Bidemi Zakariyau Akande, The Lagos-Based PR Powerhouse
For today’s feature we’re taking you to Lagos, the financial hub of Nigeria and the most populous city in Africa. The vibrant city with a red-hot art scene and over-the-top fashion is a land of big ideas and big energy, where knowing the right people goes a long way, and the right amount of courage can transform your life. It’s a city that you would expect to be hostile to a young, attractive, female, would-be entrepreneur, but Bidemi Zakariyau was unfazed and found herself in the right place at the right time, fresh out of university, with great style, big dreams and endless ambition.
The diminutive beauty was born in Nigeria but raised mostly in London. After completing law school in the UK, she arrived in Lagos to begin an internship before starting law school. Interestingly, it was her eye-catching fashion sense that got her noticed and propelled her to her first business/side-hustle as a stylist. She boldly pitched a communications strategy to a client while on a styling assignment and her public relations firm was founded on the spot. The firm, LSF PR, counts blue-chip companies such as Siemens, Philips and Unilever as clients. The all-female team made the Holmes Report’s (now PRovoke) 2019 list of the top 10 most creative PR agencies in the world, the first Nigerian and second African firm to have ever made the list.
In between juggling clients, global partners, a growing team and full personal life, Bidemi still felt she could do more to promote the premium side of Africa to the world and to the segment of the African population that has luxurious aspirations. So she founded The Luxe Digest, a digital media platform that curates the best luxury experiences across the African continent.
Even the biggest overachiever has to admit that this is an impressive list of accomplishments for a woman well below the age of 35. But Bidemi’s father had always expected her to be a lawyer.What personal traits led the then 23-year old to succeed in a notoriously male-dominated society with no PR experience or outside funding? How did the young law student wrestle control of her destiny? Bidemi shares her remarkable story in her most revealing interview ever.
Bidemi holding one of several awards at her Lagos office. Image courtesy of @BidemiZakariyau
How did your cultural background influence your career and life choices?
With Nigerian parents, you’re raised to think that you need to have a certain career path, that you must be a lawyer, doctor, engineer etc. I was the top law student in my class so it made sense to head down that path. Growing up, I watched my father build his own company and that always inspired me. I wanted to do something media related but I feared the Nigerian parent side-eye if I mentioned wanting to do something else.
While interning at law firms I realized I didn’t want to practice law but I didn’t think my dad would appreciate that. I really didn’t want to come across as a disappointment.
In hindsight, I should have probably mentioned what I really wanted to study and do.
Can you take us through your career journey and how you built your PR firm?
I moved to Nigeria from the UK at the end of October 2011and that December, took an internship at a law firm. I found the work repetitive and boring and the pay was so bad. I started making extra money on the side by accident, because the ladies that worked at a company next door, liked the way I dressed. They would see me going for lunch, and one day asked if I could share style and shopping tips with them. So I started a personal shopping service where I would order them clothes from the UK, ship through DHL and charge a margin on their total bill. That was my first business.
Eventually I moved on to another law firm that offered better pay. It was a life-changing experience but equally exhausting. I worked on the floor that had most of the young lawyers who all encouraged me to work in fashion. I started getting styling gigs and decided to officially register a company – Le Style Fusion Limited, which was meant to be a personal shopping, styling and PR company. My friend Jumai, came up with the name, and we thought it was the coolest name ever!
I left the firm because law school started in July and I had to be in Abuja. I was going back and forth between Lagos and Abuja because I kept working on securing clients. I would spend hours going through BellaNaija and other platforms, calling important designers whose info I saw in the credits of blogs posts. Someone finally said yes, and invited me to style her shoot.
At the shoot, I pitched my PR services and she asked me to share a proposal. I spent hours researching PR agencies and trying to understand the service offerings for fashion brands. The first few companies I discovered were the big global agencies and in that moment, I told myself that I would build a PR agency as big as those agencies. I put together the proposal, executed flawlessly, secured coverage beyond her expectations and let’s just say she became a spokesperson for my company! She referred me to my next client, who referred me to the next client and that’s how it all started.
This was all happening while you were still in law school. How did you eventually transition permanently into PR?
Throughout law school my focus was building the PR agency since I knew I didn’t want to practice law. Dropping out of school was not an option, but I dropped the styling and personal shopping service so I could focus. My proudest moment at that time was just getting through life because it was really hard being in law school, and trying to run a business at the same time.
We eventually became LSF PR and we focus solely on corporate communications and consumer brands. We’re 8 years in December! It’s been quite an interesting and exhausting journey. I’m proud to be where we are today – servicing some of the world’s biggest brands and companies, working across Africa, the UK and the Middle East, being behind some of the best campaigns in EMEA! Whew, it’s been a hell of a journey!
“At the end of the day, when you think about business, men make decisions at all hours, over drinks, dinners and golfing and I didn’t want to limit myself. I wondered, “if I was a man would I reject this opportunity?””
What character traits have contributed to your success?
Hard work! I put in the hours and time. There were times I would work so much, my eyes would hurt. I still work very hard, but I now have more control over what I do and my time, as we have a structure in place and a brilliant team managing various client accounts. I’m able to focus on leading strategy and client acquisition.
