Kelechi Okafor, Creating a Space of Her Own

Kelechi is a professional actor, director, personal trainer and pole dance instructor. Kelechi is the founder of Kelechnekoff studio, which is a dance fitness studio in East London. Kelechi studied at the BRIT school of performing arts and technology, with her chosen discipline being Musical Theatre. Kelechi then went on to study Drama and Theatre studies with Law at Liverpool Hope University. Kelechi’s goal has been to inspire as many women as possible through fitness, by facilitating an environment of fun fitness.

Kelechi is very vocal about her commitment to Women’s Rights and she implements her views into the culture of her studio. It is important to have safe spaces which allow for women to explore their own possibilities.

RB: Tell us the why behind your business.

KO: I had faced a lot of resistance from studio owners whenever I approached them about exploring my style of dance teaching methods. Some studios I worked at actively tried to quell my passion and monetise it for their gain. When I didn’t comply with their sense of entitlement, tensions grew. I realised that I had to create a space of my own in order that I might have the freedom to create and solely own my work.

RB: What major challenges did you face when setting up your business and how did you overcome them?
KO: The greatest challenge I faced when setting up the studio, was financial. I was able to crowdfund to raise some money to help me toward creating a great studio space. The crowdfunding was my device to overcome. I am really grateful for the support.

RB: Who has been the greatest influence on you since starting your venture and why?
KO: There hasn’t been a single person who has influenced me greatly, rather, it has been a community of fellow female business owners that I follow on social media. Hearing and seeing these women face the same frustrations that I do, has helped in making me more confident and a little less fearful.

RB: What is the vision for your business and where do you see yourself 5 years from now.
KO: In five years, I want to be happy. I’m happy now so I want to remain happy. I have no solid goals other than happiness because it has been my compass so far. I go wherever my happiness is. It would be great to grow the studio in terms of a bigger space and more branches, with plenty of amazing teachers. I do bare in mind that my acting career is something I want to nurture so in five years, apart from being happy; I I will have my Academy Award!

Kelechi Okafor, Creating a Space of Her Own

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