Bulls n Bears Entrepreneurship Zone :: The journey so far: Ola Brown, CEO, Flying Doctors Nigeria

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Dr Ola Brown is the founder and the CEO of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West
Africa’s first homegrown air ambulance service.


1. Tell us about one of the toughest situations you’ve found yourself in as
a business owner.


The toughest situation was venturing into business in the first place,
which was a different ball game from my area of technical expertise. As a
physician, when you get into medical school, you are told you are
intelligent, that’s why you are there. So, I felt I was slightly above
average, but this thought changed immediately [when] I started my company.

To overcome this, I had to develop and build business skills because the
skills needed for the practise of medicine are completely different from the
skills needed to run a business. I wish I realised that difference earlier
than I did.

On the other hand, I had to learn from mentors and successful business
owners while drawing inspiration from the godfather of business, Aliko
Dangote. He is an inspiration to many – and to me from the time I was in
university. All these [people] inspired me to keep on building and to keep
on working.


2. Which business achievement are you most proud of?


The best business achievement I am proud of was leaving my comfort zone,
England, … [to] move to Nigeria, where I was clueless on how to get
established. I wanted to build an organisation, I wanted to be somebody who
made a lot of impact in the world and I just didn’t think that England was
the right environment to do that.

Also, having been able to transfer an ill 27-year-old sickle cell patient,
at no cost, who was in a near-death condition, at that time, from Lagos to
Sokoto, makes me believe we can save millions more … [people] all over the
world.


3. Describe your greatest weakness as an entrepreneur.


My shallow knowledge about business was my greatest weakness at the initial
stage of establishing my company and this affected me as a leader. However,
to ensure I lived as an exemplary leader, I had to take courses on sales and
marketing, building a brand, operations, organisational structure, and
processes.

This skyrocketed my growth and that of the company in a few years.


4. Which popular entrepreneurial advice do you disagree with?


Most times, entrepreneurs are blinded by the tag “boss” and decide to act
like they know it all and not focus on improving their skills. But this is
not true at all. As an entrepreneur, be authentic and be open because you
are leading people.

It’s not all about you being a boss but also about you acting more as a
leader, listening to people, and concentrating on the culture of the
organisation as well. It’s important you learn how to lead. Leading is not
really about being a boss. It is more about serving and helping people to
grow and improve their skills.


5. Is there anything you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before you
got started?


I wish I knew the importance of “preparedness” and “experience” in building
an institution. Before venturing into business, it is necessary to gain
adequate experience, skills and a well-written business plan.

I didn’t really have a business plan and I did not have the right
experience at all. I thought that since I could diagnose various diseases
and manage critically unwell patients, that meant I knew it all. People tend
to think that when you study medicine you are intelligent, but you’re only
intelligent in diagnosing diseases and maybe a bit of surgery. That doesn’t
automatically make you intelligent about business.

To all entrepreneurs: read books, watch videos, take short courses in
accounting and finance, leadership and culture, and understanding the world
of business. Learn about sales and marketing, building a brand, operations,
organisational structure, and processes to take yourself from being just
somebody who just has technical skills to somebody who knows how to build an
institution.--howwemadeitinafrica



Ola Brown, CEO of Flying Doctors Nigeria

 

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