We’re teaming up with Visa to hook you up!
We all have that friend whose business is amazing, customer service is on a 100 and product packaging is breathtaking. Your good sis is putting in the work, day in day out but her business isn’t blowing up online. In fact, YOU may be THAT FRIEND. If there is anything this period has taught small business owners, it’s that online is the way to go. For local businesses that didn’t have a strong online presence, they’ve missed out on critical sales, visibility and customer retention during this time. If this has been your story, we come bearing good news. We’re collaborating with Visa to provide businesses like yours with the information and tools you need to create a thriving business in your community. This partnership is part of Visa’s ‘Where You Shop Matters’ initiative that aims to champion entrepreneurs across Africa and encourage consumers to support small businesses by shopping local. Visa’s initiative is supporting small businesses through the Visa Small Business Hub, a merchant platform providing tools and information on how to start, run and grow small businesses. When you join the Small Business Hub, you can: Set up your own online store for FREE! Learn how to effectively promote your business and accept payments online. Stand a chance to win $200 worth of online advertising on the She Leads Africa platform. (Hurry girl, this offer is limited to the first 100 SMEs to sign up!!!) The fun does NOT end there! As part of this collaboration, we’re sharing the secrets and growth strategies from incredible entrepreneurs from across Africa who have taken their challenges and turned them into opportunities. You do not want to miss out on all of the keys, gems and nuggets that you will gain from this series. On our website, stay tuned for our #VisaSpotlightSeries feature successful entrepreneurs sharing how they went from brand new idea to solid business in diverse industries such as food, fashion, beauty and more. On Instagram, we have four digital entrepreneurs coming through to talk about the nitty-gritty behind building an online business. We’re talking data, branding, customer service and growth strategies and the discussions will be FIRE! Girl, you DO NOT want to miss out on any of this! Sign up now to get updates about these events in your inbox.
Why your business strategy needs to include women by design – Beatrice Cornacchia, SVP Marketing & Comms, Mastercard (MEA)
Beatrice Cornacchia is Mastercard’s Head of Marketing and Communication for the Middle East and Africa and the creative force leading the company’s brand strategy across the region’s 69 markets. In this op-ed, she shares her expert opinion on the benefits of a woman-centric approach to business strategy. As a marketer, I appreciate when creativity meets great insights and data to deliver an approach that achieves its objectives. As a woman, I also especially love seeing these kinds of successful activities share commentary on the way our world interacts with women, or shed essential light on how much of our world was designed without women in mind. From Ariel’s powerful #ShareTheLoad campaign to Dove’s inclusivity campaigns, there are some fantastic examples of brands actively shifting the conversation to include women and expand on their contributions to the world we live in. But it’s not just about recognizing changing times or joining a social impact drive, it’s about much more than that. By incorporating the diverse perspectives that women bring, championing female role models as ambassadors, designing fit-for-purpose products that meet women’s needs, and creating content that encourages women to pursue their passions, brands can effectively tap into the spending power and influence of women. Take sportswear apparel for example. We took note when Nike put the spotlight on tennis star Serena Williams through its ‘Dream Crazier’ ad encouraging women to dream big and aired a TV spot calling for acceptance and respect, featuring the tenacious South African Olympic 800-meter champion Caster Semenya. These are just some of the prominent and provocative content from multiple brands that put women at the center of the conversation. The sports industry clearly understands the business growth opportunity that exists when we incorporate the true – not imagined – perspectives of women. By drawing attention to the strength, unique shapes, and differentiated athleticism of women, and showcasing real role models in better designed active-wear clothing, the women’s sports apparel industry has done just that – tapped into a significant consumer base: women. How significant? According to the ‘African Women’ Ipsos Study, women represent the most significant consumer base — 89% of African women are the decision-makers or co-decisionmakers for household purchases. When it comes to products and services, are we meeting the actual needs of women? Do we have insights that can help us incorporate women’s experiences into the design and innovation process? We must consider the functionality and practicalities of women’s interaction. In short, we have to help design and develop a world with both women and men in mind. To do this, we need women to be part of the design and innovation process, especially in this age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We need to inspire young girls to consider and pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) through initiatives like Girls4Tech. As part of this program, Mastercard has committed to reaching one million girls globally by 2025, including thousands in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. So, what exactly is the value of a world that includes women by design? In addition to the humanitarian benefits, it’s a considerable amount. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank estimates the loss in global wealth from gender inequality at $2.5 trillion. And while five Sub-Saharan countries feature in the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs’ global top 10 countries with the highest number of women entrepreneurs, the IFC says that more than half of SMEs in Sub Saharan Africa with one or more women owners lack access to finance and puts the financing gap at $42 billion. Clearly, there are huge opportunities for finance. Global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman agrees. It estimates a global revenue opportunity of $700 billion is currently being left on the table by the financial services industry not fully meeting the needs of women consumers. As a payment technology leader with global insights, Mastercard has invested significantly in understanding women’s financial priorities, and mapping out those priorities across different life stages. After all, a specific position in time often influences our need for specialised support and ingenious innovations – in sportswear as much as financial solutions. Just think of the more than 10,000 female unbanked informal traders, street-side vendors, and township salon owners who can safely accept payments through QR code as a result of Mastercard’s partnership with uKheshe, a financial inclusion platform in South Africa. Indeed, for the large population of excluded women, financial inclusion is about more than getting access to a bank account. It also means helping level the playing field for the women farmers who are growing Africa’s food, by providing access to buyers, pricing and speedier payments. It’s about hope for the future through financial payment solutions such as Kupaa – which facilitates school fee payments in budgeted amounts – increasing the ability of remote families to keep girls in school. By making a conscious decision to integrate women’s perspectives into our business, marketing and innovation strategies, more women will benefit from solutions specifically designed for their needs. More companies will see revenues climb. More societies will experience elevated productivity. More economies will grow and thrive. After all, a world that works better for women, creates limitless possibilities for us all. SPONSORED POST
Struggling with your New Year resolutions? Try this instead.
If someone bet you $5 for every month you keep your resolution this year, the odds are that you’ll lose start losing money by mid-February. If you are already struggling to keep up with your New Year resolutions, you are not alone. Why most of us suck at keeping resolutions Studies have shown that New Year’s resolutions have a failure rate of 80%. One reason why we struggle to keep our New Year resolutions is that we see resolutions as short-term goals. So the second we fail to keep them, we throw in the towel. It’s simply not sustainable for most of us to stay committed to a big goal for a year without losing steam. That’s why it makes sense for organizations to plan out the year in quarters. Milestones make it easier to accomplish big goals. Make mantras. Not resolutions. In the first episode of the new video series, SLA Tips, co-founder Yasmin Belo-Osagie makes a case for starting the new year off with mantras over resolutions. High achievers like Melinda Gates also opt for mantras over resolutions. Whether your mantras are 1-word, quotes or phrases, you are more likely to achieve success with them compared to resolutions. What mantras will you make to help you #SLAY2020? Looking to network and get personalized tips for your career or business from experts? Join the Motherland Mogul Insider program now.
Career hacks from 4 Motherland Moguls for 2020 motivation.
As Motherland Moguls living in the new millennia, we have a diverse group of women in leadership to get inspiration from. Here are lessons from 4 African women who have #slayed the past decade to help you to reach your Vision 2020 goals. 1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Get your receipts ??♀️ Chimamanda’s success in the literary world comes from her ability to consistently publish high-quality work. The secret sauce for the Queen of African Literature? Reading Chimamanda is an avid reader and researcher. Half Of a Yellow Sun, her second novel and an international bestseller, took four years of intense research and writing. This commitment to learning and research is a skill any Motherland Mogul needs for success. 2. Bonang Matheba: Invest in yourself sis ? Nothing says investing in yourself like putting your name on something and sharing it with the world. Bonang has established her name as a valuable brand that will make everything from Champagne to mobile apps valuable. Bonang’s success comes from years of strategic self-investment. If you ever doubt that you can do something, pull a Bonang. Bet on yourself and see how far you can go. Get your SLAY Festival Early Bird Tickets 3. Lupita Nyong’o: Don’t put yourself in a box ??♀️ Since her breakout role in 12 Years a Slave, Lupita has fearlessly stretched herself. In 2018, she announced she will be making her producer debut in Hollywood in the film adaptation of South African comedian, Trevor Noah’s book, Born A Crime. The movie is set to be released this year. In late 2019, she debuted as an author with her children’s book, Sulwe, which instantly became a New York Times bestseller! #goals Lupita gives us that go after your dreams inspo. 4. Yvonne Orji: Do it with what you got ??♀️ After a show she was writing for got cancelled, Yvonne focused on creating her own opportunities with the resources she had. In 2016, Yvonne created and starred in First Gen, a sitcom she piloted on YouTube with the goal of selling it to a major network. While the show never got picked up, it caught the attention of Issa Rae and producers at HBO when they were casting for Insecure. Yvonne has continued to leverage her resources and network to get things done. She created her hit podcast with fellow Nigerian comedienne, Luvvie Ajayi, launched an international comedy tour and is scheduled to publish her first book in March 2020. The lesson from Yvonne – start with what you have and build from there. Want to invest in yourself for 2020? Join the Motherland Mogul Insider – an 8-week online program to help you grow your network and reach your professional goals.
