WEBINAR WITH FBNQUEST TRUSTEES: DISCOVER THE POWER OF ESTATE PLANNING (DEC 5)
Wealthy or nah, we all have an estate and it’s important to have a plan for it. Without a solid estate plan, your friends and relatives can spend a lifetime scrambling over your assets – we wouldn’t want that to happen would we? While you’ve worked super hard to build a secure and comfy lifestyle or are still working towards it, it’s time to protect those assets with a proper estate plan. Tune in on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 for a LIVE webinar with certified Estate Practitioner – Mofoluke Keshinro, in partnership with FBNQuest Trustees. [bctt tweet=”Discover the power of estate planning with @fbnquest & @sheleadsafrica during a LIVE a webinar on Dec 5th at 2 pm WAT! Reg here: bit.ly/fbnquestEP” via=”no”] Some of the topics we’ll cover Why you need Estate Planning Keeping your wealth within the family Planning for your loved ones 10 Common Estate-Planning Mistakes Women Make Register below to access this opportunity and submit questions that you would like Mofoluke to answer. Webinar Details: Date: Wednesday, December 5th 2018 Time: 2pm Lagos // 3pm Joburg // 4pm Nairobi Location: We’ll send you the link to watch once you register Watch the webinar here: About Mofoluke Mofoluke Keshinro is the Head of Private Trust at FBNQuest Trustees Limited and is one of only two certified Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP) in Nigeria. Her experience includes roles at Liberation Partners, Wema Trustees Limited, and Great Nigeria Insurance Plc. She is a full and certified Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has attended STEP seminars/conferences in Johannesburg, Dubai, New York and Singapore. FBNQuest Trustees is part of FBN Holdings Plc, one of the strongest and most dependable financial groups in Africa. They assess your needs and provide tailored solutions for the safekeeping of assets. From estate planning to government bond issuance, FBNQuest Trustees holds a solid market position as a leading trustee services provider.
DAMI ELUYERA: HOW I FOUND MY WAY
Late November last year, I spent time at Aunt Olivia’s vineyard. After a week of living in luxury, I was forced to review my life and identify opportunities for change. I was on a mission. I narrowed down my goals for 2018 and subconsciously carved out life just like Cindy’s, Aunt Olivia’s daughter. Prioritized on my list were: Marry Chike Quit Karte Carbon and become my BOSS. Move to the U.K. I was pumped. As January 1st, 2018 rolled around, my resignation letter was prepped and ready to be sent. Plus, the advertising industry was so not my thing. Drowning in my misery, I booked a late lunch with an old friend, Dorcas, who had just flown in from New York. To keep this story short, lunch with Dorcas taught me a few things that changed my life forever. COMPARISON For too long, I had compared myself with online/Instagram personalities, which is probably why Chike left me for Suzana, but that’s another story altogether. I was so desperate to shine that I hadn’t realized that my light was hidden in my purpose. If I lived within purpose, building on my passions and sharpening my skills, I’d shine in my own “little corner.” However, if I chased glam, copying everyone else, I’d never be the best but at best, second best. When I finally figured out that pottery was my thing, I still couldn’t take action. Think about it for a second – Who was going to buy my pottery? [bctt tweet=”If I lived within purpose, building on my passions and sharpening my skills, I’d shine in my own “little corner.”” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] FEAR I wasn’t a trailblazer of any kind, but I knew failure didn’t go well with my character, so Karte and I were in this for the long haul, I guess. After pouring out my heart to Dorcas on my “inability to fly,” she took a chance on me and placed a pottery order. It was just for fun, but I was so excited, I think I outdid myself. Sometimes, we’re afraid of taking action because of the unknown. What if we bet on ourselves, take action and discover the UNKNOWN? VISION [bctt tweet=”When you clarify your vision, you kick out your fear” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] After that initial experience, I began to chase a new dream. I mapped out my vision and set goals for myself. Today, Karte is history, and I’m living a life I always dreamed. Listen, Oprah, Beyonce, Jim Carey and others who have visualized their success never lied. Visualize your future. Pencil it down and watch it become a reality. “Stop comparing yourself to others. Your magic is like none other. Start chasing your dreams and thrive in the presence of fear.” This article was written by Dami Eluyera. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Asia Sultan: Trailblazing the Design Thinking and Innovation Industry
