Ugochi Obidiegwu is the Founder of The Safety Chic, where she focuses on program and impact management for social impact organizations. She is passionate about extending the innovative work of these organizations through strategic programs and impact investing skills.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up in Nigeria. I experienced different cities for my birth and education. I was just a young girl who wanted to ace her academics and get great opportunities for growth. My first major job after getting my undergrad degree was in aviation as a cabin crew. It was a different experience and I learned a lot from it.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it?”
It was a combination of three things: divine inspiration, stories in the news of avoidable accidents and the death of my mother in an avoidable accident. Since I was working in aviation, I had seen in real time the importance of safety systems and I knew that with more information readily available, the every day person could become more informed and make better choices. So, I decided to do something about it.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
If given an opportunity, I would love to see safety education integrated into what children learn throughout their education before they get into the workforce. I believe it’s a great way to empower them and reduce unintentional injury. By extension, it would reduce the financial and non-financial cost of injury in children. Over time, as children grow and become adults in the workplace, this will lead to more safety-conscious people in the workforce and reduce workplace injury.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
Women in leadership is a welcome development which is here to stay. I’d encourage young girls to keep dreaming big and taking their place in the world. I would encourage young women to never second-guess themselves out of leadership positions and opportunities due to self-doubt. Instead, they should see them as opportunities to learn and make their contributions. In addition, they do not have to be perfect to start anything. They just need to start and be willing to learn and grow. Progress over perfection.
What’s the most important thing you have learned in your personal life and professional journey? What is your personal motto in life?
I have learned that it is important to curate your own personal success metrics with God. It is a disservice to oneself to measure oneself against the wrong metrics set by society or other people in one’s life. My personal motto is: whatever your hands find to do, do with all diligence.
With your grit and determination, you are making a considerable impact, breaking through, and serving as role models for many budding entrepreneurs. What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
You need to understand your personal power and leverage it at the highest possible levels. Always step out boldly and do your work excellently even when it is small. Do not be afraid of failure. If you fail at something, it’s just that thing that failed and not your entire life. So, take your lessons and move on. Do not allow the experience to ground you.
