In this exclusive interview with Success Chioma Julius, the convener of the African Founders Conglomerate (AFC) and Principal Consultant at Ihunanya Consult and Management Group, we embark on a captivating exploration of AFC’s inception and its profound influence on Africa’s creative sphere. From advocating for untapped talent to fostering strategic partnerships with renowned brands, Success shares her vision for empowering African entrepreneurs on a global scale. Discover her strategies for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and her unwavering motivation to create positive change within the African PR industry.
Passion-driven Beginnings: The Birth of AFC
FAB: You are the convener of the African Founders Conglomerate. What is the whole story behind the AFC? And what impact do you hope it will have on Africa?
Success Julius: First, I would say passion to express and become. There is so much in Africa that is untapped and not properly conveyed to the world. We share stories and advocate for the good things we have in Africa. Having worked with some organisations in the local countries, I realised that they make a difference, not just by doing something but by how they do it. As a strategist, I always encourage brands and businesses to take strategic steps to express what they have created. I am more concerned about presentation because I feel that is where we are getting it wrong. I created AFC in 2020 when I realised that there are lots of African creators and innovators that people don’t know about because they are not getting enough exposure in the media and their stories are not being told.
AFC was born out of my passion to push out innovators that are doing excellently well so that the world can hear about them through storytelling. There’s also a part of the organisation that deals with human advocacy for affordable shelter, community service, health, and well-being. The movement is not just about me but about all of us putting our collective passion together and sharing it with the world.
AFC was born out of my passion to push out innovators that are doing excellently well so that the world can hear about them through storytelling.
Success Julius
FAB: You have been able to secure strategic partnerships with a number of well-known brands across Africa. What do you think makes a successful partnership, and how do you go about identifying and approaching some of these potential partners?
Success Julius: It begins with having an aligned vision. It is a little bit of psychology and background study. Before we approach firms, we ensure that we have a common interest. That they care about what we also care about. There has to be some level of affinity and alignment.
FAB: How can African entrepreneurs compete on a global scale?
Success Julius: First, I must state that the trade policies and conditions in the country are not entirely favourable to entrepreneurs. Hence, quality locally made products are very expensive, and sometimes it’s cheaper to buy from other countries. That way, we only enrich our competitors. Most importantly, we need to ease the conditions to be able to grow Nigerian businesses to compete on a global scale.
Success Julius on Balancing Multiple Projects and Embracing Self-care
FAB: How do you balance managing multiple projects and clients while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
Success Julius: Anxiety is one of my job hazards. The process of approaching brands and businesses to present my ideas makes me anxious. Sometimes you give people a game plan on how to succeed, and they just ignore it. I deal with the anxiety of maintaining clients who would not want to take your strategy in the first instance. Meanwhile, expressing my strong dissatisfaction isn’t quite easy, but I have been able to create a coping system by taking work breaks. During this period, I disconnect and don’t take consultations so that I can give back to myself and also create space for myself. I spoke to myself and tried to find ways to manage my anxiety and also cope with my clients. I am not a grand master yet, but I learn every day how to manage myself and my business.
I feel like I am answering my call when I am able to provide a solution for brands. Doing this gives me motivation because it is me expressing my highest gift.
Success Julius
FAB: Motivation is also another thing. How do you stay motivated and inspired at work? What keeps you going during challenging times?
Success Julius: I believe I am a very valuable person, and it gives me fulfilment when people come to me to ask for ideas, solutions, and strategies. I feel like I am answering my call when I am able to provide a solution for brands. Doing this gives me motivation because it is me expressing my highest gift. That is the basic reason why I never give up. It makes me put my head down and keep moving so I can keep progressing. Also, I like to win. I like to make projects work, so I do not back down until I see them to a positive end, and it gives me the joy of expressing my gifts. Everyday, I am grateful that I am not doing what I do not love. Be the First to Experience the Exquisite Summer Issue of e-fab; Join the Fab community now!
Future of African PR: A Shift towards Perception Management
FAB: How do you see the African PR industry involving itself within the next five years, and how are you preparing for these changes?
Success Julius: Media relations is a part of the broad PR umbrella, but it is the most popular part here in Africa, and people don’t know that PR is basically perception management. You cannot have complete branding without PR strategies. So I hope that people get a better understanding of every aspect of public relations. Part of our objective at the AFC is to be part of the change that brings about the evolution of mindsets by knowing the core of PR. It is certainly going to take years to achieve this. Stay up to date on the newest in the world of Fashion, Arts, Beauty and Lifestyle; Follow FAB on socials.
FAB: A few years back, Robert Phillips wrote a piece titled “Trust Me, PR Is Dead,” claiming that PR has died. Do you think that PR is dead in Africa?
Success Julius: I think I agree with Robert Phillips when he says that PR is dead. The Westerners understand what it means to control perception, and they put a great deal into achieving that. When you Google African images, you still see pictures of hungry children. Perception management should be engrained in every system, not just the media. We should control the narrative and perception, but not tell lies.
FAB: The Xperience Womanity Awards and Conference, your brainchild, was well received. How did this initiative come about?
Success Julius: The Express Humanity Award is something I have spent my life trying to build. It is actually the bedrock and foundation of everything I am now. I have learned to make mistakes on that project, and it has also opened me up to what my abilities are. We started in Enugu, Nigeria. We recognised entrepreneurs, basically female business owners, and a lot of people loved what we were doing. The media started to write about us. After, we took an edition to Accra, Ghana, which was one of the biggest, and it made us think about what we could do as an organisation. We have also stopped for a while to reform and reconstruct and to see how we can launch the brand with other projects aside from recognising only female business owners.
FAB: What can we expect from you and AFC in the coming year?
Success Julius: We are going to be doing a lot of work to make changes from the grassroot level upward. We are recruiting stakeholders from different countries who are like-minded. We are working based on our development goals to bring about effective change. I want to create a grand legacy that will stand even when I am gone. Except a lot of work, advocacy, and change. We will keep announcing every progress we make.
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