We are always looking for women who are constantly changing the game and that’s why Asia Sultan’s story was so inspiring to us at SLA. Asia is a young trailblazer in the industry of Design Thinking and Innovation. She uses her experiences as a woman to apply the human approach that is needed to excel in the Design Thinking industry. During this interview, Asia chats with us about why more women should be in Design Thinking, the power of innovation, and how we can uplift each other in the career space. On starting out In Design Thinking… Curiosity into the field of innovation is what led me to explore this discipline in 2016 when the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design Thinking opened their first school in Africa. I was pursuing a Masters in Property Studies at the University of Cape Town at the time. I immediately fell in love with Design Thinking because the human-centered approach truly resonated with my personal philosophy. After spending 6 months at the institute I felt that the final piece of the puzzle had been put in place. Design thinking has allowed me to experience problem-solving in areas that I hadn’t ventured into before. I’m very grateful to be living my purpose which is to use my experiences, education, and design thinking practice to create innovative solutions that make our world a better place. [bctt tweet=”Being a woman is actually my greatest strength in the innovation industry – Asia Sultan” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] About Switch Innovation and what they do… Switch innovation is an innovation management company that specializes in corporate innovation. We are a balance between technology and advisory as we help large companies with legacy issues to deliver disruptive products to market and build new businesses. We use design thinking and lean startup methodologies to drive innovation strategy and process for our clients who span across various industries. Challenges women in the design thinking industry face… Being a woman is actually my greatest strength in the innovation industry. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving. It starts with the people you are designing for and ends with solutions that are tailor-made to suit their needs. It requires building deep empathy with the people you’re designing for and this comes very naturally to women. Because of this, I am able to create solutions that are not just technically powerful, but also have an emotional value proposition for end-users. In a world where consumers are spoiled for choice, an emotional value proposition is a massive competitive advantage. Women that I look up to… My late mother, Hanifa, is the best woman I’ve ever known. I’m an unapologetic feminist because of my mother. Growing up, both the girls and boys in my household participated equally in doing house chores. She instilled in me from a young age the importance of education hard work, perseverance, equality and believing in myself. Most importantly, my mother taught me to love and care for others. This has contributed to strengthening my approach to empathy, an attribute that is crucial in my work. As a designer, I spend a lot of time understanding people, putting myself in their shoes and owning their problems in order to best design solutions that are relevant to their lives. [bctt tweet=”As a designer, I spend a lot of time understanding people and owning their problems in order to best design solutions that are relevant to their lives.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Professionally I look up to Oprah Winfrey, a longtime advocate of female education. I am inspired by her story, especially how she overcame hardships in order to become one of the most influential women on this earth. I admire that she uses her platform to break gender barriers on a global scale and even uses her resources to invest in education and improving the lives of women. Lastly and similarly to Oprah Winfrey, I truly admire Rebeca Gyumi, Founder of the Msichana Initiative. She pursued and won a landmark case on child marriages through the petition she filed at the High Court of Tanzania to challenge the Tanzania Marriage Act, 1971, which allowed girls as young as 14 to get married. The law was amended and raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 for both boys and girls. My advice to anyone trying to jump-start their career in the Design Thinking space… I would advise anyone starting in the design thinking and innovation space to try to learn as much as possible. Read books Subscribe to newsletters Engage with other designers through platforms like IDEO and LinkedIn. A lot of changes are happening in the world of innovation and every day there is a new technology, tool or method designed. Design thinking entails working with clients across different industries, therefore you need to understand different industry trends so you can use methods, material, and approaches that are relevant to them. Join design thinking groups on professional networks, subscribe to newsletters, attend design thinking meetups in your area, keep learning and you will be unstoppable. Why I think uplifting women is so important in the workspace… Empowerment is created when the strengths that women already bring to the company