Isis Nyong’o Madison: The journey has to be worth it
[bctt tweet=”African founders have to actively create the environment needed for success – Isis Nyong’o Madison” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Isis Nyong’o Madison is a well-known media and technology leader in Africa who has held leadership roles at Asphalt & Ink, InMobi, Google and MTV. Over the past decade, she has made her mark scaling media and digital businesses across the continent. Isis holds degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Business School and is the CEO and Co-founder of Mums Village – an online start-up dedicated to enriching the lives of current mothers and mums-to-be in urban Kenya. Accolades awarded to her include being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Africa’s most Powerful Women by Forbes. She serves on the boards of two technology companies and can’t hurt to add that her family boasts of greatness with Academy award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o as her cousin. We’ve shared her lessons on landing a job in the media industry already, this article focuses on Isis’s start-up experiences and her lessons learned from challenges. Overcoming challenges faced in the startup field There are three types of challenges I have observed while working in this industry: Access to capital Access to capital is very different in Africa as compared to the US – there are a lot more types and forms of capital that are accessible, especially for technology-driven startups. Ecosystem Development Despite having a critical mass of people online now in Africa, unlike more mature markets such as the US, there’s more consumer education and ecosystem building. African founders have to actively create the environment needed for success. For example, a couple years ago if you had an app, you would have to tell people what an app was, where to go to get it and how to download it. In the US no one has had to do that for the last seven years at least. So that shows us that there’s still a lot more work to do here to just get going, particularly with the consumer. There’s similar challenges on B2B type businesses where you’re really trying to sell something useful for that particular business and that process is probably a lot longer than at other markets abroad. Team Building With regards to finding talent, the dynamics are just a little bit different. To get the talent that you want in a place in the west where every person has many options, you need to sell a more compelling vision or have deeper pockets. Here we just don’t have that depth of talent pool so you have to invest more time in identifying people who are problem solvers and then develop the other skills on the job. I look for talent in unconventional places and try make the work environment an inviting and enjoyable space to be in. In regards to ecosystem development, I focus on leveraging partnerships as much as possible. From an access to capital standpoint, I think that’s something that is still definitely a work in progress in terms of trying to be more open-minded to the organic ‘zebra’ growth versus the ‘unicorn’ approach. [bctt tweet=”Isis Nyong’o Madison: I focus on leveraging partnerships as much as possible” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Take the Imposter Syndrome as a sign of growth “This is something I have dealt with many times. I feel that it is probably just an indication of real challenge and growth where you feel almost not ready for something this is your chance to step up to the plate. I certainly believe it’s an inner belief that builds up over time, and I usually just internally calibrate and tell myself ‘you know what there are probably people who feel the same way here and if they haven’t felt it here then they’ve probably felt it somewhere else.’” On balancing life as a working mother… Isis is a mother to Juno (3) and Sky (18 months) and has been a successful entrepreneur in Nairobi, running both MumsVillage and Asphalt & Ink for close to four years combined. “You just have to be extremely organized and ensure that you build as much flexibility to your work and life as you can. It’s also about checking in to see if the way you are living your life has the values that you have. People make different choices, there are those who decide to take time off, others who don’t have a choice. It’s a careful calibration where one might adjust on a week by week or month by month basis. As an entrepreneur, it’s not such a super static thought process as my schedule is more fluid. The reality is though that most mothers don’t really have a choice and they just have to try and do their best to balance it out as there’s no magic formula.” Parting shot… My mantra in life right now is – ‘the journey has to be worth it’. Ask yourself, how much am I enjoying the journey? Versus looking to the end goal. This is a shift for me because I’ve been very goal oriented and so I think the journey in itself has to be rewarding as well. Another thing I’d add is, always have a long term view –that’s very much where I’m at right now.
Is my business ready for SEO?
