Custodian Interview: Toye Kayode of Neocove

Toye Kayode was born and raised in Lagos where he completed his primary and secondary school education. He then moved to the UK where he obtained his Bachelors Degree in Economics from the University of Reading. He has two other siblings, an older brother currently living in Bangkok and a younger sister who is back in Nigeria rounding up her National Youth Service Corps year. Being a frequent traveler, he has a refined interest in food and alcoholic beverages. Toye played the trumpet growing up which explains his love for music and is also an avid reader of lifestyle magazines and blogs.

Over the weekend, I was able to quickly catch up with the mind behind NeoCove, a lifestyle start-up.

Hi Toye, how are you doing today?

I’m very well thanks! How are you doing buddy?

Great man, all is well! So to commence, how did NeoCove get started?

Right, it all started from the love of music, particularly Neo-Soul & Deep House.

What were your original intentions for NeoCove when you started off?

So funny enough, the actual plan was for it to be an online radio station. But as you know, time went by, and the plan sort of changed.

Okay, so now your company focuses more on events as the vision for the brand?

Yes and No. A large part of what we do is to help brands engage better with customers in this market using various mediums and events and it just so happened to be one of our main platforms at the moment. 

Do you run NeoCove solely by yourself? Or do you have a partner or board of members who aid in the management of it?

It’s run by my partner Farooq & I. He is currently based between Lagos and the US but I am based here in London.

So, do your events primarily run during festive periods? 

No. We started off and established the brand in Lagos, which is our core target market. However, being a globally inspired African focused brand, we are now establishing the brand here in London and the US where Farooq lives.

Do you have future plans of relocating from London to Lagos in the hope of fully establishing the NeoCove brand in Nigeria?

Yes, the plan is to be based in Lagos at some point, as Nigeria is a key market for us but let’s be fair – home is where you make it :-).  We want to firstly expand the brand here in the UK and US while maintaining a global presence irrespective of where we are.

In starting NeoCove, did anyone or company influence your decision to venture into the lifestyle business.

A good mentor once said to me, “figure out what you will do for free and you will most likely succeed in that.” As the lifestyles of African’s everywhere improve with their level of income, it creates a great opportunity for the sort of clients we work with, this is what drives NeoCove.

 In the past two promising years, what has been NeoCove’s highlight thus far?

For us it’s been the little things, like being able to see the ups and downs our clients face which has helped our learning curve immensely. Along side this, seeing how customers reacted to ‘Brunxh’ and ‘NeoRama’ was interesting as well as insightful. 

Do you think NeoCove lifestyle will potentially be your sole job in the future?

The long-term plan is to run this full time. Obviously, It just so happens I can’t fully commit my time to it because I have my 9-5. But after hours I am constantly working on new ideas, networking and executing. I want to establish this fully and run with it.

Good stuff, have you and Farooq thought of the idea of hosting a large brunch party in which you get an entertainer perform in the midst of the guests?

Haha! So part of the plan for 2015 is to host more theme based events, and have more cross border partnerships. That is as much as I can say for now.

What do you think is going to be your main challenge in the coming years?

Taking our audience along with us.

In terms of competitors, what sets NeoCove apart from the other masses of lifestyle groups?

Our ability in our presentation at our events is fairly unique in the sense that we pay attention to detail. We have noticed that a good amount of successful companies struggle with this quality. Also our moves and partnerships are very strategic so people appreciate what we have to offer and enjoy the organic approach of the brand.

Nice one. How do you think social media has affected the growth of NeoCove?

I definitely can’t downplay the importance of social media. I think Instagram is a very powerful tool, so we have plans in place to leverage the platform to our advantage.

That must be exciting. For newcomers in the lifestyle business, what advice can you share with them?

I would say focus on one thing, do it well and go on from there.

Speaking of mentors, is there any particular person that inspires you?

Definitely. Alexander Amosun, and a few other Africans doing great things globally. Whilst we are an African focused brand, there is certainly a lot of global inspiration in terms of what we do.

Thank you Toye for this chat again. I wish you and the NeoCove best of luck going forward.

My pleasure, many thanks!