Featured Omoge for August 2012 - Joy Adaeze (Joy Loves Fashion)

This month's Omoge of the month is the dynamic and bright Joy Adaeze of  Joylovesfashion.com.

She is a world renown fashionista, image consultant and fashion stylist. She knows fashion from the inside out and is never afraid to try something new. She's got her own individual style and rocks it fiercely.

Whether it has been from in front of the camera when she was in her modelling days at Rutgers University (Go RU!!! . . . that is my alma mater ;) )or from behind the camera where she has been the stylist and photographer Joy's love of fashion and style has always shone through.

Her very impressive background as a stylist includes publications in both Europe and the States which includes ESSENCE Magazine, Fashizblack and Blu.

Joy is also an avid writer and has had her work featured in ESSENCE, Huffington Post-Black Voices and Heritage 1960.com

Joy with Mikki Taylor

She has been named one of the "Top 40 Style Bloggers" by Essence.com and one of the "5 Brilliant Stylists You Should Know" by Coco and Creme magazine.

A quote that she lives by is "Empower yourself by the image you create" and she is definitely leaving a positive and vibrant image to emulate.

Aside from being featured here on OmogeLepa.com :)
Joy has also been featured in New York Times, Italian Vogue, Chinese Vogue, Elle, Seventeen, NY Mag, Ebony and Essence among others.

Best of luck on all your future endeavors and we will continue to look out for your innovative fashion and your creative style!

Keep Up With Joy:

Personal blog: http://joylovesfashion.com


Radio interview: http://joylovesfashion.com/wordpress/my-radio-interview-with-culture-shock-nigerians-splash-105-5-fm/


AfriPop Mag feature: http://afripopmag.com/2012/04/afripop-today-i-wore-joy-adaeze/


Fashion Bomb feature: http://fashionbombdaily.com/2012/04/03/fashion-bombshell-of-the-day-joy-from-new-york/


Twitter: @joyadaeze


Instagram: fashionistajoyadaeze

Featured Entrepreneur Interview - Taiwo Ajala: The SuyaSpot

Am yet to meet anyone who does not love or at least like suya, no matter where in the world. I had the chance to interview Taiwo Ajala of The SuyaSpot Canada and here is what he had to share.

· Tell us a little about yourself, your background


o I was born in Ontario Canada, spent most of my youth in Kaduna & Jos, returned to Canada about 15 years ago and have been shuttling between both countries ever since. I am also an accounting graduate.

Taiwo with Ghanian actor MAJID

· What is your business and what do you do?


o I am a restaurateur, I operate the suya spot


· When did you start the business?


o About six years ago

· How did you get the idea for this?


o My brothers and I used to make suya for friends at parties, it sort of spawned into a business idea.


· What was the biggest startup challenges?


o Leaving my field to startup a company independent of any support system I was used to.


· How did you overcome those challenges?


o My brothers were a great source of support. Couldn’t have done it without them


· What makes your business unique, what’s your “unique selling point”?


o I realized that food didn’t need to just nourish the body, it represents the culture of its people. My business seeks to bring people together through the enjoyment of a good meal

Sauce Kid at The Suya Spot

The Suya Spot at an outdoor event

· In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.


o Awesome


· What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?


o Entrepreneurs are driven to accomplish more than they can typically handle


· What do you think it takes to become a successful entrepreneur?


o Guts. There are a lot of challenges along the way, it doesn’t take much to become discouraged.


· What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?


o You have to be adaptable, market conditions do change quickly


o You have to be a realist, when things aren’t going as planned, it probably wont get better – make changes (adapt)


o Lucky. Its strange to say that but there are a lot of smart people out there, the next big idea might come when you’re in the shower and not sifting through years of research papers


· What would you say to someone considering starting their own business?


o Don’t be afraid to fail. It is more common to fail than to succeed so you wont be the first or last. Win or loose the experience will teach you a lot about yourself. That lesson will make you good at it.


· What was your greatest fear in starting a business? How did you manage that fear?


o The fear of failure.


· What would say are the five key elements for starting and running a successful business?


o Know what you’re getting into.


o Be prepared for anything


o You’ll need great support


o Know your customer


o Have an exit strategy


· What inspires you?


o Success


· If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask yourself, and what would the answer be?


o Q: Of all the business choices you’ve made, which single ones were the riskiest, best and worst?


o Riskiest would be the massive advertising campaign we went on even before we secured a location for the store


o Best was the result of that campaign. People were curious about a store that had a secret location. When the next round of ads came in people sure wanted to check it out. Turnout on opening day set the tone for the rest of the years


o Worst would have to be that we didn’t get that creative when we moved to a larger location. We lost a significant customer base for a while, most found us eventually.


Thanks for your time :)

You can check out their website at: The SuyaSpot

FaceBook: The Suya Spot