Dr. Dedunmola Oluwo is a trailblazer in her own right. She established herself as a “doctorpreneur” and excelled in all she does. Oluwo graduated from medical school at the University of Debrecen in Hungary in 2016, while also juggling side hustles that she started by accident.
Dedun told Bella Naija, “My first business, Hair by Dedun, was an accidental accomplishment. It was not planned as I just randomly told a friend I could braid her hair. She paid me, I like the fact that I could do something to bring money in, so I turned it into a business as means to get extra money for stipends. My second business, Dedun’s Cakes, started as an inquisitive venture that grew into a full blown passion for baking.”
“My third business, Dedun Cooks, was born upon realization that the Nigerian students needed home cooked meals, in bulk, to help study time easier to navigate instead of thinking of food to cook/order,” she said, adding that she also operates Belle Artistry by Dedun, a beauty outfit.
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She later told Punch Newspaper, “I run four businesses and I am successful at every one of them. Hair by Dedun was created at the beginning of Medical School in 2009 out of my sheer can-do spirit. It was followed by Dedun’s Cakes, in 2012 then Dedun Cooks and finally, Belle Artistry by Dedun (make-up) in 2016. With all, I just took the leap and started charging for my services.”
However, Oluwo, the only daughter in a family of four, confessed that as a child, all she wanted to do was become a doctor and work in a hospital for the rest of her life.
She said her mother, a retired civil engineer and single mother, is responsible for her work ethic.
Oluwo recounted, “She was a boss in the field, which meant she was always on the road, supervising road constructions; sometimes she got back home as late as 6am or briefly come home to shower and head out again. She did all of these while her businesses, a full blown farm and also a textile store, were actively functioning.”
She continued, “To be honest, watching her do these things growing up was too much for me, especially nights when she came home very late after I’ve sweated while making Amala for her. I told myself I wasn’t going to be excessively hardworking to the point of forgetting my security and health; but look what we have here, I am who I said I wouldn’t be. What a life!”
She finally ended up in the boarding house due to her mother’s schedule, which she claims also helped to mold her by teaching her how to take care of herself.
Oluwo explained that she began baking—now her most passionate business—when a neighbor informed her she needed a cake for the weekly fellowship at her house.
She accepted the offer, inspired by memories of her mother baking when she was a child. However, she was greeted with numerous failures. It took her four years to officially launch Dedun’s Cakes.
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Oluwo shared, “Fast forward to when I finally left Nigeria for school, I moved into a furnished apartment and luckily there were pans and a mixer in the kitchen. Remembering my first attempt at baking, I decided I wanted to do it right and that was how I picked up the passion to actually learn how to bake. Hundreds of Youtube videos, recipe screenshots, trials & errors, sharing my results with friends and getting the positive nod later, I officially got my first Cake order on the 19th of April 2012.”
She added, “Going through that journey to acquire a skill means I’m not letting it go ever. I enjoy baking and I love how my creativity is challenged with cake designs and all.”
Despite her success with her various businesses, Oluwo never sidelined her dream of becoming a doctor. She mentioned her plan to use telemedicine to provide medication to Nigeria’s rural communities.
She added that she came up with the idea a few months before graduating when she couldn’t find a master’s program that would allow her to combine medical and entrepreneurship.
“I knew I needed extra training aside from Medical School to really make a huge impact in the Rural Health Care system. On the verge of giving up that dream for an alternative option, I stumbled on my school via Google and I got enrolled the second day! It was so quick I could not believe it.”
She enrolled in the Msc eHealth Management and Telemedicine program with the goal of combining her interests and becoming a health entrepreneur.
Oluwo told Women of Rubies, “Your success solely depends on you but you have to take the first step. As you begin the journey, always remember to take God along and don’t leave anyone that needs you behind. We were all made for greatness, for success, but until you tap into those, you will never accomplish what you were made for, your purpose.”
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