6 ways to break down boundaries to becoming a successful entrepreneur
There is nothing women can’t do. Surely, there are so many hindrances that women in business face. However, when it comes to race, the number of black women entrepreneurs have greatly increased over the past decades. According to the Census Bureau, eight million businesses in the United States are owned by people from minority groups, and 2.5 million of these are owned by African-American (which makes them the only racial or ethnic group with the highest number of business ownerships). Also, in the very recent State of Women-Owned Business Report, the number of firms owned by black women grew by 164%. We all know it, there is nothing women can’t do. While the stakes are higher, you can break down the boundaries and become a successful entrepreneur. How? 1. Embrace diversity Before you make other people believe in you, you first have to believe in yourself. Instead of seeing it as a barrier, you have to embrace your diversity and use it as a competitive advantage. Take note that diversity goes beyond gender, nationality, color, or race. We have to embrace our uniqueness, be proud of our strengths, and turn our weaknesses into opportunities. 2. Be passionate about what you do When you love what you are doing, you gain the courage to look past the challenges and the discouragement from other people. To succeed in business, you’ve got to have a strong mission. Why do you want to start a business? Successful entrepreneurs have many things in common. One is their sense of purpose. Of course, an obvious reason is to gain profit. But there certainly has to be a reason much higher than that which motivates you to pursue what you do. 3. Accept that failure is part of it You’ve heard stories about business tycoons bouncing back from their failures and have turned out to be better entrepreneurs. You won’t believe how founders of giant companies like Twitter, Huffington Post, LinkedIn, and PayPal all went through massive failures, costing them millions of dollars. Here’s the thing – 75% to 90% of all startups fail. It only shows that failing in business is normal. At some point, you will commit mistakes, you will make wrong decisions, and you will fail. The secret is to never give up. 4. Plan ahead Behind a successful business model is a solid plan. You don’t jump into the river without knowing how deep it is. Create a detailed business plan. Identify pain points. Pool your resources and know your options. For example, where will you get the funding? Will it be from your savings or through business financing? Will you still need investors? How will you reach out to them? List down all your ideas. Do your research. Invest in knowledge. And be ready to start something. 5. Embrace Change No matter how comprehensive your business model is, at some point, you will have to make adjustments or perform a total shift. Changes in business are inevitable. Market demands and trends change from time to time. It is scary to confront changes. That’s a normal reaction. But you have to be flexible and adaptable. Otherwise, you could be left behind. 6. Don’t Forget that You Are Human too As you establish and grow your business, you will find yourself devoting most of your time to it. You will miss some important family affairs for client meetings, endure sleepless nights for endless paperwork, and forego weekends to beat deadlines. The key is to strive for balance. Drink your water. Eat your veggies. Sleep. Pamper yourself. Get your hair done. Go for a mani-pedi. For you to keep up, you have to be physically and mentally healthy. Becoming a businesswoman is not an easy feat. Striving for success is much more challenging especially when people kind of judge you for your race or gender. But don’t let anything or anyone stop you from becoming a top-notch entrepreneur. Remember, in business success, there are no boundaries. This article was written by Lidia Staron Lidia Staron is a part of Content and Marketing team at OpenCashAdvance.com. She contributes articles about the role of finance in the strategic planning and decision-making process. You can find really professional insights in her writings. Need some more FREE downloadable guides from SLA? Click here.
