The 7th Edition of Le Rendezvous, which was the first in 2016 took place on Saturday, 23rd January 2016!
To start the event was the self-introduction of attendees which was followed by a game – ‘Signature Game’. This helped break the ice as it had attendees running round the hall. Everyone wanted to be the winner! Afterwards was the networking session where attendees broke out into random groups to get to know more about each other and to connect.
Afterwards was the speakers’ segment where we featured three under-40 entrepreneurs who started their businesses in Osogbo – Mrs Mopelola Deji-Esan, CEO, IndigoBlue Makeover, Skincare and Spa; Mr Kunle Adisa, CEO, Armstrong Paints and Miss Amarachi Ahaneku, CEO, Zekris Foods.
Mr Deji Adefila, host of ‘Beyond Oil’, ‘Tackles’ and ‘Breaches’ on Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, was our anchor for the day.
These entrepreneurs shared their start-up stories, experiences, challenges and lessons learnt so far. Mrs Deji-Esan moved into Osogbo by virtue of marriage. When she could not get a suitable job, she remembered she used to ‘paint faces’ in the university and so decided to perfect her skills by training in make-up artistry. This gave rise to IndigoBlue. She has also diversified into making skincare products.
Mr Kunle Adisa grew up in Osogbo but studied Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State. After his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year and not being able to get a job, he decided to try his hands on making paints, which he had learnt during his internship years. Today, he is the successful CEO of Armstrong Paints.
Miss Amarachi Ahaneku did her NYSC in Osogbo and while contemplating and praying concerning the next phase of her life got inspired to start processing foods such as ‘Ogbono’, crayfish, bitter leaf and stock fish. Today she supplies supermarkets with her products under the brand name, Zekris Foods.
The stories of these young entrepreneurs inspire us that we can achieve whatever we set our minds on to achieve. We also must not leave out God in our life pursuits, as He is the One who teaches our hands to make profit. It does not matter our location. When we are in our natural habitats, we will thrive like fish in water.
Various young and elderly entrepreneurs were in attendance. We also had cadets from the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) who were sponsored by the Commandante to attend Le Rendezvous. There were also people sponsored by a Commissioner from Osun Internal Revenue Board and individual sponsors.
We are most grateful to our sponsors and technical partners – Ripples Hotel, Sholly Party Outfit, Preston Technologies Nigeria Limited, WellWishers Rentals, Dekon Computer Services, Shot Studios, Rokit Media, MykelBankz Photography, House on the Rock, Osogbo, Matadors Leadership Institute, Purpose-Driven Church, TruClu Limited, Cre8tiveMind Studio, Adlac Multibiz Limited, Fyo’s Dreams and HollerSY Ventures.
The 8th Edition of Le Rendezvous will hold on Saturday, 9th April 2016 at Ripples Hotel Event Hall, Oroki Estate, Osogbo. 11am. Registration Fee is ₦1,000.00. Our Guest Speaker for this edition is Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, a renowned painter and artist and also Chairman, Hotel Heritage, Osogbo, State of Osun.
Partnerships and Sponsorships are welcome!