What was your driving force to becoming an entrepreneur?
Lay off. Every disappointment they say can be a blessing in disguise. I’ve always loved entrepreneurship a.k.a “being your own boss”. I did engage in buying and selling business in my home country. The photography business idea however came after I got laid off from an oil & gas company during the industry recession of 2016.
Why Photography?
Photography was never a planned business. One thing I was certain about is taking great photos with my phone (aka iPhonography). Friends would randomly give me their phones to take their photographs. I remember covering a friend’s baby dedication at Guelph sometime in 2016 with my iPhone. His aunt who also attended the event requested to see the pictures; she commented “these photos are amazing my dear, I can imagine you with a professional camera”. The rest is NOW, not history.
Did you study Photography in school?
Not really. Photojournalism however, was one of the core courses during my first degree as a Mass Communication student. I found it very interesting even though my specialization wasn’t Broadcasting. I learnt the significance of capturing images, how pictures tell stories, how captions can make or mar a tabloid/magazine. I knew the basics; nothing practical at the time.
What’s your educational background?
I studied Mass/Human Communications for BSc. degree; graduated in 2010 from Bowen University. For Masters, I studied Human Resources Management; graduated in 2013 from the University of Windsor.
What motivates you?
From photography stand point, I am motivated by satisfying images. Being a self-trained Photographer, the progress I see in the images produced year after year have been my driving force to doing even better.
How do you define success?
You will pardon my definition but success in my own dictionary also entails failure. In becoming successful, you must be ready to accept failure and criticism; use them as stepping stones, strive to make progress by learning from your mistakes while ensuring that those mistakes DO NOT repeat. You are a “success” when a past mistake doesn’t repeat itself.
