10 Questions for 10 years – an interview with the CEO, TheWeddingPeople NG – Dr. Damilola Balogun.

Hurray! The Wedding People NG is 10 years!

For everyone at The Wedding People NG, this is the time to celebrate a giant stride as consistency births success and experience can never be over emphasized. We take a look at The Wedding People NG in this article. 10 years in the Wedding and events planning is not something that can be achieved easily.

Our correspondence had a chit chat with the Chief Executive Officer and Visioneer of The Wedding People NG, Dr. Damilola Balogun.

Read on;

Q. Tell us a little about Damilola Balogun?

I am the 2nd of 6 children, a qualified Dental surgeon and dental aesthetician. I’m married with 2 beautiful kids. The Wedding People NG is one arm, an event services group of companies that I run. I am also a managing partner at Blanche Dental Group. I am a go-getter and risk taker. I believe in taking a leap at every of your dreams because you don’t want to grow old and wish you tried that thing, pursued that venture or took that step.

Q. What is something people may not know about you?

Well apart from the fact that I juggle 2 successful careers & a family.
– I finished secondary school at age 14 and became a doctor at 22.
– I think people don’t know I have controlled organisation OCD, even to tiny details such as always rounding up an account balance to the nearest zero.

Q. What inspired you to start TheWeddingPeople 10 years ago?

As silly as this may sound, the inspiration came long before 10 years ago, and it was from the movie “The Wedding Planner” that starred Jennifer Lopez. I saw the movie and I loved how organised and detailed she was and how she had a solution to everything. Then, I thought to myself I can do this, I can make a career of this…. then I started looking for where to get formal training, and then eventually started.

Q. What changes have you seen in the Wedding & Event planning industry over the last 10 years?

*pauses* In the last 10 years the spotlight has been keenly on the industry, every aspect of it. A lot of inflow of skillful and innovative people too, it’s really beautiful to see. A lot of business and job opportunities have also been created in the last decade.

Q. What is your proudest moment in the 10 years since The Wedding People has started?

Every time we hit a growth milestone it makes me proud, Buti think so far felt the “proudest” when we created two independent teams and they ran events consecutively and independently without any input from me

Q. What is the major challenge you’ve faced in these past 10 years?

Hmmm…..I think it’s majorly the economic climate, how it changes like every waking day. For example, it’s very difficult in Nigeria to create a budget for an event 5-6 months before, because the prices of everything keeps changing, you have to plan for a percentage inflation with every budget, and hope it still cuts it.

Q. What is something you have learned over the past 10 years?

Consistency is the most powerful tool anyone can have to succeed.

Q. Where do you see TheWedd ingPeople in the NEXT 10 years?

As a fortune 500 company *giggles*

Q. The CEO of a company of 5 employees is going to have a vastly different day-to-day than the CEO of a company of over 10 employees. What’s the biggest difference?

It depends strongly on what that “difference” is – They can have the same day-to-day experience if they apply the same principles to running the business – OR NOT – but I am a strong believer in the scripture; Luke 16vs10 that says if you are faithful in little, you would be faithful in larger things. Practice excellence from the get go.

Q. Who were your early hires? They can also be referred to as pioneer staff.

My main Gee – Oyindamola Temiye aka “Lala” was literally the first still with me and doing amazing things. There are a few others, Yemi, Rose … can’t remember most now.

Q. Can you talk about the value of having those key early hires?

They saw first-hand and understood the vision that we started and are running with and they have successfully passed on the same positive energy to their team members.

Q. If you could go back in time, what’s one piece of advice you would have given yourself 10 years ago?

Be more bold and daring. Ask for, and go after businesses and deals that you want, you would be surprised!

Q. And lastly, if you could instantly fly all of TheWeddingPeople workers to any destination for a 10th-anniversary celebration, where would it be?

MAL-thefword-DIVES! *pauses, hesitates then says – sorry, Maldives