Meet the four black women making a name for themselves in the wine industry through ‘Wine-ish’
“We’ve spent the last three years coming together every Wednesday to connect over our future plans and our shared love for beautiful experiences – always in the presence of wine. From this, Wine-ish was born.” Wine-ish is a dynamic group of 4 black women occupying the world of wine, one glass at a time. Palesa Mapheelle, Obakeng Monamodi, Buhlebezwe Ndaba and Hlumelo Williams came together as friends on a casual Wednesday, also known as ‘Winesday’, to share their goals, dreams and everyday experiences. 156 Winesday’s later, they decided to form Wine-ish; a platform that has become a hub for all things wine and business, soon to disrupt the industry. Wine-ish takes you on a visual journey of South Africa’s rich world of wine and related experiences through the lens of young, vibrant women of color. The name choice is quite unique and has an interesting meaning behind it. Not only does the team focus on the technical understanding of viniculture and “Wine”, but the “Ish” in the name is also just as important to them; representing the side of them that is simply 4 young women navigating life together with all of its ups and downs. Wine-ish is deeply rooted in and propelled by the connection the four of them share as friends, before anything else. As a business, Wine-ish aims to debunk wine and the drinking of it, all while making it more accessible to an emerging market who want to learn and experience more about it. They don’t want to be seen as experts, but as people who are constantly learning and challenging the norms of the industry. The zestful, youthful and vibrant energy of the team has always been what differentiates them from the firm and rigid industry they’re trying to create a space in, and it has been nothing but refreshing. Infiltrating the industry has had its challenges but seeing the growth of people of color creating their own brands and wineries has left the team hopeful in making sure they will transform and create a positive disruption for themselves and in partnership with like-minded, forward-thinking collaborators. “We remain true to a core mission of ours which is to expose ourselves and people like us to the world of wine” So, watch this space, because Wine-ish is going to be coming in strong with a lot more to show you. For more on Wine-ish, their incredible brand, and upcoming projects; follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
The Queen of Representation – From Botswana to the world
“The A-Girls are exceptional, black vinyl dolls that appreciate the African girl of today, with all her versatility and diversity”. Dolls are part of a girl’s introduction to what is considered ‘beautiful’. According to Bakani, creating the brand was essential in order to excavate and resuscitate what African beauty is. Until August 2016, Bakani July Johnson was a Lecturer at the University of Botswana (UB) in the Social Work Department. She holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work and has worked intensively in the psychosocial field since 2004, gaining experience with Botswana Baylor Children’s Clinic as a social welfare case manager. Prior to that, she worked with the Government of Botswana as a Social Welfare officer. After years of ideating, planning and testing, Bakani left the UB and started her doll-making business. Bakani is a social entrepreneur and is constantly looking for ways to enhance the lives of others. She is also a founding trustee of Musani Family Care Foundation, an organization that focusses on the restoration of Botswana’s family unit, and offers accommodation to families in transition, mostly caregivers of hospitalized patients who come from far off villages. Musani Family Care Foundation seeks to bridge the gap by providing temporary housing and support for these families who need it most, at no cost. Connect with Bakani and her business on social media. Why it is important for me to make the dolls… I have always loved children. I am forever looking for ways to enhance their wellbeing and this led to the realization that there were no black dolls to use during clinical sessions with my little patients. As a social worker, dolls are some of the symbolic tools used for communication during sessions. However, more often than not, the dolls that were donated looked nothing like the children I worked with. This became a query, to manufactures and it was not a pretty feeling as it was seen from the point of exclusion. I realized that I could continue with the feeling of being ‘left out’ as a black African girl, or I could do something about it. The research allowed me to see that I, and others like me, were never a concern for doll-makers; they had their own market and concerns. Whatever I could find was by sheer luck. I refused to use divisive story-telling or to accept that it was ‘someone else’s fault’ that as Batswana – and Africans – we don’t have black dolls. The more I searched, the more I was challenged to create the doll I was looking for. I worked from thought to product, beginning in 2007. The effect representation has on young Batswana /African girls… We have for the longest time been portrayed as ugly, and not a representation of beauty. If you research dolls throughout history, you will not like what you see. We have been ‘caricatured’ through the years and our features ridiculed. Our natural hair is still a full-on debate today. With the dolls, I am simply excavating and resuscitating a black girl’s beauty. The idea of the dolls was to trigger an emotional response and to ensure that we put African girls faces on beauty, with a clear understanding that it is our responsibility to raise a new, confident African girl. The development of The African Girls Dolls is a winning communication tool targeting children. These are one-of-a-kind vinyl dolls that appreciate the diversity of African girls and were created with the realization of a lack of representation both commercially and in messaging for African children. Most props and toys used are of girls and boys are not of African descent. Through the African girls’ collection, I am constantly helping organizations to create a unique language of truths, trust, and symbols as part of visual storytelling and visual messaging. I understand that symbolically, images help us to understand abstract concepts that cannot always be translated into words and dolls have throughout history been symbols to communicate, appreciate and represent. Dolls are part of a girl’s introduction to what is considered ‘beautiful’, and speaking to that aspect we