{"id":13189,"date":"2023-02-06T08:12:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T08:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/?p=13189"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:07:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:07:49","slug":"sound-advice-find-balance-after-business-burnout-fisayo-longe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/sound-advice-find-balance-after-business-burnout-fisayo-longe\/","title":{"rendered":"How to find balance after business burnout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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<\/video><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Breaking societal stereotypes isn\u2019t easy, but that didn\u2019t stop Fisayo Longe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Nigeria with a mum who ran her own business, Fisayo was always surrounded by strong role models and this triggered her own entrepreneurial spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After discovering her passion for fashion, she created her own business, Kai Collective, but very quickly had to learn how to combat self-doubt when her business wasn\u2019t performing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, all it took was that one hit product and her business went viral, her stocks sold out, and she couldn\u2019t keep up with demand. This led to the inevitable issue of business burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the unfiltered story of how Fisayo overcame her own burnout and reshaped her business to improve both her professional and personal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking societal stereotypes by becoming a woman in business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a passion for fashion and turning into a business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seek out manufacturers at trade shows and do your research<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combating self-doubt when your business doesn\u2019t perform<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to cope when a product goes viral, and your business begins to boom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invest everything in community and build emotional connections<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diversify your product range and avoid focusing on one specific product<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning when to prioritise your financials or your creativity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting comfortable with outsourcing and hiring people who are better than you<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on serving a community rather than gaining industry recognition<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your business doesn\u2019t have to be a number\u2019s game\u2014success comes in many different forms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to combat copycats and produce better products<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognising business burnout and when to take a step back<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing both professional and personal processes to improve your business and avoid burnout<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to know you\u2019re ready to go back to work after taking a business break<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A holiday won\u2019t cure your business burnout\u00ad\u2014you need to find the root of the problem<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t attach your self-worth to your business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/video><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Breaking societal stereotypes by becoming a woman in business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I want to start by quoting you back to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve said, \u201cI want women to never accept limitations or stereotypes from anybody to realise how powerful they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So to kick off, tell us a little bit about your experience of growing up in Nigeria. What were your early influences, and what were the societal expectations of women?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I loved my childhood growing up in Nigeria, I think it was the best place that I could have grown up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But at the same time, I saw how the society treated men and women differently and how there were very different expectations of men and women. Women just had so much pressure, societal pressure around marriage, and how their ambition wasn\u2019t as encouraged or respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And generally there\u2019s just a lot of misogyny, and I saw it upfront, whether it was not letting a single woman rent a house because you think she can\u2019t afford it. Just like little microaggressions, actually, that\u2019s a big one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But just various things like that I saw over the years, and it felt like women were not encouraged to be limitless and achieve their full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so that is something that has mattered a lot to me ever since I was young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So what was it that made you break that stereotype? Because you are quite fearless and ambitious, aren\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I would definitely say that has to be my mother. My mum is very confident, very entrepreneurial. She always ran her business. She always had money. She was always able to get the family out of tough situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so growing up with that strong woman who was very good at planning, very good at bailing us out during tough financial situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like a lot of the life that we have in being able to come to England and achieve our dreams and our goals, even helping me start Kai, is because of my mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And also a principal I had, her name was Mrs. Durhan, the principal of my primary school. I just thought she was the most amazing woman. Every day she would sit outside the school wearing all of this jewellery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just remember she used to wear the loudest, most obnoxious gold, and I just thought she was so cool, aspirational, and I just loved her. So those were my two early female influences that really made me feel like I could do anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And you mentioned that your mother ran a business. Is that where you got your entrepreneurial spirit from, do you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Maybe. Because my mum has always been entrepreneurial. And funny enough, when I was very, very young and nobody would believe this now because she\u2019s not in the fashion industry even remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But my mum used to be a tailor, and she used to make my outfits for birthdays. She made me a Pocahontas dress once. So maybe there\u2019s something