Here’s why you should attend the She Means Business 2020 Training
She Means Business is back for the third year in a row and we are here for it. Want to know why? We are all about helping you get all the resources you need to be one hundred percent that Motherland Mogul. Quick warning: This article might make you sign up for the She Means Business training. So what is She Means Business? She Means Business offers digital training sessions for entrepreneurs to come together to learn how to effectively grow their business online and share strategies for success. In partnership with Facebook, we are providing entrepreneurs and creatives with the tools and resources needed to thrive during COVID-19 so you can tackle new business challenges and survive this period. We know times are still tough and we have your back. Do you know the best part? It is completely free and happening online so there is absolutely nothing blocking your success this time. And now the benefits Well now that you know what She Means Business is, here’s a look at the benefits you will be getting from the program this year: Informative and hands-on training from our seasoned trainers to teach you how to use online tools to grow your business and reach new customers. Insightful weekly Facebook Live sessions, with experienced entrepreneurs sharing their journeys about running a digital business, and the tools they have used to help them grow their businesses. Weekly Instagram Live sessions where you can connect with other entrepreneurs in your industry, share business issues, and get advice live on the spot. Tools, tips, and online features, to help your business survive during the COVID-19 period. Certification of attendance to be distributed post-training and so much more! Want to get access to the training and resources you need to grow your online business? Then sign up for the She Means Business training. Click here to start learning
How to find a mentor online- without leaving your house!
Since Covid-19, we’ve all been in search of new ways to do things from the comfort of our couches. Figuring out how to find a mentor online can be a bit challenging because successful people are usually booked and busy but it’s very doable! When you’re looking to find a mentor online, sending a bunch of emails or LinkedIn messages requesting that they take you under their wings may not be the best way to go. If you’re looking to have someone to mentor you, they probably get tons of similar requests every day. You’ll need a strategy that helps you stand out. Here are some hacks to help you find a mentor online and possibly a friend for life: Find relevant people If you haven’t already, make a list of people in your field who inspire you. You can then boil it down to 3-5 people. When you have your list, make sure you find out as much about these people as you can. To find a mentor, you can also use the LinkedIn Career Advice feature, a great tool for finding new mentors. Make yourself visible The next step is to make sure your LinkedIn is popping with your work experience and accomplishments. The CEO of a company is not very likely to reply to a message from an account with no bio and 5 connections. Apart from LinkedIn, you want to make sure your presence on social media is clean and reflects who you are in the best way possible. Hit them up! Now it’s time to send a message to your mentor. Don’t say who you are and then go on to ask for them to mentor you. What you want to do is show that you respect the work they’ve done and talk about how this has also impacted your own life, you can then go ahead to ask if they can help with a specific area of your career. Once you do this, don’t forget to give a reasonable time for a reply, preferably a week. Make it easy for them to contact you by providing your contact information. What can you do for them? Don’t forget that mentors are people too so what you want to do is gain their friendship. One of the best ways to get a mentor is to build a personal connection. Volunteer to help them with a project, help out with a cause they’re passionate about or offer to help with some research. You can even interview or write an article about them – this is a great way to get to know who they are and connect with them in the process.
4 Tried and Tested Ways To Be Productive At Home
Whether you are still on lockdown or not, working during a pandemic can affect your normal levels of productivity. You are not crazy or lazy or lazy. These are unique times none of us ever thought we would have to deal with. However, there are ways you can be productive at home. Isioma Ononye is a YouTuber, writer, and fellow Motherland Mogul who founded WomenRising Nigeria, a forum to discuss and advocate for the rights of women and girls. She is currently focused on creating content to help other women get through the challenges of the pandemic. In the struggle to stay laser-focused on goals, I have tried different ways to stay productive. Here are my personal tried and tested tips for staying productive while staying productive at home. 1. Wake Up Early As everyone stays at home due to COVID-19, it is normal to feel demotivated. However, staying at home does not mean your goals have to suffer. While at home, you could still treat things like a normal workday. That means waking up early as if you were going to work. I found that starting the day early really sets you up to tackle your goals. 2. Set A Schedule Another way to be productive at home is to have a schedule. Writing things down has always been an important way for me to stay focused and be productive. Having a schedule really helps guide your day. Having a schedule is especially effective if you’re feeling restless and unmotivated. You don’t need to have a long list to pile up in order to feel accomplished. You just need to have at least 3-5 things that you plan to do for the day. 3. Eliminate Distractions When at home, there are so many things that can distract you. You can easily be distracted by social media, relatives, and anything in between. You can deal with this by designating a time for your work. During your work hours, use apps like Freedom to avoid digital distractions for non-work related apps. If you’re distracted by family or housemates, communicate clear boundaries and schedule quality time outside your work hours. If you have space, you can set aside a spot for getting your work done. 4. Remind Yourself Of Your Goals At this time, you can easily lose sight of your goals and passions. You can get so caught up in the news, that forget to take time to reflect. It matters that you continue to take time to reflect on your goals and passions. Remind yourself of what fuels you and what you aim to do. Though we are going through peculiar times, you can still adapt to the situation and remain productive. Looking to take control of digital marketing for your business to connect with more customers and boost sales? Sign up for a free webinar with the She Means Business program.
