A Mind For Business and A Heart of Gold: An Advancer Behind The Dream
4 mins read
Samuel Audu wears many hats; ‘firefighter’, ‘paintballer’, ‘M.I’s biggest fan’, and ‘Head of Business Operations’ at Advancly.
How would you describe what you do at Advancly?
You know how you go to an orchestra show and there’s a conductor? That’s how I’d describe my role at Advancly. I essentially monitor everything to ensure that we’re operating in line with our set business goals and objectives and constantly working on track to achieve them. This requires that I wear many hats and get involved in every part of the business to ensure that everyone is running on the same frequency.
Did you always know you wanted to work in Business Operations?
Not really. I studied Accounting at university but, while I loved it initially, I quickly realised it wasn’t what I wanted to do. When I finished my studies, I ended up working in Compliance at a bank. While there, I started exploring my interest in Human Resources because I’m a big people person. I even got a couple of certifications in that field, but it was pretty difficult for me to switch departments in my organization, so that killed the HR dream, eventually. But, as I said, I was working in Compliance, which kind of touches a little bit on everything and I followed that pipeline to business operations.
How has it been, so far?
I enjoy what I do a lot. I get to wear many hats, which means I’ve gotten to learn a little bit (or a lot) about everything and I still get to interact with people. So, it’s a win-win.
That’s great to hear. So what does a typical day in your role look like?
Honestly, there’s no ‘typical’ day when you’re in business ops. It generally depends on what fire needs to be monitored or put out per day and there’s rarely ever just one.
Yikes. How can you possibly keep a handle on everything?
I keep an extremely detailed daily tracker that lets me know where I am on tasks and this helps me to know where to focus my energy per time. I’ve also learnt the art of multitasking. But I think my biggest advantage is that I work with people who make it easy.
The answer to this is pretty obvious, at this point, but I’m still going to ask. What’s your favourite thing about working at Advancly?
The people! We have a lot of great minds around, which makes it a safe space to innovate, share ideas and be your most authentic self. This means it’s also safe space to learn and make mistakes, knowing that will always be an opportunity to use what you learned to make improvements. We believe in “progress over perfection” and it’s amazing to see how that is helping everyone, and Advancly by extension, to grow and come into their own.
Are there any things you’ve learned that have stood out for you in particular?
I think the biggest thing (and it’s something I’m learning more of everyday) is empathy. I’ve always been a people person, but my role has helped me understand so much about relating with people and navigating relationships. I’ve also learned how to prioritse and manage my time. Beyond helping with my role, these are things that have also helped outside the workplace.
Let’s talk a bit more about outside the workplace. Where can we find you when you’re not here?
Playing paintball! Lol. Or holed up somewhere, listening to music. I’m a huge music fan.
Who’s your favourite artiste?
M.I. He’s hands-down favorite artiste – not just rapper o – in the world.
We stan an OG super-fan. So, if you had to pick a favourite M.I album, which would it be?
That would be really tough. I can’t give you a favourite because all his projects are classics, but I can give you my top 3. Illegal Music 3, M.I 2 & The Guy.
So what is it about M.I? What makes him stand out for you?
His music touches on and speaks to a lot of things I believe strongly in – loyalty, sacrifice, family, to name a few. I able to connect with [his music] very deeply, because of this.
Interesting. So you’re very big on family?
Definitely. Another thing you can find me doing outside of work is hanging out with my family and the people I love. I also do a lot of volunteer work.
Nice. What field(s) do you volunteer in?
I love kids, so most of my volunteer work has something to do with children, whether it’s teaching them or looking after them in some way. I’ve volunteered with Slum2School since 2013. For a while I used to teach in summer camps as well until my schedule got to busy to accommodate that. But I always make time to volunteer and try to help out in other ways when I can’t be there physically. I really enjoy working with children; you can actually learn a lot from them, even though they’re so young.
Let’s test your teaching skills. How would you explain your job to a 5-year-old?
Hmmm. I’d say I control traffic for my company. You know, I let people know when it’s time to stop or go. Basically what the right move is to make at a particular time.