Popular media personality and entrepreneur Toke Makinwa has opened up about the collapse of her handbag and makeup ventures, describing the experiences as clear failures that still shaped her path forward. She shared the details during an episode of the YouTube storytelling series Master of Craft, presented by Pawnshop by Bluradish.
Makinwa, long known for her work in radio, television, and personal branding, revealed that her first attempt at a handbag line did not succeed. The makeup business that followed also fell short.
“I failed,” she stated plainly while reflecting on those chapters of her entrepreneurial journey.
Rather than treating the setbacks as final defeats, she framed them as necessary steps.
“It’s just constantly failing, but failing forward, and being comfortable enough to take those risks that do not actually sink you, but shape your decisions going forward,” she explained.
She stressed the need for business owners to examine what went wrong instead of clinging to ideas that no longer work.
“Maybe it’s the colouring, maybe it’s the stitching, maybe it’s just the idea,” she noted, adding that continuous learning remains essential. “You have to keep learning on the job.”
Despite the disappointments, Makinwa said she is actively working to revive her makeup brand. The earlier challenges, in her view, delivered practical lessons in risk-taking, product assessment, and overall business management. She also touched on broader principles of financial discipline, questioning the value of leaving large sums idle.
“What is a billion dollars worth if it’s just sitting there?” she asked, encouraging people to understand options such as bonds and stocks and to seek proper advice when needed.
On leadership, she warned against the trap of ego. Surrounding oneself with people who bring different skills and honest criticism is vital, she said.
“If you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in trouble.”
For those currently facing career or business struggles, her message stayed direct and hopeful.
“Do not let your now determine your future,” she advised.
When asked how to push through tough seasons, she pointed back to purpose:
“Remind yourself of your why.”
Makinwa’s earlier handbag effort, launched years ago under her Toke Makinwa Luxury label, and related beauty experiments form part of a longer public record of her attempts to expand beyond media. The conversation offers a rare look at the less glamorous side of celebrity entrepreneurship in Nigeria, where public success often overshadows private trial and error.