EX-COMMITTEE member of the Nigeria Economic Summit, Seun Balogun, and her husband, Ayo Tayo-Balogun, retail underwear through a popular online store known as Brief Essentials. It was not exactly a line of duty for the couple who were into paid employment until “one day,” in the words of Seun, “I was looking for underwear and lingerie for myself as a mum, and then we found that there was really no major store that focuses on varieties of underwear. We found some at a few places, but they were too expensive. The ones that were not expensive were not of the kind of quality we wanted.”
For her, therefore, the need for quality and affordable underwear became a challenge that gingered her entrepreneurial spirit. “We went online for additional search but didn’t see where one could really buy lingerie. At that time, we knew that online business was kicking off in Nigeria. That was around 2010. There were stores that closed up, like Kalahari Books Online, and there was Sabunta (now Jumia). So it became something we wanted to do and make a difference in the online sphere. We realised that we could do it because to some extent, we are technology people. That led us to establish Brief Essentials.”
Asked how she and her husband arrived at the corporate name, Seun said: “We deliberated on the name to call the business until my husband suggested Brief Essentials one morning. It made a lot of sense because the name represented what we wanted to do.”
Although initially Seun went out looking for underwear for herself and control undergarments that could help her get back her pre-pregnancy shape, she ended up selling underwear to everybody.
She said: “Our first online sale was in April 2011. So we are five years on now. And we do not just sell underwear, shapewear and breathtaking lingerie for mums, we have something for everybody.”
So how has the couple fared after five years in lingerie business?
“It has been good,” retorted Seun. “There have been challenges, but generally, it has been very promising. Nigeria’s e-commerce space is still growing. A lot of education is required to get more people to buy online. But again, what we have seen is that when people are actually shown how to buy online, they find it more convenient to do so. So sometimes, it is about knowledge too and we do share that as well, especially with our customers.
“We take out time to educate our potential customers on how to buy online by simply clicking and shopping directly on the website. We also educate them about their sizes and what’s suitable for their shape and pain areas. For instance, from our experience, a whole lot of Nigerians wear the wrong bra size, and our aim is to correct that. Every female out there deserves a beautiful pair. Issues with wrong bra size could range from a band that is riding up or a cup that is too big or too small. We do this lingerie education on our social media platforms and all available avenues that can be harnessed. From how to choose the right bra, how to wear the appropriate underwear, and even the kind of underwear that can fit some kind of clothing.
There is a particular underwear for every kind of clothing and occasion. We want people to look good underneath it all. That is why we have several options, colours, types, sizes from band size 30 – 50 and cups A to KK and Shapewear up to 15XL. Our plethora of options also include senior citizens.
“With over 5000 different types of underwear, we are specialised in that area.”
While Seun’s husband, Tayo-Balogun has electrical and computer engineering background with over 15 years experience in the IT industry, Seun has a background in the social sciences with diverse experiences in finance, economics, branding, marketing and a strong flair for computer applications, graphics and web design.
“All this put together has really helped us as a couple in running our business. That is why I advise people to keep learning because, the things you’ve learnt could come handy at some point in one’s life. “I have about 13 years experience working in a corporate environment. That has also helped.”
Have there been challenges in the past five years of business growth?
“Yes, there have been challenges,” chorused the couple. “We have had issues with people hacking into our site, for instance. But thank God my husband is also an IT Security Specialist, we were able to bring the site back up within a short time. Imagine if we had to pay for all that. It won’t be cheap.
“Initially, we were working from home. But early last year, we moved it out of the home to an office where people can come in and pick stuff from us. But we sell more online because online is our core model. As for deliveries, we do deliver to all the 36 states in Nigeria. We have delivery partners as well.”
Quality comes with a price. So how expensive are Seun and Tayo’s online products?
“Our lingerie are not expensive,” replied Seun. “That is because when we compare it with other similar stores selling the kind of things we sell, I believe we are doing it right for the customers. To start with, everything we sell is top-notch. Besides, what you see in the big stores when you travel to the US or UK is what we sell.
We have the big brands in our store and our prices are much better. Sometimes, we have a gap of up to 50% difference in our prices in comparison with similar items in the market. That is because our vision from the beginning was to sell lingerie online at affordable prices. Prices that Nigerians will be able to afford.
“We believe that everybody has the right to wear beautiful lingerie, and it shouldn’t be too expensive. Seeing a lot of people coming back to buy repeatedly from us really means they are satisfied with their purchases.
“I have realised that since we started five years ago, most of our customers’ way back are still our customers today. That really amazes us and it also means so much. They have been with us and they are still with us. That tells us that whatever we are doing is a niche product, which is giving value, and people are happy with whatever they are buying, and that is why they keep coming back.
“So, our customer’s retention has been quite high, and that is what we are happy about and we really give God the glory.”
Apart from being online and selling offline as well, Seun and Tayo acknowledge the importance of holding a fashion fair. “We are actually having one in a few days’ time,” Said Seun. “We had one in July at Intercontinental Hotel in Victoria Island (Lagos). It was an opportunity to meet some of our customers who live around us or are presently in the country.
