TheNiche Young Entrepreneur: “From that N200 which I used to buy data, I took the first step. Then I was able to take the next step again and resources began to come in and that was how we built a website and got a hosting. Then we started WiGRadio – online radio.”
By Eberechi Obinagwam
The saying that there is a lot in a name, is not for nothing. It is not mere coincidence that Olawale Perfect Lawal has ‘Perfect’ as his middle name. He loves setting high standards and would do everything within his power to attain that.
As a freshman in the University of Lagos who was witnessing convocation of a graduating class for the first time, he took note of First-Class graduands receiving prestigious hand shake with the then Vice Chancellor. That spurred him to make a vow that he would be among those to be accorded such privilege and recognition at his own graduation. Four years later, in 2009, Olawale Perfect was given the honor, having graduated with a First-Class Honours in Biochemistry.
Perfect, he said, is a name he adopted years back. “I actually love the concept of Mathew 5:48 that says be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect”, he enthused. But that does not come easy. Being an entrepreneur is not always a stroll in the garden. If anything, rather, it is the most unpredictable journey anyone can embark on. Notwithstanding, there are many who have given it all that it takes to see the best of it.
Olawale Perfect Lawal threw in all he has for his dream venture and today he is among the young successful entrepreneurs in Nigeria. He is the founder of WISDOM GATE Communications or WiGRadio for short; an online radio with a tilt to the Christian faith while also covering other areas of society.
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In 2013, Olawale started WiGRadio with just N200, which was a dollar plus, but today the business is worth a fortune.
How it all started
During his service year, Perfect felt the nudge within him to go into media business.
Why not become a lecturer, others thought, especially because he graduated with a First Class in Biochemistry, a rare feat at the time?
“During my service year, l realized a great need for me to go into the media. It was something like a divine lead. So, when I came back to Lagos, I was thinking of how I could get myself into it. So, I decided that I should get myself trained. I went for a Post Graduate Diploma in Communications in the University of Lagos in 2011. While I was doing that, I got an opportunity one day which was for me to do a programme at UNILAG-Radio.
“I was on UNILAG Radio for about nine months where I was learning and learning. When I completed my Post Graduate Diploma programme, I just saw the need to start my own. But all I had was just N200 from my Guarantee Trust Bank (GTBank) account,” he recalled.
Perfect disclosed that with the N200 in his account, he wondered what and how to do with it. “How do I start a radio station with just N200?” he asked himself.
While he thought about it, he recalled a statement that he usually made, “You need two Gs (God and Google) to be great in life. Number one G is God and number two G is Google. With Google, you will be able to search anything,” he said.
So, he began to search online with the second G (Google) to find out how to proceed.
He continued: “During my research, it occurred to me that I could actually do things online. I also began to meet people that I felt they knew better than me. From that N200 which I used to buy data, I took the first step. Then I was able to take the next step again and resources began to come in and that was how we built a website and got a hosting. Then we started the online radio.”
Today, according to Olawale, WiGRadio has reached listeners in over 126 countries.
“We also have a training arm which has trained over 200 students in what we call WiGMedia Institute. We also have regular SIWES students that come for training in our organisation and we give them free opportunity to learn and practice media activities which has helped them greatly so we are very keen on giving knowledge to people.”
He also recalled that as at the time they started WiGRadio in Nigeria, they were less than five online radio stations.
His challenges in the industry go beyond finance. To him, innovation and ability to adapt to changes have been the major challenges in business, not finance.
He said: “A lot of people will say finance. I wouldn’t say finance was not a challenge but for me, I tried to look beyond challenges of finance because I believe that when there is a vision there is always a provision for it. Finance was a challenge. How do we tackle it? We keep ensuring that we keep innovating ourselves.
“Secondly, I have come to realise that people keep innovating. That means the things that were working 10 years ago are no longer relevant. You realise that things keep changing. It got to a point that I realised that online radio was no longer as prominent as it used to be. We realised that video streaming was the major thing. So, we decided that, okay, let’s just innovate ourselves and we got into it.
“So, some of the challenges would be the place of innovation. I realized that things keep changing. Changes will keep occurring and if you need to keep changing, one needs to adapt. The ability to quickly adapt is one of those things that I will say has been major challenge. God has helped us. We have been able to adapt over time with the changes that needs to be done.”
He also sees absence of an enabling environment for businesses like lack of power supply, high price of fuel as major challenges facing businesses in Nigeria.
“For instance, I can count many instances when we were unable to run broadcasts as a result of power outage and now that the price of fuel is on the high side, it becomes a bigger challenge. I know a number of business organizations that have packed up because their running expenses have exceeded their income since they have to spend more on the things the government should have provided,” he said.
Even with Nigerian’s new record of japa syndrome reaching 33.3 percent with young Nigerians migrating abroad in search of better opportunities, often with no intention of coming back, Olawale said he still believes in the country and does not see himself leaving permanently except on a visit for education and knowledge purposes. He said he has an assignment here, adding that there is a problem he is solving in Nigeria.
“Most of the young people I grew up with or went to school with have actually left the country and many of them tell me Perfect, what are you still doing in Nigeria? But I still believe in Nigeria. Would I want to visit foreign countries? Yes, but for education and knowledge purposes. I do not see myself leaving Nigeria permanently because I know I have an assignment here. The important thing for us all is to find the problem we are meant to solve. I believe there is a problem I am solving in Nigeria so I don’t see why I should japa. Those who japaed might have genuine reasons to do so but we would not all japa. Some of us would have to stay here to solve some of the problems here,” he said.
Olawale Perfect Lawal did his masters in 2015 and is currently doing his PhD.