That money you want is in someone’s account: Amba Eyang – Ajakaye
Not every “celebrity” is known. There are powerful women who are not just breaking glass ceilings, but also impacting the lives of people they meet. One of such extraordinary women is Amba Eyang-Ajakaiye, a Brand Storyteller and Business Strategist. She is the founder of iDare.NotDread Nigeria, a social engineering platform promoting innovation, creativity, and enterprise through storytelling and value sharing. She is also team lead of the Build My Business initiative born out of iDare.NotDread’s enterprise. Centered on building skills and capacities for young people in the business. This project launched grand ideas such as the BMB Expo and BMB Training school (online) in 2017. Amba has gone from transforming ordinary people who would have never thought of writing their own books, to making them authors. She’s also supporting small businesses to achieve scalability and growth especially, by helping them identify and understand the importance of “target markets” and “market validation”. In this interview with SLA contributor – Wuraola, Amba Eyang-Ajakaiye bares it all about IDare.NotDread and highlights why small business owners should “do it afraid”. Tell us about your company – IDare.NotDread iDare.NotDread is a social Enterprise promoting innovation, creativity, and enterprise in Nigeria. Our focus is primarily to build women communities and empower them with creative and innovative skills for business growth. What’s one business tip you wish most business owners knew and could wield to their advantage? Network. Meet people. That money you want is in someone’s account. That unspoken challenge can be solved by someone. Attend workshops, events, and meet people. Most people don’t bite. How can entrepreneurs begin to understand the power of conducting market validation, and collaboration with other SMEs? I believe in collaboration. This is why I try to build communities. We started the Abuja food community in May, and its amazing to see how much collaboration has happened in a group full of women. Yet, we probably thought women prefer to fight. No. The moment businesses understand that collaboration first means ‘here is what I can give you’, before ‘give me what I want’, they will lead better businesses. With a lot of fake business coaches around, what makes your brand different? We didn’t just arrive. We’ve been here a while. In 2013 we started with creating a platform for entrepreneurs to share their stories and inspire others. Over time, we realized stories weren’t enough. Capacities needed to be built. So we went all in to try to understand the real needs of the entrepreneurs we wished to serve, and since 2016, we started contributing to conversations around digital technology and creating a good impact in the digital space. Since then, our efforts have birthed super brands. In the past 3 years we have successfully trained 4,000 entrepreneurs on digital strategies as well as provided opportunities for business visibility. Many thanks to the opportunity Google granted us through the Digital Skills for Africa programme and a host of other partners who have trusted us to work with them. Why should SMEs understand their target markets before making an entrance into the market? Because if we don’t, we would be hitting our heads on rocks. Hard rocks. You can’t sell to everyone, and this is why research is key to identifying who your market is. Tell us about your Ebook Challenge Its amazing! I launched my first ever ebook on March 2019, titled ‘How to write your first eBook‘ and that’s where the ebook challenge began. We are currently on our 3rd cohort and it’s been amazing!!! Every 2 months we launch a new set of authors who are super proud of their achievements. It feels great to empower people to create wealth with their knowledge. We are looking to expand the community beyond eBooks to help more women create diverse digital products and generate more income. How does the “Do It Afraid” catchphrase relate to entrepreneurs who don’t like taking risks? We all have fear in us. It’s an emotion. I am still learning to tame my fears. And we all should. The best way to go about it is to go ahead and do that very thing you fear. I have coached a number of businesses and one of the areas I tend to focus on is to help them fight those limitations – the little voices and beliefs that make them feel less of themselves and limited. It’s important we act despite fear. Accept your fears but act. What’s the worst that could happen? Failure? Then show me one person who NEVER failed.
