Aphia Sekyerehene: I design clothes for non-conforming women
Aphia Sekyerehene is an emerging fashion designer, choreographer, singer and event decorator who discovered her passion for fashion at age 14. However, she could not fully pursue her passion until her 20s. Even now after going through design school and establishing her brand, Aphia still feels unsatisfied. She believes that starting her career later in life has deprived her of opportunities she would have had if she had started at 14. Aphia shares with SLA her experience in fashion design and developments in the industry. Why do you think you would have gained more grounds in the fashion industry if you had started at age 14? Having an early start in a career offers you ample time and opportunity to try your hands on the various aspects of the job. This means more time to delve into related options and more time for trial and error. Starting at age 14 would have given me more experience and variety to explore but now, I have to first build a brand before I can try my hands on other options. What prevented you from pursuing your passion after your discovery? I would say lack of funds. This is because fashion designing is more of a practical course than theoretical. So you need to get materials needed for the course and this was something my family could not afford at the time. In order to keep my passion alive, I came up with alternative methods like connecting with fashion designers across the world through online forums. Were there any setbacks when you finally got into the industry? Yes! Raising capital was one of my major setbacks. I am glad I have crossed that hurdle. Now, I am very excited to achieve more and more. Now that you have acquired a certificate in Fashion Designing, do have plans of furthering your education? Yes! Certainly! There is so much more to see, learn and explore. I will never limit myself to just the basics. I have to expand my knowledge. I am looking forward to acquiring a Master’s Degree in Fashion or any other course which will add value to my work. I am hoping to get into the Parsons School of Design in New York. How does your designing process work? What are you currently working on? Every project I work on has its own procedures. But usually I sketch ideas as they come and do clone drafts before the actual design. Some projects take just a day to figure out, others are time consuming. The latter requires a lot of inspiration which I get from the various colours that surround me. I am currently working on my summer collection. It is a hip, fun, free, colourful, light, stylish and original for every woman. This collection depicts the African culture in a creative way. It will be out in July. What part of your job do you find most challenging and how do you tackle it? Working with indecisive clients is very stressful. I tackled this challenge by coming up with a very detailed order sheet that allows clients to vividly explain what they want. This way, we get a win-win situation. In one word, define your work. Unique. Who is your target audience? My main target is the woman who is not afraid to stand out in her own unique self. My designs require my breaking free from the usual expectation so I target those women who stay true to their nature and are non–conformists. Having a target group also creates a niche for you, making your brand easier to handle and be identified. Which African fashion designers do you admire the most? For one there’s Christie Brown, I admire her abstract, sophisticated and classy designs. Then there’s Pistis, her beading creates exceptional masterpieces. I also admire Oswald Boateng, his eye for clean cut is evident in his designs. I would love to work with Christie Brown. She is sophisticated and transfers that attribute into her work. She has a way of blending totally different styles into an admirable design. Her designs are modern yet traditional; contemporary yet antiques. This is something I will love to learn. What developments on the horizon could positively affect future opportunities for fashion designs? For an African designer, I would say the removal of cross-country trade barrier laws could be an opportunity. Though this would introduce more competition in the fashion market, it would also provide designers with the chance to diversify and expand their market. If you were to design an outfit for an African celebrity, who would it be and what would you make? I will love to design a fitted floor length backless lace gown with long sleeves and beading for Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji. Genevieve has an hourglass figure and a high front neckline fitted floor length dress will compliment her figure perfectly. The backless part will give her a sexy touch and an opportunity to show her amazing skin tone.