Bidemi at her Lagos office wearing Lisa Folawiyo. Photo by Lex Ash
Can you talk a bit about your experience as a young, businesswoman in Lagos? The city has the perception of being an old-fashioned, sexist, patriarchal society. What challenges have you faced and how do you persevere?
We all generally live in a sexist society and as women, we have to protect ourselves. Therefore, I’m always very conscious of my actions. I’ll tell you a story for example. At the beginning of every year I make list of the companies I want my agency to work with in the coming year. In 2017 I really wanted to work with a top tier bank in Nigeria. A few months later, I got a message on LinkedIn from a managing director from a bank asking me to put together a proposal to do the PR for his company. While working on it, he progressed to calling me at really odd hours and asking me to dinner. My team and I put together an excellent proposal but I kept rejecting his offers to discuss it over dinner at late hours. This was a much older and well-established man. At the end of the day, when you think about business, men make decisions at all hours, over drinks, dinners and golfing and I didn’t want to limit myself. I wondered, “if I was a man would I reject this opportunity?” I finally agreed to meet him to review it but I chose 5pm at a public, well-lit restaurant. It was very awkward and I was very conscious of my age and gender at that moment. Sadly, he started trying to rub my hand and I decided I’m not going to put up with any of this or put myself in harm's way to work with any client or company. I left and ended all contact with him.
Another time a client asked to meet with one of my team members at his home and I said no. I simply won’t put myself or my team in a position that is uncomfortable or dangerous.
You have achieved so much, worked with some really incredible clients and have won multiple awards. What are some challenges you still occasionally face?
Being young and running a modern, all-female agency can be seen as such a positive but it can also negatively affect us. There are so many biases we face. I was once told that we had the best pitch but were still not chosen by the client. When I asked for feedback I was told it was because we didn’t have a male perspective to help put the strategy together. But my all-female team admittedly had the best pitch? It didn’t make sense.
Sometimes there’s a bias in favor of larger firms, which is such an old-fashioned and traditional way of looking at things. We are modern and nimble. We partner with agencies in different countries on various projects, and agencies from all over the world come to us to partner on strategies in Nigeria. It is a very old way of thinking, that you need a large team to develop and implement strategies. We live in an increasingly global, hyper-connected society and our agency is set up to thrive in that environment.
You’ve got a lot of people counting on you and a lot of pressure to deliver. Do you ever suffer from imposter syndrome or self-doubt? If so how do you cope?
When I first started my business, I definitely had moments where I would doubt myself because there were other established agencies in the market. To combat the self-doubt, goal-setting and focus are essential. Focusing on the big picture and on achieving the goals I set for myself helped me get through those moments. Also having supportive people around me was important.
These feelings of doubt or imposter syndrome come and go in different stages and phases. As you grow, you’re always dealing with a new level of doubt, but I’ve learnt to be comfortable with what I’m doing and with my achievements.
Bidemi at her traditional marriage introduction ceremony wearing a Yoruba Iro and Buba. Fabric and design by Deola Sagoe
Name a time when not getting what you wanted worked in your favor
I work in the service industry, so that means I face a lot of rejection. Sometimes you work really hard on a pitch and another agency gets picked. I’ve learnt the art of moving forward very quickly and not dwelling on negatives for too long.
What are your virtues?
My ethics and always trying my best to always do the right thing.
Your vices?
A bottle of Isolabella completely to myself. It’s the sweetest moscato ever.
Last Vacation and Next?
This question really put things into perspective for me. I travel so much, but it’s always for something work related or to London, which I consider my second base, so that doesn’t count. With that said, my last real vacation was in August 2018. My boyfriend (now husband)and I went to Florence for a few days. We stayed at Palazzo Guicciardini, which I highly recommend. He planned the whole trip and 3 days into it, we had the most amazing dinner at SE·STO, on the rooftop of the Westin, which has a spectacular view. He proposed that evening at the restaurant. A random couple paid our bill because they were so excited for us!
Florence is such a romantic city. The next day, it felt as if the whole city was happy for us. We got complimentary access into museums etc, just because we were newly engaged. We climbed the Duomo the next day. I remember a stranger taking our picture, which ended up becoming our official engagement photo. It was amazing!
Bidemi at her Lagos home wearing Lisa Folawiyo. Photo by Lex Ash
Bidemi and her husband at their marriage introduction ceremony.
Bidemi Gets Personal
How did you meet your partner?
We met at University in 2008, but we didn’t start seeing each other until late 2009.
How does a young career-minded couple people juggle marriage successfully?
I think what’s really interesting about our marriage is the fact that we’re our individual selves first. We both have different interests and things we do. We’re also very supportive of each others careers, so balance feels easy to be honest.
What relationship or love advice would you give to your younger self?
I don’t know (laughing)! I’m one of those people that dated one person for a long time and ended up getting married to that same person. It’s been an amazing ride for almost 11 years, I wouldn’t change anything.
Advice to your younger self:
Everything happens for a reason. Knowing that at 21 would have put a lot of things into perspective for me.
You can find Bidemi at:
Company websites: LSF|PR and The Luxe Digest
LinkedIn: Bidemi Zakariyau Akande