19 Businesses (And Side Hustles) to Start During the COVID-19 Quarantine.
Want some business ideas to make some money or extra income during the COVID-19 quarantine? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you? Across the world, normal life as we know it is changing. In mild cases, some of us have had to adjust how we work, and in extreme cases, some of us find ourselves dealing with salary cuts and redundancies. No matter what you’re dealing with, it’s important to remember that there are things we can still control. [adsanity align=’alignnone’ id=144658] If you’re looking for ideas on how to make rent and grocery money from quarantine lemons, we’ve created a list you might find helpful. Topics this guide will cover: Business ideas to start at home and online Online platforms where you can gain digital skills Getting access to this list is easy: just fill out the form below to join our community and get download the list, as well as AWESOME weekly content. 19 Businesses to Start During Covid-19 Get a FREE list of businesses to start during quarantine First Name Email Country–AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua & BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaireBosnia & HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCanary IslandsCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChannel IslandsChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCote DIvoireCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreat BritainGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuyanaHaitiHawaiiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndonesiaIndiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea NorthKorea SouthKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalaysiaMalawiMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMidway IslandsMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNambiaNauruNepalNetherland AntillesNetherlands (Holland, Europe)NevisNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalau IslandPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic of MontenegroRepublic of SerbiaReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSt BarthelemySt EustatiusSt HelenaSt Kitts-NevisSt LuciaSt MaartenSt Pierre & MiquelonSt Vincent & GrenadinesSaipanSamoaSamoa AmericanSan MarinoSao Tome & PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTahitiTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad & TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks & Caicos IsTuvaluUgandaUnited KingdomUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican City StateVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands (Brit)Virgin Islands (USA)Wake IslandWallis & Futana IsYemenZaireZambiaZimbabwe Get the List! Go Motherland Mogul! Get your list of Businesses To Start During Covid-19 HERE Tell Us How We Can Help You During COVID-19
Tell us how COVID-19 is affecting your life
How are you holding up sis? The past couple of weeks have been a rollercoaster that none of us could have imagined. From having to deal with the anxiety of a disease that’s spreading around the world, to learning how to work remotely and live without social interaction, as well as the uncertainty of the economy. Life as we know it has changed, and you may find yourself trying to figure out what the next steps are for you, and how best to handle this situation. Don’t worry girl, we got you! Here at She Leads Africa, our number one priority is helping our tribe of young, ambitious African women get through this period as best as we can. How? Well, I’m glad you asked. In collaboration with Women Will, we want to help you navigate the new normal. However, we need your help to understand what specific challenges you are facing, so that we can make the right information and tools available to you. The insights we get from you, will help us develop solutions that address specific problems you’re facing, as well as information to help you thrive during this period. Click here to fill in the survey! So if you want to get access to information and tools to help you make the best of the COVID-19 situation, we got you! Share with us how COVID-19 has affected your life, so that we can help you. Don’t forget Sis, we are all in this together. Tell us how we can help you!
