Soft-spoken Clara Chinwe Okoro is the chief executive officer of BrandWorld Media, a television production and brand architecture company. She is also the presenter of BrandWorld television. In this interview with us she revealed that women who intend to become entrepreneurs should be ready to face a lot of indignities, among other issues.
Where are you from?
I come from Arondizuogu in Imo State
What profession are you into?
I run a television production company and a publishing firm. I publish the magazine called Ice and I run the television programme called BrandWorld television.
How long have you been doing this?
For about 12 years.
How has the journey been so far?
It has been very challenging, but we are up to the task. I think if God gives you the enablement, you have to do your bit.
You are a very pretty woman. What is your beauty secret?
I rely on God for everything. I just ask him for the peace of mind and strength to face every challenge I meet and He does it.
What is your normal day like?
I wake up not too early because if I don’t sleep very well I tend to fluster during the day. So I wake up about 7.30 a.m., say my prayers and have my bath. I don’t do breakfast because I rush off to the office, treat my emails. I move around a lot, I am on the road a lot.
Beauty routine
I use a lot of natural products from the south of France because I have extremely sensitive skin. I don’t put chemicals on my skin. I don’t even use make-up except on rare occasions because I break out so easily that I was told to avoid putting any form of chemical on my skin.
Are you married?
Not yet.
What are you waiting for?
I guess it’s God’s time and also for the fact that there are some accomplishments that I needed to do before settling in a man’s house because if I give him that divided attention, I guess it would be unfair. This also affects a lot of people’s lives and I needed to do that and get it over with before settling down.
There is some truism in it because a sheep normally can’t have two masters. If it is so time consuming, definitely it can bring some sort of discord in the marriage and you see the fatalities these days. There is so much divorce in the environment and I think it is the question of a woman actually making a deliberate effort to make some sacrifices because it can’t just work out 100 percent.
What is that fashion item you cannot do without as a woman?
Hmmm, I think it should be my baby lotion; that is what I use on my skin. As I told you my skin is very sensitive, if I don’t use it, it tends to reflect.
Everyone has one fear or the other in life. What is your greatest fear?
Not to accomplish the mission I was sent to. That is to transform the lives of so many people before I leave. It is a burning desire.
If you were not running your own business, what other career would you have pursued?
It might be shocking to you but I would have loved to be a nursery school teacher.
Why a nursery school teacher? There is a general belief that teachers’ reward is in heaven, because they are not well paid.
I guess when your pupil all grow up and you look at them, the pride is there that you helped
built these lives.
What are the major challenges you face as the CEO of a company?
Well the fact that the challenges are rarely there in our day to day running of business. We have the energy problem, staff, and liquidity issues, there are so many challenges but it is just a question of managing in every aspect. The sort of wisdom you apply to every situation will always get you out of it.
What are your hobbies?
I like to relax a lot. I like to listen to music, read, travel and celebrate people also.
What kind of books do you read?\
Everything that interests me from science fiction to fiction, biographies, history and documentation about issues.
You said you love to travel. What part of the world would you love to visit?
Maybe somewhere called Belis. I think it is an island I would like to eventually go.
Why?
It is a beautiful set-up whenever I see the pictures and I think if a paradise like that exists on earth, I would like to go there.
What is it about that womanhood that makes you happy?
The fact that women can juggle so much and still keep our sanity, men don’t understand it. That is why when you see a woman get angry, it is so much that has been pent up inside of her, juggling a home, going to work, trying to train her kids, taking care of the husband’s needs, trying to take so many things into cognisance and yet she has to be sane and behave as if nothing is happening.
Is there any time in your life you would have loved to capture a particular moment but did not, and regrets today?
Yes, it is a very funny scenario. When Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin came to Nigeria to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Virgin Atlantic, I was standing and speaking to him for about five minutes and there was a photographer in front of me and it just never occurred to me to
tell that photographer to capture that moment in time for me and it became a turning point in my life that you never have a second chance to make a first impression. And I learnt from that situation.
How was your transition period from girlhood to womanhood?
I had a very balanced childhood and that is what I am advocating for young people. Young people of nowadays, grow up so quickly. You savour your childhood, the adventures of being a teenager; you go to the parties with your friends and then transit to adulthood. When you begin to desire the things that adults do at the age of 13-15, what then are you going to do when you hit 30, 40 or 50.
So, I had a very balanced life and I think that is what people should also aspire to do. When you are young, do what you want to do, so when you are old, you overlook it as well - that you have been there and done that.
What were those fun childhood memories you hold dear?
My father taking us to the airport, and (we) riding on horses when we go to the beach. When the amusement park was here in Lagos, my mother taking us there, parties we went to, birthday parties of my friends, my school parties, the nursery school I attended, then the centenary celebration of Methodist Girls High School when I first became a secondary school student, all these were exciting moments in my life.
What is that fashion item you would never be caught wearing?
Multi-coloured hair (Laughs). I just don’t know, I don’t think I buy into that idea.
Are you a fashion freak?
No, I just like classics, things that you can’t ever tell whether they are in fashion or not. They just look nice.
What advice do you have for young ladies who intend to own their own business?
You have to be ready to suffer a lot of indignities because people are going to think you are a female so you shouldn’t be taken seriously. You must be ready to make sacrifices and to go the extra mile to make sure that the business survives in terms of tenacity, hard work, staying late nights and doing up things that you would have paid somebody else to do. So if you really want to juggle that and own your business, then, you must make sure that you have made that decision to make sure this decision you took does not fail.
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