Category: Fashion

Tomi Badejoko started life as a kid presenter on NTA 10 Children’s Variety Show. That experience inspired her to pursue a career in broadcasting working in London with Sky TV and Ben TV with lots of memorable encounters. In this interview with YETUNDE OLADEINDE, she talked about inspiration from her parents, especially her dad who was a Journalist, acting, going into beauty and skincare.

Tell us about your new passion for beauty, what inspired you?

I have always been inspired about beauty, I grew up in a family that has been conscious about skincare. I grew up doing facials, pedicure, manicure in my households. Always been particular about how you look, particularly my maternal grandma. She is the kind of person that always tells you, you have to take good care of yourself, your skin and basically that inspired me while growing up.I have always been in an environment where they are always conscious of self-care.

What are some of the things that you do in the sector?

Currently, I am a skincare and beauty blogger. I basically review skincare products for people, advising them on the kind of skincare product to use on their skin type and telling them the products that I used that really worked for me. And those I used that didn’t work, those I think they should try and telling them the latest products in town. You know women are very particular about anti-aging products, so I talk about that. I talk about skincare tools, skincare regimen, home made products. Just basically giving advise on skincare and beauty.

Let’s talk about your experience in broadcasting. How did this influence your personality?

My experience in broadcasting is more like it is in the family. It is genetic. My dad is a journalist, so I grew up in a house and from age five and I was forced to read newspaper, my dad was always calling me to come and read this and read that. He was always telling me I see you on TV, your personality is very free spirited and sociable. So, that was how it started and before you know it, I am already doing stuffs, cultural things, debating, Press clubs, I would be there. Then they are picking people to go on TV right from primary school. I would be there, and I have just always liked everything creative or performing arts. I did a bit of acting too and that is why I wished I actually pursued that, but we are here now, and I just found myself graduating to the passion, into broadcasting because it has always been in me.

I used to present a live TV show, a breakfast show on Ben TV, Skye TV in London. Basically, I have always had this personality before I became a broadcaster, I have always been very chatty, very sociable, very spirited. So, I think I have always had it. I won’t say broadcasting really influenced my personality. Instead, I would say my personality influenced my broadcasting. I think for you to be in broadcasting, you have to have some sort of personality. It influenced my personality and worked more on the strength that I always had.

You started as a kid presenter at the NTA. What are your memories?

It was a very good memory and anytime I look back at that, it really makes me happy. I could remember then, there was this program called Children’s variety on NTA 10 where they invited different schools to come and talk about trending topics then. And here I was chosen alongside four other people, but I was so surprised that I was the main host, that was really shocking for me because then I was very small. So, I told myself that I am going to host this show. We had our teachers grooming us on what to say and it was a live show. So, you just couldn’t afford to make a mistake. I was just 9 years old then and we had constant coaching. When everybody had gone home, we were still in school, learning about Children’s variety. I did very well, you would never know that was my first time on TV considering I was a 9 year old. It was wonderful, I wished we actually recorded it then, maybe I would go back to NTA to see if they have it in their archives. It will be really nice to watch. Also, there was another show we participated in with Mee Mofe Damijo when she used to do the “MEE and You Show’ She hosted it and her daughter used to be in my primary school at Chrisland. They came to the school and picked a few people to do the show with her and it was a nice Christmas show then and I was chosen. So, I have always had this from age nine to ten back then.

Who or what inspires the things you do?

I get inspiration basically from home, my mum and dad. So, the broadcasting part of me, the talking part of me, and my personality I got from dad because my dad is a journalist. But the creative side of me in terms of beauty, taking care of myself is from my mum. Basically, I got my inspiration from my parents. Also, growing up I used to watch a lot of TV shows. I used to watch Oprah Winfrey and I used to dream of having my own show too. We are still waiting for that to happen. So, it is going to be my mum, my dad and Oprah. Those are the people that inspired me to do what I do now.

What are some of the other things that occupy your time?

Basically, aside from the creative side of me, the blogging and all the other things that occupy my time, I also have a day job which takes most of my time. That really occupies my time and I enjoy being a mum.

Tell us about the people you admire?

