‘Celebrating our Sisters’ Tobi Oredein

Across the collettephilip.com and Brand By Me brands we’re #CelebratingOurSisters, we are interviewing Brilliant Black female changemakers, who are serious about social justice, looking back on this past year and what you are excited about for the year ahead.

First up is Tobi Oredein, founder of Black Ballad, a digital media and lifestyle subscription platform, launched by Tobi in 2014. The idea for Black Ballad came to Tobi after spending several years in various mainstream journalism offices and noticing the lack of Black writers and stories that discussed the issues black women were facing. Black Ballad’s aim is to tell the human experience through the eyes of black women living in Britain.

Us: It’s been three years since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement grabbed headlines and rocked the world. What difference have you noticed in your professional sphere in the past few years?

Tobi Oredein: I’ve not noticed a single bit of difference. I think there were a lot of promises made because I think that a lot of people felt under fire to make statements. But, we’ve seen so many Black women, in particular senior Black women lose their role ‘Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) roles that were recently introduced off the back of this. From my point of view, as an entrepreneur lots of promises that were made by investors simply didn’t come through. We’ve actually not seen a huge increase in investment spend ourselves.

Us: What did you and your organisation do to ‘Celebrate Our Sisters’ this Black History Month?

Tobi Oredein: We’re Black women focused and so ‘Celebrate Our Sisters all year round. Our whole brand is about celebrating Black women. So one of my biggest problems is how do we make it bigger in Black History Month. Like, every day we do stories about the joys, the triumphs, and overcoming the challenges of being a Black woman.But this year we partnered with Coppa Feel! – a breast cancer awareness charity– to do some content, specifically in that month, to promote the importance of health for Black women.

Us: Tell us about the things that you do that foster community within your industry.

Tobi Oredein: In my industry, I love doing brunches with other Black founders. I regularly meet up with Florence Adepoju, Founder of MDMFlow and Flo’s Beauty Co; Ronke Lawal, Founder of Ariatu PR; Jamelia Donaldson, Founder of Treasure Tress. We just talk about everything, because as a founder, there are just challenges that you go through that no one else goes through. We ask each other things like how to get a brand on board for a partnership or what a particular brand is really charging. We also ask each other if we can be introduced to so-and-so. It’s really giving community vibes. I speak to Florence about juggling motherhood and business.

Us: What’s the thing that you’re proudest of this year?

Tobi Oredein: I think that being a Black female founder, people don’t expect much of you. So you get to make your mistakes very privately and you get to work under not a lot of pressure. I’ve never been the founder where people are looking at me. I feel like I’ve been quite an underdog and people forget how long that BlackBallad has been going! I love the privilege that I get to serve other black women.

Us: In what ways do you see issues of white supremacy showing up as your brand is becoming more successful and well-known?

Tobi Oredein: That expectation that I as a black woman should do work for you. And also that as the amounts of money that you’re asking for in terms of investment get bigger, the meetings that we’re sitting in get whiter.

Us: What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you started your brand?

Tobi Oredein: Make sure you have boundaries in place. I think that when you’re doing this work and you want to serve Black women, not just as customers but even as employees. I think you can kind of do a bit too much as a manager. I think you can give a bit too much of yourself. And I think that you can be taken for granted.

‍Us: What’s your go-to piece of advice for other Black founders?

Tobi Oredein: Have your tribe and community because sometimes it might feel like you’re going crazy. And get a sponsor. Get someone who has power and privilege to be in the room for you.

Us: What are your go-to brand-building tips and tricks?

Tobi Oredein: I often downplay it but I can never underestimate the impact of the weekly newsletter I write. It might actually be the longest Black feminist newsletter we’ve had as it’s been over seven years that I’ve been writing that newsletter. I’ve written that newsletter while pregnant. I’ve written a newsletter with my kid on my chest. I’ve written it in bed and I’ve written it sick. But that newsletter has allowed me to express what I want for Black Ballad readers.

Us: What are you most excited for in the year ahead?

Tobi Oredein: That’s easy as it’s our 10-year anniversary in 2024. I think that the fact we've overcome so many hurdles from investment to staff changes to moving with technology, I’m so excited to be able to finally say it’s been a decade of Black Ballad.

‍Us: What’s your hope for 2024 and beyond?

Tobi Oredein: Start telling yourself that you start having high expectations. And I would really encourage Black women to celebrate our wins because it’s so much harder for us to get in the rooms. The race is not the same for us to even be close to competitors that don’t look like us to be on the same level, so I’d like to see more Black female founders struggle less!

Collette’s three main takeaways from Tobi’s interview:

‍1. Show up consistently‍

By showing up consistently, you not only contribute to the overall team reliability, but also create a positive and supportive atmosphere.

2. Find Your Squad‍

Seek out a network of individuals who get, uplift and inspire you. It’s about building connections that go beyond the surface, creating an invaluable support system.

‍3 Celebrate Your Wins‍

Success is not just about the big milestones; it’s about recognising and celebrating every step of the journey. When you achieve a goal, no matter how small, it’s a cause for celebration.
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What do you think?

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