The Millionaire Housewife’s rules for every side hustler
Whether you are looking to make some extra income or start a business while working, side hustling is no small feat. You must learn to balance your commitments, stay consistent and grow while you’re at it. Temi Ajibewa, founder of The Millionaire Housewife Academy – an online platform that has helped over 5,000 women start their online businesses, shares her golden rules for side hustle success. Rule 1: Discover Your Passion Your passion could be an issue you feel strongly about or something you do effortlessly. Side hustles based on passion tend to be more sustainable because you are self-motivated to go on even when things get tough. If you are not sure what your passion is, here are 3 ways to get started: Look out for things you do well without incentives and recognition. Ask people who know you what they think you are passionate about. Consider problems people often ask you to solve because you find them easy to solve. Rule 2: Turn Your Passion into Profit Doing what you are passionate about is one thing. Knowing how to make money from your passion is a whole different ball game. Here are 5 basic steps I teach my clients to monetize their passion. 1. Find the problem your passion solves Your passion cannot bring you money unless it solves a specific human problem. For you to monetize your passion, you have to discover the hell your passion can get people out of. If you cannot find a hell, you might not have a monetizable passion. It is best as a hobby. 2. Find your money tribe The next step to monetizing your passion is finding people who are willing and able to spend money on solutions to their problems. These people are your money tribe. If you are not sure how to identify your money tribe, ask yourself this question – If I throw a concert, who will be first in line for tickets? 3. Turn your passion into a skill To have a passion valued by other people, you must be able to do it competitively well. When this happens, your passion becomes a skill. You can prune your passion by volunteering, learning through a mentor or taking online classes. 4. Create a product from your passion Your passion must become a product or service for you to make money from it. A great way to turn your passion into a product is by teaching people what you know for a fee. When I started to monetize The Millionaire Housewife Academy, I created e-books, DVDs and online classes to teach people what I knew about starting and growing an online business. I always recommend starting off with digital products because they are easier to maintain and become lifelong assets people all over the world can buy. People pay for products and services, not passions. 5. Promote your hustle You must shamelessly promote your passion if you want to make money from it. You can’t afford to be shy if you want your passion to be more than a hobby. If you are nervous, start off by promoting your hustle to people in your network. Price is only an issue where value is in dispute. Once people realize the value they’re getting from you, paying you becomes non-negotiable. It all starts with finding and monetizing your passion. Learn more about how to start a successful online side hustle at The Millionaire Housewife Academy.
