What is Africa’s Best Kept Beauty Secret? Ronke Ige seems to consider the answer.
On this edition of BN Making It!,В BellaNaijaВ spotlights the efficacious serialВ entrepreneur.
Ronke is the engraving of a working mother you can’t avoid but admire.
While pregnant with her daughter, she had a volatile bulb moment about stretch marks and it involved unskilful Shea butter. Prior to that, she had worked similar to a PR executive for 15 years and pop, she knew what she wanted to terminate – make natural skin care products.
Ronke was born in London 34 years since and has lived there all her life.
Graduating from the London Guildhall by a degree in Marketing & Communications, she’s construction her company Emi & Ben and delving into other entrepreneurial ventures.
Ronke’s the ambassador for The Prince’s Trust Charity being of the cl~s who a result of the work she’s carried on with her business. Named after her daughter and nephew, Emi & Ben got funding from The Prince Fund Charity.
Read forward to see how she hopes to endow with superhuman insight women across West Africa.
What did you translate before you dipped into the plash?
Prior to setting up Emi & Ben, I have been working in the PR labor for the last 15 years, crafting my active life at an award winning London based consumer action named Shine Communications.
Here, I climbed the ladder in the same proportion that an Assistant Account Executive to Account Manager in quest of international brands including Timberland, Ted Baker, Quiksilver, Paramount Home Entertainment and Channel 4.
In 2005, I left the operation to start work as a freelance Communications Consultant while burdened with the name of Bread + Butter Communications, with a client roster including Ascot Footwear, Dutch fashion label SuperTrash, American singer/songwriter Nikki Jane, Creative Director to Beyoncé Knowles, governing leukaemia charity ACLT (who promote bone marrow, blood and organ donation with ethnic minorities) and Nigerian actors Jimmy Akingbola and Chizzy Akudolu, who one as well as the other star in the British TV BBC 1 hospital drama Holby City.
Why did you decide to scare your own business?
I set up Emi & Ben genuine skin care to inspire and defend women across West Africa and to carry out my own dreams of developing a function centred on West Africa’s superlatively good kept beauty secret; unrefined Shea butter.
What is Emi and Ben?
Emi & Ben is a native skin care company which produces handmade body butters using the main ingredient of unrefined Shea butter and other exotic natural base and essential oils.
How would you specify the peculiarities of the niche that Emi and Ben has carved?
All Emi & Ben products are handmade in the UK through 100% natural ingredients. Our main ingredients of unrefined Shea butter is produced ~ means of local women in Nigeria in rule to empower them to “tend things happen” for themselves, empowering them to accomplish self-sufficiency by turning their labour into micro businesses of their highly own.
Can you share some of the greatest number challenging parts of starting a walk of life of your own?
Cash flow and financial management is a challenge, as I comprehend it is the case for other concern owners.
Other than the initial dull loan I received when I initially started the matter, everything else I funded personally. Self financing the social meeting is no longer an option as a larger cash injection is required to take it to the nearest level. Watch this space…
Were you good to get funding to kick distant from the business?
I was successful in securing ~y initial small business loan through the young people’s kindness The Prince’s Trust at move up stage of the business despite £3,000.
Tell us about The Price’s Trust liberality and how it works
The Prince’s Trust is a minority charity that helps change young lives. They give practical and financial support to disadvantaged young the vulgar, aged between 13 to 30 who acquire struggled at school, have been in care, or are for a ~ time-term unemployed.
I set up Emi & Ben for the period of the recession, as it became a struggle to safe long term PR contracts due to the fiscal climate, so much so, I ended up inmost nature without permanent work for up to 12 months. It was exactly to this situation I was practical to apply to join the Business Programme with The Prince’s Trust, which involved me developing a vocation plan for Emi & Ben and pitching my calling idea to a panel of undertaking advisers.
The end result was me successfully securing the small business loan of ВЈ3,000.
Ronke by the Prince of Wales
What’s the demographic of the Emi and Ben purchaser?
The Emi & Ben target purchaser is female between 18 and 35 years going to decay. She has a medium-high disposable income, enjoys purchasing luxury items for herself and she likes her favourite products to have ~ing easily accessible via online shopping.
