Connecting the African Diaspora through fashion and entrepreneurship
As an undergraduate at University of Pennsylvania, I was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad twice in Ghana. This was the first time that anyone in my family, since we were brought to the USA as slaves, had the chance to return to our ancestral land. While in Ghana, I was exposed to the vibrant and stunning Ankara fabrics and traditional Kente cloth. I instantly fell in love with the fashion there and it’s potential to grow beyond the shores of West Africa and take root and blossom around the globe. I was also intrigued by the prospective economic impact that fashion could contribute to the households of Ghanaian artisans. Then LaBré was born Over the past year I’ve been vigorously working to realize my goals of creating and launching an African inspired fashion line, LaBré. LaBré exists to increase economic growth in Ghana through job creation. It also aims to provide Ghanaian artisans and their products with access and exposure to the international market. LaBré primarily employs women, a population that is often the most disenfranchised. We just recently led a Kickstarter campaign which culminated into a little under $11,000 to employ more Ghanaian artisans with our company. I am proud of the fact that all of our items are handmade in Ghana by Ghanaian artisans. My inspiration comes from my ancestors At the end of the Civil War, most southern African Americans who didn’t migrate to the North made a living through sharecropping which replaced plantation slavery. This is also known as tenant farming. These systems required farmers to plant and grow crops for the owner of the land in exchange for a portion of the crop. Sometimes, it required farmers to use their labor as rent to reside on the owner’s land. Sharecropping and tenant farming has persisted in my family to my grandmother’s generation. As a result of having to be self-reliant, my grandmother grew up knowing how to plant cotton. Through sewing, she also knew how to turn the raw material into cloth. My passion and dedication to create LaBré has culminated into the inter-generational exchange of technical skills. Not only that, it continues to build upon the legacy of self-empowerment, ingenuity, and tenacity. The power of Diasporic connections Learning to deal with the challenges that come with running a business overseas, has made me appreciate the diligence of Ghanaian entrepreneurs. I’ve had to work with electric cuts, language barrier and a lack of efficient telecommunication. Add to that the fact that I’m not physically present. The networks I’ve made have been helpful. Particularly with entrepreneur Peter Paul Akanko, CEO of Kente Masters. Paul helps coordinate and implement LaBré logistical operations on the ground such as shipping, inventory, and photoshoots. In February 2016, the unemployment rate for Black American ages 16-24 was 14.5%. This is similar to the situation in Ghana. Young people aged 24 and under make up 57% of the Ghanaian population. According to the World Bank’s “The Landscape of Jobs in Ghana” report, 48% of Ghanaians between the ages of 15-24 don’t have jobs. My friendship with Peter is a great example of what collaboration throughout the Diaspora and youth entrepreneurship can produce. Telling history through fashion When you wear LaBré you aren’t just wearing beautiful clothes, you are showcasing your resistance.You’re showing that you are critical of where you invest your money, from who and where you buy, and in what you wear. The common narrative is the extraction of wealth and resources from Africa. Through LaBré I am seeking to invest in the Ghanaian economy by providing supply for the rapidly growing demand for African inspired fashion. As an African American, many of us desire to reconnect with our place of origin in meaningful ways. Through LaBré I am telling history through fashion. Our men and women summer collections are both named after Ghanaian liberation leaders, Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa and King Badu Bonsu II. These are people who we in America grow up with no knowledge of. LaBré is committed to promoting heritage and traditional fabrics through modern design by producing a compelling fashion-forward aesthetic. I plan to build LaBré into a global Diasporic community connecting people through fashion, art, history, and culture. I am currently creating an online platform with Andre Glover of Indsic. The platform will allow Ghanaian artisans mass market and showcase their designs to a global audience and customer base. This is a grassroots effort that will work with local artisans. From the Kente weaving villages of Andanwomase and Bowire to market women in Kejetia and Tamale. I didn’t realize I would be using my International Relations and African Studies degree to create LaBré. If I could go back and give myself advice before starting my company it would be to “trust God and do it now.”
