Prime
My gender has been a setback in many ways
Eunice Adubango
What you need to know:
- Eunice Adubango: Eunice Adubango is a practising civil engineer and lecturer, but she recently started a catering business. She talks about quitting her teaching job at Makerere University to follow her passion for cooking.
Who is Eunice?
I am a child of God, married to Brand Adubango, a civil engineer by profession, a mother of three boys and a mentor to young women and business people.
How did your career start out?
When I finished my first degree from Makerere University in 2002, I was asked to stay at Makerere and teach, which I did not want to do, as I preferred to get experience first. I got a job with an engineering firm as a project engineer for two years. I later went for my Master’s degree in engineering management at the University of Dar es Salaam. I only did my first year in Dar es Salaam and returned to do my research year from home to save bills since I was paying for myself.
In 2006, I returned to Makerere where I began working as a teaching assistant at the College of Engineering. I rose through the ranks at Makerere, getting a PhD in Construction Project Management. After 11 years at Makerere, I left but in 2020 I was offered another teaching job at Ndejje Graduate School of Engineering, which I still currently do.
How have you attained success young?
I am a high achiever, I have targets and goals and I always plan to achieve what I set.
What are your non-negotiables?
My relationship with God, my husband and my children.
What pushed you to venture into the catering business?
When I joined Watoto Church, I learnt of a discipleship programme for ladies were cooking and learning about how God’s word was done. I loved cooking, so I decided to join. My cooking was really good and I became a cooking mentor for the group.
When the discipleship programme was done and I needed money for my father’s bills, I started cooking classes and the money I got helped pay for the bills. It did not occur to me that I could have a catering business since I was looking to pay bills for my sick father.
How do you balance business with your professional career?
I struggled to balance between teaching and cooking, so in 2019 I quit Makerere University because my passion for cooking had grown and I knew I needed to give the students my very best. I have learnt how to balance by setting up systems in the business, I have a personal assistant that helps me in the business. I also have people who assist and help me when necessary.
What are some of the setbacks you have faced?
Being a woman is tough, my gender has been a setback in many ways. During my days at university, there were fewer women doing engineering courses,and as a woman I had to excel very highly to prove myself and to be taken seriously,I did not have a choice to be mediocre or average.
Then there is a time when my age was a setback as well. It was common around the university that you could not become a doctor of engineering until you were a certain age; one examiner told me that they wanted me to first mature before they could call me doctor. When I first presented my dissertation, he wrote that I was young and needed time to grow.
I was 33 years old and everyone who was a doctor was in their 50s or 60s, so they looked at me like I had missed a process or had not worked hard enough or they wanted me to be just like them.
Who do you look up to and why?
I look up to T.D. Jakes because of his consistency and his multidimensional nature.
How do you manage the people you work with as an employer?
At the start of the business, I mismanaged people, which is something I regret, but I have learnt to manage my staff with wisdom and understanding.
What is the key element of running a successful business?
It is essential to understand the business you are running if you are going to be successful.
How do you handle bad days at work?
I am as tough as I am tender, so I do a lot of crying because some days are so tough I cannot help but cry. I also eat a lot of ice cream, often times I do both.
How do you spend your time outside meetings, trainings and work engagements?
I love dancing, listening to music and reading. I also like going out with friends and my husband.
Advice
• To anyone interested in pursuing a business in the catering industry, be knowledgeable; it will take you so far. Learn to connect with people who are in the industry.
