On March the 12th, I ventured to Holborn for brunch to celebrate the launch of the new skincare offering from my friend, facialist and fellow blogger Dija Ayodele.
It was absolutely wonderful to witness this event as Dija has been dedicated to her vision for the past seven years! The new brand is called 3107 London. At the event Dija explained the name 3107 London was a tribute to her family. Each number is significant to the day each of them were born and signifies a shared strength, deep determination, mutual inspiration and endless love.
In the meantime, I have asked Dija a few questions about the genesis of the brand and her tips for budding entrepreneurs!
What was the main inspiration for you starting your business?
3107 London was something of a natural extension to my work as a Facialist/Skin Consultant and Beauty Writer.
For years, I’ve been making treatment oils for use on clients and it got to a point where they’d wanted to buy them for home use and one even wanted to sell them on! So after having my little girl and wanting to do something that would work around the family, I decided to take the plunge and set up 3107 London. It was a purposefully slow process as I didn’t want it to interfere too much with our home life, so it’s taken nearly 3 years to get it ready.
How did you develop the branding?
I really wanted it to stand out on which is why I choose chic clean white packaging. A lot of botanical products are in dark packaging, so I wanted something different. I also wanted it to be a nod to the content hence the pretty flower and herb design.
In everything, I believe in utilizing the power of those who are experts at what they do. I worked with Kristina Hultkrantz, an illustrator based in Sweden to get the logo and the imagery complete. We did this via email and Pinterest.
Once that was done, Creative Haus, a branding and graphic design agency in Elstree, took over to refine and complete the branding library.
What are the future aspirations for the brand?
I want 3107 London to be around for a long time, so I’m making and taking very considered decisions. In the short term, there will be more facial skincare products especially oils based and elixirs that target specific skin concerns. I have dreams of a 360 degree practice where you can have all your skincare and lifestyle needs met under one roof.
How have you balanced motherhood with starting your own business?
Everything starts and stops with good organizational skills. I mentally work days in advance in my head so I keep a constant check on the family calendar so I know what needs to be prepared before its due. My daugher has a busy diary with nursery a few days and other social activities so I also keep a master list of all tasks that need doing; I include work, personal and family tasks so I don’t miss anything and I break it down to micro lists, reviewing every morning and evening.
I’ve also got in the habit of waking up very early, 5am! This way I start my day, get some exercise and get in the right frame of mind before the house wakes up.
In the spirit of honesty I must say every once in a while all the balls I’m juggling come crashing down, but such is life. So long as things keep moving in the right direction, then I have no complaints.
What major keys ???*DJ Khalid voice* would you pass on to aspiring skincare entrepreneurs????
- Have a very clear idea of your offering and draw a long term five year plan about how you intend to bring it to market and keep it growing.
- Know your strengths and play to that. It’s easy to want to try and do it all to save money, but remember time is money too. Sometimes it’s best to just hire someone to do a task than you spend a long time trying to figure it out.
- Develop a capable and confident team (be it internal or an outsourced team who come together ad hoc) who understand your brand, your business and your destination.
- Celebrate and shout about your wins. Use them as a launch pad for other initiatives.
- Research, research, research – be aware of what’s going on in the industry and keep abreast of new trends.
- Network and be visible. Your business will not thrive from your back bedroom. You need to get out there!
- Finally, you have to be passionate about the industry and passionate about the people you serve. Skincare is all about people, getting to know them and understanding how you can help them. So you must have a questioning and inquisitive mind, amazing people skills and put the love of making others feel good about themselves, above your need to make money from the skincare industry.
You can purchase the products here!
Follow 3107 London on Twitter, Instagram and like the Facebook page!
Follow Dija on Twitter too!
