What led you to setup Welnex Pharmacy?
THE establishment of Welnex Pharmacy was borne out of the passion to deliver excellent pharmaceutical care services, make drugs easily affordable and accessible to as many that require them.
What makes your pharmacy stand out from others?
We ensure that our patients get the best of pharmaceutical care. We do not just sell drugs to our clients, we create personal relationships with them. From when they come in, we interact with them even before we begin to prescribe drugs for them. We 
ensure that we have a background of what the patient is going through, check the previous drug history, and also try to find out if there is any history of underlying illnesses. We also follow up on our clients to make sure that their medication works for them. In the event that it does not work, we try other solutions. If there are cases where the person needs to see a specialist, we make referrals. If they need to go for laboratory tests, we insist that they go for it before giving them medication, Our prices are competitive and we get genuine medications from the right sources. We give our customers information about their health conditions. For instance, if someone is having a headache, before we prescribe drugs to them, we let them know why they are having the headache, so it is like a wholistic approach. We do not just sell drugs to people, we also educate and enlighten them.
What keeps you going in the business and how have you been able to build it over the years?
I have always had the desire to see sick people get well. The passion has always been there for me; money is secondary to what I do. There is passion and drive, that is what keeps me going.
What challenges have you encountered running your business?
We face a lot of issues with regulation especially the issue of drug distribution in Nigeria. Everybody wants to sell drugs because they feel that there is so much money in it but they forget that this has to do with health and life. You go into some shops where drugs are sold and you find out that they are unkempt and disorganised. So I am using this medium to call on regulatory bodies to sanitise the system. Some pharmacists do not have any other source of income and when you see those charlatans ready to sell their products at ridiculous prices, how do you expect those pharmacists to thrive? Apart from that, people also run the risk of having problems because most of these charlatans are not professionals. Also, another issue we face is shortage of power supply because we need to have our systems turned on.
What is your view on the proposed increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) by the government. Is it what we need in the country now?
Absolutely not. They may have their reasons but if they are going to do that, we need to see the value for the money being charged. Most of the things that we need to have our businesses running smoothly like power and roads are not in good condition. If they will reinvest the money into making the lives of the citizens better and the business environment conducive, no problem, we will always adjust to it.
How will it affect businesses?
The proposed increase of VAT will lead to the inflation of the prices of goods and services. People already have fixed income and if the VAT is increased, it will reduce people’s spending power and business owners will suffer low patronage as a result of that.
How have you been able to leverage on technology to grow your business?
We have a platform called RX Online where people can place orders for medications and supplements, it will be launched soon.
What are the key factors that prospective business owners should consider before starting a business?
You need to have patience. Most times when you start a business, you do not make profit immediately. You need to be prudent in the sense that when you start making sales, you have to separate your business funds from your personal funds. You have to be a good manager of financial and human resources because you have people working with you. If your business is such that requires you to meet people, you need to have good interpersonal skills. Overall, you must not leave your business in the hands of others especially at the initial stages because that is when your first set of customers start coming in. If you put someone that does not have the same passion as you do, the business might collapse.
What is your philosophy for running your business?
Put in your best because you never know when you will be rewarded for it.
