I recently spoke to Emma as she talks me through her businesses, proving doubters wrong despite her young age and her plans for her businesses in 2012.

Hi Emma, How are you doing, great to have you on YHP?

I’m great! Thanks for having me.

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself? Tell me about yourself growing up?

I’m only 16 so I guess I still am growing up! I was always a very determined growing up, always wanting to be the best at what every I was doing and I guess that has helped me get to where I am today. I use to play a lot of sport which has taught me a lot of skills that I have applied to my business including team work, patience and hard work.

As I said before I am still just 16, currently working towards my GCSEs this summer whilst running a number of businesses. I currently run a clothing line called Sketch&Stitch (www.sketchandstitch.com), a magazine about design called PixelBatch (www.pixelbatch.com), a discount card called ThriftPass (www.thriftpass.com/) and I also occasionally do some freelance design work.

How did you get into business?

Since a young age I was always selling old items on sites such as eBay and Amazon to fund new purchases. When I reached around 13, I had found my passion – design. I was frustrated as who was going to give a 13 year old design work so I decided that a great way to utilize my passion for design was to launch a clothing brand. And I did just so at the age of 14 – I launched SeamlessApparel. This soon progressed to be my main focus and at the beginning of 2012 was rebranded as Sketch&Stitch. I have also since then begun working on two new startups – PixelBatch and ThriftPass with both launching in the summer of 2012.

Who was your inspiration growing and why?

I never really had anyone that I looked up to or admired growing up but since starting my businesses I have met some amazing people in the last few years who have inspired me more than I could have imagined.

So tell me about Sketch&Stitch and how the idea came about?

I had found my passion which was design and wanted a platform for my work. Apparel just seemed the perfect way to do so. In 2011 I launched SeamlessApparel – I opened with just 4 tees designs but these quickly sold out and I went on to release a second line of 8 items. Near the end of 2011 I decided that I wanted to rebrand SeamlessApparel. I sold the remaining items and started work on Sketch&Stitch. I have just launched Sketch&Stitch this April with products ranging from tees, hoodies, cardigans, posters, mugs, notebooks, scarfs to necklaces. So far Sketch&Stitch has been great and lots more is to come!

What was your biggest challenge during the startup phase?

I would say one of the biggest challenges was getting people to believe in me. Many seemed to say that because I was 14/15/16 years old I couldn’t do it. I hope I have proved some of them wrong today!

How have you been able to fund the business?

I initially set up SeamlessApparel with my own money. Sketch&Stitch was launched of the profits from SeamlessApparel. Both ThriftPass and PixelBatch will also be funded by myself.

What would you say has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

Again, it has to be the people I have met and the experiences I have had in such a short amount of time. I have got to talk to people I would never have thought I could have and I have been able to do things I couldn’t have even imagined a few years ago!

What can we be expecting from Sketch&Stitch in 2012?

We have only just launched but have already begun work on new products. Expect lots more designs, clothing and accessories.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

I would only have one piece of advice for entrepreneurs starting out and it is to follow your passion no matter what anyone says. If you find a passion, pursue it and you will be able to make it work – even if everyone on they way will tell you that you can’t do it.

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

Alice quit her job in the city last year having spent most of her time speaking to entrepreneurs as an investor. I recently caught up with her as she sheds more light on her recent journey into the startup world.

Hi Alice, How are you doing, great to have you on YHP?

Thanks it’s great to be speaking to you guys!

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself? What were you doing before you founded LUX FIX?

Straight after leaving Oxford, where I read History, I worked as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs working on UK Mergers & Acquisitions, followed by three years in private equity at Quilvest Private Equity, where I was involved in the execution and monitoring of direct and fund investments in the UK and Europe. Then I left finance behind to found LUX FIX!

So Alice tell me how you got into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

Sitting the other side of the table as an investor at a Private Equity firm, I was always struck by the passion and energy of the entrepreneurs I met and was very keen to join them when I found the right opportunity.

Who was your inspiration growing and why?

My grandmother! She has worked all her life and is at the top of her field (she is a jewellery historian) even today.

So tell me about LUX FIX and how the idea came about?

We felt there was a need for a service offering time-poor professionals cherry-picked luxury, countering the “inventory overload” of the web and rewarding them with special offers each week.

What is LUX FIX and how does it work?

For our members, we are solving the issue of online inventory-overload and making buying luxury online fun and experience led (all our offers are one-off), for our designers we are a marketing platform which drives targeted consumers directly to their own online presences.

What is your business model?

LUX FIX works hand in hand with designers to offer super-curated luxury with members-only deals – like discounts, limited-editions and previews. We introduce brands and their current season to members via our newsletter/blog, engage members through the fun & interactive LUX FIX platform, and convert sales both on lux-fix.com and through referrals to designers’ own websites.

LUX FIX currently generates revenues directly on lux-fix.com and via affiliate sales.

What makes LUX FIX different from any service out there?

We are the only site in the UK where top luxury brands give regular offers on current season merchandise; this is possible because we provide marketing and sales generation for our designer partners’ brands and websites. Our customer is interested in current collections and the provenance behind them, she also appreciates deals and one-off offers to draw her attention.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Building a portfolio of luxury designers from scratch pre-launch was a big challenge — designers are approached by online startups all the time and we had to show them why we were different, all before we actually had a website to demo.

