She Left Corporate Law, Went Back to Work, and Still Built a Global Fashion Brand

2026-08-14

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In this episode, I sat down with Busayo Olupona, founder and creative director of Busayo, the Brooklyn- and Lagos-based fashion brand known for its bold prints and textiles created with artisans in Nigeria. Busayo shares how she went from corporate finance law to bringing handmade pieces home in suitcases, selling them at scrappy pop-ups, and eventually landing in major retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Shopbop, and Moda Operandi.But this conversation goes much deeper than fashion. Busayo opens up about returning to...

But this conversation goes much deeper than fashion. Busayo opens up about returning to a 9-to-5 after years of entrepreneurship, the shame and fear she had to unlearn, and the two serious cardiac events that forced her to confront the cost of constant striving. We talk about what it takes to build a business without losing yourself, why preparation matters before opportunity arrives, and how faith, meditation, and surrender changed the way she leads.

In This Episode, You Will Learn

Why learning a new industry while you still have a paycheck can protect both your savings and your confidence
How to view returning to a job as reinvesting in your business, not failing at entrepreneurship
Why Busayo had to separate her worth from her corporate title and other people's opinions
How years of creating collections before buyers said yes prepared her for the Saks opportunity
What two serious cardiac events taught her about sleep, stress, self-care, and sustainable ambition
How wholesale relationships can drive recurring revenue, brand discovery, and direct-to-consumer sales
Why Busayo believes faith, meditation, and surrender are practical tools for entrepreneurship

Highlights Include

03:04 - Moving from Nigeria to the United States at age 11 and learning to reject parts of herself to fit in
16:44 - How annual trips to Nigeria planted the seed for the Busayo brand
19:37 - The first pop-up that pushed her to stop hiding her designs
24:05 - Leaving Cleary Gottlieb and unlearning the belief that she was not enough
29:16 - Attending her first trade show and returning with only two orders
31:36 - Meeting mentor Mercedes Gonzalez and learning how wholesale really works
32:36 - Going back to a legal job after burning through her savings
34:49 - Returning to the same office building and confronting the shame tied to her old title
36:19 - The first cardiac emergency that showed her she was pushing too hard
39:49 - Experiencing a second cardiac event and making sleep and self-care non-negotiable
47:59 - Why she now sees building a business as a spiritual endeavor
55:49 - How years of preparation helped her seize the opportunity that led to Saks
1:00:08 - Navigating strong years, lean years, and the impact of the Saks bankruptcy
1:06:17 - Why wholesale remains an important revenue and discovery channel
1:14:48 - Identifying your fear pockets before leaving a steady paycheck

Links and Resources Mentioned