EXCLUSIVE: After 2 Failed Businesses, Oxford Group Founder, Teni Adesanya is Now Building a Conglomerate 

Before Dr. Teni Adesanya became a serial entrepreneur, he had seen dark days. As a fund manager at an investment company, where he rose from an ordinary marketer to a regional manager role, he had garnered the requisite training and experience that prepared him for a career in finance. Adesanya switched from being a salary earner at the job to a commission-based position which presented larger income opportunities. Rightly so, he made his first multi-million Naira take-home pays, and this stimulated his affinity for entrepreneurship.

Little did he know that the road to entrepreneurship is paved with rocks and thorns. He failed woefully at two earlier ventures and was forced to take on a paid job again to keep body and soul together. His decision to give entrepreneurship a last chance was what gave birth to Oxford Group, a vast and thriving business empire that is now opening doors of opportunities for him in high places, both in Nigeria and beyond the shores. 

With offices in 17 states and more than 20 in Lagos alone, the company has business portfolios in almost every sector of the Nigerian economy – agriculture, oil & gas; real estate, banking; dredging and education among others.

In this interview with Business Elites Africa, he tells us how he almost settled for the bad meal life dished him, the mistakes he made when things started looking good, and how he was able to replicate success in every business venture Oxford took on.

BEA: You started the company in 2016, what people see now is the success and the glamour. How did you get here?

Dr. Teni: The success of Oxford can be attributed to three things, (1) dedication, (2) our vision, and (3) we’re futuristic. We were, and remain, passionate about our vision. We look at the future before we take any decision. Those things have really helped us to sharpen the goals and objectives. Starting was very rough. It was a rough journey. We were among those people that believe in starting without capital. It will interest you to know that we even had to contribute money among ourselves to register the company with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). One of the things that intrigued me during that period was the passion people brought into the business and today, the story is different…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Read the full interview here. It’s on page 8 of our latest edition, ’20 Trending & Most Profitable Business Ideas in 2021′. 

Click here to read our previous editions.