Webinar with Afua Osei & Yasmin Belo-Osagie: How to keep your business afloat – Online or Offline
With the stock markets plunging, COVID-19 cases rising, and global economies bracing for the worst, businesses are struggling to deal with the interruption of their operations. We understand how hard it is for small business owners to thrive during these trying times, and for employees to stay safe while keeping their jobs. While no one knows when the pandemic will settle, there is no need to panic. It’s time to hatch an action plan. What does this mean for you as a business owner or an employee? It means we are changing the rules of work. Working remotely or taking business from offline to online is the new cool. ……and honey, you need to jump on this wagon now, if you’d like your business or employers to stay afloat during these hard times. Many employers are aware of some of the benefits of allowing their employees to work remotely, however, they are hesitant to allow it because they feel there is no way to keep people accountable and productive. This is why She Leads Africa co-founders, Afua Osei and Yasmin Belo-Osagie are about to teach you practical ways to take your business digital. Whether you are an employer who needs to figure out how to manage a team of remote workers or an employee who needs to boost their productivity and work effectively online, this is a webinar you need to see Yasmin and Afua will also be sharing some proven ways to successfully building an A+ team that can successfully thrive online or offline. Click here to watch! This webinar is for you if: You are an employer wondering what business approach to take now You need to learn how to be a more effective remote worker You need tips and tools to improve your work productivity This webinar is for business owners, employees, and anyone who wants their business or livelihood to survive in 2020. About Afua Osei Afua Osei is a Co-Founder of She Leads Africa where she leads the marketing and sales & partnerships teams. Prior to starting SLA, she worked as a management consultant, served as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia, worked in the Office of First Lady Michelle Obama in the White House, and consulted on more than 6 different political campaigns in communications. She completed a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, studied International Management at the London School of Economics, and graduated cum laude from Allegheny College. About Yasmin Belo-Osagie Yasmin is a Co-Founder of She Leads Africa where she leads the content, events and finance teams. Prior to starting SLA, she worked as a management consultant where she focused on developing multi-year growth strategies for large organizations across Africa. She graduated from Princeton University (majoring in history) and completed a JD/MBA at Harvard Law School and Stanford Business School. Watch the FREE Webinar with Afua & Yasmin We’re growing our US Community! If you’re from the United States please subscribe to get access to more content like this!
MOLPED FEATURE ON SIMI DREY: AWARD WINNING RADIO AND TV HOST
Molped sanitary pad is a product from Hayat Kimya Limited (manufacturers of Molfix diapers), and is a skin-friendly, ultra-soft, sanitary pad, designed to make young girls feel as comfortable, soft, and secure as they feel beside their best friends. Molped’s breathable layer keeps young women fresh, and it’s skin-friendly, cottony soft layer does not cause irritation. Molped sanitary pad is every girl’s best friend, helping them be more confident, and supporting them through their periods. Molped has partnered with She Leads Africa to highlight the beauty and importance of valuable female connections. You can connect with Simi on Instagram and Twitter. ABOUT SIMI DREY Simi Drey is an experienced multi-award-winning Broadcaster who has worked across media platforms in both the United Kingdom and Nigeria. With a First Class Degree in Broadcasting and Journalism from the University of Wales, she currently hosts the Saturday and Sunday morning shows on the Beat 99.9FM and on television anchors 53 Extra on African Magic. Having won the Future Awards Africa for Best OAP (TV and Radio) in 2019, Simi Drey uses her platform to share her passion for entertaining and educating the youth; tomorrow’s leaders. What does friendship mean to you? Friendship means family. My friends are people who know me, they know my strengths, they know my weaknesses yet they still love me. They have been there for me and always will be at different stages of my life and I will do the same for them. Can you tell us of a time when any of your girlfriends connected you with a career or business opportunity? There have been numerous occasions where my girlfriends helped me but the most recent would be Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi who nominated me for the OAP category of the Future Awards Africa. She did this without my knowledge and even when I won, she still didn’t tell me what she had done. Someone else informed me. Since then, winning the award has opened so many other doors for me such as being the Nigerian representative of a panel in South Africa, to discuss the role and emancipation of women in African society. Can you tell us about a time when your friend (s) helped you through a difficult situation in your career? In the first year of my career, while I was more or less fresh out of university, I did not know anyone in Lagos and I was hardly earning anything. I didn’t feel like I was making progress and I was extremely frustrated. During this period, I became friends with Dr Kemi Ezenwanne. She constantly encouraged me and prayed with me. She also helped me get a foot into the modelling industry which eventually brought about enough funds for me to move out of my aunt’s house, and rent my own place. Without her, I may not have continued pursuing a media career. How many women do you have in your power circle, and why did you choose them? I have three different power circles. One consists of four women including myself, the other consists