Why I quit banking for catering

Mrs. Olukemi Ojo, the chief executive officer of Gruby’s restaurant, is a proud caterer. The graduate of Language Arts from Ondo State University joined the banking sector after her national youth service (NYSC) between 1989 and 1990 but later took up catering due to her passion for cooking. “Catering services is a job I have […]

Mrs. Olukemi Ojo, the chief executive officer of Gruby’s restaurant, is a proud caterer. The graduate of Language Arts from Ondo State University joined the banking sector after her national youth service (NYSC) between 1989 and 1990 but later took up catering due to her passion for cooking.
“Catering services is a job I have deep passion for because I love cooking. I do local and continental dishes. Anytime I cook, I do it with confidence and fulfilment. I do it with joy. When I get any cooking mandate, maybe to prepare a special dish for a special occasion, tribe or set of people, I go into the archives, research on it and practice it at home before exhibiting it outside. Once I get the specification, within 24 hours, I will come out with a fantastic delicacy. I love what I am doing now than the banking job that I left.”
Olukemi said she enjoys her current status as an entrepreneur rather than being an employee of someone. She noted that she determines what she does with her time now unlike when she was working in the bank. She added that she has been able to leverage on her personal business to attain success that she did not imagine.
“A little beginning made me what I am today. If I had the opportunity to do what I am doing now, I will do it all over and over again because I want to remain an entrepreneur.  I don’t want to work for anybody. As an entrepreneur, I have time for myself and my family. Ican’t quantify the magnitude of the success I have achieved in the business. For instance, I opened a new annex at OAU in Ile-Ife recently. Expansion is one of the yardsticks to measure success in business. So, I can say that God is helping me to succeed.”
Olukemi said her major challenge is the issue of multiple taxation by the government and pleaded with governments at all levels to harmonise the tax collection method so as to encourage entrepreneurs to remain in business.
“I have been using my catering business to add value to the youths that have come across me. For instance, some of my staff joined me as school certificate holders and I gave them the opportunity to attend the university. Many of them have graduated. Now, I have civil engineers, agric and economics graduates among others. They are working with me instead of searching for employment which is not easy to come by. They are not even ready to work for anybody. They have taken me as their role model and they are also determined to own businesses. That’s part of my fulfilment.
Olukemi does not joke with quality in service delivery; offeringhigh quality remains her watchword. “I strive to deliver quality because that is one thing I can never compromise. I operate in students’ environment where I have been over the years. My business is thriving because of the quality output,” she said.