Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adesola Owolabi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Adesola, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

A couple of years later after I relocated to the United States, I started thinking about my passion for creativity. I would take note about the different ideas that came to mind. Since I was in a place where material resources were readily available and I know I could afford to buy them. I wanted to do something that I will be able to incorporate my African heritage and cultural identity into and I also wanted to make this available to the people around the world. Seeing the love for the african fabrics around the world prompted me to actually started the clothing line and I knew that in the long run it will be a great business. Being able to work in different mediums has been another advantage of broadening my areas of concentration. I was not only able to limit myself to just one specific medium but I have been able to work in various mediums such as fabrics in producing handmade fashions and home accessories. I also work with clay, for my ceramic home decorations and with wood in building furniture.

Adesola, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I will recap this from my previous article for the benefit of those that has not had the opportunity to read it. I am the owner of Desola Creations, LLC. I am originally from Nigeria but currently lives in Gardner, KS with my husband and my three children. Being creative had been a part of my life ever since I was little. Growing up , even with limited access to resources and materials, I will always use anything that will serve a purpose. I love working with my hands, and seeing how raw materials are turned into finished products always brings me joy. Being in the United States has also given me the opportunities to be able to explore with so many things. I started as Computer Information Systems major in college and walking down the art department one day and seeing the ceramics studio just sealed the vision of everything I had been wanting to do. This prompted me to change my major to fine arts. I am so proud of where I am right now looking back to where I started from. and I also want to thank God and my support system because I know I could not do it alone.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Starting a business is not an easy task if you have no idea of how to do things or how things work. You have to have a list of things that needs to be taken into consideration and ask yourself some questions if you are able and up to the task as a business owner. The first question to myself was what my goal and objectives are as a business owner. What are the steps needed to starting a business? My journey with anxiety and depression and an idea from my mental health therapist brought about my starting a business. During one of the session with my therapist he asked about what I love to do, and I told him that I am very creative but I stopped everything after the onset of my mental health problems. He suggested I start back even if it’s just for fifteen minutes at a time once or twice a week. By taking care of myself I was able to embrace a positive attitude by focusing on what is in my control and I also had to remain hopeful. I started to engage in valued activities and things started getting better. This brought about me starting a business.

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

My initial capital of $500 was from my personal savings. This went a long way because I actually already had some of the materials needed at home. I only needed to invest in buying a few equipment and I was able to generate a significant amount of money after selling the products that I made from all the materials I already have at home.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desola_creations
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desolacreations.
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/desola-creations-llc/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Adesola Owolabi