Competition, what competition? Why collaboration might just be your strongest asset
Collaboration is a game where everyone wins. You build your network, expand your audience and strengthen your brand. As ambitious women, chasing our dreams is part of what gets us up in the morning. While it is important to protect our ideas, we have been taught to keep our distance from the competition while studying their progress. It’s easy to believe that ‘there can only be one’ and do everything humanly possible to be That One. But actually, there isn’t only room for one. There’s room for everyone who is tenacious and passionate enough to pursue their goals, and collaboration plays a huge role in that. Still not convinced? Read on to find out why collaboration might just be your strongest asset. Collaboration is a source of inspiration and support Even the smartest, most connected and experienced people in the world don’t know it all. Through collaboration, you get to bounce ideas off people who truly understand your industry. It’s a “great way to make sure that we all keep moving forward and nobody gets left behind”, fashion-travel blogger and life-stylist Fisayo Longe tells us. Building a business or high-powered career is definitely not for the fainthearted, and even the toughest of us can benefit from support from other people who get it. Collaboration strengthens your skills and expands your network Collaboration also helps build your technical skills by sharing knowledge with those in your field. My fellow writers and enterprise enthusiasts constantly share videos, articles and books aimed at improving skills from strategy to copywriting. But if you keep all your aspirations under wraps, people won’t know that you may benefit from what they have to give. Sharing educational resources creates a ‘pay it forward’ culture that leaves you better off in the end. Collaboration also brings you closer to people that it might have taken you years to meet. After all, “people who know talented people are always more useful than a single talented person with no connections,” says producer, writer and radio presenter, Phoebe Parke. In my experience, I’ve met CEOs, entrepreneurs and leading creatives through people in my industry, such as life-coach and business manager Seun Awolowo. Collaboration enhances your brand and grows your audience One key challenge that all businesses face is expanding their customer base/audience. Again, collaboration is part of the solution. It’s one thing to present your own product, but when another brand or business is doing this, you become even more legit. It “adds to your reputation as someone who knows what they’re talking about”, Phoebe says. In blogger Fisayo’s experience, her audiences have grown through friendships with fellow bloggers like Melissa Holdbrook, and “Freddie Harrel [who] invited me to be part of an event she was organising recently that made me almost a thousand pounds. My presence there pulled a bigger crowd which was also great for her”. Collaboration creates scenarios where everyone’s a winner and gets a share of success. “Think about what you have to offer, not what you have to gain and collaboration will come easily”, Phoebe advises. Even those at the top of their game collaborate. As Fisayo points out, “life coaches like Brendon Burchard and Ariana Huffington have grown their audiences significantly and made millions of dollars through collaborating with each other.” If collaboration works for them, it’s probably going to work for you too. Collaboration celebrates your uniqueness Finally, never forget that you have something unique and distinct to bring to the table. The truth is, you are your only competition and you owe it to yourself to improve with each day. No one has walked the same path as you or thinks exactly the way you do. This is a principle that Seun applies across all her areas of her career from life-coaching to the corporate world. As the saying goes, “no one is you and that is your super-power.” Have confidence in yourself, your abilities and what you have to offer. Fisayo puts it like this, “when you are proud of what you have created and you really believe in your content”, collaboration becomes second nature. How has collaboration helped your career or your business? Let us know in the comments section below.
7 steps to starting your business with a full time job
I had at least 3 failed attempts at running a business with a full time job before I got things right. I often wondered how other people managed to do it. But now I finally got it right, I can let you know how to start right. For the last 4 years, I’ve combined my 9-5 job with starting and growing my business Deluxe Childbirth Services. Today I’ll share 7 simple steps with you that have helped me effectively manage this leap of ‘craze’. Be clear on how much you really want your new business Why exactly do you want to start your business? Is it because everyone your age has one? Or is it because you don’t mind having multiple streams of income? Do you want to exit the rat race? Or do you want to provide solutions to challenges around you? There really is no right or wrong answer. The important thing here is to know your real motivation and write it down. Write down why you want to start your new business, your first year goals and what you are willing to give to see it become a success. You’ll need it to keep you going when the tough times come calling. Take a break to clear your head for action Your current job might leave you working long hours. If you add in the long commute to work and back home, it’ll leave you totally drained. This is why when you want to start any new business while working, you may need some time off to clear your head! My idea of time-off is at least three full days with no distractions. You’ll spend the first day resting to refresh your body and brain cells. Then you start thinking up your launch plans from the second day. At the end of this much-need timeout, you should have a list of the key actions to launch and sustain your business. These actions should cover the first 1 year, at least. It should answer when these actions need to be completed by, which of the actions you will complete yourself and those you will delegate to others, and who you’ll outsource to when