want to be able to say ‘she is so pretty, just like a doll’ – and actually talk about a doll that looks like her. Children are visual beings. They connect to things visually and will remember things seen more than things said. They connect with objects or pictures from memory. Africa and Botswana are about symbolism, or what things represent and communicate. If you listen in on doll play, your child communicates with what she sees. If her dolly is wearing beads she will have a conversation about that. The idea was to have dolls that are relevant to the children, thus when one looks at the dolls, they will realize that some have tutu skirts and modern symbols which represents a ‘modern girl’ whereas others are dressed in traditional Tswana regalia. Great dolls bring the thought of history, self, and admiration. Children from different ethnicities benefit from playing with dolls that are a different skin tone, make and versatility. Though dolls are not photocopies of the individual, we believe that to a small child the most important thing is that her little dolly is beautiful just like her, validating who she is and how she relates to herself. The role I see my dolls playing in a Motswana girl’s life This product, created by an African woman for African children is girl-centered for now and is self-esteem/self-efficacy based. More than play, the dolls are seen as communication tools that instill gender and ethnic pride as a foundation for social skills. What you see and is preached becomes a norm. If everyone talks about ‘light-skinned’ being better, children will want that. I want parents to hand the dolls to the children without influencing the children’s taste about them. I have involved a few people in the crafting of the dolls from those that design the clothes to those that do the hair and packaging. I am
8 Essential Skills Every Business Owner Needs to Learn
As an entrepreneur, I make sure to educate other ladypreneurs about the importance of investing in themselves. While investing in yourself and business might cost you a lot of money, it gives you long-term benefits such as the advantage of building valuable skills that would benefit your business and improving your strengths over time. Let’s face the truth- the business world has changed from the way it was operated 20 years ago. Running a business on just sheer instinct isn’t enough anymore. You have to stay on top of growing trends if you want your business to survive and succeed. And that’s why I have put together this list of business skills and resources that every business owner needs to boost their business. 1. Relationship Building Building great relationships especially with customers/clients is one of the ways to differentiate your business from competitors. As a business owner, your relationships will take various forms, as you’ll meet different people; and need to wear different hats to maintain a good relationship. I’d advise that the major categories of relationships you need to build are with: Customers/Clients; Business connections/ fellow entrepreneurs who can grow and support your business; and Mentors 2. Storytelling Let’s face it! Everyone loves stories, no matter the age or economic status. Incorporating storytelling into your business infuses a human touch customers can’t resist. It helps customers establish a human connection with your business. Some of the advantages of using storytelling for your business include: It captivates your customers; It makes your business relatable and approachable; and It makes your business credible and trust-worthy. 3. Content Creation Content is king! Yes, that might sound cliché, but it’s true. Please note that content doesn’t have to be restricted to words alone. It could come in other forms such as videos, infographics, pictures, podcasts, whitepapers, case studies, etc. Don’t just display the products or services you’re offering. Go a step ahead by also offering value to your customers. For example, do you sell fashion items? Spice up your brand by posting style inspirations, care of the items you sell, how to rock that item for different occasions, etc. By providing good content, you not only let your customers know that you have their best interests at heart but also assert that buying from your business is the best decision they could ever make. 4. Customer Service How many of you never returned to buy from a brand just because of poor customer experience? Lots of you, right? The same principle applies to your customers too. As business owners, you have to realize that your customers are king, and so, must be treated like royalty. Providing excellent customer experience is one of the easiest ways to make your business stand out from other businesses. It’s also one of the easiest ways to retain customers and get referrals. Therefore, ensure you develop your customer skills and treat your customers with respect. 5. Financial Literacy/Management This means having an understanding of how much you can spend and how you should spend it. Every cent you spend and generate must be accounted for. If you don’t know how to calculate your expenditure and revenue, it’s definitely time to become financially literate. 6. Management When your business begins to grow, it will require expansion. And expansion translates to hiring more people to support you. Once you do this, you need to ensure that the people on your team are doing what they are supposed to do and that they’re are doing it efficiently. Therefore, don’t be just a business owner. 7. Leadership A good business owner needs to have good leadership skills to run a team of other people. When you are a good leader, it becomes easy to motivate and inspire greatness in your employees. With proper leadership, employees, contractors, and even customers will respect you. Please note that to be a leader isn’t to be bossy to inspire fear. Rather, a good leader brings the best out of people, listens to other people, shows them respect and showing them that you’re capable of leading them to achieve victory. 8. Hiring I see a lot of business owners make the mistake of hiring the first person that shows an interest in working with/for them or has the qualifications they are looking for. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough. While hiring a person with an exemplary portfolio and good work history is good, you have to consider other variables such as their personality, beliefs and whether they are a perfect fit for your business’ culture. Running a business is very demanding. Identify your weaknesses and invest in skills that that will provide your business with solid foundations.