This questions sometimes can be generic but to be honest I try to be real. A lot of people can admire people from afar, like all this major stars without knowing their stories. For me, it is the people I know and that includes my mum because she is very hardworking. I admire my mum because she has been an entrepreneur like forever. She has been able to run a successful business for over 35 years plus. It has been recognized in Nigeria called Astoria. She has also been able to balance being an entrepreneur, working back to back and still being a mum like nothing ever suffered I don’t know how she balances it. Maybe because she is a Nigerian. I really admire that because I live in this part of the world, it’s been difficult to balance. I admire her prayer life, being a realist and I think she is a super woman. I admire my friend, she owns Juvia’s Place. A Nigerian woman living in America and she has been able to create a million dollar beauty business. We know beauty backgrounds are tall but she has been able to do so well for herself. That is my definition of Black Girl Magic. I am so proud of her and she is doing really well.

What are some of the memorable moments in your life and career?

I have a lot. My growing up has been fun and up till now. Every landmark from birthdays, graduation, wedding and being a mum has been memorable. Being a mum has been major, creating a human being, a living being and watching the kids grow up has been awesome. In my career,it will be starting from this little girl being on TV from age nine and finally coming to the western world.

For example, I have always admired the Queen and the Royal family but it was major when I interviewed a member of the Royal family in the palace.  Also interviewing the Mayor of London and the list goes on. Those were really memorable for me in my broadcasting career.

What were the initial challenges?

The initial challenges for me were fitting into the western Media world. A brown skin girl from Nigeria moving to the UK for my postgraduate and finding myself to live here and breaking into the Media Industry and thinking of how to be accepted. Thinking of so many things and there is too much competition, skin colour is a factor and that was a major challenge for me. Yes, I felt like quitting a lot of times because I applied a lot of times for mainstream TV like ITV but you never get called. Instead, you get things like you are over qualified, you have a Masters but this is for people who didn’t go to University. I can’t lie about my achievements and it was hard for me.

What are you looking forward to in future?

I am so hopeful, very hopeful for the next few years. I am hopeful for COVID to just disappear. Also hoping to be an entrepreneur someday, sometimes really soon.

Tell us about your favourite holiday spot?

St. Arina has been on my list. So, maybe one day that would be fulfilled. It would have been fulfilled this year but unfortunately, the Pandemic had messed things up. My favourite holiday spot would be Lagos, Nigeria, where I am from, it is my happy place. And your holiday place should your happy place. Aside, all those wonderful destinations around the world, maybe because I do not live in Nigeria. Here, I feel no stress, being around family and I am happy.

What is your definition of style?

Style is an expression of who you are, without having to say a word. It just expresses your image, reflects your personality and that is style to me.

What are the things that you won’t do in the name of fashion?

Definitely trends. I won’t follow trends. I wear what suits me, what suits my body and what suits my style. I am not going to wear anything because it is trending.

Who or what would you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

That would be my mum; she has been the greatest influence in my life. Growing up, seeing her being hardworking and acting like she is not working, happy no matter what. She oozes positivity, always available to talk to. She is the stereotypical African mum, strict but at the same time, you can tell her everything. She is a mother hen, very protective and I have picked a lot from her. I have a fragrance addition and I took it from her. She loves to dress up; I took it from her, basically everything.

Didi Edet is a life coach and matchmaker. She is also a statistician with the National Bureau of Statistics, Nexim bank and the Debt Management office. She is passionate about building strong relationships via matchmaking. This passion which started with friends and close allies metamorphosed into a full fledge business which has won her a number of awards and recognitions.

In this encounter with YETUNDE OLADEINDE, she talked about her passion, inspiration and the business side of matchmaking.

What inspired you to go into this aspect of life?

The platform was created to match single individuals above 25 years but with a huge focus on privacy. I did take a couple of courses in a bid to get certified to be more knowledgeable in this area of expertise.

What is the difference between online dating and using a matchmaking platform?

A matchmaking platform comes with support that an online service might not be able to provide. The platform works manually too and so you do get to communicate with actual humans and it is a totally different experience. These are people that can give you their perspective on things and not an automated service.

What expectations do your clients have with meeting other single individuals?

They do expect the best. Interestingly, some expectations are reasonable and some are so out there which is what we call the search for the unicorn. With the new age and availability of options, people don’t put it as much efforts to get to know a person and at the slightest view of imperfection, the person wants to move on to the next single individual. The process involves us being transparent and clear on giving dating advice to the clients.

What are some of the challenges doing this?

I have encountered a lot of challenges. The fact that matchmaking is fairly new to Nigeria in the business sector means there is no blue print or previous marketing plan to follow.

This was a major challenge, trying to learn how to market and educate the mass about what we do and the process. We are privacy focused and that is why we have to explain to clients that we don’t have pictures posted of individuals. Things are done manually which doesn’t make the process as efficient. But it actually leads to better results and we are highly focused on the results.