We focused on explaining to designers how Lux Fix differs from other online multi-brand retailers — how we work directly with designers to raise awareness of their brands and grow their own e-commerce sales rather than competing for customers. Also, we showed no compunction in calling brands again, and again, and again, until they agreed to give us a meeting.

Who are your competitors?

Well…we think LUX FIX occupies a unique space in the UK, offering members deals on in-season luxury alongside fresh editorial!

How have you been able to fund the business?

We raised a small initial round from private investors.

What can we be expecting from your company in 2012?

In the next year we are looking to grow a fantastic team, particularly on the buying side so that we can grow our engaged database of luxury consumers to our next milestone and also to expand our offering cross-vertical and to serve new markets!

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

The best advice we have ever been given? Never take no for an answer and always negotiate! Other than that….Use your network — friends, family, former colleagues, random person you meet at a party, it’s amazing how many people you know will be able and happy to help. Also be prepared to be flexible and responsive — we’re constantly iterating and many of the features on the latest version of the site came from customer and designer feedback.

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

The full interview is below

Samuel Aderounmu (left), and Yemi Spaine (right)

Hi Samuel, great to have you on YHP, how are you doing today?

I’m doing great, thanks for asking. It’s a glorious day with plenty of Spring sunshine, which always puts me in a great mood!

Before we move on, could you quickly give us some background information about yourself so that the YHP audience can get to know you better?

Sure. I’m 23, Nigerian/British, and currently based in London where I live and work. I graduated from the University of Leicester in 2009 with a degree in Financial Economics, following which I completed an MSc in Finance and Investment at Durham Business School. I now work in an Investment Bank but also run a business with my friend Yemi.

So Samuel, tell me how you got into entrepreneurship, what was your motivation?

I’ve always had a love of business, which I believe that I inherited from my parents. Before I was old enough to remember, my dad had retired from his banking career to pursue several business interests. My mum was also very business-minded – producing hair and beauty products in Lagos, Nigeria. Growing up around such entrepreneurs certainly rubbed off on me. I would say my motivation has always been centred on my love for variety and a challenge. Starting and running a successful business is exactly the type of challenge that keeps me interested!

What was your first business, tell us about your experience running that?

My first insight into business was actually an eBay business, back when I was still in secondary school. The concept was very simple, import mp3 players from China and sell on eBay (back in the days when the iPod was only just emerging). The experience was not so straightforward however, I got ripped off a couple of times with suppliers sending items I didn’t order/counterfeit goods. As you can imagine, after that I wasn’t so keen to pursue that idea and realized I wasn’t ready to take on such a business and decided to focus on my GCSEs. I would say it was a great experience, in that it taught me a lot about the risks of doing business, and what factors to consider next time.

After that business, what else did you get involved in?

I didn’t get involved with any other ventures until I got to the University of Leicester, where I had the opportunity to revive a failing society.

So you went to the University of Leicester? How was the experience, a lot more people are deciding to go into entrepreneurship straight after school rather going to university, what made you realise that this was the right choice for you?

Going to university was probably the best decision I could have made at the time. I matured a great deal in the three years I was studying for my Bachelors. I also came to know myself a lot more, around what motivates me, and what I wanted to get out of my life. A major factor in deciding to go to University for me was that I saw a degree as something I could always fall back on….and three years at Uni would be a great deal of fun too!

At the time that I was deciding to go to University, I had a good idea of what type of career I wanted to pursue – although entrepreneurship was my long term goal, I saw a career in banking as a way to open many doors and prepare me with the skills I would need to be successful in business.

You became Vice-President of the Afro Caribbean Society in your second year of university, how did that happen? How was the experience running the society, especially reviving a failing society as you said earlier and some of the opportunities It brought you?

I actually set out to be Treasurer of the ACS, but as fate would have it, I ended up being the VP. The person running for President moved on to another Univeristy, my current business partner Yemi, got promoted to President, and I took his position as VP. That turned out to be a very fortunate turn of events for us as friends and business partners.

The experience of running the society was certainly very challenging, but equally as rewarding. When we took over leadership, the society was suffering low morale, even lower expectations, and had no money in the account. However, through some great ideas and the hardwork of the whole ACS team, we were able to turn it around to the point where we were nominated for Society of the year. Both Yemi and I would say that the experience of running that Society is what confirmed our passion for entrepreneurship.

Is this something that you would recommend to other university students?

I would definitely recommend getting involved in the running/leadership of extra-curricular activities at University, be it a Sports club or Society. Involvement in the management of a Society is a great way to challenge yourself, and you will learn a lot of practical business skills that you probably wouldn’t learn from the academic portion of University life. In the one year that Yemi and I were managing the ACS, we learned a lot about advertising, marketing, accounting, conflict resolution, people management, stakeholder management, resource planning and forecasting, the list goes on.

So straight after university, you decide to intern at Goldman Sachs and then a MSc in Finance and Investment at Durham Business School?

Correct – I wanted to gain an insight into whether my desired career in banking was anything like I was expecting. So I applied for several internships and was over the moon when I got an offer from Goldman Sachs to intern in the Global Investment Research division in the summer of 2009. The MSc was something I always planned to do even while I was still studying for my Bachelors.

Tell me about your experience at Goldman Sachs, what would you say were some of the key things that you learnt from that experience?

