Martha Stewart, a businesswoman and television personality once urged her fellow entrepreneurs to build their business success around something that they love, something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to them.
Following the philosophy of Stewart many Nigerian women have built their business empire around sportspreneurship and have loved the sports world, among such are;
Mary Onyali:
Onyali won the bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1992 Olympic Games and in the 200 m at the 1996 Olympic Games. She also won the 1994 Commonwealth Games 100 metres title.
She has also won over 20 medals in African competitions and is widely regarded as the “African queen” of track and field both in Africa and in the USA where she lives.
“For the 25 years that I’ve been in the track and field business, it has always been my desire to retire into a venture in which the sports can benefit in my country.
“I think that I owe a lot to the society. That is why I am launching my outfit to enable our athletes to dress well, look trendy to run faster,” said Mary.
Nkechi Obi:
The Umuahia, Abia State-born sportspreneur discovered she was endowed with the gift of entrepreneurship early in life. She learned the ropes of business at the bustling Lagos Island Balogun market where she understudied her mother in textile merchandise.
Nkechi Obi a distinguished recipient of the President of Nigeria’s Entrepreneurial Award, is a sports management consultant with over 30 years of experience and accomplishment in sports management, marketing, and administration.
She is the founder of Premium Sports Management Services Limited, a sportspreneur business she runs with her other businesses.
Her expertise is derived from her international network of contacts and knowledge of the business of sports, garnered from years of training at major sports seminars and sporting events including the sports business campus series in London, from 2000 to 2006, SportelMonaco, Monaco from 1998 to 2008, Leaders in Football and Leaders in Sports (UK) from 2009-2011, among others.
Nkechi sees the private sector as the chief driver of the development of sports as an industry. She was appointed the first thematic lead of the Sports Industry Thematic Group of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in January 2018, where she has put together a team of professionals in various economic sectors to midwife the process of developing a new National Sports Industry Policy to harness a minimum of $5 billion in investment over a 10-year duration (2020-2030) to reposition the sports industry as a private sector-led contributor to the economic and social development of Nigeria.
Aisha Shuaibu:
Aisha is the founder and president of SWA Sports, a full-service sports solutions company dedicated to bridging the gap and providing comprehensive solutions for the development, management, and elevation of sports in Africa.
Aisha grew connected to sports from the love of the game of basketball in high school which was her outlet for self-expression, which also contributed to her wellness, competitive spirit, and personal development.
She is a passionate sportspreneur with an eye for ideation, brand development, and strategic growth. Aisha is driven by the desire to make a lasting impact in sports as an innovator and ground-breaker.
She believes in the power of defying the norm, collaboration, and investment in women-led businesses.
Vivian Ozoemena:
Vivian Ozoemena is the founder/ chief executive officer of LaBelle Sporties in Nigeria, a start-up company dealing in the designing, production, and sale of sporting outfits ranging from jerseys to sweatshirts, tracksuits, sports caps, casual sporty dresses, backpacks, and among others.
Vivian is a seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for sports, hence the name.
“Every business is special but mine is unique because as a team, we always leave our clients asking for more, and guess what, we always give more,” Vivian said, speaking about the niche her sportpreneur firm has over others.
LaBelle Sporties seeks to empower more people, especially women, from all across Africa through employment in the next few years to be their bosses and enjoy the journey.