[bctt tweet=”Without SEO, your business is basically invisible. You need to be visible!” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of refining your website using both on and off-page optimization techniques so that it will be indexed and ranked by search engines, naturally. – Digital Marketing Institute If you have had a hard time understanding SEO (Search Engine Optimization), let’s start with a visual exercise. Picture this -you have a wonderful store with all the best offerings, only…your store is invisible. Not just that; millions of your potential consumers pass by daily looking for just what you offer. Crazy right? Yes, that’s exactly what your business is without SEO. You need to be visible! Take results from a Wild Fusion Digital Center 2016 channel effectiveness study, for instance; 63% of Nigerian consumers use search engines to research and buy products. This puts Search right at the center of the purchase funnel. You need to ensure your business shows up when people search for the services you offer. How SEO Works Ever wondered how search results show up? Let’s talk spiders! Google has an inventory or index where it stores keywords and information regarding the websites they originate from. This index is populated by search engine spiders who crawl the web. When they get to your site, they populate the index with keywords from your site. As people search online they are actually querying the index. What Google then does is to present the most relevant results of the search from its inventory. So basically, if Google doesn’t have you in their index, there’s no way you are showing up in the search results. This is why you need to optimize your website for search engines. Ranking on the search engine … Page 1, Page 2..Page 10 Ranking is website positioning in SERP (Search Engine Results Pages). Your ultimate goal would be to rank on page 1 and even better, be the first result. Like the saying goes ‘the best place to hide a dead body is on page 2 of Google search engine’. As crazy as that sounds, the reality is that search engine visibility is a clear indicator of good marketing, it also lends credibility to your brand. [bctt tweet=”Search engine visibility is a clear indicator of good marketing & lends credibility to your brand” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] SEO is a continuous effort. Every day, businesses similar to yours are competing for the same keywords, trying to convince Google that they are more relevant. Google considers a number of factors when ranking websites, but today we will highlight two. Content Relevance You want to ensure that your content is relevant. Start your content strategy with keyword research. This helps you figure out real questions and ideas that matter to your consumers. The Google Keyword Planner will come in handy here. Also, your content should be readable, you should avoid duplicating content at any cost. Mobile Responsiveness Nothing is more frustrating than getting to a site via your mobile phone and finding it’s so difficult to navigate. Think user experience when designing your site! – This article was written by Uche Offokaja. Uche is the Client Solutions Manager Wild Fusion, Africa’s leading Digital Marketing Agency.
A stitch in time: The importance of timing in managing business cash flow
[bctt tweet=”#MotherlandMoguls be aware that poor cash flow management could ruin your business” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] A stitch in time saves nine…whoever said that was right. The saying is a warning against procrastination. Putting off doing important stuff until it is more convenient is never a great strategy in personal life and especially in business. When it comes to your business, it needs to have a minimum amount of cash to remain afloat. Maintaining liquidity requires intentional effort and coordination to ensure that you meet this requirement. Poor cash flow management has been known to floor businesses. At the root of the famous Enron scandal was the management of cash flow. That is why #MotherlandMoguls who are their own #Bosses need to pay attention to it. Managing your business cash flow There are three major warning signs you need to pay attention to when managing your cash; Slow Collection: When your sales are not moving as fast as you expected them to or you are not making sales at all. Excessive short-term debt: “Short term” usually refers to debt that is due in 90 days or less. The larger this figure is, the higher the chances that your business is cash strapped. Overtrading: Making sales is a good thing; the problem is having more credit sales which means that the cash your business should have is stuck with your customers. Sometimes what happens is that businesses ignore some warning signs and fail to respond to them on time which leads to bigger problems. One of the most important things to do here is to monitor and coordinate when money comes in and when it goes out. The moment you recognise a situation that is likely to put your business at cash flow risk, deal with it at the earliest opportunity. This is one of the lessons that Julia learned. [bctt tweet=”Timing is everything when it comes to managing cash in a business” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] A business at standstill We met Julia in one of our Financial Education workshops. Julia runs a small milk delivery business and she was having a few challenges with her cash flow. A majority of her customers bought her milk on credit which she let them have for a period that was not specified. When we met her, her main problem was that she was not able to pay her milk suppliers because she didn’t have enough cash on her. Some of her customers owed her for more than two months and the fact that she could not pay for the milk meant that her business was at a standstill. Julia also rents a storage unit where she stocks up her milk; she was in arrears for one month and was about to throw in the towel when we met her. Lessons from Julia Timing is everything when it comes to managing cash in a business, you must be sure about the dates when major payments (out and into the business) are expected and when. Some of the tips we gave Julia for her business were: First to consider taking a loan as she tries to stabilise her cash position Not to rely on her sales to make basic payments such as rent and wages since Julia might not always meet her sales targets. Rather she should have savings that she can dip in when the going gets tough. This savings can be built slowly over time when business is good. Not to order excess milk if she doesn’t think she can sell it. To compare the credit terms of different suppliers and pick the one that works best to her advantage. [bctt tweet=”One way to ensure money moves through your business is by saving up to make basic payments ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] A couple of months later, Julia who had decided to continue her business reported that her business was doing much better as she had found another supplier who had better credit terms. She also instituted stricter credit terms with her customers. If your business is cash-strapped consider taking on some of the tips we have given and you just might end up with a smile on your face like Julia did.
