About Apinke
Founder and CEO of Eko Botanicals, an award-winning skincare brand rooted in traditional African and British skincare practices
Derived the passion for this business from her great-grandfather, who used to work as a Botanist at Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens
Second-time entrepreneur, who has grown a business based in Nigeria
Has over 12 years of experience in the corporate world - having worked in capital markets, finance and project management across various industries
Some of our favourite ‘a-ha’ moments from this podcast
Don’t underestimate the power of pausing and thinking - it can help you realise your passion and direction in life
“I spent a lot of time in nature and was fascinated by flowers. I worked in finance for most of my career, and during the lockdown, I started thinking about what I could do. My skin was changing as I got to 40…it was only during lockdown because it was a time to pause and think, that I just said why don’t I marry my love for botanicals and nature, and look for a healing solution”
There are common threads of working in the corporate world, and starting a business - it’s about problem solving and taking calculated risks
“I am a risk taker, and I like to solve problems. Even when I worked in finance, I worked in a client-facing, solution focused role. The same thread runs in business. It is high risk but also very rewarding in other ways. If you have a great idea or looking to solve a problem, you should make the leap”
Customer feedback is essential - test everything you create!
“When I am developing a new product, I have to do a lot of testing and refinement, and get feedback for each product. There was once we tested a product for 6 months with 20 different women across the country. Feedback is something we need to learn to accept and process - we can’t expect it to always be good”
Prioritise roles that you play in the business - when you start you will likely need to do everything, but over time, you should focus on areas where you as the founder are irreplaceable
“A lot of the roles are done by myself - I wear a lot of hats and that is the difference between a corporate career and running a business. I have to make that mindset shift and it was initially difficult for me. So, I spent a lot of time on what I like to do, vs what I need to do”
“As the business grows, there are certain areas you still need to be heavily involved in e.g. finance, customer feedback process”Think about funding decisions by assessing how you want this to end up i.e. always keep the end-state in mind!
“I started Eko Botanicals with my own funds, and family & friends. Start with the end in mind, and that will answer your direction - it will tell you how fast you want it to grow, and type of funds you look for. I wanted to make mistakes with my own money, and that is a good/responsible way to run a business. And when you are ready, you can explore options”
PR is important, but don’t forget the importance of marketing
“Prioritise marketing over PR - PR builds your brand. But you need to be invested in marketing. It is a very competitive world - everyone has access to building a digital business and you need to find your unique customers, which can only happen through marketing”
Apinke’s advice to women who want to build businesses on their own terms
“Business building is like having a new born baby - you are engrossed in it. I make sure that I am physically active, even if it is a walk for 30mins. Networking is also important - going into groups or communities with people who have been / are going through the same journey. It’s highly likely people can share with you how they go over different hurdles…And learn to breathe properly and listen to yourself / your patterns. I also try and put in a lot of boundaries - I try to not work on the weekends, and limit my time on social media platforms”
Apinke Efiong, building an award-winning skincare brand