are recognized and utilized. If you build organizations of high trust, respect, transparency, engagement, open participation and empowerment your employees will respond accordingly. When people find meaning and happiness at work, wonderful things happen to the organization; culture and moral changes, staff turnover reduces, employees are more creative, innovative, confident, open-minded and generally more motivated. As a leader, isn’t that the environment to work and operate in? I champion efforts to uplift women in the workplace because women have so much to offer the world and often times they don’t get equal opportunity to be heard or showcase their gifts. The importance of empowering women in the workplace is documented in “The Business of Empowering Women”, a survey of 2,300 business executives. The survey found that the companies who focused their efforts on empowering women reported
Adedoyin Omotara: I tapped into resources that the Government made available to immigrants
Adedoyin Omotara is a Beauty Entrepreneur, Women’s empowerment advocate, Speaker, Life Coach, Business Coach and the leader of the unmask your beauty movement. Born in Manchester, UK to Nigerian parents, her passion to live a fuller and more expressive life made her leave her successful Corporate Engineering career to become an entrepreneur. Seeking the spiritually creative fulfillment missing in her successful corporate career, she was determined to resolve the concern that beauty today, far from being that poetic ‘joy forever’ is, unfortunately, a source of insecurity, shame, and stress for countless women. She promotes beauty, inside and out, to an audience of women at all stages of life. Adedoyin believes in investing in the dream of girls and in the strength of women. In this article, she talks about how she’s fought against the odds of being an immigrant and built a beauty brand for herself in Canada. What would you say is the innovative idea behind Adoniaa Beauty? Adoniaa beauty started from having a deep hunger within me to fully engage with who I was, my hunger for living a fuller and more expressive life. I was doing great in my career but felt dis-engaged with myself and the world as a whole. I felt I was born for more so I decided to start a company for women doing what I love and fulfilling my purpose while doing it. It was founded on four fundamental pillars: To uplift, validate, equip and inspire women to be their best selves at every stage of their life. We do this by using makeup and skincare products and services as a platform to connect with women. [bctt tweet=”People constantly ask me how @adoniaaworld intend to compete with Sephora, Loreal, Mac and the likes, my response is that those are not my competition. – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How have you been able to maintain your brand consistency? We have only one vision- To connect women to their individual and unique beauty through our brand. So everything we do aligns with the vision. It’s easy to be consistent when you have a vision. It is the same vision I sell to my staff and the Adoniaabeauty tribe. How have you grown your client base? I have grown a tribe of women as my client base by focusing on why I started my company, which is our vision to connect women to their individual and unique beauty. We have different vehicles to get to our vision, and we naturally attract women that want more out of life, women that want to re-write their stories and women that do not want to fit into society’s contrived image of beauty but create and define their own. What challenges have you faced that are unique to your business idea? Starting a business in the beauty industry is very challenging. The beauty industry is run by billionaires that own big companies. People constantly ask me how I intend to compete with Sephora, Loreal, Mac and the likes, my response is that those are not my competition. Makeup and Skincare are the physical products that we sell and that’s what people see, however, for me, makeup and skincare is only a vehicle or a platform to reach the Adoniaa women that want to unmask their beauty. [bctt tweet=”Since I developed the vision for my company @adoniaaworld, I started creating and got really innovative – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Where there challenges owning a business in a foreign country? Starting a new business as an immigrant in Canada has definitely not been the easiest of things. It’s easier to get a job and work 9-5. But this is not just a business for me, it’s my vehicle to fulfilling my purpose and changing the world. I have embraced all the challenges and focused on my vision. At times, I tell myself that if I were in my home country, I wouldn’t need to work this hard to be profitable. What I have done though is to change my mindset and focus on the vision. I have also tapped into so many resources that the Government has made available to immigrants. Do you believe in Feminism? My take on Feminism is simple… It is the Adoniaa dream -The Adoniaa dream is a dream that is deeply rooted in every