The experience was a very challenging one, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. The long hours (typically 7am-7pm, often longer) would fly-by as the days were busy and there was always a lot to learn. The key things I learned from the experience would be time management, stakeholder (customer/supplier) management, and the value of integrity. In the real world, ‘blagging it’ is not an option. You must have the substance to back up any ideas you’re presenting. These are all lessons that we apply to the way we run our business now.

Why a Msc, I mean I’m pretty sure by then you were already buzzing with ideas for start a business? Why further your study?

In my final year at Uni, I decided to apply for MSc courses. Although I was already buzzing with ideas for business, I thought I would probably never want to return to education once I started working/business. I saw an MSc in Finance and Investment as an opportunity to develop a more robust financial grounding and acquire practical skills that I would be able to apply whether in business or the workplace.

How did you meet your co-founder?

I am in business with my university housemate and good friend Yemi. We met in our first week at the University of Leicester, both studying Economics, and quickly came to learn that we had many common interests, most relevant of which are entrepreneurship and men’s style/ fashion (although neither of us would actually say we follow fashion!).

Tell me how the idea for East & Lester came about?

After Uni, Yemi interned with Ozwald Boateng on Savile Row. I was invited to Ozwald’s flagship 25th year anniversary runway show at the end of London Fashion week. It was that event that provided the inspiration for us to launch our own men’s custom/ semi-bespoke tailoring company. We identified that there is a large market for affordable, custom tailoring, because most people couldn’t afford the Savile Row prices (typically upwards of £2000 for a bespoke suit).

What is East & Lester? Tell me more about the company

East & Lester is simply a company that offers made to measure / Custom made suits and shirts. We currently focus on men only, but we are working on expanding our products and services to women in the year ahead. The company has been around since the end of 2010, and we have seen a steady increase in clients and sales in the period we’ve been running.

Are you guys profitable?

Thankfully, yes we are. We have been profitable from very early on in the business. Yemi and I worked to a very strict start-up budget which, coupled with the unique business model, meant that we were able to start realising profits within 2-3 months of operating.

What kind of challenges did you face when starting the company and how did you deal with it?

As I mentioned, we were basically bootstrapping when we started the company. That was mainly because we preferred to build the company without any external investment, and we had experience in building up a profitable venture from practically nothing whilst at Uni. The major challenge we faced was that we had to learn to do practically everything ourselves. For example, our website www.eastandlester.com was designed and built entirely from scratch by Yemi and I. I spent a lot of time learning the technical aspects, whilst Yemi worked on things like copywriting and SEO optimisation. We were able to play to our strengths, which I think is key to our success.

How were you able to juggle running the business and studying for your Msc?

That wasn’t much of a problem as we started the business in September 2010, which was around the time I submitted my dissertation!

What are some of the key things that you’ve learnt so far on your entrepreneurial journey?

1. Don’t take no for an answer
2. If you can’t afford to pay someone to do it, invest in yourself and learn to do it yourself
3. Google is your best friend for all kinds of research/solutions to problems (the internet taught me how to build a website)
4. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people. This is what I love about platforms such as YHP!

What would you say has been some of your most memorable moment so far?

Two moments stay in my mind:

1. The first time Yemi and I wore our East & Lester garments was to a business show at Earls Court. We received many compliments about them, and each time we told people our company made them, the look of disbelief on their faces (probably down to our youthful looks) was always quite satisfying!

2. Being asked by a soon to be married client to take on the duty of dressing him and his seven groomsmen. Not only is that the biggest single order we’ve undertaken, it is also humbling to have the opportunity to play such an important role on such a significant occasion as a Wedding.

What advices would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business?

I think my advice to aspiring entrepreneurs would be the same advice Yemi and I followed. That is simply to work hard and persevere with their business ideas, until they become a reality. Coming up with ideas is often easy, but what makes the difference (and is more difficult) is being able to execute those ideas into something profitable. Obviously, plan, plan and plan some more, to ensure that you have all bases covered, and that the idea really is feasible and that your expectations are realistic, even if optimistic.

What can we be expecting from you and East & Lester in the future?

At East & Lester, we remain focused on maintaining the quality of our products and services. That has been, and will continue to be the foundation of our expanding client base (which has been driven solely by referrals thus far). We are now operating in two continents, but aim to have a presence across all continents within 5 years.

From Yemi and I, you can expect to see more products/services within the luxury goods/services space. Our mission is to redefine luxury because we believe luxury and expensive should not be synonymous. We have many more ideas in the incubator, all of which are founded on that same premise.

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

Prior to founding Dressipi, Sarah was the co-founder and CEO of Texperts.com, the world’s first text message question answering service which was sold to KGB, owners of the 118118 directory enquiries service, in a multi-million pound deal.

Below is the full interview.

Hi Sarah, How are you doing, great to have you on YHP?

Thanks, it is great to be here! I love your site and the fact that you are promoting young entrepreneurs – something I am also very passionate about. So, very excited to be featured.

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself? Tell me about yourself growing up?

Well, I am 34 years old and have greatly enjoyed life so far. My Dad was in the army, so as a child I lived everywhere! Since leaving school in 1995, I spent a year teaching English in China. I then completed my education at Edinburgh University where I studied Economics and Chinese (gaining a 2:1) and was then offered a job in an investment bank working as an analyst in Corporate Finance.

