Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edem Jimbo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Edem, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Tombo is a shoe brand that’s inspired by African Music and Art. I have been a visual artist for over 20 years and the entertainment industry for 10 years. In the past 10 years African music has really exploded and gotten worldwide recognition as a vehicle for our culture. Music and fashion go hand in hand so as the genre was getting more popular I noticed a huge void when it comes to African footwear brands. The music movement is garnering billions of views and you see musicians, dancers and fans wearing African costumes with non African footwear brands. So Tombo was founded to fill this void. Not only is it a footwear brand, but we create original theme music that tells the African story using original artwork you cannot find anywhere else. This approach is one of a kind and has been well received so far and it’s just a matter of time before Tombo blows up and becomes a major player.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Edem Jimbo, a Creative Artist from Kenya with a passion for all things creative. I fell in love with Art around the age of ten and it all began with a drawing my neighbor created. It was the most amazing art I had ever seen and I wanted to draw just like him but I felt I never was as good. Until my colleague in school saw my work and was blown away, this gave me confidence and kept working on my craft relentlessly. After graduating high school I was admitted to study law in South Africa but choose not to go that route, instead I got online and searched for a University in the United States that offers scholarships to International students. I submitted my portfolio to a ton of colleges and finally got an Art scholarship from Drake University which was an awesome experience. When it comes to creativity I have always been fluid and a jack of all trades and that’s what led me down the path to create the Tombo Shoe brand. I saw a void, and found a creative way to fill it.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I was about to launch the shoe brand in 2020 I had just bought a ticket to go visit the factory that manufactures the shoes then from nowhere came the pandemic. COVID-19 brought the world to a screeching halt and the thought of giving up crossed my mind because at face value, it felt crazy to start a shoe brand when people are home and not going anywhere so what’s the need for buying another pair of shoes, Let along a new brand that is completely unknown. However I used that time, which was an extra 10 months to perfect the product which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without COVID-19 the first shoe I would have sold would have not been as good as what Tombo has to offer today.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Currently Tombo is self funded. We have zero debt and I used proceeds from the Fine Art that I’ve sold over the years and savings too. One piece of advice I got from my mentor is to bootstrap the business, prime the pump and get it running before I take in any investment from anyone. It’s important to figure out what works and how to sell as much as possible so when I do get a huge injection of capital it will be deployed effectively. allowing the business to scale and get a better return on the investment.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mytombos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mytombos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mytombos
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mytombos/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mytombos/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHl-a2OWvrUIVS9lMaklzVg
Image Credits
Mentopia Productions Dajs Visuals Mommyandm3photography