You vs Them: Staying relevant in the dawn of rising business competition
[bctt tweet=”Never, ever, lose sight of your business game because of the competition” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Competition is everywhere. These days, everything is basically a competition in business, from online DIY blogs and vlogs giving clients all the information for the same services you render to the new enemy in the block rendering the exact same services or product your offer. On the bright side however, competition can be healthy for your business and customers too (they literally pray for it). Every customer loves to have a wide range of options and the universe is big enough to accommodate you and a million others to do business. So rather than putting all your energy in prayers for your competitor(sss) to fold up pretty soon, it’ll be much better for you to start pouring all that energy into keeping your business relevant and on top the lighthouse, and here’s how: First things first, avoiding irrelevance is the first major step to take in staying relevant So at every point, always halt and ask yourself (with or without the competition) if your business is still relevant. You should also ask if your relevance is slowly fading out. This helps you understand and reinvent your business better to fit the changing times. Keep your eyes on the game: Never let your competitors get you all jerky and stuff. Stay focused on your business, consolidate on your strengths, and work on strengthening your weaknesses. Think about: What you can be doing to ace up your product and service How to top up your customer service (veryyy key) How to improve on your quality and business value How to expand and reach more markets and more people Build integrity for your business and keep it that way. Say what you have and offer what you can give, this will keep your customers coming back to you even after checking out a new competition. Never, ever, lose sight of your game because of the competition. Do a Lil’ Checking Out: Eyes on your game all right, but a lil’ spying never hurt anybody. Take a moment to check out your competitors, do some quick research, find out all you can about them especially their greatest strength and weakness. Leverage on their weakness and see what you can do about their strength. However, don’t panic and copycat the enemy in desperation. Don’t go slashing your prices when you clearly don’t need to, because your competitor has done so. Do Not Be The Last To Trend: Time waits for no one and so does technology. Whether it’s a start-up or full grown business, don’t stay sleeping on your achievements and get left behind. Be innovative, research on the latest technology, (and the ones to come) and constantly build your brand to fit in before you walk into a Kodak moment. This also involves understanding that diverse locations have diverse customer needs. Know your customers and know what is in trend for them, like if they more concerned about service or quality, or price. Spice Up Your Marketing Strategy: Constantly make an effort to spice up your marketing strategy. It could be with a re-branded logo or a new tag line, loyalty discounts and promotions on your services and products, collaborating with other products or services related to yours, anything to customizing your bottle with individual consumers’ names (we know who did this one). #MotherlandMogul key word: Keep it spiced up, don’t hang on stale strategy (even if it was once a major hit). Take Care Of Your In-House: Treat your employees great and make them understand the goal, cause employees can make or mar your business, sista. You don’t want your employees telling your clients (through words or actions) why patronizing your competitor might be a better idea. We know the competition can be fierce sista, but so are you. So, put on some stilettos, and get to work; today is for good business *raises glass*
Cash is King, don’t ever ignore it