Lessons from Mark Zuckerberg’s visit: Check your bias
So by now everyone knows that Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg was in Nigeria and Kenya just recently to “inspire 200 developers”. There’s been so much buzz on that visit and we are clearly not over it yet. Here’s what we observed from not just Zuckerberg’s visit but also from the buzz around it. Tech isn’t just for guys Gone are the days of thinking being a tech girl translates to nerdy looks and oversized T-shirts associated with the halls of engineering schools. You know, we can actually have smart, independent women who get hot and heavy with electronics on a daily basis —and come out with some heat of their own. Remember how in school, your course of study wasn’t just a matter of personal preference? It defined how intelligent you were. The geeks were all in the sciences while the not-so-brainy ended up in the social sciences. The course you read was as important as the clothes you wore, or the slang you used. But not anymore. Anyone, and we mean just anyone, can thrive in the tech world! So, here’s the thing, ladies. It’s okay to declare membership to that social group and be hip. We need more tech girls and we’ll be cheering them all the way. Defining people by their colour is not cool! There has been a lot discussion over skin tone. Over the weekend, after Mark Zuckerberg’s visit, the colour fights got worse on twitter between Nigerians and Kenyans. https://twitter.com/hennrry007/status/772177102321885184 These days, the one-time ubiquitous ‘black is beautiful’ mantra has been overrun by the light-skinned Instagram sensation. While everyone still claims that blackness is the gold standard for African women’s skin, others would insult a black woman for being too dark. Sneaky. We are officially over it. How about we start making women (and men alike) comfortable in the skin they were made in? The last time we checked we were all black! In all fairness, you can’t be chilling at the background all the time Your perspective changes right around the first time you’ve worked at a place for a while and seen a Psychology graduate changing oils at a factory. You chuckle or cringe at the strangeness of it and realize, “Wait a second! He probably even earns a salary higher than people who have MBAs!” You may need to start redefining when and how you reach mega-success. That means making your passions profitable. It may even mean skipping school to pursue a dream. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs all did it, you know. Forgoing a traditional corporate career may pay off —but remember it also takes discipline, hard lessons, and responsibilities at an age when most of us are still figuring out which of our photoshopped pictures to post on Instagram. Ideal business location has over 1,000 other meanings We are not here to say location isn’t important or anything —but it is there only for ambience. Andela, the tech company Mark Zuckerberg visited is definitely not located in the highbrow areas of Lagos. It’s at the Co-creation Hub in the suburbs of Yaba! I bet you didn’t also know that in June, for its first lead investment, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s fund led a whooping $24 million into Andela! So, the location may not be what you’d expect but so what? Zuckerberg found them anyway. In conclusion, all the stereotypes that made sense years ago and kept us busy doing nothing to better our lives as Africans? Forget them. We know better.
Fatima Zahra Nassik: Treat your business like a rollercoaster
There’s nothing as inspiring to us as seeing students getting their hustle on. Talk about getting into things early. Fatima Zahra Nassik is a bomb-ass social entrepreneur from Morocco. While pursuing her studies, Fatima co-founded Enactus ENA, a platform for student and business leaders, with her friend. Fatima didn’t stop at Enactus ENA though, she also started Laymouna with Fatima-Azzahra Benfares. Laymouna is an initiative that brings fruits and healthy snacks to busy students and working people. She’s also involved in starting other ventures and still interns at the same time! Read on to find out how Fatima brings her academic savvy into her entrepreneurial life. Tell us about your organization, Enactus ENA. Why enter into social ventures? Through Enactus ENA, the idea was to show that architecture students can also have an entrepreneurial mindset. In our first year, this was basically our goal. We started organizing conferences and events like, ‘Find the leader in you’. At this event, we had interesting leaders and speakers give inspiring speeches. We also had the first edition of the Enactus Regional Summit. It gathered 8 teams from the region to share experience, knowledge and especially communicate on their projects. Through workshops where business tools and team building activities were taught, we had several on-field types of research where we spotted different needs. After many interactions on ideas that responded to those needs, Laymouna, TownOut and C-Home were founded. Tell us about your social ventures. How do you ensure that they achieve success? Laymouna is an enterprise that aims to make fruits and healthy snacks readily available to students and working people. The idea of Laymouna really came from a need that we, as students, faced in university. We decided to do something about it. We do this through innovative vending machines and stands that provide fresh and accessible choices for people who want to eat healthily. On a more ambitious level, we want to improve the food culture in Morocco. Then through TownOut, we organize trips to remote areas in Morocco. We promote them as new tourist destinations and therefore empower them economically. Finally, C-Home is an alternative construction method where we use lightweight cardboard for homeless people. The idea is to build at a lower cost and quickly too. To ensure our ventures achieve success, we give presentations of our project’s progression to an advisory board formed by many