Exquisite Magazine got the opportunity to have an interview with CEO Joycee Awosika, an award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Oriki Groups. Let’s see how her journey started and learn a few lessons.
Tell us about You?
My name is Joycee Awosika, an award-winning entrepreneur, energy economist, and speaker.
I am the Founder of ORIKI group, a leading tech-enabled wellness, self-care, and personal grooming chain with 7 subsidiaries, and also the CEO of SOAR, a company focused on helping individuals scale their businesses by leveraging systems and structures.
In summary, I am a child of God, a wife to an amazing man, a mother to 2 amazing boys, and an entrepreneur.
What does your business do?
ORIKI Group is a lifestyle, an attitude, and a way of life dedicated to individuals’ Wellness journey. It is the first and only all-natural farm-to-skin brand in Nigeria to operate a wellness spa chain coupled with its own product line.
It operates 7 different subsidiaries, the ORIKI Spa which pampers, restores, and rejuvenates individuals, an institute called the ORIKI Training Institute which focuses on equipping individuals to become expert spa professionals.
A mobile app called UNWIND which democratizes wellness by bringing a certified spa professional to your doorstep, the ORIKI franchise.
You can build your spa by buying into the ORIKI brand and receiving an entire system and technology to run, A Retail line which has several product ranges for skin, hair and body, A Manufacturing division that creates private label products and provides contract manufacturing services for companies who are launching their own products and the Consultancy where we train other spa owners and managers on how to build, operate and own their own spas.
How do you solve your customers’ challenges?
To solve a problem, you first have to understand it.
I solve most customers’ challenges by spending the time to know their pain points comprehensively and then rectifying it specifically.
This involves thorough communication and questioning before proffering solutions.
Who are your ideal customers?
My ideal customers are men and women that understand the importance of self-care and prioritize it.
They are not defined by age or social status but understand the benefits of wellness and preventive measures and are willing to create an all-around balanced life.
Can you describe/outline your typical day?
I start every day with Prayers and meditation for 2 hours and then I go on a walk + go to the gym.
I take my kids to school and review my schedule for the day to ensure I have a good grasp of what is expected of me for the day.
I try to work from home 2 days a week to be around for school picks ups and I always aim to be home for dinner time with my boys daily.
Wind-down time usually involves reading a book or listening to a podcast or sermon.
How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life.
I am driven by impact, and being an entrepreneur affords me the ability to make an impact daily.
Impact on my team members and staff, on customers, and the world at large.
My family life has positively been impacted by being an entrepreneur because it has given me the opportunity to be a master of my time and create schedules that afford me time to spend with my family while also given me pertinent tools as I raise my kids.
What motivates you?
I am motivated by the ability to make a difference in other people’s lives and shine my light daily.
My mandate is a big one, to democratize wellness across Africa and create a platform that puts Africa on the map in the global skincare and wellness space.
Building this platform successfully and leaving a legacy is a motivation for me.
How do you generate new ideas?
Most of the ideas I have generated come from a place of wanting to solve a need, from wanting to create natural personal grooming products from the untapped resources in Africa to creating a user experience platform for the products created.
Creating a tech arm, a mobile app that was a result of Covid and the need for people to receive services when they need it most, to building a manufacturing company that helps other African beauty companies build their brands.
These ideas are all birthed from identifying a need and wanting to create a solution that transforms life.
What is your greatest fear?
I really do not have any fear but one thing I am particular about is being able to achieve all that God has called me to do and be.
How do you define success?
Success to me is achieving God’s desires for me at any given time.
Life is in seasons and I am successful when I am doing what God has ordained for me.
Success for me, can also be defined as when I am positively transforming and impacting lives.
Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Yes, I believe there is a pattern to becoming a successful entrepreneur, anyone can be an entrepreneur but to be a successful one, there are certain patterns and processes to follow and it requires being legacy minded.
Creating structures, systems and processes that allow your business to grow even with you involved in daily operations.
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Being able to build something that contributes positively to the human race directly and indirectly.
Being an entrepreneur has given me the opportunity to balance my life and create wholeness while also giving people the opportunity to live a better life both from actively being a part of the brand or by being a recipient of what it offers.
How did the idea for your business come about?
Originally, I wanted to create a product line and I launched ORIKI with 39 natural products using African ingredients.
Africa is rich with so many untapped resources, and I wanted to make our ingredients famous.
However, there was the challenge of getting people to leave the products they were accustomed to and start using the ORIKI products, in the absence of a large marketing budget or an experience.
This led me to create the ORIKI spa as an avenue for customers to have a first-hand user experience of our product, the rest was history as the demand for the spas increased.
What advice would you give to people who want to become entrepreneurs?
Do not give up, be ready to self-motivate as you might not get it right the first time.
It is okay to keep trying till you get it and create lasting structures.
If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Nothing
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A Plan, People & Structure
What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused in a busy schedule?
I wouldn’t call it a trick but one thing that has helped me stay focused in a busy schedule is having the right team that aligns with the vision, they are able to carry out different aspects of the business and with the right team, delegation comes easy. Delegation, Elimination, and Automation are paramount.
Who has been your greatest inspiration?
My greatest inspiration is God because from the beginning of creation till the creation of man, God saw that it was good.
Everything was good before He proceeded to rest. Another person that has inspired me is Anita Roddick, the founder of Body Shop, she believed that businesses shape the world and are capable of changing society in almost any way you can imagine.
She explored natural ingredients and turned it into a global brand thereby popularizing natural skincare.
What business-related book has inspired you the most?
Good to Great by Jim Collins
If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Designed: Discovering & Pursuing God’s Unique Purpose for You
Please share contact details
IG – @joyceeawosika