At University, I developed a passion for motorbikes and fuelled by my year in China had a desire to ride my motorbike from London to Beijing across the Silk Route. I managed to convince 5 other friends to join me, the investment bank to give me a year off and we set off in 2001 on 2 Ural motorbike and sidecars, a Land Rover and a lot of spare parts! Thousands of miles, 13 countries and many breakdowns later we made it to Tiananmen Square having raised £50,000 for Cancer Research and Mercy Corps.

I started my first job but quickly realized that life in the city was not for me! But, it was my first job that inspired me to start my first business. Along with my first co-founder (Thomas Roberts) we spotted a gap in the information market and in June 2003 to set up my first business, Texperts. We ended up selling Texperts to our largest competitor (the company that own 118118) in 2008, I then went out to New York to work for them and then quickly realized that being an entrepreneur was now firmly in my blood so then resigned and came back to start Dressipi with Donna Kelly (amazingly talented lady!).

How did you get into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

Purely by chance, it was literally whilst working for the investment bank that we got the idea for the first business and starting a business when you are younger is a much better time to do it. I was 25, had nothing to lose – no mortgage, no kids, and no real responsibilities so if it all went wrong I figured I would have learnt a fair bit and would just go back into a normal job! Although I have amazing role models in my family they were mostly in services or teachers so very little exposure to entrepreneurship. I honestly believe that if you see an opportunity or have an idea there is nothing better than just going for it – of course you’ll make mistakes but as long as you learn quickly it is an amazing experience and one that cannot be replicated in an office.

Who was your inspiration growing up and why?

I would say that one of my greatest inspirations growing up was my grandfather, not necessarily from an entrepreneurial point of view but he was without doubt the most time-less, class-less principled person I have ever known. Him and my grandmother were full of fun, laughter and always surrounded by people of all generations and from all walks of life. My parents have also been an inspiration to me, always encouraging me to do what I enjoy and to never give up!

You founded and sold Texperts, tell me about your experience running that company and the idea behind it, that was just after the dot-com bubble – it must have been a hard to start and grow a business?

The idea for Texperts came from our time as analysts on the graduate training program at the investment bank. We spent so much of our time having to locate very accurate information and numbers for very demanding bosses and client at all times of the day, night and weekend. We got fairly frustrated that we were being paid a good graduate salary to do lots of analysis but spent more of our time locating various bits of information. We could find a service that could deliver good quality information quickly (this was 4 or 5 years before the advent of the smart phone) so we decided to have a go at it ourselves!

We were very young and so, as you can imagine, made many mistakes but we also managed to build a good business with really great technology. One of the great things about starting a business when you are young is that you don’t know what you don’t know and so everything seems very achievable. It was hard starting but there is always a way to get through any situation and if you truly believe in your idea and what you are building then you will find the right way through any problem. The most important skill to learn is that of empathy – learn to understand who you are pitching to and what it is about your business that each person (whether it is a client or an investor) is interested in.

What were some of the key things you learnt from the whole Texperts experience?

We made a few mistakes at Texperts but as a result learnt amazing amounts in those 5 years.
Here is a shortlist:

· Make sure your business really needs investment, raising capital is hard work and very time consuming – make sure you have explored all other avenues first
· Make sure you get a good team. At early stages, people invest in the team just as much as they invest in the idea. It’s about the ability to execute in changing circumstances
· Know your business not just the basics; know all stats, figures & what really counts
· Understand that fundamentally investors want a return on their capital – angels tend to have different time horizons than VCs so it is important you have worked out what you want out of your business; are you building it to sell it or run it – what is your ideal exit?
· Learn to listen and watch what aspects of your business excite different investors/clients and adapt your focus accordingly – empathy is key
· Understand who you are pitching to – do as much due diligence on investors as they do on you. At the early stages you need smart investors who add real value. Talk to other companies they have invested, make sure there are no nasty surprises round the corner
· If you can, run a tight competitive process with your investors
· For every NO that you get – make sure you get honest feedback (everyone will have a different reason for the NO) and make sure that point has been addressed before you present again.
· Don’t get disheartened – retain your passion and belief. Don’t give up.
· Network, network, network – you never know where you’ll meet future investors
· Once you have investment, communicate with your investors, whether it is good or bad news, this is key. Existing investors are often the spring board to further investment

So tell me about Dressipi and how the idea came about?

Back in 2009, we were both busy working women who didn’t have the time to shop but definitely wanted to look lovely. And if we bought clothes, it was often from the same brands and not always clothes that were great for us. Everyone was pushing product but no one was genuinely servicing the customer. This led to the idea to create a service where you could find all the clothes and brands in one place, and where every single item you saw was selected personally for you, based on your own style and shopping preferences. A service that was simple and fun to use and where you could always find inspirational and feel good things. Exactly like having your own personal stylist on tap.

What were you doing before you founded Dressipi?

I was working in New York for the company that bought Texperts – they are called kgb and own kgb deals and many of the European 118 services.

What was your biggest challenge during the startup phase?

Working out whether what we wanted to build was technically feasible or not. We ended up speaking to specialists in many areas before we started building the first prototype.

How have you been able to fund the business?

We self-funded the business ourselves to begin with and then raised money from angel investors. But most importantly remember that, especially in the early stages, investors primarily invest in the team. Fundamentally it is about passion, tenacity and drive – with those 3 qualities you can make anything happen!