professionals and business leaders. We organize this approximately every two to three months. We also ensure our projects participate in as many competitions as possible to maximize feedbacks and improvement. Most importantly, we have Enactus Morocco as a constant counsel. What difficulty have you faced in founding and co-founding? What advice will you give other women looking to start a project together? Concerning founding and co-founding the venture, we discuss and respect each other’s opinion at every single step. Of course, final decisions are made by the CEO if a mutual agreement takes too long. I would advise women planning on starting a project together to view their ventures as rollercoasters. Ups and downs would be a recurrent feature. Aspiring entrepreneurs must see them as necessary challenges to reaching goals. Instead of being discouraged, see them as opportunities to show that things can be different and especially like you imagined. At the end of the day, you are here to create impact and value to the world. How has your organization grown since you started on it? What steps have you taken to get it to where you want it to be? The organization is growing pretty fast. Actually, we come top to mind when it comes to entrepreneurship in our university. We are looking forward to gaining more impact in the next year and to give birth to other projects. Professors and trainers have shown interest in coaching us. We’ve been contacted by many foreign partners interested in not only our events, but also our projects. For this year, we aspire also to have more projects in the field of architecture or urbanism, a domain that we master. Tell me about your experience at the Henry Ford Academy. What steps did you take to ensure that your project won the best pitch prize? My experience in the Henry Ford Academy (in partnership with IIHEM) was rewarding. Several entrepreneurs and business leaders came and we heard their inspiring stories. We had many courses from shaping the idea of a project to how to pitch it. And finally, how to finance a business venture. For three different prizes, a presentation of our project was to be made in just one minute. Since the training was in French and English, my colleague and I decided to pitch Laymouna in both languages in exactly one minute. I think the originality of the pitch is what made us win this prize as we caught the attention of the audience. Furthermore, Laymouna was the startup selected for the HFEA ICP program for a two-week consulting with IIHEM alongside VCU students who came from the US. As a freelancer and businesswoman, how do you manage all these projects? What do you do to unwind and relax? I think the answer to this question is actually passion. I am a super active person. I really believe that my actions can give a positive impact in this world. Freelancing is most of all, a way to help me gain experience in the professional field beside my studies. My passion has helped me find a way to manage these projects. It’s my strength especially in my lowest moments (rollercoaster, remember…). Personally, I believe travelling for a few days or spending time with family is the best way to unwind and relax. It helps me achieve a broader vision of where I’m going and how. Lately, I’ve started working on starting some dancing classes. I want a physical activity that includes fun. Are you still a student? Yes! I’m in my fifth year. Of course, this means I’m basically focused on internships.
How to tailor a career development plan to your personal development goals
In creating my own career development plan, I’ve realised the importance of aligning my career with personal development goals. Also, everyone should possess this skill. At the end of the day, we’re the masters of our own careers. We owe it to our future success to do this. Your company’s goals should align with yours Before building a personal career development plan, determine if it agrees with that of the company you work for. Be sure it already aligns to your specific role. That way, you can have a great starting point. This will help you align the company’s goals with the goals you’ll put in place for your own personal career development plan. If there isn’t a career development plan specific to your role, don’t worry. It really isn’t a train-smash. The career development plan from your company will not be the be all and end all of your career. But it provides a good start for establishing your short to medium term goals, and how to achieve them. Determine what your goals are The first step in putting your plan to paper is determining what you ultimately want to achieve. This process might seem tedious at first, as it requires a considerable amount of effort and thinking. However, knowing the end goal lets you clearly define the intermediate steps to getting there. Strategise How you craft your end goal is up to you. One may model themselves after someone they look up to. Others may visualize it in their mind’s eye and work towards a ten to twenty-year projection. Some may decide to dwell on what’s most important and what they’re passionate about. You may actually combine the first two examples, creating a model of yourself. I’ve been using the latter to help guide me to envision my end goal. I also believe as the years go by, this image of yourself will change, and so will your goals. Set timelines Once an end goal has been set, finding the intermediate steps could be done. Ask questions about what you need to do in the next year, two years or three years to get to the end goal. I’ve found that this helps in answering the questions of where I want to be in the very short term, and ultimately the long term. The time frames here can be different for different people. Others may be comfortable with monthly time frames, while others could be more comfortable thinking in years. As I’ve said before, this process may seem difficult at first. But once you start putting goals on paper and executing them, it’ll help you have a sense of control over your own career. Set comprehensive goals A good career development plan is one that spans over different areas of your life. It’s important to note that a personal career development plan will include setting goals for your career, finances, physical/body, social and personal goals. These categories may also be divided according to short, medium and long-term goals. To actually make your plan as comprehensive as possible, your goals are also divided over three and six months (short term). One and three years would be considered your medium term goals and five and ten years are your long term goals. For a category like career, you should have a comprehensive plan and you’d need to set the short, medium and long-term goals. Under each time period, you ask yourself what you want to specifically achieve for that particular category in three months, six months and so on. Once you’ve established what you want to achieve, you’ll need to answer why it’s important for you to achieve this and if it speaks to your core. There are various questions you can ask yourself until you fully understand your goals and why and how you can achieve them. Keep track It’s well known in management circles that you can only control what you measure. The next step in taking control over your goals is keeping track of them. The onus is on you to make sure that your goals are constantly updated. In six months to a year, your goals might have changed. Putting this on paper is important because it shows you the transition in your life, from where you initially thought you’d want to be to what you have become or wanting to do. Keeping track helps show growth. Finally, it’s important to be transparent with your plan and to also remember it is as important as setting goals. Treat your goals like chains and be bound by them. Your career development plan is meant to be a guide that can be amended when needed. With that said, however, changing your short, medium or long-term goals shouldn’t stem from laziness. Rather, the changes should be necessary in aiding the achievement of set goals. After all, it is your guide to navigating through all spheres of your life.
Negotiate your way to financial success Part II: Negotiation mistakes and how to avoid them
In the last segment, we discussed the essential steps for negotiation. Of equal importance are things you should not do during negotiations. Mistakes during a negotiation can hinder its success. Don’t get emotional It is imperative that during negotiations you maintain a professional stance, even when you feel undermined. For example, bursting into tears and lamenting about the unfairness of an offer can prove counter-productive. Your tears won’t persuade your negotiation partners to give you a fair deal. Moreover, emotional persuasion will not help you win your negotiation partners’ respect. It will only get them to “pity” you. You never want to start a business relationship out of pity. Pity does not get you the deserved respect in the long run. Emotional outbursts during a negotiation will hurt its effectiveness and productivity. Tip: Rather than using emotional persuasion, use objective facts. Humanize the negotiation but do not personalize it. Don’t make unsupported assertions One could be tempted to make unsupported assertions when negotiations seem to go downhill. Don’t! Using fiction to support your bargaining point during negotiations will hurt your chances of success in that deal. Remember, you will likely be dealing with savvy business individuals who most probably have researched your assertion. They’ll definitely be able to spot a fictional assertion. There is nothing worse than being unethical during a negotiation and tarnishing your reputation in the business industry. News travel fast! Tip: Prior to a negotiation, gather as much hard data as possible to support your assertions. Where relevant data is unavailable, use comparable data. When using comparable data, be transparent with your business partners. Do not disguise the comparable data as one that speaks on the matter at hand. In the same light, don’t rely on spontaneous brilliance. Prepare! Do not make spontaneous decisions Do not feel pressured to make a decision on the spot. It is perfectly okay if your negotiations require a series of meetings before reaching a bargain. Tip: Ask for time to make a well-informed decision. Do not say “No” Yes! I really meant to say do not say “no” during negotiations. Never say “no” during a negotiation, even when declining an offer. Instead, positively decline the offer. You should be able to embed “no” into the kindest phrase your potential business partner has ever heard! For example, you have been recently offered a job with an unattractive salary. Rather than emailing the employer to say “Thank you, I have decided to decline your offer,” you could do it better. Consider calling and saying, “Thank you for the offer, I am excited about the position and the opportunities it will offer. However, after reviewing the compensation package, it would prove challenging to be able to meet my financial obligations. Nonetheless, I remain open to hearing about future opportunities that will match our mutual needs.” Such an approach will allow you to continue future conversations with your potential business partners, employers, or even schools. In fact, this approach helped a friend get more financial aid from a top law school. Tip: Bury your “no” in a positive statement. Make them feel good about your response so that they barely dwell on the fact that you just said “no”. Do not give an ultimatum During negotiations, your goal at all times should be to negotiate. Yes, simply negotiate. Avoid using an ultimatum during negotiations. It sends the wrong signal that you’re unwilling to further the negotiation discussions or find a win–win scenario. Moreover, an ultimatum will put your negotiation parties on the defensive. For example, saying “this is my best offer, take it or we have no deal” is wrong. It’ll likely to make the other party believe