of three people, myself included and the last, five in total. I don’t think I chose them to be honest. I think we realised how much we had in common and we just ‘clicked’ as friends. However, they have remained in my power circles because of their loyalty and support throughout the years. When the world saw me as a nobody, they were there. We have grown together and stayed together through stages of our lives; school, employment, marriage, childbirth and even divorce. No matter what though, we see the potential in each other and we strive daily to bring it out. One person’s success is a success for the entire group. How do you think young women can network with other women to achieve career success? I think now more than ever, networking is much easier especially with social media. There are people I am friends with on Instagram for example that I had forgotten I had never met. However, because we talk a lot and exchange ideas, it feels like we know each other inside out. Social media networking can start simply by liking or commenting on a person’s picture. Search for someone in a similar industry as yourself or someone who has inspired you along your journey and send them a message. Don’t just write ‘hi’ though. Make it personal. What is your fondest memory of you and your girlfriends, from when you first began your careers? Before I started working in Nigeria, my friend Deena and I auditioned for the X-Factor. Neither of us made it past the first audition. Along with our friend Sully, we thought we were going to become a successful girl band- Deena and I as the singers and Sully as a rapper. We never released a single together. Our dreams of a girl band were pretty short-lived. Fast forward and Sully is now a successful Investment Banker in London, I have become a multi-award winning Broadcaster and although Deena actually continued to pursue a career in music, she now has been booked for shows across Nigeria and the UK and her songs play on mainstream radio stations. Finally, what advice/tips do you have for young career women, to help them build and maintain valuable relationships with other women? I think the phrase ‘women don’t support women’ has been one of the most damaging statements for young women. I would say first and foremost, do not compete with other women. See them as allies. Celebrate their victories and try to lift them up in ways you can. They will do the same for you. Society is difficult for women generally but when we stand together, we have so much power. #MyGrowthSquad series is powered by Molped (@MolpedNigeria). Connect with them on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Sponsored post
MOLPED FEATURE ON OMOWALE DAVID-ASHIRU: COUNTRY DIRECTOR, ANDELA
Molped sanitary pad is a product from Hayat Kimya Limited (manufacturers of Molfix diapers), and is a skin-friendly, ultra-soft, sanitary pad, designed to make young girls feel as comfortable, soft, and secure as they feel beside their best friends. Molped’s breathable layer keeps young women fresh, and it’s skin-friendly, cottony soft layer does not cause irritation. Molped sanitary pad is every girl’s best friend, helping them be more confident, and supporting them through their periods. Molped has partnered with She Leads Africa to highlight the beauty and importance of valuable female connections. About Omowale David-Ashiru Omowale David-Ashiru is the Country Director for Nigeria and Ghana as well as the Head of Africa Operations at Andela, a company that helps build distributed software engineering teams quickly and cost-effectively. Before joining Andela, Omowale’s professional career included a decade-long stint at Accenture, where she started as an Analyst and grew to become a seasoned Management Consultant, Business Process Re-engineering expert, Interim Human Resources Lead and a Certified Project Manager. During her time at Accenture, Omowale led complex and challenging projects at numerous strategic clients including the largest bank in Nigeria and West Africa (at the time) as well as a key financial regulatory organisation in Nigeria. In her role, she collaborated and worked with diverse and multicultural teams in various countries, including India, Singapore, Oman, and South Africa. After Accenture, she established and managed a maternity retail company for eight years. As part of the Youth enterprise drive of the Federal Government of Nigeria, her company was vetted and awarded a highly coveted entrepreneurial grant. The company also supported the community by partnering with a Not-for-Profit organisation, to employ secondary school graduates as part-time sales assistants with the aim of economically empowering them while assisting them to prepare for and gain entry into tertiary institutions. Omowale obtained a First Class B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ibadan. She has won awards for leadership, academic excellence and theatre. She has a deep passion for inspiring people and has a mentoring circle for ladies. She is an avid reader and loves adventure. You can connect with Omowale on LinkedIn and Instagram. What does friendship mean to you? For me, there are two things that stand out when I think of friendship. The first is people who get me, which basically means that we think alike. For example, we could be looking at something and we just laugh because the same thought crossed our minds, at that same time. Friendship is also vulnerability, a friend is someone I can really be myself with. This is particularly difficult for me because I am not a vulnerable person by nature, so I have had two, maybe three friends including my sister, that I have ever been vulnerable with. Can you tell us of a time when any of your girlfriends connected you with a career or business opportunity? Actually, this is how I got into Andela, a connection from a friend of mine. So a friend of mine who was in Andela also, mentioned Andela to me, got my CV and basically connected me with the opportunity to work here. Can you tell us about a time when your friend (s) helped you through a difficult situation