JORDAN ADELEKAN

CEO INSPIRE DYNASTY JORDAN ADELEKAN

What made the wick of the venture ignite in you? When he discovered that he had a good business idea and how did he come up with it? I came up with my business whilst playing semi professional football, I was 18 and I was thinking what else can I do, I was in sixth form and had no intentions of going to university because I knew it wasn't for me, this was when a clothing brand came to mind and it went off from there! I would encourage people if they want to embark on such an endeavour that they should expect nothing from anyone.

If a young university student aspires to lead a project similar to the one you set in motion, what three tips would you give him? We often expect too much from people and become disappointed when they don't deliver, but when you expect nothing from nobody, nothing can destroy your peace. Also understand that it doesn't happen overnight, I've been grinding every day for two years straight, putting in 10-18 hours of work daily! Still a long way to go but it shows that if you really put in the work then doors can open for you. I'd also say starve your distractions and feed your ambitions, you'll see a lot of people doing things that maybe you want to do but you know that they are distractions, don't give in to the short term fill but feed your ambitions, pay the price now rather than later, later you won't get to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

If he started over from scratch, would he follow the same path or change something he did? I believe everything happens for a reason, I am happy that everything has gone the way it has gone, I wouldn't change a single thing, things could be a lot worse if my journey wasn't what it is. It is a unique story without a lot of life lessons and it has made me who I am today, I wouldn't change that for anything. I love my failures, I have failed many times in my journey but they aren't losses, they are life lessons.

Accepting that we have all had some failure, what have you learned from them? Failure is the quickest way to success and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, the more you fail the more you learn, the more you learn the more experience you get, the more experience you get the more knowledge you obtain, the more knowledge you obtain, the more successful you become! I have learned to never give up, you must always keep going even when things seem like they're going nowhere. Those are the times you have to go harder because a door is about to open, opportunity meets preparation, if you are not prepared you will miss out on your opportunity and I learned that all the work I was putting in when no doors were opening prepared me when the door was opening for me to be more than ready,

Could you tell me what your biggest fear is as an entrepreneur and how you handle fear? As an entrepreneur my biggest fear is letting others down, I want to be someone that people can look towards and have hope for their life, which is why I push myself as hard as I do, as well as the fact I love what I do but it goes a lot deeper than just my own satisfaction, people look towards me as an inspiration and I have to lead by example.

Likewise, what would be the book that has served you most as inspiration? The best book that has inspired me has to be the Gary Vaynerchuk Entrepreneurship book. He offers advice and responds to people's situations as well as giving his view on everything, it allows me to tap into a different perspective, not just from my own but from others too, it expands my knowledge and wisdom.

Could you give me a definition of what you understand by success? To me success is making a difference in other people's life and walking in your God given purpose, everyone has different ideas of success, to some it is waking up and living on your terms, that is one look of success to me but ultimately if you are making a difference in people's life in whatever way you can then I believe you are successful. It might be by being the best DJ you can and inspiring a young queen or king to follow their dreams, or saving lives of many who are in poverty, whatever way it is done, at the end of the day that is all that matters.

What historical character would you have liked to meet? I would love to meet Nipsey Hussle, I can relate with him seriously, he was a hustler and a very wise man who had so much to give, his ethos was the same as mine and I stood for everything that he did, I still watch his interviews till this day, his Legacy lives on! RIP Nipsey Hussle the great.

With everything you've lived and experienced, what do you think is the best thing about being an entrepreneur? The best thing about being an entrepreneur is the hardship, you really don't know the kind of day you're going to have. One day everything can be amazing and the next day things can be terrible, it keeps me on my toes and creates a bit of a thrill which I love.

If you had to complete this interview, what question would you like to ask yourself? If I was completing this interview myself I would probably ask myself why I am so sure I am going to reach the heights I believe I am, to answer that is is because I walk in faith not by sight, I believe in God's perfect plan for my life and I won't settle for anything less.

What motivates you the most to continue? What motivates me the most to continue is to inspire a generation, I feel like a lot of people don't know the greatness within them and for them to see my journey will inspire them, so if I keep going they will see the greatness within them through being inspired by me. If they can see I was a nobody from nowhere who was nothing and became someone from somewhere and becoming something they will see it is possible for them, that's what I live for! I want to be someone who that when I die my legacy will live on, I will still be able to inspire people and encourage them the same way that even till this day after his death Nipsey Hussle is still inspiring many people through what he did, his legacy lives on.