Our Lagosmums mum of the month is Adesuwa Olanrewaju-Dada. Wife and Mum of one, CEO and Lead Project Manager at DWS Events, Prolific Training Consultant, Youtuber and Serial Entrepreneur featured in the Punch Newspaper and Rave TV as an outstanding and inspiring entrepreneur.
Please tell us about yourself.
My name is Adesuwa Olanrewaju-Dada, a Nigerian-born event entrepreneur and project manager with extensive experience in the Events Industry specialising in planning, coordinating, technology and teaching.
Based in Lagos, I create breathtaking events and experiences for clients and brands that leave the testimony “you know your onions” in the mouth of several clients.
At DWS Events, I have led teams and vendors to deliver complex projects using digital tools. I was responsible for bringing to life the first biggest imaginary wedding shoot – “Akugbe”. I founded the Save The Events Industry Initiative, a platform and hub to educate and enlighten vendors, couples-to-be and celebrants at large on everything event related.
I have also worked with Google as the Country Coordinator for Google Arts and Culture in Nigeria where I worked closely with about 6 Cultural Institutions and Museums – Terrakulture, Nigerian Tourism and Development Corporation, Lagos Fashion Week, Kalakuta Museum, and Yemisi Shyllon.
Can you share more about all the hats you wear?
I am a believer, wife, mum to an amazing boy, an Events Planner, Project Manager and Mentor.
Share one unexpected thing about you.
Considering that I am an Event planner and that the social space is linked to events, I don’t like going out and I don’t like socializing.
How did you meet your husband and how long have you been married?
My husband and I were childhood friends. We grew up in the same church and somehow we lost touch. As God would have it, we met again in a very funny way. We reunited, and have been married for 3 years now. Our marriage will be 4 years old on the 29th of April.
Do you and your spouse have the same parenting style?
Yes. Our parenting style is basically on the foundation of God. That guides all that we do, The Word of God guides our parenting style. What does the Word of God say about raising children? The way we raise our son is on the foundation of God’s word.
We don’t begin to make any plans without adequately praying about those things. I have confessions that I’ve been making for my son since I conceived. I had the ones that I was making before I got pregnant. Which I still make to date. So we don’t take any decision, (for example we’re trying to look for a school), without praying about it. We also believe that we have to be very involved in raising them. Hence, we have to be available. So, this determines the kind of work we do and everything.
Can you tell us one of the funniest things your child has said?
My son is a toddler and he just started to speak. The funny thing that my son says to me all the time is “Up! Get Up!”
What are some ways children & parenting are different from when you were growing up?
For me, I would say what I said earlier about raising my children by the standards of the word of God. We don’t let emotions rule or guide us. Regardless of what people say, we stick to the Word. It’s solely based on what we can perceive per time.
How are you raising your child to be ready for an ever-changing world?
For an ever-changing world, it still boils down to God. You really cannot go through life without God’s leading and guidance. So number one is, the kind of prayer that we are praying for our children is that they have a strong spirit and thrive against all odds in this generation. We do our work in the place of prayer, right? And then the good thing is our local church, I know that they are well planted. From children’s church, my son is 2 and he can pray in tongues.
Also, we are allowing them to see the reality of life. That’s why my son goes to work with me. From when he was a baby, I take him everywhere I go so that he can see what the real world is. But it’s still that basic knowledge of knowing with God, you can go through life. Let God lead you and you should be able to hear God’s voice for yourself. It’s one of the confessions I made for my child-that you hear the voice of the Lord from a tender age. You know God for yourself and you serve Him. I know that with that, every other thing is secure.
What do you love the most about all the many expressions of your purpose/passion?
One thing I loved most about my many expressions is that it helps me to meet people. I am of a strong belief that my major purpose on earth is to win souls. Yes, that’s my main purpose. Everything I do is to the end that, when I stand before my Father in heaven, it will not be about everything I have amassed on earth. I get to meet people and I can influence them and also lead many people to Christ.
Secondly, I get to impact people. A lot of people have come back to me to say, “I am here because of you”. I was able to do this right from when I was young. I started working early, so I could tell people about how excellence will make them go far in life. I started meeting people early and I’ve had the opportunity to influence them positively. And I always get feedback like, “because of you I started this, I stayed on with this”. Like I said earlier, the major thing is that I get to win souls to Christ, which is like the ultimate.
