Omotola Onaneye-Babajide also known as the executive coach has built a career in the academic environment for over two decades before she eventually found light and love in entrepreneurship.
Today, she’s an advocate, positioned to bring many academicians into the realm of turning their knowledge to affluence as academic entrepreneurs across Africa and beyond.
Sharing briefly how the journey began, the executive coach said. “I have been in academic space for as long as two decades, however, pivoting into entrepreneurship was circumstantial.”
“I recall during the pandemic year, I got inspired by the uncertainties that were presented by a disease which changed our lives in some ways, forever.”
At the time, those of us in academia had to translate into the online space to continue to teach our students, she said, noting that it spurred the quest to take advantage of the speedy digital transformation necessitated to mitigate the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
“What I did then was to translate my experience and expertise into an online presence to create an additional income. I gave it a shot, providing services to students and scholars. It turned out to be a success,” she said.
“Now, I have positioned myself as a brand, having grown to also mentor and coach early career to senior level academic professionals via my consulting agency; BriteConcept,” she said.
Omotola reiterated her commitment to academic excellence, personal growth, and the professional success of her clientele while noting that her mission is to work with them to recalibrate their minds and mindsets so they can translate their vast knowledge into affluence.
Explaining further the concept of academic entrepreneur and how she intends to sell the idea to her target market, she opined.
“Academia has to do with the management of the academic – scholars and students and their activities to bring about a resounding excellence in their pursuits, aspirations, and goal about the development of the society and mind.”
“Most academics you’ll agree are, parochial, despite being brilliant or, at least, despite being perceived brilliant.”
Read also: Ten faces behind Nigeria’s growing fashion footprint
“There’s a disconnect between them and the realities of society. Their worldview is trapped within academia. Consequently, they are not actively productive in the “new world order.”
She stated that the challenge is that they are unable to turn their expertise into affluence, and the majority find it herculean to translate their academic findings and /or talents into what will benefit the general public.
She said her target audience is people with advanced degrees specifically- PhDs and academic professionals. “I aim to see them elevate to what I call ‘acadpreneurs’ – academic entrepreneurs, those who are not just in the knowledge-building industry, but equally engaged in wealth-generating endeavors.”
“I want to see them brim with executive presence, to not only know so much, read so much, write or research so much, but to know exactly what to do with all these, because they are solution providers.”
They are trend analysts that should be abreast with the realities of the times we are in and leverage technologies and the new media in dispensing and executing the academic richness they have so much laboured for. It is my mission to kindle their minds and mindsets so they can translate their knowledge into affluence!” She added.
She went further to share some of her band offerings saying she offers three major service products to include, ‘The Dr Omotola Mentorship Experience (DOME) and the Executive Presence Coaching, and the Academic and Professional Consultations.
