•Reveals The Principles You Need To Succeed In Business
As part of the activities marking the 25th Anniversary of City People, the Management of the leading celebrity magazine has been visiting very many prominent Nigerians who we wrote about when we started in 1996. One of them is Prince Sam Adedoyin, the Chairman of Doyin Group who has built a conglomerate that is the envy of his contemporaries. We met him at his expansive office in Victoria Island, Lagos.
He congratulated City People for surviving the last 25 years and prayed for another fruitful 25 years, and beyond. “First of all, I will like to congratulate you on your anniversary, on the establishment of your paper 25 years ago. Many started with you, but have fallen by the way side. Many started, before and after you, and they have collapsed. But by the grace and favour of God, you are waxing stronger and stronger. We wish you the very best of luck to continue. God will give you the wisdom and diligence to speak the truth, to write the truth, to move with time. Where you have made mistakes in the past, God will help you to correct it. And I pray that from now on, miracle and guidance of God will be your blessing that will help you not to make any mistake again. Amen”.
What are the business principles he has learnt in life, we asked him. “I have been in business for the past 61 years. I registered my business in 1960, which is Jekoyemikale Oluwa Trading. Let me tell you the principles that worked for me which I know can also work for you as well”.
“The first principle is first of all, to have faith in God, to be honest and be prayerful. In my whole career in business I have never gotten a contract from the Villa or state government. I am not a contractor. I just face my business. For instance the NNPC, when they started, they were my tenants. I did not ask them for Oil allocation or Land allocation. I don’t own Oil block. I think if one asks for God’s guidance, I think success will be yours”.
“Your achievement in life may not be to become a billionaire or trillionaire in life but God will be guiding you as you move on in life”.
Why didn’t he go into politics, we asked since he is close to all those who have occupied the leadership positions in life. “You are right. I have been close to many of the past leaders like Gen. Gowon. I know Gowon. We have been friends. Babangida was my friend.”
“I have known all the heads of state right from that time till now. But I just think I should have them as friends not for contracts but to be able to advice them, so that Nigeria can achieve greatness”.
“Business can be said to be very tough, but at the end of the day it will be very successful. That is my policy”.
In his business life he must have made mistakes which may have cost him huge losses. How does he take such setbacks whenever they come?
“I take them as lessons”, he responded. “Life itself is a lesson, a big one for that matter. There is a popular Yoruba proverb that says esin ki dani, kaa ma tun gun, iya kin je eni ka ma jaye. So, if you fall on a horse, you will try to ride again. When you suffer, you work hard to be able to regain all the losses and enjoy the treasure of success”.
“So, every failure should be a lesson, to move forward, not to retire or to say one has failed and would not want to continue”.
Prince Adedoyin is a well known advocate of Manufacturing & Industrialisation why does he keep advocating for Nigerians to embrace industrialisation? “It is for many reasons”, he explained. “I came to that realisation years ago. There is no country in the world which is not industrialised that can call itself a truely independent country. Many great countries, achieved their greatness and all what they have achieved through Industrialisation, militarisation and manufacturing. There is no way that one can develop without industrialisation because it is true that you employ and develop the country”.
As he comes across young people, what is usually his advice to them? “It is the same advice that I give young people. The only way for the Government and the people of the country to move forward now, is to industrialise and become self-reliant and now, we have to go into Agriculture. So, when the Oil fails the exports of Agricultural products, which always varies, from products to products It is not like Oil. It will allow the country to be able to move forward. Industrialisation Farming and IT (Technology) are important to move us forward as a nation.”
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