woman’s heart. I have a dream that girls and women will have the resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential. I have a dream that girls and women will live free from violence · I have a dream that girls and women all over the world will have access to good education· I have a dream that there would be equality in the workforce. I have a dream that child brides will no longer be a thing. I have a dream that female genital mutilation will become history. I have a dream that girls and women will stand in their power and be empowered to defend themselves. I have a dream that gender-based violence will stop be it domestic abuse, rape, or sexual trafficking. I have a dream that women will embrace their fears and be courageous enough to shine as their most beautiful self. I have a dream that girls and women will no longer need to fit into society’s image of beauty but create and define our own beauty. I have a dream I believe that we can only achieve this dream by taking action! [bctt tweet=” This is not just a business for me, it’s my vehicle to fulfilling my purpose and changing the world – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Adoniaa Beauty recently launched a campaign towards the above causes. Our 24hr Lipsticks of hope are our flagship product and we have partnered with non-profit organizations that address these issues. $1 from every Adoniaa 24hr lipstick sale will go to our Non-Profit organization partners that actively work to end these problems. When you buy the Adoniaa lipstick, know that you are empowering a woman. When you empower a
4 Reasons why an effective On-boarding process will help you keep your employees
On-boarding is a process of integrating a new employee into the organization. We all mistake Induction for On-boarding, while the former ends in one day. Onboarding usually lasts for about six months till a year depending on the company. [bctt tweet=”Empowering an employee through an effective onboarding process to think and act like the CEO would go a long way in retention and business growth.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Here are some things to note about onboarding: 1. A good Induction is the first step to retaining your employee. Induction shouldn’t be just a storytelling session about the company rather it should integrate the staff to the company’s vision which will enable them to run with it. You would save yourself a lot of headache in micromanaging your employees if you can ensure they are well aligned with the vision. Induction shouldn’t be one-off, there should be a frequent induction program which should cascade to each department and roles. 2. It helps employees think like a business owner Empowering an employee through an effective onboarding process to think and act like the CEO would go a long way in retention and business growth. The mindset of a CEO is much more than completing tasks or meeting up with deadlines; it’s about the growth of the business. Each employee should be able to align their functions with the growth and success of the company. 3. It protects and improves your company culture A good company culture improves employee productivity which in turns drives business growth. An underlying factor for an organization’s culture lies in its Values and purpose. I’m talking about the REAL core value that forms the basis of major decisions and strategy. A proper communication during the onboarding process will prevent future cluelessness by an employee in the future. 4. Having a documented process to drive uniformity makes it more effective. It’s not enough to assume to think that line managers are helping the employees integrate better. Documenting the process starting from the induction and ensuring line managers are held accountable for following the process makes it effective. I have realized that the competency of the person managing the process goes a long way so Training is advised. With this points of mine, I hope I’ve been able to convince you why you need to revisit your onboarding process or create one if you never one before now. This article was written by Yewande Jinadu. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
CHARLENE MACHARIA: As Africans in the diaspora, we’re shaped by our experiences on the motherland
In the last two decades, there has been an increase in the number of platforms that are providing opportunities for women to develop their leadership skills. Platforms like TEDx, for example, create a space where women can present their ideas and thoughts freely using slideshows and speeches that have gone on to inspire other women around the world. More specifically, platforms that provide a space for African women in and out of the diaspora have begun to increase as well. I recently had the chance to interview Kenyan-born, Charlene Macharia who is the Program Coordinator at UCSB Academic Initiatives to discuss the importance of such platforms. We also spoke about her experience with the Women’s Economic Forum as the All Ladies League (ALL) -a women’s empowerment non-profit based in India