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Most of our growth to-date has been through word-of-mouth and some SEO/PPC but to be honest we are still building quite a bit of the core functionality and would expect to have most of the core functionality built by June at which point we would expect to start to simplify the marketing and customer growth.

Would you say the business has changed from the first initial idea?

Absolutely. When we first started we had a social fashion game! It is still not a bad idea but it did not really appeal to the market that we were really trying to solve problems for.

What would you say has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

All of it! I love what I do and am lucky enough to wake up every day and find that I cannot wait to get into the office… (sad I know!)

What can we be expecting from your company in 2012?

We have so many plans for 2012. The first half of the year is about building the remaining 3 bit of functionality that our customers tell us they really want! And then the last half of the year is about introducing the social elements of the site and amplifying the benefits to increase customer growth.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

1. Make sure you are solving a real problem
2. Make sure you believe in what you are doing
3. Go for it!

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

I spoke to Lakhiva about her new company and some of the difficulties she has faced since its launch.

Below is our full conversation.

Hi Lakhiva, thanks for doing this interview with me, how are you doing?

Great. Just returned form New York presenting LcB Nail Lacquer to the Beauty Industry.

Can you tell me a little about yourself? What’s your background?

Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. Background is in Sales with a flair for creative interpretation.

Take us back a little, how did you get the idea for LcB Nail Lacquer collection?

I am a product junkie with a love for color and fashion. Through creative interpretation I’ve developed the ability to express myself through beauty products and fashion.

When did you decide to start taking it seriously?

When I launched LcB Nail Lacquer February 12, 2011 and I’ve never looked back.

What were you doing before you started LcB Nail Lacquer collection?

A Medical/Pharmaceutical Sales Representative.

What is LcB Nail Lacquer?

LcB Nail Lacquer™ is an enterprise that has created a marquee concept consisting of a line of nail lacquer shades. I grew up being called different names in reference to my dark skin tone. Whether the comments tended to be flattering or insulting, I was motivated and persuaded to create a line for women to inspre, motivate and empower women.

Talking about early days, what difficulties did you encounter in your early days of the company and tell us how you got out of it?

As any small businessperson or entrepreneur will attest, starting from scratch is not for the faint of heart. Initially, being viewed as a serious entrant into the beauty/fashion world was a huge hurdle. Competition is staggering and entrants are numerous. In such a competitive field a new line must set itself apart from the field. Secondly, finances. Operating on a shoestring budget and filling the roles in all facets of a fledgling business takes commitment. My goal remains, operate with the company’s financial means. Lastly, remembering I’m also the CEO of a family. Having a successful business is rewarding however; having a loving and successful family to share it with is heavenly.

Who is your inspiration and why?

I’m inspired both by the drive to better myself and by the people I encounter on a daily basis. I think inspiration can be found everywhere that’s why I love to travel and meet people.

What would you say has been the key to your success so far?

Continue to evolve, staying on trend and being creative. Keep things fresh and new, like it’s your first adventure.

What would you say has been your most memorable moment so far?

Working with Designer Korto Momolu during New York Fashion Week. LcB outfitted the models in LcB Nail Lacquer.

What would you say has been some of the key things that you’ve learnt on your journey so far?

Be patient, my time will come!

What achievement are you most proud of?

When individuals tell me that LcB is the best nail polish. It can last up to 2 weeks and has an ultimate shine without the harmful chemicals, such as DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate), Toluene and Formaldehyde.

What advices would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to get in to business?

Research the industry, be patience and persistence, find mentors, join organizations that relate to your business. Research, research, and more research!

What can we be expecting from you in 2012?

LcB will launch 3 new colors and names, more New York Fashion Week visits and to work with more charities and organizations.

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

Korto Momolu now dedicates her time to being a mother, a wife and running her own company. I had a quick chat with her to discuss some of the key things that have happened so far in her career.

Hi Korto, thanks for doing this interview with me, how are you doing?

I’m fine thanks

Can you give us some background information so the YHP readers can get to know you better? Who is Korto Momolu?

Korto is a designer of fine things, a mother, wife and all around family woman who is deeply rooted in faith

Take us back a little, how did you get into Fashion?

I began designing in my senior year of high school and had a great mentor that helped me tune into my passion

When did you decide to start taking it seriously?

Upon graduation from high school I applied to design college

Talking about early days, what difficulties did you encounter in your early days of designing and tell us how you got out of it?

I could not sew very well going into school so it was very difficult to stay on top of the class and gain praise from instructors

Who is your inspiration and why?

I am very inspired by Oprah Winfrey and her sense of morals and character. She continues to set great examples for women of color and I appreciate that

When you create something, what goes through your mind? What’s your creative process?

I begin draping every item I create it’s a calming and intense process once I decide on my theme for the collection or piece

What is most challenging about a career in fashion design?

Having thick skin and knowing it won’t happen over night

What else do you get up to in any spare time that you manage to have? Is there anything other than designing that you like to immerse yourself in?

I love to read and travel for leisure. the Simple things bring me joy these days

What’s exciting for you right now in fashion?

Lots of color and color blocking is great. I love that people continue to layer

Tell me how you got involved in Project Runway?

