- Making It Big is more than a billionaire’s memoir; it is a living manual of resilience, vision, and generosity, showing how Femi Otedola turned privilege into purpose and wealth into wisdom, leaving readers with lessons that transcend business and speak to the very heart of ambition and giving
I learned about Making It Big: Lessons from a life in Business by Femi Otedola through my friend Caroline Chebet, who had just returned from the Middle East Book Fair and Publishers Conference on November 27, 2025.
Knowing my taste and the genres of books I like to read, she recommended it without hesitation. Intrigued, I travelled from Nakuru city to Nairobi and purchase a copy from Nuria on December 10.
Before I travelled, Nuria promised they had the genuine edition, since I dislike having fake books in my hands.Despite my demanding schedule as Dean of the School of Music and Media at Kabarak University—especially with preparations for our 21st graduation which was coming up on December 19th—I found myself irresistibly drawn to the 286-page memoir.
I carved out time between late nights and busy days, determined not to lose connection with Otedola’s story. On December 16, 2025, at precisely 6 p.m., I closed the book after reading its final lines: “He is the vice-president of Save the Children UK.
A family man, he is married with four children.”I like other books that I have read, so I decided to write a review of this great resource.
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Structure and Style
Otedola’s memoir is organized into five sections and twenty-three “lessons,” each ending with concise “takeaways.”
This consistent format makes the book engaging and practical, offering wisdom rather than mere narrative. The choice to frame chapters as lessons underscores the author’s intent: to share insights from one of West Africa’s most influential businessmen.
Content and Themes
The book traces Otedola’s journey from his birth on November 4, 1962, through his early entrepreneurial ventures—such as offering manicures to his father’s guests under the name Femco—to his rise as an oil magnate with Zenon petroleum and gas, Forte Oil plc, and eventually Geregu Power Plc.
His story is one of resilience, vision, and philanthropy.
Here are some of the lessons I picked from Making It Big:
1. It is possible to be born into privilege and work hard. Femi Otedola leveraged his father’s wealth and created an empire a hundred times greater than that of Sir Michael Otedola.
2. To be a top billionaire, you must know how to work with those who make decisions in the boardrooms. There is nothing wrong with that as long as your conviction is clear and your principles rock solid, or you will close shop.
3. Signs of entrepreneurship begin early—you can trace them in your childhood. If you find them, map them in your lineage—DNA is very crucial in determining your fate.
4. Pray every morning when you wake up—even with wealth, the God factor is extremely key to success because you need divine protection and favor not only to breathe, but also to keep wealth that can evaporate anytime. Poor people think the rich do not pray—you are mistaken!
5. You are rich, so you can give. He writes in his last quote: “…I have achieved success and recognition. What next? You give it back.” True to his word, he gave sacrificially until his daughter asked him, “Papa, you are giving away our inheritance”.
6. You can fall a thousand times, you must rise a thousand and one times—if you want to be a billionaire, be ready to lose billions, but you must learn to rise again and again.
7. Leave family out of your business, but remember your family is your business—mind your business.
8. When you are wealthy, buy your daughters Ferraris without fretting.
9. Even with your billions, it is okay for your son or daughter to be a DJ.
10. If those who owe you for your hard work refuse to pay their debt, stand firm—block their gate with your car. Be ruthless with the ruthless, or watch your business collapse.
11. At 28, you can be diagnosed with high blood pressure and live life.
12. In life, prioritise your wife, your daughters/sons and Aliko Dangote, and you'll succeed.
13. Lastly, if leaders mismanage your country’s economy and it presents an opportunity for you to be a billionaire, Oya mint the Billions and never apologise to anyone for that.
14. “In 1975, when I was a boy…they handed me a bottle of Coca-Cola and biscuits to enjoy while they had their meeting. I bought the company in 2007.” Read this 10 times!
Final Reflections
Otedola’s memoir is not just a chronicle of wealth; it is a manual for ambition, resilience, and generosity. His lessons resonate beyond business, offering guidance for anyone seeking to build a meaningful life.
As Aliko Dangote aptly comments in the book: “…I vividly relate with this enriching account.”Making It Big is more than a billionaire’s story—it is a testament to vision, discipline, and the power of giving back.
Dr Ndonye is the Dean, School of Music and Media, Kabarak University, Kenya and a weekly columnist with the Standard newspaper in Kenya.
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