It is not news to hear CEOs say that the reason why they started their company and what motivates them to keep going is the discovery of a gap in the supply chain and their desire to fill it. This was Funlayo’s narrative when she started Sheer Radiance, a cosmetic company that focuses on improving the quality of the hair and skin through its shea butter mixtures.
When her supply of Shea Butter was running low, Funlayo and her husband, who is the co-founder of this company, came to Nigeria to establish a formidable supply chain for this product. It was during this visit that everything changed.
Funlayo and her husband met women who worked tirelessly to produce shea butter, which would eventually be bought by multinational companies but they were still very poor.
“The money just wasn’t making it into their hands,” she said. Right there she and her husband changed plans. They decided to make an impact in the lives of these women no matter how small.
Shear Radiance with the help of some NGOs, organized these women into cooperatives and established more refined product practices. This in turn helped the women to not only benefit more from the production of shea butter but also help them in fending for their families.
Funlayo believes that a jar of cream is not just a jar of cream but something that can change the world. According to her, “when women are economically empowered, it affects the family. And once you can affect the quality of life of a family, you can affect the community.”
