How has your Business made you a better person?
Weaving Profession has taught me how to have good interaction with my community outside my profession because weaving teaches us patience, perseverance, the ability to make decisions, visualization and creative problem-solving.
In what ways have you given back or is your business giving back to the Society??
I am an advocate of knowledge and discourage idleness. I train people especially youths to be self dependent and to be an entrepreneur. I have also impacted the knowledge of weaving cloth (asooke) at different levels especially at secondary school level in line with Oyo State government acquisition skills program for senior secondary schools.
Also Ive been mentoring some younger entrepreneurs and this is something Im passionate about. It gives me joy to see other businesses grow as well.
Do you currently have Expansion Plans? Can you share with us?
Yes, we do currently have an expansion plan. We hope to expand into new innovative products/services; by producing fabrics durable enough which are suitable for interior dcor and fabrics for day-to-day wears.
Also, I hope to drive the use of technology and weaving amongst young people to contribute to social and economic development in Africa.
We also hope to get some automated weaving equipment in order to boost our output of Asooke.
However, we want to have a standard weaving school all across Africa where an avenue would be created for learning and preserving cultural heritage through the use of basic and acquired knowledge in the traditional weaving. Our expansion of weaving school would have been in at least 10 states in Nigeria and this will also increase the number of our trainees/participants/interns from over 1000 to 50,000 by year 2027.
Jokelinks is taking an advantage of the availability of the equipment and raw materials to create economic development in Nigeria.
Weve got a one-day seminar coming soon which will be all about knowing about Asooke business.
Favorite Quote you live by:
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value Albert Einstein
MESSAGE TO ENTREPRENEURS
What would you like to tell the person who is scared for one reason or the other to start a Business??
Its okay to be scared… to be afraid but do not allow this to keep you from pursuing your dreams. Dont be afraid of failing, its what makes us better. There are times that I feel like giving up myself but theres this passion burning inside of me, telling me to stay strong that it is just a phase in life that will eventually pass.
Message to other Entrepreneurs:
If theres one thing Ive learnt, it is always to believe in my dreams until its attained. Learn to grow your network with the right people by attending relevant seminars, leadership programs, youth events and so on because your network will eventually become your net-worth in the nearest future. Also, the contacts you get might become contracts if you are consistent with your work and you let God do the rest. I would also encourage us to do more of Collaboration instead of competing with one another. Together, we can achieve more!
Message to would-be Entrepreneurs:
My short message to aspiring entrepreneurs is to do their homework about anything they want to venture into and by getting their facts right.
Lets stop giving excuses about the fact that there are no opportunities where majority of us live in Nigeria. If the opportunity is not coming, let us create the opportunity we want ourselves.
As for me, my business is located in Ibadan and I believe its a place to build and grow a business. True, Lagos may have this program or that program; these are resources you can tap into go to Lagos, update your knowledge and skills, return to your base and execute them.
Adejoke Lasisi of Jokelinks can be reached via the details below:
Our weaving studio is located at No 2, Olode street Adegbayi, new Ile-Ife road, Ibadan Oyo state.
Call/Whatsapp : +2348050700525
Emails: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: www.jokelinks.com.ng
Instagram/Twitter: @Jokelinks