Feeling stuck? Invest in your relationships!
“I want to be on the cover of Forbes magazine,Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen” Raise your hand if this song resonates with you, I’m raising my hands and my legs because this song encapsulates my entire life goals! I want to become a phenomenal woman, one who would live a mark on the sands of time, and I’m quite certain this is on your bucket list too! But here’s the catch! The boss-lady life doesn’t come on a platter. In order to attain success in business, career and even in relationship, something has to give! The good news is; although there’s work to be done, it could be done, totally cost-free! The journey to becoming a phenomenal woman starts with investing in yourself. Whether you are looking to become a better version of yourself, make a fresh start or do a complete revamp, it is possible, if you equip yourself with the right knowledge and adopt the right strategy. Let’s just say, you can become anything you want to be, if you invest in yourself. Do you want to start your own business? write a book or become a motivational speaker ? Yes you can, but There are certain things you need to do in order to make your dreams come true! The first step begins with; Accepting personal responsibility for your own growth; accept that no one can do it for you. This means you need to stop letting the relentless drifts of events make your choices for you, instead, set goals and take concrete actions that can help you reach your mark! Thankfully, there are so many free tools that are readily available and easily accessible to you, courses that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, and skills you can acquire without breaking a sweat! If these free tools are properly utilized, they can accelerate your speed and draw you closer to your destination. So Let’s dive Right in! Here are some free ways you can invest in yourself! Read books: Increase your scope of knowledge by reading! I know reading is a daunting task for most people, but the rewards and benefits are priceless. You can go easy on yourself. start by Reading a minimum of one chapter of a book each day, and a minimum of one book a month, and you would be amazed at how your scope of knowledge would increase. Take a free course online: Do you want to become a photographer, graphic designer or digital marketer? There are so many free courses available online that you could take advantage of! Don’t forget to Ask questions, listen, then ask more questions. You will learn as well as help others learn. Get a mentor: Mentors are mostly free, this makes them priceless, the need to have someone who can model the “how” for you, can never be overemphasized. Find a mentor and endeavor to do things with them, they will be supportive of you and you will learn and improve from interacting with them. Look for new ideas: Challenge yourself to learn something new every day. I became a blogger and I’m loving it! Whoever thought I could, I’m not even tech savvy!! There are so many ways to acquire a skill, and a lot of these skills can be learned for free! If you are looking to become a fashion designer or a makeup artist you certainly can, just look around carefully, I’m sure you would find, free training opportunities, seminars and workshops where training is offered. Eat Healthy: Health is wealth they say, so invest in yourself by adopting a good eating habit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, The Hustle and Bustle of life makes it hard to live and eat right, but a little effort everyday, goes a long way. Prioritize your health, take it seriously. Eating healthy is one of the best investments you can make, because it determines your overall well-being Find your tribe: no woman is an island! Community, communication and connection, is the new mantra! There is so much you can learn simply by belonging to a community of like- minds. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
5 Tips to Effective Time Management
Time management is one of the most valuable skills you will need in life. We all have 24 hours in a day, but some people get the most out of their time while others don’t. Working as a content marketer has taught me to manage my time wisely. It gets crazy sometimes as projects are thrown your way. Which one do you focus on or delegate? I like this quote from Zig Ziglar: “Lack of direction and not lack of time is the problem. We all have 24 hours in a day.” There are a lot of people juggling multiple jobs and when I ask how they do it, they laugh and say, “It’s not easy.” Below are some simple steps you can take to manage your time wisely: Let’s dive in… Complete the most important tasks first Some people leave the most important for the last. But if you want to be better at time management, you should complete the most important tasks first. This way, even if you fail to get all your work done at the end of the day, you still conclude the day as being a success. Prioritize wisely Group your daily tasks into each category. This will tell you where to spend more time and less time. Important and urgent – tasks that must be done. These, you must do right away! Important but not urgent – tasks that look important but really aren’t. They can wait! Urgent but not important – these are tasks that appear pressing but have little or no value. You can delegate these if you can! Not urgent and not important – these are not urgent and they’re not important either. Learn to say “NO” A lot of us are guilty of this. Out of the goodness of our hearts, it’s almost impossible to say “no”. Want someone to run an errand? They come to you. Need someone to edit and proofread a doc? You’re the go-to girl. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with helping a colleague BUT, saying yes to everything and everyone eats into your time. It’s okay to decline every now and then. And no, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a heart, it simply means you value your time. Organize Yourself There are so many time management and productivity resources you can utilize. Tools like Asana, Trello and Wunderlist help track and manage your projects. [bctt tweet=”Distractions steal your time. When distractions are managed well, it can lead to a balanced life but when not managed, they can keep you from accomplishing your goals. – Judith Abani” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Create a timeline for a particular project I had to learn this. I’ll just dive in and get to work but now I’ve learned to allocate a specific amount of time to a task. Let’s say there’s a blog to write among other things. I tell myself “I’m going to work on this for 2 hours.” What this ‘time constraint’ does is that it pushes you to focus and be more efficient. Time management isn’t something you learn at once. You cultivate it over time. It’s one skill that can help you make the most out of your day. Follow these 5 tips and you’re on your way to working smart. Your turn, What are your best practices for managing your time? Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
The Boss-Level Talk From The Confidence in Action Summit Nigeria
Have you ever started a new job and realized you hate it? Are you finding it hard to get your dream job or even a job? Would you like to know how to position yourself as the best job candidate? The Confidence in Action Summit helped the Nigerian Motherland Moguls discover how to build their professional brands and answer the questions above. It was juiced up with the boss-level talk that elevates careers and took place on the 12th of February 2022. SLA partnered with Darling Nigeria to bring the summit to 3 African countries. It kicked off in South Africa, came to Nigeria and now is headed to Kenya. More than 2,900 Nigerian queens showed up to the free, 3hrs of masterclasses, workshops, networking sessions and the keynote speech ‘Bouncing Back From Rejection’ given by Dr Chinny Ogunro. All attendees had direct access to some of Nigeria’s high profile career experts, and it was epic. The career expert speakers and coaches included Isioma Coker, an HR Advisor Team Lead at Shell. Nwamaka Okey-Aguorun, Senior HR Manager at Diageo – Guinness Nigeria. Toun Tunde-Anjous, founder & CEO of The People Practice. Tiwalola Ogunlesi, international speaker, author and founder of Confident and Killing it. If you missed the South African and Nigerian summits, register for the Kenyan summit taking place on the 19th of February 2022. You wouldn’t want to miss out on another chance to build the professional brand of your dreams and grow your network. Here are the Boss-Lady Conversations You’ve Missed We learnt how to revamp our professional profile, make a strategic career plan and build our network. The attendees had the option to be in a masterclass or networking session each hour before the keynote speaker. They were also coached on how to harness communication skills needed to negotiate job offers, ace job interviews and gain strategies to propel their career forward. Masterclass 1: Getting Unstuck When You Feel Trapped In A Job with Isioma Coker. Masterclass 2: How to Position Yourself As The Best Candidate For The Job with Nwamaka Okey-Aguoru. Workshop 1: Do Things & Tell People: Develop Your Professional Brand to Land Your Dream Job with Tiwalola Ogunlesi. Workshop 2: How To Find A Job That You Actually Care About with Toun Tunde-Anjous. We lit things up with Confidence in Action and showed our boss ladies how to launch powerful professional brands! We were captivated by world-class information, tips and advice on owning our careers and being intentional about our career moves, from the beginning to the end. Here’s to raising a glass to all our boss ladies who showed up for the Nigerian summit. They came out in numbers to take in the career gems we had prepared for them, and it was an experience worth watching again. You can watch the masterclasses and keynote speeches on YouTube to get a snippet of how the summit was.
