Mary Ojotule Dogun

Mary Ojotule Dogun is the owner of one of Nigeria’s fast growing Healthy Food and Drink Company: May’s Chills.

She’s a creative who studied Theatre and Communication Arts from the University of Jos. After graduation, she worked in the banking sector for 10 years and rose to the post of Branch Head of Operations before resigning to start her business. She is married with two boys.

What problem does your company solve?
At May’s Chills, we are all about improving the health and overall well-being of our customers by providing them with fresh, organic, wholesome fruit and vegetable smoothies, juices and other healthy treats. The core of the business is helping people get healthier and lose weight via our very effective detox programs.

What ignited the spark in you to start your business venture?
The idea to start this business came in 2016 when I struggled to lose the weight I had accumulated after the birth of my second child. I tried so many weight-loss regimen which would work for a while then I would gain the weight back. Being a fruit lover and one that loves liquids, I started researching on how I could liquefy fruits and vegetables. This research led me to the Green Smoothie Diet, which I did successfully and lost 6kg in seven days. Everyone who knew me or saw me that period was stunned and asked how I did it, and that I help them too.

In trying to maintain the new weight and skin glow, I started making smoothie for breakfast everyday. This got me excited and had me researching fun recipes everyday. Soon, my husband and colleagues fell in love with my drinks and wanted same too. This birthed the idea of turning this into a business.

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Communication and Customer Service, Sales/Marketing and providing solutions to basic human challenges.

How did you respond to failure as an entrepreneur?
My response to failures as an entrepreneur is to pick learnings and apply them to new business situations.

How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
I stay as long as possible if the conviction is strong. I don’t give up easily except it is very glaring that the idea wasn’t right from the onset.

What motivates you?
The feedback I get from clients that have been battling with specific health challenges, expressing their joy at satisfactorily combating the challenges, be they weight loss desires or fibroid related ailments which our fibroid juice (this was discovered a few months ago) has proven successful at tackling.

How would you define success?
Success is being content in what you have, being satisfied with what you do and ultimately being able to touch lives positively.