[bctt tweet=”A #MotherlandMogul who underestimates the power of money sets herself up for failure” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Phones are ringing, orders are streaming in and your sales department is a beehive of activities. Your business is doing well, the mood is ecstatic. The store person walks to you and breaks unpleasant news, stocks are exhausted. You quickly ring your suppliers and each supplier, as if choreographed responds, “We can’t supply till you pay the outstanding amounts”. You call your accountant and ask her how much money the business has. She says there is very little cash, but quickly assures you that there are receivables which if you collect; the business will have more than enough money to buy stocks. You ask your assistant to call all the debtors and collect outstanding money. Meanwhile, you call the bank, for quick working capital. In your mind, either of these two must come through for you. By end of day, you call your bff to explain you have no money to buy stocks and you have lots of orders pending. She does not have any cash either; all orders for that day are delayed. The next day is no better, and customers start asking for alternatives, to which you direct them to your competitors. It is a sad state of affairs and each passing day, the mood in your business dampens, and activities slowly grind to a halt. Where did I go wrong? you ask yourself; with no answers. Many times we hear an investor say, I will make loads of cash from this idea, so let me put in all the money that I have. Yet she doesn’t consider the day to day cash needed to sustain the business and her life. Such a #MotherlandMogul who underestimates the power of money sets herself up for failure. Money dictates the pace of growth for our businesses, and also the pace of progress of our lives. The absence of money brings business to a standstill and slows our lives down. Planning cash flows is tantamount to respecting the King. Cash must circulate in your business, from your financiers and customers, to be used for purchasing inventory or stocks, investing, paying for labour and some lying around in a bank account to handle emergencies. All these activities are so important for your business survival, neglecting any of them, or leaving it to chance is a quick way of muzzling your business to death. In this series of articles and guides, we are going to breakdown cash flow management’s concepts to help you manage your King in a way in which he will flow, without any turbulence, and provide your business with the much-needed growth. [bctt tweet=”Learn the basics of cash flow analysis with @SheLeadsAfrica & @StanChartKE #MoneyMakingMogul” via=”no”] Tight Money (Guide) The cash flow cycle explains the physical flow of money in your business, from the moment you receive it, through utilising it to pay for your expenses, all the way to banking and using it to produce goods and services. Show Me The Money (Guide) We then delve into the best time-tested strategies for managing cash. Here, we discuss how much money you need to have idle around your business waiting to be spent, what you need to do to manage suppliers and the people who owe you, when to turn to debt and when to dispose your inventories, even if it is at a loss. A stitch in time… (Article) Timing your cash flows to coincide with your outflows is quite a serious strategy in the process of managing cash. It is important that your big expenses are undertaken when you are expecting your big payments from your customers or an inflow from your financier, be it a loan or a grant, or an injection of capital. Read up on how to time your cash flow here. Cash in itself can be an investment. That means by having liquid cash, you can keep it in a form in which it earns interest instead of keeping it under your mattress. Money can be invested to earn a return while waiting to be used in the business. Concepts around managing liquidity, investing excess cash, earning or paying interest and banking will be discussed in our last article on cash flow management. Cash is King. No queen ignores the king. If a #MotherlandMogul ignores the King, it can only be to her own detriment.
Social Media Marketing- What? Why? How?
