Hello DDB family! I trust you all are well. Can you believe it is December already? 🥳
For those who’ve reached out during my hiatus, thank you so much. It means the world to me! I’ve missed this space also. I missed the time when I’d published blog posts weekly. But I’m learning how to embrace each season of my life and prioritize what is essential while not being sidetracked by the seemingly pressing things.
Writing and sharing my story has always been important to me because I live to empower and inspire people to live the life of their dreams. In this season of my life, I see myself being led to continue, but the platform and writing materials have evolved. I am no longer limited to a blog or to writing books, I am now writing through a different expression of myself.
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Today, I will be sharing my journey to entrepreneurship. In my last post, I mentioned that I’d be launching a women’s clothing brand and here we are!
This is not my first entrepreneurial journey, I owned a jewelry company for a few years until I relocated to Nigeria. My company was called BeDazzling Jewelry. I was inspired to become an entrepreneur shortly after becoming a believer when I discovered that it was God’s Will for me to prosper not hustle. I grew up in New York City surrounded by hustlers. It was the norm for those around me to work multiple jobs or constantly work overtime.
After becoming born again, I was surrounded by go-getters, people who were all about living for God and being impactful on various levels. And right amid those wonderful people, I was encouraged and supported throughout the journey. I sold jewelry for everyday use and special events (weddings, etc.). The business was pretty successful and I thoroughly enjoyed running it.
However, I did not learn the principles of building a business that lasts. I would spend the money as it came instead of investing it back into the business until I broke even. After relocating to Nigeria, I handed over the business to one of my sisters. But it did not last for long. I did not leave her with a structure or running costs, my main supplier no longer had unique and affordable jewelry pieces, and I did not pass on a customer base.
The end of my jewelry business broke me. I believed that it would last forever and become a part of my legacy. To top it off, after relocating to Nigeria I struggled financially. I was practically paid peanuts and I had to change my lifestyle. From going to owning a car to having to use public transportation to living in a tiny space after living in several beautiful and spacious apartments.
I was secretly upset thinking I’d have an additional stream of income if I had built my business better. Also, while living in Nigeria I was inspired and many business ideas came to me but for one reason or another, those ideas never saw the light of day.
So imagine my shock when I came back to the United States, after job searching for months and God told me to start a clothing brand. I fought and kicked against the idea for several reasons. First, I had no capital, secondly, I never wanted to have anything to do with the fashion business – my mom sold fabrics, jewelry, shoes, and bags when I was growing up and it seemed too stressful. Thirdly, I wanted to finally kick off my professional career and put my master’s degree to good use.
At one point, I decided to give it a shot when my father introduced me to someone who stated that he was willing to partner with me and invest in the business and introduce me to suppliers. I was elated. We had several meetings, agreed on a logo, and even had a written agreement. Before signing the agreement, I decided to share it with my Father in the Lord. He responded by telling me to pray about it first and get back to him.
Once I started praying I lost my peace about the whole thing and informed my spiritual father. He asked me why and I told him I did not know. He said after he prayed, he had a revelation where he saw that the business was doing very well, and at a point, my would-have-been business partner and I got into a disagreement over the finances of the company. He advised me to reconsider partnering with him. I was grateful to God that he revealed that to my spiritual father but I was crushed because it felt like I wasted time and energy.
But the dream to start a fashion brand never left me. The more I pushed it away, the stronger it became. And as I got clarity about my ministry to women, I saw that it was more than a passion but an extension of my ministry. I spoke to spiritual parents about this constant nudging and they kept encouraging me but I kept procrastinating until this year when I discovered that my hesitation was actually fear and I had to tackle it head-on!
Now you would think that after conquering fear, everything from that point on would be smooth sailing, right? 😂😅🤣 Far from it! Several obstacles faced me along the way and if it was not for my support system, I would have thrown in the towel. Thank God for people who believe in you and your dreams even when they seem far-fetched.
I initially wanted to work with someone who has a pre-existing brand because I loved her work and I assumed it would be easier. We agreed on her producing similar designs while using different fabrics or colors. Then I sent her a written agreement to sign and that started some senseless drama, she was paranoid about me suing her. I still tried to work with her but it was too stressful. She even made samples for me but at the end of the day, some were good while the rest were a no-no. We eventually went our separate ways…that was a blessing in disguise!
I eventually found a factory that was willing to work with me. Once we began production, challenges sprung up, from having to change my designs after the samples did not match my vision to production taking a couple of months instead of a couple of weeks.
Then right before production was completed, my father-in-love passed on. His passing hit me very hard. I was stuck between trying to be strong for my husband and allowing myself to grieve. He was quite young, and very healthy until shortly before his passing so it was unexpected. Plus I had not seen him in a long time nor did my children get to meet him physically (Thank God for video calls!).
Losing a loved one is one of the most painful feelings. I’m grateful to those who showed love and concern, those who visited, and those who did simple things like bring us food, it meant a lot. Because at times I felt stuck. The tears did not take away the pain I felt in my heart and at times, it seemed like I felt the pain physically. And there were people around who were insensitive and expected me to be superwoman, they expected me to get over it and continue business as usual. But I could not blame them in the end. Sometimes, it is hard to understand what people go through until you experience it yourself {We pray that our loved ones will live long}.
On the brighter side! Today, I launch my business in loving memory of my father-in-law, Pastor Dr. John Olatunde Adebiyi. His life of impact in ministry and business has inspired me. Today, I birth a dream that I’ve carried for seven years. A vision that was given to me by the master visionary himself – God.
A brand curated for the everyday woman who is on a mission to impact her world!
Family I present to you: SHOP DESTINATION DESTINY!
Spread the Word, this is not just my dream come true but yours as well. When one person takes their place, it pulls those attached to them upward. And this is my encouragement to you to go for your dreams, complete that assignment, maximize that skill, talent, or gifting, and most of all FULFILL YOUR DESTINY!
Thank you for taking this journey with me! I LOVE YOU FAM!!!
With lots of love,
– Bunmi Adebiyi
Wait before you go:
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