#Under30entrepreneursinNigeria: How Folabomi House of Fashion came to be

In a nation where some of the youth are seeking wealth through questionable means, PREMIUM TIMES is running a weekly series on young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Tagged #Under30entrepreneursinNigeria, the series is anchored by Oluwaseyi Bangudu.

We are writing these stories with the purpose of encouraging the youth that with some patience, perseverance and contentment, the average Nigerian youth can become financially independent and do not have to resort to unethical means to survive.

Our first #under30entrepreneur is Toluwaleye Odunsi, Creative Director at Folabomi House of Fashion.

PT: Tell us about your past and how you became an entrepreneur

Tolu: My name is Toluwaleye Odunsi. I developed a passion for art, beauty, and humanity. I am the Founder and Creative Director of Folabomi House of Fashion, where I design and create decent, high-quality and Afro-centric clothing pieces.

I am also the founder of the Folabomi Foundation, where we work to empower under-served children with the resources needed to live a wholesome life.

My mission is to clothe the goal-getting Folabomi woman, making her look and feel like the most confident version of herself while acing her daily goals.

In February 2020, I was awarded the Young Fashion Leader Award by the Immerse Inner Circle at the Live Awake Conference.

PT: You look pretty young. How old are you?

Tolu: I am 29 years old.

PT: Can you shed a little light on your educational background?

Tolu: I started out as a Science student but soon realised my interests were more inclined toward social sciences, education and Art.

I was able to get enrolled into the prestigious University of Ibadan where I studied Educational Management with Economics. While in school, I represented my department at various inter-departmental, inter-faculty quizzes, debates and paper presentations.

I was an active pressman for the University of Campus Journalist Club and Voice of Managers Club.

From my educational experience, I realise that I can do anything I set my mind to do.

PT: After you graduated, did you job hunt? Why business, and why fashion designing, in particular? Also, were your family members in support of your decision?

Tolu: After my service year, I actually started looking for a job. I wrote several tests and kept waiting for positive responses from the companies I applied to. While waiting, I realised I had so much free time in hand and I decided to put it to good use.

I went to learn more about what I have an interest in, which was fashion. At least I’d learn to make clothes for myself.

After I learnt tailoring from my aunty for a few weeks, I got a job with an insurance company but I kept on practising and improving on my craft. People started noticing how high the quality of what I wore was and they started placing orders.

This is how the business started.

I started satisfying my clients’ clothing needs while I was still working at the insurance company. I kept learning the ropes of running a structured organisation while my clientele grew on the side.

After two years and five months, I resigned to focus solely on growing my business.

My family members saw how passionate I was about solving the problem of working women not having easy access to decent, dynamic and high-quality clothing pieces and they believed in my dream and gave me all the moral support I needed.

PT: How long have you started this business?

Tolu: The business has been running for a little over five years.

PT: What were your fears and challenges when you were starting up? How have you been able to address these challenges?

Tolu: I honestly didn’t know where to start when first setting my ideas in motion… but I started out by finding and learning from experienced people who had achieved the goal I set for myself.

I also had the fear of not being an expert, but for the fear of things I did not yet know, I started finding answers to them.

I put in for programmes that stretched me and gave me more insight into running a successful business and I continued to learn at every point, committing myself to excellence.

PT: Would you like to speak on the Tony Elumelu grant you won some time ago? What was the impact of this on your business?

Tolu: Funny story; I had applied for the Tony Elumelu Foundation programme and grant twice before resigning. It was as if heaven saw that I was now ready for it as I was opportune to be a beneficiary in 2019.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation programme was training I desperately needed as it taught me how to build and effect a proper business plan and how to structure my business to grow into a global brand.

After the successful completion of this intensive 12 weeks programme, I was awarded the grant of $5,000 that absolutely helped in getting us our first brick-and-mortar rented studio and workshop.

We were also able to get machines and raw materials that aided more production and gave our clients a better experience.

PT: Speaking of your foundation, how have you been able to run it and how has it impacted your business?

Tolu: The Folabomi Foundation convenes projects such as ‘Clothe-the-Clotheless’, which is an annual Christmas initiative that has fed and clothed over 700 less privileged children with brand new clothing pieces from 2018 through 2021.

In May 2021, the Folabomi Foundation team launched a new initiative tagged Project Dream Big (which is an innovation to equip and prepare young minds for the change in the skills demanded in the global workforce market), with over 600 secondary students benefiting from the first edition, being equipped with the knowledge to thrive in this dispensation.

In March 2022, the Folabomi Foundation, with the support of individual donors, sponsored the JAMB registration fee of 46 students from two public schools in Lagos, giving them the opportunity to further pursue their goals.

These initiatives have positively impacted the ‘FOLABOMI’ brand as a whole and it excites us to know that under-served children are also given opportunities they would not have had access to because of their background.

PT: Can you highlight what a typical day looks like in your world?

Tolu: There is no typical day parse, but an average day is me getting up from bed, arming myself with the God’s word and committing all my goals for the day into His hands.