What’s the result range you offer (a short engaging outlay of the unique variety would satisfy here)?
The current Emi & Ben hide care range consists of five corpse butters which are handmade with the solution ingredient – unrefined Shea butter – blended with other exotic, natural base and essentials oils. Stick balms, body oils and lip balms – desire form part of the new products to have ~ing launched next year.
Is there any special ingredient in your products that arrange them apart in a class of their acknowledge?
The most important ingredient within our products is the 100% unrefined Shea butter of turn.
This wonderful all-natural product is funny in antioxidant vitamins A and E, and is naturally fertile in three essential fatty acids. Many derm care companies in the cosmetics persistence market their products on the truth that they include Shea butter, yet the Shea butter they use is pure; a scent free butter refined by chemically extracting the seed oil using perilous petroleum by products.
During this performance the naturally occurring essential fatty acids and proteins that are extremely beneficial in the limits of raw (Unrefined) Shea butter are gone.
Emi & Ben simply use 100% unrefined Shea butter in the compass of its products, so customers can subsist rest assured they’re receiving the virtuous benefits of using a Shea butter based consequence. This is a skin moisturiser that contains Shea butter as a force ingredient for its real purpose of providing a regular moisturiser which improves the skin, locks in moisture, hydrates the skin making it bland and supple whilst reducing scaring and protecting it from the original elements.
Richard Branson and Ronke Ige
You described yourself at the same time that a serial entrepreneur… Can you give us an insight into some of your other craft ventures
Aside from running Emi & Ben, I operate as an independent PR Consultant (in the name of Bread + Butter) frugal the PR and Marketing activity on account of a diverse range of clients including British agent Chizzy Akudolu who currently stars in capital time BBC1 TV Drama Holby City, musician Sola Akingbola, African funky roots crew Critical Mass, and ex International Creative & Music Director to Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé Knowles (to particularize for the Beyoncé “I Am…” World Tour and the British programming of ITV’s Christmas Special “A Night with Beyonce”.)
I also founded Thames Markets; a monthly arts, crafts and greater degree market held in a town called Kingston-immediately after-Thames in the UK. The purpose of the market is to provide independent business owners a platform to barter their products and services to every affluent clientele on a consistent lowest part.
This venture came about through my hold frustrations of not being able to supply with food a suitable market located in an affluent area which is essential according to Emi & Ben, as we’re a fire-~ retailing mid premium priced products.
What would you speak is your area of specialisation?
Within PR, my superficies of specialisation is within the custom , consumer and personal publicity sectors; though I have vast experience within entertainment and charity.
What’s the ~ numerous exciting part of running Bread & Butter?
Working through a diverse mix of clients and varying activities in quest of the clients. From filming charity video appeals through premiership footballers, drafting press materials to delivery out to media, to rushing encompassing like crazy, backstage at a Beyonce concord – any two days are rarely the same.
Can you share a specially difficult business call you’ve had to issue and how you resolved the ground?
I had to make a cry to one of our suppliers who provides us with the labelling for our jars, like there had been an error made put ~ their side with the sizing of the labels that I wasn’t willing to accept. This was particularly difficult because the shortcoming was set to be costly to them.
I knew this shortcoming would put them out of put up with (at no fault of mine), nevertheless what I had paid for was not the sort of I received. I calmly expressed my place as to why I was wretched and why the job would distress to be reprinted at no cost to us. They accepted fault and did the re impress.
Where do you see your avocation in 5 years?
In 5 years time, I would like behold the business turning over 6 figures in return, being responsible for empowering thousands of women in Nigeria to have existence self sufficient, the continuous expansion of the quality into new markets, working on the dart of new products, and also continuing to wish a presence within import and wholesale markets conducive to the brand and as a distributor of expanded quantities of Unrefined Shea butter and other genuine products produced in Africa and used inside of skin care.
I also hope to take forward part-time staff allowing me time through my daughter, stepson and future children (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) and to be delivered of the ability to run the vocation from any location in the nature, however mainly from my 5-bedroom abode which has space for a comprehensive office unit at the end of the garden with all storage and production of Emi & Ben products excitement place on site.
It’s a large dream and I know I’m going to carry out it if I continue to subsist disciplined and focused.
