“WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?”

That was the very first question my dad threw at me when I told him about my plan to start my own fashion business someday. You know, the type of business where you design your heart out, lay it in a canvas of your own imaginations, sell your soul to the business, and hope to heaven that it all works out? The type of business that people would see and say to themselves and those around them, “Oh, I want to build something like this for myself someday”

Yes, exactly that type of power business!

But before I go any further, let me back up a bit and tell you all about how I got here. Well, because we all know that every good story has a beginning, right?

My name is Fade Adeniyi, and I like to describe myself as an ordinary black woman doing typical black women’s things, dreaming big and building big. In many of my interviews, you’ll hear people describe me as a seasoned entrepreneur who has made substantial strides in both startup ecosystems and established corporations.

In my past years I’ve been able to take on key roles at different world renowned companies like Interswitch Group, Service Works Global, Smartr365, Reply, and Kroll. And recently, I have directed my entrepreneurial spirit into shaping New-world Tech with my new startup, Techlerator.

Now, I could go on and on about all my achievements as a Black woman, but you see, it’s not always been this way; there is a back story to every single achievement I’ve bagged, and I’m writing this to take you back in time with me.

You see, I’ve always been the girl with not just a dream but also a plan.

To give you a clearer picture, when I was in high school, I mapped out my future with color-coded sticky notes because, well, life will always ask you for your organizational skills. So for every dream and goal I had, I backed it up with a journal filled with ideas and steps to take.

For context, one of my favorite childhood dreams was to start my own business by 20, make it to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, become a billionaire by 30, and then take over the world by 35. Easy, right?

Yeah, it seems like it, but then life happened…

Bills piled up, dreams got dusty, and suddenly, the world didn’t seem so easy to conquer.

Then I woke up one dewy morning and realized I was now one of those people who had to sacrifice their deepest desires just to get by each day as it comes.

I had to settle for a 9 – 5 job to pay my bills because I was no longer that little girl who could get anything she wanted as fast as a lighting bolt. It was different now. I had grownup to take responsibilities for my dreams, but that didn’t mean that the challenges of doing what I wanted didn’t exist…and taking on that 9-5 job was proof of that.

Gradually, guilt started to take over, and the only things my mind revolved around were questions I had no answers. In every space I was in, I found myself asking…

“What went wrong?”

“Why can’t I start and take the leap for something I’ve always wanted?”

“Will I just dream it forever?

These questions filled not just my head but also my heart, and if anything at all, it was tiring!

However, I knew deep within me that it wasn’t all about me. I couldn’t do it alone even if I wanted to. I needed people who had been there before, people who could lay the grounds for the steps I had to take.

But this was also a problem!

I mean, I had big dreams, but had an even bigger list of “this isn’t going to work” from every well-meaning person in my life whenever I tried to talk about starting something for myself.

Every time I tried to muster up the courage to start regardless of whatever challenges that might cross my path, someone, in all of their goodness, pours chocolate-flavored tea all over my guts.  So this made me understand that the people around us are not necessarily the people who know it best.

This was something that held me back for years. Friends and family will always give advice from a place of love, but I needed more than that. I was tired of hearing advice that kept planting self-doubt in me.

As a black woman who was trying to build something out of a natural skill, I already knew that the idea of starting a business was like trying to run in heels on an ice rink—slippery and full of face-plant potential, and I didn’t want any more of a discouragement. I wanted to follow my dream regardless and show the world that a Black girl from the West Side could build her own way to the top.

But one of the many things that people don’t talk about is the struggle it takes to be that woman!

Yes, let’s talk about the struggle because it’s real.

First, there was the funding. Or should I say, the lack of funding.

  1. Capital Sourcing and Funding.

You see, the hard truth about starting any business is that the capital is your first drawback. Securing proper funding is one of the biggest hurdles in starting your business. Black women often have less access to venture capital and other financial resources compared to other business owners and founders. And while a lot of people would advise you to seek loans from banks, banks on the other hand are not too eager to hand out loans to someone whose business plan is scribbled on the back of a grocery receipt. (Yes, that happened).

When you think about how much of a capital you might need to get your business running, you might get discouraged and think just to start small and that there is a second problem!

   2. The Idea That Starting Small is Key.

The most common advice you would get from those around you is to either ‘start small’ or ‘don’t start at all’. However, the problem of starting small is that it limits the potential impact of your business. In most cases that I have seen and studied, this leads to missing out on large opportunities. Most times, we are tempted to cut down actually and just start, following the advice of the people around us, but it still doesn’t work out how we expect it to.

“You don’t really need a website, right? Just use Instagram.”

You’ve probably heard this before as a striving business owner or founder, and just like you, I heard it countless times and I tried it, but more times than not, my startup had to close up and I had to re-strategize.

  3. Networking and Mentorship Barriers.

Building a strong professional network is crucial for business success, however, (writing from my past experiences) black women find it harder to access networks and mentorship opportunities that offer valuable connections and resources.

The hard pill is this:

Black and colored women naturally find it challenging to break into established networks that have long histories and exclusive membership criteria. This in turn makes it difficult for women of color to find mentors or peers who understand their unique experiences and challenges.

Personally, in my journey through entrepreneurship, I spent more time arguing with algorithms than actually designing. And when it wasn’t the tech failing me, it was the isolation from the rest of the world. Late nights in front of my computer, wondering if anyone out there even cared about what I was doing. On some days, it got terrible, and I was always left wondering if I should just give up and stick with a “real job” like everyone else kept telling me.

But you know what they say about black women…

We are Bossed Up and Unstoppable!

So, even on my tired days, I kept pushing. I attended every free seminar I could find, read every blog on business orientation and establishment, and Googled myself into a frenzy. Truthfully, it was bliss to get some of the work done. I felt like I was moving forward and that I was finding my way with every step I took.

But the more I tried to figure it out on my own, the more I realized something was missing, and it wasn’t just capital or customers—it was community.

I needed people who got it. Women who understood what it was like to hustle while balancing cultural expectations, family obligations, and a never-ending to-do list. Women who wouldn’t just tell me to “work harder,” but who would offer real support, real advice, and maybe even a glass of wine when it all got too much.

So I changed and channeled my time into researching women like me. Rather than waiting to find a community that could help alleviate my goals into reality, I sorted out female founders who had gotten to a stage I wanted to be. I reached out to countless executives and self-made women and pitched myself worthy to be mentored. Not like this too was all rosy — I got my fair share of rejections but I still got my wins which is why I am writing this to you today, dear striving colored woman.

Little by little, these women connected me with mentors who didn’t just give me the side-eye when I mentioned my Instagram issues; they also introduced me to other Black women who were in the same boat as me—trying to paddle upstream with nothing but determination and a dream.

And you know what? That’s when things started to change.

I finally drew out a map of what I wanted my fashion brand to look like, started a website that didn’t crash every other day, and even managed to get my dad to admit that maybe, just maybe, I knew what I was doing.

“You’ve got something special; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

I have held unto these words ever since my now business partner told me during one of our late-night strategy sessions. And I believed him. Because he wasn’t just talking to the girl who used to scribble dreams on sticky notes; he was talking to a woman who was ready to make those dreams happen.

So, if you’re out there, sitting in your kitchen, your office, your car, or even running after your kids, wondering if it’s all worth it—let me be the one to tell you: It is.

The road isn’t easy, and the obstacles are real. But so are the rewards. And when you’ve got a global community of powerful, strategic, and youthful Black women behind you, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some clothes to design and a business to run. But before I leave, I need you to remember this…

What you need is right in front of you!

Welcome to the Black Female Founders Hub; we are happy to have you!