How to Enjoy Valentine’s Day as a Single Pringle
While having a boo to spoil you silly on valentine’s day is great, we all know that being single on the day of love isn’t a big deal. I know it’s hard not to feel a little sad when you see those “For Him”or “For Her” packages or hear your bestie talk about her Valentine plans with her boo. And that’s totally normal. At the end of the day everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated. In other words, you too can have the best time of your life on Valentine’s day. You have worked so hard and deserved to be spoiled with or without a boo. There are so many activities you can do. Let’s dive in. Have a Spa day Taking a day off to pamper yourself at the spa allows you to relax and manage your stress effectively. It also gives you some fun while getting a good massage. Go ahead and schedule a spa date this Valentine’s day. Host a singles-only dinner There is a good chance that you are not the only single person in your clique. Why not call your friends and host them at your place? It’s going to be so much fun. Binge watch movies You already have Netflix, you might as well enjoy your subscription and binge watch as many movies as you like. I love to call this the ultimate movie marathon. Unplug from social media. Yes, I said it. There is no point stalking your ex on social media to see how they are celebrating with their new found love or getting bombarded with photos of lovey dovey couples. Unplug for the day and read a book or spend time in nature. Try new recipes Do you have a bunch of recipes saved or favorites you’ve been meaning to try out? Valentine’s day is the perfect time to grab those ingredients and create magic. Give someone a gift Choose someone you care about, this could be your parent, sibling, aunt, uncle or friend and send them a really nice gift. Don’t forget to tell them how much you love and value them. Cook a romantic dinner for your parents What better way to celebrate love than to spend some quality time with your parents? Cook them an amazing dinner, set the table, light the candle and open a bottle of wine. Get out in nature Take a walk, or just stand outside for a few moments and get some fresh air. Connecting with nature in whatever way you can may help you center yourself, and a little exercise never hurts either. Buy a gift for yourself Do you have something that you’ve been dying to get, but have been too afraid to buy? Then you should really treat yourself with something you’re always wanted. Go for Karaoke Whether you want to sing on the top of your lungs with your friends or want to do it all by yourself, karaoke is always guaranteed to be a fun time. How would you be spending Valentine’s day? Become a contributor on She Leads Africa website. Apply here.
Motherland Moguls, here’s what you missed from the Confidence In Action Summit South Africa 2022
As a young ambitious woman, your career choice is one of the most significant decisions you’ll ever make. It is important that you equip yourself with the right information to build the professional career of your dreams. Think about it, would you rather spend your days at a job that leaves you feeling empty? Or where you are fulfilled for the better part of your life? This is why we at SLA partnered with Darling Nigeria to bring you the Confidence In Action Summits. That will take place in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. The summit series kicked off in South Africa, on February 5th and it was a BLAST! More than 1200 Mzansi queens came together to attend a free learning and networking experience. There were masterclasses, workshops and networking sessions where we saw our SA boss ladies make new connections, and then our Keynote Speaker Nicolette Mashile, made her entrance and taught us all about navigating career turbulence. All attendees had direct access to some of South Africa’s high profile career experts, including Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding Lead at PepsiCo SSA Candice Martin, Market HR Cluster Head at Google SSA Avanti Maharaj, Talent Acquisitions Specialist at Nestlé Lebogang Mashabela and founder of Pam Cherry Coaching and Consulting Pamela Cherry. It was 3hrs of interesting talks, coaching and loads of digital connection fun. Our Mzansi mogul ladies showed up, and showed out! So whether you missed the event, or you want to relive the Confidence In Action Summit experience, you can also attend the Nigerian summit on February 12 and Kenyan summit on February 19. Here is how we took over the digital streets in SA We learnt about career/ personal development, professional networking and practical advice on building a professional career of your dreams. The attendees had the opportunity to pick one masterclass or networking session each hour. They were also coached on how to harness communication skills needed to negotiate job offers, ace job interviews and gain strategies to propel their career forward. Masterclass 1: How To Find A Job That You Actually Care About Speaker with Candice Martin. Masterclass 2: How To Position Yourself As The Best Candidate For The Job Speaker with Avanthi Maharaj. Workshop 1: How to Find A Job That Suits You Coach with Pamela Cherry. Workshop 2: How To Position Yourself As The Best Candidate For The Job Coach with Lebogang Mashabela. We Came, put our Confidence In Action and gave out formulas to elevate careers! The summit had a vibe and more. The moment we went live on Zoom, Google Meet, Youtube and Facebook, we learned, unlearned and relearned, while having an unforgettable experience. So here’s raising a glass to all our SA boss ladies who made the time, energy and resources that went into planning the Confidence In Action Summit South Africa totally worth it.