Bukky George is the founder and CEO of Health Plus Limited and Casabella International Limited. She was born in Lagos in 1970. This very hardworking woman was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
She happened to be the 9th, out of many. Her parents, especially her mother did everything possible to ensure she got all the necessary things she needed in life, especially education. She had her primary and secondary education in Lagos and later proceeded to the University of Lagos where she studied pharmacy between 1987 and 1992. She graduated top of her class and did her internship with Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). She has a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Lagos Business School. She is a registered member of pharmacists Council of Nigeria.
Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, and member of the general Pharmaceutical Council U.K. During her NYSC days, she worked at GLAXO Smith Kline Consumer Nigeria Plc. It was there she got her first corporate experience, working in different units such as sales, production and quality control. After she was done with NYSC days, she was hired by May and Baker Nigeria Plc. as a medical representative, a position she held briefly before returning to Glaxo SmithKline as a full-time staffer. She was also very good at what she did, always emerging the best sales representative of the month. The secret to her success was her love for the job. She resigned in 1999 at the level of an assistant manager.
After four years of working in two of Nigeria’s leading pharmaceutical firms, she had acquired enough experience to start her own business. HealthPlus Limited was created. The company was incorporated in 1996 but began full-time operations in 1999. Bukky George, being a very hardworking and dedicated person, built the company into a leading pharmaceutical firm in Nigeria and the whole of Africa. Healthplus started in a small store at Ikeja GRA but currently has over 45 branches across Nigeria and Africa, with over 500 workers all over.
Healthplus retails quality products ranging from medicine to nutritional supplements. It also retails home medical equipment such as blood glucose test kits, Body mass index (BMI), measurement tools etc. It also sells natural remedy products and provides mobility aids and other pharmaceutical services through its pool of professionals.
Following the success of Healthplus, she established Casabella International, which was incorporated in 2008. The company is equally a retail chain outfit, but with a special focus on beauty and grooming products. In 2010, the Casabella store was established in Lagos. Today, it offers a wide range of beauty brands such as cream, fragrances, hair extension, soaps etc.
Bukky George also sits on the boards of several companies. She is also an associate member of Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ), as well as the current chairman of the Sanofi Pharmacy Advisory Board. She has bagged several awards home and abroad for her hard work and dedication. She is happily married to Charles Babajide George and they are blessed with four children.
In this interview with City People’s Senior Showbiz Reporter, BIODUN ALAO, she talked about her 20-year journey in the business, the secret of her success and above all, the reason she is so loved by everybody and what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur in today’s economy.
Mrs Bukky George is hardworking, successful, down to earth, extremely friendly and knows how to dot the I’s and cross the T’s when it comes to fashion. She knows how to look classy and elegant. She has remained a role model for lots of youths and entrepreneurs in society. Below excerpts of the interview.
There are lots of young ladies out there, who look up to you as their role model. What do you have to say to them?
Health Plus is 20 years this year, it has been an amazing journey filled with high and low tides, successes and a little failure, accolades and challenges.
But throughout, we never gave up, we started with a shop at Ikeja but today we give God all the glory for all our achievements. I never gave up, and my team never gave up as well. The first thing, I would say to any entrepreneur is, of course, the assumption is your business satisfies a need in the society, your products solve problems, once that fundamental is in place, then you need a few ingredients such as tenacity, because, you will get frustrated along the journey. But you need focus, a lot of people don’t focus. I don’t do that, I run health plus pharmacy, the sister company is called Casabella Beauty, so there are health and beauty, or let say pharmacy and beauty, they are both retail.
Casabella rides on Healthplus and makes use of same manpower, processes and procedures. So, bottom-line is tenacity and resilience, focus and continuous development. You have to keep constantly developing yourself to succeed. Also, I can’t leave out the power of people, my staffers. If you see me and members of my staff you won’t know who the boss is. We just had a beach party (TGIF) at Lekki Leisure Link, we had an awesome time, we did Zanku, Legwork, Gbebodyen and all that. Honestly, you won’t know who the boss is. So, I think connecting with your people, hiring right, finding ways to retain them, because you can’t do it all alone and this is very important too.
And if your business is right, the finances you need will come to you. Finances are available these days, though expensive. Your business has to be right and you have to be accountable and transparent for things to work out. Then, above all, grace. I can never tell my story without the God factor.
If I’m to say two things, I will say Grace and Grace.
What is your educational background?
I am an academic by learning, even though, I’m not a lecturer, I’m not a class lecturer, but I found myself lecturing these days in churches, business schools, entrepreneurs and SME owners workshop, I lecture small groups and big groups. I do that a lot these days. But generally speaking, I love learning. I had my first degree in Pharmacy from the faculty of Pharmacy University of Lagos in 1992, in the year 2000. I got an MBA from Unilag, and in 2005/2006, I attended the owner-manager programme at Lagos Business School.
As my business grew, I needed more skills and therefore, I went to Lagos Business School in Ajah (LBS). Then my recent achievement is the dream I have had for 10 years, the OPM programme that is the owner management programme in the U.S, and that is it. I do lots of readings. I also give kudos to WIMBIZ Women in Management Business, those are some of the places I get my education from. I also go for trade shows, exhibitions that have to do with my profession. With all these, you will learn new things, what is cutting edge as an entrepreneur.
What about your family background?
Well, I consider myself a Lagosian, I was born and bred in Lagos, though my parents are Mr and Mrs Fajemirokun from Ondo State. I live in Lekki, and I am happily married with four children.
Would it be right to say you were born with a silver spoon?
No way, I’m a home girl, from the hood, I was born in Lawanson, and I grew up on LUTH Campus and it depends on which gate of LUTH, you refer to, it could be Surulere, it could also be Mushin, so that is a bit of my background.
Can you tell us about your Style. What outfits, do you feel really comfortable in?
I can’t be caught wearing anything revealing, I don’t do lots of natives, I only do aso-ebi, when the person is super special and Gbemi is, indeed, super special to me. Like you can see, I’m wearing something very classy, though still simple, I always like to look very simple and elegant, and that is my style, so what you can’t catch me wearing is lots of rough frocks and business in fashion, I don’t like that.
How do you relax, considering your busy schedule?
Hmm, I love my books, I love reading. You will see me on a perfect day relaxing on my bed and reading my books.
Apart from that, I really dance, when people see me dance, they find it difficult to put together, who I am, what I do and my age. I do dance a lot. So, I love dancing, reading books and taking photographs. I love photography, though with my phone, nothing special. Anytime we gather for a reunion with my classmates, family, even birthday celebrations at the office, I pick up my phones and take beautiful shots.
