Building a business from nothing involves uncertainty, risk, rejection and many difficult days.
On Saturday, June 27, 2026, Uzoma Ekwebelem (Class of 2002) delivered a presentation titled “The Courage to Build: Lessons from the Boardroom to Entrepreneurship” as part of DIAA’s monthly Knowledge Sharing Series.
She spoke about her decision to become an entrepreneur and explained how she built Arya Marketplace, a business-to-business platform connecting African manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors with buyers across the continent.
Here are five lessons from her presentation.
1. Dority Influenced Us
According to Uzoma, Dority taught her discipline.
She was expected to arrive early to school, complete her assignments, attend evening lessons and sometimes return for Saturday classes.
These demands felt difficult at the time. But Uzoma later realised that they helped her develop discipline and resilience.
The lesson is that education goes beyond the subjects taught in the classroom.
Schools influence our habits and attitudes, and the discipline we complain about as students may become our greatest advantage as adults.
2. Companies Grow Through Systems
Uzoma spent about fifteen years working at IBM and Oracle.
Before entering the corporate world, she believed that business success came mainly from having brilliant people.
She soon realised that brilliant people weren’t enough. Successful companies build systems that continue to function when employees and leaders change.
Many Nigerian businesses revolve around one person. The founder makes every decision, supervises every task and holds most of the important information.
When that person is unavailable, work slows down or stops completely.
A business operating this way cannot grow beyond the capacity of its founder.
In large corporate organisations, employees receive responsibilities and are assessed according to agreed Key Performance Indicators. They aren’t followed around and told what to do every hour.
A business becomes scalable and successful when its important activities can continue without the founder personally managing every step.
3. Growth Requires Discomfort
After working at IBM and Oracle for many years, Uzoma faced an important decision.
She could remain in a successful corporate career with a good salary and a predictable path. Or she could leave that security and build something of her own.
Uzoma decided that she would rather try and fail than reach a point in her life where she regretted not trying.
Entrepreneurship gave her freedom, but it also brought uncertainty and financial risk.
There was no guarantee that her business would succeed.
Meaningful growth requires us to do something unfamiliar. Growth doesn’t happen within our comfort zone.
We may need to accept a new responsibility, enter a different industry, acquire a difficult skill or attempt a project with an uncertain outcome.
4. Successful Businesses Solve Real Problems
Uzoma’s interest in engineering, manufacturing and business led her to the problem Arya Marketplace was created to solve.
Aba produces shoes, clothes, bags and many other products. However, local manufacturers struggle to reach buyers outside their immediate environment.
Arya Marketplace solved this problem by connecting Aba manufacturers with buyers across Nigeria.
The company has onboarded more than 1,000 merchants, developed a buyer community of over 1,000 people and listed approximately 7,500 products.
The long-term plan is to extend the business model to other commercial centres in Nigeria and across Africa.
We don’t have to search far away for business opportunities.
Some of the most valuable opportunities are hidden inside the problems affecting our communities.
5. Resilience, Relationships and Reputation Matter
Uzoma made us understand that while talent may create opportunities for you, resilience helps you make the most of those opportunities.
Resilience enables you to continue working when things go wrong. It helps you recover from rejection and solve unexpected problems.
Relationships also matter. Uzoma’s move to Oracle resulted from a recommendation by a former IBM colleague.
Every person who comes into our lives impacts us in one way or another. They may teach us, recommend us for opportunities, support our work or connect us with others.
Reputation is also important. A good reputation takes years to build but can be destroyed quickly.
People remember how we treat them, whether we keep our promises and whether we act with honesty when nobody is watching.
Resilience, relationships and reputation produce results gradually, with their value increasing over time.
Memorable Quote from the Presentation
“Our best chapter is not written yet.”
Lovely