Idia Lanlokun, Ola & Mide, Starting up in Ecommerce

Oct 20

Click here for the full audio-visual experience!

This week, I spoke to Idia Lanlokun of Ola and Mide, a sustainable children’s brand that specializes in silicone bibs, spoons, and bowls that honors all shades of melanin. Ola and Mide’s brand name is inspired by her children’s names Olawale and Olamide, which come from the Nigerian Yoruba language meaning ‘my wealth has arrived.’

Idia became a stay-at-home mom after losing one of her twins during her first pregnancy. She and her husband decided that it was best for her to stay home and heal instead of returning to work. Cooking was one of her coping strategies after the loss. She prided herself in cooking all of her daughter’s meals from scratch. Idia has truly embraced her stay-at-home journey. She sees it as an opportunity to pour into her children and oversee their nutrition thoroughly.

Being an enthusiastic millennial mom, Idia went out of her way to purchase various tools to facilitate her motherhood journey. She soon discovered that there weren’t many products that celebrated children of color. Idia had an idea to end that discrepancy and ruminated on starting the Ola and Mide brand for three years before launching. Her goal was to create functional products that complemented melanin skin color.

When it came time to wean her children, she realized that she needed products that could accommodate the messy transition. One of her considerations was the quantity and types of food that she cooked for her family. She needed feeding utensils that could accommodate the appetites of her children, withstand the test of time, and grow with her children. Ola and Mide products are made with silicone, which means they are flexible, microwavable, dishwasher safe, and stainproof.

In today’s episode, Idia speaks about her first year in business. She talks about the highs, lows, and future goals. Idia gives insights into working with vendors based abroad and emphasizes the importance of communication across the board - both with vendors and customers. She also speaks about how her experience in the retail industry has helped her to be organized and effective. After listening to this podcast, you will be encouraged to pursue your dreams and be a solution provider to your world.

“There is a market for everybody.” - Idia

In This Episode You Will Learn: