\”Strive to Be The Best\” – Queen Shirley Okwudinma
Her Royal Majesty Ugoeze SHIRLEY OKWUDINMA recently bagged another Award at the just concluded ARISE AFRICA MAGAZINE AWARD.
She is CEO SHIRLEY SUPREMO FINISHING LIMITED
She is a dynamic entrepreneur; married to HRH Eze Samson Okwudinma blessed with four wonderful kids 2male and 2 female. She holds a B.ed English from the University of Nigeria Nsukka. The Dynamic Entrepreneur holds An Honorary Doctorate degree from the Global Harvest Christian University (Doctor of Humanities) READ Exclusive Interview with Arise Africa Magazine 👇
Congratulations ma for winning Distinguished Personality of The Year Award.
Can we really know what inspired you into the type of business you are presently into?
Right from onset, I have always been business inclined. The only difference is that I had a very good reason to be in this business. Some people once they want to venture into business, they expect the money to start rolling out immediately but it doesn\’t work out that way. Mind you as a business oriented person you are bond to take risk. Station your mind that it can be either of the two sides of a coin. If you want to venture into a business you really need to go into deep thinking to know your purpose, Challenges, Area of Specialization and goal for setting it up.
For me, I am doing this kind of business because I have passion for it; I am doing this because there is need to do so as it concerns my affection for the job, I am doing this to encourage people, to give a sense of belonging to people in the environment. To enhance people’s life.
Looking back, what do you think Shirley Supremo Finishings Ltd has achieved?
Looking at what we have on ground. If we didn’t establish Shirley Supremo Finishing Ltd, people would not have in mind of coming into Owerri when they are looking for quality, they would say Owerri is a dead zone and establishing this business has also brought lot of Hotels, Fast Food joints and tourism center into our Dear State to Imo. Right about now people come from all over the world to patronize us down here in the beautiful city of Owerri. I did so because I discovered that some people have the money but they don\’t know where to get Superior Quality rather before our coming as a justice League, people only get inferior quality down here.
From a humble beginning when we started and right now we have 2 big warehouses but yet it does not contain all that we have. We desire to build in no distant time a Showroom that would showcase a whole lot more furniture at the same time bigger than what we have on ground right now with unresisting quality.
Any plans of branching out outside owerri?
I have a warehouse in Lagos and not a showroom. Every business has its own secrets. At Lagos I distribute to people who in turn sales to their customers. It helps me to sell more. That doesn’t mean that I don’t mind coming to Lagos or another one in Abuja. This would definitely happen as the demands increases more we will also go worldwide(Diaspora).
How do you get to impact your philosophy to your sales representatives?
Buying and selling is a practical thing. In order to boost sales they are given incentives, bonus according to the percentage of sales they make each day. This makes them to attend to customers very well. They can\’t afford to allow anyone who walks into this place to go without making sales because they know there is instant reward/bonus for them outside their salary.
What is your advice to the youths?
There is a way our youths think. When you talk as a mother, they think you don’t really know “what is on board”. They see you as “old school”. But that would not stop us from offering our motherly advice.
The only thing I can tell our youths is that they should be who God has made them to be irrespective of the present socioeconomic situation, don’t give in to peer pressure, don\’t live your life trying to please anybody or working at your own detriments.
For instance; working for politicians who will use and dump you at the end of the day. A politician will use you during the elections and afterwards will dump you because they see you as a nuisance once they get to that seat. What happens in your life nothing?
How do you see yourself?
Sit down and ask yourself; what can I do in life? You need to balance the whole thing.
Do you see yourself cut out for a white collar job? Depending on salary or do you see yourself as someone who will create wealth for others? Do you see yourself as a political thug who will be carrying ballot boxes for politicians?
It doesn’t have to do with you being old or young. It has a lot to do with your values, Nature, culture – way of life and how you were brought up. Our environment plays a very big role in shaping most of our youths.
ON MENTORSHIP:
No matter what you aim at becoming, do yourself the favour of having a mentor. I am one person that believes in apprenticeship It gives you the leeway to a certain level in life. When turbulent times comes if you have not experienced it before, it would blow you off but when you pass through whatever challenge in life with a mentor by your side, you will be well guided and groomed. If you don’t look at life that way, you have not started in life.
I know where I want to be in life. I am focused. There are people as creative as you can not imagine but where are they? Why haven’t they been able to achieve greatness? They keep struggling. Bottom line is that they don’t have a good moral values, a little thing; they are swayed off their feet. But when you show them practically how it should be done they would go far in life.
So I advise young people to get a mentor. In that area you want to succeed in life, bring yourself under the tutelage of someone who is far more experienced than you.
Also as a young man plan for your future.
Tell us more. What are your future plans and visions?
I have a pet project for the youths. The kind of NGO that I would establish, I don’t need to go around begging for money because I am already in business to make enough money so as to help the youths. There is great need for us to pay attention to our youths because they are the ones that would take care of us when we are old.
When I see some pensioners and old people who are crying today, one question I often ask is what did they do when they were young? Why didn’t they save up for the rainy day? One can not afford to live a life that would be full of regrets at the end. For you, the time to start planning for your future is now.
On Face of Arise Africa:
I highly commend this organization for coming up with this initiative so as to encourage the young ones aspire to achieve great things in life.
“Failure” is an orphan but “Success” has so many relatives and friends. Once you succeed in life many people would come to associate themselves with you.
So strive to be the best at whatever you are doing. Never forget success is a Choice and Failure is also a Choice but Choose wisely.
Congratulations to the winners of your beauty pageant. You have to stay humble as this group is packaging you. Don\’t let the celebrity status get into your head. Submit yourself to the very platform that brought you, I am confident that this young man here would help in grooming and harnessing your talents well.
Thank you Iyke and your team for finding me worthy of this Award. We will keep doing what we love doing. It\’s good to know that what we are doing is recognized.
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| HON UGOEZE SHIRLEY OKWUDINMA RECEIVES AWARD FROM IK ANYANWU |