I was a fan of the show and decided to apply to be on it after the 4th season wrapped. I auditioned for season 5 and made it on the 5th season

What was the experience like, being in the show?

It was life changing and extremely rewarding!

What would you say has been some of the key things that you’ve learnt on your journey so far?

Everyone is not going to like you but its ok, love yourself and continue to grow daily. Life is about finding new ways to live out your dream

What would you say has been key in growing your business to the stage its at, at the moment?

Perseverance, persistence, confidence and last but never least FAITH

What would you say has been your most memorable moment so far?

Going to my home town in Liberia in May 2011 after 23 years of exile

What key advices would you like to give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Dream… Believe…have FAITH …REPEAT

What can we be expecting from you in 2012?

Sky’s the limit! www.kortomomolu.com for those who want to come along on the ride

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

Like many entrepreneurs, I have always known I was going to start my own business – the main challenge for me was waiting for inspiration to strike! Fortunately for me it did, and in the most unlikely of places. I was searching online for some Calvin Klein underwear for my brother, and after searching for hours and not finding what I was looking for, I had my ‘eureka’ moment and realised that I could create a better online website than those currently offered.

Soon after, my vision had evolved into an entirely new way to run an online clothing store, and I set about making my preparations for launching the business. Fortunately I was already enrolled on a Foundation Degree in Business Management, so I used that time to prepare my business and marketing plans, and do the majority of my research – which involved a lot of reading about ecommerce and studying competitors’ websites to assess their strengths and weaknesses. I also was working a full time job, so I saved up as much as I could to put towards my launch capital.

One of the key moments in my start-up journey was deciding to reach out to other business owners to seek advice and generally pick their brains about everything ecommerce. Understandably, not all of them got back to me, but those who did have proven to be a great resource over the history of my start-up, and provide an ever constant stream of useful advice and guidance.

I’m a firm believer that you learn the most about business through being in business, as although preparation does go a long way towards building a solid base from which to work – how you react and respond to events that occur once you’re trading will be the true test of your businesses success.

This was true of the launch of Urban Alpha. A lot of people think that you can simply build a great website and people will find their way to it on their own, and I think this ‘build it and they will come’ mentality has been the downfall of many online businesses. To succeed you need to have website traffic (people visiting your website), so we spent a lot of time before the launch researching all the different methods of driving traffic, and working them into our launch strategy.

Initially, we had planned to roll out the different marketing channels in a phased approach so that it was easier for us to manage and would’ve been easier on the budget. The launch went well, but I realised pretty quickly that we wouldn’t be able to trade on the ‘new business’ angle forever and that in turn would result in our traffic dropping off. As a small business, time management is really one of the key aspects you have to keep on top of, but I took the decision to roll out all of our marketing phases in one push and just work through the night if necessary to get on top of the workload.

It was a risk that took us pretty close to the wire in terms of our cash flow, and resulted in me working through the night on more than one occasion, but ultimately it paid off. I learnt a very important lesson during that time, namely that for your business to succeed, you are going to have to make some tough decisions and put in a lot of hard work to make it a success. I was put in a difficult situation and forced to come up with a solution, and fortunately our hard work and preparation combined with our entrepreneurial spirit saw us through.

I can’t believe it’s already March, but 2012 looks set to be a great year for us. It will be our first full year of trading, and we have a lot of different things lined up to keep us on track to achieve our goals and ultimately our vision!

Andrew is the owner of Urban Alpha, an online designer men’s clothing retailer . You can find Urban Alpha on Facebook or Twitter , and you can follow Andrew on Twitter at @AFDPallett .

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

Adiat, tell us about yourself?

An African woman, a believer, a passionate individual – one who goes against the grain (as if it was my middle name).

Can you give us some background information about yourself and how fashion influenced you growing up?

I was raised in Lagos Nigeria.

Fashion inspired, motivated, and allowed me to be okay with being different. It also taught me discipline. I realized early on, because of my mother, that there was a “time and a dress” for everything.

This meant, if you wanted to be respected in some form or fashion, in a particular arena, you had to dress the part. Commanding the right attention with your garments could catapult you to the next level. My mother also taught me to identify one part of my body to be the focal point of the day. Through the selection of colors, patterns or cut of the garment I could emphasize only one part of my body alone. My mother and my father were all about demanding the right type and amount of attention.

Who were your fashion inspirations both internationally as well as African designers?

I’m inspired by all of my designers, however the Kosibahs of the world, the Max Azarias, the Kiko Romeos and all of the Funlayo Deris , and of course Yves Saint Laurents, create fashion that is fresh, fun and innovative.

After graduating you pursued a career at IBM as an operations and communications specialist for IT analyst relations. What inspired you to leave a promising career and start Adirée and how certain were you that there was a market for African culture i.e. fashion, art/home décor and beauty?

I’ve always inspired and planned to have my own company, in New York. I knew it would be related to fashion, but from the perspective of a business professional, rather than a creative.

I began my business plan freshmen year of college: constantly speaking and consulting with my professors, utilizing the schools resources and databases for data, and utilizing my peers for feedback as well.
The taste for African culture, fashion, art/home décor came from my undeniable innate feeling of wanting to give back to the continent- to give back to Africa, what it had given to me- Life.

Tell me about Adirée. I understand your company is international recognised in places like Milan, Tokyo, London, Paris, and New York and is not solely based on high end African fashion. In addition to fashion, you cater to a clientele that has a demand for art/home décor and beauty.

