Background
When Tayo Adebisi quit her job back in 2017, she had no idea she’d soon be running a multimillion-pound business. Feeling unsupported by her employer after returning from maternity leave, she took a much-needed step back – but not for long. Inspired by a relative selling products on Amazon, she set up her own store, TilzMart, with just £5,000.
Today Tayo’s leading a retail and e-commerce business selling a diverse range of products, including gifts, furniture, toys and garden products through Amazon and the Tilz website. She’s also developed her own-brand food gifting range, Tilz Collection. Her seven full-time and 8 part-time staff work from the company’s warehouse in Leeds, selling B2B and direct to consumer.
With ambitions to treble Tilz’s turnover to £9m and grow its team to 20 over the next three years, as well as develop the export and B2B sides of the business, Tayo and her husband Ola were referred to West Yorkshire Business Boost through the Leeds business growth service.
The challenge
As well as expanding their business, the couple are also expanding their family, and in December 2024 welcomed their third child. Tayo wanted to spend more time at home, while Ola would step up to become managing director and help the business achieve its ambitious goals.
With a background in engineering and project management, rather than retail and e-commerce, Ola needed to build his skills. The couple also wanted to develop the Tilz team, balancing a family approach with the professionalism needed to take things to the next level.
The solution
We matched Tilz with leadership coach Rachel Stirling, who worked with Ola to develop his leadership effectiveness. This included stronger delegation skills, establishing boundaries, communicating a clear vision and purpose, leading by example and building team cohesion.
Through masterclasses and coaching, Rachel helped the couple put together a three-to-six-month action plan, including recruiting a sales director, improving financial know-how, creating a stress-reduction strategy and completing an organogram for the next few years.
The business had high export potential, so we paired Tayo and Ola with Karla Tun through our Export programme, who supported them in developing a clear action plan for achieving their export goals.
Next, we introduced the pair to our incredible growth specialist, Caroline Kindy, who was able to assist them in exploring their company’s ambition, opportunity, and capacity (AOC) whilst performing a multi-factor diagnostic before matching them with James Lennon, a consultant who has 40 years’ experience in retail and e-commerce. James then guided them through strategic roadmapping, putting them in a strong position to expand their wholesale and e-commerce operations and start new sales strategies.
Finally, we were able to connect Tayo and Ola with award-winning sustainability consultancy Sustainable X, who helped them build a decarbonisation plan to embed sustainable practices into their operations, including using more environmentally friendly packaging.
The impact
The support Tayo, Ola and their team received has enabled them to focus on developing critical strategies for growth in a competitive landscape. With new plans, skills and support in place, they’re now well positioned to achieve their goals for the next three years.
They’re poised to expand Tilz’s B2B sales, particularly in the EU and USA, by moving into more physical stores, establishing B2B partnerships and strengthening their presence at trade shows. They also have plans to broaden their product range to build in more stable year-round items and explore new markets including Australia, China, Mexico and Canada.
“Tilz Prosperitas Ltd is incredibly grateful for the West Yorkshire Boost Business Support programme, which has played a pivotal role in shaping our strategic growth. The tailored support has enabled us to develop critical strategies to navigate an increasingly competitive market landscape.
“We’ve gained valuable insights and access to expert guidance, allowing us to refine our export strategy, adopt innovative approaches and strengthen leadership capacity. This support has been instrumental in enhancing our resilience, expanding market reach and positioning us for long-term success.”
Oladipo (Ola) Adewale, Director, Tilz Prosperitas Limited