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Seclot Vet co-founder Olasunbo Atekoja shares how Seclot is providing security through address verification
I sat down with problem solver Seclot VET co-founder Olasunbo Atekoja to discuss how she is building the footprint of Nigeria through address verification. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Olasunbo Atekoja and I am a co-founder of Seclot VET. I graduated with a degree in business Administration and Management 8 years ago. I have worked as an assistant supervisor with a fast food outlet, cash consultant with a Lagos state hospital and I am currently a country manager at Seclot. I spend my free time listening to music, going on road trips and spending quality time with my family. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? My biggest achievement is having overcome the fear of moving from paid employment to self employment, makin the leap to from regular income and structured work t the uncertainties of entrepreneurship such as business regulatory acts and stiff competitions. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur is having the power to dictate how I spend my time, which allows me time to care for my household as well as the vastly available networking opportunities with other businesses and entrepreneurs. What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder? The first and major challenge I faced as a founder is managing the team, some of the vetters are older men who find it difficult taking orders from a younger female and thus questioned my credibility as a manager, which is frustrating. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Seclot Vet is building the footprint of Nigerians one step at a time leveraging physical address and identity verification. We carry out employee verification, guarantor verification, NIN verification, driver’s license verification, Voters card verification, NUBAN verification and BVN verification. We perform physical address verification to confirm the authenticity of the information you’ve received from people you are working with in a seamless and effective manner. After using technological best practices to keep tabs on people we verify for our clients, we also provide after service support for them. You can learn more about us by visiting our website at https://vet.seclot.com/, you can also follow our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/seclotdotcom/. You may also direct enquiries to vet@seclot.com. How did you come up with the name for your company? Considering the state of insecurity in the country, we created a company that could reduce this insecurity by ensuring there is enough data for security outfits. We needed the name of the company to sound reassuring to our clients, hence the name Seclot which literally means Security for the Lot. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We have carved a niche for Seclot VET by ensuring we are registered as a security technology company. We do not only verify addresses and identity, we keep a repository of data which can be used to track the footprint of people over a period of time. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years? In 5 years time, we have a vision to have built the footprints of over 10 million Nigerians leveraging physical address verification. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? The most significant thing we did in growing our business was to increase our customer base to 1,600 while also applying to accelerator programs to scale up the business. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? The top 3 skills needed by any entrepreneur are marketing, people management, and bookkeeping. Entrepreneurs should invest their time in these activities (acronym KEN): Knowledge – research on your industry and best practices; Exposure – start marketing early and get feedback from potential customers and; Network – meet with people that are in your field or related field. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-toNday busy schedule? The trick I have discovered is that I have control only over myself and my actions, so I don’t get unnecessarily worked up over other people’s behaviors. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I go to my place of relaxation. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? The best advice I would love to share is “If you want to go fast, move alone; if you want to go far, move with a crowd”. Olasunbo is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program preparing Seclot VET to build the footprint of Nigeria.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Co-founder Amanda Etuk is solving problems one delivery at a time with Messenger.ng