6 Things You Missed From SLAY Festival 2019
Warning: This article might leave you with a lot of FOMO. SLAY Festival went down on September 28 in Motherland Mogul history as the one that brought more madness! While you can now enjoy the best of the festival with the SLAY Festival 2019 Digital Pass, there are a couple of IRL moments you might have missed. Here is a list of everything you missed from #SLAYFestival2019. Anita Brows shared her secrets to the perfect look with Maybelline NY No one could stop the makeup enthusiasts who wanted to see The Makeup Surgeon at work. Anita Brows shared her secrets to creating the perfect brows at the Maybelline Beauty Masterclass. All attendees went home with exclusive Maybelline NY gift bags. Google helped 50 Motherland Moguls shoot their shot with mentors What would you ask if you got a chance to have lunch with your role model? Women Will, a Google initiative, gave 50 women the chance to connect and get advice from women in leadership across industries. Talk about a networking opportunity that will change your life! The initiative also powered the Redesign Stage which brought in panelists like Akah Nnani, Fisayo Fosudo, Lola Masha, and Onyeche Tifashe. Jemima Osunde gave fans a little bit of herself with Lux Jemima Osunde came glowed up and hung out with her fans at the Lux Meet & Greet. Fans raved over the exclusive gift bags designed with Jemima’s face and free samples of Lux Even Complexion. Motherland Moguls secured the bag… literally Motherland Moguls got a headstart on their personal and professional finances. FSDH powered the Refresh Stage and brought in their experts to share investment advice and help Motherland Moguls open new investment accounts. Get access to all Masterclasses from SLAY Festival 2019 Celebrities showed out for the fans If you wanted to show out on the ‘gram, SLAY Festival was the place to be. Celebrities who came for this year’s festival included Smart Money Arese, Chigurl. Dimma Umeh, Juliet Ibrahim, Osas Ighodaro, Deyemi Okanlawon, Akah Nnani, the cast of Men’s Club (Ayoola Ayolola, Baaj Adebule, Efa Iwara, Daniel Etim Effiong), Mama Burna and more. Imara Africa Consulting hooked up the VIP and Speakers lounge where all celebrities and influencers stayed. It. Was. Lit! SLAY Festival would be incomplete without the fun, food, and freebies! Foodies found their haven with Maggi Nigeria‘s free jollof rice bar. Moms kicked back knowing their babies were in good hands with The Baby Lounge. No music lover left Vaseline’s Karaoke session with ashy skin. Thrill-seeking Motherland Moguls enjoyed This Day’s funtopia featuring the bouncy castle. Molped got everyone hyped and competitive with the spinning wheel of freebies. Rexona had everyone swagged out and smelling right. MAX brought the ultimate photo booth for creating social media FOMO for that cool biker chick post. 54 Gene hooked it up with free reproductive health tests and educated attendees on the importance of early diagnosis in detecting cervical cancer. Feeling the FOMO? Experience SLAY Festival 2019 with your LIFETIME digital pass. Get it here.
5 Simple Tips To Improving Your Career in Any Sector
The fourth industrial revolution (4th IR) has many of us in a bit of a tizzy! Because we either do not know how we can keep our skills up to date in our various industry. Or we are not sure whether we will have jobs once the full-on 4th IR movement takes over. I would like to zone in on the financial sector, as we have seen cases of some big banks letting staff go in a bid to drive up efficiencies. They also do this to give a customer-centric offering to their clientele and to meet their shifting expectations. Gone are the days when your study designation has to be finance-related before you can get a job in the financial sector, You can acquire both soft and critical skills in various other disciplines such as digital innovation, social media, digital marketing, communications, and PR. In fact, the list is relatively exhaustive, a simple Google search should have myriad options pop out for you. We are moving away from the era of traditional disciplines and working in jobs that require only one thing from you. Now more than before, it works to your advantage to be savvy and knowledgeable in systems outside your focus area. This not only makes you invaluable as an employee but challenges you to grow sis. We are right on the cusp of digitization and the move for a business to be tech or digital-first, as more customers want to services rendered at the customer’s convenience. Technological developments in the 4th IR do not necessarily have to translate into job losses and retrenchments in the financial sector, but rather encourage us to think about how we can collaborate and create better solutions to marry human activity with artificial intelligence. As individuals, the following tips will ensure that not only do you remain competitive in your sector but that you are agile enough to move along with your organization as it expands and moves away from traditional modes of conducting business. 1. Never Stop Learning You know that saying that says if you’re the most intelligent person in the room, move to another one? You can never reach the point of ‘knowing it all’ continue advancing yourself and applying your knowledge base, even if it is through short courses. Stay learning, stay on top of your A-Game 2. Identify and Connect with Influencers in your Industry Nothing beats learning from titans of industry. Identify someone within your business unit that you can shadow or learn on-the-job capabilities from. This will put you in good stead should you want to take your shot at a different position within the team. 3. Show up for yourself. Sis, be on time and put in the work. Most importantly, when you have gotten a seat at the table, make your voice heard, do not cower behind self-doubt or allow the dreadful imposter syndrome to cripple you. Show up for yourself sis, be on time, put in the work. And most importantly, when you have gotten a seat at the table, make your voice heard, do not cower behind self-doubt or allow the dreadful imposter syndrome to cripple you. 4. Create a personal and professional development plan. Ensure that you have your PBOB (personal board of directors) holding you accountable to keep on smashing those goals out the park! 5. Remember to self-care. Everybody knows that fatigue ain’t one bit cute. Take time out to do things that rejuvenate your soul and genuinely bring you joy. You can never underestimate the importance of rebooting in this fast-paced world that we live in. Go out there babe, and be the corporate maven (or entrepreneurial queen) you know you are and secure the bag! Join the SLA #SecureTheBag challenge.