[bctt tweet=”Social media marketing has gone been perceived as a fad to a must-have for brands today” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Let’s start with 2 definitions to answer the What: social media noun websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking Source: Oxford Dictionary social media marketing noun the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites Source: Searchengineland Simple right? Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s dive right into the Why! Social media marketing has gone from what was perceived as a fad in the early 2000s to a must-have for brands today. Every brand, business, and entity wants to have a presence on every social media platform. Why should YOU think about social media marketing? Well, it starts with you as a brand. Social media is an opportunity for you to build your personal brand, and grow your authority on your subject. Your social media profiles are the first thing to show up in a Google search for your name. These are the best places to start with establishing you as a brand. Twitter is a great place to weigh in with your opinions. LinkedIn is the best place to detail your professional experience and showcase your expertise. Facebook allows you to keep in touch, and share your views. Instagram provides a place to chronicle your life’s journey. When it comes to your business, social media lets you reach a staggering number of people at a fraction of the cost of traditional media. Take Facebook, for example. There are more than 15 million Nigerians on Facebook. For $10/day, you can reach up to 40,000 people. That’s a staggering amount of people and dirt cheap when you compare it to the cost to reach those people through traditional media channels. The best part is you don’t always have to pay to reach them. It’s all about how you communicate with them. The variety of social media channels means you can showcase your business and its personality in different ways. Social media allows you to get in front of your consumer where they are. And believe me, they are everywhere! Social media is becoming an integral part of the marketing funnel. With the advent of messenger bots, live video, and VR, it is now possible to sell a product and an experience without any physical process. That is huge in itself and signals a drastic shift in how consumers’ purchasing activity. [bctt tweet=”Social media is becoming an integral part of the marketing funnel” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] So how do you start? For starters, do not go and create an account on every social media platform for your business. Yes, that’s right, do NOT. It starts with listening. You understand your business and your target audience. The next thing is to see where your target audience is and what they’re saying. When you’re armed with that knowledge, you can then think about which platforms your business needs and how your business is going to join in the conversation on them. Remember each platform has its own nuances, and it’s best to understand them before jumping on them. Take the time to study each platform. Some tips for your content: Keep it relevant and informative. Statistics show that consumers engage most with relevant and engaging content. Use an 80:20 approach. 20% of your content should be sales focused. The 80% should educate, showcase, inform and entertain your consumers. Always be ready to adapt. What works today might not work tomorrow, and the landscape is always changing. Be ready to change with it. Be conversational. Integrate. Your social media sales communication should not be in isolation of any other marketing activity you’re running. Social media marketing is not a thing of tomorrow, it is a thing of now. And every passing day, it’s evolving. All aboard? – This article was written by Prashant Kirpalani. Prashant is the Social Media Manager at Wild Fusion, Wild Fusion is Africa’s leading Digital Marketing Agency. When he’s not working, he likes to game, DJ, and tweet about Chelsea and fantasy football.
Union Bank celebrates its rich heritage of women in banking at International Women’s Day 2017
Union Bank, one of Nigeria’s longest standing and innovative banks, celebrated International Women’s Day 2017 themed Be Bold for Change, with an event held at the bank’s Head Office in Marina, Lagos. The event featured a panel discussion which was moderated by Dr. Anino Emuwa, with participants such as Ifeoma Fafunwa, Chief Creative Director, iOpenEye Ltd., Achenyo Adachaba, Head, MitiMeth, Tayo Oviosu, Founder, Paga, Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Founder, Life Bank and Adenrele Sonariwo, Director, Rele Gallery. Union Bank celebrates its 100th year anniversary this year and this was for them a celebration of all the women who have contributed to its rich heritage in banking in Nigeria, and all the women building the legacy for the next 100. Other guests were Emeka Emuwa, CEO, Union Bank, Simi Nwogugu, Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria, Oyinkan Adewale, Chief Financial Officer, Union Bank, Bikiye Graham Douglas, Spoken Word Artist, Lola Cardoso, Head, Group Corporate Strategy, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Head, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communication, Omotola Oyebanjo, Head Communications and Media, Union Bank among others. The event was also held to commemorate the first-year anniversary of the Women Empowerment Hub (WEHUB) an initiative created by Union Bank to motivate, connect and provide support to its women. The initiative was born out of specific internal needs identified which include mentoring and networking opportunities. Sponsored post
