Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Temitope Alimi.
Hi Dr. Alimi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
The disruption….
My story started in Lagos, Nigeria where I was born and raised many years ago. Now, if I were to start from the very beginning, there wouldn’t be enough space, so instead I will start from one of the most defining moments of my life, which was the passing of my mom in 2002. To provide some context, she had been a single mom who had raised my younger sister and I through so much hardship and sacrifice. Months prior to her passing, we had accommodation problems which led to all three of us being separated and squatting individually with family and friends. And then, all of a sudden, one Saturday morning, she just slumped from a stroke and died the very same day!
To say my world was shattered is an understatement! Suddenly, we went from having one parent present in our lives to having none, we didn’t have a place of our own as we were still squatting with family and friends, we had no money to our names because we had no bank account, and to top it all, I was in the middle of writing my second-semester exams for my Sophomore year in college while my sister had just completed her senior year of high school. Within two days, I became unrecognizable— I lost so much weight and even my complexion!
The Journey…..
So began our journey of having to depend solely on God for everything. And He came through! He sent people to help us along our way, a few of whom accommodated us at different times for the next eight years. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Lagos in 2005 with First class honors and was the best graduating student in my department and Faculty for that academic year. I also went on to gain admission and a full scholarship to study for a Master’s in Geographic Information and Remote Sensing from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK in 2007. Now having obtained a master’s from the world-renowned Cambridge University, I went back to Nigeria in 2008 thinking I was home free, and I would just be cruising from that time forward……
The Struggles….
Yes, you guessed right, it was not so! Instead, I spent the next 14 months applying for jobs and getting rejected at every turn. Many said to my face that I couldn’t get the job because I was overqualified, and some felt I would take over their jobs. After searching for about a year with no success, I was given a job as a favor with someone I knew, where I was paid N20,000 monthly (at that time, the Naira to Dollar exchange rate was about N150 to $1, so I was being paid the equivalent of $134 monthly)! I did that for two months and then eventually landed a better job in January 2010 and another in July of the same year.
While all this was going on, my sister had also gained admission into a private university that I was responsible for paying for. So, I was not only unemployed and under-employed at some point, I also had school fees in the hundreds of thousands to pay, and at the same time, I was applying to graduate schools in the US for my PhD. All these put so much financial strain on me and I got into so much debt that 83% of my salary went toward loan repayments monthly. I remember a particular episode vividly in February of 2011. I needed to pay N300,000 for my sister’s school fees which were due that week and I didn’t have a dime! I prayed and cried so much that weekend that when I got to church on the Sunday, someone noticed my swollen face and asked me what was wrong and I just burst into tears!
The Turning Point….
But God! God showed up again as He always does! Two days after that outburst in church, I got the first in a series of emails about my acceptance into grad school. Between February and May of 2011, after two years of applying to many graduate schools with no success, the acceptances began to pour in! I got accepted into six graduate schools in the US, five of whom offered me full or partial scholarships! Now I was spoiled for choices. I eventually chose the University of Miami —the package came with tuition waiver and monthly stipend, a one-way flight ticket to Miami, and funds for my initial accommodation. Oh, and did I mention that my job back in Nigeria granted me study leave after having been with them for only one year (something they only ever did after a staff had been with them for three years) and they did so with pay for four out of the five years of my PhD studies! The five years were filled with so many opportunities, growth, awards and I formed many lifelong relationships while at it. I finished in May 2016 with a PhD in Environmental Sciences, and I said to myself, “surely, everything would become smooth now!’
Another Transition….
Wrong again! I have noticed that at important junctions in my life, particularly after a major achievement, a disruption often happens that seems to want to overshadow the major accomplishment. But I have now learnt that what I call disruptions are actually transitions to move me into the next chapter of my life. The upheaval again this time, was an inability to land a great job. Many of the companies I applied to indicated that though I was qualified on paper for the positions, I didn’t have work experience in the United States even though I had relevant work experience from Nigeria. So, for the next 15 months, I had to do temporary jobs here and there while I searched for a more permanent one. Eventually, I got a fellowship with a government agency to work in Cancer Informatics and later transitioned to a contract position doing the same.