The Tech and STEM pioneer of Botswana
The goal is to have a national coding competition where all the students will come to Gaborone and showcase their projects. Captain Kgomotso Phatsima is best known in Botswana for her pioneering work as one of the few women pilots in the country. Her career began in the military, and she diligently worked her way up to becoming a real force to be reckoned with. Captain Phatsima’s work as a pilot and her passion for youth development led her to discover that there were very few girls who were adept at – or even interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, which are key for the aerodynamics space. Not only are STEM subjects integral for becoming a pilot, or engaging in the aerospace industry, they are also essential for the development of human capital and the future of business in Botswana, Africa, and the world. She founded the Dare to Dream Foundation (of which she is the President) in 2008 which deals with the advancement of youth, women and girls in STEM, aviation and aerospace as well as entrepreneurship development, with the intention to get young people interested in STEM-preneurship and the aviation and aerospace business. Connect with Kgomotso Phatsima and her business on social media. Why I founded Dare to Dream… When I was growing up, I never had the chance to sit like this with a pilot or get into an airplane until I had the chance to fly one. After I qualified as a pilot, I sat down and thought: ‘What can I do to give the upcoming generation – especially those who grew up in a village, like me – an opportunity to do that?’. I started Dare to Dream to give back to the community and to try and open up their eyes to opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. On the ‘barrier’ to girls’ entry into STEM & traditionally ‘female/male-dominated’ subjects… I will talk about myself and my own experience here. When I told my parents that I want to fly and be a pilot, my mother said ‘In our time, a girl could never fly a plane. You cannot be a soldier!’ Sometimes it goes back to our upbringing and the culture. A girl must be domestic, and boys also have prescribed activities. So we separate ourselves from engaging in these things. The same mindset goes on to say that ‘Some things are hard, and are only for men’, like piloting or engineering. With some of our families, their backgrounds are what can hinder the involvement of girls in certain subjects and limit girls to certain careers. But as the times and technologies change, and with other women and organizations such as ours showing that it’s possible, there is more of an acceptance that you can be and do anything you want. Is Africa / Botswana in a good position to keep up with the world’s “breakneck’ speed? I think so because the demographic dividend of the youth in Africa indicates that young people make up most of Africa at 60 percent. I think that the whole of Africa is at a good advantage to participate in the technological changes that are taking place right now. There are a lot of young people who are interested in technology. I also think that Batswana are in a good position to take advantage of what is happening. We just need to channel the youth in the right direction to take advantage of the technological era, and prepare them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the businesses of tomorrow, which will be different from the businesses of today. How Botswana (and Africa) can prepare for ‘The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)’… In other African countries such as Rwanda, you’ll find that coding and robotics are taught in schools and they are part of the curriculum. Recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa stated that coding will be taught in schools. We in Botswana are a little slower in catching on to these developments. At Dare to Dream, we partnered with Airbus to sponsor 1,500 students across the country in rural places and trained them in robotics in order to prepare them for 4IR. It was also important that they know that there are careers in the aerospace industry that are STEM-related that they can take advantage of. We are looking forward to partnering with the Ministry of Education, but there have been some delays, which I hope will be overcome in the future. Dare to Dream’s most engaged stakeholders…so far… We have engaged Airbus and also partnered with Botswana Innovation Hub, the University of Botswana and Botswana International University for Science and Technology – BIUST. BIUST created an initiative to encourage young girls to get into STEM subjects because they realized that the number of girls applying for these subjects was low. They had called 100 girls from Central District schools to participate. We form partnerships with organizations with the same mandate as us. For example, Debswana is interested in the 4IR and getting young people engaged in it, so we have partnered with them and they have assisted us to roll out our programs. We have also done work with Major Blue Air, who own planes. The girls get a chance to get onto the planes, and I fly the children. It’s not just about STEM, it’s about exposing the girls to new experiences and igniting the passion within them. There are other organizations doing work in the same area, and we are looking forward to also having them on board. There is something very powerful about collaboration. We have also recently partnered with EcoNet, who have chosen me to lead the Youth Development Programme in coding and entrepreneurship. What we are doing differently is that we are teaching the kids how to code and build websites, but also entrepreneurship and leadership skills. We have enrolled the first 500 participants and we are starting in July this year. The role