in your career? At some point, I was at a crossroads in my career and business. I was running my own business, and it had gotten to a point where I was considering either going back into the corporate space or just continuing my business. I had been considering this decision for about two years, when I had a conversation with my friend and she spoke about the issue from a different point of view. It was a lightbulb moment for me after that conversation, and I was able to make a decision. That decision eventually led me to being open to getting a corporate job, and I found myself in Andela. How many women do you have in your power circle, and why did you choose them? This is a very interesting question because interestingly enough, I actually have a power circle or more like a prayer circle actually, with three women. We talk together, we pray together and I am vulnerable with them. We meet every week for about two hours unfailingly, and we talk and pray through issues and decisions. Just like the earlier example I shared, I spoke with one of them about a decision I needed to make. I didn’t even give her the facts of the issue because I didn’t want her to be biased. After some time, she prayed for me and got back to me with some advice that gave me clarity. It’s an interesting story how I met them. Basically, my husband and I host a bible study course which we have been running for years now, with different sets of people. So these women and their husbands had been attending the bible study, and when it was time to start the life fellowship, we just picked ourselves because we had been together for years and had built an organic relationship. How do you think young women can network with other women to achieve career success? There’s a principle called the four degrees of separation which basically means that you’re four persons away from anybody else you want to meet in the world. What that means is that if I want to meet Obama today, there are four people between him and me. This means that everyone you meet is important and every opportunity to meet someone is a networking opportunity. So you shouldn’t be looking out for who in particular to network or a special opportunity to do so. Instead, simply look for more opportunities to meet people. Also, the more people you meet gives you a wider pool to choose from, and assign positions like a mentor, and an accountability partner to different ones. I have several instances of meeting people like this and how it has helped me. In summary,
Here’s what you missed from SLAY Festival Joburg 2020
For the first time ever, SLAY Festival was held in Johannesburg South Africa, on March 7th and it was a VIBE! More than 1200 women came together to attend a one-day learning and networking experience. There were speed networking sessions where we saw our SA boss ladies work the room, and make new connections, and then our Keynote Speaker Bonang Matheba, made her entrance and taught us all about making money moves. All attendees had direct access to some of Africa’s biggest and brightest innovators, including celebrity chef and entrepreneur Mogau Seshoene, youth activist Zulaikha Patel, TV presenter and model Kim Jayde, Africa Director for Global Citizen Chebet Chikumbu, doctor and mental health advocate Dr. Khanya Khanyile, Managing Director for TRACE Southern Africa Valentine Gaudin, actress Ayanda Thebethe, author and personal finance coach Mapalo Makhu, Head of Marketing for Google South Africa Asha Patel, Swiitch Beauty CEO Rabia Ghoor and many more. It was a full day of interesting mainstage panel discussions, networking sessions, masterclasses, mogul talk sessions, shopping from local vendors and loads of fun. Our Mzansi queens showed up, and showed out! So whether you missed the event, or you want to relive the SLAY Festival Joburg 2020 experience, this is your first behind the scene look, at the brands, experiences, and fun that went down at SLAY Festival Joburg 2020. We upgraded our business skills with AUDA-NEPAD In line with their flagship project, “100,000 SME’s by 2021, AUDA-NEPAD Senior Programme Officer, Unami Mpofu, led an interesting conversation on growing a sustainable business and accessing funding for a business. We learned new career and digital skills with Women Will Women Will, a Grow with Google program hosted private mentorship sessions and masterclasses throughout the day, focused on career growth for millennial women in the workplace, and tips on how women can use digital skills to grow their business. We slayed our hair with Dark and Lovely Dark and Lovely our official haircare partner, treated our queens to a full glam station, where they were able to try new products and get new hairstyles. During a special masterclass, they also got to learn the latest styling techniques, to keep their hair slayed and popping. We bloomed with Glade Glade brought a one-of-a-kind sensorium experience that was just the breath of fresh air guests needed. They also hosted an engaging discussion on how women make Africa bloom with Poppy Ntshongwana, Monalisa Molefe, Nkgabi Motau and Martha Moyo and Christine Jawichre. We discussed topical issues with Global Citizen Global Citizen allowed attendees to engage in conversations on issues affecting women, and other topical issues, which was very enlightening for our SLAY Festival attendees. We vibed with Trace Our official media partner Trace, brought in the entertainment and cool vibes with their interactive photo booth and green screen, and there was never a dull moment there. There you have it, this was your official behind the scenes look at what went down at SLAY Festival Joburg 2020. We Came. We SLAYed. We were WITHIN! SLAY Festival Joburg 2020 was a vibe and more. The moment the gates were opened, to when the last person left the room, we learned, unlearned and relearned, while having so much fun. So here’s raising a glass to all our SA queens who made the time, energy and resources that went into planning SLAY Festival Joburg totally worth it. Click here, to watch the highlights from SLAY Festival Joburg 2020.
