Ayotunde Rufai - The former banker revolutionising luxury fashion e-commerce for Africa

For this episode we were joined by Ayotunde Rufai,  Founder of Jendaya, a luxury e-commerce platform targeting African consumers while also exposing African brands to the rest of the world.

Growing up in a traditional Nigerian household,  Ayo's path was arguably chosen for him, either become a banker, doctor or lawyer, you know how it goes! Ayo chose the first of the three and worked incredibly hard to get there despite always having an eye and huge passion for fashion. Ayo did believe that a life working in banking was what he wanted but his desire to do something fashion related was something he could not run from and has ultimately led to him being at the helm of a fast growing fashion e-commerce platform who recently raised £1 million in funding!

Ayo has an extensive story to tell already as you can imagine and he candidly takes us through his whole journey all the way from budding banker to fully fledged fashion entrepreneur. He shares what went into his decision to finally leave the banking world, the transferable skills he's taken from the corporate world, why he actually started Jendaya and much more.

Throughout the conversation it is clear to see how much Ayo believes in himself and more importantly how much of a risk taker he is. This is something I hope everyone takes from this episode. If you have an idea, know that at some point you may have to make drastic changes to your life in order for you to make this idea. a reality!

Since recording Ayo has continued to grow the Jendaya e-commerce platform, adding many more luxury brands to their ever growing list alongside working on another huge brand collaboration that we'll be seeing very soon!

Follow Ayo's instagram to stay locked into his journey growing Jendaya, and follow the Jendaya brand page to keep up to date with the incredible work they're doing and unique brands they're showcasing!