“By blending both together, we realised we would be able to deliver better results. There, we helped them to know their sizes, what was suitable for their body types, their body shapes and fitting for the kind of clothes they are wearing, that goes a long way to improve on the personal touch to our products. More importantly, meeting our customers and talking to them is something that we are happy doing and shall continue to do.
“However, this is Africa. We have a culture that thrives on sanity. We do not like exposing our private body parts in public. So, during our shows, we do not use real models as such to display our products. We have a way of placing it on racks, use brochures, mannequins and so on. But at the same time, the real model live shows would have to depend on cultural acceptance before we can do it at some point.
Do the lingerie they sell have African flair or they are limited to the regular Oyinbo stuff?
Seun responded: “That’s our next phase. We are working presently on that. We are looking to experiment with some African styles and we know we will make it happen sooner than expected.”
Asked what running an online business is like, she said: “It is easier to start an online business. The challenge is staying online, because when you need to scale, it becomes expensive.
“If you are able to work out a great strategy that will enable you scale quickly online, then go for it. Online is good. You do not have to wait for customers. You can search. If you have a good search optimisation, you can get an edge.
Seun also shared with us one of her best moments as an entrepreneur.
“Sometime last year, I missed my flight to Lagos while I was returning from the Nigerian Economic Summit 21. So while waiting for the next flight, I decided to do a bit of marketing to some ladies at the airport lounge. While we chatted, I introduced brief essentials, but they apologised and replied that they already had places where they bought their underwear and that they were contented with the place.
“Out of curiosity I asked them where they buy from and they told me they buy from Brief Essentials. That was amazing. That was when I told them that I didn’t even have to market to them anymore because I represent Brief Essentials. One of them said she had been buying from us for four years. Such stories keep us going. We feel we have done something unique that people appreciate. We are indeed very grateful to God that we created this idea that people have found beneficial.
“We sell to everyone—male, female and children underwear, shape wear, bridal underwear, accessories, anything that is related to underwear—and that is necessary to solve several fashion dilemmas.
Asked what it is like doing business with one’s wife, Tayo-Balogun said: “Even as a wife, I see her first as a partner and when it comes to business, I treat her like anyone I do business with. The distinction is necessary for business growth.
On how often they sit together to discuss about their mutual business, Tayo-Balogun said: “Well, as it is, I am currently employed and I really have a tight schedule. But whenever I am available, we deliberate on the business.
On who takes charge of stock of their products, he says he is contented allowing Seun to do it “One of her responsibilities as the person who runs the business is also locating suppliers and manufacturers,” he said, adding “I am comfortable and more relaxed doing business with my wife.
“At a point, I had to insist that she should take complete charge, because in the beginning, she was on paid employment and it was becoming too stressful.
“The business would have grown more than this, but because she was in paid employment; her first loyalty was to her employer; a situation I also encouraged. That is because I have employees too and I would want them to be loyal to me even if they have their private things they do.
“So I am comfortable that she is in the family business. With her, I don’t have to worry about somebody robbing me of profit. If she mismanages our funds, it comes back to her (laughs).
“I am really favoured to have a wife who understands the importance of business. No offence to other women, there are some women who would rather do something else, while some other women prefer to be in paid employment and aspire to be powerful in the boardroom. There is nothing wrong with that if their husbands are comfortable with that.
“A husband and his wife have to sit together and discuss and be sure that a family business is really what they want to do. And if that is what they want to do, by all means, it is better to have my wife in business with me than having total strangers, especially with the issue of trust.”
He prefers to describe himself as “someone who put a lot of value on giving value. Work makes me happy and relevant, I am also passionate about helping people. If I know something, I feel that it is my responsibility to let others know same. If I see a need, I usually see it as my responsibility to pass the information around.
“I love family. I believe the family is the bedrock of the society and I think that everyone who aspires to have a family should cultivate the family and teach the children. There is a reason why God gave children to us and didn’t make them fall from trees.
“So I’m interested in a better Nigeria. We should be interested in politics instead of leaving it to people some think are not qualified. I like privacy at my quiet moments, to read.
Seun also sared the experience of working with her husband: “Yes, we work together and we also play together (laughs). My husband is a very amazing man and I enjoy working with him. He listens and we are able to talk about our issues and always find a way out.
“If he were not the kind of person that he is, it would have been tough. The beautiful part of it is that he allows me to do whatever I want to do. If I tell him something, he asks, ‘Is that what you think? Okay, go ahead and do it’.
“He is so supportive. He doesn’t want me to make mistakes. He is always ready to provide lots of insight and he always has insight. I appreciate him.
“He is also an amazing father to our three children. Anytime he is not at work, he is with the family. He takes care of his family. He doesn’t joke with that. I thank God for having him and I thank his parents for bringing him up rightly.
“We have a family support system which is wonderful. I am the CEO of the business, but most of the time, every decision I take is something that we have both agreed to do. As the CEO, I provide a lot of oversight, but we are a combination of two people who are passionate about something, and doing what they believe in.
“In fact, being my husband makes it more interesting because the family that does anything together stays together, because a lot of things continually blends us together. Personally as a mum, I love to be around my children. I like to have time for them. That I have achieved by working for myself. And my husband also likes that. So I can say that we are all comfortable with the family arrangement.