I drive to work and do quality checks on new garments produced from the previous day, the orders going out in the current day and the deliverables for the current day. I address my staff and we discuss challenges or new ideas for implementation.

I attend to clients’ enquiries, complaints and orders both online and in-store. There are days I also attend to consultations with bespoke clients and other days I do market survey or purchase bulk items and raw materials.

I also attend meetings to sort-out details for upcoming Folabomi Foundation projects.

At close of business, I drive back home and depending on the day of the week, go play some tennis to unwind. I have dinner and go through anything I might have missed in the course of the day.

PT: What advice would you give a young person going into this line of business?

Tolu: Discover the problem you want to solve and create a niche for yourself in proffering solutions to that problem.

Do something that makes your work stand out from the crowd. Even if you don’t have the necessary capital at first, just start, a slow and steady process of building the business eventually pays.

Even when things get very challenging, keep showing up and deliver an outstanding service.

PT: How have you been able to manage your business, Foundation, and your home?

Tolu: I try to plan well for every aspect. I visualise what I need to achieve in a day in order of priority and I hold myself accountable for the results, but I think it’s better and more effective to write it down, tick items off as you achieve and review at the end of the day.

PT: How do you manage running a business in Nigeria?

Tolu: I maintain relationships with experts and vendors that give us an edge in terms of getting good deals on raw materials and quality information.

I understand how unstable things are and I try to have backup plans for everything. I also prepare for the worse in terms of completion and delivery and this reflects in what we inform our clients.

As a business, we spend on what is absolutely necessary and would benefit the business and this helps to reduce costs to the barest minimum.

PT: Where do you see your business in the next five years?

Tolu: In the next five years, I see my business as a global brand satisfying the clothing needs of working women in at least five more countries.

PT: In a world where young people are seeking quick wealth through inhumane means, what advice would you give to the youth in Nigeria?

Tolu: Trust me, the kind of success you want is the kind that will leave you fulfilled. People who achieve this kind of success have crucial qualities such as courage, humility, wisdom, and most importantly integrity.

For me, it isn’t just about making a living but also about being of immense impact. That’s the real wealth and it is such that no one can take it from you — not a competitor, not an accident, not retirement and definitely not the state of the economy.

So I’ll say, just be consistent, enjoy the process, trust the process and you’ll soon see your work yielding great value and reward.

PT: What do you do when you are not working?

Tolu: Watching movies, travelling and seeing new places, reading books and taking pictures.

PT: Thank you for your time.

Tolu: You are welcome.

In a nation where some of the youth are seeking wealth through questionable means, PREMIUM TIMES is running a weekly series on young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Tagged #Under30entrepreneursinNigeria, the series is anchored by Oluwaseyi Bangudu.

We are writing these stories with the purpose of encouraging the youth that with some patience, perseverance and contentment, the average Nigerian youth can become financially independent and do not have to resort to unethical means to survive.

Our first #under30entrepreneur is Toluwaleye Odunsi, Creative Director at Folabomi House of Fashion.

PT: Tell us about your past and how you became an entrepreneur

Tolu: My name is Toluwaleye Odunsi. I developed a passion for art, beauty, and humanity. I am the Founder and Creative Director of Folabomi House of Fashion, where I design and create decent, high-quality and Afro-centric clothing pieces.

I am also the founder of the Folabomi Foundation, where we work to empower under-served children with the resources needed to live a wholesome life.

My mission is to clothe the goal-getting Folabomi woman, making her look and feel like the most confident version of herself while acing her daily goals.

In February 2020, I was awarded the Young Fashion Leader Award by the Immerse Inner Circle at the Live Awake Conference.

PT: You look pretty young. How old are you?

Tolu: I am 29 years old.

PT: Can you shed a little light on your educational background?

Tolu: I started out as a Science student but soon realised my interests were more inclined toward social sciences, education and Art.

I was able to get enrolled into the prestigious University of Ibadan where I studied Educational Management with Economics. While in school, I represented my department at various inter-departmental, inter-faculty quizzes, debates and paper presentations.

I was an active pressman for the University of Campus Journalist Club and Voice of Managers Club.

From my educational experience, I realise that I can do anything I set my mind to do.

PT: After you graduated, did you job hunt? Why business, and why fashion designing, in particular? Also, were your family members in support of your decision?

Tolu: After my service year, I actually started looking for a job. I wrote several tests and kept waiting for positive responses from the companies I applied to. While waiting, I realised I had so much free time in hand and I decided to put it to good use.

I went to learn more about what I have an interest in, which was fashion. At least I’d learn to make clothes for myself.

After I learnt tailoring from my aunty for a few weeks, I got a job with an insurance company but I kept on practising and improving on my craft. People started noticing how high the quality of what I wore was and they started placing orders.

This is how the business started.

I started satisfying my clients’ clothing needs while I was still working at the insurance company. I kept learning the ropes of running a structured organisation while my clientele grew on the side.