One of the major challenges was getting good staff. It took about a year to find the perfect people, who have the skills and understand the job. All we did was to get them a little bit of training and it’s been a blessing to have people who genuinely care about the clients like I do.

Another major challenge is explaining to people what we do.  Some people think we give relationship advice which is not what we do.  We focus on the dating aspect of life because this is an area I have been certified in and also as a single individual dating, things in this aspect are fresher to my understanding. We focus on linking individuals together and that’s basically it.

Why are interested in the manual strategy in your process instead of automated like others?

For us, being automated like everyone would definitely be less work for us. I would not even need as much staff in an automated service but we found out after moving from automated back to manual that our results were higher. It’s just different when you can communicate with a person that talks to you through the process and tries to understand the difference between what you want and what you need.

The manual process allows you to be with a friend introducing you to our other friends and rooting for it to work out.

What are the types of people on the platform?

We have a huge variety of people from various locations and various status. We have singles that have never been married, divorced, widowed and more. Our client base can be described as the working class, people that may not have a lot of time for social activities. So, what they have done is to outsource a part of their social life to us.

Do your clients see pictures of people the people they are being matched with before meeting them?

Our platform is privacy focused so this means privacy is our highest priority.  We don’t circulate or post pictures of members. However, we can exchange pictures of members with the permission of that party. We have had a lot of successful matches with this formula so we know it’s something that works for us.

Will I have unlimited number of people to meet when I sign up?

No, you will have a fixed number based on your membership level and this was done to make people take their matches seriously because in a situation where you have unlimited matches, we have seen people abuse that by finding little excuses not to give the person a chance. Usually, this is because they feel there are a million more at their beck and call, so they are not as intentional with their choices.

Is this strictly online?

No, we have an office located in the heart of Lekki and it’s open for enquiries but we do find that majority of our client base are busy. So, we are more efficient with the online network and it works faster that way.

What advice would you give to singles out there?

I feel everything you want in life can be achieved if we put effort in it.  If you want a job, you get qualifications and make the effort to apply for it.  I feel effort should be applied to dating too as opposed to sitting and hoping for things to magically fall in place,  I feel if you want love,  put the effort to search for it.  We are here to make that an easy process.

We do not divulge into the relationship aspect which is a bit more broad. We focus on meeting an individual, having a first and second date.

Why did you go into matchmaking?

Lagosmatchmaker is a privacy focused matchmaking platform for like-minded individuals and was birthed out of the need for privacy in certain aspects of our lives like dating. A lot of my friends I spoke to wanted to be able to search for a date without leading with who they are.

In this age of Internet fraud, how can one trust online matchmaking?

I don’t think there is any worry with internet fraud with us because it’s not strictly an online matching platform. We do have an office located off Admiralty way, Lekki, Lagos where clients can  come in and have a discussion about the process, if they so wish. But we discovered that a lot of people don’t have the time which is why a lot of our work is done online.

Who qualifies to consult a matchmaker?

Anyone with a busy schedule can consult a matchmaker. I always say, it’s the same as outsourcing things like cleaning or cooking because you don’t have the time to do those things yourself. The same way matchmaking is a service that helps the busy people who have little or no time to socialize and meet someone at their convenience.

Why are men shying away from making the first move these days?

I would not say men are shying away from making the first move. Men for decades have been told they alone could make the first move but in this new era, women are now able to make the first move, so you might find an increase in the number of women searching for a man. Of course, it is new and it’s effective than having to choose a spouse out of just the ones that choose you. These days, you can make a choice rather than choosing from your available options.

How should a woman react if she loves a man but feels the man should make the first move?

I would tell that lady to make the move herself because I do believe in communicating what you feel as opposed to being quiet and hoping in some magical way, he should know how you feel about him.

What are those things that should be put into consideration before going into marriage or a long term relationship?

I stay on the dating aspect of life not the relationship aspect, this is because I am exploring that aspect myself. Relationships are too broad to try to understand, so I rarely go into actual relationship discussions or advice.

What are the types of clients you have on the platform?

We have a huge variety of clients from the never married, divorced, single parents, those that lost their spouse and more.

In terms of reasons, we do have extremely busy clients that don’t have the time for a social life.  We also have clients who just want the additional help with their dating life. We are the people you outsource your dating life too.

The minimum age on the platform is 25yrs. We have currently had an increase in the number of older clients that have signed up.  We have a lot of females ages 40 to 55 and males ages 45 to 65. We aim to help everyone find that happiness that comes with companionship.