there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDownload your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Finding a passion for fashion and turning into a business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And is that then where your love of fashion came from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not sure because in my head I don\u2019t associate both things because that\u2019s such a distant memory. I was very, very young. But I think just as someone who is always been very expressive, fashion for me was just another way to express myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Especially at points in life where there wasn\u2019t much else. I went to some very strict schools growing up, and fashion has just been a way for me to show who I am, and what matters to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So what led you to starting Kai Collective then? Because you actually moved here and wanted to study law, is that right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes. Can I just say, you\u2019ve done an amazing job at your research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I have read every article about you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thank you so much. But yes, I wanted to study law, and that didn\u2019t work out. I missed my offer by one grade. I was meant to get, I think threes As and I got A, A, B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, my mum said I could only take a gap year if I got a real job. I just wanted to work at Topshop, but for her, a real job meant an office job. So I got a job at KPMG in a week on their gap year programme. And then after that, they offered me to stay all full time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ordinarily, I wouldn\u2019t have taken it because I didn\u2019t want to be an accountant. But once I started earning my own money, not having to ask my parents for money, I really, really loved that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so I wanted to keep a job and not go back to uni. So then I joined KPMG and did a part-time uni programme with KPMG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then while I was doing that, I started my fashion blog, as an escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So it started as an escape. When you were blogging, did you dream that you would one day launch your own womenswear brand?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not right at the beginning, but along the way it started to really make sense to me. I\u2019ve always loved travelling, and I love fabric shopping. That\u2019s where my inspiration comes from, seeing and feeling the fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I would go fabric shopping, I\u2019d buy fabric, make clothes with a fabric, and post the clothes on my blog\u2014I started my fashion blog in 2012. And then I would get loads of questions about where the clothes were from when I would post on my blog or Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then I realised, \u201cOkay, I could actually sell these clothes. People are interested in these clothes.\u201d And that\u2019s where it started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seek out manufacturers at trade shows and do your research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

See, you had that light bulb moment of, \u201cYou know what? I\u2019m going to make my own brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were some of those early difficult moments in getting the brand off the ground? Was it sourcing material? Was it finding the right manufacturers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were the big challenges?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There were lots of challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sourcing material was actually the easiest part because I found, as I said, I\u2019ve always loved fabric shopping, and I found amazing fabric during a trip to Turkey. So that was my first one, my collection where the fabric was fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the capital to start was always a challenge because an uncle of mine said he would help and last minute he said he wasn\u2019t going to, and I had already announced the brand. It was meant to launch in about two months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to figure out income from somewhere else, and then my mum helped and manufacturers as well, finding good manufacturers was very, very, very difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any tips on the best way to do that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you literally have to fly to different countries, meet them first-hand? Did you get any external help on that? Did you meet any other fashion owners?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So I did. At the time, I didn\u2019t have any mentors or anything like that. I flew to Turkey to find manufacturers and find fabric, but actually I didn\u2019t end up finding a good manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In hindsight, I think the best way to find manufacturers is on Alibaba and also at trade shows and their trade shows, there are several trade shows a year in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so if I could go back, instead of just rocking up in Istanbul and being like, \u201cWell, I\u2019m looking for a manufacturer,\u201d because they\u2019re pretty difficult to find, I would\u2019ve done my research online, Alibaba, and gone to trade shows in London. Then after accumulating a list of manufacturers from the trade shows, then go there and meet them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combating self-doubt when your business doesn\u2019t perform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Did you find it quite hard that the business wasn\u2019t an overnight success? You had to learn some of these lessons, find the right path, because obviously you\u2019d already built up this fashion following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must have thought, \u201cOkay, great. I\u2019m going to launch my own brand, it\u2019s going to take off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then that didn\u2019t happen, did it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No, it didn\u2019t happen at all. In fact, I always tell this story, the night before I launched, I thought it was going to be an immediate hit because I had 40-something thousand followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I thought, \u201cOkay, 40-something thousand followers, 20,000 orders.\u201d Which obviously would never have worked because we didn\u2019t even have 20,000 units of stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then the night before I launched, I was on RightMove looking for the house I was going to buy the next day in cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really did think that it was just going to take off, and we would sell out and order more, sell out and order more. And that just did not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And honestly, it affected me so much. It affected my confidence, it just made me question everything I thought I knew. I used to be a very, very positive, and I am still positive, but I had such high expectations of myself, and I really thought I could do anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, life has humbled me a bit and I questioned things more. But back then you couldn\u2019t tell me anything. I thought that was going to be it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it was very difficult going from being so confident and sure of myself and my work to doubting everything, the self-doubt, the sadness. It was a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How did you overcome that self-doubt?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I definitely didn\u2019t overcome the self-doubt until Kai reached a level of success. It was always there until I then reached some sort of success and began to sell out and began to get all this validation from our customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I wouldn\u2019t say that I was able to cure the self-doubt, I would say that the business success helped suppress the self-doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The self-doubt, even until today, is still there sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDownload your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

How to cope when a product goes viral, and your business begins to boom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And what was that pivotal moment then when you started to feel like the business was growing, it was a success?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you build that online community and turn those followers into customers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, we launched, and it was a very difficult year. Then 2017 all the way through to 2019 were also very difficult years, but I began to see some traction, and that was because I changed my approach to business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I didn\u2019t have a traditional fashion background, I was never vulnerable, I never shared when I didn\u2019t know something. I liked to look like I was always in charge and knew what I was doing because I didn\u2019t want people to think or to know that I didn\u2019t, in fact, know what I was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then one day, something just switched. I was just like,\u201d Let me get customer feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so I asked, on Instagram Stories, I did a question box being like, \u201cHow do you find our website user experience? What would you change on our website?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the feedback was basically, \u201cYour website is rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People said they would change all of these things. And I took that and built a better website. And from that day, the brand was just never the same again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really saw how involving the community in my decisions, even in, \u201cOh, should I make this product in this colour or this colour?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting that feedback from the community really made them feel like they were part of the brand and built our relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that two-way conversation was really pivotal for us. And then, in 2019, we had some level of success, but we were still making a loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then 2020, when we launched the Gaia print, everything just boomed, and nothing was the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So tell us about that moment. What happens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In February 2020, before the pandemic came to the UK, I was invited to a Bafta\u2019s party, and I had sampled that dress the year before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it had arrived in January, and I thought, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m going to wear this dress to the Bafta\u2019s party.\u201d I asked friends, \u201cShould I wear this?\u201d And they were like, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s stunning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I just felt so good in the dress. I just had such a great feeling. I hadn\u2019t seen anything like it on the market. I was so excited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then I wore the dress and the reaction on Instagram, on Twitter was unlike any reaction I\u2019ve ever gotten to anything. And so I knew that we were onto something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I quickly placed a bulk order after that because I like to test the waters and I see what people think about something before I order more units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then the pandemic hit, and I thought, \u201cI can\u2019t launch clothes during a pandemic. People are worried, people are suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was anxious, and so I thought I couldn\u2019t launch, but every day, people would ask me, \u201cSis, where\u2019s that dress? Where is that dress?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank God I launched because I would\u2019ve been waiting a very long time if I was waiting for the end of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I launched, and it was the first time that we did a launch, and it was just immediately order after order, after order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our website crashed. Nothing was the same again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How did you cope with that sudden surge in demand? Looking back, you weren\u2019t necessarily prepared for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What things would you have put in place to cope with that sudden surge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because it was Covid, it would\u2019ve been very difficult to put anything in place because we were in lockdown. The biggest thing was stuff, but I couldn\u2019t have stuff because I was in my flat and all the stuff was in my flat at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And my sister stayed with me during lockdown and that was life changing because she was able to help me, and we fulfilled orders together. So there wasn\u2019t much I could\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it was a stressful period. But since then, I have experienced a lot of stress, a lot of burnout, but I think that maybe it was an accumulation of all the relentless hard work over the years because, in that moment, it was almost like I was ready for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though I wasn\u2019t logistically ready for it, but mentally, I had been waiting so long that I had been working so hard consistently to make things pop that, when things popped, it wasn\u2019t shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t like, \u201cOh, my god, I can\u2019t believe this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To an extent, it was, just because of how difficult things had been, but I deserved it, and I was ready. So I wasn\u2019t stressed or depressed. I was excited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mentally, you were ready. You were like, \u201cBring it on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invest everything in community and build emotional connections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I know, during Covid, you had to move manufacturing operations from China to Turkey, so slightly closer to home. What were some of those other business lessons that you learned during the pandemic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Community is everything. Community really is everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just that two-way conversation with our community, even just the fact that we knew that they were ready for the launch, and that was because we were constantly communicating with them, checking in on people, \u201cHow are you doing?