that a negotiation ends if your offer is not met. Never give the impression of foreclosing the possibility of finding a mutually acceptable bargain. Such aggressiveness will likely be counterproductive in achieving success. Tip: Rather than give an ultimatum, which focuses on the “I,” focus on the “we,”. Express your willingness to create value for all parties while also noting the need to meet a deadline. You may consider telling your negotiators that you would like to reach a decision by a certain deadline. Such timing should, however, be reasonable. This can help you pay attention to cultural nuances (as discussed below). Such an approach will allow all parties to focus on reaching an agreement within the stipulated timeframe. Do not ignore cultural nuances It is imperative to pay attention to cultural nuances during negotiations. This could play a vital role during the value-creation process. For example, direct eye contact with negotiation parties is strongly encouraged when dealing with US negotiators. This conveys sincerity and could enhance negotiations. In China, however, such a gesture could hinder a negotiation’s productivity. Direct eye contact is considered inappropriate or rude in China. Tip: Do not apply blanket tactics during negotiations. Research the negotiation parties and be sensitive to cultural idiosyncrasies. This will help you succeed in maximizing your negotiation potential. To summarize, avoiding these negotiation blunders will improve the likelihood of a successful negotiation. It would provide the ability to realize your desired outcome. If you would like insights on a particular topic, write to us! We are listening.
Meet our Accelerator Moguls: Shuttlers
As you know the first ever She Leads Africa Accelerator Program is currently ongoing. Out of the 120 startups from across Nigeria who applied for the program, we identified 10 as the next generation of Nigeria’s brightest female entrepreneurs. These 10 selected businesses are now benefitting from our intense accelerator training. One of them is Shuttlers, a company that enables professionals access comfortable and efficient transportation to and from work using seat matching technology. Meet the three women behind Shuttlers —Damilola Olokesusi, Busola Majekodunmi, and Damilola Quadry. Frustrated by the stress commuting in Lagos as professionals, the three women decided to do something about it. What idea lead to the creation of Shuttlers? After a long week of stress commuting to and from work, Busola and I shared our commuting experience over a phone call and decided to solve the problem instead of complaining. Not too long after, Damilola Quadry moved back to Nigeria and shared the same commuting challenges. She joined the team to make commuting to and from work less stressful for professionals who share this same plight daily. We shared a common passion, drive, determination and combination of different skills from Engineering, Economics, Management & IT. Also we had been exposed to efficient transport system from Dubai, London and USA. Adding in personal experiences with commuting in Lagos, we developed a business model to solve this problem in the most efficient and cost effective manner. After several months of research, we partnered with a leasing company and had our first pilot in November 2015. – Damilola Olokesusi How has the service Shuttlers provides been received in Nigeria? Shuttlers makes use of a different model from what many are used to, the service idea has been welcomed by many individuals and companies. Due to the structure of our business model and current low capacity we are unable to cater to all the daily demands. Currently, we are working to increase capacity by partnering with more bus leasing companies/ fleet management companies to enable us penetrate areas that are pain points in the city and to meet the demand for the service. – Busola Majekodunmi What do you need to take Shuttlers to the next level? How do you plan to get there? We need financial resources in form of investment, Human Resources and commercial partnerships such as bus leasing companies, fleet management companies, bus owners and companies with staff buses and access to companies to reach professionals who need our service. We plan to perfect our product/market fit and strategically position our product/service to attract these resources. I believe we are currently on that path. – Busola Majekodunmi
Making lemonade out of lemons: How my struggle with depression shaped me into a confident woman
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. -Maya Angelou Recently, I got to check off something my bucket list —to see Beyoncé in concert! A recurring theme in her phenomenal performance was overcoming the obstacles in life. The message was one of survival even with the odds stacked against you. It was about making something beautiful out of an ugly situation. It was definitely making lemonade when it seems like all life has served you is lemons! I left the concert on an emotional high while combing through my past experiences and tallying the number of ways my struggles have shaped me into the woman I am today. Mental health, specifically depression, has had a grave impact on my life. It is one battle I have fought constantly throughout my adolescence and adulthood. I have had more low times than I can recall. There were times when I felt that happiness was permanently out of my reach. Those times, it felt like this disease would always stand in the way of me achieving my dreams.Now, I know that I can choose to either focus on the negative or pick out the lessons it has taught me. The choice is entirely mine. So, in the spirit of making lemonade out of the proverbial “lemons of life”, here are some of the positive things I have learnt through my journey with depression. You become more self-aware The famous Greek philosopher Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” In this age, we see a lot of people eager to emulate the lives of others in the hope of achieving