Female Founders: Audrey Ajakaye of LoveMySkin On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Empathy: Empathy is vital in fostering trust and loyalty within a company. If you can talk regularly with your employees and partners to understand their fears and desires, you’ll be able to put yourself in their shoes and empathize. It is also crucial to support your employees on what they need to do their jobs well. And when you stand up for them in times of crisis, you’ll increase their desire to perform. Empathy is a crucial part of the skin positivity resources on my app. Understanding others’ emotions/feelings around their skin and mental well-being goes a long way in how you support them through their journey to feeling better and loving their skin every day.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Audrey Ajakaye.
Audrey Ajakaye is a highly motivated high school student who is also the CEO of her own company, LoveMySkin. She has an insatiable goal to contribute to healthcare on a global scale by finding cures for skin related diseases, educating/advocating on issues relating to skin insecurities and biases in diverse populations including those with skin of color.
Her deep passion and resolve to understand the connection between the mind and the skin prompted her to start her own company, LoveMySkin, in her junior year at only 16-years old.
She is a full International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidate and a volleyball athlete addition who maintained middle and high school academic standing on the high school honor roll through 12th grade, earning five total awards at the end of her junior year, including an Outstanding Delegate Model UN award, a Book Award from the University of Rochester in recognition of outstanding commitment to social justice and dedication to continuing their unfinished life’s work, two academic awards (IB Spanish and IB English Language and Literature High Level), and The Village School’s Community Outreach award for the high school student whose actions and behavior within the high school community towards their peers epitomize the spirit of caring, respect, and giving. The recipient of this Village award actively takes part in the school community and, going beyond participation, strengthens and betters the community as a whole.
Her hobbies include podcasting, graphic arts, reading and photography.
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?
I am a 17-year old senior at The Village School who created an innovative app to help others navigate racial and societal pressures. I have taken my innovation across the globe to Africa and plan to spread the LoveMySkin message globally.
I know first-hand how it feels to be subjected to skin-related prejudice and colorism, as I was often singled out for my darker skin color, different hair, and my African origin name as a young child. To support me during this distressing period, my mother often would write positive affirmation notes and leave them in my uniform pocket in the morning. These little notes of positivity gave me so much comfort, and I started to find confidence as I navigated the racial and societal pressures around me.
At 16, I began working on the user experience workflow for the LoveMySkin™ app. The beta version of the app got its debut when The Village School nominated me to present my innovation project in January of 2021 with an audience of students, educators, and parents across 70+ Nord Anglia (The Village School parent company) schools located in the Americas, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East in honor of The Village School’s Innovation Day. In July of 2021, the LoveMySkin™ app was launched on the Apple app store and Google Play Store.
Drawing on my personal experiences, passion for global health, strong STEM background from the Village School, along with months of research and exploration into neuroscience and dermatology scientific journals, I created the app solution that seamlessly connects the mind and skin. The LoveMySkin™ app is a global platform that promotes skin positivity and overall skin wellbeing. Backed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered by Autoderm® API, the LoveMySkin™, the app screens for 44 different types of skin diseases instantaneously and provides details on each skin condition. Additionally, this app has other complementary features (such as chat groups, telederm, and e-commerce) to enhance the user experience further. I developed the LoveMySkin™ app to give voice to everyone suffering from skin conditions and insecurities. This inspired me to incorporate positive skin affirmations, mind-skin wellbeing journaling, skin education content (videos, articles, podcasts, stories, and a skin condition daily tracker for the first app release.
The journey to deliver the app was not trivial, especially given my busy schedule. Still, it was one of the most fulfilling innovation challenges that I have taken on of late. As a full IB Diploma student and a volleyball athlete, my schedule leaves little room for an innovative project. However, I worked hard to make LoveMySkin a reality fueled by my life experiences, deep passion for illuminating mind-skin connectivity, and complete conviction that users desperately need an app like LoveMySkinTM to maintain overall skin health and mental well being. So, I worked intently and stayed disciplined to manage my schedule to accommodate the extra work hours needed to bring my vision to life. I can recall many nights of catching only a few hours of sleep on the family room couch before it was time for school and some missed social gathering opportunities, but it was all well worth it! I wouldn’t change a thing.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
During early August in 2021, LoveMySkin™ embarked on a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) global health campaign in Lagos, Nigeria. During this event, I brought skin education to 250 adolescents (9–17 yr old) living in swamp communities of Lagos with houses primarily supported on stilts. Due to the scarcity of dermatologists in Africa, these children do not have ready access to skincare as we do in the United States. I also got a unique opportunity to share Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology with these underserved children through my LoveMySkin™ app. What made this trip very special was to see how excited the children were to take pictures of their skin concerns and receive results pointing to common skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and ringworm in under 60 seconds, with the pictures disappearing with one click of a button! My biggest takeaway from this experience was that happiness is a choice, no matter what your economic situation in life is. Bringing this awareness early to these communities allows adolescents to free themselves of any stigma and discrimination that they may face due to their skin color and condition. I learned a lot from the experience, which I felt has been a life-changing experience for me that I will forever cherish.
