Lily Okoronkwo is killing several birds with one stone in a far country. She is studying business administration at London South Bank University, London and trying to carve a niche for herself.
She has a mastery of languages and is the founder and Creative Director of www.theglowingcolours.com.
In this interview in London with Special Correspondent, NNANNA OKERE, Okoronkwo speaks on her online media outfit and other sundry issues.
What is The GlowingColours all about?
The GlowingColours.com was borne out of a desire to make an impact and create an online space that is refreshing and relates to the modern pan-African community.
It is an online news platform that shares news on African art and culture (art guides, exhibitions, African contemporary art fairs, and news); fashion (African shopping destinations, latest brands and cook books, fashion business owners, latest African fashion shows, and fashion bloggers).
It reports business and leadership news and events related to Africa globally and locally as well as offers interviews with Africa’s pioneering entrepreneurs in the Diaspora and at home.
The website also has a lifestyle section for African luxury, food, health, and fitness as well as beauty.
How did you get into this kind of business?
I have previously held a position as an African art broker for a London-based blue chip firm and as art exhibitions manager for one of the top international art fairs in the world, Venice Biennale.
While working there I discovered that there were no news platforms informing us about our [African] art or even about the creative industry.
The idea of The GlowingColours.com slowly emerged from there, and after an insightful conversation with my twin sister, Vivy, about creating a platform that people can visit and find topics of their interest located in one space, www.theglowingcolours.com was created.
Before the creation, I tried to educate myself on the operations of an online business and reach out to experts in the field. I discovered that there were a few platforms talking about African fashion and business or the other sectors I mentioned.
Therefore I decided to create one that incorporates all of them in one platform, with the aim of ethically informing the audience and inspiring them at the same time.
Challenges at the beginning
It takes time to put ideas into perspective and bring the vision to life. As I am very detail-minded and believe that preparation is vital for success, I had to prepare myself to create a website that would not only become a news platform but would also inspire visitors.
Finding the right team of graphic designers that could understand and help me bring my vision to life was a bit challenging, but after putting it into prayers and searching for alternatives, it was no longer an issue.
While building this brand it occurred to me that most people that wanted to come on board and join the team had this idea that they wanted an “African Vogue”. This brilliant idea makes me laugh because as an entrepreneur I have come to learn that nothing is built in a day.
Every business has its challenges and certainly Vogue was not built in a day, neither did Oprah Winfrey become who she is today in a day. It does take months and years of hard work, persistence and consistency to build something important and sustainable.
So far the journey has been great. We launched just a month ago and I am very grateful for the feedback and the increasing number of followers we have attracted online and offline.
Target visitors
Africans at home and in the Diaspora. But our visitors are mainly from Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, Italy, and United Kingdom.
However, I certainly want to achieve a bigger global reach.
Plans to export to Nigeria
Definitely, we will launch our annual art exhibition in celebration of African art and culture as well as our African Bloggers brunch this year, by the grace of God.
We also have a few events lined up for women empowerment as well as a leadership forum in our plans.
We are not just an online website; we intend to use the website to build an army of male and female African entrepreneurs and future leaders.
Role model
My dearest mother, Nkiruka, is my biggest inspiration and role model.
Her tenacity and determination inspire me to work harder for myself and help others to reach their highest calling.
Assessment of Nigerians in the UK
Nigerians always excel wherever they are, despite the negative press we receive the majority of the time. I truly believe that celebrating African success would inspire more success for Africans all over the world and sort of change the negative cycle of misrepresenting us in general.
The GlowingColours.com is a proud media sponsor of Women4Africa, an incredible award initiative celebrating African achievers from Nollywood, science, government, to women in technology and business.
We are happy to know and meet Nigerians leading and acting as change agents in their communities in the United Kingdom.
How the incoming government can help creative, entrepreneurial Diaspora Nigerians
The incoming government (of Muhammadu Buhari) has a huge task. The previous administration has done an impressive job in my opinion but the new president must focus on the most important issues to help Nigeria advance and become the economic giant it is meant to be.
The creative industry certainly needs to be nurtured and incentivised. For example, a report in January 2015 showed that the creative industry is worth £8.8 million an hour to the UK economy and accounts for 1.7 million jobs.
As you can see it occupies an interesting portion of a nation’s wealth. Nigeria must not be left behind and our creative industry should not be neglected.
Some Nigerian parents normally don’t raise their kids to become what they want to be or even take a non-traditional career path. We have a very one-sided educational system and upbringing which as a consequence is affecting the economy.
Ideas build societies and entrepreneurs in my opinion turn ideas into money.
I expect the incoming government to invest in the future of Nigeria by investing in Nigerian entrepreneurs. It’s not only for the success of the company but for reducing unemployment rate in our society.
The cumulative effect of multiple small business startups creates a significant impact when it comes to job creation.
The more sustainable and innovative businesses we build, the more people we can employ, and the poverty rate will be reduced.
This only starts by improving the educational system and by creating opportunities for a new wave of Nigerian entrepreneurs. We can’t ignore the fact that global development has entered into a phase where entrepreneurship will increasingly play a more important role.
Who are you?
My name is Lilian Okoronkwo, but most people know me as Lily. I am the founder and Creative Director of www.theglowingcolours.com, a website focused on sharing news on African art and culture, fashion, business, leadership, and lifestyle.
I was born in Nigeria, spent my teenage years there, and was partly educated in Venice, Italy. I am currently finishing a Bachelor’s degree in business administration at London South Bank University in London.
I am privileged to be fluent in five languages, including Italian, German, and Spanish. I am trying to learn Arabic and Mandarin at the moment.