Busola Akin-Olawore
Personal Website
Let’s Work Together! Contact us at Versa Research
About Me
I am a skilled qualitative research moderator and quantitative data analyst, with over 12 years of experience conducting product research, consumer research, market research and social research.
I hold an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) in Psychology and Health Studies from the University of Toronto, a Data Analyst Certificate (RAPP) from Humber College, and a Master’s degree (MSc) in Market Research and Consumer Behaviour from IE Business School.
I have great interpersonal skills, time management, collaboration and communication skills. I also possess excellent leadership, problem-solving, and management skills. I have a passion for developing businesses, empowering women, and exploring cultures.
I am a People and Culture Manager at AOC Real Estate Group, and the Director of Research at Versa Research.
Featured
How to Reach Your Potential: An interview with a leader who inspires and whose insights can help you reach your potential.
“I was born and currently live in a country where the majority of girls are raised to believe that something has to give. You can’t have it all - the career and the family. And society has pushed us to believe that the family is important. I am not disputing the importance of the family but you can have both, it shouldn’t have to be a choice for women. I want my Legacy to be the ‘woman who had it all’ and who inspires generations of Nigerian women that they can have it all.”
Aspire to Be: Stories showcasing Black professionals and students who set personal goals and strive to achieve them.
“If you can dream it then you can you do it! I strongly believe God puts dreams in our minds because he knows we are capable of achieving them. Remember the saying ‘God will not give you what you cannot handle’; connect that with dreams. God will not give me the ability to dream these dreams if I cannot achieve them. So now I have dreamt, I need to put in the work to achieve them.”
Unconforming’s Expert Panel: A series of conversations trying to answer one question: how can we design for women?
“When there are gender-based differences in lived experiences, what one gender might not understand automatically becomes a tool to oppress the gender that undergoes that lived experience.”
Go Solo Series: An interview series of conversations that celebrate small business entrepreneurs & founders
“Let your business reflect who you are. Building a business that isn't a reflection of you adds a major layer of complexity.”
My Work
Eku New Month
New month wishes, new month prayers, new month messages were terms trending in Nigeria on July 1st.
As a Nigerian, I have received numerous of these messages and prayers and wishes, and I have always asked myself why people send these.
PUBLISHED WHITE PAPER: Data, Technology, People and Environment
A private company has stepped up to fill the gap in waste management in Nigeria while simultaneously working to address underlying social and economic issues.
Coastal Grandmother
Well, in this case, it should be grandma’s style!
The coastal grandmother trend was started by a Tik Toker, Lex Nicoleta in March and has been poised to be the leading trend for Summer 2022 (and maybe onwards). It is a fashion and lifestyle trend woven into one.
Coastal grandmother style can be described as an aspirational lifestyle that involves what you wear (neutral, crisp, classy staples), what you do (cooking, gardening), and the way your home looks (cozy interiors, fresh flowers, farmhouse style kitchens), and what you eat and drink (recipe book cuisines, specialty coffee, tea, wine).
Auto Pilot
This quote resonates so deeply with me. See, like the author, I too have felt my soul die — it was starved for about 5 years but I kept going on autopilot and so it eventually died. And now that I feel like my soul has been resurrected and is in tune with my body, I can finally talk about my experience. Well, I will talk about how I resurrected my soul because I am still unpacking what factors caused the starvation.
Scam Culture
This seems to be the motivational phrase of scammers around the world. In the last 10 years, we have met some of the most influential scammers in history; such as Elizabeth Holmes (committed criminal & investor fraud claiming to have a novel product for blood testing), Simon Leviev (committed identity fraud and romance fraud), Heather Morgan (committed criminal fraud, attempting to launder stolen bitcoin), Billy McFarland (committed criminal & investor fraud claiming to host a luxury concert), Anna Sorokin (committed criminal fraud, defrauding major financial institutions and hotels), and of course, Nigerians local legends Invictus obi (internet fraud) and Hush Puppi (internet fraud).
CHānj
I am all for changes; in fact, I recently signed up for dancing classes. I have decided it is time to change and learn how to move to the beat. The first class was brutal, I was frustrated, the teacher was frustrated, but I will be back next week. WE MOVE!
The Great Resignation
The last resignation came a few days ago and now I am forced to ask myself the million-dollar question, what did I do wrong. Or am I actually a victim of the great resignation seen all over the world?
Who is the father?
‘DNA tests should be done for all First Borns as a rule of thumb’, this was a recent tweet by the self-described award-winning medical doctor, Dr. Penking.
First comes love, then comes marriage, and then comes?
If you did not Google ‘How to get divorced’ within your first year of marriage then you are truly a saint…
More information, more confusion
The other day I said, ‘my head feels heavy’ and immediately I felt as ludacris as I sounded. But am I?…
Unspoken words from a grieving soul
It is inevitable! At some point in our lives, we will all grieve; grieve the loss of someone, a pet, a relationship, a career, a country…
In fact, psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe using the Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale have identified over 40 life experiences that can cause grief in a person’s life.
Help! I am all dried up!
But now 23 months later, I am in a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, I am overwhelmed, drained, I feel like I am unable to meet demands.
Apparently, this is called BURN OUT …
Jack of all trades, master of none!
A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with a friend who was being featured by our university’s alumni magazine on her multi-career lifestyle. We spoke at great length about society’s perception of being a jack of multiple trades, and as such a master of none.
I am the sh*t or am I?!
‘I have a sound mind, I have power. I am entitled to blessings, I shall not be shaken, I shall not be broken. I am strong, I am unstoppable.’
Work-Life Integration
Would we ever be able to reach a state of equilibrium with our work & life at the same time? The data overwhelming points to the impossibility of this.
Big Hairy Audacious Goals
Some months you will be on fire and some months you will almost feel like giving up. That is perfectly fine! Give yourself some grace and remember that tomorrow is a new day…
Don’t Get it Twisted, Love is a Beautiful Thing
Or so we are told! Pop culture portrays love as the winning force in all movies, books and music. Time and time again, we are told that the most important thing is love. That we were created to love and be loved.
Me, Myself & I
I choose to be aware of my feelings, to be kind to myself and to remember that others share the same experiences as I do — Self-Compassion.
It’s funny because if most people treated their friends the way they treated themselves, they would have no friends…
When your mind is telling you Noo! …. But your mouth is salivating Yess!
It all comes down to discipline! Even if you have high willpower, research has shown that when we are out of our comfort zone, it takes well thought out, consistent, structured discipline for us to exert our willpower...Entrepreneurship is out of my comfort zone...So here are the daily tips I use to increase my willpower
Nigeria’s E-Commerce Space: Booming or Dooming?
“In 2018, E-Commerce revenue in Nigeria was over $12 Billion and is expected to reach $75 Billion by 2025”
E-Commerce is the use of the Internet to purchase goods and services online. Nigeria is ranked the second country in Africa (behind Mauritius) with the highest revenues from E-Commerce and in 2019, over $56 Million in funding was raised by E-Commerce companies in Nigeria…