Why Your Business Ideas Aren’t Working
By ensuring that your goals are S.M.A.R.T, you set yourself up to experience the thrill of an achievement that will become a motivation for future successes. Did you know that you can give 110% effort and fail miserably, even with a good business idea? I’ve seen it more times than I can count. An eager entrepreneur has a brilliant idea and quickly forges ahead, only to come back disappointed that things did not work out. By the time they come to that realization, they have likely invested a lot of money, energy and time that they will never get back. Entrepreneurs going through this experience usually assume that they are simply not cut out for entrepreneurship. It is at this point that I dig a little deeper into their execution process and I find that the real problem was that the idea or goal was underdeveloped, leading to poor execution. It was a set-up for failure from the start. I then have the task of talking the entrepreneur off the ledge by explaining that there may have been nothing wrong with their effort, resources or intentions. The reason for the apparent failure was likely that the goal was an inherently bad goal. When it comes to execution in business, a good goal is not just noble in its intention, but it also S.M.A.R.T. It is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Ensuring that your goal meets these criteria increases the likelihood of success. It eliminates wasted time and hones in on the best strategy for success. Specific goals break down your general goals into manageable pieces so that they are easier to achieve. A great example of this might be to increase your annual revenue. “Increase revenue in 2019” is a noble general goal. An even better goal is to “increase revenue in 2019 by identifying profit leaks and creating monthly marketing campaigns in order to obtain new clients.” Using that example, it’s easy to see how an entrepreneur can go from casting a wide net and taking a chance on what sticks, to identifying a specific strategy for success. Even that specific goal can be further developed as you think about other factors that will affect the outcome. By adding metrics and changing the goal to “increase revenue by 40% in 2019, by identifying profit leaks and creating monthly marketing campaigns in order to obtain new clients,” the direction and initial action steps are even clearer. This way, there is little room for wasted resources and time. The attainable and realistic factors in the S.M.A.R.T. formula are subjective factors determined by the individual’s readiness to start working on their goals. An entrepreneur who does not have a marketing budget needs to first raise the money or create a budget for marketing before embarking on the goal above. It seems obvious enough, but many entrepreneurs still do not count the cost before they set their foot on the pavement. The last piece of the formula is timeliness. This ensures that the person setting the goal has a sense of urgency and can fend off complacency when working toward their goal. It is easy to overlook this final piece, but it is just as critical as the others because it has two extremes: too much time allotted for the goal, and not enough time. When there is too much time, it is easy to fall into traps of procrastination and complacency. These are traps that force individuals to believe they have more time to do the work than they actually do. They lose their sense of urgency, which opens the door for others to leverage their ideas, or for a competitor to get to a product launch before they do. The other extreme is not to give yourself enough time. By rushing toward the goal, entrepreneurs stand the risk of sabotaging by not properly assessing the risks and all of the factors necessary for success. After all, there’s value for the entrepreneur in trial and error and even failure. However, by ensuring that your goals are S.M.A.R.T., you set yourself up to experience the thrill of achievement that will become a motivation for future successes.
Adelaide Odhiambo: The experience I gained as an employee has helped me run my own business
If sitting at your desk, working on the same thing month after month year after year, chips at your soul, it can feel like Lingchi, the Chinese form of murder where 1000 small cuts are made all over someone’s body over a period of time, a very slow painful demise. Or perhaps, your job is constantly threatened and you are not sure if you will survive the next decimation. In the face of all this, it is tempting to dump it, take a leap and start a business. As you contemplate becoming self-employed, read how Adelaide Odhiambo, left a prominent position to start Bluewave Insurance. In just two years, this firm, in partnership with Kenya’s biggest insurance company, has launched Imarisha Jamii a micro insurance product targeting low-income earners. On taking the leap… Taking the leap is not easy it means coming out of your comfort zone and forging into the unknown. What ‘would-be’ entrepreneurs do is, they toy with the idea and talk about it endlessly to everybody and anybody. They never move to conceptualization mainly out of fear. Jim Carrey in his commencement speech of 2014 said, “we choose fear disguised as practicality. We think what we want is impossible to reach and ridiculous to expect, so we never ask.” That is the tragedy of ‘would-be’ entrepreneurs, they see the leap as one move which increases their fear, understandably, because of the risk. Instead of thinking of the leap as one massive move to launch the business, it could be several baby-steps made over a period of time that finally realizes the dream. As Adelaide was studying actuarial science at Nairobi University, and even after getting her first job, she dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur. “Jubilee insurance asked us to come up with ideas that could improve the insurance space, I immediately started thinking and begun to notice problems in the insurance industry. We were using an archaic system that still relied on people working the back office to manually key information into the computer. Then driving to and from work I noticed how poor people were the most vulnerable yet could not afford insurance.” Then the idea hit her, to use technology, to provide cost-effective insurance for the poor. “I decided, instead of submitting the idea, to develop it.” It would take 15 years for the business to take off. On gaining experience “The experience I gained as an employee has helped me run the business. At Jubilee Insurance, I was shadowing two CEO’s so every time they went for a strategic meeting I would be with them. It demystified running an organization, for instance, I realized that simple decisions were sometimes sufficient to move forward the largest insurance company in the country.” After a while, Adelaide went to Apollo worked as head of products then landed a prestigious position