Here are 5 reasons why you need a personal website
Have you ever seen a myname.com website and thought “oh that’s so cool but it’s not for me?” Well let me shock you, if you want to stand out online whether in the corporate or business world as a slay queen in the 21st century, then you best believe it’s for you. Still in doubt, let me give you 5 reasons why you need to grab your domain name and have a beautiful website designed to suit your goals and personality. 1. Your paper resume is about to go extinct! A recent study by OfficeTeam shows that more than one-third of companies feel that resumes will be replaced by profiles on social networks. What this means is that prospective employers and clients are and will be searching for you online. 2. You get a home for all your online activities It means that even if all social media platforms crash, there’s still something to your name on the web. It also means that there’s something to link to when people mention you on the web. 3. Worldwide exposure Having a personal website allows you to be able to express yourself, your gifts and your thoughts online thereby building thought leadership in your areas of experience and expertise. This makes you more attractive to people seeking to work with you. 4. Make digital sales “I don’t want another source of income,” said NO ONE EVER! Having a personal website makes it easy for you to create and sell virtual products without messing with your job or business. You can host products such as ebooks, online courses, pre-recorded songs and albums, webinars and so much more on your personal website and make passive income from them. 5. Build your personal brand Having a personal website helps you get conscious about building your personal brand. You can retire or resign from a job or business, but you can never resign or retire from being you. So don’t build your career or business and forget to build your personal brand. If you’d like to learn more about building thought leadership and online visibility for your personal or business brand, please click here to get access to my FREE online visibility checklist on my “personal” website ?.
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
How to Hire an Attorney for Your Business
For the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of female entrepreneurs in Africa. In the 2017 MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) report, Uganda – as one of the only two low-income economies to be included in the report – had the greatest number of female-run businesses in the world, which corresponds to 34.8%. The country even superseded high-income countries like New Zealand (33.3%), Australia (32.4%), and Russia (32.6%). 2017 has been an amazing year for many African women who chose to take the entrepreneurial path, so as in 2018. If you’re thinking of launching your own business, now is the time to do so. There are many kinds of business that require very small capital, some you can even start from home. Sometimes, a loan can help you get started if your savings are not enough. Why Should You Hire an Attorney? You’ve got a great business plan. A great product. A great concept. But how do you transform all your ideas into a tangible, operational business that is headed for success? Of course, you need help from the professionals. You probably have thought about hiring an accountant already. The reasons are pretty obvious. You need someone to help you with your books, make sure you’ve got the numbers right, and manage all your business taxes. But how about an attorney? You probably haven’t thought about it yet. Or maybe, you think that it’s too soon to get one. But the truth is that you will most likely need a good business attorney at every aspect of your business, from ensuring that you meet all the requirements set by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) to organize your business (what type of business is most suitable for you as well as your tax structure), getting copyright and trademark advice, and many more. And as your business grows, a good attorney can help you carry out your expansion plans, understand the tax consequences of any changes with your business structure, prepare and execute contracts with your customers, suppliers and business partners, and file or deal with a lawsuit. [bctt tweet=”Do you have an attorney for your business? Read this article for steps on how to hire one” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Hiring an attorney is essential to achieving your business goals. Check out the following tips and suggestions in order to find the best lawyer to help you: 1. Look for an attorney who specializes in business law Like doctors, attorneys are becoming increasingly specialized these days. Some specialize in family law, others in criminal law or real estate law. Basically, you want to hire the attorney who has the experience and skills with corporate and mercantile laws. He or she should be skilled with making contracts, familiar with various business structures, understand real estate (you might have leasing issues for your commercial space), experienced with tax and licensing matters, etc. Depending on the nature of your business, you will also need other legal services. For instance, if you’re into media, design or any other creative type of business, you will need a lawyer who will help you get copyright protection for your work. 2. Look for an attorney who is familiar with your industry He or she may not know every aspect of the industry you’re in, but the right lawyer should be at least familiar with it. Don’t forget to check the track record of the lawyers you are considering. He or she should have a pretty good understanding of the industry’s ins and outs. Also, make sure that the lawyer does not represent any of your competitors. The last thing you want to happen is to have your confidential business info leaked to your competitors. 3. Find someone who educates A good attorney does not just give you the results you want. He or she also keeps you well-informed about the legal concerns your business is facing. The attorney should be willing to educate you and your staff about your current legal needs and situations, how it affects your business, and how similar problems can be prevented in the future. Your lawyer should also be proactive about updating you with recent policies or changes in existing policies that affect your business. 4. Get a good attorney who charges a reasonable fee Most lawyers charge an hourly rate, but some do a fixed rate. Good lawyers are willing to negotiate with their fees without compromising the quality of their services. Choose an attorney who is flexible with his billing. It is not all the time that you will need his or her services so paying monthly or hiring a company lawyer may not be a strategic idea yet, especially if you are just starting your business. Hiring an attorney for your business should not be that complicated as long as you keep all these suggestions in mind. Once you found the right one, keeping a good relationship with your attorney is the key to ensuring that he or she will be there when you need help. This article was written by Lidia Staron Lidia Staron is a part of Content and Marketing team at OpenCashAdvance.com. She contributes articles about the role of finance in the strategic planning and decision-making process. You can find really professional insights in her writings.