with chapters around the world. Being the chairperson in Santa Barbara, she also highlights the reasons why there should be more platforms that give African Women a voice. How did you get involved with the All Ladies League and become a member? All Ladies League (ALL) is a women’s empowerment non-profit based in India with chapters around the world. ALL hosts a conference which takes place annually in India. I am a Gates Millennium Scholar and I found out about this conference and organization through a fellow scholar, Kaity Yang. She had posted on our Facebook group that she was in India doing her own research when she got the opportunity to meet the founder and global chairperson of ALL, Dr. Harbeen Arora and her partner Dr. Vinay Rai. They were impressed to hear about the Gates Millennium scholarship program and they extended the invitation for 10 gates scholars to attend the very first Conference. They generously waived our conference registration and lodging fee so all we needed to pay was for our flights. When I heard about this incredible opportunity I was very interested in attending. I didn’t know how I would come up with the funds for the round trip flight but Kaity Yang was helpful by giving me ideas for fundraising like using GoFundMe and also requesting a travel grant from my school. Ms. Kaity also connected me with Dr. Harbeen Arora who answered my questions about the organization and encouraged me to join my local chapter. Since there was no chapter in Santa Barbara, where I currently live, she challenged me to start one. She actually appointed me as the chapter chair right then and even sent me business cards and gave me a social media platform. Just like that! I was really humbled and honored that she would entrust me with leading a local chapter so I accepted and this motivated me to make it out to the conference to find out what I was really getting myself into. [bctt tweet=”As Africans in the diaspora, we must rise and share our stories, paint a picture of the world we would like to see and let our light shine by all means, and on our own terms.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How has the platform impacted you as a woman and as a young African in the diaspora? Participating in this has been really impactful to me by validating my voice and my experiences as a young African woman in the diaspora. It does this by providing the space for anyone to lead a workshop, give a talk, or participate in a panel discussion. My first time attending the conference I just decided to attend as a delegate since I mostly wanted to listen and observe but in my second and third time attending the conference I decided to participate as a speaker. This allowed me to share my perspectives on topics I am passionate about such as education and spirituality, and to also share my personal experiences. This is such good practice for public speaking and communicating clearly. I have challenged myself each of those times to attend as a speaker not because I’m a pro but because even as a young woman I have something to share, and this is an opportunity for growth. Do you think there should be more platforms that give a voice to African women in the diaspora specifically? YES! I definitely think that there should be more platforms that amplify the voices of African women in the diaspora. But I think it’s up to us to be proactive in creating them or in utilizing the platforms that already exist. We can’t afford to wait around for the rest of the world to put the spotlight on us -that rarely happens. So we must rise and share our stories, paint a picture of the world we would like to see, and just let our light shine by all means, and on our own terms. What is the significance of platforms that allow you to share ideas and create a space for women to develop their leadership skills? Organizations such as ALL are so significant since just by creating a platform for women to connect, share resources, and develop their leadership skills, they are literally changing the world. There is a leadership imbalance in most sectors of our society and there’s an underlying narrative out there that women are inferior and weak. But now is the time for the empowering of women to fix this imbalance so that together we can create lasting change in our world. What could we learn from the voice of an African diaspora woman? I think that the voice of an African woman in the diaspora is quite unique. We have a unique perspective of life shaped by our experiences on the motherland (for those of us who had that privilege) in comparison or in contrast to our experiences living abroad. These experiences have forced us to grapple with our complex identities, propelled us to create inclusive communities, and to come up with creative ways of problem-solving. [bctt tweet=”I am grateful to have met amazing African women leaders from various African countries and within the diaspora – Charlene Macharia” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What do you enjoy the most about
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.