What had happened though during the months I was looking for a job was that a restlessness was awakened in me — I had this burning feeling and pressure in the pit of my stomach that I was more than this, that I carried greatness and it needed to be birthed. That started me on a quest to seek God to find out what He put me here for. Finally in February of 2021, answers began to come, one of which was the vision to start Àrà Household, my own home fragrance and décor brand. Although I had known since I was a teenager that I would one-day manufacture items, I never knew what they would be or when that would be.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not! As I already mentioned, there were many challenges along the way. First was the challenge of having to live without our mom and being at the mercy of the benevolence of others. Like I said, for eight years, we had to live with family and friends—a huge adjustment for us— and an experience that was good in some cases and not so in others.
There was also the challenge of not just taking care of myself but also a younger sister as well, considering we had no money of our own. We opened our very first bank account with monetary gifts we got at our mom’s funeral and from then on only got by through gifts from others or borrowing. But I was eventually able to pay off all the debts and become financially stable.
And of course, there was also the challenge with landing jobs after my schooling. All these are apart from the emotional stress that came along with all that was going on. I remembered feeling inadequate and less every time I would get a rejection or something didn’t work the way I hoped it would. So yes, it’s been challenging, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything because all these are what made me who I am today — a fearless woman willing to take on the world and make a difference.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ara Household?
Àrà Household started in November 2021 because I saw the toll of the pandemic on many people’s mental health. The lockdown and the resultant effects, e.g., loss of family members, loss of jobs, etc., brought a lot of strain, causing many to struggle with their identity. I started Àrà Household to create home fragrances and décor that help each customer create an oasis of peace, relieve stress, improve their moods and mental well-being, and surround them with beauty, particularly as many now find themselves working from their homes.
What do you do, what do you specialize in / what are you known for?
We started with the home fragrance portion of the brand offering only luxury candles. Today, the brand has 11 product categories and 95 product selections including luxury candles, diffusers, room sprays, aromatherapy products, and accessories among others. We are also in the process of expanding the product selections to include home décor products such as throws, throw pillows, curtains, bedspreads, and area rugs
What sets you apart from others? What are you most proud brand wise?
At Àrà Household, we are not just interested in making luxurious and well-made products available to our customers, we do so in an environmentally friendly way. We create clean smelling and burning yet effective and luxurious fragrance and elegant décor with non-toxic, phthalate free and sustainably sourced materials. But we also believe that beyond surrounding them great smelling and beautiful things, their inner being and growth is what is most important. So, we invest in building them up by informing them of and reinforcing their identity as royal sons and daughters of the Most High. Thus, we ensure that every purchase comes with a carefully crafted affirmation card that reminds them of this identity, bringing the fragrance of the King into every space, one customer at a time.
What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc?
All items are available and can be purchased through our website or any of our social media handles. And because we believe that our fragrance and beauty become even more far-reaching and empowering when we give back, we give 10% of all profits to charities that bring healing to our world. So, when you buy from us, you are contributing to bringing healing to our world.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I recently heard Steve Harvey say that “God allows certain trials in our lives to prepare us for what we pray for”. I have found this to be true in my life. That is why I would never trade the experiences for anything. Did I enjoy them? No! But I know that “no pain, no gain”, that the trials happened so that I would be fully equipped and become the person who is not just successful but able to maintain it. Like the Scripture says in Hebrews 12:11 KJV, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
Specific lessons I have learnt along the way include resilience, persistence, adaptability, brutal focus and courage to mention just a few. I have become tough and know how to recover quickly from difficulties now. I never give up on anything that I’m convinced is the course of action or path God wants me to take. I have learned how to adapt to new things— conditions, places, people— anything. I’m never daunted by having to start afresh, in fact, I embrace change. I am also a highly focused person. I am able to marshal my concentration and efforts on the object of my attention and give it what it takes. And I’m currently learning courage with the new direction I am getting for the business. So, the lessons continue.
One last thing I’ve learnt is the need to help others along their journey as well. As you read from my story, I didn’t get here on my own but through the help of God and the many strategic people, He placed on my path. And I know one of my life’s missions is to show through my own story what can be done and that it can be done. 2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV says “Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place”. That’s why I know it’s not by accident that I get a chance to share this story and you get to read it. So, wherever you are on your journey, and whatever you may be going through, know that the trial is working something far much greater in you. Know that one day you will look back at it all and be grateful that you went through it because you came out better, wiser, stronger and will be able to help others as well.
All in all, it’s been a tough but beautiful journey and I can’t wait to see how the story continues to unfold.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arahousehold.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ara_household/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arahousehold
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/ara_household/