What inspired you to venture into Event Planning?
Contrary to what people say, like, “oh, they had a flare for it, they love organizing, etc”. I always say that Event planning found me. I had not even gained admission into the university when I started working in an event planning company.
Before I gained admission, I was at home for a while. I got into university at 17 going on 18. So I just didn’t want to be idle. I had started teaching and selling some things before then. Someone saw me and said that I think you will do well in event planning. Then he introduced me to the person who trained me. So I fell in love. One major thing that made me decide to stay with it was, I used to wonder why people got event planners and their events were not organized. It was to wrap my head around it. That drove me to do this so I could help people achieve some level of organisation at their events.
Hence, the birth of Save The Event Industry and all the other expressions that came out of my event planning business. I believe people need to be educated about how to achieve the best, especially when they have professionals on board working with them.
Share what you love most about your work as the Founder/CEO of DeWhiteSparkles Event?
It sounds funny. As regards being the CEO of DeWhiteSparkles, there was a time two of my brides actually gave me feedback. They told me that just by planning their event, I had impacted them to pray more. That really touched me.
Another thing would be that, now, there’s nothing I cannot build from scratch, with great structures. When people work for me, they marvel at how I have put so much structure into my business. My business can run without me. I had to learn a lot about business, by learning event planning.
How important is a support system for a mum? Who is in your tribe and what kind of support do you have?
Any mother who wants to last in life and wants to be able to thrive on all fronts needs support systems. I’m a firm believer that you cannot do everything by yourself. if you’re actively involved in parenting, then you need people on the home front. Maybe you need a cleaner or chef, etc. You sure need a support system. So every woman needs to really identify what they can shed off. Knowing what is a priority for them and what responsibilities can be delegated, so they can do the most important things.
How do you balance work and parenting? Is it possible to achieve this?
Yes, you can. First of all, define your priorities. Maybe the word is not balancing, more like adjusting because the responsibility will be a lot.
Parenting is a huge responsibility on its own. There’s so much that I want to do and I know that I can do. But the fact that I’m actively parenting right now. My child is still in his early days and I know that we want to have all our children and do the active part of parenting and layering the foundation. I cannot take on so much in my work right now, else one will suffer. Right now, as I actively parent and do my business, I am adjusting, managing and putting structures.
What has motherhood taught you about yourself?
Motherhood has taught me there is a hidden strength somewhere and this strength comes from God. Some of the things that I find myself doing today, I could not have imagined it.
Use one word to describe one thing that should not be missing from every home.
Permit me to use two words; availability and attention.
Share one self-care tip. How do you relax and spend time on yourself?
I am still learning this self-care thing 😃. But, I don’t joke about eating healthy and that’s a thing we prioritise as a family. There’s something we say a lot in my house, “food is medicine”. So we don’t joke about food and hygiene. We feel that it’s not just about skincare products and all.
Can you tell us how you stay stylish and your beauty routine?
I am a tomboy😂😂😂. I am not stylish. There’s a style in my head of how I want to look. So, I have Pinterest boards, but to be honest, I haven’t started implementing anything.
What do you love about LagosMums?
I love that LagosMums is changing the narrative. I love how they are making women consider paying attention to themselves. I love the message of balance, that it is possible for you to prosper on all fronts.
#Mumgoals Trivia
○ N1 Million or more sleep?
I am indifferent. I will sleep and make money.
○ Would you prefer to go on a shopping spree or an all-expense-paid trip to your dream destination?
An all-expense-paid trip to your dream destination.
○ Homeschooling or traditional school.
I have tried homeschooling, as I am really busy, it didn’t work for. But, I prefer the idea of Homeschooling over Traditional school.
○ A spa day or Eat out?
A spa day.
It was lovely learning more from our mum of the month, Adesuwa Olanrewaju-Dada. Thank you for sharing with us. You can connect with Adesuwa Olanrewaju-Dada here.
READ ALSO: LagosMums Mum of the Month – Ayodeji Oyinloye-Lawrence