We (Adirée) were the first to create and coin the concept of Africa Fashion Week in fashion capitals: New York, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Tokyo, Los Angeles. Our goal is to re-brand Africa and position it as a continent that also produces luxury products and services, much like its European counterparts. We believe with this licensing model we can create a consistent platform which will be the African Fashion Guide for each fashion capital.

Adirée™ is an international full service boutique based in New York, NY with a focus on fashion, beauty, art and home decor. The main objective of Adirée is to bring awareness to international luxury and mass brands (our clients) that are socially conscious and culturally driven.

Adirée clients are in two folds: international clients (i.e. those from Africa) who would like to establish a presence in New York. Also, clients based in New York or neighboring states that want a global presence or focus in Africa:

Adirée has multiple departments which offer clients with the following services:

· Social Media: Adirée™ connects clients directly to their target audience by using social media tools in consistent and appropriate ways.

· Public Relations and Special Events: Adirée™ offers a wide range of services from strategic planning, to editorial placement and media relations. We customize comprehensive programs that align with your branding efforts and overall company goals.

· Showroom: Adirée™ carefully selects luxury brands with a global appeal and fashion forward edge. Adirée™ Showroom is a one stop shop that allows clients to promote their products, raise their brand awareness, establish long lasting relationship with customers and increase profits in one of the world’s fashion capital. Editors, stylists, and high profile individuals will have the opportunity to pull your items for photoshoots and events.

· Consulting: Adirée™ provides advice and expertise in helping organizations improve their performance looking at existing business problems and developing plans for improvement.

· Studio: Adirée™ provides clients with a variety of graphic and website design services to enable them to reach and connect with their target audience.

· Talent Management: Adirée™ manages fashion models (male and female) by ensuring proper booking in their interested areas

New York, New York, is one of the epicenters for business, specifically fashion, art, and entertainment, making it attractive to many entrepreneurs.

There are multiple public relation firms within New York. But none that truly address the concerns of international (luxury and mass market) brands from emerging markets- specifically from Africa.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared a proclamation announcing that Adirée undertake the enormous task of securing the production of the first and only Africa Fashion Week. How proud were you as a new, emerging company to be given a prestigious honor from Mayor Bloomberg? And how has this changed your company and what does it mean for African designers, artists, sculptors, and other artistic, creative Africans?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is heavily involved in the development of New York City (increasing tourism, jobs, and opportunities for the youth). I believe that Africa Fashion Week (New York) has many similarities to his overall ideology. Also, consider that he is a heavy supporter of New York Fashion Week. I believe this fashion week only contributes to the vision.

Your motto is “Where Fashion Began”… What does that mean to you?

“Luxury Brands Focused Globally” is the motto for Adirée.

The tag line, “Where Fashion Began” is the evocation of something new, large, and innately luxurious, however contained- as we all know it- in one of the world’s fashion capitols- New York. But there is a spin: the origins of where things began―art, culture, fashion― is essentially Africa. I think the tag line really embodies a merger between the two. A love child that is undeniably perfect in all of its being.

How has fashion, art/home décor, and the global culture been influenced by Africa?

Africa fashion has rich, vibrant, and effervescent colors. The colors and textures are unique to the tradition and culture of Africa that even some of the most esteemed fashion designers Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, and Diane Von Furstenberg are inspired by it.

African Art & Home Décor is just as vibrant, geometrically innovative, and influential in the interior design industry. Model Iman created a home line mainly using prints, and aesthetics that were African Inspired.

Also, in a 15th-century, second-floor walk-up apartment in Florence, Italy― a couple: Adam Gaon, a New York-born architect and Loredana Tarini, born in Zambia, to Italian parents created a home where “New York meets Africa.” Does that concept sound familiar?

What are some of your personal goals and passions?

Personal goal- to stay graceful and humble regardless of circumstances. Passion- First; to deeply interact with everyone I meet and second; to trigger a stampede of women entrepreneurs from the continent.

Great leadership is fundamental in any execution of work. How do you describe your leadership style?

Avant Garde.

What is on the horizon for Adiat and Adirée? What can we expect to see from you and your African influence in relations to fashion, art/home décor and beauty?

Expect to see Adirée begin to establish a presence in Africa. Also, expect to see new clients in the areas of beauty and home décor from countries like Kenya, Botswana, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa.
Personally, I have a few more brands that I would love to develop and contribute to the world. And I truly aspire to do so.

Nevertheless a majority of my focus will be speaking engagements and getting to the root of some fundamental issues, concerning barriers that designers from emerging markets face. I want our company to focus on creating tactical solutions for these designers, beginning with assisting them in acquire funding and support from organizations. However you’ll simply have to keep up (www.twitter.com/adiatdisu) to find out more.

Lastly what makes you an empowered woman and how do you ensure that your beacon of light shines bright enough for other women to emulate?

What makes me empowered is my faith. Faith has the audacity to go beyond peoples’ thoughts, opinions, vision, and expectations- an audacity that I’ve come to respect, love and simply allow to “do its thing.”
In addition to this, I’ve realized that taking and applying all of your experiences is great. But more importantly is the act of not allowing your lack of experience to stop you from achieving your purpose.

