Meet Florence Adepoju, who was also panellist at I Have A Dream 2013, is the founder of cosmetic brand MDMflow. Florence, who graduated from the London College of Fashion in BSc (Hons) Cosmetic Science, spent her undergraduate life studying and working in luxury retail and later launched MDMflow in 2013. In two years MDMflow has been featured in national and international beauty editorials and boasts Topshop as one of its carriers. Dream Nation spoke to Florence about what attracted her to the cosmetic industry, the difficulties surrounding small businesses, fear of failure and the possibility of a world without borders.
MDMflow has been a brand for only two years. What has been the highlight of your career so far?
The biggest landmark was when we got into Topshop a month ago. We’re also sold in concept store in Paris called Colette. After these two milestones, I thought ‘my baby is two and being sold in these amazing international stores’. That’s when it hit me that this has gone quickly whereas during the process, everything feels so slow. I thought I would spend five years building up the brand and then start getting into established retailers. Sometimes when we think about how our lives, careers or businesses are gonna progress, we compartmentalise it. We’re like ‘my social media following is gonna go up, influencers are gonna wear my product and then retailers are gonna want me’ whereas I’m still in the process of building up my brand but these amazing things are happening alongside it. Things don’t always happen the way we put it in our head.
What attracted you to cosmetics above other crafts?
I’ve always been creative, into art, design and fashion. In university, I did fashion shows, was part of a creative collective and set up another online store concept. Before MDMflow, I got to test out other areas of entrepreneurship that could have worked out for me and nothing really stuck. By the time it got to MDMflow, I had done every single other thing I thought I wanted to do. Creating my brand was the only thing left. I registered the idea as a business straight away because I knew it was gonna be long term.
What is your least favourite part of your work?
Chasing up the money [laughs]. Before, it was not seeing the money, now it’s having the money but chasing it up. There are certain aspects of business you don’t get away from, especially when you begin and you’re doing everything. The financial and legal aspects are stuff that I have to go on online courses, watch videos and read articles for. It’s good to develop those areas but it’s not my natural talent and it’s not fun. I don’t think (even with a bigger team), the worry goes. It’s knowing the end concept of what you want to achieve and making sure that every aspect of it is in line and as an entrepreneur, that feeling never goes away.
When it felt/feels like your dream won’t materialise, what has kept/keeps you going?
I’ve had an unashamed belief that it’s going to be successful. Even when it’s been difficult, I’ve known that it’s temporary and things will get better. I’ve always recognised that fear is a very destructive thing and can break down a business, a person, or a relationship. If I make a decision that this is not working, and it’s not based on fear, then I know maybe I should be doing something else but anytime I’ve ever felt that way, it has been based on fear. That’s let me know that fear is the hurdle I need to get over and once I’ve been over that, it’s gotten better. As the business gets bigger, the problems don’t go away, you get better at dealing with them. After you face a specific issue “x” amount of times, you know that it’s not gonna bring your business down, you’re gonna be able to get over it and survive it. It’s a much quicker process.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt about yourself and others in the pursuit of your dream(s)?
The most valuable lesson I’ve learnt about myself is that if I’m not emotionally connected to something, I’m not going to pursue it. Sometimes when you start a project or a business, you’re like ‘I’m gonna make this happen by any means necessary’ and after you have made sacrifices in the journey, it’s like ‘actually, no, it’s not by any means necessary’. I’m happy to turn down an opportunity based on intuition if it doesn’t feel right. I’ve learnt that some people are just down for how they’re going to improve their lives but there are people who are extremely passionate about the industry, female entrepreneurship or changes that need to happen and will put their everything to help you get where you’re going. Don’t ever think it’s a singular journey. People always make it seem like it’s a battle against others. In some regards it is but I can definitely celebrate the fact that there are a lot of people rooting for me and wanting MDMflow to be successful.
What obstacles have you had to overcome to get where you are today?
