Member of the Month: Eniye Okah

Congratulations to Eniye Okah, our Member of the Month for December, StartUp Show speaker and founder of SPF face mist brand, BEAME.

We do what we do because of stories like Eniye's. Her entrepreneurial journey has come full circle. Enterprise Nation CMO, Lorna Bladen, best encapsulates this sentiment:

"This is the "why."

"When we launched Startup Show in 2015, the goal was to create a space where ideas, and dreams could flourish. It’s incredible to watch how the community has come full circle, with attendees becoming the next generation of inspiring speakers.

"I'm thrilled to see Eniye Okah take the stage alongside Lucy Werner and Ryan Panchoo of Borough 22 Doughnuts on the Digital Evolution stage. Can’t wait to see this session on storytelling unfold!"

From finding out why aerosols can't be shipped by plane and discovering the scary facts about the impact of poor skin protection to fangirling about Lucy Werner, whom she will share a stage with at StartUp Show 2025, Eniye recounts her rollercoaster entrepreneurial journey so far.

Secure your tickets today for StartUp Show 2025!

Tell us the story behind BEAME

I started about two years ago. I was severely stressed, and it was impacting my skin. On top of that, I wasn't wearing or reapplying enough sunscreen and didn't realise that when your skin is stressed, it can cause further damage when you're in the sun.

This affected my mental wellbeing, apart from just impacting my skin. So, I had an idea. I wanted to create a sunscreen that was easy to reapply and could also reduce the effects of stress on my skin. That's how the concept of BEAME came about. It took me some time to figure out the name, but I knew I wanted those key elements in my product.

At the time, many products on the market had white cast, which prevented people of colour from actually wearing sunscreen because they couldn't find a product that was right for them. That's why I wanted to make our product white-cast-free.

I needed to work with a chemist for this. Truthfully, you can't just make a sunscreen product. You wouldn’t legally be allowed. My chemist manages all the compliance, packaging and regulatory elements. I don't touch any of that. We are also working with an external party that will confirm that we are legally able to sell the product as an SPF 30.

I worked with a lot of people – a chemist, a fragrance house, designers – who understood the brand from the get-go to develop the formula. As the product is very scent-driven and helps boost your mood, we also worked with an aromatherapist and a fragrance house to create a scent that has an uplifting mood.

People usually go out in the sun to boost their mood, so we wanted to capture that feeling in a bottle, where you don't need to go out, but you can get it from our Something You Mist™️SPF 30 Face Mist.

Why did you choose crowdfunding for BEAME?

I had a previous business and didn’t want to take out another loan. It depends on your financial situation, but a loan was not good for me. I am still funding the business through my full-time job and needed more money as sunscreen is expensive to manufacture. That doesn’t even include branding. I needed something quick, in a short amount of time that could boost brand awareness.

With BEAME, I didn’t want to do it the traditional way of launching and then seeing how it goes. I wanted to see if there was also a need for the product. People were excited and said that it was something they needed, but were they willing to pay for it?

I wanted to test this and needed the validation. This was my goal for the Kickstarter campaign and I started to prepare in January.

I didn't realise how expensive it was to produce a sunscreen compared to a moisturiser or another skincare product. It's probably one of the most expensive to produce as it prevents things like skin cancer. For example, we have five sunscreen filters and one of them costs £7,000.

We launched the Kickstarter in September and met our goal in 34 hours. With it, I was able to get some money towards our manufacturing run.

What inspired you to attend your first StartUp Show in 2018? 

I was in university at the time and didn’t have a business idea. I was just so intrigued and wanted to know how to start a business. I went to so many talks that day and just really wanted to learn about other people's journeys and stories. I wanted to know the basics, to be around these sorts of people who were in the same mindset because I equally wanted to be motivated. I wanted to be part of the network. That is how my journey started with building my business, was going to my first StartUp Show event.

What did you take away from the show? How did you put it into practice with BEAME?

I remember there was a talk on the problem you're solving versus the solution. I started actioning this chart to see if my product was actually solving a problem and if there was a need for my product, which a lot of people miss. They like the idea of creating something, but actually, are you solving a problem? And that's something I've taken with me till this day, using this method.

What was an unexpected challenge that you faced in your start-up journey?

Packaging. Our formula is so amazing that we had to change it from being a PCR bottle to an aerosol, which are two very different things. This was due to how milky our SPF is as it is more hydrating. As you can reapply it over makeup, we wanted it to be seamless and an ultra-fine mist.

I didn’t realise that when you order aerosols, your minimum order quantity is 10,000 units. This is because it has to make it worthwhile for them to produce. I also really wanted to manufacture in the UK so that I could visit the manufacturer.

Also, I found out that you cannot ship aerosols by plane as they are considered inflammable. It would have to be by sea or other ways if I was to ship outside the UK. That was an unexpected issue we encountered, but you live and you learn.

Did you see bringing Something You Mist to market as a challenge or advantage?

I wouldn't say we're the first in the market to create a white-cast-free product, but it’s important to make sure that we understand our customers and explain why they need to use sunscreen and its impact on all skin types.

It was important to show my before and after photographs of using the product as I wanted to highlight how impactful it was in a short period – that it does make a difference to people of colour and also understand that skin cancer is a thing. It affects everyone. The UK has one of the highest skin cancer rates, especially people in a certain age group who are target customers. It's 18- to 34-year-olds who have the higher skin cancer rates.

We're trying to make sure that everyone understands the long-term impact of what could happen if you're not wearing sunscreen. I think that the educational part is really important.

How would you define success for BEAME?

Our focus for the next year is to shift the narrative and get people to reapply their sunscreen. We want to do it in a fun way as about 70% of the UK population isn't reapplying.

If you had a tip to share with others looking to become their own boss, what would it be? 

Absorb as much information as you can from anyone and everyone and do your research. Taking your time to do research is so valuable, even if it takes a long time.

Research never ends, especially when you're building a customer-centric product. You're always having to speak to your customer, research new trends and stay up to date. Researching and data are the most important things I would recommend that people focus on at this stage of their journey.

Those are the key things to understand how the market is currently or going to change in the next few years.

What are you looking forward to at StartUp Show 2025?

It's such a full circle moment for me, from being an attendee to now sharing a stage with people like Lucy Werner (founder of Hype Yourself). I have read her books; she's been my guide.

I'm excited to share what I can to help the person who I was a few years ago, sitting in that chair who got inspired by other founders sharing their stories. I'm just happy to share my story and impact even one person who takes something from what I've said, even just by registering their business.

Want to be part of the Enterprise Nation community like Eniye? Sign up for free or upgrade to adviser membership.

StartUp Show 2025: Book now!

The StartUp Show takes place in St. Paul's London on Saturday 25 January 2025. Buy your tickets today to hear from these amazing expert speakers.