My Marriage Cost Me My Business – Funke Akindele Makes Surprising Revelation
Nollywood box office queen at a recent event spoke about the power of intentionality and during her speech, spoke about her journey in the industry and how distractions, like even her marriage, almost cost her her business. Speaking, Funke Akindele said:
FUNKE AKINDELE: I started acting professionally in 1998, 27 years ago, and what has helped me over the years has been being intentional about what I want to do. How intentional are you? We all want to be successful, we all want to make money, but how intentional are you? You need to sleep and eat whatever you are doing. You have to remember that always.
Yes, we get distracted in life. Was it not some time ago I was distracted too? Distraction might come through, God forbid, things that have to do with your health or your family members, or with your own carelessness. But you need to be intentional. You need to tell yourself that, yes, I will be distracted, but no matter how distracted I get, I have to be intentional about being successful—being the highest-grossing filmmaker in Nigeria, creating great content, inspiring young people, nurturing talents by what they see me do, being a great role model out there. So, being intentional has helped me over the years.
I would say, “I want to be a great actress. I want to be successful. I have this burning desire to showcase my talent.” But I got a lot of nos, a lot of nos—nos that could destroy me. Serious nos. Embarrassments. Times I cried. Thank God for my mom. My mom told me, “No, you’re fearfully and wonderfully made. Get up. You can do it.” Some people don’t have moms like that. I would go into auditions and hear nos. Some would even rubbish you. But because I was intentional about it, I did not look at the roles I was auditioning for. And that is why today, even if you don’t look the role, I will make you look the role—because I suffered it.
After nos at auditions, I would cry but pick myself up. I didn’t want to get there just to win awards. I didn’t want to get there just to make money. I just wanted to showcase my God-given talent. So, what’s that burning desire in you? What do you want people to know about you? And it’s never too late. There’s nothing like old school, analogue, traditional. Go out there, grab the bull by the horns, educate yourself more, and be there. You have to fit in always. It’s very important, otherwise they will push you to one corner and people will move on.
I learned to write and produce and act because I was intentional and always asking questions. After “I Need to Know”, nobody gave me roles. Nobody made me a star—it’s God that made me a star. I started producing my own things until the first “Jenifa” came in 2009. After the buzz of that, it was over. Then at an event, D’Banj asked me, “What are you doing with your Jenifa? It’s your brand, you have to milk it.” And he gave me some money. That’s how I made “The Return of Jenifa.” And it was from there that I really started my career.
Distractions will come, and trust me, there were distractions. Have you forgotten? There were distractions—marital distractions that even cost me my business. But instead of breaking down, I was intentional again. I told myself, “Yeah, you made a mistake, girl. People make mistakes. You gotta get up. You’re not perfect either. You know your ways too, you understand? Get up. Create another company.” And that’s how I made the Funke Akindele Network (FAAN). I started again, and here we are today.