with Microensure as country manager. “Microensure was an eye opener because they do insurance in the most unconventional way. While working there I would give my spouse, who was a software developer, concepts to develop,” she said But her employment history was not without its challenges… “When I was put in a hostile environment, I just saw the good side. So I absorbed everything and learned as fast as possible,” she continued Then when she realized she was not growing and the environment became untenable. so she left to start Blue Wave insurance. “The most valuable experience I ever got as an employee was to cultivate confidence. Because when running your own outfit, at some point you may feel like you are bullshitting but I have learned to be bold despite this feeling. [bctt tweet=”The most valuable experience I ever got as an employee was to cultivate confidence – @AdelaideOdhiamb” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] When I was employed, I remember I went for a meeting with executives of a leading telecom company. I sat in the room listening as everyone was speaking jargon, like whole sentences in abbreviations. Truth is that I had no clue what they were saying. Then, they turned to me, as the insurance expert, because no one in the room had any idea. I spoke confidently and it was okay. So that’s how I approach business meetings with boldness because whatever I know is of value to someone in that room, there is that one thing you know and they do not.” On getting the business up and running in a short timeline It is said fortune favors the prepared mind which is true for Adelaide. Because she had been working on the business, little by little, days after leaving Microensure, she was already working on a website and reaching out to past clients, relationships she had formed as an employee. “I left paid employment with a lot of drive, and hunger to make it. I was scheduling meetings and even got a contract from one of the old customers that paid me fifty thousand.” Building a successful business takes time and multi-billion deals don’t happen overnight, so Adelaide celebrates the small victories. “I celebrated surviving a whole month without a salary. Celebrated the website going up. I celebrated sending 10 emails and receiving 2 responses, out of my sheer hard work. Infact, I even celebrated that I was doing what I wanted, that was a success to me. I did not set high expectations. When people do not meet their high expectations, they get upset”. [bctt tweet=”I did not have that ‘fear of failure’ because failure would have been not following my dream – @AdelaideOdhiamb” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Lean startup Although Adelaide had an insurance background, she needed a developer to set up the enterprise. “My husband who is a programmer, and entrepreneur, encouraged me to design the user experience, which is the initial part of programming. I learned through Google but I am still learning because every solution is different.” The first time she put the lessons to work, fired by the drive to succeed, she did it overnight… “I remember my husband telling me all
Your lifestyle is what determines your fitness levels: Evonne Mudzingwa
Evonne Mudzingwa is a Group fitness coach trained and certified in the Asia Pacific. She has been successful in completing several, marathons, ultra marathons including Two Oceans 56km and Comrades 90km medals. She was born and bred in Chegutu, a small town in Zimbabwe and currently has two girls. Eve decided to change her career in 2008 after she realized hiring a fitness coach for an event she was planning was expensive, she decided to equip herself with the skills in Fitness and exercise. In 2008, Eve who was a professional at the time embarked on her career change in Malaysia and Singapore over a 10 year period. Here she was trained by LesMills International. In her spare time, Eve loves to travel, Adrenaline sports like zip lining, bungee jumping, mountain climbing and riding her motorcycle. In this article, she speaks about her early journey and her career as a fitness professional. [bctt tweet=”A healthy, fit entrepreneur is more alert and focused – Evonne Mudzingwa ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] On why she choose the Asia Pacific… ‘A friend recommended the LesMills Training as it was unique, there wasn’t anyone offering it in Zimbabwe and Southern. Africa back then, so I went for it,’ says Eve. She went on to train as a Zumba instructor and personal instructor. She has Lesmills Certification in their training modules body combat, body step, body pump and RMP (studio cycling ). Upon qualifying in Bodycombat, Eve realized that she needed experience and to acquire a clientele base before she could open her own establishment. “I worked for a gym in Harare(Borrowdale Brooke) for 2 months thereafter I got my experience and enough clientele. This experience gave me a glimpse of the void in the fitness industry. This gap was a center that understood and identified with the average, conservative voluptuous Zimbabwean woman. This is what inspired me to open what initially was a Ladies only fitness center. The traditional gym was too intimidating and male-focused, ignoring the minority female gym goers. I wanted to bring a more personal approach to the fitness world,” she continued. Eve states she looked around for space to establish her own center, then she came across a small building in a Sports club which had not been last used for 25years as a rugby changing room and was almost dilapidating. “I contacted the property owners and asked to refurbish it, they were shocked but it worked. I used it for free for the first 6 months. With this, Eve’s Fitness Studios was born. Classes commenced in April 2009 hand the studio has evolved and grown over the past 10 years with our 10th anniversary coming up this April 2019”. Eve’s Fitness Brand established in 2009 now encompasses the Eve fitness Studios – a quaint little fitness center that offers various training programmes. It also has Eve’s Fitness Battles, Eves Wine Dash Series – a lifestyle series in partnership Bushman Rock. Eves 10km Obstacle Race Series molded on the Spartan Race Series and Vainona Running Club which hosts trademark runs namely Eve’s Mazoe Hotel Run and Eve’s Pink Marathon to raise funds for Cancer. And recently Eve’s Fitness Training – a fitness training center for aspiring Group Fitness Instructors. Some of her achievements… Evonne Mudzingwa has been awarded several awards including Women Excel top 100 most successful businesswomen in 2018, ZNCC Service Industry Award, Award for Women who Roar in their Industry and Shero Women Entrepreneurship Awards. On how body maintenance helps in day to day productivity as an entrepreneur… A healthy, fit entrepreneur is more alert and focused. Exercise releases endorphins which leave one feeling happier and more energetic. It also boosts one’s