What’s the ut~ exhilarating part of being a young dealing owner?
Knowing my entrepreneurial achievements endow with superhuman insight other young people to follow the corresponding; of like kind path is exhilarating to me. That my achievements accept helped to encourage another individual to avail down the route of self-calling is a great thrill for me.
Do you generally have a Nigerian market?
While Emi & Ben is even now to launch in Nigeria, we accept some customers who purchase our products end The Nail Bar & Spa in Abuja and from one side our website emiandben.com.
The feedback we’ve current from the spa owner Ameera Abraham is extremely expressed. I’m really excited about expanding the kind within my country of origin, with equal rea~n if you’re a retailer who believes your save has a synergy with our quality, please get in touch.
How chouse you ensure quality control standards in your products?
Following a harsh quality control procedure when producing entirely of our handmade body butters, is paramount for me and my business. This was demonstrated ~ the agency of me forging strong relationships with my limited UK Trading Standards office from the commencement, to ensure production procedures implemented malignant in line within UK guidelines, providing products to members of the universal public which were of a proud quality and fit for purpose, whilst following a nobility control of the highest standard on this account that all products produced.
How do you equalizer the work/ family dynamics?
My work and personal life is balanced ~ the agency of following the rule that there is a peculiar time allocated to do work and to cook personal activities. My typical day starts at 6.30am, initially in the office at home answering emails and planning the generation ahead. I wake my daughter up with a view to 7am, prep breakfast then get her showered, dressed and fed opportune for our 10 minute walk to indoctrinate. Once back at the office, it’s back to labor until 3.20pm/6.00pm while I pick my daughter up from train or from after school activities.
Once she’s home, the passage to the office is shut and we’re pragmatical doing homework, watching TV and cooking dinner. Once she’s in couch and my husband has returned from be in action, I may sneak into the service to finish some work, but I try not to viewed like that cuts into our time in union.
Just For Fun
How I suffer My Hair Down
Go out shopping as far as concerns clothes, shoes, bags, make up and perfume; corrode out, go to the cinema or grant that I’m too tired to make the above, kick back on the couch to watch “Real Husbands of Hollywood forward BET!”  I absolutely inclination it. Kevin Hart is hilarious. Going on short breaks with my husband or girlfriends in the limits of the UK or abroad.
Favourite African Designer
Afua Dabanka, caster of luxury London shoe label MO SAГЏQUE. Her shoes are surprising.
Favourite Person in the Whole Wide World
Easy peasy, my married man.
Imaginary Super Power
To fly
5 darling peeves
1. Rudeness
2. Noisy eaters
3. People who burp noisily whilst eating with others
4. Individuals who esteem nothing good to say
5. People who don’t discourse clearly and mumble to themselves which time talking to others (This makes my place of honor want to pop off!)
Ronke in 5 dispute
Friendly, ambitious, determined, hardworking, risk-taker
I Would Not Leave Home Without…
My Samsung Galaxy Note II
Currently without interrupti~ Replay
Jay Z, Magna Carter Holy Grail
Famous Phone Contact
WBA Heavyweight Champion boxer David Haye
Favourite Meal
Flaked tilapia bandage with caramelised glazed sweet peppers and red onions. This is a dish created ~ the agency of UK based Ghanaian catering company Eat Jollof London. It’s delightful! They were caterers for my espousals in September 2013 and I’m hush dreaming of this dish today.
Favourite Holiday Spot
Anywhere to which place there is a beach, clear desponding waters, good fresh food and plenitude of sun. If these are every part of ticked, then I’m good! I not long ago came back from Dubai – that was a fab holiday.
Watch the video of Ronke in c~tinuance Virgin Media Pioneer – “Meet the Pioneer”
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Tags: Beyonce Knowles, BN Making It!, Bread & Butter, Bread + Butter Communications, Chizzy Akudolu, Critical Mass, Destiny’s Child, Emi & Ben, Jimmy Akingbola, Kevin Hart, Nikki Jane, Paramount Home Entertainment, Quiksilver, Richard Branson, Ronke Ige, Sola Akingbola, Ted Baker, The Prince’s Trust Charity, Timberland, Young Entrepreneur
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