I sat down with problem solver extraordinaire Amanda Etuk, to get to know her and learn more about Messenger, the delivery business she co-founded. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Amanda Etuk and I’ve always been inspired to solve problems. I consider myself a full Nigerian, my father is from Akwa Ibom and my mother from Kogi State. I was born in Makurdi, Benue State and grew up in Lagos and Abuja. I am excited by change and being a part of something great and this makes logistics and supply chain a perfect industry for me. During my spare time, I try to create processes that allow me to have maximum time for relaxation. I typically love to stay in bed, watch series and eat a lot of food. I am a published author with two books so far; one is on personnel management for the delivery business space and the other is so far left; an erotica under a pen name. Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point? My background is in Pharmacy from the University of Lagos. After working a few years as a Pharmacist, I went on to get a postgraduate in Global Supply Chain and Logistics managementand then worked at a Supply Chain and Logistics company as the General Manager. After this I co-founded a delivery business with my brother where I manage modern trade supply chain for major household brands. I also work on last mile deliveries focusing on expansion plans for Messenger. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? My bottom line is to be able to create a great life for myself and my loved ones. I want to create products and services that would serve people and still be very profitable. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? I have a lot of heart warming moments in my life but my biggest achievements are seeing projects that started as ideas come to life. I am most proud of where Messenger is right now, we are the second largest partner for Jumia Food in Abuja, we have recently ventured into last mile cold chain and have a contract to move COVID samples for Medbury Medicals in Lagos. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is creating work place conditions that I wished for when I was working. It is having the power to make decisions and seeing the immediate outcome on my bottom-line. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Welcome to Messenger.ng, you can absolutely trust us with your deliveries. Messenger.ng is a full-service logistics and dispatch company with key operations cutting across package delivery, cold chain solutions, warehousing and haulage. We provide end-to-end delivery services and serve a wide array of customers including SMEs, corporate organizations and private individuals. Since 2018, we have ensured that clients enjoy smooth, safe and efficient delivery of packages without stress or worry, no matter the volume or location. We are focused on creating value for money and improving the logistics ecosystem in Nigeria. We provide efficient logistics services to support your business. You can find out more about us on our website at www.getmessenger.ng or connect with us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/messenger.ng/ or LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/messenger-ng/. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We are doing well in the B2B space for last mile deliveries with dispatch bikes. I would say that we are making a name for ourselves as a reliable 3PL partner. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? The most significant thing I have done to grow the business was to become unafraid to ask for help, especially when raising funds from angel investors within my network to fund operations and expand to Lagos. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? As cliché as it sounds; PERSISTENCE. You decide your fate, if you quit, what else is there? If you were given $1m to invest in Messenger, where would it go? If I was given $1M to invest in Messenger, I would invest in tech to make it even easier to order deliveries or logistics like you would book a cab and the assets; motorcycles, vehicles etc. Talent would definitely be a part of the budget. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? Scheduling. I love scheduling all my activities in advance, I am centered through the day and it helps me keep track of my deliverables. What business-related book has inspired you the most? I’m currently reading “Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa” by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and I am more inspired to take audacious risks. Amanda is currently on the High Growth Coaching Program preparing Messenger to grow and keep impacting Nigeria’s delivery industry.