self-esteem, an important requirement in anyone in business. As for me, I keep fit by doing 2hours of training every day and a 5km run on a daily basis. My diet mostly consists of organic, high fiber food which I mainly pan-fry or boil, lots of fruits and vegetables, fish & chicken with beef or pork once a week. I also love herbal teas and snack on our mutakura (mixed boiled grains). On how a career woman can balance between the gym, work and family life… One only requires just a minimum of thirty minutes of exercise a day out of the 24 hours. A family working woman can go to the gym early morning whilst the household sleeps or soon after work. Every woman needs this Metime to exhale, regroup and be a better mother, wife, and employer. I believe people make time for the things they deem important in life, one just needs to decide that their health is a priority. There is always time. On dispelling the societal notion that the gym is for rich people or luxurious activity… Contrary to that misconception of the gym is an elite activity. Exercise is an important aspect of total wellness. Understandably gyms are beyond most people’s budgets but there are various cheaper ways of exercising. Running and bodyweight strength training exercises do not cost anything and can be done anywhere. On providing special sessions for pregnant women and people recovering from injury… Our Programmes cater to various fitness levels including pregnant and recuperating clients. We offer options relevant to the clients special condition. It is actually encouraged for women to train throughout their pregnancies. The ambiance at our studio inspires and motivates everyone to not give up. I also have personal relationships with my clients making it easy to encourage them from losing their mojo. On the Myth that frequent Gym Exercise makes women look masculine… The myth that exercise and strength training, in particular, makes females look masculine has sadly been around for the longest time and strongly believed. There are various kinds of training programmes to achieve different results. There are those women who actually choose to build a masculine look, these are usually bodybuilders and professional figure athletes. To look that masculine however these women have to be on specific training programmes, restricted diet
Unlocking Success: The Advice Every Entrepreneur Must Hear
Ten years ago, if someone told me I would become a law school dropout who owns two successful businesses, I may have laughed in their face. The only thing that may have sounded more ridiculous would have been to add that both ventures will put me in position to help hundreds of entrepreneurs start and run successful businesses every year. Thankfully, even things that sound ridiculous can actually become reality. The truth is, I never had much of an interest in entrepreneurship. As a child, I watched my father work tirelessly to build businesses. Some were successful. Others were not. [bctt tweet=”What sets the successful and the unsuccessful entrepreneur apart is not luck, worth ethic, or even skills, its usually the power of flexibility. – @andrena_sawyer” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I now know my father was not alone in his plight because Bloomberg Research suggests that 8 out of every 10 businesses fail within the first 19 months. The Small Business Administration suggests that only half of new businesses survive the first five years, while only 35% are able to survive for 10 years. Despite my early exposure to the unfortunate side of entrepreneurship, I have come to believe that what sets the successful and the unsuccessful apart is not luck, worth ethic, or even skill. Most times, it comes down to the power of flexibility. When you first become an entrepreneur, you are inundated with solicited and unsolicited advice. There is an incredible adrenaline rush that comes from seeing yourself manifest what had only been a vision in your mind for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. Most of the advice is given with good intentions and meant to be motivational. Yet, some have absolutely no significance to you because your primary concern early on is simply to survive. Admittedly, I don’t remember much of what was said to me when I launched my first company. However, one piece of advice that has not only stuck with me but saved my business several times is to marry the mission and date the model. To marry your mission is to remember your why, and to maintain your covenant -so to speak- with that why. To date your model is to make flexibility a bedrock in your business. It is your how. I learned the true meaning of this after my first year in business. The excitement and adrenaline had worn off, and the money I’d saved up for the initial capital had depleted. I now faced “real” business issues like cash flow, leadership and human resource challenges, customer service and iterating our value proposition. [bctt tweet=”To marry your mission is to remember your why, and to maintain your covenant -so to speak- with that why – @andrena_sawyer” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] While your mission – the reason you went into business and the need that your business solves should never change, the way your business does business had better change if it is to survive. This includes your marketing strategies, your price point, and sometimes even your company culture. All of these things are still connected to the mission, but this how allows you to stay relevant and top-of-mind. For some of us, we went into business to disrupt the industry. We were tired of inefficiency or annoyed that a few big players were monopolizing everything, leaving no room for anyone else to play. For others, there was a glaring need that one too many people complained about, yet no one was offering viable solutions. Then there are those of us who started a business because we recognized our gifts and talents and saw business ownership as a way to walk in our purpose. Remembering this is critical to success. It is your mission. It lays the foundation for the story that your business will tell. However, even that why is not enough sometimes. That is where dating the model comes in. The reality is there are many factors that influence your success as an entrepreneur. Some of these factors like industry trends, sales cycles, current events, economic upturns and downturns, and even your organization’s capacity are sometimes beyond your control. By adjusting your model, you develop a culture of freedom that allows your business to adapt to these changes. Ultimately, this hones your business’ survival instinct in difficult times and leverages positive trends in good times. This ability to be adaptable could very well be the deciding factor between being part of the success statistics or the failure rates. Got some advice that can help others succeed in 2019? Click here to share.