FACEBOOK LIVE: GIRL TALK WITH DR. FEYI AND SHE LEADS AFRICA (NOV 28)
What’s it like being a girl? There are a whole bunch of things women go through, our emotional and physical kit bags are always filled up and frankly, we all need a sister to talk to. It’s funny how we live in the century of the millennials where almost everyone is very open-minded but women are still embarrassed to talk about specific topics regarding their bodies, their sexuality and the female nature overall. Got some woman issues bottled up inside? Lighten up! We’re bringing you an opportunity to get all your questions answered. [bctt tweet=”Join our girls exclusive Facebook LIVE with Dr. Feyi on Wed, 28th Nov @ 5pm WAT. It’s a deep-dive into everything!” via=”no”] Dr. Feyishara Kuku is an OB/GYN and marriage therapist who has several years of experience in dealing with women’s health and family therapy. Join us on Wednesday, 28th November, as we host a Facebook Live Chat with Dr. Feyisara Kuku, themed Girl talk with Dr. Feyi. It’s going to be a deep dive to all the things you’re probably shy to talk about. Some of the topics we’ll cover What you need to know about Breast Cancer How to tackle Clinical & Social Depression Let’s talk about Sex and STI’s Before you say “I do”… Girl, listen Register below to access this opportunity and submit questions that you would like Dr. Feyi to answer. Facebook Live Details: Date: Wednesday, November 28th Time: GA, USA 12pm // Lagos 6pm // Johannesburg 7pm Where: facebook.com/sheleadsafrica/ [ninja_forms id=204] About Feyishara Feyishara Kuku is an OB/GYN, a marriage and family therapist and the Co-Founder of Sarthelpline. She’s also a mom and a Peace Activist. In her journey as a therapist, she has had the opportunity to work with high- achieving men, CEOs, baby boomers, college students, and affluent clients who are looking for a counseling experience that is tailored to their unique needs. She specializes in clinical issues as addictions, crisis, betrayal, trauma, faith-based issues, leadership development, stress management, maximizing productivity, divorce, finances, and career counseling.
Nomalanga Ndlovu: Your voice is your gold ticket
Nomalanga Ndlovu – well known as Miss Noma, was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She lived most of her childhood till her early adult years in Botswana where she obtained her Law degree from the University of Botswana. She is a public speaking coach who is passionate about women empowerment and self-discovery. As a Christian, her values are based on her beliefs. Miss Noma loves to travel and meet different people. She is the founder of Outspoken Consulting, therefore, she enjoys learning about entrepreneurship. Nomalanga has had notable experiences being part of the Mandela Washington Fellow 2017 and being a Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) fellow in Washington DC where she did her internship. She is also a TEDx Speaker coach. 2018 was her second year taking up the role yet to occur in Pretoria December 2018. If you’re interested in becoming a professional public speaker, you’ll learn one-too-many things from Miss Noma. Where did you get the passion for public speaking? My journey to public speaking was inspired by her childhood which had memories of her being a backbencher. I was mostly a reserved child of low confidence and participation. Although, I would always envy the children who participated. My literature teacher was the one who saw something in me and that was when I started making presentations. Since then, it has always been my mandate to help other people discover their voice and be able to sell their stories. My passion to help comes from helping people creating first impressions that will create opportunities as she believes most people will miss out on the best opportunities based on how they present themselves. Tell us about your company – Outspoken Consulting Outspoken Consulting was established in 2016, it is an organization that helps business executives and entrepreneurs to develop their ideas for presentation, customer care, and selling of brands as individuals as well as organizations. We realized a lot of business entrepreneurs and executives have great ideas however when it is time to present the idea there won’t be much focus on the customer. The sales or marketing teams at most times could not have received training on how to engage and speak with the client. We help individuals and companies: Package themselves and their product. Understand the clients they have and how to speak to them. Take their business to the next level in terms of communication. [bctt tweet=”Speaking isn’t only about opening your mouth, it is about selling an experience -@MsNomalanga ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Outspoken Consulting also has a program that is being launched in 2019 that is called the Outspoken Girls Initiative that will focus on high school girls to help them discover themselves and focus on their futures. There will be successful and experienced business women that will be mentoring them and also engaging with them one on one so that they can have an idea of what is happening out there in the real world. Outspoken Consulting goes beyond consultation work, it also has Outspoken women, which is a platform for women to