4 important signs you’re in a toxic work environment
Our work environment affects our happiness, productivity, and success. Through my experiences and discussions with colleagues, I understand how different workplaces can affect you positively and negatively. If you’ve been contemplating whether your work environment is the right place for you, here are some key points that could help you: 1. Low Employee Retention If you realize most of the employees at a new workplace are new, this can affect how you fit in. Sometimes, for certain start-up environments, the case of low employee retention is prevalent. The structure in a start-up environment is different. So before you make the decision to join an organization where most of the employees are new, you have to consider what your main goals are and what you hope to achieve at the company. It’s best for you to take this into consideration before you make a decision. You should be prepared for how you can fit into the role and the organization. At one of my former jobs, I noticed that a lot of employees were new. I remember a co-worker told me there was a “revolving door” at the organization. As the months rolled by, I understood why. There was a lot of negativity in the office. After various discussions with my colleagues, I found out that most like myself were unhappy and also seeking other jobs. I eventually left that negative work environment. If you’re about to take a new job, I suggest you ask (in a subtle way of course) how long the former person held the role you’re about to take. Another option would be to ask generally the amount of time their employees stay with the company. 2. Lack of free speech/ expression of ideas One of my favourite work environments was an internship I had back in university. I was an editorial intern for the school magazine. What I enjoyed most about the internship was my experience with my boss. She created a very open environment where I was encouraged to present my ideas and actively participate. Having an encouraing supervisor who supported my progress enabled me to accomplish quite a lot in that job. Now, I’ve also been privy to work environments with a rigid structure, where you don’t feel open to discuss your ideas, and your superiors show no interest in your growth or progress. Though one can still thrive in such an environment, I don’t necessarily believe it helps you be very productive. You may not feel content in your workplace because there’s no good rapport with your colleagues. One way to fix such issues would be speaking up. You will have to make an effort to express your ideas and opinion. This matters because unless somethings are communicated, not everyone will pick up on whether there is a problem or issue to be addressed. Communication is key in contributing to a positive work environment. [bctt tweet=”Communication is key in contributing towards a positive work environment” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 3. Constant Tension in the Office In any workplace, there are going to be high-pressure days and low-pressure days. Pressure in the workplace is normal because different situations arise and demands have to be met. However, if you’re in a work environment with constant tension among co-workers, that is definitely not a good sign. If there is consistent tension in your workplace, it would be best to bring it up to your supervisor or take it to the Human Resources department. The HR department often addresses the communication issues between the management and staff. They can advise you and your co-workers on how to resolve issues. 4. You Always Leave Work Feeling Emotionally Drained Yes, work is just a part of our lives and adulting really isn’t a vibe sometimes, but if you always feel terribly sad, drained, or anxious at the thought of going to work – that’s even less of a vibe and a major issue. This negative work environment can end up seeping into your personal life and take over your mind. If most days at work are causing you depression, you have to consider if that’s the right environment for you. Word of advice: get a new job sis, you can’t come and die just to meet KPIs. Start looking for a new place of work and do intense research on the environments those companies possess, I promise you when you leave and start afresh, you’ll be much happier. Another option, if the specific work is the problem, communicate with your supervisor about a challenge you might be encountering. They could provide you with some resources to make things efficient. If the negative emotions are due to the people around, also be open to communicate that with a mentor or your HR department. They could best advise you on how to move forward. Have you had experience with problems in the workplace? What were the signs, and how did you rectify such issues? If you’d like to get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.
