From Redundancy to a Flourishing Business: An Interview with Tola Adeagbo
Dress by GAUGE81 , Ring by ANHUKA JEWELLERY
FACT FINDER
Tola is the founder and CEO of handbag brand, Florian London
She founded Florian London in 2013 after being made redundant from her job in the finance sector
She is passionate about championing the women at the heart of the Florian London community
She resides in London with her husband and their family
Career setbacks can tempt us to step up the hustle, or to call it quits altogether. Founder and CEO of Florian London, Tola Adeagbo, has walked the fine line between doubling down and retreating. From a redundancy, while pregnant; to building a handbag business and having a £100,000 order cancelled, Tola shares her experience and tips on recovering from career blows.
DISCOVERING A CALLING
You run a handbag business, Florian London, how did your business come about?
There are so many different factors that brought Florian London about. Florian means watching something flourish, and I was at a point in my life where I needed to grow. I was 24 and had been made redundant from my first job, working as an analyst in the city. I was also pregnant with my first child, and there was a financial crash. So it was like, ‘Where do we go from here? What do I do?’ I used to alter vintage bags into something I wanted to wear. My family said, ‘I really like that, where is it from?’ So that's where the idea for Florian was born. I knew the idea of starting something was God. It just couldn't have been me because I was at a really low point. It was a pivotal moment in my life, and so many things fell into place to start Florian London.
What was the time between your redundancy and beginning Florian London like emotionally and spiritually?
I remember feeling really depressed. Naturally, my husband supported me, and after I gave birth, I went back into employment which I found difficult, but equally, staying at home didn't nurture me. I'm not saying it is not fulfilling being a Mum, it's everything, I just wanted to pursue my career too. I was struggling to find a job and I went to my GP and said, ‘I'm depressed, I want to go on antidepressants’. She replied, ‘Are you a Christian?’ GPs are not allowed to say that to you, but we had a conversation, and they helped me to find a genuine relationship with God. That was when my journey really started with God. I grew up in a Muslim household, and when you convert to Christianity, people say, 'God's got you now’ but that mindset makes us complacent and can mean we stop pursuing a personal relationship with God.
What was your mission when starting Florian London?
When I started Florian, it was very simple, I wanted to create something that made women feel good, and I wanted it to be affordable. But along the way, I started feeling like I needed to do more. We had a community of women following us, so I wanted to make them feel empowered and not just use it as a buzzword. So, I started Phenomenal Woman, an interview series where I speak to everyday women excelling in their areas of work. Speaking to people, being vulnerable by sharing stories and championing other women is something I feel is my purpose, even almost more than the brand.
Dress by CHRISTOPHER ESBER, Necklace by ANTHROPOLOGIE
Dress by CHRISTOPHER ESBER
GETTING OFF THE GROUND
The genesis stage of any business is challenging, what hurdles did you face with Florian London?
I struggled with rejection for so long. It's okay when you are winning and getting the ‘yes’, it's when you are getting the ‘no’s’, but you are so sure that your brand is good enough. I'm talking about applying multiple times to the British Fashion Council and being rejected over again. That knocks your confidence. Sometimes you're like, ‘What is the point?’ But I think I've been able to see rejection as a ‘not now’. I go back to the drawing board and take constructive criticism on board. I always say to people, ‘I bet the stuff you say to yourself is so unkind’. So I try not to be mean to myself. Every morning I use a different Bible verse as an affirmation.
At what point did Florian London turn from an idea into a direction you felt God was calling you to pursue full-time?
When we won The Handbag Awards. I was so unsure of myself after getting rejected by a lot of industry experts in the UK, so my husband suggested applying. I remember getting a phone call saying I had been shortlisted out of 600 people. I went to New York and didn't expect to win, but we did. InStyle also ran a poll for audience favourite, and we won that as well. God kept on showing up. Running a business, you have times when you want to give up, but God shows you if you trust Him, He’s got you. But, sometimes we think we can do everything ourselves, but I'm learning now that I have to put everything in God's box.
Just because we feel called to something, it doesn’t mean it will be easy. How has your faith helped you when the hustle has felt overwhelming?
I remember my husband saying, ‘I feel like you go to God when you're in trouble or when you've messed up’. Sometimes we go to God last, but I've now learned the hard way to consult God first in everything. I speak to God as I speak to somebody I'm really close to. It's not easy because sometimes you don't think God cares about the little things, but He does. So it's going to God first and letting Him perfect the way before I even arrive at the destination.