HGCP 2021 Participants: Founder of Bakerlicious Titilope Akinola talks about how her love for cake inspired her confectionary business
I sat down with Titilope Akinola, the founder of Bakerlicious to talk about how her love for cake inspired her to start a confectionary business Bakerlicious, which makes tasty treats for all of life’s important occasions. Tell us a little about yourself. I’m Titilope Olubukola Akinola, I’m the Lead Baker and Sugar Craft Artist at Bakerlicious, a ProHire & Craft Company. Bakerlicious is a business I run on the side in addition to my full time job at Ventures & Trusts Limited, a Financial Advisory firm where I practice Human Resource Management. At V&T, I’m responsible for Human Resource Management and Administration. I have thirteen years of HR experience as a Generalist. I am a resourceful, tenacious and passionate person who is crazy about all things craft and beautiful. I enjoy travelling, reading, watching movies, coordinating events, cake baking and decorating, as these are my super powers. What do you do for fun/relaxation? I spend my spare time watching movies, hanging out with my family and friends. I also love travelling and reading. What is your ‘why’ and how do you stay motivated? In everything I do, I always embrace opportunities that allow me to fully maximize my God given talents, abilities and deploy my expertise. I am motivated by my utmost desire; which is to build a wealthy legacy that will outlive me and generations to come after me. What was the inspiration behind your business? Cake baking and decorating was a childhood fantasy (I also wanted to be a lawyer and an actress). I love to eat cake and all kinds of desserts in any shape or form (lol). Growing up, apart from birthdays or other occasions that involved eating cake, the only time I could have cake was when my sister agreed to bake for the family, provided that I would volunteer to manually cream the batter to a dropping consistency because we didn’t have a mixer. So my sister would measure the ingredients and leave me in the kitchen to struggle with the ladle and the cake batter; picture a skinny little girl seated on the kitchen stool in one corner of the kitchen with a mixing bowl on her lap turning butter and sugar in one direction with all the energy that she could muster. As much as I love to eat and enjoy the activities involved in making cake, I never did anything to grow and nurture the passion until I volunteered at Awesome Treasures Foundation (ATF), a faith based NGO where I was inspired and my passion to bake was rekindled. In 2015, two years after my first Cake Baking and Decorating Class, I registered a business in 2015 and started baking for family and friends. This is where I got my first paid order as a home based commercial entity fulfilling orders from the kitchen. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer Bakerlicious (by ProHire & Craft Limited) is a Baked Confection, Sugar Craft, Food and Beverage Company. Our luscious treats include a wide variety of moist, yummy, fluffy and beautifully decorated cakes with a wow effect. We also offer scrumptious butter cookies and nutylicious fruity granola. We also produce the best homemade thick, lush and creamy yoghurt drink and Greek yoghurt in plain and sweetened with date fruits (no colors, artificial flavors or preservatives). All our products are homemade from premium quality ingredients sourced from local and international markets. Whatever your order, what you get is balanced indulgence and a treat for everyone! You can see our products or make an order on our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/bakerliciousng/. You can also visit our website at https://bakerlicious.business.site/ or give us a call or a WhatsApp on +234 81 8399 9299 and to view our WhatsApp catalogue. We’re also on TikTok at http://tiktok.com/@bakerliciousng. How did you come up with the name for your company? When I was naming my business, I wanted a name that speaks for the business without requiring much explaining, and my research for business name ideas led me to Bakerlicious. The name is a combination of two words describing exactly what the business is about (baked goods) and the customers’ experience when they see and taste our luscious treats (deliciousness). How have you carved a niche for yourself? We primarily cater to mothers who would give anything and go the extra mile to celebrate moments, birthdays, milestones, festive seasons, landmark occasions etc.. With our luscious boxed treats specially catered to their needs, and made with them, their children, spouses and loved ones in mind, we have positioned ourselves to be their preferred family baker. Our promise is to stay with them for lifetimes, offering the best luscious treat options for life’s every occasion. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite thing about being an entrepreneur is the joy and sense of accomplishment I get when an order is fulfilled, knowing that the customer is satisfied and will return with repeat orders and send us referrals because they are truly happy with our products. I also appreciate the opportunities that unfold with each step taken towards growing my business. Every opportunity unfolds in layers just like when you peel an onion and I love to experience it. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? Starting my business and staying the course is my biggest achievement. There was absolutely nothing that guaranteed that I could come this far. Although I’m not where I would like to be yet, I am proud of how far I’ve come and excited about the journey ahead. I am also proud of the product categories and variants we are able to serve our customers. We’ll definitely have more products to offer as we evolve. I am also grateful for the learning and development programs I have been privileged to benefit from like She Leads Africa’s High Growth Coaching Program, which has helped me to streamline a path and equip me with useful knowledge and information for the
