In this exclusive interview with Ayo Alonge, Dr. Maria Onyia, the brain behind OrgLearning Consult located in Lagos, recounts her success story as an entrepreneur and how she has been able to carve a niche for herself in the education sector. Dr. Onyia is an educationist and a school proprietor who came back to Nigeria from the US to explore her entrepreneurial skill. Enjoy excerpts from the interview below...
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| Dr. Maria Onyia |
Growing up was full of adventure and totally unlike what you see today. I spent holidays with my aunties. Some of them not related to my family in anyway. Then, I would travel to my grandmother's house and also visit friends and family. I went from place to place.
The most interesting part was spending time with my grandma in the village. The crowd in the house, the trips to the stream to fetch water, running around with masquerades from village to village, the frequent trips to the farm, and meal time, having 20 plates or more clearly marked for ease of identification. My grandma would always cheat for me. She would hide one meat or fresh fish inside the bowl of rice and put another on top for public viewing. At some point, everyone knew she was doing that. My cousins did not like that at all (laughs).
Then my dad, by name Chief A. B. C. Iketuonye, SAN, was unique. He was mother and father to all of us and we were many in that house. He was bigger than life and was feared by most people. He never shouted at us and did not beat us but the thought of misbehaving did not cross anybody's mind. He was intimidation in motion. Lunch time was a party as people walked off the street to eat in our house. He would come back from court and cook, though we had many cooks, dad always cooked.
He was an excellent cook. Once food was ready, people would appear in our house, not necessarily rich people, anyone could stop by for a meal. Our sitting room was open to all, with people coming and going freely. It was lovely and fun. Today, everything is under lock. The world has changed indeed and that's very sad.
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| Dr. Maria Onyia |
At what point in your life did you discover the entrepreneurial skill in you?
I think I was a child entrepreneur. I recall that as a child on holiday in my aunt's house, after two days of boredom, I told the housekeeper we could make money with our free time. The plan was, I will make moi-moi and she would sell it. We went into business the next day.
Then, we missed delivery for one day and I heard the spare parts dealers almost wept. Though I suspected they actually missed our beautiful housekeeper, I still tell myself it's the moi-moi they missed (laughs).
I once packed the heap of plantains in our house to the market and returned with so much money, my aunty danced every day for a whole week. While in school, I was a merchant at some point. I would take my tuition to Cotonou in the company of my father's secretary and arrive school with boxes of shoes.
I sold everything in the first week and lived like a big girl until I was caught by my dad. During my youth service in Port Harcourt, my sitting room was a fashion house with tailors and all.
While waiting to acquire degrees in the USA, I was a hair dresser, making $100 each for braids and threading. I can't be idle, I can't beg, I must meet people's needs. I come from a family of strong women and we work. Also, I think attending a tough but excellent boarding school helped me to a great extent.
I am a housekeeper and homemaker but I must be industrious too. Children don't do much these days and it's unfortunate. Nobody should be idle. The virtuous woman was not idle at all. She was a strong business woman and a home-maker. Everyone must find something to do.
Why did you choose to go into education?
I did not choose that at all. God just made that happen. It was not in my plan till I got to the USA. First day I walked into a classroom, I closed my eyes and hoped by the time I opened them, I would be in Nigeria.
The class was unbelievably equipped. Then I started teaching and acquiring certificates and I just knew that if the Nigerian child had a quarter of the opportunity taken for granted elsewhere, they will do great things. Then, a friend of mine visited and bluntly told me to consider moving back and doing what I was doing in the USA in Nigeria.
My husband agreed, God confirmed it and here I am. My friends and colleagues thought I was crazy at the time. I thought so too, but I am grateful for that momentary madness. I encourage people to dare to make the move, take the risk, jump in and do something and when tough times come, and they will, don't run away. Stand!
At what point in your life did you make your first million?
First Million? (Laughs) I can't remember that! I am a bad business woman. I never do proper profit and loss. My husband says I am Maria non-profit because I report deficit each year. Laughs. Everyone that is close to me will tell you that money is not a big factor in what I do. Truth is we don't make profit yet, but we turn over something. However, I must say we have grown tremendously.
