Rock bottom, Guts, Growth Mindset, Faith & Strategy: That’s all Toks Aruoture had + $75 after the 2008 recession stole her family’s home, savings, and business – while she was pregnant. Starting over in a friend’s guest room, she taught herself to build a website and sourced European craftsmen, birthing The Baby Cot Shop. Today? Her luxury nursery empire reigns supreme in the UK, gracing Harrods and nurseries of royals & stars. CVOC Spotlight team had a quick chat with Toks and her way of thinking really gave us deep “aha” moments. Read the session below
CVOC: What key element sets The Baby Cot Shop apart and earns the trust of the UK’s elite clientele?
Toks: Our brand has evolved over the years, but it began from a simple need: I saw that there was nothing in the UK market like what we had in the United States, where I had my introduction to the world of luxury specializing in children’s spaces.
After I lost my business and returned to the UK, I began curating beautiful pieces from manufacturers in Europe. Over time, I noticed that although these items were beautiful, the quality wasn’t always great. When a competitor tried to sabotage me by getting my suppliers to drop me, I decided to design and produce our own products.
As frustrating as that was, it forced me to stop relying on other people and to create our own brand, our own production. That decision meant we could control every detail: the quality, the design, the craftsmanship, the client experience. We took out everything that wasn’t great from what we used to sell and kept those features out of our products. We took the functional features that worked, enhanced them, and added our own touch. Many of our pieces have evolved based on customer feedback.
There are cots that were quite tall that we’ve reduced in height. There are nursing chairs that were padded with feather, but we changed to a hybrid material so they remain soft and comfortable, but continue to look good. What sets us apart is authentic quality, and the genuine passion and love that goes into each piece. Our items are made to order for the client. We don’t put our brand at the forefront of the process; we put the client first, and then use our brand principles to guide each production.
CVOC: What was the single most pivotal decision you made early on that propelled your luxury nursery brand to premium status?
Toks: That would be taking production into our own hands. It allowed us to control the quality and the aesthetics of everything we made. It meant we were no longer at the mercy of suppliers or trends. We could design pieces with longevity, beauty, and function in mind, and create products that truly reflected what I knew luxury should be.
Prior to that, we were a boutique selling nice furniture, but lacked an identity. We were a mix of many artists and craftsmen. It was like taking paragraphs from different fairytales and trying to merge them into one story. It didn’t flow. Having our own pieces meant every item became part of one beautiful story, and each year, we write a new chapter.
CVOC: As a Mindset Strategist, which daily habit or mindset shift do you give credit to the most, for sustaining your focus and creativity?
Toks: The mindset shift I give credit to is a foundational understanding that we are made up of spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is the superior part of me that’s connected to God; it feeds the mind information, which the mind processes into strategy, then instructs the body to follow the plan.
Knowing that my body is servant and not master means I don’t react to everything my senses perceive, and I don’t consider my emotions to be absolute truth. If I can remain in alignment, my body listening to my mind, my mind drawing from my spirit which is connected to God, then I will have a constant flow of creativity and energy. It’s like a hosepipe remaining connected to the source with no kinks or bends in it, everything is working out for my good.
CVOC: What practical systems or partnerships have you put in place to scale The Baby Cot Shop beyond local markets?
Toks: Partnering with the right companies has definitely helped to propel our company into its space. Eight years ago, we opened on the King’s Road in Chelsea because, first, that was where our customers were, and second, it is a historic location that lends itself to luxury and quality, which was exactly what we were producing.
It’s important that everything and everyone you associate your brand with reflects who you are. We chose the King’s Road because it’s a worthy custodian for our brand. The King’s Road carries a reputation for quality, luxury, and timeless style; a reflection of what we sold. For example, if I were building a fashion brand, I’d probably be in Lagos. If it were art, I’d choose Cape Town or again, Lagos. But for a luxury nursery and children’s brand, Chelsea made sense.
More recently, a significant partnership has been with Lux Afrique Boutique, a curated platform that brings luxury brands to discerning clients across Africa and the diaspora. Their focus is on providing access to the best global brands for high-net-worth individuals, and that partnership has allowed us to step into new markets that align with the level of clientele we serve. And, of course, the most visible milestone has been our concession in Harrods, which opened a few months ago.
People often ask me how Harrods happened, and the honest answer is, it wasn’t an overnight affair. It came from years of consistently creating products that were timeless and beautiful, and working on our products until it got to a point where Harrods saw it fit to invite us. We didn’t go to them; they came to us, because our products and our reputation speak for themselves.
CVOC: Based on your journey so far, if aspiring african female entrepreneurs in luxury retail could start one small practice today to elevate their brand’s image or perception, what would it be and why?
Toks: The practice I would recommend is introspection, so you can get clear on your brand’s image and perception. If you can’t see what you’re creating, nobody else will see it, and what you’ll end up with is a composite of suggestions, ideas, and other people’s view of what luxury is.
You want to get into the practice of introspection for every area of your life, but when it comes to seeing your brand before the world sees it, that is one practice you must carry out so it becomes clear to you. Once you see the brand internally, resist the urge to deviate from what you can see. Keep removing what it isn’t.
There’s a story I love to tell about a man who was hacking away at a large piece of rock. He kept doing it, day after day, and to those watching, it looked pointless. One day, a child asked him, What is that? He replied, This is an elephant. They laughed and said, That’s not an elephant, it’s just a piece of rock. But he said, Oh no, it’s an elephant. I’m just removing the parts that are not the elephant.
When you have clarity on what your premium or luxury brand should look like, be fearless and resolute in removing everything that is not it. Resist the urge to keep adding what your senses are picking up as good or beautiful. Society trained us to believe more is better, when often, less is more. If you create from your soul, you will create something uncopiable and timeless.
Toks proves your rock-bottom moment isn’t the end – it’s your most powerful creative fuel. Stop fearing nothing. Start building everything.
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