ABOUT Ore Runsewe 

Ore Runsewe is the founder of Arami Essentials, a digital native beauty brand focusing on providing products made with African ingredients. Ore built her business from scratch, first using Instagram as her only platform before expanding to other social media platforms and setting up a website. After moving to Nigeria from the UK, Ore found it difficult to access beauty essential products, which led her to start Arami Essentials.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

This episode will give you an inside look at the process of growing a digital native brand and the many aspects that need to be considered during this journey. From growing a following in an organic way to properly including influencers in your marketing strategy.

Ore Runsewe is an expert on building a brand in the digital world. Starting on Instagram was not an easy thing to do, and Ore opens up about the struggles of doing this and how she had to change her life entirely to do so. She recognizes that her ambitious nature and desire to succeed were instrumental to keep her going and achieve her goals. 

Ore shares her experience building her brand, how having a 9-5 job actually helped her to achieve this, and many important insights regarding things to keep in mind before getting started and once you have boarded the ship on entrepreneurship. Living in Nigeria has allowed her to have access to the source of her products, helping her build a brand that focuses on highlighting the natural heritage of African ingredients and presenting them as finished products.

Highlights of the conversation with Ore Runsewe:

• 03:55: Representing the natural heritage African ingredients as products that are already finished, highlighting the efficacy of these ingredients as a whole product.
• 08:01: The impact 2020 has had on the Arami’s understanding of their customers, including considering their mental health.
• 12:16: Ore’s process of building her brand while holding onto a day job was not easy. However, her background in communications and digital marketing helped her succeed.
• 15:58: The holistic and educational strategies used to communicate on social media and increase their following and impact and the role of being honest and transparent about the products. 
• 20:58: Having a regular job before becoming an entrepreneur and the teachings this experience provides.
• 24:42: The moment in which Ore realized it was time to dedicate her full time to Arami and the realization that other people were starting to depend on her business.
• 32:31: How Ore engages with influencers and the importance of having an organic connection with them to achieve a successful engagement.
• 40:24: The considerations that need to be made before asking for external funding and why having a concrete plan and strategy beforehand is instrumental.
• 47:05: What brought Ore to move to Nigeria after living her entire life in the UK and what it meant to her business and life.

Mentioned Resources

• Third Culture Africans
• Arami Essentials
• Malée
• @aramiessentials