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?
That’s a tough one. I can’t really think of a funny story, but I guess the closest I can come to a funny story is convincing myself that I could do it all by myself. I laugh about that now. When I started my journey with the LoveMySkin app, I tried to take on everything myself, from designing all the app’s functionalities and user journey to building the list of affirmations and practically everything that could leverage my current and newly acquired skills. However, I quickly realized that was not a sustainable path and learned that CEOs know how to delegate effectively to do work efficiently. They focus on working on activities that best leverage their strengths, trusting others to help support as needed while keeping a laser focus on the vision for the company. Since then, I have managed to run my business with all the extracurricular activities I partake in, such as being a member of multiple honors societies, captain of the varsity volleyball team, ambassador of multiple organizations, and producing my podcast series. It’s all about work-life balance.
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?
First, I want to thank my mom, who has worked closely with me throughout my journey through thick and thin. I would also like to thank my dad, sister, and brother who have also supported me. My family as a whole has supported me in sharing my visions and passions with the world. That is a privilege that I do not take lightly.
It takes a village to succeed, so I would like to thank my friends for their tremendous support and understanding when I do not make certain hangouts. I appreciate the technology partnership that I have with FirstDerm, collaborating on the artificial intelligence that powers the app’s screening part. Mentoring support from Dante Plush of Giving Tuesday, Elena Olivieri, former Wellbeing and Service Learning Coordinator at the Village School, The Village School community (faculty and students), and the Nord Anglia International School network (Village School is a member school).
In your opinion and experience, what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
Women have made a lot of strides in entrepreneurship and the business sector globally. I feel privileged to stand on the shoulders of many great women who have paved the path for teenagers like myself. However, while we have made significant progress, I believe there is still much we can do, more ground to cover, and more women founders needed in tech and other industries. I believe that funding, accessibility to resources, and lack of adequate support are key barriers that inhibit women from finding their own companies.
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?
Creating more funding opportunities for women who have innovative and creative ideas can execute their vision. In addition, education programs can help women develop the skills, resources, and connections that women need to excel in business. These support structures/mechanisms would allow the future generation of women to have all the necessary tools to be more successful moving forward.
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?
There are three main reasons why more women should become founders. First is a women’s approach to problem-solving. When confronted with a complex problem, women tend to bring a different perspective regarding specific problems, tasks, or activities, thereby promoting diversity and inclusiveness, which is critical for better decision-making and, ultimately, any organization’s success. Secondly, women have advanced multi-tasking skills, which would allow them to handle multiple tasks that a start-up company needs to function. Lastly, women have excellent communication and networking skills which they can also use to encourage collaborations and teamwork in an organization.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
One central myth that I have found is that some people think founders hold the answers to critical problems an organization faces because they have the vision. The reality is much more complicated, and if I might add, collaborative. While there is no doubt that successful founders know how to think independently and sometimes defy the status quo, they leverage a lot of the brilliant minds on their team to bring the vision to life.
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 think six major traits make a successful entrepreneur. First is having a solid work ethic. If there’s unfinished business, they are first at the office and the last to leave; they’ll show up on weekends and holidays and work until the job is complete. The second trait is deep passion. Work ethic and passion go hand in hand. It takes work ethic to keep the business running smoothly, and it takes passion for feeling motivated enough to maintain an excellent worth ethic. Good entrepreneurs also have lots of creativity. Companies that thrive are born out of the wild creativity of their creators. Creativity can mean anything from thinking of a unique, differentiating business idea to finding a relationship between two seemingly unrelated ideas to solve a problem. Entrepreneurs must also be motivated, self-starters. A self-starter may not settle for a 9-to-5 job and doesn’t give up at the first sign of struggle. Instead, they take the initiative on their projects and lead themselves. An easygoing attitude is also a vital trait to have. Being easygoing is all about going with the flow, taking new opportunities as they come, not getting stuck in a certain mindset, and being receptive to changes and even criticism. Lastly, one must be eager to learn. No one knows everything. A new business doesn’t often have staff in every department due to a lack of funding or timing to find the right resources for the team. That means entrepreneurs need to learn everything from accounting to marketing from the get-go. In contrast, non-entrepreneurs are prone to take fewer risks and often desire a more structured and predictable income and lifestyle.