Nkem Offonabo: I visualize the woman I want to become
[bctt tweet=”Creating beautiful & functional spaces come easy for Nkem Offonabo founder of HomeWorth Interiors” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Nkem Offonabo is a seasoned banker, youth empowerment advocate, humanitarian, content manager and ultimately an entrepreneur who believes that passion can thrive into a great business. She is passionate about décor, personal development and wealth creation. With an innate love for aesthetics, creating beautiful and functional spaces comes so easy for Nkem. This was the drive for starting her company HomeWorth Interiors, a business she gradually is turning to an empire. She hopes to have a home gallery filled with all things luxury living, fashion accessories and collection of arts. Nkem Offonabo is making the world more beautiful one room at a time. Please tell us about your company and how it all began HomeWorth Interiors Concept Limited is a registered company that specializes in Interior Design, Furniture and Furnishing. Our unique product assortment ranges from custom-made furniture, upholstery, window and floor treatment, lighting, soft furnishings to exquisite bedding ensemble. We also offer bespoke home improvement advisory services to meet the needs of our clients. It was born out of an innate passion to create beautiful and functional spaces that reflect individual taste and style. Over the years, this passion has thrived into a business and was later incorporated in 2016. We recently launched HomeWorth Cleaners to the already existing business line, commercial cleaning services for both residential and corporate organizations. [bctt tweet=”Nkem Offonabo: I believe that one’s home or office space is a reflection of their personality & lifestyle” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How do you ensure you deliver excellent service to customers? I relate with my customers on a personal ground. I believe that one’s home or office space is a reflection of their personality and lifestyle. For us, design or business consultation starts with a preliminary meeting with the client, to understand their design preferences, through the life of each project. They’re carried along to ensure that our collective ideas are translated into the final outcome. What’s your source of inspiration for your designs? It most times feels innate but I get inspiration from places and spaces, colors and patterns. A pattern in a fabric shop could spark an inspiration for a design. I am constantly saving images online and in magazines for color and design inspiration. For most minimalist projects, the client and I come up with an idea from personal choices which will be developed to a final outcome. [bctt tweet=”HomeWorth Interiors aims to work on job and wealth creation for Nigerians and African beyond” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You run a multi-service company, what other services are you likely to add on in the nearest future? We want to be a full-fledged home services provider. We plan in addition to home decor and cleaning services, to include home moving services where we help people moving houses to carefully transport their items or belongings to their new homes or offices. Our long-term strategy is to establish a factory, where home furnishing accessories and related products (like bedding, mattresses, etc) will be manufactured locally in Nigeria. This is working in line with the Federal Government local content mandate which will help in job and wealth creation for Nigerians and Africa beyond. What is your golden rule in business? You win. I win. We all win. Can you tell us more about your CSR initiative, Energizing Lives Foundation? Energizing Lives Foundation for the less privileged is a non-profit organization focused on youth between the ages of 12 to 25 years old. It empowers youth with the mission of raising global influencers through an academic, capacity building and community based projects. Our three major platforms are: Project Decorate, Project Save2School, Project Acquire. In June, 2016, we partnered with Heritage Home Orphanage, Ikota, Lagos for our flagship project tagged “Project Decorate”. We decorated the living room of the orphanage home, to create a conducive ambience for recreation and learning. We intend to replicate this project in more orphanage homes and schools as part of our community-based projects. Our next project is centered on academic empowerment of the young adults. We intend to partner with another orphanage home(s) to sponsor some orphaned youths through school (from secondary to tertiary institution), provide them with job opportunities or skill acquisition, and monitor their progress until they are well able to contribute and positively impact the society. We are looking to partner with The Living