With the increasing number of women in Africa, especially middle class women spending more on personal beauty products and services, the beauty industry has fast become a promising sector that has boosted the economy in Africa. Entrepreneurs and companies now invest majorly in the booming beauty industry, and we can see evidence of all this around us –  from the rise of beauty influencers, to international beauty brands launching new products in the country regularly – it is safe to see that these trends are here to stay.

According to Borgen Magazine, with the vast investments into Africa in the beauty industry, the personal care and beauty markets of Nigeria and South Africa have reached $1.2 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively.

One key player in the Nigerian beauty market that is making a great impact is millennial queen boss, Ezinne Alfa of Beauty In Lagos.

Ezinne Alfa is an award winning beauty blogger, influencer and  entrepreneur. She is the founder of www.beautyinlagos.com – an online destination for all things beauty, in Nigeria. It comprises of a blog, a beauty directory (BeautyDirectoryNG) and a subscription-only discount service (BeautyClubNG). The website was launched in January 2012 as a blog positioned to share all that the city of Lagos had to offer in terms of beauty but now,  Beauty In Lagos has evolved into being the number 1 online destination for beauty in Nigeria.

When she first returned to Nigeria from the UK, Ezinne said it took her a while to know where to get beauty products and services that she needed. As she made inquiries and researched, she decided to share her information with others through her blog. In her words, “Beauty blogging is vast, it is about sharing knowledge about beauty in any form the person finds comfortable”.

Over the years, Beauty In Lagos has worked on collaborations and partnerships with a host of distinguished international and local brands such as: Carolina Herrera, M.A.C, INGLOT, Shea Moisture, Orly, Le Chat, Beauty Africa Exhibition, Maybelline New York , House of Tara, Zaron and Montaigne Place, etc. In March 2017, Beauty In Lagos was listed by Invicta Africa & SME100 Nigeria as one of the “100 Most Innovative Female-Owned Businesses in Nigeria”.

Ezinne Alfa is totally millennial queen boss goals. Slay on mama!

I sure did learn a lot from her and I hope you will too!

If you have ever visited Ayo Van Elmar fashion cafe, you will admit that it’s quite an eclectic and unique experience you’ve had.

As a trained nutritionist who is also a fashion designer, Ayo wanted to offer fashion, art and a healthy option for snacking. And this birthed the cafe. With her knock-out smoothies, carrot cakes, and other yummy treats, the cafe offers a unique space where patrons can eat and relax while shopping: Something we ladies would surely appreciate.

The tri-lingual, versatile woman (she speaks German, English and Yoruba fluently) is such a bundle of joy and character which she expresses in her designs and art works.

Her cafe is located in one of Nigeria’s premium 5 star hotels, Oriental Hotel. It houses clothing lines worn by the city’s popular celebrities, as well as fashion-forward individuals.

She was based in Vienna, Austria – one of the most beautiful cities in the world – before she moved to Lagos, which let’s face it, isn’t as developed as Vienna. With basic necessities such as electricity and WiFi still a luxury in this part of the world, many would wonder why she made that move. She mentions her decision was made, so she could  have creative freedom.

“The average Nigerian’s love for colour and creativity is freeing and liberating. It’s not the same in other parts of the world. I love having creative freedom!”

Here are Ayo’s tips to having a thriving business:

If you are not passionate about it, don’t do it
‘Money will come’, Ayo says. She believes in doing it first for the passion before the money. Passion she describes, has to be deeply rooted.

‘If you do it for money, you’re going to close shop’.

Rejuvenate
Ayo goes back to Vienna at least three times a year. It is there she gets inspiration and has an opportunity to visit family. Within Nigeria, she goes to the beach to hibernate and gather fresh sources of inspiration. Rejuvenation, she mentions, is necessary if you are to keep your batteries in good shape.

Hard work means little or no sleep
“I’ve learnt that sometimes, many times, I’ll come last”. That’s simply how entrepreneurship works.

Consistency
Ayo who has been a working fashion designer for 6 years, spoke on how much of a growth journey the process had been all along for her. As a name that has only become familiar to many this year, she says it has been a roller coaster ride but she stayed consistent through it all and learnt to enjoy the journey.

Certainty
You have to be absolutely sure that this is what you want to do or it won’t work out, she says. It gets incredibly daunting and as a result, there are several times when any sane person would want to give up. It is in those critical times that the extraordinary entrepreneur is defined.

Have the right values
Ayo could easily have elected to produce in countries like Bangladesh and China where the labour would be cheaper, and where workers are often exploited. However, this goes against her personal code of ethics.

She also mentions having an understanding of who her employees are, where they live, how much their rent is… taking a real interest in the people that make up the core of her business. This, she mentioned has also been a winning factor.

In 2013, she organized a training program aimed at teaching women how to start their own Ankara Accessories business in order to achieve financial empowerment.

To her greatest dismay, not a single person paid for the training. Instead of quitting, she went back to the drawing board and decided to learn how to use social media to market her training programs. This led to a turnaround in her business as she started getting customers for her training program and requests from people outside Lagos and even outside Nigeria.

She could not travel to all the cities she was getting requests from, and decided to launch an online course so that people could have access to the training program regardless of where they lived.