the same level of comfort, wealth or fame they imagine these people have. I think a lot of people don’t really take the time to truly find themselves. They are unable to decide what makes them happy and what they truly want out of life. Depression is one of those conditions that forces you to take a deep, long and hard look at yourself. I try to understand the reasons behind my depression, my reaction to certain situations and how I can be more positive in spite of it. These insights, in turn, have come in handy in navigating other aspects of my life. You become more empathetic towards others It’s human nature to sometimes make snap judgments about people we encounter, even when these judgments are made based on very little facts. Dealing with depression made me realize that you can never really know what someone else’s life is like until you’ve walked in their shoes. Also, the longer I had depression, the easier and more willing I was to help other people. I took the time to ask questions, listen to their stories and try to support them on their journey as much as possible. If employers had more empathy towards their staff, governments towards their citizens, individuals towards strangers, the world would be a more tolerant place. Depression taught me that sometimes, it’s better to ask questions first and save judgment for later, or never. You become more resilient There have been many times when I almost threw in the towel because I didn’t think I could ever truly beat this disease. It seemed pointless living a life of diminished quality. Now, with medical treatment, therapy and the love and support of my family and friends, most times I’m able to go months without having a major depressive episode. The more I learn about my condition, the more empowered I feel to handle it and not let it control my life. If there’s anything depression has taught me, it’s how to be strong and resilient. I have fought for years and I’m still standing! I try to apply this same attitude to my personal and professional life. I know that no matter how tough a challenge is, the rewards will be beneficial to my growth and maturity. Finally, let’s get more comfortable with talking about issues regarding mental health in our African societies. By being willing to listen and learn about the struggles of others, we give them a chance to express and embrace themselves fully. Our societies will benefit from having citizens that are adequately equipped to cope mentally with the daily challenges. Want to inspire us with your personal stories on SLA? We’d love to hear all about it here.
Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola: I was tired of waiting for someone else to do it
This is the age of wellness and African women won’t be left behind when it comes to health and well-being. Fed up with the lack of healthy living content geared towards African women, Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola knew she had to do something about it. So she started Radiant Health, Nigeria’s first women’s health magazine. Available on Apple and Google Play, Radiant Health is a complete guide to healthy living for today’s African woman. Currently, it is the only global African-owned health magazine focused on bringing all aspects of health and wellness under one title. The magazine also focuses in-depth on socio-cultural issues that are relevant to the well-being of every African woman or girl. We spoke to Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola to find out how African women move towards living healthy. She was graceful enough to share her favourite smoothie recipe too. Why did you feel like now was the right time for you to start Radiant Health and why you are the right person to do it? Radiant Health, quite frankly, is the magazine and health platform that I was searching for to meet my own healthy living needs as an African woman. I was constantly surprised each time I googled African or Nigerian health magazine. I found there wasn’t much in that space. This is a search I had done periodically from the time I was a student and well into my career. But somehow, it never quite occurred to me to start one…until three years ago. I was out for a long run one early morning and thinking about health care in Nigeria, as I often do. And the idea just very clearly came to me to start a health magazine. I didn’t feel the least bit qualified to publish a magazine. But by the end of that run, I had my mind made up to go for it. I thought, “why not me?” It’s fair to say I was tired of waiting for someone else to do it. Why do you think many professional African women struggle with living a healthy lifestyle? I’m reminded of a quote attributed to Chimamanda Adichie, that says “We have taken over our father’s job while retaining our mother’s responsibilities.” In talking to so many of my peers and Radiant Health readers, lack of time brought on by our increased responsibilities is a big issue. Even when the partner/spouse is supportive (and many of them are), African women still bear a heavy share of home, child rearing or other imposed traditional responsibilities. Many try to create a balance with careers and/or side businesses. Often time, it’s the health that gives, if we’re to keep up with these expectations. Equally challenging is the dearth of credible, African-tailored health content we can rely on. No matter where in the world we live, our African sensibilities, consciously or unconsciously, influence nearly everything we do including our health-seeking behaviors. But when it seems everything out there is telling you your culture is incompatible with healthy living (think food for instance), we need a platform that not only counteracts this message but guides us to live a healthy lifestyle that embraces our African essence. And that’s what Radiant Health brings to the table. What makes Radiant Health different from the other health and wellness platforms that exist on the market? I like to think of Radiant Health as a complete guide to healthy living for