SheaMoisture Spotlight On Award-Winning Midwife: Tolu Adeleke-Aire – CEO ToluTheMidwife
SheaMoisture is the enduring and beautiful legacy of Sofi Tucker. Widowed with five children at 19, Grandma Sofi supported her family by selling handcrafted shea butter soaps and other creations in the village market in Sierra Leone. Sofi became known as a healer who shared the power of shea and African black soap with families throughout the countryside. She handed down her recipes to grandson Richelieu Dennis, who founded SheaMoisture and incorporated her wisdom into the brand’s hair and skin care innovations. SheaMoisture products and collections are formulated with natural, certified organic and fair trade ingredients, with the shea butter ethically-sourced from 15 co-ops in Northern Ghana as part of the company’s purpose-driven Community Commerce business model. SheaMoisture has partnered with She Leads Africa to support and showcase Nigerian women who support their communities. About Tolu Adeleke-Aire Tolu Adeleke-Aire is the CEO and founder of ToluTheMidwife. She is an internationally trained, dual-qualified healthcare professional. Tolu is an accomplished senior midwife and nurse. Tolu has over ten years of clinical and management experience. She completed an MSc in Healthcare Management, after which she worked with the reputable UCL (Department of Nutrition). Tolu founded ToluTheMidwife to create a holistic experience for families. One that included preparing, supporting and empowering expectant parents as they transition to parenthood. She does this through evidence-based health education. One parent at a time, Tolu is living her business mantra, “save a mother, save a child, save a community.” To learn more about Tolu’s business and connect with her, visit her Website, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. ToluTheMidwife Healthcare Solutions, how did you start? I started ToluTheMidwife Healthcare Solutions (officially) in 2018. The aim is to prepare, support and empower expectant parents as they transition to parenthood through evidence-based health education. At ToluTheMidwife, we offer Antenatal Classes, Postnatal Classes, exclusive “With Woman” services and Dads Antenatal Classes #DadsAntenatalNg. Through effective health education, we can influence a positive change in health behaviors. This will drastically reduce Nigeria’s maternal and neonatal mortality rates. We truly believe that informed and empowered parents will Save a mother, Save a baby and Save a Community. What was your motivation? While still working in England, I visited Nigeria often because I always wanted to move back. So during one of these visits, I read an article about the atrocious maternal and neonatal mortality rates. I instantly became obsessed. That article made me struggle to understand why so many women die just because they are having a baby. On further research, I noted many women lack basic evidence-based health education. As a result, I created Tolu the Midwife to fill this gap, with the hopes of saving mothers, babies, and communities. What makes your brand stand out? I would say our dads antenatal classes, #DadsAntenatalNg. We are the first to incorporate antenatal classes for dads in Lagos and possibly Nigeria. Society expects men to understand the beautiful yet challenging changes that happen to women during pregnancy. To support their partners in labor and in the postnatal period. All that without being taught, educated, informed or even supported. This is grossly unfair, drives men away and generational patterns are subconsciously repeated. Our holistic approach covers the transition to parenthood right from conception for both men and women. Another thing we do is offer our couples, round the clock online maternity support through our exclusive “With Woman” packages. Couples feel very reassured knowing there is a midwife available to answer all their questions and alleviate any anxiety or refer them to the hospital (if required). Can you tell us one 1 to 3 things you struggled with as a business owner and how you overcame them? 1. Time management: I had a demanding full-time job and was starting a business in Nigeria. It was very challenging and I found no matter how hard I tried, the “naija factor” would disrupt my plans. I am currently working part-time, as this gives me enough time to focus on building ToluTheMidwife and The Maternity Hub (Nigeria). I am also able to attend various courses which have been extremely helpful in building my brand. 