Jennifer Chidinma George is a wellness and healthy living advocate with over eighteen (18) years of experience in business development, entrepreneurship, marketing, and public relations.
She is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, of Mai Foods; a healthy food and lifestyle brand of Megaphaze Mercantile Limited – MML. A graduate of Linguistics and Language Information at Abia State University, Abia State, She also has a certification from the Lagos Business Schools and Lagos Chamber of Commerce. She’ is an Alumnae of the Cherie Blair Mentoring Women in Business.
She’s one of our recently recognised top 50 remarkable founders, and in this chat, she shares her inspiration as a wellness advocate and how she ensures her products promote and enhances healthy living and lifestyle
What inspired you to start Maifoods and focus on healthy living? What motivated you to become an entrepreneur in this space?
Growing up in a family who loved everything sweet, especially carbonated drinks.
It wasn’t a surprise when I encountered a health challenge that forced me to change my lifestyle. I needed plant-based products that were not readily available to improve my health.
The unavailability of these healthier alternatives led to my quest to develop plant-based products, which are healthy, convenient, and affordable. What started as a quest to improve my health, is now my vocation.
I shared my discoveries with my family and friends, their constant requests gave birth to MaiFoods. These requests showed that people were interested in using healthier food alternatives but had to make do with what they found in the market.
I have always been entrepreneurial, supporting other businesses in marketing and promoting their services as an employee, so it was a brainer to transit from an intrapreneur to an entrepreneur. I recognized a niche and a service for people that have health challenges and are looking for healthier alternatives, or people who are interested in living healthy lifestyles
You have experience in business development, marketing, and public relations. How do you think those different skills have helped you in your role as CEO of Maifoods?
My experience in these areas has helped me in identifying opportunities for growth AND strategic partnerships. These skills have been the bedrock for creating effective campaigns to reach a wider audience, as well as managing the company’s reputation & building positive relationships with stakeholders.
Together, these skills are essential to having a well-rounded and successful leadership role in any business venture.
You mentioned being a wellness and healthy living advocate. How does this passion influence your work?
My interest and passion for healthy living morphed into creating and promoting this lifestyle through nutritious Agro processed products -from natural sweeteners, non-dairy milk powders, flour, Beverages, and Nut Butter, making Maifoods your best plug for health and wellness.
We believe in the power of food, sustainable agriculture and its positive impact on both people’s well-being and the environment.
In the past 5 years, we have helped many individuals and families achieve their health and wellness goals using food as medicine.
What lessons have you learned about resilience and perseverance from your experiences as an entrepreneur?
Resilience and perseverance are synonymous with being an entrepreneur. It comes with the territory. They are essential qualities for entrepreneurs as we navigate challenges and uncertainties.
Maifoods has bounced back from setbacks, and learned from failures, especially in the early stages when our product line was considered ” nouvelle”.
We have remained committed to our goals despite the obstacles with a positive mindset and pushing forward to achieve greater success.
I’d like to tell a story of how we came up with and created the tiger nut blend powder that has tremendously helped lactose intolerant people who want to limit the intake of cow’s milk and the attendant issues resulting from antibiotics and growth hormones found in them.
We got an order for 100 bottles of tiger nut milk for a B2B event. Since we do not use preservatives and additives, the liquid milk got rancid, and we lost the whole order. This was a great loss as a small business – the cost of production, and manpower had gone down the drain. You cannot begin to imagine but we preserved.
We knew we had a good thing in plant-based milk, and we had to solder on. Through research and several trials, our non-dairy milk powder Tiger Nut Blend was birthed to forestall such losses. I can safely say this product borne out of a failure is our flagship product. The demand for it is amazing, as this product can be used as a beverage, baking etc.
What books have most influenced your thinking as an entrepreneur and business leader? Why did these resonate with you?
I have read quite a few, but Everything is Figureroutable by Marie Forleo has had the most impact. It helped me deal with limiting beliefs that held me back so I could pursue my dreams by identifying the thinking patterns that got me stuck. I was able to identify the thinking patterns that got me stuck and how to empower myself to become free. The book was liberating.
How do you hope Maifoods will make a positive impact beyond its profits?
We believe in the power of food as medicine, sustainable agriculture, and its positive impact on both people’s well-being and the environment, while building a wholesome society one family at a time.
You’ve participated in several mentorship programs. What advice do you usually give other women entrepreneurs?
Mentorship programs are great for personal and professional development, and they have a significant impact on entrepreneurs in diverse ways:
They provide valuable guidance, support knowledge sharing and exposure. Especially in the early stages of a business as one navigates challenges. The programs also support refining their business strategies and making informed decisions.
They offer real-world experiences and insights, which can accelerate the learning curve for women entrepreneurs, increase their confidence, and reduce the likelihood of costly mistakes.
Additionally, mentorship programs can expand networks and connect them to potential investors, partnerships, or customers, thereby enhancing their business prospects and overall growth potential.
Just before you go, how do you enjoy your day?
As a creative, I love music, especially stage performances in the company of family and friends. Reading is my gateway to faraway places, and I love watching movies