HGCP 2021 Participants: Big Mama Africa Biz Concept founder Ukamaka Okolo discusses her passion to provide good quality food at an affordable price through her food production business
I sat down with Ukamaka Okolo, the founder of Big Mama Africa Biz concept to discuss how she founded what she hopes will be Enugu’s food market hub. Tell us a little about yourself I’m Ukamaka Okolo, the founder of Big Mama Africa Biz concept, a business which is all about farming; production of crops and animal processing and packaging. I am a fearless, energetic, resilient, God fearing woman. I am a graduate of Applied Biochemistry of the Prestigious Nnamdi Azikiwe University. I have background in banking where l spent nine years and got the award as the Best Supervisor of South East Nigeria. I am a great believer in woman power; yes I believe that women are very powerful. What is your why i.e. bottom line? and how do you stay motivated? My why is to live a life that does not conform to stereotypes about women; I am working everyday to be a successful, productive, independent, financially free and Godly woman that other women can look up to and feel motivated to aspire to more than they imagined for their lives. I don’t believe that anyone is here just to get by, exist and to make up population numbers, and my entire life is proof that everyone can live the best life they can possibly have. This hunger to change the status quo and become a pioneer and innovator is what drives me and keeps me motivated. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? The courage to step out of the banking industry to start my entrepreneurial journey is my biggest achievement as taking that risk allowed me the opportunity to truly start living my life fully, meeting people and expanding my network, getting more knowledge, and being exposed to enormous opportunities. If you had to write a book, what would it be on and why? If l have to write a book, it would be on the struggles of the average African woman. This is something close to my heart, to bring light on what women suffer through just for being born in Africa. This book would also serve as inspiration to how women can become pillars of society, and support each other towards making Africa a better place for our girl children to be born into. What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why? Folorunsho Alakija is definitely my greatest influence in business because she defied the odds and that’s exactly what l am all about; she is a go getter, a fighter, a big achiever, a business mogul and more so a God fearing woman, she is indeed a perfect representation of the kind of woman l aspire to be. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? The ability to see problems as stepping stones to greatness is one of the best things about being an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have the uncanny ability to easily fall in love with problems, which is something I also enjoy about being one. How did you come up with the name for your company? I actually find this question very interesting. In 2017 while l was still working as a banker and pregnant with my fifth Child, a colleague (former now) chatted me up for something (l can’t remember exactly what it was but certainly on the job) and called me mama Africa. l thought she was referring to someone else but she insisted she was referring to me and asked, “Are you not mama Africa?”. It was at this point that l got her point; I am pregnant with my fifth child and the fourth l would have in the bank in a space of 6 years. Ordinarily, l was slightly offended but after thinking it over l realized that it was the perfect name for my business business, something I had been struggling with for over 2 years. So I took that, tweaked it a little and Big Mama Africa Biz Concept was official. l am actually currently in the process of modifying it to Mamafrika foods. Indeed l am Mama Africa as l have seven biological children. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. Big Mama Africa Biz Concept is all about food. We farm; we produce crops, animals and fish. We process and package high quality food. Big Mama Africa is also about crop production and reduce the dependence of food from the North. We want to make sure that people are able to get decent food with their hard earned money and we fill this gap by creating quality food at an affordable price. Our vision is to become the best food hub in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria and we have already started with the production of garri. At Big Mama Africa, we produce food at a great quality, I like to say we sell what we eat, so if if it’s not good enough for my family, it’s not good enough for our customers. Though we currently produce garri, we intend to have the following products; fresh and dry corn, tomatoes, turkey and model a world class cattle ranch. You can connect with us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mamafrikafoods or follow my personal handle on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ukamaka.ogbuokolo. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? We have done extensive research in our industry for more than 6 months and have identified that food necessity is a genuine need and people are willing to pay for our products. We do not undermine quality and we understand the power of good customer service. The combination of these three factors placed us at the forefront within two months of production. Currently, we have 3000 backorders for garri, which is our only live product because we have consistently delivered as promised. What’s been the most significant thing you’ve done to grow your business? Taking part in the nitty gritty of the business at take off has significantly helped to grow my business. I led
