In Conversation with Addie Elabor

Tell us about your background:

I was born in Nigeria and my family moved to the US when I was 6 years old. I grew up on the outskirts of Philly in the suburbs. Growing up as an immigrant was a bit challenging because I felt I had to blend in order to be accepted. I went to Oral Roberts University to study international business and minored in French. While there, I befriended other Africans which helped me embrace my heritage and uniqueness. After undergrad, I moved to the south of France for a year to improve my French and worked as an Au Pair (nanny). It was a great experience that exposed me to a new culture and helped me further gain more independence and embrace my roots.

Upon returning back to the U.S, I landed a job as an inventory coordinator for an online pet store. That experience helped me tremendously later when I launched my own online clothing brand. I went on to attend Saint Joseph University for my master’s in international marketing. At that time, I was working as a market buyer for VWR, an international lab supply company. After receiving my master’s degree, I applied for marketing roles, but due to little experience in marketing, I didn’t land any positions. I was very unhappy with my job at VWR and didn’t see any inspiring roles within the organization.

It was at that time that I read “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” which inspired me to start my own business. After speaking to a friend, I realized that there was a void in the market for modern, ready to wear African inspired pieces. I immediately had a vision of creating the Zara or H&M of African inspired fashion. I didn’t have a fashion background but the vision to create the brand was so compelling that I had to make it happen. In January 2014, I launched D'IYANU from my studio apartment in King of Prussia with my own savings and a credit card loan.

With a great deal of work, focus and determination, D’IYANU has grown to become a leader in our niche and is projected to hit 8 figures in revenue this year. We will also be celebrating our 10th year anniversary! I’m incredibly grateful for the journey so far, but I know that the brand still has so much potential.

What do you wish you’d known when you started out?

Honestly, I’m not sure what I wish I would have known when I started out. I feel that managing my brand has been a journey which has taught me a lot about business and myself. There are times when I wish I would have recruited experts in certain parts of the business sooner in order to achieve faster growth, but then I may not have had as much understanding in those areas that I do now. An example is that I successfully ran the brand’s FB and IG ads for the first 3.5 years of the business. I took a course and understand how the platform works. That provides me with a foundation to better monitor our FB ad agency and call them out when they’re not using our budget efficiently or running ads with sold out products.

Best career advice you've ever received?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Basically, don’t stress all the little things that can derail your focus. Personally, when I’m too stressed out, I’m not productive. I’ve learned to let go of worrying about little things that can prevent you from looking at the bigger picture and creating solutions.

What leadership qualities are important to you?

The ability to be a problem solver and the ability to inspire your team to do their best work.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far? 

The biggest challenge with building my brand has been finding the right people. Recruiting and retaining the right talent could have helped my brand achieve faster growth. Networking and partnership is also something I struggle with since I tend to be more introverted and work independently.

And for fun, what is your favorite wardrobe staple?

My favorite wardrobe staple at the moment is a Zara black blazer dress that’s super stylish and goes with everything. You can style it with a dress, pants or even by itself. It’s such a versatile piece.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addie-elabor-4745072b/

Website: www.diyanu.com

Instagram: @diyanu