Adedoyin Omotara is a Beauty Entrepreneur, Women’s empowerment advocate, Speaker, Life Coach, Business Coach and the leader of the unmask your beauty movement.
Born in Manchester, UK to Nigerian parents, her passion to live a fuller and more expressive life made her leave her successful Corporate Engineering career to become an entrepreneur.
Seeking the spiritually creative fulfillment missing in her successful corporate career, she was determined to resolve the concern that beauty today, far from being that poetic ‘joy forever’ is, unfortunately, a source of insecurity, shame, and stress for countless women.
She promotes beauty, inside and out, to an audience of women at all stages of life. Adedoyin believes in investing in the dream of girls and in the strength of women.
In this article, she talks about how she’s fought against the odds of being an immigrant and built a beauty brand for herself in Canada.
What would you say is the innovative idea behind Adoniaa Beauty?
Adoniaa beauty started from having a deep hunger within me to fully engage with who I was, my hunger for living a fuller and more expressive life. I was doing great in my career but felt dis-engaged with myself and the world as a whole.
I felt I was born for more so I decided to start a company for women doing what I love and fulfilling my purpose while doing it.
It was founded on four fundamental pillars: To uplift, validate, equip and inspire women to be their best selves at every stage of their life. We do this by using makeup and skincare products and services as a platform to connect with women.
[bctt tweet=”People constantly ask me how @adoniaaworld intend to compete with Sephora, Loreal, Mac and the likes, my response is that those are not my competition. – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
How have you been able to maintain your brand consistency?
We have only one vision- To connect women to their individual and unique beauty through our brand. So everything we do aligns with the vision.
It’s easy to be consistent when you have a vision. It is the same vision I sell to my staff and the Adoniaabeauty tribe.
How have you grown your client base?
I have grown a tribe of women as my client base by focusing on why I started my company, which is our vision to connect women to their individual and unique beauty.
We have different vehicles to get to our vision, and we naturally attract women that want more out of life, women that want to re-write their stories and women that do not want to fit into society’s contrived image of beauty but create and define their own.
What challenges have you faced that are unique to your business idea?
Starting a business in the beauty industry is very challenging. The beauty industry is run by billionaires that own big companies.
People constantly ask me how I intend to compete with Sephora, Loreal, Mac and the likes, my response is that those are not my competition.
Makeup and Skincare are the physical products that we sell and that’s what people see, however, for me, makeup and skincare is only a vehicle or a platform to reach the Adoniaa women that want to unmask their beauty.
[bctt tweet=”Since I developed the vision for my company @adoniaaworld, I started creating and got really innovative – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Where there challenges owning a business in a foreign country?
Starting a new business as an immigrant in Canada has definitely not been the easiest of things. It’s easier to get a job and work 9-5. But this is not just a business for me, it’s my vehicle to fulfilling my purpose and changing the world.
I have embraced all the challenges and focused on my vision.
At times, I tell myself that if I were in my home country, I wouldn’t need to work this hard to be profitable. What I have done though is to change my mindset and focus on the vision.
I have also tapped into so many resources that the Government has made available to immigrants.
Do you believe in Feminism?
My take on Feminism is simple… It is the Adoniaa dream -The Adoniaa dream is a dream that is deeply rooted in every woman’s heart.
- I have a dream that girls and women will have the resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
- I have a dream that girls and women will live free from violence ·
- I have a dream that girls and women all over the world will have access to good education·
- I have a dream that there would be equality in the workforce.
- I have a dream that child brides will no longer be a thing.
- I have a dream that female genital mutilation will become history.
- I have a dream that girls and women will stand in their power and be empowered to defend themselves.
- I have a dream that gender-based violence will stop be it domestic abuse, rape, or sexual trafficking.
- I have a dream that women will embrace their fears and be courageous enough to shine as their most beautiful self.
- I have a dream that girls and women will no longer need to fit into society’s image of beauty but create and define our own beauty.
- I have a dream I believe that we can only achieve this dream by taking action!
[bctt tweet=” This is not just a business for me, it’s my vehicle to fulfilling my purpose and changing the world – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Adoniaa Beauty recently launched a campaign towards the above causes. Our 24hr Lipsticks of hope are our flagship product and we have partnered with non-profit organizations that address these issues.
$1 from every Adoniaa 24hr lipstick sale will go to our Non-Profit organization partners that actively work to end these problems.
When you buy the Adoniaa lipstick, know that you are empowering a woman. When you empower a woman, you have empowered a whole generation.
What skills have you found yourself using/learning frequently since starting Adoniaa Beauty?
People Management Skill and team-work. I read a lot of business books and self-development books as well – I believe that as I am growing, the company is growing as well.
How do you intend to balance work life and the home front?
I am fully aware that Entrepreneurship is very demanding and if I don’t structure my business, my kids and family will suffer. I ensure that I take care of myself first so I don’t on empty.
Self-care for me is the most important part of balancing work and life so I can be available and present for the people God has sent me to serve.
I put a lot of structure around my business and I am still doing that so that I can have time for the things that are important to me.
What’s your 5-year plan?
My 5-year plan is for Adoniaa beauty to expand by franchising. I want Adoniaa to be in every city all over the world.
For the next 5 years, our focus is to establish our roots in Canada and then expand to USA, Nigeria & other African Countries by collaborating with other like-minded women to spread the dream.
We will consider other countries once we have achieved our initial goal.
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