Rite Foods’ boss urges SME owners to cultivate flexibility, agility 

Stanley Ihedigbo

In his drive to inspire future entrepreneurs who would make significant growth to the nation’s economy and improve the quality of their workforce, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Rite Foods, Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, has enjoined SME owners, founders, corporate innovators, and business executives to cultivate flexibility and agility as required traits for success in scaling up their businesses.

Adegunwa stated this at The SME Scale-Up, a platform targeted at SME CEOs in Nigeria, seeking to scale up and expand their businesses. The SME Scale-Up workshop was held at the Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos.

In a session facilitated by Rite Foods’ boss, he said: “In entrepreneurship, agility is the name of the game. You can be very dogged as an entrepreneur, but be very flexible”.

He urged the participants to ignite their spark by developing their staying power to succeed in business, and also admonished them to be adaptable; say no to distractions; focus on innovation and embrace technology to overcome all challenges for exponential growth.

He further stressed the need for founders, business leaders, and executives to stay focused despite an uncertain economy, strive for excellence, and imbibe critical success traits like integrity, innovation, and accountability to weather the storms.

Managing Director, SevenUp Bottling Company and Founder of The SME Scale-Up, Ziad Maalouf, reiterated the initiative’s goal of equipping SMEs with the knowledge, skills, and network they need to overcome growth barriers, scale their businesses sustainably, and create lasting employment opportunities in Nigeria.

President of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (NASME), Dr. Abdurashid Yerima,  commended the workshop and its facilitators for addressing critical issues affecting the development and growth of small and medium-scale businesses in Nigeria. He stressed the need for more collaboration with CEOs, founders, executives, and their teams to find and implement the best solutions to their toughest challenges for rapid acceleration and growth to bridge the unemployment gap in the country.

The SME Scale-Up Module 2 is the second in its series, tagged “Igniting The Spark – Where Talent Meets Harmony For Unstoppable Growth”. It is a workshop aimed at reducing the rate at which small businesses fail and decreasing the unemployment rate in Nigeria; with a vision to be a leading catalyst for scaling SMEs, fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, and driving sustainable employment for 1 million Nigerians by 2035.

The event was characterized by great networking opportunities with top SME founders, aspiring SME owners, CEOs, business executives, and entrepreneurs who explored case studies, simulations, and group learning activities in topics like Leadership and Management; Business Strategy; Financial Management; Marketing and Sales; Human Resources; Operations Management and Business Ethics.

Adegunwa is a seasoned Chief Executive with diverse experience in operations, sales, and strategy. He is passionate about driving business growth and achieving exceptional results, with an ability to optimize business processes, streamline operations, and implement innovative strategies in steering Rite Foods Limited to develop leading brands and enhance overall organizational efficiency.

His entrepreneurial mindset and quest for excellence propel him to identify market trends and capitalize on emerging opportunities to drive growth consistently and increase market share in a competitive landscape.