2. Funding: I was unable to secure a personal space as I had planned and this threw me out of sync. I froze the plans I had for the classes for a while. However, I am currently leasing spaces as required for my classes (pay-as-you-go) and this is working out really well. How have you managed to stay above the noise in this industry? As a brand new start-up, we are trying new and exclusive services such as dads antenatal classes and baby massage classes and evaluating the response we get from our clients. We also constantly monitor maternal needs and trends. Do you have a personal experience that taught you a business lesson? I didn’t consider the third party factor and it left me devastated at the start of my business. As an example, I write the handbooks for the classes and have them updated throughout the year. I gave the first book to a printer and I didn’t receive them on time for the very first class. It made me upset because when I did receive them, they were not fit for purpose. So when I updated the books again and sent them to the printer, I monitored every single step to avoid a repeat of what happened before. It was a really helpful learning experience for me because as a startup, I can’t afford to have a stain on my reputation, so I take all the necessary steps to ensure it doesn’t repeat itself. What impact have you made on your community since starting this business? I would say being able to make pregnant couples feel informed and empowered about their pregnancy, birthing options, and postnatal care. Most of them report feeling less anxious and worried because they know we are one call away. They also ask the midwives and doctors to complete all aspects of their antenatal check-up. The women have their personal antenatal
Want to Join an Investors Club With a Low Budget? Here’s what you need to know
Ever heard of the term Plutophobia? Plutophobia is derived from Pluto (wealth) and Phobia (fear) is the fear of wealth. Yes, it is actually a thing that there are people who are afraid of being rich. It sounds funny, I even feel like laughing out loud as I type this, but looking at it deeply makes it not so funny. Like, how can someone be afraid of being wealthy when we all know that money answereth all things? (We are well aware of immaterial wealth but for the sake of this article, all mention of wealth refer to money and all the riches that come with it). There is also something called Chrometophobia. Chermato (money) and Phobia (fear) which is the fear of money. The key triggers of phobias are external events which might be heredity or life experiences. You might have heard time and time again that investment is not for the rich only. But then, you don’t know how exactly to invest with a low budget. What if I told you that you do not need huge amounts of money to invest in portfolios that can give you beautiful rewards. All you need is to have the right information and go where the opportunities abound. Before you invest, first decide if you are willing to invest either for a short term or a long term. This will enable you to look in the right places, thereby saving time and being decisive from the onset. Pay attention to the following before your first investment: Beware of “too good to be true” offers. Examples are investments that offer high returns just after two days. Understand the risks that come with the investment you are taking up. Do your own proper research. Always get the second opinion from friend, family or an investments expert. Ensure that there is physical paperwork stating all the terms of investment. Now that you have the information on what to do before you invest. Here are some investment opportunities you can start investing with as low as N5,000 monthly: Mutual funds Money market funds Real estates Treasury bills via i-invest app Agriculture Invest in a friend or family’s business with properly drafted contracts There are also private investment opportunities where you get up to 10% monthly on commitments from as low as N50,000 Remember that you won’t get rich by hoarding money in your savings account or leaving them in a piggy bank. It is by investing. A change in mindset would help you navigate away from societal misconceptions about being wealthy as a woman. It would also help you overcome the fear of charging your worth for services you render or the good you sell. And as time goes on, you will see yourself making the money that you were long due to make, but afraid to ask for. Like I mentioned earlier, decide on the type of investment you want and why you want it then go for a suitable opportunity. Now that you are well informed about investments and how it can help you become wealthy, do you still hold any reservations about it? How are you improving your spending habits this month? Click here to join the SLA #SecureTheBag challenge.