Folorunso Alakija (born 15 July 1951) is a Nigerian billionaire businesswoman. She is involved in the fashion, oil, real estate, and printing industries. She is the group managing director of The Rose of Sharon Group which consists of The Rose of Sharon Prints & Promotions Limited, Digital Reality Prints Limited, and the executive vice-chairman of Famfa Oil Limited.
She also has a majority stake in the DaySpring Property Development company. Alakija is ranked by Forbes as the richest woman in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. As of 2015, she is listed as the second most powerful woman in Africa after Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the 87th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Folorunso’s success did not happen overnight and here are 10 quotes from the businesswoman to inspire you:
1.”Don’t give up when things get tough, just hang in there, stay focused and be patient”
2.“I did not start from here. I started on a small scale. When I was working for someone else, I spent my weekend buying and selling. I sold jewellery. I sold the scarfs. My husband was also doing some buying and selling”
3.“Rome was not built in a day. As you continue to struggle to make ends meet, somewhere, somehow, you will make it.”
4.”Get rid of naysayers – those who say to you that you can’t do it”.
5.“People should not just look at people who are on top. They should go and study how they got there and the challenges they had to face as they while climbing the ladder.”
6.”You need to decide what you want to achieve”
7.“Our country faces many challenges, but I want to encourage you all not to focus on the issues plaguing us, rather see yourselves as the Change Agents of God that this country so desperately needs.”
8.“Just start small with what you have and you can grow the business.”
9.“Persevere – Never give up! Today’s world enjoys electricity because of those who did not give up!”
10.“Failure is a tool to get to the promised land. We all enjoy light today. Thomas Edison failed a thousand times for us.”