Constantly believing in yourself and reiterating that ‘you can do this, you are good enough, and you can build something big’. That’s constant because sometimes you really don’t know what you’re doing. I remember when a retailer asked me for a line sheet and I didn’t know what it was. I Googled it, found out and made one but in a moment I felt like ‘I’m trying to get into retailers, this person’s asked me for documentation and I don’t know what they’re talking about; am I the right person to be doing this?’ After I have that moment, I’m like ‘yeah, of course I am’ then I get on with it. Other than that, I’d say cash flow in small businesses. As my business grows, this is definitely something I’m going to lobby for businesses coming up behind me. The systems and legislation in place don’t support small businesses. Anyone who is starting a business needs to recognise that cash flow is a real problem and look into different forms of credit/financing.
What fear(s) have you had in your journey to see your dreams materialise and (how) have you overcome those fears?
The biggest thing is fear of failure; it haunts you, even in your happy moments. The only way to get over that fear is to work. My business ends when I stop working on it, I stop believing in it, and I stop pushing it. It doesn’t end from the moment I worry or I’m scared. Other fears that I’ve had are how to tackle or grow certain areas but you get over that with knowledge. A lot of entrepreneurs are quite intuitive so we answer questions about how we wanna go forward with our business within ourselves but there are things we don’t know. If you’ve never been taught or had an understanding of it, you don’t know these things and have to go back to the books. It’s a constant learning curve. That’s why someone who hasn’t been to business school can run a business as effectively as or even more so than someone who has been. They have to constantly keep learning.
If you ruled the world, what, if anything, would you change first?
I would remove all borders so people are able to freely travel around the world. There’s a website that promotes the idea. It says that if we remove the borders from the world, people would not flood to the Western countries as we think. It would actually be more of an outpour of Westerners to other nations because they have more resources. The way that the world is set up now, where the borders are creates a hierarchy of nations, which I don’t believe that God put in place. The border system means the Western world can take advantage of the developing world and perpetuates that system. If there were no borders, people would have to make individual decisions on where they wanted to be based and how they could develop.
What practical advice would you give to aspiring business people or cosmeticians?
Do a lot research. Before I started MDMflow, I read up about how a lot of game changing businesses in my industry operate. It helps you to understand how innovation has changed the industry and how you can be a part of that as opposed to creating a carbon copy of what’s already out there. Follow a lot of the major players. I have a personal twitter page where I follow L’Oreal’s development page and keep an eye on what’s happening in the industry. Finally, network. Get to know people in the industry, talk to people. Building up yourself, your concept and your idea is a lot more useful than just jumping in. People think ‘the quicker I start, the bigger I’m gonna become’. That’s not necessarily true. Though I started my business at twenty-two, I had been in the industry since I was seventeen. I knew I wanted to have my own brand so spent a long time developing myself within the industry. No matter how old you are, make sure you’re ready before you take the jump.
What resources, including apps, would you recommend up and coming business people?
Here are my top 3 podcasts. I’m obsessed with Planet Money. The ASOS podcast is really good; it’s based on start-up entrepreneurs and creatives in and around London. I was featured on there. The Tim Ferris show is really cool. I’m obsessed with Slack for business owners, it’s my number one app. I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and Tumblr. I used to have the Fast Company magazine downloaded but now I try and buy copies as I prefer reading the physical form than the app. That’s it and then my trusty Uber.
If you had to describe yourself as an animal, what would you be and why?
I would describe myself as a tiger even though that’s very cliché. It’s the underdog because it’s not the lion, it’s having that aggressiveness in terms of competitiveness. It’s not wasteful aggressiveness, it’s just that prowess. I think that’s a skill set you need to have. If you don’t have a certain amount of competitive nature or determination to succeed/reach goals, it’s not gonna work. My brand has a certain type of confidence and I always say MDMflow is the most confident version of me. If I was like that in my real life, people would probably think I’m very arrogant so I put it all into the brand.
What can we look forward to from MDMflow in the near future?
Expect the unexpected. I’m doing MDMflow in a very different way to every brand out there. We’re gonna have a lot more products and we’re getting our teeth in with some very cool retailers at the moment. It’s always gonna be really personal. I’m always gonna be the name and the face of the brand in some respects because there is a definite conversation around beauty that I want MDMflow to have a firm viewpoint on. I definitely think that we’re growing and taking over.
