We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abedeen Oshonubi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Abedeen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

As the Chief Marketing & Merchandising Officer (CMMO) and Cofounder of Noire Waters, which was founded in 2021, we were challenged to scale up in an established boating industry in the District of Columbia to meet the needs of our client base but also bring something innovative to the boating world. Our team conducted market research to figure out what consumers wanted and how we as a start-up company can fulfill those needs. This research led us to branding and marketing Noire Waters as a company associated with boating, water, and outdoor lifestyles, coining our signature trademark “Make Noire Memories”. Our Make Noire Memories campaign has led to strategic partnerships beyond the DMV and into various cities across the United States, South America, the Middle East, and Europe. With these partnerships, we continue to market our brand with a goal of global recognition.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Abedeen “Deen” Oshonubi, and I am a US-born Nigerian from Atlanta, Georgia with a professional background of over 15 years of corporate experience in accounting and information systems/technology in both the public and private sectors. I entered into the boating industry without any prior experience of the nautical environment. Noire Waters, a premier boating and yacht chartering company, was birthed in collaboration with my business partners. Currently, I lead all marketing, branding, and merchandising initiatives for the company.

As an Atlanta Native, I also spent portions of my youth in Nigeria, England, New York, and France before the age of 18. This shaped my natural curiosity and exposure to the impacts that culture, diversity, and religion have on fashion and merchandising. I have unknowingly always had a sense of style and a knack for fashion, looks, and esthetics and have been intrigued by brand science; this includes the effects it has on businesses and the psychology of what influences people’s style. to wear what they wear. ,

One early memory with fashion was during my sophomore year at Riverdale High School. I planned and participated in a fashion show with the recording artist Ciara and the late fashion designer, Mychael Knight, from the show Project Runway for DECA (An Association of Marketing Students) club whose mission is to enhance the education of students with interests in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship. The purpose of the fashion show was to raise funds for DECA students to include myself who successfully advanced to DECA National Competitions in Anaheim, California to present simulated marketing and business case scenarios before a panel of judges. I am most proud of successfully navigating a career as a Finance and Information Systems professional holding a multitude of positions at global big 4 accounting and consulting firms while supporting my family and giving back to the communities that were responsible for shaping my childhood. Over the next decade, I intend to support the Noire Waters brand by contributing to designing clothing and apparel that functionally supports individuals as they engage in outdoor activities.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I am someone who consistently embraces a growth mindset and seeks to improve my life by displaying a deep passion for learning. I believe that for most people, life can oftentimes be considered a series of pivots. I am currently experiencing two pivots simultaneously. The first pivot involves my current career path as a traditional accountant that involves a bit of a rehaul in my traditional educational skill set. As the world continues to undergo what I believe is metaphorically speaking is a “type” of renaissance period, characterized by convergent technologies resulting in exponential change in the way humans live their lives, I have been forced to pivot relying more on the information systems side of my educational background and equip myself with the proper skills, trainings, and tools to adapt. At the same time, I am simultaneously going through another pivot that involves learning the boating industry and embracing a new more creative career path in merchandise designing and strategic marketing. Through the last 15 years of my professional career, I have held various roles that were in line with Accounting/Technology, but little to none professional experience in the fields of merchandise design and marketing. This makes this second pivot as Chief Marketing & Merchandising Officer and cofounder of Noire Waters a challenge that I am openly embracing by the day.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The first story that comes to mind from my journey that illustrates my resilience is navigating the illness and death of my mother. Primarily during my key development years of 15 through 20. As a child my mother, played a significant role in my life. My mother was a huge proponent of education not only in the traditional sense, but also in the cultural sense. As a youth, she provided me with opportunities to see the world, learn Arabic and Yoruba languages, participate in gifted educational programs, and ensured that I developed a foundational and proficient knowledge of the Nigerian culture. I was also able to watch my mother navigate a corporate career within the banking industry while embracing her own entrepreneurial journey within the jewelry industry. My mother owned and operated her own small jewelry business participating within the gold trade market based in “Dubai’s Gold Souk” located in the United Arab Emirates. Observing my mother run her own jewelry business unknowingly provided me with exposure to the fashion and retail business at a young age. At the age of 15 my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was found to be cancerous. The disease impacted my family emotionally and financially. As the oldest of two, I was placed in a position to oversee my mother as she underwent surgery, rehabilitation, and chemotherapy all why finishing high school continuing to participate in sports activities and work a part time job before attending university. During the fall semester of my sophomore year at Georgia Southern University, my mother would eventually pass after experiencing the reemergence of the cancer. Upon experiencing the death of my mother, I was still able to complete my degree in accounting with an additional concentration, join various campus organizations and maintain various leadership positions. The death of my mother is something that still impacts me to this day as I navigate the complexities of adulthood, career, and embarking new business ventures. I continue to illustrate my resilience by mentoring youth who may have experienced similar situations, maintaining my professional career, and continuing to stretch the boundaries of what I am capable of. Thinking of my mother and all the things she was able to accomplish before her early exit in life has allowed me to keep a tenacious attitude about life and embrace my business partner’s mantra “Carpe Diem”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.noirewaters.com
• Instagram: @noirewaters
• Facebook: Noire Waters
• Other: Apparel: www.noirememories.com