How to Achieve your 2019 year resolutions
Happy New Year Motherland Moguls. Let’s jump right into the year, shall we? More than half of all year resolutions fail, but this year, they don’t have to be yours. Many people find it difficult to maintain and accomplish their resolutions. Here is a list of things you can do to help make sure you accomplish the goals you set for the New year, create a plan on how to reach it, and become part of the small group of people that successfully achieve their goal. Believe in yourself Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.”- Samuel Johnson. Your values in life determine your beliefs, about yourself and the world around you. When you believe in yourself and chose to be a good person you will find yourself to be more positive and successful in life. Believing in yourself is the first step to success whether it means your life, your career, or simply your confidence, and in that lies your power. Say it again and again The more you say it, the more you believe it. The more you believe it, the truer it will become as you strengthen yourself and your confidence! The beginning of a new year is a good time to make a resolution to change your behavior in some way because you know millions of people are doing the same thing. So you get positive reinforcement when family members, friends, and coworkers talk about making and trying to stick with resolutions. You feel like you’re part of a worldwide self-improvement movement – and you are! Be Accountable People make better choices and perform at a higher level when they know they are being watched by others. The reasoning is simple when you are held accountable for your actions, you will work harder. Share your goals with people around you. It’s important to have another person ask you about your progress. When there is someone else other than yourself holding you accountable, you are more likely to get your tasks completed Track your progress What separates a person from achieving their goals and not achieving their goals is staying focused and being persistent in following through. There are many different ways to track your progress toward your goals. Look at the big picture Why do you wanna accomplish this certain thing? What is the purpose? Think about these things and answer these questions with the end result in mind. Take the time to reflect upon your goals and imagine what the big picture looks like. motivation. Plan and Organize Everyone has dreams and goals, but without planning and organizing what you need to do, you’ll get nowhere Celebrate Celebrating your wins not only feels great physically, but it reinforces the positive attitude and behavior you want to show up when you face a new challenge or opportunity. [bctt tweet=”Believing in yourself is the first step to success whether it means your life, your career – Makalela Kgotlelelo ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
HOW TO OVERCOME THE STRUGGLE OF BEING MULTI-PASSIONATE
Are you that person who does many different unrelated things and you are criticized for not being focused on one? Do you feel lost when people you know have a particular thing they are pursuing, while you juggle different hats without a possibility of finding a job title that contains all your passions? You are multi-passionate. It is alright to change your mind every now and then. Don’t beat yourself up for going in different directions; be open to trying new things. If you embrace it, you will find new systems to help you do all things you are interested in, while remaining focused and productive. A multi-passionate individual is a person who has various passions and often finds answering the question, “what do you want to become in the future (or when you grow up)” difficult as they feel they have to settle down to one thing only. Such an individual is also known as a renaissance person, multi-potentiality, polymath, or scanner. In today’s business environment, Steve Jobs, Tim Ferris, and Richard Branson are good examples of multi-passionate people. Other historical examples include Maya Angelou, Aristotle, and Sir Isaac Newton among others. Wondering how to be okay with being multi-passionate? Here are the steps to take: 1. Accept who, and where you are As with some many other things in life, you have to accept who you are, then devise a strategy or strategies that will help you through the journey. Speaking about his own journey of finding self, Nick Maccarone observed that by not limiting himself or attempting to dupe his heart into some “conventional path it knew better than to follow” he allowed himself to “take a little bit from each experience and lean into the intricacies of my being”. “I am not defined by one thing or by anything,” He wrote on Medium. “I follow where my heart and curiosity beg me to consider. I pursue each path as wholly as I can while not exhausting the possibility of doing the same for another.” he continued. [bctt tweet=”Clarity comes from engagement, not thought. – @marieforleo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 2. Keep a record of all your ideas Often, an idea will pop in your mind and sometimes it feels like the calling that you have been waiting for. However, it changes and you are back to the drawing board. Without a doubt, it will be difficult to be knee-deep in one project for too long. As such, keep a record of all interests and ideas that come up. In addition to writing, reviewing the ideas is also important. Assign yourself time to go through the ideas to track what you have tried, and what you will try in the future. Keep a small book with you to write random thoughts. Establish a day in a week or month when you can sit down to review them. Stephanie Medford an artist, designer, writer, and traveler notes that she keeps a ‘for later’ list of books she wants to read in the future. “On the rare occasion when I have nothing to read, I turn to that list,” she adds in her article called ‘the joys of being multi-passionate’. [bctt tweet=”The best way to go about unveiling your ideas is by acting on them. Pick something on the list, anything- and jump right into it.