Fountain orphanage, Oniru, Lagos on this project. It is a combination of two of our platforms, Project Save2School and Project Acquire. We have more details on this on our Facebook page. How will a typical day with Nkem be like? I start each day with some quiet time with God, a review of my daily to-do’s and a lot of multitasking between my day job and my hustles; engaging clients, organizing the vendors to ensure delivery of design projects and writing on my blog crownmusings. What is your favorite piece of house furniture? My all-time favorite piece of home furniture would be a mirror. Besides being a tool of admiration, a mirror acts as a reflective tool to question and evaluate oneself. In my mirror, I see the reflection of a woman crafted in the image of God, beautiful in His eyes and visualize the woman I want to become. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Case study: How your business can stand out from the competition
[bctt tweet=”Competition is a “necessary evil” of doing business, here’s how to make yours stand out” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] If you’re in business, competition is something you can’t do without. In other words, competition is a “necessary evil” of doing business. It does not, however, mean that competition in your business area is a bad thing. On the contrary, when there are several competitors in your niche, it shows that you’re on the right track and that there’s money to be made there. What you must do, as a business owner, innovator and Motherland Mogul, is figure out how you can stand out from your competition. You need to ask yourself: “If I must have competitors, how do I make sure I’m able to stand out? How can I be visible to my potential customers and clients? How can I meet my revenue expectations?” In this article, I’m going to share with you a quick way to combat that. I’ll be sharing two case studies of how companies were able to stand out from the competition by thinking out of the box. [bctt tweet=”Ask yourself the following questions if you want to stand out from the competition” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Guideline: How to stand out from the competition First things first, look at the top 10 companies/competition in your industry. Make sure you take note of the following: What are they offering? How do they offer it? What are their price points? How is their customer service? What is their packaging like? Then, ask yourself: What are their strengths? What are they doing that you should emulate? Do they have any weak spots? Is there something they are doing that you can do better? Finally, determine how you can leverage all this information to be different. Ask yourself: How can you do things differently without undermining the value of the products and services you sell? #MotherlandMogul tip: Sometimes, all it takes is improving the experience your customers and clients get doing business with you. Got it? Alright, now to the Case studies. Case Study #1: Rebecca Minkoff Stores I stumbled across an article about Rebecca Minkoff in Inc. Magazine. If you prefer the tl:dr version, here’s the story in a nutshell. Rebecca Minkoff launched her brand of ready-to-wear accessories, handbags, and footwear in 2005. From the start, she knew it won’t survive as a regular store. So, she set out to create the perfect shopper experience. When shoppers enter flagship stores, they are greeted by a digital touchscreen wall that displays the latest runway selections, offers style suggestions from Rebecca Minkoff herself and can even take drink orders. Then, each item contains an RFID tag that detects when a shopper enters a dressing room. When the tag is scanned, an image pops up on a mirror with suggestions for complementary accessories. Talk about innovative. Rebecca Minkoff really did create a unique shopping experience. [bctt tweet=”How to be innovative and come up with new ways to stand out from the competition” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Case Study #2: The Trunk Club The Trunk Club is a subscription service for male fashion. Here’s how it works. When you subscribe, a consultant gives you a call and talks with you to find out your “style”. Then, each month, you get a trunk box (miniature size, of course) containing selections for the month. Each item is packed attractively and have price tags on. As the consumer, you have the choice to take what you want and return the rest. Whatever you don’t return, they bill to you. If you can’t imagine how this would work, check out this guy here as he receives his first trunk box. Bottom line is this. The Trunk Club is another innovative way of standing out from the numerous online shopping sites out there. That’s it. Go through the guideline above again and begin to come up with new ways to stand out from the competition. One last thing. The two examples I gave happen to be in the fashion industry, but there are many companies out there in various industries being innovative and coming up with new ways to stand out from the competition. Now, it’s your turn to think outside the box. Go on, I know you can do it! #MotherlandMogul tip: What cool innovative ways have you seen companies use to stand out from the competition? How can you replicate them?
