In this interview with Emmanuel Okogba, multitalented entreprenur, Atilola Moronfolu speaks on her career that cuts across various sectors. Excerpts…

Who is Atilola Moronfolu? 

I am a multifaceted and multitalented entrepreneur, a strong-willed, highly-gritted, and straight-spined woman with strong laser focus. I am married with two kids, and one who follows as God leads.

How was your childhood and education?

I grew in a close-knit nuclear family of father, mother, and four children in Lagos Nigeria. I graduated with a BSc degree in Computer Engineering from the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in the University of Lagos in 2007. After my NYSC, I went ahead to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers

You are a writer, editor and spoken word artiste; why did you settle for cosmetics? Is it due to passion or the pecuniary benefits?

My becoming a Cosmetic Scientist was never in the plan. My first degree is in Engineering, and I was already in PricewaterhouseCoopers. When I decided to start caring for my hair in its natural state way back in 2009, there were not very many resources. Because of this, I started a Hair Care Blog called African Naturalistas, one of the very first in Nigeria. The intention at first was to talk about my experience, and use it to help others in their hair care journey. It grew immensely and garnered a large following. Afterwards, people started asking me to give them products to make their hair as healthy as mine. I started mixing products for people. When I left PricewaterhouseCoopers for some other business that didn’t work out as planned, I decided to take the Hair products more serious, and build a business around it. It became very successful, and I decided to layer professionalism on it by becoming a Cosmetic Scientist. This also led me to go and study to become a Certified Trichologist, so I could go deeper in my career and help people with Hair Loss and Scalp Disorders.

When I started my career in the Hair Care Industry, whether as Products Manufacturer, Cosmetics Scientist or Trichologist, it was never about money. It was because I have always had a deep-seated passion to see people have healthy hair and scalp, and I was going do everything in my power to help people achieve this. 

With Nigeria’s harsh economic climate in which people struggle to get the basic needs, do you think citizens would bother about cosmetics?

The area of Cosmetics I belong to is not the vanity or optional one. I am in the area of Hair Care, Hair loss, and Scalp Disorders. My area is very important and essential. It is classified under Essential Business. Even during Covid-19, I was able to get a certificate to operate as an Essential Business, and move a very short distance to ship products. 

No matter how bad the economy gets, you must wash your hair and care for it. Your scalp must be healthy and your hair must thrive

What is your view on the proliferation of harmful cosmetic products and the role of NAFDAC?

I believe that will be people working in the area of Skincare, medicated products, and other areas which I do not operate, even though I have the education, certificate and expertise to make those products. However, I believe that the proliferation of these products can be stemmed with more intense education and more punitive measures.

People selling harmful products are all over online, with their addresses displayed for everyone to see. Why haven’t they been followed up on and prosecuted. As at now, they don’t have any reason to go underground yet because there are no consequences to what they are doing publicly. 

I also believe that massive intense education about the long-term effect of harmful cosmetics, with deep impact and wide reach will go a long way in dissuading the less-informed and exposed people from using these cosmetics. We must be honest to admit that the proliferation of harmful cosmetics is high because the demand is high. We can use education to reduce the demand,

How did The Good Hair Tribe, your EdTech Company, start and who inspired it?

The Good Hair Tribe is a Tech-driven Hair Care Literacy and Coaching company, with a mission to plug the Hair Care Literacy gap worldwide. I started this company because after 10 years in the Hair Care Industry, and treating Hair Loss issues and scalp disorders, I realized that there’s a limit to what Hair Products and Hair Care techniques can do without the right Hair Care Education and Literacy. Literacy is the foundation on which everything is build. It was inspired based on the belief that with the right education, we could solve Hair Loss Issues and Scalp Disorders. We have Hair stylists destroying people’s hair because of the lack of education. We have people harming their heads everyday due to ignorance.  We believe that if we work with stylists to increase their Hair Science, and also raise Certified Hair Coaches, we will be able to stem this tide of Hair Loss.

The Good Hair Tribe educates people with deep knowledge of Hair Science, and we use Memberships, Courses, Live Virtual Classes, Conferences and several other educational resources and learning aids.

Because our reach cuts across the entire world, Our major driver is technology. We use tech heavily such Learning Manangement systems, Complex Digital Automations, Email marketing, Digital Campaigns, etc. I must say that without going the Edtech route, we couldn’t have had the seamless worldwide reach we now have

Did you start with partners or were going it alone in the beginning?

Unfortunately, by my nature, I am a lone ranger. However, I am open to valuable and profitable partnerships

Let us talk about your new business, Pureformula Innovations, and Females in EdTech Internship Programme.

