The ultimate advocate for black women in tech, Oyinkansola Adebayo is an absolute force to be reckoned with.

She founded Niyo Group to use technology to economically empower black women, and has built the business up to seven figures. This year also sees the first Niyo Fest, an event that will fuse technology and culture.

In this ‘What A Woman’ we get to know Oyin a little better and hear more about Niyo Bootcamps, the EdTech platform that’s focused on enabling one million black women globally to be upskilled. As well as Niyo Hair & Beauty, the world’s first AR-powered beauty salon for afro hair.

It goes without saying that you are *quite* the woman! Tell us a bit about your business journey so far… 

The entrepreneurial journey started at the age of seven, when my late Dad who ran his estate management firm had lots of contracts with companies like MTN, one of Africa’s foremost telecommunications corporations.

He used to get me to sit down and write a lot of proposals and bids with him. I would pick up skills from a young age of what it meant to write persuasively in business. I always had that side of me that was very much entrepreneurial, academic, corporate and intelligent and another side of me that was creative and flamboyant. I remember working at many social enterprises, doing a lot of lobbying work and volunteering, and I was like, “Oh, there’s a lot of social enterprises talking about empowering people”, but I never saw anything tangible with it. I couldn’t see the tangibility in the ’empowerment’ work. I observed a lot of confidence-building workshops or resilience workshops, but there was no tangibility. So I thought, “Okay Oyin, you’ve built up a community  of about one hundred women at this point–” (I was about 18 at the time) “–in Birmingham and you’ve built a relationship with them – why not merge that academic and social-mission-driven agenda  with the hair and beauty?” And that’s how the journey has evolved into upskilling  women in tech and building a beauty tech business using AR/AI technology. My emergence as a business woman in tech building  conglomerates started with a girl with a dream.

What inspired you to set up your business and what have been the most significant steps in growing it to where you have to date?

I set  up my business because I wanted to see social empowerment and the tangibility of profit making to converge because I didn’t see much of this at the young age that I began exploring entrepreneurship. I have had several moments of significance, however,  I would say, expanding the team from just myself and our CCO Laolu to 6 people to now a team of 25 people . Furthermore, it was also taking on the strategic move to get advisors  and investors for the education division of Niyo Group.

Did you dive straight into entrepreneurial life, or did you take your time planning?

I did a bit of both but I did it very fast!

Business support comes in so many forms – accelerators, mentors, finance, and networking, to name a few. What support have you found the most significant in helping you to start and scale?

The most significant support I have found has been having mentors, finance and networking. Out of all of these, mentors have to be my favourite. Why? Mentorship has unlocked opportunities of growth for my business and me personally in my business to grow, correct me when I was going in the wrong direction, introduce me to the right stakeholders who will charge me forward whether it is new clients, financiers and investors.

What’s on your vision board this year?

On my vision board is to invest in agriculture in Africa, as I believe this would be the greatest economic driver for growth globally. Additionally, I would like to 10x the revenue of my education company and open up 2 AR powered salons in Lagos and Atlanta. Together with this, I want to grow my angel investing portfolio from 5 to at least 7 startups, and to continue to mentor emerging entrepreneurs especially black female founders.

They say “if you don’t ask, you don’t get” so what’s the magic bullet that will help you scale and who do you need to make it happen?

I need an intro to angel investors to invest in my beauty business, together with a bad ass marketing agency who would like to work alongside myself and my team to grow technology empires.

Apparently, a founder’s morning routine says a lot about them. Talk us through yours…

4am – Alexa alarm goes off 

4am-5am – Prayer, meditation, Bible study and a cup of hot water, lemon and ACV

5am – Gym time with my pre-workout

7:30am – Shower and listen to The Economist radio, Acquired podcast or FT daily 

8am-  Breakfast and prepare to do list

9am – Day begins…

What are your non-negotiables, in both business and life?

1. Never settle for less!
2. “Can’t” and “I don’t know” are swear words in my vocabulary, and I don’t swear
3. Value alignment is far more important than the cash and material gain

As a successful founder, how easy do you actually find it trying to have work/life balance?

I have never succeeded with balance in anything. I believe in having a work/life blend. Being an entrepreneur has enabled me to have this blend so beautifully, where I have been able to build a life and work with people who I choose to have around me.

Are there any go-to resources you’d recommend to fellow founders – be that books, podcasts, memberships, or something else entirely?

Podcasts – Acquired Podcast, The Economist

Books – Poor Charlie’s Almanack is my favourite business book

Memberships – the gym. I sincerely believe that entrepreneurs that have a fitness lifestyle have greater discipline than those that don’t. What keeps us going when its hard is discipline, not motivation.

On the subject of advice, what’s the most BS advice you’ve ever received? Did you ignore it straight away or learn the hard way?

I sincerely cannot remember because I literally ignore this stuff and move on quickly.

Finally, we believe in the power of celebrating your wins. What are you most proud of?

Bootstrapping my education business to 7 figures.

Find out more about Niyo Group over on the website: niyo.co and check out the first Niyo Fest, an event where tech meets culture, taking place this October: niyofest.com

WHAT. A. WOMAN!

Do you know a founder that will inspire The 51% Club community?
Get in touch with us and tell us a bit about her story: girlpower@the51percent.club