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 3. Act on decisions, don’t just think about them When uncertain about an idea, don’t wait until when the choices seem clearer in your mind.”Clarity comes from engagement, not thought,” says Marie Forleo, an entrepreneur, writer, and philanthropist. The best way to go about unveiling your ideas is by acting on them. Pick something on the list, anything- and jump right into it. It is by doing that you discover if the idea is something you want to put your energy into or move to the next thing. All in all, you don’t have to feel bad for not having one specific passion that you follow. Franchesca Ramsey, an artist, comedian, activist, TV and YouTube personality and actress advises other renaissance people to keep a calendar. Additionally, she tries to stick to the schedule and also keeps a personal day to explore things that she was not able to do during that week or work on personal projects. “My team knows that if it is on the calendar, that’s the time that is blocked off.” “You kinda have to set those boundaries for yourself,” she adds. Below is a link to the 31-minute interview Ms. Franchesca did a while back to help you get started and re-discover yourself as a multi-passionate individual. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Adedoyin Omotara: I tapped into resources that the Government made available to immigrants
Adedoyin Omotara is a Beauty Entrepreneur, Women’s empowerment advocate, Speaker, Life Coach, Business Coach and the leader of the unmask your beauty movement. Born in Manchester, UK to Nigerian parents, her passion to live a fuller and more expressive life made her leave her successful Corporate Engineering career to become an entrepreneur. Seeking the spiritually creative fulfillment missing in her successful corporate career, she was determined to resolve the concern that beauty today, far from being that poetic ‘joy forever’ is, unfortunately, a source of insecurity, shame, and stress for countless women. She promotes beauty, inside and out, to an audience of women at all stages of life. Adedoyin believes in investing in the dream of girls and in the strength of women. In this article, she talks about how she’s fought against the odds of being an immigrant and built a beauty brand for herself in Canada. What would you say is the innovative idea behind Adoniaa Beauty? Adoniaa beauty started from having a deep hunger within me to fully engage with who I was, my hunger for living a fuller and more expressive life. I was doing great in my career but felt dis-engaged with myself and the world as a whole. I felt I was born for more so I decided to start a company for women doing what I love and fulfilling my purpose while doing it. It was founded on four fundamental pillars: To uplift, validate, equip and inspire women to be their best selves at every stage of their life. We do this by using makeup and skincare products and services as a platform to connect with women. [bctt tweet=”People constantly ask me how @adoniaaworld intend to compete with Sephora, Loreal, Mac and the likes, my response is that those are not my competition. – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How have you been able to maintain your brand consistency? We have only one vision- To connect women to their individual and unique beauty through our brand. So everything we do aligns with the vision. It’s easy to be consistent when you have a vision. It is the same vision I sell to my staff and the Adoniaabeauty tribe. How have you grown your client base? I have grown a tribe of women as my client base by focusing on why I started my company, which is our vision to connect women to their individual and unique beauty. We have different vehicles to get to our vision, and we naturally attract women that want more out of life, women that want to re-write their stories and women that do not want to fit into society’s contrived image of beauty but create and define their own. What challenges have you faced that are unique to your business idea? Starting a business in the beauty industry is very challenging. The beauty industry is run by billionaires that own big companies. People constantly ask me how I intend to compete with Sephora, Loreal, Mac and the likes, my response is that those are not my competition. Makeup and Skincare are the physical products that we sell and that’s what people see, however, for me, makeup and skincare is only a vehicle or a platform to reach the Adoniaa women that want to unmask their beauty. [bctt tweet=”Since I developed the vision for my company @adoniaaworld, I started creating and got really innovative – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Where there challenges owning a business in a foreign country? Starting a new business as an immigrant in Canada has definitely not been the easiest of things. It’s easier to get a job and work 9-5. But this is not just a business for me, it’s my vehicle to fulfilling my purpose and changing the world. I have embraced all the challenges and focused on my vision. At times, I tell myself that if I were in my home country, I wouldn’t need to work this hard to be profitable. What I have done though is to change my mindset and focus on the vision. I have also tapped into so many resources that the Government has made available to immigrants. Do you believe in Feminism? My take on Feminism is simple… It is the Adoniaa dream -The Adoniaa dream is a dream that is deeply rooted in every woman’s heart. I have a dream that girls and women will have the resources and opportunities they need to reach their full potential. I have a dream that girls and women will live free from violence · I have a dream that girls and women all over the world will have access to good education· I have a dream that there would be equality in the workforce. I have a dream that child brides will no longer be a thing. I have a dream that female genital mutilation will become history. I have a dream that girls and women will stand in their power and be empowered to defend themselves. I have a dream that gender-based violence will stop be it domestic abuse, rape, or sexual trafficking. I have a dream that women will embrace their fears and be courageous enough to shine as their most beautiful self. I have a dream that girls and women will no longer need to fit into society’s image of beauty but create and define our own beauty. I have a dream I believe that we can only achieve this dream by taking action! [bctt tweet=” This is not just a business for me, it’s my vehicle to fulfilling my purpose and changing the world – Adedoyin Omotara” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Adoniaa Beauty recently launched a campaign towards the above causes. Our 24hr Lipsticks of hope are our flagship product and we have partnered with non-profit organizations that address these issues. $1 from every Adoniaa 24hr lipstick sale will go to our Non-Profit organization partners that actively work to end these problems. When you buy the Adoniaa lipstick, know that you are empowering a woman. When you empower a