Learn how to trade and get paid with FXGEOMETRY’s bootcamp for women
The term ‘trading’ has been linked with men since the days of testosterone-filled trading floors. To this day, when online trading is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, the word remains synonymous with the male gender. Today’s preconception of women who choose to trade – and we must clarify they are women because the word traders alone can be perceived as a reference to men – may have to do with the vision brokers set and the audience they’ve chosen to advertise to. More often than not, mass opinions are affected by the media and its reference to a group of people, in this case, the people of the financial industry. Could the general correlation between trading and gender be diluted? [bctt tweet=”The number of women interested in trading has been noticeably increasing – @kenny_simon78″ username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Trading education hub FXGEOMETRY is looking at things from a different angle; it just announced the launch of a boot camp directed specifically at women, despite the fact that the company reaches a broad audience predominated by men. According to founder Kenny Simon, the number of women interested in trading has been noticeably increasing. The birth of this boot camp derived from the observation that more female traders have been showing interest in educational packages and trading mentorships, in addition, Kenny has seen an increase of female followers through social channels. Among approximately 10,000 followers worldwide the percentage of women among the followers has risen from 10% to 37% in the past 3 years. While the number of women who have signed up to personal one-on-one courses has moved up to 45%. Beyond FXGEOMETRY it seems like the entire financial world is moving away from its relic thoughts and gender-based judgment. In 2017, 23-year old Lauren Simmons became the youngest and only full-time female employee to hold the position of equity trader in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In June of 2018, Stacey Cunningham became the first female president of the NYSE. Some may view this as proof that women are still not fully welcome in the financial industry or it can be seen as the first steps of progression. Considering Kenny’s background lies within peak performance coaching in trading, it comes as no surprise that part of his mission to expand the Geometric Patterns community includes a focus on the overlooked members of the trading world and whether they can be an equal match to men in the industry. Kenny, however, is not the first to give attention to this issue; many have previously gone out of their way to find out how women could make better traders. In Terrence Odean and Brad Barber’s 2001 study “Boys will be boys: Gender, Overconfidence and Common Stock Investments”, they went on to prove that men’s natural overconfidence tends to work against them. They analyzed account data for more than 35,000 households at a large discount brokerage between February 1991 and January 1997. They discovered that on average, men traded 45pc more frequently than women and that this incentive trading reduced their net returns by 2.65pc a year, compared to 1.72pc for women. [bctt tweet=”FXGEOMETRY’s @kenny_simon78 is conducting an exclusive 3 days FX trading boot camp for women in Nigeria this September. Read more..” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] For those interested to attend whether just for the FREE preview or the 3 days Workshop, simply register here : In simple terms, the study showed that men trade more than women due to overconfidence and that tends to reduce their overall returns. Another interesting story in the history of women in the financial industry is the case of Bloomfield Hills investment club ran by Thomas O’Hara. The male-driven firm had been posting annual losses after 20 years of existence. In 1982 the men let their wives join the group and act as co-decision makers, within four years the club’s stake tripled, jumping from $180,000 to $500,000. Kenny’s latest event has prompted a lot of interest from women in the industry. A large number of women volunteered to join within the first few minutes following the announcement of the boot camp, accepting the challenge to learn a new trading method. The boot camp itself will choose 25 women through personality tests designed by Kenny – based on his big 5 personality traits that make up a good trader. The women will undergo a free 3-day boot camp with Kenny himself where they will learn the rules of trading with Geometric Patterns. The boot camp will be followed up by a trading competition in which all women will participate and compete for one of three prizes – $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 consequently. If you’re interested, send an email to kenny@fxgeoemtry.com FXGEOMETRY’S boot camp is another effort to shed a bright light on female traders and what they can achieve in the financial world, putting preconceptions aside and shedding general judgment. The era of female traders may have not yet begun but a glimpse of light might be making its way in at the end of the tunnel. This article was written by Deema Osman. Deema is a content writer at 120advertising.com Sponsored Post.