I don’t believe I have to ensure that my light is bright. I believe a light simply does what it does naturally (illuminates). It isn’t concerned with itself, so much as its surrounds. It’s not concerned with its capabilities; its main concern is to providing a resource, to its surrounding area.

Your platform adds its own light, to other individual’s platforms. I don’t believe you are so much concerned with how bright your light shines. You are simply doing what you are capable and passionate about (executing your capabilities). You are providing a resource to me (telling my story), and the illumination contributes to all of our lights.

Interview with CNN International : Africa Fashion Week (AFWNY) Director speaks to the media : http://bit.ly/rMenRE

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.

In the full interview below, Ole talks me through his journey so far running the company, studying at Queens Mary University and how he has managed to get the UK excited about OnePiece and some of the difficulties he faced starting the business.

Hi Ole, how are you doing?

I’m going great

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I was born and raised in my fathers delicatessen shop in Oslo, Norway. Moved to UK to study at Queen Mary in 2008 and started OnePiece in the UK in my second year, which I still run. I love to ski, tennis, see the growth at my own company and help friends with their ideas.

So Ole, how did you get into entrepreneurship, what was your first business?

As the son of a great shop-keeper I always wanted to do something for myself. First business was KleinService, an innovative cleaning service, cleaning up after pre-parties in Oslo. Due to the innovative concept we got amazing press in the largest newspapers-, TV- and radio stations.

After that, what else did you get involved in after that?

Did some military service in the Norwegian Royal Navy and went studying. In uni I founded the Queen Mary Trading & Investment Society, and then the OnePiece came up and took all my time.

Tell me about your experience studying at Queens Mary University?

Queen Mary was great, but I was more hooked up in things around uni than the actual course. I played on the tennis team and met a lot of great people. At the end of the first year I founded the Queen Mary Trading & Investment Society, which was a great experience. We got great backing from the department and great feedback from speakers, students and sponsors. At the end of second year I had to give up my position as President for the OnePiece venture, which was a good decision. The society still lives and grows.

I guess with the whole issue about the value of going to university being questioned, what’s your thoughts on the whole issue?

After three years in uni I did wonder: ‘what did I actually learn?’. As I did a major in economics I didn’t really learn any specific job, however knowing how the world works around you is very valuable, and I definitely knew that better after three years in Queen Mary. However the most valuable thing I believe you get out of university is the people you meet. You get to meet like-minded people from all over the world, and make friendships lasting a lifetime you would never have made otherwise.

Tell us about One Piece? How the idea come about?

In 2007, three friends of mine lying hung-over on a Sunday afternoon, discussing how they could make themselves more comfortable than they were there and then. The waistband on their sweatpants really bothered them, so they decided to try sewing together a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, connecting the two with a giant zipper to create the first OnePiece.

What is One Piece?

OnePiece is the ultimate comfort, leisure and lifestyle wear. Made by the highest quality cotton with a brushed inside it’s developed to be ridiculously comfortable at the same time as we offer colours and designs to suit every taste. So you can stay comfortable and look great;)

Tell me about how you got involved in the company?

The OnePiece literally exploded in Scandinavia, fuelled my social media, PR and blogs and became massively popular. I was watching this from my student flat in the UK and thought we needed to show this to the brits, and we certainly did.

So does that mean you have shares in the business?

Yes, I own a share of the UK company OnePiece Jump in Ltd, where the Norwegian mother company is also shareholder.

How difficult has it been introducing the brand in the UK? What would you say was the hardest part?

It was certainly a totally different market than Norway. As the Scandinavian countries has a very unison market, the UK is very fractioned and it’s like you need to take one part at the time. There’s also so many things happening in a city like London that you have to scream very loud in order for anyone to hear you. We got a lot of very good press and celebrity endorsements which have helped us a lot on the way. The hardest part was when our previous shipping supplier UKMail totally failed on us previous to Christmas sales 2010, and we needed to stay up around the clock to solve all the mess they’ve made. We quickly got DHL on the team, and that helped us a lot.

What would you say has been some of the most valuable things you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Everything that can go wrong will go wrong and a little bit more, but even though something goes wrong – take it by the horns and solve it as fast as possible and get on with the good parts.

What would you say has been some of the toughest part of running a startup?

Learning and doing everything is very stimulating but can also be very frustrating. Maybe the toughest part is getting into the whole HMRC tax system. It’s the thing you have to do, but since it’s not affecting your sales it’s easy to wait too long with.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?

When the Daily Mail article ‘OnePiece – The new fashion wave’ became the most commented article on the Daily Mail Online – more than the US governor elections and the war in Iraq.

What advices would you give to any aspiring entrepreneur out there looking to enter the fashion industry?

- Find the right suppliers and make sure the sample is 100% right before ordering.
– Don’t compromise quality for quantity
– Make sure you’re 100% square with HMRC, if you can’t take it get an accountant.
– Don’t be afraid of changes as you go
– Listen well to tips from people from the industry, although it doesn’t mean you have to follow them all.

What can we be expecting from you guys in 2012?

Lot’s of exciting stuff! We’ll introduce a whole new clothing line with anything comfortable like sweatpants, hoodies, t-shirts and so on. We’ll also come with loads of new designs, washed colours, maybe even different fabrics…

If you like this post, why not stay updated to our contents as soon as they are published. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, Facebook Fanpage and Twitter.