network, collaborate in events. It simply offers a platform for people to meet and network and sets a tone that there is no limit in who you are and what you can do. As a result, I’ve collaborated with various companies in Harare, Zimbabwe. What strategies have you developed to help entrepreneurs develop and deliver rich presentations? The main strategies are first to discover who the clients are (business executives/ entrepreneurs /individuals), through the YOU experience. Knowing who these parties are as individual’s makes it easier to now prepare and sell their brand. We help clients sell their experiences. Also, we look a lot at relevance, when it comes to the product and the audience.” How can one develop and manage their personal brand through speaking? The most important aspect in developing a personal brand as a speaker is that one has to be very clear. You’ve got to address the following questions: What is your topic? Who are you speaking to? What is your experience? Why should they listen to you? What platforms have you spoken at? What have you done, where have you gone to? “As you develop your personal brand as a speaker, find a topic or subject, stick to it and do not speak on things that you do not know”. As you are building a personal brand, you are building perception, and perception is reality. The more you speak on a certain topic or subject, the more it settles with the external people that you are an expert in that certain field, it results in more research and speaking on different platforms. Put yourself out there, in this era of social media, make use of platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook etc., those are platforms where one can start to grow from. It is not about waiting to be invited to speak on large platforms, it is about making yourself known and sticking to the topic or subject you want to be heard on. “Attend networking a lot of events and continuously look for opportunities.” [bctt tweet=”As a public speaker, your main strategies are should be to discover who the clients are through the YOU experience -@MsNomalanga” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Can people have a career in speaking? “Yes, people can. Speaking works differently in different countries, you can have speakers like Tonny Robins and Simon Sinek. These speakers are encouraging and motivating people, it’s working for them because of how they have branded themselves and how much value they have put in people’s lives.” “The most important aspect is HOW MUCH VALUE YOU ARE ADDING IN SOMEONE’S LIFE. I believe anyone can have a career in speaking as long as it adds value, the value added is the one that will translate into the monetary aspect that one is living on. Speaking is a career that can be penetrated but one needs to be strategic about it, which goes back to the issue of topic and
Why you need a Long-Term Digital Strategy for your Business
One of the biggest issues I have with my Nigerian clients is that they don’t particularly think long-term. Everybody wants results right here, right now. Social media isn’t even helping matters with the instant gratification. How else would you explain why a lot of e-commerce stores aren’t invested in an SEO and blogging strategy? A lot of businesses in Nigeria just create websites and leave it there excepting orders to magically appear. But I get it. It can be hard to think about a long-term strategy for a side hustle especially if you don’t have any plans to extend it into the main hustle just yet. Still, it is important to consider a long-term strategy for your business even if it doesn’t get there. Whether you like it or not, the internet is here to stay and is not going away anytime soon. If you have decided that you want to invest in a digital strategy for your business, you need to have a plan. You need to create a strategy outlining your goals and all the efforts it would need to achieve them. [bctt tweet=”Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is part of life – @Ebun_Oluwole ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Perhaps the most important thing about an effective digital strategy is consistency. No matter how little you’re putting into it, as long as you’re consistent, you will get results in the long term. A lot of people sometimes prefer to test the waters with social media before plunging in completely. But the problem is you can become complacent and forget your goals. This is why it is important to set defined goals from the onset to keep you focused and accountable. Need I remind of the numerous benefits you can get along the way: A recurring and diversified income Brand authority Thought leadership Influence But perhaps, you’re struggling to stay motivated and you need to be constantly reminded of your goals, positive affirmation helps. You need to place them where you can see them every day. You can use a vision board or just have them in strategic spaces like on your desk or on the walls of your office. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is part of life. Don’t be afraid to think long-term because of failure. Even if you do fail, do not stop there. Pick up the important lessons and move on to the next one! In conclusion, to get the reap the incredible benefits of a digital strategy for your business, you need to think long-term.