necessary. Understand your fears and destroy them Dreaming about an idea and how it will blossom into a successful big business can be a pleasurable experience. Sometimes I wish that’s all we needed to do to make money from our hustles. Sadly, when it’s time to start, reality sets in and some people get scared. I know I did when I was about to start my current business. Most of the women I speak to also get super scared! But guess what? It’s okay to get scared. It’s even okay if the fear sounds flimsy, I was scared of my name being out there. What is not okay is letting your fears rule you. To move ahead with your new business idea, you owe it to yourself to understand why you might be afraid and conquer that fear immediately. Turn the needed actions into small tasks; pace yourself and celebrate success I know you might be tempted to take your new business launch on like you take on projects at work. You know, with that ready to bulldoze it attitude. But when it comes to your business, you might need to go a bit slowly. Remember that you’ll most likely work on your business after your regular work hours. By that time, your body and head will most likely be tired. So pace yourself, give yourself more than usual time to complete a task. And, once the task is completed be sure to give yourself a small treat. Be ready to work HARD My friend, there is no escaping this! To be a success at both your job and business, you need to work hard and be disciplined. While at work, focus on your job and deliver your agreed priorities with as much excellence as you can afford. And when you get home, focus on your business full-time. You may need to tweak your work schedule to include working on your business on Saturdays. This may mean sacrificing a lot of time, sleep and outings to work your business but you can be sure you’ll be off on a great start. Get an accountability partner/coach and have regular reviews with her An accountability partner is someone with whom you can share your dreams and plans. This person will constantly remind you on agreed deliverables. She is someone you really would not like to see upset when your regular reviews reveal that you are behind on agreed actions. Your accountability coach must be someone who is genuinely concerned about you. She is someone who wants to see living your dreams, not someone who will kill those dreams. Recognize His grace and ask for help I believe we are nothing without God’s grace. As such, I always advice acknowledging this and asking for His help because really what you are about to go into is not an easy task. Once you are clear on your business ‘goals, it’s a good idea to ask God for the strength and capacity to do more. You want an environment free of obstacles and stumbling blocks so you can close out tasks faster. Most importantly ask for opportunities at work and in your business where you can shine brightly with little effort. So there you have them! Start out today and keep me posted on how it goes. If your job is flexible and not as demanding as most jobs…count your blessings and make it work in your favour!
Top quotes from SheHive Nairobi
SheHive Nairobi brought together aspiring Motherland Moguls and established speakers and personalities from diverse sectors. Those who missed can only hope for next time. In the meanwhile, these choice quotes from speakers are sure to inspire and motivate. Wanjira Longaeur, Radio and Television host Wanjira is a well-known radio host with Capital FM Kenya and television host with EbonyLife TV’s Moments Kenya. On the last day of SheHive, she spoke on the business of the entertainment industry. – “Do your best you never know who is watching.” – “Mindset helps. I chose to see opportunities everywhere and in everything I do.” – “If people want to tear you down, kill them with kindness.” – “One of the worst things a director can do is to leave their audience bored.” – “Entertainment keeps moving but the camera doesn’t play.” – “Ignorance is a choice. We are in 2016 for Pete’s sake! We have the internet!” Hilda Moraa, Founder and former CEO of Weza Tele Ltd Weza Tele’s industry is tech and at SheHive Nairobi, its founder Hilda shared tips on how to get started in the tech business. – “Failure has been the key ingredient in my success.” – “If you are sitting and thinking that you are a woman in business. Then you have to be at your best to compete.” – “Don’t fear sharing your ideas, sharing could give you much needed feedback. However, protect the uniqueness of your idea, Protect your team, talent, data and execution from competition.” Dr. Helen Gichoci, Managing Director, Equity Group Foundation As an ecologist Helen dished out insights from her experience being president of the African Conservation centre and African Wildlife Foundation. – “You got to have (thick) skin in the game for anything to be of value to you.” – “Form follows function in a business. Find the problem, opportunity and the service you want to offer and the business will follow suit.” Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom Bob heads East Africa’s fastest growing company. His talk focused specifically on gender equality and inclusion in the workplace. – “Find your purpose, and then you won’t have to work for the rest of your life.” – “What is my personal drive? Trying to make a difference and leaving a positive footprint.” Lindsay Caldwell, Founder One Acre Fund Among her achievements, Lindsay is also an operations management specialist. – “You have to co-opt other ideas for your business to work.” Winnie Mwangi, VC fund Winnie has established her career working with investment companies. At SheHive Nairobi she talked about what investors look for in a business when deciding whether or not they will invest in it, – “When pitching to investors, under promise and over deliver.” – “Gerald George Patton said, ‘If everyone is thinking alike, then someone is not thinking.’” Eunice Nyala, Executive Coach, Etiquette Xllent Company At SheHive Nairobi, Eunice used her coaching experience to teach the audience how to develop leadership styles and how women leaders behave. – “We admire people who have etiquette. If you don’t have it, work on it. Start working on your tone.” – “Women should dress the part, it’s one of the most important visuals we are judged upon.”
