Nnajiugo Nwosu is an entrepreneur with a background in healthcare, the U.S. defense industry, and working with tech startups and more. He has been interviewed by digital news platforms for his tips on entrepreneurship as well as his insights on developing skills for success when working with early-stage startups.
“Your success is not predicated on somebody else’s success. It’s predicated on your doggedness, and you must never take no for an answer,” says Nwosu.
But what does doggedness really mean, and how does one develop that skill as an entrepreneur?
In this exclusive interview, Nnajiugo Nwosu has agreed to let us into his story of becoming an entrepreneur, as well as lend insights about how budding entrepreneurs can use their doggedness in pursuit of their vision to achieve success.
Firstly, Nnajiugo Nwosu notes that the path to becoming an entrepreneur is not an easy one, and it certainly isn’t linear either.
Nwosu first got his start at Boeing, a globally renowned U.S-based defense contract company. He remembers first starting out as an Information Technology Specialist and picking up various skills on the job that would later help him down the line in his career path.
Shortly thereafter, Nnajiugo Nwosu began working with the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC). He recalls this being a tremendously helpful experience because he started learning about the healthcare sector, and he also had the chance to work with politicians on issues that had to do with healthcare in the state of California.
To add to his experience, Nwosu was able to collaborate on an important report in 2009 that was released on the state of healthcare in Southern California.
While these are just a few examples of the many industries Nwosu has worked in, and the roles he has held, it certainly isn’t the full image.
Nwosu also worked at another hospital as an IT Specialist, working on databases and security, and eventually entered the tech industry as well. This was after a 5-year period as a commodities trader.
Nnajiugo Nwosu says that all of these early and varied experiences helped him become the seasoned entrepreneur he is today.
He goes on to say that he was able to build the doggedness that helped him become successful as an entrepreneur because by working in many different industries, he encountered setbacks and failures as well.
Still, however, nothing quite prepared Nwosu like having hands-on experience as an entrepreneur.
“When I left my regular employment for the entrepreneurial journey, I never quite realized how difficult it could be.”
When describing entrepreneurship and the reason why one must be dogged in the pursuit of their vision as an entrepreneur, Nwosu references his motivator/mentor, Steve Harvey.
“Getting into business is like bungee jumping or skydiving, but without any practice. In entrepreneurship, you are jumping off the cliff of business and you don’t know what tomorrow holds.”
One of the most important lessons gleaned through Nwosu’s time as an entrepreneur is learning how to build a network of trustable colleagues.
While you have control over the effort you put into your venture within the space of entrepreneurship, another key factor to determine is the people around you and the environment you work in.
“As an entrepreneur, one of the most important determinations to make is who you will surround yourself with,” says Nwosu.
You learn about yourself in the process.”
