Like many other entrepreneurs, Lola Olusola was working in a company before she started her own. She worked with Radley, a handbag company where she and her team of seven brought in almost 50 percent of the company’s revenue.
Her experience in Radley and the realization that e-commerce was growing in Nigeria inspired her to start her own company. Now, she is the founder of Ella Matthew, an online fashion store.
In her final year project as a university student, Lola majored in e-commerce but she couldn’t imagine that years down the line she would open an online store. Talk about no knowledge being lost. Over the years, Lola has built a strong team where everyone is a strong member of the team and can do the other person’s job.
She however did not do this alone. She applied for 440’s sponsorship and was selected for the programme. This turned out be a very good experience for her. One of the things she gained apart from the financial backing was meeting mentors and leveraging on the relationships, which is important for every business owner.
Lola loves her team but the best thing about them is the collaborative, can-do spirit that they’ve developed over the years.
Thinking of starting your business? This is what she thinks. “Running a business is a big risk. Dare I even say that it is a big gamble? A gamble that expects you to put in all your time, all your money, all your hard work and with a bit of luck you may earn half the salary you earned at your last job or worse, you may lose it all.
However, her advice is work your hardest, don’t give up, the great days will make the terrible days worth the madness.