Pureformula Innovations is the Private Labelling and Contract Manufacturing arm of our Hair Products manufacturing business, African Naturalistas. It started this year, and kicking off with the Private Labelling arm. We started it after increasing our production capacity, and due to the demand of smaller businesses to help them make products. We believe that people do not have go through the struggles we went through to start their own businesses. They do not have to go through the hassles of manufacturing to start their own lines. We take all these off their shoulders. They also do not have to go all the way to china, and struggle to manufacture 10,000 bottles to start their businesses. They can just come to pureformula and buy as low as 50 to 100 bottles of products, and private label them

The Females in EdTech Internship Programme is our Internship programme in The Good Hair Tribe.  It is a female-focused Internship program with the objective to develop tech skills required to run a successful Ed-Tech Business

We have observed a current scarcity of Tech skills amongst females, required to run and operate Ed- Tech companies like The Good Hair Tribe.

These tech skills are becoming more in high demand, and they need to be honed and developed amongst young females, because these skills are what will be required to run the jobs in these changing times. This is why we are committed to helping young, focused and hardworking females develop these skills with our Internship program, so they armed with what it takes to embark on their career development.

The Good Hair Tribe “Females in Ed-Tech” Internship program is an opportunity for females to sharpen all the skills to work and grow in the Ed-Tech industry

Where do you see yourself and your businesses in the nearest future?

Right now, I am transitioning from core operations to building formidable systems and structures across all my businesses. In the nearest future, I see myself purely in the strategy development area of my business, while the businesses are totally independent of me in terms of their systems, controls and operations.

Have you written any book? If so, what is the name?

I have several books. I have two books in the literary space and 15 books in the Hair Care Industry, inclusive of physical books and ebooks

Physical Book and Ebook – Antonyms of a Mirage – Published Book

For Laffs Sake – Published Book

Physical Journal Book – Intensive Hair Growth Planner – 2019

Ebook – 10 AVENUES TO GET YOUR COSMETICS PRODUCTS INTO THE MARKET – 2020

Ebook – 10 Secrets of Long Hair

Ebook – The Six most common Natural Hair myths

Ebook – Intensive Hair Care Regimen for Damaged Hair

Ebook – Intensive Hair Care Regimen for The Busy Bee

Ebook – Intensive Hair Care Regimen for Dry and Itchy Scalp

Ebook – Intensive Hair Care Regimen for Battling Seborrheic Dermatitis

Ebook – Intensive Hair Care Regimen for Normal Hair

Ebook – Intensive Hair Care Regimen for Children’s Hair

Ebook – HOW TO GROW YOUR HAIR FASTER IN 6 MONTHS!

Ebook – HAIR STYLIST’S GUIDE: 12 Signs that your Clients’ Hair is in Trouble! ATILOLA MORONFOLU 2022

Ebook – HAIR COACHING PRODUCTS GUIDEBOOK – 2023

Ebook – HOW TO BECOME A HAIR COACH – 2023

Ebook – CONTRACT MANUFACTURING AND PRIVATE LABELLING – A TOOL FOR BUSINESS GROWTH ATILOLA MORONFOLU

Template – Hair Care Regimen Builder Template

A spoken word artiste, can you remember the events where you performed and honours received?

I have performed in several events locally and internationally, including the United Nations at the UNAIDS PCB Thematic Segment in Geneva, Rio International poetry slam, FLUPP Festival, Rio de Janerio, Brazil, Ford Foundation events, for Sterling Bank, Providus Bank, Ecobank, Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation, 

I have appeared on stage with several notable personalities like president Olusegun Obasanjo, Oby Ezekwesili, Michelle Sidibe of the United Nations, Innocent Chukwuma, Da’ T.R.U.T.H, etc

You are the convener of Rhyme and Reason Concert. What is that about? ( This can be left out because our last event was in 2019, and we are in the process of restructuring)

Rhyme and Reason the only rap and spoken word ever in Nigeria, which has hosted an audience of over 2000. We use rap and spoken word to touch on societal ills, such as domestic abuse and other issues. Our programs, Eversion and Excision and have used local and international spoken word acts to perform concert-style and in musicals

Any regret choosing this career path?

I do not have any regret being any of my career paths. Apart from my first degree in Engineering, I didn’t actively choose any of my career paths. I might have decided to follow through with them, but they were not something I “chose”

What has kept you going in your career?

To be honest, it has been very challenging, especially in the area of growing and scaling. But two things have kept me going, the results we have been able to deliver, the immense transformation people have seen from interaction with all our products and services. The second thing is the vision. We have a vision of where we are going, and we are not yet there, so we keep going.

How would you advise the young ones looking up to you as an entrepreneur?

You can always start small, and where you are. You don’t have to have all your ducks lined in a row to get started. When things get hard, because they will, remind yourself of your “why” and let your vision keep you going. Lastly, your business is not the same as you. It is a separate entity. It has its identity. Treat it as such.