Firstly, we are just a few years old. Also, this business had no major external capital pumped into it. We started with nothing in practical terms. Moreover, I don't have the heart to charge huge fees for primary and secondary education. Sometimes, I am still shocked at how fast we have grown but all the time, I am aware of and amazed by the grace of God.
When you have God and a supportive spouse, you have integrity, good work ethics and the quest for excellence which I acquired in Diamond Bank, success comes easy. I don't think about money at all but I will not take away God's glory by saying I am not successful.
I am very successful and success to me has very little to do with money. I go to bed with a smile because I am able to add value and make people happy. I do make something from consulting for other schools.
How were you able to manage that feat?
I did not and I am not managing any feat at all. I love my work, staff, students and parents. I ensure they get the best in terms of service and care. Also, I keep learning to upgrade my program. I don't compromise on quality.
I let God manage everything else. I must tell you that I am blessed with the best people and they work hard and learn hard. When you add value and invest in providing quality service at the highest degree, people will come to you and the people will bring the money. I don't focus on money.
I don't need it that much and my husband supports me. People who cheat their customers only succeed in this part of the world. That's not how I operate. I love the art of working and watching people and the business grow. Above all, I want my students, staff, and parents to be happy.
What lessons are there to learn from your success story by young people?
The lessons are quite few and known to most. I believe in God and it works for me; therefore, I recommend God to young people. Also, they must be ready to work hard, and see every opportunity to learn as a blessing. They should acquire multiple skills. I tell young people to read, read and read. They must get an education in the field of their passion. I spent close to 12 years studying Education and teaching.
I covered every area of Education. So, I know what should happen in every aspect of my business. My staff can't mess with me because I know my business and they know that I know where I am going. I am still studying even with all the certificates I have. Also, they should have integrity and decency; be life-long learners, and leave the upgrade button on for the rest of their lives. There is always something to learn.
In what areas do you empower your staff, aside their salary earnings?
Without my staff, I won't have a successful business and because they deal with minors, I have to ensure they are well taken care of. I pay them reasonably well, considering the fees we charge. In fact, we don't joke with their welfare. When in trouble, they call my number and I will ensure they are taken care of. Staff enroll one child free of tuition in our schools. The total amount in scholarship is shocking. They are happy to teach because their children benefit from this high-quality education.
Then, of course, our annual award is unbeatable. Just look at my staff quality and you will marvel. They are teaching by choice and they are happy to teach and learn. They have been with me for a long time and we pray, play and party a lot. I would not wish for a better team.
What are the basics for starting up an ultra-modern school like this?
What happens in Nigeria is not what should be at all. Some parents and children are being robbed of money and learning opportunities because they don't know what to look for, apart beautiful uniforms and five-star structures. As a graduate, I took at least 30 postgraduate courses to get my licence.
Even with the Reading, Primary, Secondary and Special Education certification I have, I needed an administrative licence to be principal. That's why my Doctorate is in Teacher Leadership and Administration. In Nigeria, as soon as you make a lot of money, you build and start a school, then you recruit and you manage the school, even though you are a trained carpenter or engineer.
The first and most important thing is to learn and by that, I mean study Education. It applies in any other start up projection. Go learn that business formally and then work in the field for a while. Get a mentor.
I started from a three bedroom servant quarters structure and a playground and here we are now. It is the grace of God and the knowledge and skills acquired through education. I can deliver a master lesson on the street. They need to study Education, teach for some time to get the right exposure and actual skills, then start the school.
How is the present economic challenges faced by the country affecting you as an entrepreneur?
It's difficult to run a school in Nigeria. I always said that it is only in Nigeria that a broke or rich individual will pull out millions to waste on primary education for absolutely zero additional value. However, N200, 000 or N150,000 tuition can't take you through the term when you run on diesel for 12 hours a day.
The environment in terms of infrastructure is hostile. We can barely pay salaries. I can't cut corners too and can't jack up the fees because the person paying it is going through the same difficulty. We are reducing waste and managing resources. It is difficult. However, when there is a casting down, we see a lifting. My parents may increase the fees by themselves (laughs). They have done it before.
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