Nomalanga Ndlovu: Your voice is your gold ticket
Nomalanga Ndlovu – well known as Miss Noma, was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She lived most of her childhood till her early adult years in Botswana where she obtained her Law degree from the University of Botswana. She is a public speaking coach who is passionate about women empowerment and self-discovery. As a Christian, her values are based on her beliefs. Miss Noma loves to travel and meet different people. She is the founder of Outspoken Consulting, therefore, she enjoys learning about entrepreneurship. Nomalanga has had notable experiences being part of the Mandela Washington Fellow 2017 and being a Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) fellow in Washington DC where she did her internship. She is also a TEDx Speaker coach. 2018 was her second year taking up the role yet to occur in Pretoria December 2018. If you’re interested in becoming a professional public speaker, you’ll learn one-too-many things from Miss Noma. Where did you get the passion for public speaking? My journey to public speaking was inspired by her childhood which had memories of her being a backbencher. I was mostly a reserved child of low confidence and participation. Although, I would always envy the children who participated. My literature teacher was the one who saw something in me and that was when I started making presentations. Since then, it has always been my mandate to help other people discover their voice and be able to sell their stories. My passion to help comes from helping people creating first impressions that will create opportunities as she believes most people will miss out on the best opportunities based on how they present themselves. Tell us about your company – Outspoken Consulting Outspoken Consulting was established in 2016, it is an organization that helps business executives and entrepreneurs to develop their ideas for presentation, customer care, and selling of brands as individuals as well as organizations. We realized a lot of business entrepreneurs and executives have great ideas however when it is time to present the idea there won’t be much focus on the customer. The sales or marketing teams at most times could not have received training on how to engage and speak with the client. We help individuals and companies: Package themselves and their product. Understand the clients they have and how to speak to them. Take their business to the next level in terms of communication. [bctt tweet=”Speaking isn’t only about opening your mouth, it is about selling an experience -@MsNomalanga ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Outspoken Consulting also has a program that is being launched in 2019 that is called the Outspoken Girls Initiative that will focus on high school girls to help them discover themselves and focus on their futures. There will be successful and experienced business women that will be mentoring them and also engaging with them one on one so that they can have an idea of what is happening out there in the real world. Outspoken Consulting goes beyond consultation work, it also has Outspoken women, which is a platform for women to network, collaborate in events. It simply offers a platform for people to meet and network and sets a tone that there is no limit in who you are and what you can do. As a result, I’ve collaborated with various companies in Harare, Zimbabwe. What strategies have you developed to help entrepreneurs develop and deliver rich presentations? The main strategies are first to discover who the clients are (business executives/ entrepreneurs /individuals), through the YOU experience. Knowing who these parties are as individual’s makes it easier to now prepare and sell their brand. We help clients sell their experiences. Also, we look a lot at relevance, when it comes to the product and the audience.” How can one develop and manage their personal brand through speaking? The most important aspect in developing a personal brand as a speaker is that one has to be very clear. You’ve got to address the following questions: What is your topic? Who are you speaking to? What is your experience? Why should they listen to you? What platforms have you spoken at? What have you done, where have you gone to? “As you develop your personal brand as a speaker, find a topic or subject, stick to it and do not speak on things that you do not know”. As you are building a personal brand, you are building perception, and perception is reality. The more you speak on a certain topic or subject, the more it settles with the external people that you are an expert in that certain field, it results in more research and speaking on different platforms. Put yourself out there, in this era of social media, make use of platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook etc., those are platforms where one can start to grow from. It is not about waiting to be invited to speak on large platforms, it is about making yourself known and sticking to the topic or subject you want to be heard on. “Attend networking a lot of events and continuously look for opportunities.” [bctt tweet=”As a public speaker, your main strategies are should be to discover who the clients are through the YOU experience -@MsNomalanga” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Can people have a career in speaking? “Yes, people can. Speaking works differently in different countries, you can have speakers like Tonny Robins and Simon Sinek. These speakers are encouraging and motivating people, it’s working for them because of how they have branded themselves and how much value they have put in people’s lives.” “The most important aspect is HOW MUCH VALUE YOU ARE ADDING IN SOMEONE’S LIFE. I believe anyone can have a career in speaking as long as it adds value, the value added is the one that will translate into the monetary aspect that one is living on. Speaking is a career that can be penetrated but one needs to be strategic about it, which goes back to the issue of topic and
I’ve Got Bills To Pay & You’re Talking About Brand Building?