After two years and five months, I resigned to focus solely on growing my business.

My family members saw how passionate I was about solving the problem of working women not having easy access to decent, dynamic and high-quality clothing pieces and they believed in my dream and gave me all the moral support I needed.

PT: How long have you started this business?

Tolu: The business has been running for a little over five years.

PT: What were your fears and challenges when you were starting up? How have you been able to address these challenges?

Tolu: I honestly didn’t know where to start when first setting my ideas in motion… but I started out by finding and learning from experienced people who had achieved the goal I set for myself.

I also had the fear of not being an expert, but for the fear of things I did not yet know, I started finding answers to them.

I put in for programmes that stretched me and gave me more insight into running a successful business and I continued to learn at every point, committing myself to excellence.

PT: Would you like to speak on the Tony Elumelu grant you won some time ago? What was the impact of this on your business?

Tolu: Funny story; I had applied for the Tony Elumelu Foundation programme and grant twice before resigning. It was as if heaven saw that I was now ready for it as I was opportune to be a beneficiary in 2019.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation programme was training I desperately needed as it taught me how to build and effect a proper business plan and how to structure my business to grow into a global brand.

After the successful completion of this intensive 12 weeks programme, I was awarded the grant of $5,000 that absolutely helped in getting us our first brick-and-mortar rented studio and workshop.

We were also able to get machines and raw materials that aided more production and gave our clients a better experience.

PT: Speaking of your foundation, how have you been able to run it and how has it impacted your business?

Tolu: The Folabomi Foundation convenes projects such as ‘Clothe-the-Clotheless’, which is an annual Christmas initiative that has fed and clothed over 700 less privileged children with brand new clothing pieces from 2018 through 2021.

In May 2021, the Folabomi Foundation team launched a new initiative tagged Project Dream Big (which is an innovation to equip and prepare young minds for the change in the skills demanded in the global workforce market), with over 600 secondary students benefiting from the first edition, being equipped with the knowledge to thrive in this dispensation.

In March 2022, the Folabomi Foundation, with the support of individual donors, sponsored the JAMB registration fee of 46 students from two public schools in Lagos, giving them the opportunity to further pursue their goals.

These initiatives have positively impacted the ‘FOLABOMI’ brand as a whole and it excites us to know that under-served children are also given opportunities they would not have had access to because of their background.

PT: Can you highlight what a typical day looks like in your world?

Tolu: There is no typical day parse, but an average day is me getting up from bed, arming myself with the God’s word and committing all my goals for the day into His hands.

I drive to work and do quality checks on new garments produced from the previous day, the orders going out in the current day and the deliverables for the current day. I address my staff and we discuss challenges or new ideas for implementation.

I attend to clients’ enquiries, complaints and orders both online and in-store. There are days I also attend to consultations with bespoke clients and other days I do market survey or purchase bulk items and raw materials.

I also attend meetings to sort-out details for upcoming Folabomi Foundation projects.

At close of business, I drive back home and depending on the day of the week, go play some tennis to unwind. I have dinner and go through anything I might have missed in the course of the day.

PT: What advice would you give a young person going into this line of business?

Tolu: Discover the problem you want to solve and create a niche for yourself in proffering solutions to that problem.

Do something that makes your work stand out from the crowd. Even if you don’t have the necessary capital at first, just start, a slow and steady process of building the business eventually pays.

Even when things get very challenging, keep showing up and deliver an outstanding service.

PT: How have you been able to manage your business, Foundation, and your home?

Tolu: I try to plan well for every aspect. I visualise what I need to achieve in a day in order of priority and I hold myself accountable for the results, but I think it’s better and more effective to write it down, tick items off as you achieve and review at the end of the day.

PT: How do you manage running a business in Nigeria?

Tolu: I maintain relationships with experts and vendors that give us an edge in terms of getting good deals on raw materials and quality information.

I understand how unstable things are and I try to have backup plans for everything. I also prepare for the worse in terms of completion and delivery and this reflects in what we inform our clients.

As a business, we spend on what is absolutely necessary and would benefit the business and this helps to reduce costs to the barest minimum.

PT: Where do you see your business in the next five years?

Tolu: In the next five years, I see my business as a global brand satisfying the clothing needs of working women in at least five more countries.

PT: In a world where young people are seeking quick wealth through inhumane means, what advice would you give to the youth in Nigeria?

Tolu: Trust me, the kind of success you want is the kind that will leave you fulfilled. People who achieve this kind of success have crucial qualities such as courage, humility, wisdom, and most importantly integrity.

For me, it isn’t just about making a living but also about being of immense impact. That’s the real wealth and it is such that no one can take it from you — not a competitor, not an accident, not retirement and definitely not the state of the economy.

So I’ll say, just be consistent, enjoy the process, trust the process and you’ll soon see your work yielding great value and reward.

PT: What do you do when you are not working?

Tolu: Watching movies, travelling and seeing new places, reading books and taking pictures.

PT: Thank you for your time.

Tolu: You are welcome.