Apart from being resourceful, she has many traits that stand her out. She is an author and, along the line, veered off to becoming an entrepreneur with IreDire, an indigenous adire ready-to-wear brand for today’s modern woman. Her pragmatic and hands-on approach under ‘Profiting Hub,’ an online classes where she offers to teach and guide start-ups, has put many businesses back on track. Meet Adebola Adefila, the Chief Operating Officer of Banrut Rolls Nigeria Limited. In an encounter with Adefila, Funke Olaode finds that growing up in a business-oriented family is more of ability than sexuality as the key to success.
Adebola Adefila, the Chief Operating Officer of Banrut Rolls Nigeria Limited, is an ageless beauty, a corporate amazon, a reputable author and a mentor of many mentees who have constantly benefitted from her pull of knowledge through her Profiting Hub platform. A dynamic woman not limited by Nigeria’s stereotypical nature regarding inventive and independent women. Her IreDire, an indigenous adire ready to wear brand for today’s modern woman, which she founded in 2019, has gone beyond the shore of Nigeria with clientele that spread across Nigeria, UK, Canada and the US.
But in all of her achievements in the corporate world, Bola, as she is fondly called, has a cool and calm disposition, doing her own thing, making remarkable progress as a corporate guru, a dutiful wife and mother.
But looking at her closely rocking her low cut, you can easily conclude that she is a tomboy. “I’m far from being a tomboy. Having different looks have always been a thing with women. I’ve always longed to wear a cut considering its simplicity, so I tried it, and I guess I pulled it off nicely.”
Bola has been an entrepreneur for over 19 years, 13 of which have been in the manufacturing sector. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Banrut Rolls Nigeria Limited, manufacturers of tissue papers with a visible brand reputation in all the 36 states of the federation and distribution offer in some west African countries. Her Expertise cuts across Business development, marketing and operations.
She holds a BSc. (Hons) in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and MBA from the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK and a certificate in Entrepreneurship Management from the Pan African University, Lagos. She is also an associate member of WIMBIZ.
She’s the founder of the profiting hub, a platform where people get the know-how on running a business ultimately and adequately profitably. When she’s not working at her factory, she’s speaking at events or helping manufacturers solve business problems via her live classes, coaching sessions and masterclasses. She is the author of the book ‘Profit’ available in hardcover and paperback.
Born in the north-central part of Nigeria, Abuja precisely and grew up among three siblings. She had an early education in Therbow nursery and primary school, Zaria, Kaduna and Jabi Primary school, Abuja. “Growing up in the North has given me the privilege to infuse two cultures together and a deeper understanding of the northern way of life. In business, having the northern orientation has also given me the mileage for market penetration.”
Her secondary education was in Federal Government Girls College, Akure, Ondo state. Bola would later return to the North where she bagged her first degree in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna and MBA from the University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom.
For Bola, as a child, the natural expectation of leadership comes with the territory where she grew up in a business-oriented family, making her entrepreneurial journey kind of unavoidable. “Unconsciously, I was imbibing the knowledge of enterprise which all the more made business attractive. In the 1990s, holidays outside the country always turned out to be one business trip or the other, as my mum will always include her business itinerary with our holiday, which changes the dynamics of a fun trip. As a child, imagine looking forward to having fun, only to be bored with following and watching your mum go from company to another negotiating and carrying on with business. As bored as it was, I believe I unknowingly picked interest and garnered lessons from these activities. So, wanting to do business and being business-minded just fused.”
For close to two decades, the well-grounded Adefila has been in the corporate world doing this and that. She has held many reputable positions as well. So many factors no doubt helped on her way up the ladder. Solid educational background aside, the parental factor played a critical role in her life and siblings’. “From the get-go, girls should be brought up with the mindset that they can fit into any space they desire and make their mark. Growing up, my parents didn’t differentiate between what a female or male child can or cannot do.”
So as COO, which many believes is often reserved for men, Bola has shone brilliantly. For instance, in her capacity, she coordinates the operational, financial and administrative activities of Banrut. “The journey has been both challenging and rewarding as business decisions that can make or mar our operations stop at my desk. It will interest you to note that my journey to being COO started as a marketer where I had to interface, convert potential customers, and manage the company’s value chain. This I still do but at a higher level. From marketing, I moved up to become the operations officer, where I was responsible for overseeing the production, administration and sales department. Some years down the line, I became the General Manager before I became COO. To date, many still refer to me as GM. I believe the title stuck because it was a position I held for a while. For all the stages, there had been a potpourri of events, daunting but all surmountable. In general, it has been an eye-opener. A leader must always commit words to actions daily for the ongoing interest of the company. So far, it has also been a fulfilling journey.”