today’s African woman. We recognize that health is not just the absence of disease and encompasses the whole self. So in addition to health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition we also focus on the mind, spirituality, style, beauty, culture and life. We began as Nigeria’s first women’s health magazine and we’re now the only global African-owned health magazine focused on bringing all these aspects of health and wellness under one title. Our content is well researched, fact-checked and written by experts in their respective fields. We are also very driven by the social issues that impact African women. Every single Radiant Health magazine issue focuses on an in-depth socio-cultural issue that is relevant to the wellbeing African woman or girl. I’m also committed to dedicating a portion of our revenue to support well-organized local, homegrown organizations that are working on alleviating some of the most egregious social injustices faced by the African woman. Finally, we believe strongly in aligning only with advertising partners whose products are not in direct conflict with health promotion. For a startup, it hasn’t always been easy to turn down tempting offers but this is something I feel very strongly about. For your business to get to the next level, would you prefer funding or a high value mentor? Which one would you choose and why? High value mentor. There’s nothing quite like mentorship from someone who has walked the path you are trying to walk on. I don’t want to give the impression that capital is not critical to growth. It is. But even those with deep pockets still need high value mentorship to succeed. I believe with the right mentorship, the funding will always follow. I’ve been fortunate to have encountered some great mentors along the way. I should also add that a high value mentor could be a business coach or strategist that you pay for. You don’t have to wait for someone to freely take you under their wing to benefit from high value mentorship. What can we expect to see from Radiant Health over the next 6 months? Currently, our quarterly issues are published digitally and sold via in-app subscription purchase on Apple and Google Play app stores (news stands). Plans are now underway to add limited print issues in the coming months. We’ve also begun the first launch of a series of our Radiant Body Reboot fitness and nutrition program that have only been available to a select group until now. By the end of the year, we would have rolled out the complete 90-day Reboot program, which includes a done-for-you 21-day clean eating
The fault in Nigeria’s stars: The war between business & government
The fault, dear Shakespeare, is occasionally in our stars —and if you’re Nigerian, occasionally in our government. Yesterday, while all of Nigeria nursed a hangover from Mark Zuckerberg’s stealthy visit to Lagos, local government officials handed out an overdose of Advil, with complementary sunglasses, to smack us all back to reality from the ephemeral excitement. Amongst other properties on Rumens Road in Ikoyi, the Lagos branch of the Nuli Juice Company—a rising local healthy fast food company—was demolished by local government officials who claimed that warnings had been sent to the respective landlords concerning outstanding fees. A worrying trend A few months ago, the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), slammed a $5.2 billion fine on MTN for failing to disconnect unregistered users, dragging the telecoms giant’s bottom line to a headline loss for the first half of 2016. This was amidst questionable monetary policy decisions by the Central Bank that have now seen the Nigerian economy, along with the constituent businesses of the flailing economy, crumble in 2016. The tug of war between Nigerian businesses, their predominantly foreign investors and the government has never been more obvious. And Nigeria’s economic situation, more disheartening. The same business owners, investors and government officials who vivaciously graced the dance floor to the tune of the “Africa is shaped like a gun and Nigeria is the trigger” chant led by McKinsey & Company and The Economist appear to be trickling off. Standard Chartered and Atlas Mara are leading the exodus from Nigeria with United Airlines and Sun International in tow. The Garden of Eden has proven that when trouble strikes in paradise, the blaming game begins. Adam blames Eve, Eve, the serpent and we Nigerians, our government. That’s just the way the chaos crumbles. However, the Nigerian government is not alone but in good company. The Chinese government has driven Uber to a $1.3 billion loss in the first half of the year. The Tanzanian government abruptly passed a bill requiring all telcos to list on the Dar Es Salam Stock Exchange. The South African government’s proposed sugar tax has the potential to squeeze the life out of Coca Cola’s operations in the country. This chasm between the private and public sector across the globe could not be more glaring. Thankfully, in my lifetime, I’ve experienced the magic that happens when the chasm is bridged. I spent the summer of my sophomore year in college interning at Sahel Capital, a leading agriculture-focused investment firm. Sahel Capital manages the $100 million Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN). Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture established the fund and now, Sahel Capital manages it. I am the daughter of my father, a brilliant agricultural economist. He spent the bulk of his career in Nigerian agribusinesses—the private sector. My late maternal grandfather spent his life in public service. In his day, he worked in the agriculture sector of Nigeria’s Western Region. Interning at Sahel Capital, the epitome of public-private partnership, my two worlds collided. And not just mine, but Nigeria’s too. Collaboration between the public and private sector is by no means beyond the bounds of possibility. Here’s blowing the whistle on our leaders for attempting to prove otherwise.
