She Left Corporate Law, Went Back to Work, and Still Built a Global Fashion Brand
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Show notes
In this episode, I sat down with Busayo Olupona, founder and creative director of Busayo, the Brooklyn- and Lagos-based fashion brand known for its bold prints and textiles created with artisans in Nigeria. Busayo shares how she went from corporate finance law to bringing handmade pieces home in suitcases, selling them at scrappy pop-ups, and eventually landing in major retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Shopbop, and Moda Operandi.
But this conversation goes much deeper than fashion. Busayo opens up about returning to a 9-to-5 after years of entrepreneurship, the shame and fear she had to unlearn, and the two serious cardiac events that forced her to confront the cost of constant striving. We talk about what it takes to build a business without losing yourself, why preparation matters before opportunity arrives, and how faith, meditation, and surrender changed the way she leads.
In This Episode, You Will LearnWhy learning a new industry while you still have a paycheck can protect both your savings and your confidenceHow to view returning to a job as reinvesting in your business, not failing at entrepreneurshipWhy Busayo had to separate her worth from her corporate title and other people's opinionsHow years of creating collections before buyers said yes prepared her for the Saks opportunityWhat two serious cardiac events taught her about sleep, stress, self-care, and sustainable ambitionHow wholesale relationships can drive recurring revenue, brand discovery, and direct-to-consumer salesWhy Busayo believes faith, meditation, and surrender are practical tools for entrepreneurship
Highlights Include03:04 - Moving from Nigeria to the United States at age 11 and learning to reject parts of herself to fit in16:44 - How annual trips to Nigeria planted the seed for the Busayo brand19:37 - The first pop-up that pushed her to stop hiding her designs24:05 - Leaving Cleary Gottlieb and unlearning the belief that she was not enough29:16 - Attending her first trade show and returning with only two orders31:36 - Meeting mentor Mercedes Gonzalez and learning how wholesale really works32:36 - Going back to a legal job after burning through her savings34:49 - Returning to the same office building and confronting the shame tied to her old title36:19 - The first cardiac emergency that showed her she was pushing too hard39:49 - Experiencing a second cardiac event and making sleep and self-care non-negotiable47:59 - Why she now sees building a business as a spiritual endeavor55:49 - How years of preparation helped her seize the opportunity that led to Saks1:00:08 - Navigating strong years, lean years, and the impact of the Saks bankruptcy1:06:17 - Why wholesale remains an important revenue and discovery channel1:14:48 - Identifying your fear pockets before leaving a steady paycheck
Links and Resources MentionedShop BusayoThe Fashion Designer Survival Guide by Mary GehlharRAISEfashionThe Untethered Soul by Michael A. SingerMindset by Carol S. Dweck
Connect With BusayoBrand Instagram: @busayoworld: https://www.instagram.com/busayoworld/Personal Instagram: @busayojournal: https://www.instagram.com/busayojournal/
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