Whenever you talk about the pioneers of the Make Up business in Nigeria, one name that instantly pops up is
that of Tara Fela-Durotoye. She is regarded as the Queen of Make Up
Business in Nigeria. She is one of those Big Babes, who turned
their hobbies into big business. She has paid her dues in the business
She is a lawyer-turned-Beauty entrepreneur, Tara
Fela-Durotoye is the founder and
C.E.O, House of Tara International. She started the trend
of bridal make Up profession in Nigeria. In a series of
firsts, she launched the first Bridal directory in Nigeria in 1999.
She set up the first make up studio in 2004. And established the
country’s first make up school in 2005, launched the Tara Product
Line and organised Nigeria’s first Make-Up Conferencein 2014.
She
has empowered over 5,000 young ladies with the Tara beauty
Representatives’ Initiative that makes them economically independent,
while building their entrepreneurial skills for national transformation. House
of Tara has become a national brand with 22 branches and over 150
employees and present in most major cities across the country with distribution
channels in Kenya and Rwanda and with a plan to expand to other
cities in Europe and North America.
Under
her leadership, House of Tara business case study was
researched and written by Stanford University and currently being
used by Ivy League Institutions. She started the Tara Fela Durotoye
Series (TFD Series) in 2015 as an initiative to mentor, empower and
support women between the ages of 25-35. The TFD series achieves
its mission by fostering impactful and life changing dialogue and mentorship
between women and dynamic thought leaders across a broad range of areas
including business, relationships, home and spirituality.
She
has received several national and international Awards for her contribution to
the industry and active role in Entrepreneurship
and Empowerment. She has been featured on CNN African voices.
She was recognised by: The World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader,
2013 Forbes list of 20 Young Power Women in Africa, 2013
Choiseul Institute of France Top 100 Young African Business Leaders under
40 in 2014 . Tara is happily married to Fela Durotoye and
is blessed with 3 sons.
Not
too long ago, City People’s Publisher, Seye Kehinde, spent some
quality time with this successful female entrepreneur at her Pent House office
in Lekki in Lagos. The entire complex is massive, with an
adjoining building, attached to it. Her office is on the 3rd floor and
she has a retinue of Managers, Beauty specialists all working for the different
aspects of Tara International, which has become a global brand.
Tara,
over the last few years, has become a role model to many young girls for her
pioneering role in Bridal Make up. At the time she
started over 20 years, ago, that field was a virgin territory. She has
since built what started as passion into big business. How did she do it. Does she feel fulfilled? She opened up to City
People in this interview.
How
do you feel, when you look back at what you’ve been able to achieve in the
Make-Up industry?
I
feel happy. When I look back over the last 10 years. I am really
appreciative of the journey in the last 10 years. My first child
is 16 years old. My 2nd is 14. All my kids are in
secondary school. I look at my business and I have seen this brand we have
created grow. And I have been able to sustain that brand over the years. And I
am counting down to about 20 years doing the business. I look
back at all those things. I look at that
journey, plus my marriage to Fela, I am really, really grateful.
It
was one of those times that I really, really wanted to celebrate and celebrate the way I like to
celebrate. I was very excited.
So
looking back at your life, how does it make you feel?
Happy.
I had a conversation with one of my sons the other day. He said to me, mummy, I
am very happy for you and how you decided to celebrate your birthday because
you have truly become an Icon. For me, the fact that my own child
could look at my own life and talks about the impart he sees I have made, lives
that I have touched, the business that I have built, I has totally blown away.
I am
more excited because I also know what I suffered in those times, the
insecurity, the uncertainties. And then coming here to this moment and seeing
all these. It’s not that everything I wanted has happened. No. But it is that
marry things that I didn’t even expect, happened. And they are great things and
lives that I’ve made have been impart on . And for me, I am really grateful.
What
were the things you planned to do that
you were unable to do?
I
would have thought that The House of Tara brand would have become
a Nigerian home brand that has blown
into every other country. That
has not happened yet. I thought that one of my children was going to be an avid
artiste. He is playing soccer rather than drawing, after spending so much time
taking him to Nike Arts Gallery investing in lesson teacher for Fine Arts. That
is one thing I expected that didn’t happen. When I looked at my wish to have a
daughter. At some point, I had wished to have a daughter. That didn’t happen. I
am over 40 now, so chances are, that is almost impossible
to happen. I thought House of Tara was going to become a bigger
company in terms of our Balance Sheet and value of the company.
That didn’t happen.
I
thought my mum was gong to be alive till this moment. My step mum who raised
me, I thought she would be here and be part of this my journey. She didn’t make
it to this time.
But
in spite of all these things that didn’t happen, I’m still quite conscious of
having gratitude for all that have happened.
How
did your journey into Make-up start?
My
journey into the Make-up business started as a Hobby. I
was in the University then. This is about 20
years ago. First of all, the Make-up business as we know it
didn't exist then. secondly, nobody was doing Bridal Make-up
artistry as a profession. And this was something I started. When I
started it, I didn't realise that it was going to become this big. I look at
the industry today and I am in awe of what it has become.
I was
at a party recently and it was unbelievable the number of women who were at
that party and who were officially made up. In the past, only the Bride
will get made up and maybe the Mother too.
In
some cases, the Bride, her mother and her sisters.
This time, the number has been expanded to every auntie, every cousin
and there are varying degrees of professionalism in terms of Make-up
that was done. And the whole thing for me was amazing. I look back and
I think if I didn’t start this, if I was discouraged, it will not become what
it is today. It has become part of our culture now that women will have their Make-up
professionally done, and for their gele to be tied
professionally.
Its
not only done for traditional weddings. People even get their Make up done
professionally, to go to work, or, big meetings.
So, I
look back at that time when I first started, and I didn't know it was going to
become a big thing, until one day I sat down and did my numbers and I thought
if these numbers came out of this business, then I need to sit down and look at
it more closely and pay more attention to it. That is why I started to pay more
attention to the business.
And
the company started to grow and I built structures around it and I put a system
in place. My first store was in Oko-Awo in Victoria Island,
Lagos. I remember telling you then, that I was no longer going to be
doing makeup professionally and I remember it made headline news.
People shouted and said why did you go and say that. I made that decision then
because I didn't want to focus the business on me, in terms of my skills, but
on an array of Make up artistes. That is the same model that we
have built today. So nobody waits for only Tara to come and do
their Make up.
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