It’s no secret that hair is big business with a majority of female entrepreneurs making it big in the hair industry in Nigeria. Whilst many tend to think of Brazilian and Peruvian, Mia Mia Hair is elevating the braid game with their luxury human hair strands.
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Mia Mia hair, made with a blend of high-tech synthetic fibers, is designed to mimic the look and feel of human hair. It’s made of premium quality fibers and is soft, resilient, tangle & shed-free. Mia Mia has a range of styles varying from straight to curly with a variety of colours to suit every mood.
We spoke to the founder of Mia Mia Hair, Anjola Bamisedun about entrepreneurship, taking advantage of opportunities and of course, hair.
We were curious about what motivated her to create a luxury braiding products. Anjola says, “I've always been fussy about my hair, I'm constantly looking for new styles. The regular synthetic attachment always itch my scalp when I get braids done. So I got on my laptop and found this amazing source for braiding hair and I started using it for my braids. The hair was so good, I got so many compliments on the hair so I decided to start retailing it. I also wanted to be able to establish a brand known for its fantastic quality without burning a hole in your pocket in the name of beauty.”
Anjola saw a gap in the market and decided to pursue the opportunity. She continues, ‘’Mia Mia started during my masters year in England in 2016. I moved back to Nigeria in October 2017 and I did my NYSC at Coronation Merchant Bank as a corporate communications officer during this time I started working on Mia Mia's branding and packaging. Once my NYSC year was completed in December 2018. I had to make a big decision either to keep my day job as a Banker or to be self employed. I quit my job and decided to focus on building a strong and reputable brand.’’
We wanted to know why Anjola chose to sell high-end braiding hair as opposed to any other type of hair product. She explains that from personal braiding experience, she saw a gaping hole in the market for affordable yet high-quality hair for braids. Like many young women, she wanted to achieve stunning results without breaking the bank. She says, ‘’With braiding hair it's either you use the regular synthetic hair or the human hair which is very expensive. I don't want to mention brand names but for women like me that don't like the regular synthetic hair because it itches and just does not as look as I wanted my braids to look at the same time I don't want to spend hundreds of thousands on braiding hair that I would be bored of after a short while. Mia Mia solves that issue for many ladies like myself by being the middle ground between regular synthetic hair and the human braiding hair.’’
Having a bachelors in Advertising and Marketing and a Masters in Strategic Marketing and Consultation helped when it came to devising a solid marketing plan for Mia Mia Hair. Mia Mia Hair was suddenly on the heads of key influencers and popular figure in the Nigerian social media space. Anjola says, ‘’I used key beauty influencers to push the brand name. I gave them a free head of braiding hair to try out and give their honest review. Mia Mia Hair does not pay its ambassadors because I feel that way they are almost compelled to say they like the hair even if they don't. We operate only online for now so our social media activity is very strategic and also Word of Mouth has helped Mia Mia's growth.’’
Talking about Mia Mia’s growth, we wanted to know what plans Anjola had for expansion. She explained, ‘’The end game is to open a braiding lounge and a physical store. Also Mia Mia Hair would only deal in direct sales. Quite a number of people have contacted us asking for Wholesale which is something we would never do because I feel like it would dilute the brand and I want to grantee my clients the same quality each time they make a purchase.’’
Women like Anjola are inspirations to lot’s of young female entrepreneurs looking to develop their ideas. I was curious what advice she had for people who found themselves in similar situations and she says, ‘’I would say just put your all into it, you need to make your brand your baby. Remember it is not only about making money but building a strong brand. Packaging and branding are the most important elements of your business so focus greatly on that.’'
We also wondered what she knew now about the hair business that she wished she had known from the beginning. “I wish I knew that there was place for every brand even though the hair industry is saturated. In other words I wish I made the big leap from the start instead of being afraid that my brand cannot stand against the already established ones.”
Finally, we asked Anjola to share a piece of advice she wish she could have given to her younger self she candidly revealed, ‘’Buy less shoes, save and invest more.’’
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