Adefila, as a corporate amazon, is also adding value to society. Her Profiting hub is an offshoot of her life, online classes and one-on-one consulting sessions where she offers to teach and guide start-ups and existing entrepreneurs in the manufacturing space. She throws more light on what she does. “It’s a platform where you get the know-how on running a business properly and ultimately profitably. The testament received from all these has elated my spirit as I’ve seen the birth of new ventures, growth in existing business and sustenance of albeit businesses that were on shaky grounds. I recall engaging one of the entrepreneurs on a one-on-one basis who had earlier been to one of my live classes. He was on the verge of shutting down his business. With the help of my pragmatic and hands-on approach, he was able to get his business back on track. I will call it my little way of giving back and making an impact.”
She is also an author. “My book ‘Profit’ is a guide. It aims to despair the fear of starting and showing that manufacturing is doable and profitable even in an environment like ours. Truth be told, there are many business books out there that anyone can learn from, but what makes ‘Profit’ different is that it speaks to our immediate environment making it relatable to any entrepreneur in Nigeria and Africa at large. Another interesting thing about ‘Profit’ is that it highlights entrepreneurs’ success and failure stories in our locality as you readily will not find these stories been told in our neck of the woods. Further, Profit aims to show that despite our unforgiving environment, businesses can still thrive and be done better.”
Giving tips on how to excel as a corporate organisation in times of uncertainties, she notes that everyone needs to think outside the box. “Despite Covid-19 dealing a hard blow on businesses across the world, it has also created an opportunity for businesses to reengineer their processes for flexibility and adaptability. Crisis management in this pandemic has been novel with a bitter taste. To rebound and flourish at this time requires a lot of thinking. First, businesses must understand that this is a season of survival, so your decisions and activities must be geared towards weathering the storm and keeping afloat. Businesses must also continue to improve on their strengths and competitive advantage. It’s important for the business owner at this time to continuously create a balance and alignment between income and expenditure.”
Speaking further, “Avoid following the bandwagon, don’t judge the viability of a business from a superficial point. Always research thoroughly the sector you are venturing into to have a holistic point of view. Relationship building and networking are key parts of running a business successfully, be deliberate about establishing strong contacts and network. Trust and integrity are necessary pillars to keep these relationships. Have financial understanding as this is the lifeline of any business; avoid borrowing from the onset if you can. Avoid an ostentatious lifestyle. Frugality is key. Be ready for a life of sacrifice and delayed gratification.”
Rocking a low cut is her trademark, but her love for the African prints has constantly stood her out among the corporate crowd. She has become a walking model for her IreDire, an indigenous adire ready to wear brand for today’s modern woman, which she founded two years ago. “I’m a big lover of African prints. I’ve always loved fashion, particularly African prints. IreDire is a ready-to-wear fashion line that mainly utilises adire fabrics and a bit of Aso-Oke, which speaks to my heritage. Because of my love for prints, I want adire to be embraced as regular everyday wear. With IreDire, I’ve been able to change the way adire is viewed among women. It’s now stylish, classy, dressy, and comfortable. Nevertheless, my mood and work dictate what I wear, although you will mostly find me in jeans and African prints.
So fashion for me has to be easy, comfortable and decent. No matter how gorgeous or expensive an outfit is, if it’s not comfortable, I’m not wearing it. I also believe you can never go wrong dressing your size. Wear what suits your body type and size.” One thing you will never catch her in. “It is a six-inch heel.”
Bola has been married to her best friend for 15years and blessed with two beautiful daughters, aged 14 and 12. “I consider every day a blessing with my family.” Continuing. “It’s challenging juggling work, family and social commitment. Flexibility helps, as I’m always deliberate to prioritise and delegate. Not being rigid helps to create time and balance where and when possible though it’s still a tall order. I’m quick to accept that I’m not a superwoman, but I’m focused on the needful while alternating between roles.”
And what keeps her going in the challenging corporate world, you may ask? She quickly points out. “Well, what keeps me going is that I have a legacy mindset. I’m running a business that I want to outlive my children and me. This keeps me grounded. It’s my staying power.”
Bola is a superwoman who has continued to shine in the corporate world but says women need to break more jinx. “It’s encouraging to see women shattering ceilings these days, but I won’t say we’re there yet. A lot still has to be done. I believe families are primary agents in this regard. The first place of education is the home. Parents play a prominent role in building the confidence and resilience in any child, so it is important to raise the female child to be assertive and bold. Deliberately ditch the stereotyped mentality, parents should encourage their female children to go into male-dominated fields early. Just because the male gender has always occupied the industry does not mean it must remain so.
“It’s important for women to know their worth and claim it. It’s not enough to complain about the male getting higher pay or having more access to resources. A woman I admire said, “Life will only give you what you demand from it.”
It is also important for the women breaking the glass ceilings to pull up and affirm other women. This way, we can keep the tempo going.”