\u201d polls on our Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think, just before the lockdown, we shared a newsletter with playlists, podcasts, and our favourite movies to keep them company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The year of 2020 was all about our community and that is the reason why Kai is successful, but there\u2019s so much more to do. So I would say the reason why Kai has reached a level of success is 100% down to our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that was my biggest lesson invest everything in community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s interesting that you\u2019ve become more vulnerable as an entrepreneur and also more personal as a brand, and that\u2019s where you\u2019ve really seen success, then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, because at the end of the day, people recognise you for your achievements, and they\u2019re like, \u201cOkay, cool. She\u2019s doing this and that\u2019s lovely,\u201d but people connect with you for your vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People connect with you when they know that you share the same struggles, you have the same values. That is what builds that real emotional connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And whatever product or service you\u2019re selling, it\u2019s all about an emotional connection at the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diversify your product range and avoid focusing on one specific product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That Gaia dress really changed the game for you, but how do you continue to innovate as an entrepreneur once a product has gone viral?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you stay ahead of trends and stay creative?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thing is, as a very creative person, and this goes for, I think, most creatives, the ideas never stop coming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you might have a rut, like our equivalent of writer\u2019s block, but you\u2019re watching things, you\u2019re on Instagram, you\u2019re on Tumblr, whatever it is, you\u2019re watching movies. You\u2019re always consuming media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that really triggers our creativity, it triggers different memories, and triggers you to create. So the ideas don\u2019t stop coming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think the problem is a shortage of ideas as much as it is putting so much pressure on yourself to reach your prior success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I realised quite early on that, if I was constantly trying to outdo Gaia, I would always fall short, and I would feel like a failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So instead of setting that bar, the Gaia bar and being like, \u201cAnything I do has to live up to this and has to be this amazing,\u201d I just set out to create a full brand, a brand that had range with different products and not have the entire brand centre around this one product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when you remove that pressure, all your other ideas come to life, and you\u2019re able to continue to build and continue to innovate without trying to live up to past success. That really cages you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And actually, to not rely on one product and to diversify your product range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely, because everything goes out of style, at the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning when to prioritise your financials or your creativity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m curious to know, you are obviously an idea\u2019s person and full of all these creative thoughts that are coming into your head, how do you prioritise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know which ideas to act on, and how do you, as a business owner, prioritise your time? Because you obviously have that financial background, as well, from your time at KPMG and from accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So do you tend to focus more on the figures? Do you tend to focus more on the design? Where do you spend your time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You have to juggle everything, especially in the early days, like we are now. People think Kai is bigger than it is in terms of staff. There\u2019s still very few of us because I like to keep a lean business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t want to grow too quick and then have to do lay-offs when things get tough. And obviously, we\u2019re in a very tough economic climate at the moment. So I have to wear a lot of hats, and you quickly learn that you have to wear all of them well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for the parts of the business that I can outsource to professionals and where I can collaborate with professionals, I do, but the finances are just as important as the creativity. It\u2019s all important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I would say that life happens in seasons. You can\u2019t be all things to all people at all times. So sometimes I prioritise finances more and creativity might suffer a little bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I prioritise creativity more and the numbers might suffer a little bit. But the priority for me is, as we grow, we hire people who are better than myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So one of my team members now, Jasmine, is far more creative probably than I will ever be, and so that helps a lot when I have to focus on another part of the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDownload your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Getting comfortable with outsourcing and hiring people who are better than you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you find it hard to find great staff and to employ people who are better than you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I find it very hard to find great staff. I really, really do. I think, especially because people see our business on social media, we\u2019ve had a lot of press and therefore people think it\u2019s a lot more glamorous than it is. And no matter how much I reiterate in the interviews, \u201cThis is hard work. This is not glamorous.