‘Stop procrastinating and go for it’ say Britain’s top black entrepreneurs

At the starting of last yr, Ewoma Ukeleghe’s skincare clinic was busier than it experienced at any time been.

“We had been absolutely booked and experienced massive strategies to scale the enterprise,” remembers the founder of SKNDOCTOR. “But then Covid strike and scheduling following scheduling was cancelled. My appointments went to zero and all of a sudden my calendar was vacant, which was incredibly frightening.”

Ukeleghe says it was a “disruptive” and “confusing” time, but rather of panicking, she did what she thinks all great business owners do: adapt. “You mourn and make peace with the point life is not heading to be the exact as it was right before – then you hustle and do no matter what it will take to keep the enterprise heading.”

For Ukeleghe, that meant focusing on e-commerce, Zoom consultations and social media promoting. “I’m incredibly fortunate that we thrived,” she says.

Improvisation and perseverance are what secured the founder her location as a finalist for this year’s Black British Small business Awards, for which The Telegraph is a media spouse. The function, now in its eighth yr, celebrates the achievements of some of the UK’s prime company bosses and business owners.

This year’s finalists have been sharing their really hard-earned enterprise classes ahead of October’s digital ceremony, in the hope it may possibly aid the subsequent technology.

Vese Aghoghovbia, founder of Philly & Buddies, also believes adaptability is vital. 

“People imagine the path is easy, but it is not,” says the entrepreneur, whose company specialises in children’s textbooks, toys and video games. “I began out imagining I was heading down the publishing route, but I in no way anticipated to evolve into other merchandise.

“It’s good to have a vision, but overall flexibility and open up-mindedness are what’s desired to enable progress.”