11 Business Lessons On How Jumoke Moved Taeillo From A Solo Business To A Multinational Company That Has Attracted $2.8 Million Funding

Jumoke Dada started Taeillo to provide homes and businesses with  innovative, affordable furnitures,  created with unique African concepts

She got her business idea from an experience she had in her 3rd year at the University of Lagos, where she was studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in Architecture.

She had joined her dad, who is an architect, on a construction site. After participating in the building project, she realized that architecture wasn't for her because she had seen one of the biggest buildings anybody would want to be part of in the architectural industry which made her imagine how difficult it would be to advance to the industry’s desired level 

In response to that personal puzzle, she made changes and resolved  she will be able to express herself more with interior designs.

She started Taeillo by posting furniture designs online without actually having physical ones. She made her first sale on Facebook, which helped her gain validation/ visibility, and eventually began the success story of Taeillo. 

The validation she got from her initial  sales made her use her school fee to fund the operation of the business due to inability to raise funds from other means.

Going forward, she focused on furniture design and manufacturing, with  Afrocentric style and made it  her business goal to create affordable furnitures because other notable brands in the industry  targeted only  wealthy clients.

However, the  company’s financial limitations, at the time, made it impractical to get a physical showroom. This motivated her to incorporate the use of AR/ VR technology. 

She introduced  AR/ VR technology into the operation of Taeillo by  leveraging her experience as a game developer to create the virtual environment that now serves as the company’s VR showroom.

This made Taeillo become the pioneer of using AR/VR technology in the Nigerian Interior decoration industry

Taeillo has been recognized as a fast growing startup in Nigeria under furniture category

The company has raised a total of $2.8 million equity funding from seed and expansion rounds

Taeillo currently operates in Nigeria, Kenya and is expanding to Cote d’Ivoire.

The business execution strategy of Jumoke offers the following lessons entrepreneurs:

1. Be self aware and make rational trade-off when necessary

2. Discover and embrace the path that offers quickest access to your goal

3. Start wherever you can even if you have to start small

4. Take calculated risks

5. Improvise and explore alternative solutions 

6. Start alone if you can't find a co-founder.  The progress you make will attract a team that believes in your vision

7. Take decisive actions that can help build your business, (even if it's unconventional).

8. Acquire  transferable skills and use them 

9. Focus on getting results. It will attract the opportunities you desire

10. Think big, even if you started small and 

11. Focus on growth  and execute to make it happen

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Smart execution leads to success

@Smatkaria