\u201d People still come expecting a glamorous experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when they\u2019re faced with the reality of a startup because that\u2019s what it is at the end of the day, it might be fashion, but it\u2019s still a startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of work is not the fun work that people actually see. A lot of people are not ready for that. They just don\u2019t have what it takes. They\u2019re not prepared to sacrifice that, to make the sacrifices necessary to make things work and work hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in terms of hiring people who are better than myself, I don\u2019t find it difficult. Maybe I did at first, but not really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are certain tasks where, for me, I just love to outsource. I love it. I don\u2019t want to do everything. I have so much to do, so many ideas, I don\u2019t want to do everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on serving a community rather than gaining industry recognition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I want to use one of your other quotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You said, \u201cGrowing up black, you are told about how much harder you need to work.\u201d What are the particular challenges you think you faced as a black entrepreneur and as a woman?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So I\u2019m not sure why I said that, but I actually want to clarify that growing up, black life is harder, especially when you live in a place where you are in the minority. That\u2019s a fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I actually grew up in Nigeria, so my parents never uttered those words to me during my childhood. And for me, I think that that was part of what made me so confident, so limitless, made me feel like I could achieve anything because I never had a chip on my shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone around me was black. I didn\u2019t even know I was black. And so I think that really worked for me when I did move to the UK. And when I moved to the UK, I definitely experienced that and that was part of why I knew that I wanted to work for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do not like glass ceilings, invisible or not, I do not like people dictating how far I can go or putting a limit on my success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so for me, I really wanted to control that, and that is why I love entrepreneurship. Within the fashion industry, there definitely is that, but because Kai is so community focused, I\u2019m chasing our community, I\u2019m chasing a deeper relationship, a deeper friendship as opposed to industry recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t need to wait for the industry to recognise my work. I can just focus on building a community and working hard in that and serving my community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your business doesn\u2019t have to be a number\u2019s game\u2014success comes in many different forms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I mean, you\u2019ve said, \u201cKai Collective\u2019s not a numbers game.\u201d So what does success look like to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you see the business going?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Money is important. I\u2019m not going to deny that. So when I say it\u2019s not a numbers game, I\u2019m not trying to build a billion-pound business, but money is definitely important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to be able to invest more in our ideas, buy more expensive fabric, come up with more intricate designs, hire the best people, which we haven\u2019t been able to do in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But other than that, we had a pop-up shop last month, and meeting our customers in person and hearing how much Kai means to them and how it made them feel incredible and confidence wearing the clothes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But also how us having that open channel of communication and showing how much we care about them has inspired them and has helped them, I don\u2019t think anything can top that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for me, how we make our customers is our top priority. Money is very important as well, it just doesn\u2019t need to be a billion. And constant creativity and constant creating. I love to create and bring beauty into this world, and continuing to do that is what success means to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any plans to open your own retail stores?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For now, not full time, but pop-ups, definitely, especially after our pop-up shop last month. We took over Dalston. Everyone was like, \u201cWhat is going on? We\u2019ve never seen a queue this long in Dalston.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I think our pop-up was a huge success and I want to have more in-real-life moments with our community where we really get to hug and feel each other\u2019s energy in the same room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s very important to me. But in terms of a permanent brick and mortar store, it\u2019s not in my current plans, but you never know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Watch this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Watch this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to combat copycats and produce better products<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I want to talk to you about the price of success, firstly in terms of the copycats. I know that last year you called out Fendi for copying your Gaia dress<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you\u2019re copied by brands that are much bigger and more powerful than you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you respond?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, so it was the Gaia print that they copied, and I would say last year, the year before, it was very, very raw, and we had just created this thing that made our business go viral, and it was our first experience with a lot of recognition, a lot of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it felt really, really painful for another brand to appropriate that because then that would dilute our success, especially when the brand is so much bigger. And there were so many brands that were so much bigger that did it, but I\u2019ve come to learn that is the fashion industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So rather than spending all of my energy, whether taking legal action or calling out brands on social media, it\u2019s unfortunate, but the game is the game and there definitely is a trade-off between fighting people and continuing to create and come up with the best ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I choose to come up with better ideas and continue to create and keep that innovation and freshness rather than anger and sadness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the game, and so that\u2019s how I\u2019m choosing to handle it going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDownload your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Recognising business burnout and when to take a step