Dede Reelia Kouevi: It’s okay not to have it all & still make your vision come to life
[bctt tweet=”Dede Reelia Kouevi: I bought a Christmas ornament from a $1 store & turned it into an earring” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] When your grandparents, mother and aunts are tailors, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be a fashionista. Dede Reelia Kouevi was born in Togo to a fashion-forward family, now she’s made her mark as an accessories designer. Her brand UniqueByReelia features vibrant, colourful jewellery and accessories but Reelia isn’t limiting herself to accessories. In the three years since UniqueByReelia launched, Reelia has showcased her designs in shows such as Black Fashion Week Montréal, Fest Africa 2014, African Fashion Week DC and Ankara Fashion Week Miami. Now she’s trying to host her own show in Italy, the Afro Expo Fashion Week. Reelia is very familiar with the difficulty that comes with getting into shows as a young designer and wants to provide a platform for designers like her. Why start Unique by Reelia? I started UniqueByReelia because I always knew I was going to be a fashion designer. I started showcasing at different fundraisers since I was in high school with clothes my mother used to make me from Togo. I knew that I wanted to move to New York to pursue my dream and find a way toward my goal. When I moved to New York, I was hoping my school will have a few designing classes. But that wasn’t the case! It was just a regular private university. In my sophomore year, I decided to start making accessories. One day, I went to a $1 store, bought a Christmas ornament and turned it into an earring. I wore it around my campus and my friends loved it. That was the beginning of UniqueByReelia. I thought to myself if I can start with accessories and make my way up, in the future I will be able to dress people from head to toes. [bctt tweet=”Dede Reelia Kouevi: I wanted to be ambitious and a go getter, somebody who empowers others” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What was the spark that lead you down this path? When I was in high school, I attended modelling and acting classes at John Roberts Power. I wasn’t getting gigs and I met other young dark-skinned African girls who were in the same boat as myself. There are people who are driven to be models and willing to learn, yet they were not given the opportunity to do so. I thought to myself; instead of waiting for other people to give me the opportunity I’ve waiting for, I can create that opportunity for others. I loved the idea of being a designer and helping other young models live their dreams. Since I started UniqueByReelia, I have inspired other girls to find confidence through modelling as well. I’ve worked with all types of models, curvy, skinny, tall, starters, pregnant women, as well as some super models and top models. Tell us about being at the Black Fashion Week in Montreal. How did you get there? The Black Fashion Week in Montreal, was an amazing experience. I’ve been looking up to Adama Paris ever since I started my brand. Adama is ambitious and fashion icon, I felt like that was the woman I wanted to become. I wanted to be ambitious and a go getter, somebody who empowers others. So, when an opportunity presented itself, I did everything to make it happened. I’ve became friends with her on Facebook and Instagram. She posted about the Black Fashion Week event and was looking for designers. I applied, they loved my designs and accepted me in. The show participation fee, the transportation and my accommodation came up to a total of $3000. My school refund checks, my fiancé and my dad helped me go to the Black Fashion Week project. [bctt tweet=”Reelia realized at an early stage that many people don’t really value accessory designers” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Do you believe you’re limiting yourself by focusing solely on accessories? No, I am not limiting myself by solely focusing on accessories. I recently launched my clothing line 6 months ago and I’m currently working on my swimwear collection for spring/summer 2017, which am very excited about. I just wanted to push my accessories line to the top. First, because I get to create them myself and I wanted to do something different through my brand. I realized at an early stage that many people don’t value accessories designers the way they value clothing designers. So, I promised myself that I will be the best in order to inspire other accessories designers. Being an accessories designer is not easy, we brainstorm too, we sit down and create stuff. We use our hands more than machine. How can you not value something like that? Sometimes I cry when I bring some of my designs to life. I remember going to shows where I had the privilege to showcase my pieces on my own. At these shows, other accessories designers had to pair their pieces with clothing designers. Don’t get me wrong, pairing up designers is not as bad as it sounds. Still sometimes you just want the stage to yourself, you know. [bctt tweet=”Sometimes Dede Reelia Kouevi cries when she brings her @UniqueByReelia designs to life” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] We stumbled upon your IndieGoGo page for the Afro Expo Fashion Week Italy. Can you tell us how you first heard of this event? Well, Afro Expo Fashion Week Italy, is my own fashion show. This is a show I’m organizing in Italy. My initial idea was to tour Europe and to do shows like I’ve been doing it here in the States. I wanted to start with Black Fashion Paris. But I thought about it and realized that, with all the experiences that I have already acquired, it was time to do my own show. Then again, most of my friends have had their shows here in the States already. I wanted to do something different, so I decided to bring my fashion week to Italy. The idea is to