Not every single marketing activity will translate to direct sales! Can someone please scream this from the rooftops? If you’ve worked in a marketing capacity, you know this. And you also know a lot of clients straight up refuse to accept it. It’s easy to want to connect all marketing activity directly to ROI. Some of these activities, such as social media, may be viewed as extras and add-ons because they do not translate to direct revenue, but do they help in solidifying the overall brand picture? You bet! It’s imperative to place brand building and sales activities in separate categories. Although they might occasionally overlap, they must be treated as different actions, with different strategies that generate different results. [bctt tweet=”if consumers feel your brand is wack, they won’t be willing to pay much for it – Oluwaseyi Bank-Oni” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] It is easy to overlook the importance of building a solid brand before diving straight into selling. Especially after investing funds into a business. Granted, in the beginning stages of running your business, you might command profits left, right & center. But what keeps your clients coming back? What prevents them from switching to a competitor selling the exact same product or services for slightly less? Your brand – that’s what! Big brands invest millions of dollars in building and maintaining a certain brand image with no direct translation to sales. This is not just for fun or because they feel like splurging. It’s because they understand the value and the equity that comes with a solid brand name. Even the good book says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches. To be esteemed is better than silver or gold”. Hallelujah, somebody? Take Coca-Cola, for example, this brand participates in different types of brand building activities designed to trigger emotions, nostalgia, and certain positive feelings associated with the brand. Amidst these activities, Coca-Cola products are not explicitly sold. Why? The brand understands the value of building brand equity with their current and potential consumers. What is this brand equity, you ask? It is simply the value placed on a particular brand, based on the experience, feeling, or perception a consumer attaches to it. Simply put, if consumers feel your brand is wack, they won’t be willing to pay much for it. If they view your brand as the best thing since sliced bread, they will be willing to pay more for it compared to similar brands. Thus it has a higher equity and commands a price premium in the market. The problem with focusing on sales before boosting brand awareness and equity is that you may attract a slew of one-time clients. They buy and use your product, but have no connection to keep them coming back, so they keep it moving! A competitor product pops up the next time and they switch. Sounds familiar? Yeah, we’re all guilty of doing this. We’re also guilty of being extremely loyal to certain brands based on the value we have placed on them. For some mothers, only a certain brand of diapers will do for their babies, for others, such as myself, we buy fuel from only a certain brand of petrol stations. That’s the beauty of building a strong and trusted brand. There are many angles to this “brand equity” business, including consumer-based brand equity as discussed previously, employee-based brand equity, and more. As your business grows, employee-based brand equity cannot be neglected. In growing brand loyalty and equity, employees can be your most cost-effective brand evangelists. The people who will love and promote your brand from the mountaintops – for free. Let’s use Heineken as an example, I have a couple of friends who work for the brand, and as we say in Nigeria, they “carry it on their head”. Sometimes I think to myself, “Na your papa own this place?”-(Does your father own Heineken?) but guess what? The last time I was in Amsterdam, where the HQ is located — What was I most excited to see & do? To tour the Heineken brewery! The passion their employees have for the brand and the sincere love and joy that emanates when they speak about it, in turn, gave me the “ginger” and excitement to go see things for myself. When your employees truly believe in your brand and become loyalists (not just because you pay them a salary), something truly magical happens. They become one of your greatest and cheapest marketing assets. The word begins to spread organically and the positive brand equity transcends from employees to consumers. [bctt tweet=”When your employees truly believe in your brand and become loyalists (not just because you pay them a salary), something truly magical happens – Oluwaseyi Bank-Oni” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] It’s understandable, you put money in, you want money out, and quick! Unfortunately return on investment is not always immediate or that simple. Recognizing the need for brand building activities which may not necessarily translate to sales in the short-term is the first step. Understanding the need to cultivate long-term meaningful relationships with your target is the next. While creating a distinction between brand building and selling activities, always remember to look at the big picture and think long-term. As Gary Vaynerchuk once said, “Brand is not transactional. Brand is forever”. Got an article to share with us? Click here.