back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And in terms of the price of success, I know you\u2019ve also experienced burnout, and you recently took a business break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us what sparked that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It just got to a place where mentally I was not in a place to lead a team, and everything was going wrong. And I felt like if we continued working as opposed to taking a break, we would\u2019ve dropped the ball and the people that we are there to serve would\u2019ve noticed, and we wouldn\u2019t have been able to serve them how we should\u2014 I just couldn\u2019t carry on the way I was working at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was very, very good for us, but it really was the beginning. I\u2019ve realised that to combat burnouts, you really have to change your processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so I\u2019ve spent this entire year since the break doing that, changing and updating our processes, working out better ways of working, better ways of living, and taking breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never used to watch TV. Now I\u2019m obsessed with TV. There\u2019s a show called This Is Us. I don\u2019t know if you know it. I have watched so much of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That time off has changed my life, and I\u2019ve realised the importance of that. So beyond a break, it\u2019s been changing how we actually do things and taking my weekends, which I never used to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So how were you operating as an entrepreneur before, and what was the moment that really made you think, I need to take a step back, I can\u2019t cope with this any longer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was just working 24\/7, all the time. When I wasn\u2019t sleeping, and I wasn\u2019t even sleeping properly because I had so much anxiety, I was working. I wasn\u2019t watching TV. I wasn\u2019t doing anything for leisure, apart from going to the gym sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I realised that it couldn\u2019t continue. But I was with a group of other entrepreneurs in Bermuda for a month in February this year with the Forbes under 30 group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And another person in the cohort who owns a fashion brand came to me and said, \u201cOh yeah, we should host a fashion show. I\u2019ve told them we\u2019re going to host a fashion show, so get your sample sent to Bermuda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I broke down. At that point, I just broke down in tears because I could not think of anything worse than hosting a fashion show in Bermuda. I was running away from my life, and for her to try and bring that to me, I couldn\u2019t deal with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it just made me realise how unhealthy I was at that point in time. That was the catalyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Did you agonise over whether you should take a break from the business and how it would run without you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A hundred percent. I agonised over it. We are a small brand. I had to think \u201cWould people even be here when we come back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of, here today, gone tomorrow on the internet and in business. I didn\u2019t know that people would still care if we were not in front of their faces constantly. But the whole team was unwell, front facing, so we were not even shipping orders out on the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The website wasn\u2019t taking new orders, so it was a clean break. We were working behind the scenes, but that was more changing our processes and getting things back to a decent place, and that was fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just couldn\u2019t have the customer-facing business running because I felt that we were not in the position to serve them well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So how long did you effectively close down the consumer facing side of the business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was about nine weeks in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing both professional and personal processes to improve your business and avoid burnout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And talk me through some of those processes that you changed, firstly, professionally, and then personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So it was just, for example, our website. Our website was always causing us so much grief. It wasn\u2019t built very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we finished a whole website rebuild, moved to a new website, and then we just worked out different ways of doing things like fulfilling orders, more efficient ways of doing our jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So from the technical things like the website, our fulfilment, to me, I got an HR consultant, which we never had before, so figuring out ways to build a more fulfilled team and do things like more team activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Really, we just took a 360 look around the business and tried to figure out all the different parts of the business that we could improve. Processes, team, leisure, things like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And personally, I just stopped working constantly. I always felt so much anxiety whenever I wasn\u2019t working. I\u2019ve been dealing with that, and it\u2019s gotten much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was in therapy, started watching TV, and just sometimes would just sit on the couch and not do anything or read a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got very, very serious about my self-care and me time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And how do you carve that \u2018you\u2019 time into your day every single day? Do you have a particular routine where you make sure you switch off your phone at a certain time, or you close your laptop?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t have a certain time. I should, and it\u2019s one of the things I\u2019m working towards next year. But I would say as a startup, it goes up and down. It comes in peaks and troughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I\u2019m able to be super on it and I don\u2019t work at all on the weekends, and I\u2019m giving myself rest on the weekdays, I\u2019m watching TV every evening, that kind of thing. But some weeks are just hellish, and I\u2019m not able to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, I try to make up for it the week after. There\u2019s been a switch. I\u2019ll never go back to working the way I was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There might be once in a while I might have to work on the weekend, or I might have to neglect myself, just with what the business is and not being able to hire so many people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once in a while I might have to sacrifice for that, but then I make sure that I check in with myself, have therapy and make up for it