Adejare Doherty – ‘The Wholeleaf Co.’
Surving the Dragon’s Den
Adejare Doherty is a local young entrepreneur who despite his age has already achieved so much. He has a master’s degree in law from UCL and has worked as both a lawyer and a head hunter. However, just over two years ago Adejare “realised [he] was not so interested in money or recruitment” and decided to “channel energy in to something more enjoyable” the product of which is his own ethically motivated company, The Wholeleaf Co.
Hailing from Nigeria, Adejare was determined to “do something which gives something back to 3rd world countries”. Therefore he started Wholeaf Co that produces and sells bio-degradable disposable plates and cutlery which are ethically manufactured from “palm leaves” in India.
Adejare has alappeared on BBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ just after he launched The Wholeleaf Co. but although he was unable to secure investment from the dragon’s he explained how “it opened a lot of doors and I was actually more confident when I left the den than when I went in”. Adejare is currently in the process of starting up a new business and hopes to set up more in the future.
When asked if he felt the government were doing enough to support budding entrepreneurs, Adejare replied, “yes and no; the government have provided enough resources but have shown a lack of encouragement” he continued, “not everyone is going to be an Alan Sugar so I think more realistic role models need to be promoted”. Due to the current economic climate people “do not have enough get up and go and there needs to be a greater emphasis on risk taking”. Adejare thinks that the Islington Enterprise Fair will provide the public with a “diverse variety of entrepreneurs” and gives them the opportunity to “learn from other peoples mistakes”.
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