Today we’d like to introduce you to Tolu Akindunni.
Hi Tolu, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my career in the technology space delivering disruptive innovation for global corporate brands. This afforded me the opportunity to live and work in many cities around the world. Born in Nigeria and partly educated in the UK, I gained a rich cultural experience in these countries which then later stretched to the Middle East, and more recently the United States.
The concept for All Things Black & Beautiful started with my sister and me, about 10 years ago when we identified the increased demand for unique products created by Black business owners and for the black consumer. What I realized in my work/life travels was that this trend was not particularly isolated to a global location but the black and African communities were getting serious about establishing and growing their own indigenous brands.
As I navigated through life, the idea grow beyond merely reselling products and services to connecting people, ideas, and missions. Coupled with a strong desire to support underrepresented communities with entrepreneurship education, coaching, and access.
Fast-forwarding 10 years on and finding myself in Dallas, Texas, All Things Black & Beautiful was born as a platform to serve and amplify black-owned businesses through collaboration and community.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The first obstacle was in making a head start. Whilst the concept matured and evolved over time, there was need to create a Minimum Viable Product – something that tangible enough to be put front of customers and validated. Hence, the journey began.
It took while to shape up the proposition, particularly having to juggle other life priorities. At the time I started developing the business, had just relocated to the States and was supporting my husband with running our gemstone and jewelry business. Therefore, finding the headspace to work through multiple aspects was challenging.
Thankfully through the support of friends, family, and mentors who knew my passion, I was championed and challenged to make a move. Surely with small incremental steps, I was able to iterate through and established some concrete building blocks to launch the brand.
As you know, we’re big fans of All Things Black & Beautiful. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
All Things Black & Beautiful (ATBB) is a social enterprise registered in Dallas, Texas USA. Our work is focused around helping to strengthen the economic presence and impact of black-owned businesses through the provision of opportunities (marketing & networking), educational content, and creating a platform to collaborate together.
We engage with the community through our online channels- social media (Instagram &Facebook) and the website, www.blackandb.com. Members of our Facebook Group also get access to funding updates, training news, insights, and other exclusive content.
We see our website as an evolving platform as we unlock new features over the coming months. Today, we have a growing database of black business owners, some of whom are showcased in our Business Directory. This summer, we launching a Surprise Box collection, which comprises of curated products from diverse black-owned businesses around the world. The boxes will be available for purchase via our website and online channels.
We are developing our podcast series which will launch later this year. In parallel, we are also working with similar organizations supporting underrepresented communities to develop and share unique content for the black business community on our platform.
What makes our offering unique is the support we provide to the black business owners. They are at the core of our service and we seek to empower, embolden and enrich them through a thriving network. Our partnerships and collaborations are valuable to us as we use them to gather more insights into the needs of the community and how we support with fulfilling them.
How do you define success?
Success is a vibrant and thriving black business owner community realizing growth and impact in or communities. We are looking forward to the testimonial and tangible contributions we can make to these businesses. We welcome the media coverage and support from stakeholders in the industry and it would be a great achievement to bring everyone together to achieve some great outcomes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blackandb.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atblackandbeautiful/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atblackandbeautiful
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atblackandbeautiful/