the next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But yeah, it definitely comes in peaks and troughs. Ever since I made the decision to prioritise myself more, it hasn\u2019t been like a linear ship sailing. It\u2019s been very bumpy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to know you\u2019re ready to go back to work after taking a business break<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How did you know you were ready to go back into the business and did you dread it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I did dread it because I was still burned out, and I don\u2019t think I was necessarily ready, but I had to. I had staff to pay. I didn\u2019t lay anyone off. The whole time staff was still being paid, people were still working. We just had to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But at the end of the day, I think because it grew so fast in 2020, we had grown beyond our processes, so we could have done with a month or two more to get everything in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But life is work, you have to work to earn money, and so we had to go back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t regret it, as much as I dreaded it because I was still very much burned out. I\u2019ve learned so much this year and I wouldn\u2019t change any of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m curious to know what your team think of you taking a business break. Have they seen changes in you? Did they think you are different now as a business owner?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to ask. That\u2019s a very good question. I\u2019m not sure. I think at first, they were surprised, but then I think they saw the value in it, and they were burned out as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were all stretched too thin at the time, so afterwards we hired more staff. But I think it was good for them as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019m actually not sure what they think about me personally after taking that break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll find out. That\u2019s a good one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And did you have any kind of financial buffer in place to allow you to take a step back from the business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No. No. We just had the money that we had made in prior months and just tried to stretch that as far as possible. I made sacrifices where I could, reducing how much I paid myself, that kind of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But no, we didn\u2019t have a financial buffer, which is why we had to come back before we were necessarily ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A holiday won\u2019t cure your business burnout\u00ad\u2014you need to find the root of the problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For companies that have been through this meteoric rise and then are battling with burnout, what would be your main pieces of advice or tips to them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have a look at your processes and systems and see where you can automate, see where you can hire. My advice would be that no holiday is going to change the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever since I started feeling burnout for the first time, I\u2019ve been on several holidays thinking I just need a week off, \u201cAfter this week everything will be better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for that week things get better, but they go back to what they used to be. It\u2019s beyond any type of holiday or any sleeping over the weekend. You really need to make changes, so you need to hire, or you need to change your system to a more efficient one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would say spend some time finding out where you need to make those changes within the business and make those long-lasting changes beyond the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t attach your self-worth to your business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kate Bassett:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And I know you started Kai Collective back in 2016, so if you had to go back to yourself as a younger entrepreneur and give her one nugget of advice, what would it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fisayo Longe:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I wasn\u2019t prepared for how difficult it was going to be. I just wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I said to you, I was so confident, a little bit delusional, so I would just have told her it\u2019s going to be very, very difficult. I would\u2019ve said to me, \u201cDo not attach your self-worth and your self-confidence to this business,\u201d because as I said, there will be peaks and troughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And because I attach so much of my personal brand, my personal worth and confidence to the brand, when the brand is not doing as well or when we receive negative feedback, when the customer isn\u2019t happy, I\u2019ve always taken it very, very personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would\u2019ve told her, \u201cThis is a business, and your business is not you.\u201d Separate those two things and realise that you have a whole different life. And just because the business is struggling, doesn\u2019t mean that you must struggle, and just keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s difficult. Very, very challenging. Be prepared for a lot of sacrifices, but it\u2019s going to be worth it. That\u2019s what I would\u2019ve said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by this small business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join our community to share your insights and stories on Twitter @SageIreland<\/a> using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram @SageOfficial<\/a> or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to know more about Kai Collective or Fisayo Longe?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can check out Kai Collective on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find out more about Fisayo Longe on Instagram<\/a> or Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n

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Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how Fisayo Longe battled business burnout after her fashion brand, Kai Collective, went viral overnight with the Gaia dress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1612,"featured_media":13184,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":true,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230,234],"coauthors":[479],"class_list":["post-13189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Kate Bassett","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/02\/Blog_S2_Ep5.jpg","imagine_tags":{"230":"Small business","234":"Start-up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Ireland","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1612"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/13184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=13189"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}