Juwon Razaq Lawal is a Nigerian born businessman, portfolio entrepreneur and global diplomat. He is the founder of Africent Group of Companies Limited, a multinational conglomerate with headquarters in Dubai Logistics City and operations in West Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Lawal is an official member of the Forbes Business Council.
The Kogi State born Lawal’s business interests span various industries. He serves as the chief executive officer of Africent Industries Limited, AfricentOCL UK Limited, and Africent Oil & Commodities Co Limited, which have investments in oil & gas, agro processing, mining and metals and real estate investment. He also heads Eleven Ocean Limited, a real estate and infrastructure investment company founded in Nigeria in 2023.
In this interview with the Editor, FOLORUNSHO HAMSAT, the young, passionate serial entrepreneur spoke about his feats in entrepreneurship both in Nigeria and overseas, which has earned him several recognition awards from business and corporate worlds. Excerpts…
Tell us how you got your business idea off the ground; what role did technology play in fast-tracking your business success?
I grew up in business and practical trades in agricultural produce and so on. This helped and built my foundation and I am always in love with business genuinely. So, I started early and started well, and I understand the rules and as time goes, more and more experiences come into the journey for me.
It’s an incredible life story succeeding as an entrepreneur; what were your challenges of growing in business?
Yes, incredible indeed. There were tons of challenges along the way. But once you are consistent and focused, with determination the journey will be pleasing.
What makes the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person since both of them do have the purpose of succeeding?
It is simply a mindset. Mindset is what differentiates a successful person or an entrepreneur from a failure.
As a successful entrepreneur, do you believe in making it through luck and what is your philosophical approach to life?
Yes, luck works (smiles). But you need to have the right mindset, approach, timing and location. I consider myself very lucky all the time. Even though I work very hard, I am still very fortunate. Most people also work hard but might not always really get the results they anticipate.
Most successful people that define the world today were born into poverty.
That could be. But there’s a need to check the backgrounds to know if the success is real and legitimate. There must be a background trace to people’s success.
Tell us your childhood story in brief.
I have always been doing something in the direction of entrepreneurship, right from childhood. No friends, no much fun and no holidays.
Tell us about your service experience working for others before starting your own company.
After building my career in the oil industry for 10 years, I moved abroad. That was when I took an appointment as senior level trader at a big firm in Singapore. That was another milestone and one of the expanded opportunities for me. It was great and still is.
While growing in business, you have had to cancel several businesses and restart all over; what can you teach upcoming entrepreneurs from that experience of yours?
Yes, there have been many attempts. Businesses and attempts had failed and I had to start all over again. But it is always a good experience to prepare one for the next phase of life. It is part of a successful journey.
Does anyone need a lot of money to start a business with the aim to succeed?
Money is not necessarily needed to start a business if you are a real entrepreneur. But money is key to growth and that is when it is needed. It is necessary to grow the business.
You are always on the move; tell us about your achievements in terms of recognition and awards so far.
Global recognition that has been coming our way, especially this year 2023, is not by luck or because we know someone at the top. It is simply through long term commitment and consistency in what we do. Even when it seemed no one was paying attention to us or our company’s efforts, with or without revenue or patronage, we have always been committed and consistent. And we never gave up. We began to get noticed and get patronages and the revenue also began to come.
Who is your business role model both in Africa and abroad?
I am always being careful when asked this question. I have few considered role models both home and abroad. But I want to reserve my comments.
You studied Business Administration and hold some qualifying degrees. Should lack of education be a barrier in succeeding as an entrepreneur?
I did study business and I have done a few business and leadership executives programmes abroad too. Education is good but not really necessary for business or entrepreneurial journeys. Education doesn’t guarantee success.
You have your business offices in Nigeria and overseas; what is doing business like in Nigeria compared with countries abroad?
Yes, we do. Nigeria is always a good place to do business. But there are too many bottlenecks. It is much easier to do business abroad.
How do you balance your time and business; what are your relaxation methods?
There is no specific chance to balance time with business, relax and have fun. Pleasure and business do not work together. You either choose one and leave the other or you choose both and get distracted.
Do you have favourite colours, foods and automobile brands?
I do. But I’m very private about those things.
What is the bigger picture for your company, Africent Group, say, in five years?
The strategy and vision are clear and simple. We are well positioned to continue to grow.