RISKY BUSINESS
Were there times when you felt like taking the risk of building your business wasn’t going to pay off?
When we won The Handbag Awards, things moved really fast, and we got stocked by big department stores like Bloomingdale’s. But the danger when things are moving in a positive way is that eventually, you can become really complacent. Things started to slow down, and a lot of department stores began cutting their budget. That, alongside changes in consumer trends, meant we started seeing a decline in sales. Eventually, we slowly got back the retailers we lost and saw a massive increase in our business-to-business. Then Covid happened, and many of the brick-and-mortar stores cancelled orders. We had a £100,000 order cancelled to £0.
‘WE HAD A £100,000 WORTH OF ORDERS CANCELLED.’
In times of crisis, it's tempting to work harder to find a quick fix. How did you stay free from the pressure of hustle culture at that point?
I didn't even have the strength at that moment to keep going. I just sat still and said to God, ‘Where do I go from here?’ That was one of my lowest points because my father-in-law had just passed away too. My life was so up and down so I said, ‘I don't want it to be like this anymore’. Life is not a straight road, but that time really taught me that you don't have to wait for prayer to be a defensive, prayer can be an offensive.
‘YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT FOR PRAYER TO BE A DEFENSIVE, PRAYER CAN BE AN OFFENSIVE.’
What did you pray for at that time?
I took time away from the business because I wanted to learn to attach my worth to who God says I am, not the business. I remember crying in my stillness and saying, ‘God, all I want right now is strength’. Sometimes, as an entrepreneur, you feel you have to put on this front of having everything figured out, but I couldn't do anything. I invested so much of myself, and it almost got wiped away. So I asked God, not so much to get me out of the situation, or for another opportunity, but just for strength. Because if you have the strength you feel motivated to carry on.
How did you ensure that time didn’t defeat your ambitions and dreams?
It took time. I think it took time because I got to a point where I started to understand if I'm not okay, nothing else will be. How do I be a better mum, friend, or daughter if I'm constantly struggling with attaching too much of my value to the business? So, I'm learning to completely be at peace with the many stages of how God is healing me.
Dress by GALVAN, Choker by ANHUKA JEWELLERY and Bangles by ANTHROPOLOGIE
LEAVING OLD MINDSETS BEHIND
As you’ve grown on this journey, what beliefs or mindsets have you had to leave behind?
Self-sabotaging and talking myself out of opportunities. When I came to the UK from Nigeria at 11, I endured a lot of bullying in school. I wasn't someone that allowed it to happen, I was constantly fighting. I never really told my parents what I was going through, but it was hell. The bullying was so bad that nobody sat next to me. But it's funny because sometimes I want to go back to that girl because now, on the outside, I ooze confidence, but internally I struggle. But when I was younger, it was the other way around. I had so much in me, and I really admire that girl. The battles now are with myself, not so much with other people.
How has your faith helped you to leave that mindset behind?
I'm a lot more intentional, and what I mean by that is what The Bible says about thinking about the things that are positive. I no longer subconsciously do things without realizing what I'm doing. If I find I'm being negative about something or someone, I quickly know it's not the route I want to go down. It sounds really tiny, but it's a massive growth for me, fine-tuning my thoughts and not letting them rule me. God has so much more planned for me than my thoughts. So, I'm not unkind to myself anymore, and that doesn't mean I'm not ambitious, it means I have my goals, but I can be kind to myself while I root for them.
‘GOD HAS SO MUCH MORE PLANNED FOR ME THAN MY THOUGHTS.’
What’s been your biggest lesson from the highs and lows of your career journey?
I've learned to accept that once I've given something to God, I have to trust Him. Taking risks is so attached to fear because we’re worried it won't work. But it's about knowing who you are and who God's called you to be. I have my goals, but I can be kind to myself while I root for them and it's not as calculated as before. What gives me a lot of peace is that if I've trusted something to God and it hasn’t happened in the way I want, I remember Romans 8:28, that God works it all out in your favour. So, there's been certain times something hasn't worked out, but doors have opened somewhere else in a much bigger way. I know now I'd rather God's plan come to life over mine.
AS TOLD TO Ellie Dalton
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY Ruth Yimika Afolabi
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Amanda Akokhia
STYLING BY Mo Ogunsan
MAKEUP BY Imelda Ladebo
HAIR BY Carole James
PRODUCTION ASSISTING BY Eugenia Owusu
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