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.)
- Undeniable grit: Having grit is a trait that is very crucial for a female founder to succeed and thrive. If you have grit, you’re brave and strong enough to do what it takes to succeed in business and life. With grit, one has the passion and perseverance for long-term goals, despite experiences with failure and adversity. While starting LoveMySkin, there were many sleepless nights. Due to grit, I was able to preserve through those moments because I believed in my vision and saw the long-term benefits for many people worldwide.
- The courage to ask for help: No person can do all things independently, especially entrepreneurs. Asking for help allows us to surround ourselves with like minds that we can grow together. These people create optimism and hope that we can deal with challenging situations, which improves our resilience. While creating the app, some parts played entirely to my strengths, and others did not. To manage this, I routinely consulted with my team to get help in certain areas.
- Confidence: One must believe in themselves and what one brings to the table. Greater self-confidence liberates one from self-doubt and negative thought. In addition, greater self-assurance leads to a greater willingness to take calculated risks and an improved ability to step outside of one’s comfort zone. As a young entrepreneur, I had to exhibit confidence to be taken seriously in the tech industry. In addition, I had to learn how to build relationships with much older people outside of my usual social sphere.
- Focus: In a world of constant distractions and never-ending demands, great leaders understand that success requires them and their organizations to focus on the essential part of the business. They can think strategically, prioritize goals, and take responsibility for achieving them, including eliminating non-essential work that diverts team members’ attention. Effective leaders can maintain their focus and manage their time, attention, and emotions. They play to their strengths while also being aware of and accepting their weaknesses, delegating in areas where they are weak or taking a different path. Focus played a crucial role in being able to launch my app to schedule. I established a list of goals every day and worked hard to accomplish all of them.
- Empathy: Empathy is vital in fostering trust and loyalty within a company. If you can talk regularly with your employees and partners to understand their fears and desires, you’ll be able to put yourself in their shoes and empathize. It is also crucial to support your employees on what they need to do their jobs well. And when you stand up for them in times of crisis, you’ll increase their desire to perform. Empathy is a crucial part of the skin positivity resources on my app. Understanding others’ emotions/feelings around their skin and mental well-being goes a long way in how you support them through their journey to feeling better and loving their skin every day.
Video: https://youtu.be/2Fa2Mi0g8r8
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I have empowered other young women of color to have a positive role model to emulate through bringing my app to life. I have shown them the value of loving themselves for who they are while educating them on skin conditions and treatment options. As I continue to grow the LoveMySkin app, I am deliberate about increasing diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility to lay the groundwork for a skin wellbeing solution that will work for everyone worldwide. I hope that my innovation project, LoveMySkin™, will continue to utilize new and innovative ways to share my message, grow my app user base, and partner with organizations, institutions, and countries to reduce health inequities in underserved communities globally.
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.
In addition to providing resources globally through the LoveMySkin app, ranging from skin health to mental wellbeing check-ins, I also created a Skin Positivity petition on Change.org. This petition aims to address the need for a global Skin Positivity Day. I recognize that social media platforms can create a negative space where users feel obliged or pressured to keep up with fake skin standards. However, we can use social media platforms to spread positive messages about our skin. As a 17-year old high school student, I have witnessed this all too often in the school environment. The goal of Skin Positivity Day is about coming out boldly against all types of negative pressures to live a liberated life in your skin! Skin Positivity Day aims to channel social media as a positive space to talk openly about skin conditions and insecurities. Skin is skin. No matter what your skin color or skin type is, we are all in the same boat. Only by joining forces can we overcome all forms of skin stigma.
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.
Oh wow, so many incredible women choices! But, if f I had to pick one, it would be Oprah Winfrey. Oprah has been an inspirational woman of color who has many life experiences herself and has also learned from the life experiences of very diverse people, which is in line with what LoveMySkin embodies. We try to meet people exactly where they are with their skin condition and or skin insecurities.
Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!
Female Founders: Audrey Ajakaye of LoveMySkin On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.