining the status, did not however come easy. It was rather a feat borne of insight, dedication and desire for success.
For Harold Olamilokun, RIM’s chief executive officer, the journey for building a high-powered company, was one which commenced 32 years ago as an eight-year-old lad at a time when computers were basically for word processing, spreadsheets, sending and receiving emails, and conducting basic searches.
How it all started
At age eight, the young Harold was combining learning ABC and Arithmetic with playing around as a child-typist at a business centre where people came around to type their work, check emails, or just explore the systems.
“It was like an apprenticeship. I was typing 45 words per minute. I was very fast. We had other people who were working there but I was young and fast. It was a familiar organisation. I started learning how to do networking at the age of eight. While I was learning my ABC, I was also learning a skill.”
This early stage in a computer environment fired his interest in ICT and even in hardware engineering.
“As a young boy, my curiosity to learn grew. I recall taking our computer to the engineers when it got spoilt. While they were fixing it, I would be looking at them to know what they were doing and I would ask questions because I was so curious about everything that concerned the system. After a little time, I started fixing computers myself when any developed fault. I was already vast in digital technology.”
Even with a passion for ICT, Harold opted to study Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Lagos because he found a nexus between the two.
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He said: “All I needed was grounding knowledge on how governance, community building and rural building works. Studying Urban Planning gave me that opportunity to be able to have a broader picture of the trade value of offering value and impact.”
ICT and entertainment
RIM Limited is also strong in the entertainment sector, working with artists in the music and movie industry, one of whom is Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as Dbanj.
Harold said switching from ICT to entertainment is because his line of business cuts across all industries including the entertainment sector. “So, what we do as an organization is to use our skills and solutions to help defend artists. Entertainment can only be amplified by the use of technology to be able to project ourselves as it has been a major revenue for the country.
“For us working for Dbanj, we have a long-standing relationship even before music. We have an alliance. So, it was easy to activate that alliance.”
Overcoming financial challenges
The young CEO affirmed that every business has finance as a major challenge but to him, he discovered a trick to it way back in life that made it easier.
He said value forms everything and once you can offer value you will always be appreciated and it will make it easier for you to get funds.
Asked if as a son of the pioneer commandant of the Nigerian Navy School, Commodore Sunny Emmanuel Akintomide Olamilokun played a major role in his business stride, he answered. “As a son of a general in the military, there was nothing so special about it. I believe every father will support his child with whatever thing he has, so it was the same with my father.
“If you are saying networks, I do not see the relationship between that. Influence, everybody has it. It is based on what you think that defines you and what you can offer. So, no matter the influence that you are opportune to get, if you don’t offer value, then you are unable to sustain that.
“My father was very pragmatic. A lot of people are rigid but mine wasn’t that rigid. He allowed me to do what I wanted to do. If there was anything he did, he did it because he was a father. It does not have anything to do with him being a military general or not.”
Taking risk
Harold shared a challenging experience that made him discover that there is no limit for an individual as long as one has the determination to push it through.
“About 20 years ago, there was a certain job, from a referral. A company abroad wanted to do a video streaming focusing on people in Nigeria and Switzerland. It was my job to ensure that it was televised live and there was communication between both parties.
“You know twenty years ago we didn’t have WhatsApp, Zoom, and all of the platforms that we have today. So, I had to think of how to solve that problem. I took a lot of risk. I had three days to source items from Nigeria and I was able to source for cameras for digital streaming etc. I put everything together and at the end of the day, it was a success.
“But I tell you, to be honest, until the very second that we went live and the recipients at the other end were able to communicate, we were not confident but we just knew that we were going to do it however.”
Challenges with businesses in Nigeria
For Harold, financial literacy is one of the challenges Nigerian businesses face. He said: “We don’t have a curriculum on financial literacy that supports the setting of businesses. A curriculum that educates one on how to understand money, manage, save, and invest money.
“A lot of people once out of school are thrown into the deep trying to find their feet looking for a job. If a job does not come, they end up saying they want to start doing a trade.
“They would have earlier spent 20 to 30 years being groomed in a job. Eventually, they say they are going for business. So, they were never prepared for it.”
He said if he had the opportunity, he would support the government in improving literacy and financial literacy for young people so that they can have the opportunity to choose from an informed space.
Walking the talk
Harold now has a foundation where he supports young graduates, undergraduates, and prospective job seekers with knowledge in financial literacy and grants.
He said the idea is to ensure that people are informed to be able to make the right decisions. He urged the government to make financial literacy a part of the school curriculum.
“Children should understand what money is, how to earn money, what money does, the real value of money. We need to understand all those before understanding what doing business is,” he said.
He added: “So, business is not I want to set up something to make money. As long as value is at the forefront, you won’t have any issues. The government can be your supporter because they can see the value you offer.”
Perception on Japa
For Nigerians running abroad for greener pastures, Harold said he does not see anything bad in it. To him, the whole essence of civilization is migration.
“I don’t have any issues with someone that feels he is not getting what he deserves in a region moving to another region. We need to move away from this mentality that we are trees. We are not trees. We are humans. The whole essence of civilization is migration. All the development we are seeing is as a result of migration. It is a way of life.”