Verbal assault on Senator Oluremi Tinubu reminds us that Nigerian politics is not a safe space for women
“I will beat you on this floor, rape and impregnate you and nothing will happen”. It’s totally understandable if you need a break after reading that. We were shocked and shaken, and understand that others may be triggered. That these words were spoken by a Nigerian politician, in the chambers of the Senate, towards a fellow senator just makes things even more disturbing. This isn’t the first time Senator Dino Melaye has been embroiled in scandals, usually around him being horrible towards women. His first wife, Tokunbo Melaye reported that he had physically assaulted her and posted bloody photos online to back her words. Similarly his second marriage to Alero Melaye was marred by allegations of abuse and was short-lived. And it doesn’t end there, in a bizarre move earlier this year Melaye criticised Governor Adams Oshiomhole for marrying a Cape Verdean woman rather an a Nigerian one. The situation in the Senate It’s clear that Melaye is not the greatest fan of women. Knowing his penchant for unruly behaviour, we have to ask how he has maintained his influential position in politics. Given his background, perhaps it’s not surprising that he verbally assaulted and threatened Senator Oluremi Tinubu while she addressed the senate a few days ago. Here’s what senator Tinubu said; “I think [Melaye] needs to know that every senator here represents their constituencies. And that there is no need to threaten anyone. We are seeking and working towards reconciliation, yet you are busy issuing threats.” In the Senate, senators usually address their peers, this is standard and is usually accepted calmly. Yet Melaye grew so infuriated with senator Tinubu’s comments that he charged towards her and had to be held back by other senators. To us, it looks like he reacted this way because a woman called him out. Both senators belong to the same political party and work together in the same space yet it’s clear that Melaye has zero respect for his colleague. The lackluster media reaction While this story has been shared all over the media, a number of newspapers are calmly overlooking Melaye’s threat of rape thus reducing the sexualised nature of his threats. Not surprisingly, Melaye has denied his comments and has claimed that he was provoked. Then again, the news reports we’ve followed showed that the media are either showing Melaye’s excuses or senator Tinubu’s husband’s words of support. We would like to know senator Tinubu’s side of the story. We are frequently reminded that Nigerian politics is not a safe space for women. Even outside the halls of power, women politicians are often described as obnoxious or rude by the general public. Some people just aren’t comfortable with women in this field. Clearly, this needs to be remedied but Melaye’s outburst just shows that we still have a long way to go. Some may be quick to point out the uncouth nature of Nigerian politics when discussing this matter. But what stands out to us is this; no matter how accomplished a woman is, she will still have to deal with blatant sexual harassment. Also pertinent is how nothing concrete is being done to deal with it.
5 lessons learned from not protecting my business idea
I am part of an entrepreneurial Facebook group (we’re now over 7,000 members strong). Let’s divide the group into two; techies and non techies. One of the most asked question by the non techies is, “I have an idea for an app and I’m looking for a developer. How I can I protect my idea?” In order words, how do I prevent a developer from running off with my idea, claiming it as his own, working on the idea himself and making millions of dollar off it? The response is usually the same; make him/her sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). This question always reminds me of my own experience with my second developer which I will share with you. I first met him in the summer of 2014. I got to know he was a developer during our introduction but I was still poking around my idea so I said nothing. Over the next few weeks, our friendship grew. When I had figured out exactly what I wanted to do, I gave him a call and discussed my idea briefly. I also told him I wanted to build a small team; no more than four -including both of us. He said he could help with this. The next time we spoke, he informed me that one of the developers he had available was going to work for Google and would not be available. The other developer was working on a project. He advised me that the best way was to get started with just the two of us . In the meantime, he wanted a one page Word document about my idea. I wrote a one and half page explanation of my idea and emailed it to him -without a non disclosure agreement. For many other reasons, it all fell apart. We never got started; neither did I ever speak with his developer friends. Here is what I have learnt since then; 1. Execution is all that matters Ideas are like opinions. Everyone has one. I know that’s not how the saying goes but you catch my drift right? Do you realize how many million people are in the world? Do you know how many million people are thinking of the same idea you are thinking of? Well, I’ll put it this way then. A person can steal your idea, but cannot steal your vision. Like the non techies in the group, I was afraid of my idea being stolen that I became worried sick, almost lost appetite and drove myself crazy with paranoia for no reason. Do you know how much willpower it takes to execute an idea? Even if your idea is stolen, the execution will be different. No two executions are quite alike. 2. You are the visionary As the non techie, if your idea holds any depth, meaning, you’re not looking to make a quick buck. You truly want effect change in a particular industry and change the world, you are the visionary. As the visionary, it is likely that you’re more committed than anyone else will ever be. As it is right now, I am mentally, physically, wholeheartedly committed to OneSavvyDollar and creating value for my readers in ways I cannot even begin to describe to you. 3. Domain protection I have always been an advocate of getting a good business name and buying the domain name. It is a relatively inexpensive way to protect your business. Most companies run domain name promotions periodically. Even if the developer steals my idea tomorrow, surely, it will never be named OneSavvyDollar. He is going to have to pick a different name. 4. Ideas change upon implementation Until you actually begin to implement an idea, you never quite know how it will turn out. What I wrote as a one page document does not even begin to surmount to the changes and challenges my developers and I faced the moment we started working on this. But an idea does not necessarily stay in its original form from inception. The interesting part, the idea continues to change because I let my users guide me to what they want (to a reasonable extent.). You can only understand this when you begin to match action to words. 