Female Founders: Goodnews, Roseline & Blessing Nkama of Chidi Fashions On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Great support system: for us, that’s our family & friends — like the time they showed up to our pop-up shop despite the snowstorm that night. As long as it’s a venture of ours, their attendance and loyalty are never a question. A great support system will help you get through tough times.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Goodnews, Blessing, and Roseline Nkama from Chidi Fashions. Chidi Fashions is a fashion company owned by three Nigerian sisters. According to the Nigerian Igbo tribe, CHI-DI means God is present. Their foundation is their deep roots in faith and pride in the African heritage. As immigrants in the United States, they experienced significant limitations in pursuing the American Dream, so they created our own path. They are a physical testament that if you want something bad enough, believe in it, persevere through setbacks, and never give up, it will happen. Their dual-cultural experience as Nigerian-Americans allows them to bring a dynamic richness to fashion in an affordable and exciting way. Chidi Fashions delivers an Affordable Afro-modern style. When you wear CHIDI, they want you to feel inspired to pursue your dream, empowered to see untapped opportunities rather than limitations, and be strengthened by their story to rewrite yours.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Chidi Fashions was born from a place of hunger and desire for more. We followed the traditional path of going to school, hoping to get the good job that follows, after which our lives would be all set. However, that wasn’t what we experienced, so we started the search for something else. As immigrants in the United States, we even experienced significant limitations in our pursuit of the American Dream, so we decided to create our own path. We wanted to become strong, independent entrepreneurs who built something that outlived them. So we came together to brainstorm a common ground we were all passionate about, and the answer was fashion. It was something that came naturally to us and something we all enjoy doing. It has been a worthwhile choice.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
One of our initial products included Kaftans. We thought they were super classy and would be the most sought-after item in our inventory at the time. However, we were in for a rude awakening. Our market did not respond favorably in the way we’d expected. This incident helped us hone in and clearly define our target demographic. We realized Kaftans catered more to an older demographic than what we were hoping to attract. So we had to adjust our offerings accordingly to ensure our products met our target consumers’ fashion tastes and needs.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It was choosing the name of our business! We had originally agreed on a name that consisted of our initials. We thought the name we chose was so cool, and we were so excited about it. When we went to register the business, it turned out that we couldn’t make up a word… it actually had to be a name or a word in the dictionary. So we had to come up with something on the fly. We chose CHIDI since all our Igbo names all had “Chi” which means God, and we want God in our business hence “CHIDI”. Even though it all worked out, we learned the importance of research and being prepared.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Of course! Our parents and brothers will have to take the crown on this. They’ve been incredibly supportive from the start and even till now. Growing up, our parents instilled in us the right principles and exposed us to the power and influence of entrepreneurship. My dad, as a Minister, opened a couple of churches both locally and internationally. My mom started and ran a successful school. So even from a young age, we wanted to be able to build something lasting for ourselves and others just like our parents did. As a result, we worked hard to achieve our goals. And even now, after the successful launch of the business, when new merch arrives, they’re the first to cheer us on and actually purchase products. They’ve been a big part of our success in every sense of the word. Similarly, our brothers have always shown up for us. In whatever capacity we needed them, whether as a photographer, videographer, or model, they delivered no questions asked. We’re so grateful to have them and couldn’t have done it without them.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
In our opinion, it will be cultural backgrounds and traditional expectations of women. For so long, many women have stayed in the box they were unconsciously put in by society and culture as only domestic caregivers. Many haven’t broken out of that box for fear of what people, especially their loved ones will think of them. And some simply just think they don’t have what it takes, which is a lie. They forget that Women are multifaceted and can do so much more outside the home. We are strong and dynamic individuals, and so much is constantly being expected from us, both in our homes and by society. But we believe that women CAN do it all; they can have a wholesome, stable family life and also be ground-breaking bosses and entrepreneurs. But we have to see it for ourselves, choose it, and believe it in order to achieve it.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
It begins in the home. Families have to encourage their daughters that they can be anything they set their minds to be. Their dreams don’t end in the home, and they can also be trailblazers and entrepreneurs. Then we have to strive for a mindset change as a community where women are not looked down upon for wanting more. Workplaces also have to be conducive for women such as having childcare services or affiliations, paid maternity leaves, and inclusion of more women in leadership positions.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
The beautiful thing is that women of this generation are go-getters. We have finally realized there’s more to us than being a mom and a wife. Women who are on the fence about starting a business should know that we are stronger than society gives us credit for. As natural-born nurturers, we have the capability to succeed in whatever we set our minds to do. Additionally, with more women as founders, young girls will have role models and be inspired to know that their dreams and abilities are valid and without limit, contrary to what others and society might say or think of them. Based on our experience as women founders, we genuinely care. It’s not about the bottom line. Our customers and the people we do business with are at the center of our mission. It’s important to us that they are good.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you
A popular myth is that you will be successful right away, and that is not the case. Starting a business requires you to be patient, especially in your season of waiting. Success does not happen overnight. It requires hard work, resilience, and of course, patience. And nobody knows about you and all the work you are putting in until you are successful, and it seems like it was overnight. Another myth is that those around you will automatically support you- this myth right here can either break or make a new business owner. For future founders out there, keep in mind that NO ONE is obligated to support you, and the majority of your supporters will be strangers and not friends.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
I believe that everyone is cut out to be a founder, it just depends on what they want out of life and how badly they are willing to fight for it. Traits that increase your chances of becoming successful include being passionate, hardworking, determined, and being a risk-taker. A founder is not afraid of failing, being disappointed, and is always ready to pick themselves back up when things fall apart. If you are a person who is afraid of what people will say or afraid of failing, then being an employee might be the best route for you. And there is nothing wrong with that. Employees can create a life of success too, and entrepreneurship is not the only path. A founder never quits regardless of how tough things get, and this is the main attribute of a founder.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Faith: Our faith in God keeps us grounded and hopeful. We believe in God’s plan for us, so we hold on to his promises, especially in the dark days.
- Great support system: for us, that’s our family & friends — like the time they showed up to our pop-up shop despite the snowstorm that night. As long as it’s a venture of ours, their attendance and loyalty are never a question. A great support system will help you get through tough times.
- Passion: when all fails, your passion and “why” will keep you going. After the first year of business, when things got hard, we didn’t quit because we held on to why we started it in the first place.
- Commitment: If you’re not committed to your business, who else will? Having sisters as partners in this venture who are equally committed improves our chances of success. Commitment drives the discipline to do the necessary things that need to be done despite our feelings. Being committed to the vision keeps us accountable too.
- Student mentality: No one knows everything, every day presents new learning opportunities. We are committed to a growth mindset. So we seek ways to get better, whether it’s by watching tutorials or speaking to other business owners.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
We know the importance of giving back to the community, so with every opportunity we get, we do not hesitate to contribute to the growth of the community in the little way we can. We have hosted clothing drives, sponsored events, raised funds for good causes, and lend helping hands whenever it’s needed.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I’m to inspire a movement it will be to encourage every high school student to think beyond a career, and focus on what their purpose is. What they have been put on earth to do in order to help make the world a better place. We believe that we all have a role to play, and if each person does their part, our world will be a better place for us all.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
For us, it would be Tyler Perry. His story is characterized by faith, strength, and determination in the midst of adversity which we can relate. His story encourages us that the beginnings don’t define the end and that there’s hope. Hard Work and persistence does pay off, if you wait for it and don’t give up.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Goodnews, Roseline & Blessing Nkama of Chidi Fashions On The Five Things You Need… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.