Patricia Kihoro: Create the work you want!
Patricia Kihoro needs no introduction. The multi-talented Kenyan singer and actress has only grown since becoming a finalist at Tusker Project Fame 3 (TPF) in 2009. Now, Patricia has produced her own musical stage show, worked with a variety of renowned musicians and performed across Europe. Through all this, what matters most to Patricia is harnessing positivity and creating a great product. “As people in the creative industry, we are always tarmacking. I got to a place in life where I decided I wasn’t going to stay in the house waiting for work so I created the work I wanted ”, Patricia says. Obviously, music is not all there is to you. Tell us about the other things you do. As an entertainer, my interest spans singing, acting, writing, stage performances and photography. In the spirit of creating work for myself, I wrote, directed and produced my own stage show, Life in the Single Lane, a narrative involving interactive storytelling, acting and singing. The name was inspired by my then single status. In this show, I had put in all my savings and was a bit nervous. The play sold out, reaffirming my belief in authenticity. Life in the Single Lane was not fiction, I was not acting, I was being me. I wanted to create a product that was original and authentic. It ended up being something that people were comfortable bringing their friends, parents and even their teenage children to watch. Evidently, the love bug bit again and it’s a wrap for Life in the Single Lane, literally. So, how much of our personal issues should we let into our businesses? When creating a product, say a play or music, my current state of mind matters a lot. I know I am my greatest enemy. But the good thing is, I was able to harness into my heartbreak positively and create a great product. You were in the Because You Said So stage show. How was it? In 2014, along with a group of friends led by Jason Runo, we staged an improv comedy show dubbed ‘Because You Said So’, a hilarious comedy improvisation stage show. Improv comedy is a form of live standup comedy that is unscripted and entails off the cuff responses to scenarios created by a host. The show has gone on to enjoy tremendous success over the past 2 years. Do you worry about everyday things other entrepreneurs worry about? I mean issues like paying bills or paying late. As a creative especially, I worry that my product may not be good enough. Tell us about your radio show. What kind of music do you play? My radio job at HBR 103.5 is something I take pride in. My show Afrocentral showcases urban and contemporary music from across Africa. I also host creatives making waves on the continent. There’s a lot of good music out there, songs that don’t enjoy any or enough airplay. This is the kind of music I play. Africans are so talented. My greatest joy is when I receive feedback from delighted listeners who call in asking more about the music or the artist. This sounds like a fun and easy job. Is it? I sometimes have to turn the internet upside down looking for music on YouTube and even reaching out to artists directly. Before HBR, I worked at 1 FM radio as a News Presenter. I would say persistence and networking have helped a lot. You’re also an actress. Tell us about it. I was cast on MNET’s production Changes (my first TV gig), Sauti and Rush TV pilots and the 1st & 2nd season of Groove Theory (Africa’s first ever musical TV series). These were not roles that were handed to me. I had to rigorously audition for each and every one of them. I have even had to audition for a role in my best friend’s production. You’re multi-talented but do you ever suffer indecisiveness, especially with what project to do and when? Unfortunately, I can never choose music over my acting, radio or vice versa. These are all abilities that make up who I am as a creative person. Of course, I become indecisive at times. Some friends have advised me to concentrate on one thing, say music. But if I did that I feel I would be selling myself short. Are you involved in other ventures outside the creative industry? Besides being involved in the creative industry, I am one of the mentors at Blaze. Blaze is a recently launched platform that empowers youths to be in control of their careers and future while helping them succeed in their specific chosen fields. It is a sub-brand of Safaricom, a leading mobile service provider in Kenya. I also mentor in media, arts, and journalism. How are you inspired? I keep a group of close-knit friends who inspire, build and challenge me to grow in my career. We want your stories! Tell us what amazing things women are doing in your communities here.