5. A rule is only as good as its enforceability It’s one thing to have a non disclosure. It’s another thing to be able to be able to pursue it should there be any violations. We watch movies and believe the rules apply all the time. But it doesn’t quite happen that way. In the case of the Face book lawsuit between the Winklevoss twins and Mark Zuckerberg, the Winklevoss twins had the resources. Here are five fast facts about them: They were born in South Hampton and lived in Greenwich (read as ritzy areas). They attended Harvard. They are Olympians and competed in Beijing 2008. Their father is a professor at Wharton, an author and entrepreneur. He owns a technology and consultancy companies. They hired a high power law firm. Can you understand now what I mean by resources? Truthfully, you most likely do not have the luxury of the time or the resources to pursue developer should the idea become a hit; particularly, if you are the sole business owner. Don’t forget it’s a game of probability; an idea could either be successful or not. If Facebook wasn’t successful, they never would have bothered.
Eunice Nyala, CEO Etiquette Xllent: All leaders make a lasting impression
Being a leader and a woman for that fact, requires a lot from the feminine fabric. It goes against the grain but it is true to say that women are judged before we even speak. 80% of decisions made about a person are based on other people’s perception alone. This was what I gleamed from Eunice Nyala’s talk on developing a leadership style at SheHive Nairobi. Eunice’s entrance into the SheHive Nairobi was propitiously noticed. True to her mantra, ‘All the leaders making a lasting impression’ Eunice is a head turner with radiant skin who gracefully sashayed in heels and an African outfit ensemble on a lazy Sunday evening in Nairobi. More often than not, as women we like to create mental barriers for ourselves. We sell ourselves short and let ourselves be held captive by our own narrow thinking. We may have perfected the art of holding ourselves ransom by trying to live by societal expectations. Most times the chains that prevent us from being free are more mental than physical. We need to recognize that people are different and capitalize on our weaknesses and strengths when developing our own unique leadership style. Eunice’s advice continues; Learning… There is something new to learn every freaking minute. No one is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Stereotypes accentuate on how women tend to be chatterboxes but we have to stop talking to learn something new. Take a minute to learn something about and from your cleaner, gardener, or valet parking attendant. It’s unprecedented that the most overlooked sources are wells of inspirations. Walk, poise Are you that lady boss, whose graceful entrance to a building commands attention and respect? Do people shush or scuffle to their desks when you walk in? Rather, do you walk in and Jane the office chatter box continues with her tête-à-tête. How you walk, conduct yourself and command attention dictates the respect you get from people around you. Pay attention to women in leadership The tides are changing and more women are taking up leadership roles. It’s time we evaluated and learned how those in leadership behave. Some of First Ladies of African countries, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Queens of the world are a few women of well-thought-of demeanor. Hats off to these ladies! You’ve got to research on them, emulate them, act out and from there acknowledge what makes you stand out. Leadership is everywhere We can choose to delve into the debate on whether leaders are born or made. However that’s a topic for another day, let’s not digress. Life provides each and every woman a leadership position 24/7 /365 days a year. If you doubt it then let me preempt. A mom is a leader at home. A teacher is a leader at school; you are the leader of your siblings and at the chama (Swahili for a women’s group) you could be the voice of reason. Seize these and many other opportunities and practice leadership skills and you will easy lead people. You can have an executive presence from the onset; you don’t have to wait for an elective position to be a leader. Utilize the power of networking Networking is formal opportunity bequeathed to us. This is where we get to share our competencies with people who may give us a hand. It’s a chance to expend the power of entrepreneurial and professional circle. Lonesome girls don’t perform well in professional and corporate workplace. More importantly it’s where you could meet your next partner, client, mentor, friend, even hubby. However, things could get embarrassing when swimming in the murky waters of networking. There are four things to do in this event Be strategic about your networking event choice. Do your research and get know something about the attendees beforehand. Get to know people, what they do and better yet have their contacts. Always acknowledge the people you meet in the room. Plan your questions in advance and ask smart questions. Leave a lasting impression. If you want to be remembered, speak out for yourself and ask questions. Dress like a leader Work on your dress code. It’s one of the visuals that will be used to judge you. It’s been over emphasized and may sound cliché but be purposeful in your dressing and be conscious of what you wear. You can choose to identify an executive leader and try to borrow from their style. Lastly be authentic in your dress code and be mature in how you speak to your colleagues in order to earn their respect. There is need for etiquette in everything we do in all aspects of our lives. It’s not one size fits all. All individuals have varied needs. A parting shot from Eunice, “We admire people who have it. If you don’t have it, work on it. More importantly, work on your tone.”
Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom: Women are high achievers
Bob Collymore is a man many people admire. It’s in the simplicity and efficiency with which he runs the fastest growing telecommunications firm in East Africa that draws people’s attention. But just what is his secret in running such an organisation in East Africa? At the recently concluded SheHive Nairobi, Bob dished out some of his secrets. – I pay attention to the micro-inequities to make a significant impact in my organisation by articulating and ensuring that diversity and inclusion is acclimatized for by the organisation. Sadly, after years in the corporate industry I have noticed that women don’t step up for gender roles. The African culture plays a gender bias in the African work place. It’s not that women are few; there is significant gender balance at the workplace. It’s just sad that women didn’t vote for other women. Is it because we don’t trust other women with leadership? I don’t know. – Currently in Africa there are few women in the tech space and in leadership. Imagine you were challenged to list the top 100 women in leadership you know of within five minutes. You would probably start by churning out names fast but by the 25th name, I bet you start scratching your heads. It’s not so obvious. – My disappointment with women in leadership is that the more they ascend the ladder; they tend to adapt masculine behaviour. I already have men around me. I certainly don’t need women acting out as men. I would appreciate women being women. They should maintain their femininity when they hold these positions. – The company’s advertising strategies are geared towards diversity and inclusion. Nowadays we have Kenyans of Indian, Asian, European and American decent in our ads. Unfortunately we have live in a misogynistic society and it’s a shame that in 2016 we still thrive on the same. Women should stop playing the victim game. The society is harsh towards women but the best women can do is to always win. – Safaricom thrives in East Africa by empowering women in all frontiers. We have a nursing home that caters for children of our staff between ages of one and fourteen. Women at Safaricom get more leave days and they get less hours of work after the leave is over. – I am happy that when one of our regions was facing stiffer competition for a fierce competitor, I appointed a lady to head the region. So far she managed to turn things around and that’s the best performing region in the entire organization. I am proud of what she has been able to achieve and if she could do it better than the men then it’s a validation to you women that you are high achievers. My advice to everyone is that you find your purpose and you won’t have to work forth rest of your life. Also acknowledge that where you come from doesn’t define where you will end up in. What drives you?