Molped Feature on Chidinma Ekile: Award-Winning Musician
Molped sanitary pad is a product from Hayat Kimya Limited (manufacturers of Molfix diapers), and is a skin-friendly, ultra-soft, sanitary pad, designed to make young girls feel as comfortable, soft, and secure as they feel beside their best friends. Molped’s breathable layer keeps young women fresh, and it’s skin-friendly, cottony soft layer does not cause irritation. Molped sanitary pad is every girl’s best friend, helping them be more confident, and supporting them through their periods. Molped has partnered with She Leads Africa to highlight the beauty and importance of valuable female connections. About Chidinma Ekile Chidinma Ekile is a Nigerian singer and songwriter, popularly known by her stage name Chidinma. She worked as a business promoter in Lagos, prior to auditioning for the third season of Project Fame West Africa, in which she emerged as the winner in 2010. Following the release of the music video for her “Emi Ni Baller” single, she became the first female musician to peak at number 1 on the MTV Base Official Naija Top 10 chart. In 2011, she released her first solo single “Jankoliko” featuring Sound Sultan. Chidinma, her self-titled debut studio album, was released through the music platform Spinlet. It was supported by the singles “Jankoliko”, “Carry You Go”, “Kedike” and “Run Dia Mouth”. Chidinma won the “Best Female West African Act” category at the 2012 Kora Awards Considered one of the most loved and respected African female artistes, Chidinma is verified across ALL social media platforms. A responsible, classy and elegant woman, devoid of scandals, Chidinma has over the years comported herself in a ladylike manner, evolving from the girl next door to becoming a role model and mentor for several young girls across Africa. Chidinma recently signed an endorsement deal with the premium sanitary towel line, Molped, where she features in all Molped’sTV and radio commercials as the Face of the brand in Nigeria. She released a critically acclaimed joint EP with Africa’s foremost musician, Flavor. Chidinma is the founder of Nma Care Foundation, a non-governmental organization set up to cater to visually impaired children. You can connect with Chidinma on Instagram and Twitter. What does friendship mean to you? Friendship to me, means identifying the traits and characteristics you favour in people. It means that you accept them for who they are, recognize their flaws and help them improve on themselves. It also means being there for them as practically as you can. What advice or tips do you have for women trying to build a professional relationship with mentors? While learning from your mentor, it’s important that you make sure you never take their time, access and opportunities for granted. You should recognize and respect their boundaries. Also, always offer value, because a person’s gifts will make way for them. What skills or character traits have been most helpful to you in building your career? I definitely think it is treating the music business as just what it is; which is a business, something akin to a 9 to 5. I am deliberate about my actions, my team and I plan ahead. We also don’t compromise on our standards or the quality of relationships we cultivate. What advice do you have for women trying to build a career in the music industry? As much as I am still learning, I will humbly state that any woman willing to build a career in the entertainment industry, must be ready to work twice as hard as the guys. Make sure you pay more attention to details and cultivate quality relationships. Do you think it is important to have a mentor as a young woman trying to grow her career? Yes. However, I think that it is important that any woman takes very careful time to evaluate the person she is submitting herself to as a mentee. This is important, in order not to have a misrepresented view of the industry they are working in, and also not be taken undue advantage of. Since you are the Brand Ambassador of MOLPED, in what ways does the brand remind you about friends/friendship? Ok I need to actually share this with the world☺. Let’s start with how the features of the product remind me of friendship. It’s not just soft, but cottony soft with no nylon and wide wings and because of these features, it causes no irritation or leakage. Those are definitely qualities that I expect of a friend. For them to be soft and comforting, with us having minimal to no friction or fights. I know we might fight at times though, but not all the time you know, and of course she always keeps my business my business. In addition, the brand promotes friendship and girls being there for each other, and drawing inspiration from each other at all times. Do you have any words of advice for our Motherland Moguls, trying to be successful like you? Please ensure you are bringing value to the table. Develop your craft, hone it and guard it like a mother protects her baby. #MyGrowthSquad series is powered by Molped (@MolpedNigeria). Connect with them on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Sponsored Post