Onikepe Adegbola

Focus on doing what you love. Find a career that’s energized and motivated by your passion, values, and what excites you.

 

Dr. Onikepe (Onyx) Adegbola is the Founder & CEO of Casa de Sante. As a former corporate leader in the healthcare industry, Dr. Adegbola has in-depth knowledge of modern medicine to create low-fodmap diet plans that are designed specifically for IBS sufferers. Before starting Casa de Sante, she served as a Chief Medical Officer in the pharmaceutical field. Dr. Adegbola received her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her training at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University.

Where did the idea for Casa de Sante come from?

Casa de Sante was partially inspired by the teachings of Ayurveda (a traditional system of medicine with roots in India) as well as traditional Chinese medicine. The primary inspiration to start this company came from one of my siblings, who suffers from IBS. I witnessed first-hand how challenging it was for him to create a meal plan from scratch and manage his symptoms. I was working as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry at the time, so I knew there were limitations in how modern medicine could treat certain conditions. Even though the medical and pharmaceutical fields have advanced significantly, good exercise and a healthy diet plan are still the primary ways for us to take care of our bodies.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My days are busy and exciting from start to finish. I run my business full-time and I’m also a proud mother of triplets. So, as you can imagine, I don’t get many days off. But the fun part is that no two days are ever the same. There’s always something new and interesting to do. I stay productive by making sure my days are fully organized on my calendar. I also delegate tasks to my team accordingly and fairly to help decrease my busy workload.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I get inspiration from a multitude of places. But reading and learning about traditional medicinal systems is the first place I start when bringing new ideas for my business to life. For example, one of our top products is LemonAid, and it’s based on an ancient Indian Ayurvedic drink called Jal-jeera. Much like Jal-jeera, the ingredients in LemonAid offer strong support for the digestive and immune systems. It’s also a caffeine-free, gluten-free, and vegan drink.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I’m very excited to see more people taking the initiative to learn about the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise. I’m a strong advocate of living a healthy and active lifestyle.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I’ve always had a very strong love of learning, Being an entrepreneur means that you learn something new and challenging every day. Having a love of knowledge and continuously learning new efficient ways of doing things helps me to be more productive.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Focus on doing what you love. Find a career that’s energized and motivated by your passion, values, and what excites you.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Having more team meetings can actually decrease productivity.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I clear my mind and find time to relax at the end of every busy day. Taking care of your health and body starts with taking great care of your mind first.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I outsource and automate tasks that I don’t have time to do myself. I’ve saved a ton of time, money, and resources by working with outside consultants and experts to help me grow my business.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

When we first launched Casa de Sante, we focused on marketing individual products. We realized early on that there was a strong demand for creating and selling recipes/meal guides that customers can follow for breakfast, lunch, dinner. These meal plans, guides, and recipe ideas help customers who are new to low FODMAP diets build their meal plans from scratch. We now have resources on our site dedicated to these personalized recipes.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A chatbot service for social media marketing.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I recently took my entire family out for dinner. With such a busy schedule, even small investments like these make for a great experience and quality time.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

We’re currently using CanIRank software to track our marketing and optimization efforts. It helps us know what actions we should take for each marketing idea that it suggests.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I recommend reading “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen.

What is your favorite quote?

“The greatest wealth one can have is good health.”

Key learnings:

-Always delegate tasks to your team fairly and accordingly.
-Automate and outsource tasks that you (or your team) don’t have the knowledge, resources, or time to do.
-Working with outside consultants and experts can help you grow your business more effectively.
-“Your health is your wealth.”

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