Julia Langkaer, a certified global trainer made her first visit to Nigeria recently. He spoke to Elusoji Solomon about her work with global Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, first impression about the country and her desire to move women up the ladder.
You are playing a significant role in Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) globally as a certified trainer. Where did you start?
I am from a little tiny town in the middle of nowhere in the United States, and I now live in the great, big city of London. I’ve been in London for 16 years. I’m a dual-citizen now. And the things that truly drive me are to travel – I’ve travelled all over the globe. I love experiencing and seeing different cultures. I love interacting and learning from businessmen and women in different countries. I’ve been to 75 countries and I’ve trained entrepreneurs in eighteen countries.
I joined the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, EO, as a member ten years ago and I’m an EO London member. I have been involved in leadership, volunteering for board divisions on the local chapter and then working on the regional council. When I was working on in the regional council, I met these two gentlemen who came to London for a president meeting, and they were looking to launch the Nigerian chapter. They attended a meeting that I hosted when I was then the regional director. It was a bunch of positions, managing the region of Europe, Middle East and Africa. We had about 20 chapters then, and now we are going to have 25. So I met these two gentlemen in London and that was how we started talking about how EO could help those in Lagos. And that was January 2012.
Can you say there is opportunity for entrepreneurial growth in Nigeria?
The first thing that I have been able to realise is the opportunity for entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The first thing is the population, the size, and the potential of the economy. It is enormous. I see how entrepreneurial organisations have grown in other countries and I thought they could really help Nigeria specifically, and that is why EO now has a chapter in Lagos.
What does EO seeks to achieve globally and in Nigeria?
There are three things that EO does: It puts entrepreneurs in the same room and gives them a structure or a protocol that they can learn from each other; and it also connects to experts when they need it, and it gives them access. So, I thought if we could get the chapter started here in Nigeria, and specifically Lagos, it could affect how entrepreneurs grow their businesses. And if we can grow businesses quicker and bigger, we can employ more people. If we can employ more people, we can have an effect on the economy.
Do you encourage women involvement in EO from one country to another?
Women only account for about ten to twelve per cent of the total EO membership. My personal goal is to actually encourage women entrepreneurs to actually take part in organisations like this so they can have a balance above their work-life, their family-life, and for themselves personally; but also to be able to grow their businesses, because women manage businesses slightly differently than men. There is proven statistics about gender difference. Women use their intuition, so we manage differently and we can still mange very big businesses. We want to be able to manage businesses, and have family, and raise fantastic children. I think EO helps women entrepreneurs by supporting them with peer groups but also with expert advice whenever they need it.
I’ve met two women entrepreneurs here in Nigeria that are both EO members. One is Funmi Babington-Ashaye and the other is a woman called Shade. Funmi is a widow, and she has raised her own children. And I think if women can see role models like her, they can see a way through the challenges that they face. Because being an entrepreneur as a woman is not easy and having it all – the family and business – is very challenging. So, they are going to face different things at different times. The entrepreneur organisation is going to give them a peer group that they can lean on and rely on through difficult times. It is the same thing with males as well. The males in EO are looking to have a better work-life balance too. They want to have more time with their family; they want to raise responsible children. They want to have meaningful relationships. So, EO doesn’t just focus on businesses and how we can help people in business, it focuses on their business, on their family, on them personally, and also on the community. So, it’s kind of a 360 degree. It’s all encompassing.
Is EO reducing unemployment rate or creating mafia CEOs?
EO supports entrepreneurs who have aspirations to grow their businesses quickly and expand on multiple businesses. And through that they become fast growth companies, employ the highest number of employees, which in turns helps unemployment rate. These are the economical engines. Sometimes government give big breaks to corporations. Sometimes government give breaks to start-ups that are very small and really struggling. I think if government look at second stage entrepreneurs and give them some tax breaks, they can actually grow their businesses quicker, have a little better margin and employ more people, because they are the engines that employ most people in terms of the size of their businesses.
What other support program do you have, especially for young women to grow their businesses?
We have many programmes around the globe. The Nigerian chapter is very young. We have a GSE (Global Students Entrepreneurs) programme, and that is for entrepreneurs that are in school. They can be in grammar school, high school, or even university or college. We also go and find those students that have become entrepreneurs and support them through competitions. You raise them up and give them a peer group and show them other entrepreneurs around the globe that are still students. We also have mentorship programs for entrepreneurs in EO. It is about the full chain of helping and it’s really about those giving to the organisation and giving back. We give back through volunteers, we give back through mentoring, and we give back by helping young entrepreneurs as well.
Is this your first time in Nigeria. What is your impression about the country?
This is my first time in Nigeria and I have not been to the city. I have been working with entrepreneurs for the last 24 hours.
My only experience of the country was at the airport. I was surprised at how efficient it was to get through immigration and I’ve come to this hotel where people have been super-friendly to me. On Sunday, I have a day when I’m not working with entrepreneurs and I’m going to try and see the city then. So, I have to reserve my judgement until then.
Can you tell us the guiding principle of an entrepreneur?
The guiding principle of a good businessman should be continual learning and continual growth. When you stop learning, you stop growing. The whole premise of the whole is to learn and grow. Because we might have five years of experience and next week the economy would turn and we experience something we have never experienced before. So we always need to constantly use our resources, and one of my biggest resources is to ask for help. Now, to have a big ego, thinking that I cannot learn something from another person is disastrous. So, EO sets up protocols and systems which make it easy for entrepreneurs to ask for help and support.
If you are an entrepreneur and you have the support of systems like the EO, which is like a family, when you are faced with challenges like power failure, and competing with multinational companies, you can strategise, you can brainstorm, and you can come up with various experiences to share, to survive the difficult times. So, talking generally, you need to have a support network of other peers that have been through different experiences other than you. And that’s what EO is all about. That is why I am so happy for Nigerians because if we can grow this organisation, we can be the support mechanism for entrepreneurs and the generations to come.
EO is twenty-five years old, and EO in Nigeria is eighteen months old. So, there a lot of potential for growth and if we can grow this organisation, and get this mindset of giving, sharing and supporting others, then the gift comes back to you.
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