Janet Kibuthu’s 5 tips on setting up a solid communication firm
I met Janet Kibuthu, a solid entrepreneur in the communications space, at the recently concluded She Hive Nairobi. She has a communications and advertising background and a Master’s degree in finance. Interesting, isn’t it? I thought so too. “A lot of people do not understand why I had to study finance, and the reason I give them is that when setting up a communications firm, financial knowledge is crucial. Without financial literacy you will be setting yourself up for a major disaster”, she posits. She is a passionate business woman whose vision is to empower women and girls with the resources to thrive in business and life. Janet publishes one online magazine for women in business, “Lady Entrepreneur” and another for spiritual nourishment, “Truth and Spirit”. Her book, “Weight Loss for Moms”, helps women who have just had babies to not only maintain a healthy lifestyle but to also enhance their self-esteem and regain their foothold as new mothers. Further to that, she is an entrepreneur running a communications outfit named Eclecti Communications. Eclecti communications, is a leader in design, communications, and marketing especially for the real estate and hospitality industries. “We offer state of the art branding and communications solutions especially for commercial properties and hotels .We connect with consumers and developers especially through opportunities the digital space offers”, she adds. The reason Eclecti communications is advancing at this niche market is that, in real estate there’s an ever-increasing demand for homes, hotel investment products and office spaces. She adds that a huge chunk of the company’s clients in the diaspora; UK, Canada and the United States. This is an area of communications and branding that Janet feels young people could capitalize on. So how does one build such an empire? – No fear: Janet asserts that fear is an element that never goes away and could be an impediment that will keep most people away from their destinies. Just do it. – Surround yourself with like-minded people: Look for mentors who will see something special in you and will assist you to add value to your life. – Financial management: Is a crucial life skill when it comes to entrepreneurship. How are you going to run a business if you can’t budget, read financial statement, or if you can’t figure out your liabilities vis a vis your assets. With these sound tips Janet further advises that there are a lot of opportunities out there for young women, the secret is to go all out and take complete advantage of them. – Take the risk: starting a business doesn’t have to be capital intensive but one should at least have some resources to expose the company to potential clients. Visibility is key when setting up a new company and it costs money. – Have faith: The one person who will make or break the company is the owner. It’s simple, if you do not believe in the company, no one will.
Shamim Ehsani, Marketing Director Tribe Hotel: The inefficiencies of other hotels guided us in developing our brand
Shamim Ehsani is the co- founder and marketing director of the Tribe hotel, a five star hotel in Kenya. It’s a family business he started with his brother. One of the speakers at the recently concluded SheHive Nairobi, Shamim shared his lessons learned from working in the hospitality industry. A unique experience “Coming back to Kenya from Boston I had no knowledge of hospitality. My brother and I started this hotel from a consumer point of view. After traveling across the world, there are things we despised in many hotels. we hated having to pay for Wi-Fi, uncomfortable beds, bad showers, thin walls , billing disputes, empty minibars , non-functional plugs, scratchy sheets , stupid hotel policies, breakfast ending at 9.00am, overstuffed and under stuffed pillows and lack of generosity. These inefficiencies became our guide to developing a brand. We made an entry point into business by identifying the hospitality market gap in Africa built a luxury hotel.” Have a proper vision From the onset, Shamim and his brother wanted a hotel that looked to have been inhabited by a new-age tribe for a short while before embarking on a nomadic journey. The hotel didn’t have to look brand new rather they wanted a warm habitable place. In their architectural design antiques, crafts and interior decor all come together to complement each other and tell the story of this futuristic tribe. Have a unique proposition The tribe’s proposition is its team and the ambience of the hotel. It has a diverse team with unique personas. Apart from their qualifications, the vibrant team possess unique eccentricities that are amusing. Shamim knows his team by name and respective qualities. “Dan loves bird watching (weird); during the interview Anthony had a funky jacket and Lilian loves and adores fashion and magazines. Nick, Ken, Jackie, Carmeline have warm personalities and great smiles. My staffs appreciates good food and have great taste in dining, we often find ourselves visiting similar places.” Branding Shamim and his brother wanted to revolutionise the industry. The hotel was instrumental in reorganizing the industry from the conventional rack rates set by tour operators into best available rates. They put a huge focus on media and social media. They further contracted a reputable Hollywood PR company to take the hotel up to a celebrity status. Years into the industry the PR efforts paid off, they have bagged accolades since 2010 such as the Hot List awards, and World Travel Awards to name a few. Accept criticism Despite being told off by a big consultancy that brand name (Tribe) would be the windfall of their venture, Shamim’s team stuck with their guts, cocked their guns and went ahead with their name. Shamim felt that the consultant was a little bit conservative whereas he felt the Tribe name was punchy, kickass and powerful. “Initially they wanted to brand our hotel as Moto however Motorola began campaign with a similar name.” Leadership Shamim attests that Tribe hotel has been able to maintain leadership in the industry through authenticity. Competitors can mimic your idea but that doesn’t mean that you remain complacent. Through a robust leadership and comprehensive training, the hotel had the highest rate of staff retention. The entire team undergoes a courtesy and hospitality training for months before getting into operations. Advice to women entrepreneurs in hospitality As a woman in hospitality, you need to get staff to buy into your vision. We encourage our staff to be friendly to customers. Our staff are approachable and confident. We train staff to acknowledge that they are equal as any guest. We are flexible to let staff interact with clients after work.