This experiment turned out to be a great success as people paid for her online course from all over Nigeria and from over nine countries. Unknown to Stephanie, she had stumbled on the online education market, which was on the rise and is now projected to be worth $325 billion in 2025. A recent example of this is LinkedIn’s acquisition of Lynda.com, an online courses provider.

Five years later, Stephanie has gone on to launch 20 more online courses across multiple niches, and has trained over 600 women across nine countries. She has also built an online community of over 20,000 people.

Seeing the gap in the knowledge market in Africa, and the need for millenials to have access to information that can help them grow more successful businesses, Stephanie launched Trayny, an online educational platform that creates and manages online courses by Africa’s most trusted leaders.

She has also developed a signature framework on how to create and launch online courses, so that more people can gain financial freedom by sharing their knowledge through online courses.

It also contains easy-to-implement steps for finding your voice, building an online community around your topic and marketing your course online.

Through this book, Stephanie gives women (and a few bold men) the tools to live independent and financially free lives while creating impact and opportunities for others.

Knowledge is the New Gold is the new guide for women everywhere who want to be more, do more, have more and leave a lasting legacy.

She shares all this in her new book, “Knowledge is the New Gold”. This game changing book which will be out in the month of June, is filled with expert tips, tried and tested strategies and proven practical advice on how to turn your knowledge, talents and experiences into a goldmine.

Her brand, Uzo’s Food Labs is a growing food and home entertainment company that offers a wide range of services including providing premium baked goods to retail and corporate clients and consulting and training services to the hospitality industry.

The brand also has a growing media arm that includes food writing, content creation for online and terrestial television platforms as well as a merchandising arm that creates and sells products including our gourmet chin chin, aprons, oils and spices. The brand is the also the creator and promoter of the Garden to Table Nigeria movement that encourages people to grow at least one thing organically regardless of space constraints.

She has been featured on numerous prestigious platforms including CNN Africa, EbonyLife TV, Spice TV, to name a few. 

We caught up with the busy mom and had a brief chat with her about her entrepreneurship. 

What was that “Aha Moment” that made you realize that there was a possibility of monetizing your passion?

I was ready to leave the world of paid employment and venture into a world where I looked forward to going to work everyday. I was always complimented about my cooking and home entertaining skills so I decided to make a go at that and charge for what I enjoyed doing.

What steps did you take towards preparing for entrepreneurship?

Finances are a huge factor for any business. I began to save money from my monthly salary dedicated to acting as a cushion once I became a full time entrepreneur. I prepared a business case for the proposed business – at the time it was a boutique bakery that included market analysis, financial projections and start up costs. I started to buy equipment and tools for the business out of my salary as well and actually started test running the business while holding a demanding job. I wanted to test the market and see if this passion could actually earn money.

What’s the toughest part about entrepreneurship in your field in Nigeria?

There are 2 challenging areas: Infrastructure – power, water supply. Human capital issues – quality of staff, retention, willingness to work, integrity.

How do you overcome your most pressing challenges?

It is a daily challenge. The power challenge means having alternative power supply every day. We do not rely on government provided water and also have alternative water supply for the business along with a water treatment system.

From earning a monthly seven figure salary in banking, to the unpredictability of income in entrepreneurship. How were you able to cope when you first started out?

The financial cushion helped a great deal in the beginning. This meant that I could afford to let the business grow without dipping into the profits as a salary. I also had to put myself on a very strict budget and cut out spending on non-essential things. Spending on needs instead of wants.

How do you manage to achieve a realistic work-life balance as an entrepreneur, mom and wife?

Honestly, I am not sure I have work-life balance. I simply switch roles as circumstances arise. I work all the time so having a schedule helps. Time for mommy things like the school run, school activities etc. Time for the garden. Time for shoots. Time to write. I try to allot time to each activity. I also have support behind the scenes especially on the home front. I just have to be honest, it is not easy trying to juggle all the balls but I try everyday.

What’s your advice to women who would like to be entrepreneurs in your field?

Research is key. Learn everything you possibly can about the particular area you want to play in. When you do that, you should be able to identify any gaps in the industry which can be an opportunity for a new business. Prepare a realistic business case with financial projections. I suggest getting a 3rd party involved – to prepare or review so there is an unbiased set of eyes to sweat your assumptions. Finally, be ready to work very hard and soldier through when things do not go as planned.

The food industry in Nigeria is growing at a rapid rate. From chefs to  foodpreneurs, vloggers and bloggers, it is fast becoming an overcrowded space. What do you think sets you apart from others?

The Uzo’s Food Labs brand is an approachable, relatable brand and I believe that is one reason that sets us apart. Even though the brand is in the food and hospitality space, it is not just focused on one area so we are able to attract a pretty wide audience. Our output and products are also unique – we thrive on being disruptive and I believe that is a huge factor.

How do you thrive as an African woman despite society’s myriad expectations of who you should be?

I know who I am and what my goals are and I go for them. The opinions and expectations of people do not really matter to me. I have my compass about morality, faith, decency, home life, work and I try as hard as I can to stay true to those points.

What’s next for Uzo?

More work. We have grand plans for the brand and are working on several projects at the moment. We plan to take the brand outside the shores of Nigeria, and roll out more products that will be more readily available in retail outlets.