INNOVATE OR DIE

My MBA Journey Pt 3

I believe you’ve been enjoying my MBA journey series. Today, I will love to tell the real story of how I finally became an MBA candidate at the prestigious Lagos Business School.
I went for a personal development Programme with one of my mentors; Prof Pat Utomi was one of the Guest speakers. I’ve heard so much about him, but I’ve seen him before.
After the Event, my mentor suggested we invite him to Our Graduation Ceremony.
I had to research him and found out he was one of the management council members of LBS. Before my research, I’d never heard about it. A few months later, I overheard my mentor discussing with a friend that his wife traveled to Lagos to attend a course in LBS. He further disclosed the impact of that decision on her company and how she was leveraging the networking opportunity it provided to expand.
A few years later, My company was expanding its business portfolio and seeking new opportunities. As a construction company, the management felt it was important to diversify into other markets as a new government was about to be inaugurated. The government was its biggest client, and it was also important we had a plan B in case the incoming government decided to revoke our contracts.

As a newbie in the retail space, there was nobody at the management level with a formal Business Education. My Boss was well-grounded in the Construction Industry, but I felt he needed to learn more about business management.
He thought of traveling abroad to enroll in a business course but could not abandon his ongoing projects. I remembered the Pat Utomi experience and did further research about the school. I read a lot of articles, reviews, and commentaries about LBS, and I was impressed and referred my Boss to the school.

He later enrolled in the Owner Management Programme.

One day, he posted a class Photo with Dangote and wrote an article on the networking opportunities at LBS. I was inspired and looked forward to enrolling in the school one day.

Six years later, after I became an Entrepreneur, I was on a personal retreat evaluating my Business performance. I discovered that we spent so much on material resources but little on personal development.

Technology is redefining business systems and processes.

Education is moving gradually from brick-and-mortar buildings to phones, laptops, and tablets.

My Business has evolved from a Vocational school to becoming a digital Education company. This new development required a new set of leadership skills to sustain its growth. As the Founder and owner, I needed to embark on a personal development journey to equip myself with the necessary skill for this level.

Innovation is key to building a sustainable business. If we continue with the norm, we are likely to shut down.

To drive innovation, you need information and a network of professionals. I needed to start immediately.

I decided to go back to school and get an MBA.

LBS was my only option, and I will discuss the reason behind that decision in my next Post.