We recently connected with Yvonne Bulimo and have shared our conversation below.

Yvonne, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Zoezi means “exercise” in Swahili. After embarking on my fitness journey, I noticed I couldn’t find brands that connected with her in Kenya, I didn’t see myself reflected in them. So, I started a new journey, to create what I wanted to see. It is my vision that ZOEZI inspires you to feel good, and by looking good while working out, you’ll be more motivated to stay fit

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Yvonne Bulimo, is proudly Kenyan born and American raised. She fell in love with science from an early age, with big dreams of running her own public health organization in Sub Saharan Africa. After graduating from Howard University with her Bachelor’s degree in Health Science, she moved back home to reconnect with her roots.

She began hosting a popular Kenyan TV show and it was there when her fitness and entrepreneurship journey began. Yvonne started her first business, a production company with the mission to create compelling and entertainment Digital content. Her first project “The Brunch Series” is still getting views on YouTube. A jane of all trades, she also sold custom made wedding dresses to keep both businesses going.

Zoezi came about while I was living in Nairobi, Kenya and I was working out. I couldn’t find any fitness there locally that spoke to my love for fitness and fashion. I kept asking my mom abroad to send me care packages with new leggings from Nike. Of course we had Nike locally in Nairobi, but it was just too expensive. I was like I’ll just make my own pair of leggings, things that match my style. Eventually, it became tiring having to wait for people to make my items locally. I sat on the idea until I moved to Los Angeles 3 years later.

I noticed there weren’t any African born fitness brands, I wanted to be the first to represent Africa on a global stage. Also women of color are underrepresented in the fitness industry. My products and visuals represent the essence of all body types and cultures across the diaspora. All of our customers leave 5 star reviews loving the quality of our fabrics and versatility of our sets. Many times, our customers say Zoezi motivates them to get in the gym.

I am most proud of being featured in Vogue and Forbes alongside other major brands, including Ivy Park! I also secured my first wholesale deal with TJ Maxx and a SoulCycle collaboration. I did all of that on my own and it’s something I’m very proud of. Those were pivotal moments for me because it put a stamp on my purpose.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I began by bootstrapping and self funding with the help of my family to get things started and going. After establishing a profitable business I was able to secure a small business loan to keep things going.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I worked as a clinical trial manager for over a decade and this job helped fund my side hustle. My contract ended last year and I decided it was time to try something new. I’ve been managing a real estate investment company I run alongside with my mom who has been in the industry for over 31 years. I brought her several clients and she made a comment that I should just get my real estate license and those could have been my clients. I figured this was my something new. I took the class and passed the state exam!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zoezisport.com
• Instagram: iamvonneyb

Image Credits

Henry Jones III
Kayla James