Chelsea Ward – An African woman in Shanghai Rooted and Ready to Bloom
I met Chelsea Ward through a friend in Shanghai, and within the first few minutes of her speaking, I was so aware of her presence. She exuded such positivity and self-awareness. I immediately gravitated towards speaking predominantly to her. After getting a taste of what her goals were and what she was managing to do to make them a reality, I knew it would be essential to pick her brain and get the inside scoop. Chelsea grew up in the US and remembers wanting to do everything as a child. She was particularly inspired by her parents and was adamant about studying something in their fields of work. When we speak about her childhood, Chelsea reflects on the mindset that we have when we are younger, that you can do anything and that there are no impossibilities. [bctt tweet=” At 25, Chelsea Ward started her own consulting firm, with the focus to create a space for minority owned businesses to establish themselves in #Shanghai. ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] However as we grow older we tend to lose this fearlessness and allow life to weigh us down. Chelsea has managed to reconnect to this belief and become open to the possibilities that life affords her. Initially studying pre-med as well as Asian studies, her passion for community up-liftment became clear. Visiting both South Africa and Guatemala to work on non-profit projects clarified that her love of language was about communicating with people. Chelsea was awarded a scholarship to continue her study of the Chinese language in China by the Chinese government in 2016. She elected to study at Fudan University in Shanghai. It was during this time that she experienced first-hand a gap in the market in Shanghai when she attempted to get her hair done. A salon was recommended to her and she called beforehand to ensure that they were skilled to handle natural hair, which they assured her that they were.Chelsea’s description of this experience gives me the feelings of a butcher with a tough piece of meat. Needless to say, they were not skilled to handle natural hair. Upon returning home to the US and getting her hair taken care of at a fabulous hair salon, she realized how necessary it was for a business like that to be in Shanghai. Particularly in a city (and country) with minimal diversity, issues with finding a hair salon equipped to deal with natural hair is a common problem. [bctt tweet=”Do not allow the frustrations that may come along with building your own business consume you – Chelsea Ward” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] This sparked the idea for Chelsea, despite being only 25, to start her own consulting firm. One of the focuses of the firm is to create a space for minority owned businesses to establish themselves in Shanghai. One of Chelsea’s current clients includes the very hair salon she had such a positive experience with in the US, namely BabyBangz. If that wasn’t enough, she is also in the process of planning a music, art and culture festival that will take place in Shanghai, where she currently resides, during May 2019. All of this while maintaining a full time job as the head of the skills department of an international learning centre. The Roots Music, Art, and Culture Festival is something to be excited about. The festival will include exciting and inspiring women of color as speakers and is aimed at increasing representation in a city like Shanghai as well as empowering women and minorities. The details for this event are yet to be released but if the premise is anything to go by, then you should be very excited and get looking at flight prices to Shanghai around that time. I have no doubt that this will be nothing but inspiring and stimulating. One of the previously organized events that was a major success in Shanghai was the hosting of a seminar presented by BabyBangz and TLP on natural hair. There are hopes to host a similar one in the future and of course for these incredible companies to feature at the Roots Music, Art, and Culture Festival. Click here to have a taste of what went down at the last seminar. The focus right now is Asia and the UK because that is where Chelsea has established relationships. The goal is to make the festival in Shanghai a roaring success and hopefully from there look to expanding to other locations. Furthermore, Chelsea has ambitions of assisting businesses from other countries, such as South Africa, to establish a presence in Shanghai. Of course this depends on demand and the needs of the community. But given her previous experience volunteering there, Chelsea has an interest in engaging and assisting once she has secured the foundation of her consulting firm in Shanghai. One of the biggest challenges Chelsea has faced through this process of being an entrepreneur is accepting that everything is a process. It is incredibly important to be patient and show yourself compassion and self-love. Do not allow the frustrations that may come along with building your own business consume you. If for some strange reason you are not bursting with excitement after reading Chelsea’s incredible story, let me leave you with some brilliant parting points that she shared with me as we rounded up our interview. “Don’t be afraid to pursue what you love, try and go for it. Actually, don’t try. Do it or don’t do it. So rather just do it. Don’t live in the fear or pain of what is holding you back, push past that and do what you love and what excites you.” If you are interested in getting involved in any way, please feel free to contact Chelsea. To get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.