HGCP 2021 Participants: Founder of KIDSREADART Ogechi Ogbaragu is making Africa better by teaching kids to read
I sat down with Ogechi Ogbaragu, the founder of KIDSREADART to talk about how her passion to help African kids create a better Africa by teaching them to read. Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Ogechi Ogbaragu and I’m the founder of KIDSREADART. I am an Early Years Accelerated Reading Expert, a certified Early Childhood Practitioner, Montessori Directress and Jolly Phonics Specialist. Tell us a bit about your background – how did you get to this point? As a teacher in the early years I found out that a lot of parents were worried about their kids’ reading struggles and would go all out to see their kids be able to read. Most of the time they would enlist me to teach their kids privately. Over time I saw it was a common problem as kids who could speak very well struggled to string two words in a book correctly. I thought of ways through which I could help more kids overcome this challenge in a fun and engaging manner, which gave birth to KIDSREADART. What is your ‘why’ i.e. bottom line, and how do you stay motivated? The reason I keep doing what I do is that I want kids to enjoy the thrill of reading a storybook, I don’t want to see any child discouraged from furthering their education because they lack the basic literacy skill of reading. I want to see well-read kids that are inspired and motivated to aspire to greater heights by the stories of those who challenged the status quo, I want the African child to see themselves as the agent of change that Africa and the world need to make our continent better. All of these keep me going knowing that I’m making a difference by contributing my own quota to help the African child succeed. Describe a typical day for you. A typical day for me starts with my personal time with God, after which I start working on the resources for the program. I check up with my team to ensure that they are on track with their deliverables, call clients and follow up with leads. What do you feel are your biggest achievements? My biggest achievement is the birth of KIDSREADART especially because it was born out of nothing, from having no idea on how to go about it to overcoming the problems with the developers, designing the lessons and finally seeing it come to life. What do you do for fun/relaxation? Sometimes I love snacking on a bottle of peanuts while reading supernatural fantasies on Radish or Dreame, other times I watch Netflix or play with my kids. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? My favorite aspects of being an entrepreneur are having time for myself and my family, getting to meet new people all the time, continually learning new stuff as well as getting paid for doing what I love doing doesn’t seem like work. Introduce your company the way you would to a potential customer. KIDSREADART is a reading program designed for African children between the ages of 3-8 years which teaches them how to read and spell difficult word formations through animations and games for a great and fun reading experience. You can learn more about us and our program by visiting our website at https://kidsreadart.com/or follow us on our Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/kidsreadart/ Have you always been entrepreneurial, what led you to taking that first step and setting up your own business? I haven’t always been an entrepreneur , I used to work a 7-5 job before the Covid 19 pandemic changed the entire world. It was during the pandemic that I decided to walk down this path and I began by signing up for an accelerator program with The Founders Institute Lagos where I shared my ideas and was guided on how I could bring it to life. We got incorporated in November 2020 and started developing content by January and went live in July with the first 2 modules while we continued working on the last 2 modules in the background. The last 2 modules are still in development and will be released very soon. How have you carved a niche for yourself in your industry? I have carved a niche for KidsReadArt by making myself an expert in this field by taking feedback from the success stories of the parents I’ve worked with. I design and sell literacy resources for teachers on Teachers Pay Teachers that has generated funds and have recently started a Teachers Training Program for schools who wants to use our reading program. We ensure that we help not only the learners but the teachers and parents who use our program. What challenges have you faced first as a founder and then as a female founder? First getting the required funds needed to develop the idea was a huge challenge. I also had problems with the software developers and learning about the business side of managing a business. Where do you see your business in the next 5 years? In the next 5 years, KIDSREADART will have become the foremost reading program in the country, used by schools as a learning resource and by parents as an after school program in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Expertise in the chosen business, commitment to see it thrive and passion for your business, without these you can easily get discouraged when you encounter challenges. What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our community? First talk to GOD about it because God always has a way of bringing things to life even when you don’t know the next step you should take. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in? Know your business. If you don’t know research and learn, join an accelerator program like Founders