LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Taeillo, Nigeria’s first e-commerce furniture business to enhance customer experience through augmented virtual reality
Jumoke Dada is an award-winning entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, and the founder of Taeillo, an e-commerce furniture and lifestyle brand based in Lagos Nigeria and Nairobi Kenya. By the age of 26, she had built a muti-million-dollar furniture and lifestyle brand from zero capital a couple of years prior. An advocate and a role model for women’s empowerment, Jumoke is an inspiration to a lot of upcoming women and entrepreneurs in Nigeria and outside the country. Elle Decoration South Africa named her as one of the creatives doing something interesting on the continent at the moment. Taeillo was launched in 2018 and today employs 99 people.
Before the establishment of Taeillo, Jumoke Dada worked at leading architectural and interior design firms in Lagos before she left her job to travel round Nigeria to explore Nigerian Arts and Culture which later translated to the establishment of Taeillo. She is one of the young Nigerian entrepreneurs shaping the future of Africa’s economic and e-commerce growth. It is important to note that her company, Taeillo, is the only furniture company in Nigeria that uses augmented reality with the virtual reality headset to showcase different furniture pieces to customers for a ‘showroom-on- the-go experience’ as against the traditional way of having showrooms for furniture pieces. When she is not working she explores new environments, reads, listens to music, or explores the virtual world creating virtual 3D Designs and Animations.
Jumoke has been extensively featured in the media and has been acknowledged through a number of business awards. These include: Feature 2X BBC World News, Features on CNN Inside Africa, Featured on NASDAQ Tower at the New York Times Square, EKO 100 Women – 100 most powerful women in Lagos, Named by Tony Elumelu as one of the 1000 entrepreneurs shaping the future of Africa, Future Awards Nominee prize for Entrepreneurship, Leading Ladies 100 most Inspiring women in Nigeria 2021, HER Network Woman of the Year (Entrepreneurship) 2021. Jumoke has also spoken on several panels, one of which is the launch of Generation Unlimited in Nigeria by UNICEF, Nigeria Energy Forum.
Lioness Weekender spoke to Taeillo founder, Jumoke Dada, about her big vision, her passion for e-commerce and enhanced digital customer user experiences in retail.
What does your company do?
Taeillo is an e-Commerce furniture and lifestyle brand.
What inspired you to start your company?
I was inspired to launch my own brand after attending an interior design conference in 2016 where Japanese and American designers mentioned Africans as consumers not manufacturers. Hearing this challenged Jumoke to quit her job and travel round Nigeria to see how local resources can be harnessed using African raw materials to create beautiful well-made pieces.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Taeillo represents African style, colour and culture in its pieces. It is the first e-commerce furniture business in Nigeria, enhancing its customers’ experience by allowing them to envision the pieces via augmented reality and virtual reality.
Tell us a little about your team
Taeillo has a team of over 90 people, led by myself as the Managing Director, which is overseen by a Board of Directors.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I started my career working as an intern at interior design, architectural and furniture manufacturing companies in Nigeria. I was inspired to launch my own brand after attending an interior design conference in 2016 where Japanese and American designers mentioned Africans as consumers not manufacturers. Hearing this challenged me to quit my job and travel round Nigeria to see how local resources can be harnessed. I created my first piece of furniture as a master’s student for an exhibition which someone bought, subsequently posting the pictures online. That’s when most people turned to me to buy more. Hence the birth of Taeillo in 2018 with zero capital. The first piece was made with a deposit from my first customer, and with an initial profit of ₦17,000. I have since gone on to turn Taeillo into a multimillion-dollar furniture brand, primarily using an e-commerce and social commerce model by 2021. At 24, I was the Founder and CEO of the specialist furniture company, Taeillo, which represents African style, colour and culture in its pieces. It is the first e-commerce furniture business in Nigeria, enhancing its customer’s experience by allowing them to envision the pieces, via augmented reality and virtual reality.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
To become the IKEA of Africa.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The impact I create with Taeillo, creating better living experiences for Africans.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Listen to your own voice and just start.
To find out more about Jumoke’s entrepreneurial journey or her company Taeillo, send an email to jumoke@taeillo.com or visit the website: http://taeillo.com or company social media platforms:
