HOW TO OVERCOME THE STRUGGLE OF BEING MULTI-PASSIONATE
Are you that person who does many different unrelated things and you are criticized for not being focused on one? Do you feel lost when people you know have a particular thing they are pursuing, while you juggle different hats without a possibility of finding a job title that contains all your passions? You are multi-passionate. It is alright to change your mind every now and then. Don’t beat yourself up for going in different directions; be open to trying new things. If you embrace it, you will find new systems to help you do all things you are interested in, while remaining focused and productive. A multi-passionate individual is a person who has various passions and often finds answering the question, “what do you want to become in the future (or when you grow up)” difficult as they feel they have to settle down to one thing only. Such an individual is also known as a renaissance person, multi-potentiality, polymath, or scanner. In today’s business environment, Steve Jobs, Tim Ferris, and Richard Branson are good examples of multi-passionate people. Other historical examples include Maya Angelou, Aristotle, and Sir Isaac Newton among others. Wondering how to be okay with being multi-passionate? Here are the steps to take: 1. Accept who, and where you are As with some many other things in life, you have to accept who you are, then devise a strategy or strategies that will help you through the journey. Speaking about his own journey of finding self, Nick Maccarone observed that by not limiting himself or attempting to dupe his heart into some “conventional path it knew better than to follow” he allowed himself to “take a little bit from each experience and lean into the intricacies of my being”. “I am not defined by one thing or by anything,” He wrote on Medium. “I follow where my heart and curiosity beg me to consider. I pursue each path as wholly as I can while not exhausting the possibility of doing the same for another.” he continued. [bctt tweet=”Clarity comes from engagement, not thought. – @marieforleo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 2. Keep a record of all your ideas Often, an idea will pop in your mind and sometimes it feels like the calling that you have been waiting for. However, it changes and you are back to the drawing board. Without a doubt, it will be difficult to be knee-deep in one project for too long. As such, keep a record of all interests and ideas that come up. In addition to writing, reviewing the ideas is also important. Assign yourself time to go through the ideas to track what you have tried, and what you will try in the future. Keep a small book with you to write random thoughts. Establish a day in a week or month when you can sit down to review them. Stephanie Medford an artist, designer, writer, and traveler notes that she keeps a ‘for later’ list of books she wants to read in the future. “On the rare occasion when I have nothing to read, I turn to that list,” she adds in her article called ‘the joys of being multi-passionate’. [bctt tweet=”The best way to go about unveiling your ideas is by acting on them. Pick something on the list, anything- and jump right into it.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 3. Act on decisions, don’t just think about them When uncertain about an idea, don’t wait until when the choices seem clearer in your mind.”Clarity comes from engagement, not thought,” says Marie Forleo, an entrepreneur, writer, and philanthropist. The best way to go about unveiling your ideas is by acting on them. Pick something on the list, anything- and jump right into it. It is by doing that you discover if the idea is something you want to put your energy into or move to the next thing. All in all, you don’t have to feel bad for not having one specific passion that you follow. Franchesca Ramsey, an artist, comedian, activist, TV and YouTube personality and actress advises other renaissance people to keep a calendar. Additionally, she tries to stick to the schedule and also keeps a personal day to explore things that she was not able to do during that week or work on personal projects. “My team knows that if it is on the calendar, that’s the time that is blocked off.” “You kinda have to set those boundaries for yourself,” she adds. Below is a link to the 31-minute interview Ms. Franchesca did a while back to help you get started and re-discover yourself as a multi-passionate individual. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Asia Sultan: Trailblazing the Design Thinking and Innovation Industry
We are always looking for women who are constantly changing the game and that’s why Asia Sultan’s story was so inspiring to us at SLA. Asia is a young trailblazer in the industry of Design Thinking and Innovation. She uses her experiences as a woman to apply the human approach that is needed to excel in the Design Thinking industry. During this interview, Asia chats with us about why more women should be in Design Thinking, the power of innovation, and how we can uplift each other in the career space. On starting out In Design Thinking… Curiosity into the field of innovation is what led me to explore this discipline in 2016 when the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design Thinking opened their first school in Africa. I was pursuing a Masters in Property Studies at the University of Cape Town at the time. I immediately fell in love with Design Thinking because the human-centered approach truly resonated with my personal philosophy. After spending 6 months at the institute I felt that the final piece of the puzzle had been put in place. Design thinking has allowed me to experience problem-solving in areas that I hadn’t ventured into before. I’m very grateful to be living my purpose which is to use my experiences, education, and design thinking practice to create innovative solutions that make our world a better place. [bctt tweet=”Being a woman is actually my greatest strength in the innovation industry – Asia Sultan” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] About Switch Innovation and what they do… Switch innovation is an innovation management company that specializes in corporate innovation. We are a balance between technology and advisory as we help large companies with legacy issues to deliver disruptive products to market and build new businesses. We use design thinking and lean startup methodologies to drive innovation strategy and process for our clients who span across various industries. Challenges women in the design thinking industry face… Being a woman is actually my greatest strength in the innovation industry. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving. It starts with the people you are designing for and ends with solutions that are tailor-made to suit their needs. It requires building deep empathy with the people you’re designing for and this comes very naturally to women. Because of this, I am able to create solutions that are not just technically powerful, but also have an emotional value proposition for end-users. In a world where consumers are spoiled for choice, an emotional value proposition is a massive competitive advantage. Women that I look up to… My late mother, Hanifa, is the best woman I’ve ever known. I’m an unapologetic feminist because of my mother. Growing up, both the girls and boys in my household participated equally in doing house chores. She instilled in me from a young age the importance of education hard work, perseverance, equality and believing in myself. Most importantly, my mother taught me to love and care for others. This has contributed to strengthening my approach to empathy, an attribute that is crucial in my work. As a designer, I spend a lot of time understanding people, putting myself in their shoes and owning their problems in order to best design solutions that are relevant to their lives. [bctt tweet=”As a designer, I spend a lot of time understanding people and owning their problems in order to best design solutions that are relevant to their lives.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Professionally I look up to Oprah Winfrey, a longtime advocate of female education. I am inspired by her story, especially how she overcame hardships in order to become one of the most influential women on this earth. I admire that she uses her platform to break gender barriers on a global scale and even uses her resources to invest in education and improving the lives of women. Lastly and similarly to Oprah Winfrey, I truly admire Rebeca Gyumi, Founder of the Msichana Initiative. She pursued and won a landmark case on child marriages through the petition she filed at the High Court of Tanzania to challenge the Tanzania Marriage Act, 1971, which allowed girls as young as 14 to get married. The law was amended and raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 for both boys and girls. My advice to anyone trying to jump-start their career in the Design Thinking space… I would advise anyone starting in the design thinking and innovation space to try to learn as much as possible. Read books Subscribe to newsletters Engage with other designers through platforms like IDEO and LinkedIn. A lot of changes are happening in the world of innovation and every day there is a new technology, tool or method designed. Design thinking entails working with clients across different industries, therefore you need to understand different industry trends so you can use methods, material, and approaches that are relevant to them. Join design thinking groups on professional networks, subscribe to newsletters, attend design thinking meetups in your area, keep learning and you will be unstoppable. Why I think uplifting women is so important in the workspace… Empowerment is created when the strengths that women already bring to the company are recognized and utilized. If you build organizations of high trust, respect, transparency, engagement, open participation and empowerment your employees will respond accordingly. When people find meaning and happiness at work, wonderful things happen to the organization; culture and moral changes, staff turnover reduces, employees are more creative, innovative, confident, open-minded and generally more motivated. As a leader, isn’t that the environment to work and operate in? I champion efforts to uplift women in the workplace because women have so much to offer the world and often times they don’t get equal opportunity to be heard or showcase their gifts. The importance of empowering women in the workplace is documented in “The Business of Empowering Women”, a survey of 2,300 business executives. The survey found that the companies who focused their efforts on empowering women reported
5 Tips to Effective Time Management
Time management is one of the most valuable skills you will need in life. We all have 24 hours in a day, but some people get the most out of their time while others don’t. Working as a content marketer has taught me to manage my time wisely. It gets crazy sometimes as projects are thrown your way. Which one do you focus on or delegate? I like this quote from Zig Ziglar: “Lack of direction and not lack of time is the problem. We all have 24 hours in a day.” There are a lot of people juggling multiple jobs and when I ask how they do it, they laugh and say, “It’s not easy.” Below are some simple steps you can take to manage your time wisely: Let’s dive in… Complete the most important tasks first Some people leave the most important for the last. But if you want to be better at time management, you should complete the most important tasks first. This way, even if you fail to get all your work done at the end of the day, you still conclude the day as being a success. Prioritize wisely Group your daily tasks into each category. This will tell you where to spend more time and less time. Important and urgent – tasks that must be done. These, you must do right away! Important but not urgent – tasks that look important but really aren’t. They can wait! Urgent but not important – these are tasks that appear pressing but have little or no value. You can delegate these if you can! Not urgent and not important – these are not urgent and they’re not important either. Learn to say “NO” A lot of us are guilty of this. Out of the goodness of our hearts, it’s almost impossible to say “no”. Want someone to run an errand? They come to you. Need someone to edit and proofread a doc? You’re the go-to girl. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with helping a colleague BUT, saying yes to everything and everyone eats into your time. It’s okay to decline every now and then. And no, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a heart, it simply means you value your time. Organize Yourself There are so many time management and productivity resources you can utilize. Tools like Asana, Trello and Wunderlist help track and manage your projects. [bctt tweet=”Distractions steal your time. When distractions are managed well, it can lead to a balanced life but when not managed, they can keep you from accomplishing your goals. – Judith Abani” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Create a timeline for a particular project I had to learn this. I’ll just dive in and get to work but now I’ve learned to allocate a specific amount of time to a task. Let’s say there’s a blog to write among other things. I tell myself “I’m going to work on this for 2 hours.” What this ‘time constraint’ does is that it pushes you to focus and be more efficient. Time management isn’t something you learn at once. You cultivate it over time. It’s one skill that can help you make the most out of your day. Follow these 5 tips and you’re on your way to working smart. Your turn, What are your best practices for managing your time? Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Why you need a Long-Term Digital Strategy for your Business
One of the biggest issues I have with my Nigerian clients is that they don’t particularly think long-term. Everybody wants results right here, right now. Social media isn’t even helping matters with the instant gratification. How else would you explain why a lot of e-commerce stores aren’t invested in an SEO and blogging strategy? A lot of businesses in Nigeria just create websites and leave it there excepting orders to magically appear. But I get it. It can be hard to think about a long-term strategy for a side hustle especially if you don’t have any plans to extend it into the main hustle just yet. Still, it is important to consider a long-term strategy for your business even if it doesn’t get there. Whether you like it or not, the internet is here to stay and is not going away anytime soon. If you have decided that you want to invest in a digital strategy for your business, you need to have a plan. You need to create a strategy outlining your goals and all the efforts it would need to achieve them. [bctt tweet=”Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is part of life – @Ebun_Oluwole ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Perhaps the most important thing about an effective digital strategy is consistency. No matter how little you’re putting into it, as long as you’re consistent, you will get results in the long term. A lot of people sometimes prefer to test the waters with social media before plunging in completely. But the problem is you can become complacent and forget your goals. This is why it is important to set defined goals from the onset to keep you focused and accountable. Need I remind of the numerous benefits you can get along the way: A recurring and diversified income Brand authority Thought leadership Influence But perhaps, you’re struggling to stay motivated and you need to be constantly reminded of your goals, positive affirmation helps. You need to place them where you can see them every day. You can use a vision board or just have them in strategic spaces like on your desk or on the walls of your office. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is part of life. Don’t be afraid to think long-term because of failure. Even if you do fail, do not stop there. Pick up the important lessons and move on to the next one! In conclusion, to get the reap the incredible benefits of a digital strategy for your business, you need to think long-term.
I’ve Got Bills To Pay & You’re Talking About Brand Building?
Not every single marketing activity will translate to direct sales! Can someone please scream this from the rooftops? If you’ve worked in a marketing capacity, you know this. And you also know a lot of clients straight up refuse to accept it. It’s easy to want to connect all marketing activity directly to ROI. Some of these activities, such as social media, may be viewed as extras and add-ons because they do not translate to direct revenue, but do they help in solidifying the overall brand picture? You bet! It’s imperative to place brand building and sales activities in separate categories. Although they might occasionally overlap, they must be treated as different actions, with different strategies that generate different results. [bctt tweet=”if consumers feel your brand is wack, they won’t be willing to pay much for it – Oluwaseyi Bank-Oni” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] It is easy to overlook the importance of building a solid brand before diving straight into selling. Especially after investing funds into a business. Granted, in the beginning stages of running your business, you might command profits left, right & center. But what keeps your clients coming back? What prevents them from switching to a competitor selling the exact same product or services for slightly less? Your brand – that’s what! Big brands invest millions of dollars in building and maintaining a certain brand image with no direct translation to sales. This is not just for fun or because they feel like splurging. It’s because they understand the value and the equity that comes with a solid brand name. Even the good book says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches. To be esteemed is better than silver or gold”. Hallelujah, somebody? Take Coca-Cola, for example, this brand participates in different types of brand building activities designed to trigger emotions, nostalgia, and certain positive feelings associated with the brand. Amidst these activities, Coca-Cola products are not explicitly sold. Why? The brand understands the value of building brand equity with their current and potential consumers. What is this brand equity, you ask? It is simply the value placed on a particular brand, based on the experience, feeling, or perception a consumer attaches to it. Simply put, if consumers feel your brand is wack, they won’t be willing to pay much for it. If they view your brand as the best thing since sliced bread, they will be willing to pay more for it compared to similar brands. Thus it has a higher equity and commands a price premium in the market. The problem with focusing on sales before boosting brand awareness and equity is that you may attract a slew of one-time clients. They buy and use your product, but have no connection to keep them coming back, so they keep it moving! A competitor product pops up the next time and they switch. Sounds familiar? Yeah, we’re all guilty of doing this. We’re also guilty of being extremely loyal to certain brands based on the value we have placed on them. For some mothers, only a certain brand of diapers will do for their babies, for others, such as myself, we buy fuel from only a certain brand of petrol stations. That’s the beauty of building a strong and trusted brand. There are many angles to this “brand equity” business, including consumer-based brand equity as discussed previously, employee-based brand equity, and more. As your business grows, employee-based brand equity cannot be neglected. In growing brand loyalty and equity, employees can be your most cost-effective brand evangelists. The people who will love and promote your brand from the mountaintops – for free. Let’s use Heineken as an example, I have a couple of friends who work for the brand, and as we say in Nigeria, they “carry it on their head”. Sometimes I think to myself, “Na your papa own this place?”-(Does your father own Heineken?) but guess what? The last time I was in Amsterdam, where the HQ is located — What was I most excited to see & do? To tour the Heineken brewery! The passion their employees have for the brand and the sincere love and joy that emanates when they speak about it, in turn, gave me the “ginger” and excitement to go see things for myself. When your employees truly believe in your brand and become loyalists (not just because you pay them a salary), something truly magical happens. They become one of your greatest and cheapest marketing assets. The word begins to spread organically and the positive brand equity transcends from employees to consumers. [bctt tweet=”When your employees truly believe in your brand and become loyalists (not just because you pay them a salary), something truly magical happens – Oluwaseyi Bank-Oni” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] It’s understandable, you put money in, you want money out, and quick! Unfortunately return on investment is not always immediate or that simple. Recognizing the need for brand building activities which may not necessarily translate to sales in the short-term is the first step. Understanding the need to cultivate long-term meaningful relationships with your target is the next. While creating a distinction between brand building and selling activities, always remember to look at the big picture and think long-term. As Gary Vaynerchuk once said, “Brand is not transactional. Brand is forever”. Got an article to share with us? Click here.
Reflecting through the four seasons way of life
This year has been a transformational one. I know I am in a new place and have transcended to the next platform of my life. Believe me, I have grown and I know that I will never be the same again. I went into the woods and came back anew. [adsanity align=’aligncenter’ id=144658] Well, I make it look all-glorious and rosy but we all know that growth is riddled with moments of tears, frustration, and chaos. The biggest influence on my life this year was a twelve days leadership programme that I was part of in July. As part of the programme, on one of the days, we were required to take part in a personal six hours reflection session. [bctt tweet=”Recognize which season the different aspects of your life fall into, and take the necessary actions.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I am melancholic, so I naturally reflect a lot. One hour of reflection is enough for me to figure out things and have my ducks in a row, or so I thought. I must admit that I was not at all excited about the six hours reflection session. To make matters worse, there was talk that the woods in which we would be doing our reflection had snakes. My plan was to walk the entire time so that I did not have to sit and encounter any snakes. So the said day arrived and my fellow participants and I were ushered into the woods by our facilitators. There was a whole ceremony around it. The only things that we were allowed to carry were food, water, a notebook, and a pen. We were also encouraged not to carry any watches to avoid shifting our focus to time rather than ourselves. My plan to walk for the entire six hours was quickly squashed when I walked the entire length of the woods in under twenty minutes. The rest of the woods was restricted to us. So while others were perched on trees or rocks, I decided I would sit right next to the winding path where I had a full view of my surrounding environment, where I would see all the reptiles coming my way. While psychologically preparing myself for this session, I had mentioned to one of my friends that I was not looking forward to being in the woods for six hours and much less to reflect for that long. Having done it himself on numerous occasions, he advised me to use the four seasons ways of life to reflect on my life. That is precisely what I did while I was in the woods. And before I knew it, I heard the whistle go, signifying the end of the reflection session. While reflecting, I had not for a single moment thought about what time it could be or how many hours were left before I could leave the woods. I left the woods with clarity about my life, where I was at, what I wanted to start doing, what I wanted to continue doing and what I needed to stop doing. Basically, I took stock of my life, the four seasons way. According to Socrates, an unexamined life is not worth living. The Four Seasons Way of Life helps you to do exactly this, examine your life. The four seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter when mapped to our lives, reveal so much truth. [bctt tweet=”Weeds are the things that will stop you or act as an impediment from reaching your goals. You need to identify them and pull them out.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] SPRING I love Spring. It is such a beautiful season, despite the rain, with so much color and life. Things begin to bloom and flourish. Hope abounds. Spring signifies what is new in your life or what is being birthed. It could be a new job, a new business venture, a new relationship or a renewed relationship. Things that are growing and thriving in your life. These things bring you joy and hope. They challenge, motivate, and scare you at the same time. Essentially, they give you a reason to keep going. What is blooming in your life? SUMMER As an African, I remain mesmerized by the long Summer days. I absolutely love them. There is something about sunshine and the energy that it brings. Lots happen during summer. People take breaks from work, children are on break from school, people travel to places all over the world. As we would say in my country, “It really happens in summer”. Summer is about having fun, connecting with those who matter most, traveling and seeking inspiration. Summer is the time between sowing and reaping. You sowed in the Spring of your life. You pluck out weeds and water your plants in the Summer of your life. Weeds are the things that will stop you or act as an impediment from reaching your goals. You need to identify them and pull them out. There is nothing that will grow without being watered. Whatever you have planted in the Spring of your life, needs to be watered. Be it a job, a relationship or a project. What needs to be watered in your life? FALL In Fall, you reap. The things that you started in Spring are coming to an end during. Some of those things could end successfully, while some may come to completion in a manner that was not expected. In the Fall of your life, you need to think about the things that have ended. Rejoice in those that have ended well and learn from those that did not end so well. Grow from the process. Sometimes we try to bring back to life, through watering and weeding, things that have already died. We keep trying in bad jobs, toxic relationships, and fanning the fire even when the other party has poured water in it. Do yourself a favor, if something has ended, learn from it and move on. What has come to an end in
5 Bookkeeping Tips for New Small Business Owners
One of the most important things a small business owner needs to learn is the basics of accounting and bookkeeping. I mean if your business is not turning over a profit, how would you know? For someone that is not good with numbers, I struggled a lot with the concept of accounting and bookkeeping. I still do until I was forced to get my acts together and learn it once and for all. I’m not exactly a pro yet but I like to think I’ve got my books handled for now until I can afford an accountant. So, here are five tips that have helped me that can help you too as a small business owner: 1. Start with Excel It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with all the tools and templates available for bookkeeping. But I’ve noticed that sometimes it’s better to start with what you’re familiar with. Most of us have a basic knowledge of Excel so you should start with that. Make sure you enter all the money that is coming in and all the money that is going out. Don’t forget you can also use it to create monthly budgets for your business. 2. Track every single expense One of the key things you need to do for your business is to track your expenses. If possible, keep all receipts and tellers. If papers are too stressful to track, download an expense tracking app. You can never go wrong with one. Tip: If you’re in Nigeria, use the Reach app to track your expenses. 3. Separate personal from the business account Whether you admit it or not, you’re not your business so you should treat it like a separate entity. Don’t be tempted to use your business account for personal expenses. Once your business starts making money, put yourself on a salary. That way, you can curb the temptation to dip into your business account. [bctt tweet=”Small Biz owners, listen! Once your business starts making money, put yourself on a salary – @Ebun_Oluwole ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 4. Embrace technology As a small business owner, you should be thankful for all the apps and software that are available at your disposal. It saves you a lot of money you would otherwise have used to hire a professional. Once you get a hang of them, the accounting software is pretty easy to use. 5. Balance your books regularly Between your Excel sheet and your bank statement, there needs to be a reconciliation. Every month, try to balance your books by reconciling all your accounts with your software. It’s so easy to make mistakes manually when using Excel so it’s better to use your accounting software where you can upload your bank statements and reconcile your accounts accurately. Tip: Wave is a simple accounting software you can use. When your business begins to scale, don’t hesitate to hire the services of a small business accountant. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Salma Abdulatif – The Hair Nurse: I kept trying till I got Salummy right
Salma Abdulatif was born in Malindi and raised in Mombasa, Kenya. She studies Marine Business Management at Moi University, and she is a Cohort – 15 graduate of the Young African Leadership Initiative, a programme initiated by former President of the United States, Barrack Obama. Apart from that, writing and poetry have been her forte all through her life. She also enjoys motivating youth and creating innovative solutions to complex problems which she does through her Community-Based Organization, Motivational Talks for Youth (MTY). Salma recently ventured into Natural Hair Oil business – Salummy and she takes us through the journey of being a hair nurse. Why did you decide to create natural hair products and how did you transform that into a business? After listening to my friends complaining about stunted hair growth, dandruff, ‘rough hair, weak hair etc…. You know all those problems girls have with their hair. The problems did not just end there, there was also the issue of hair products which promised to take care of the mentioned issues but most of them failed. Personally, I have tried all types of hair oils that I could lay my hands on and I found it difficult to get that one particular oil that I could constantly go back to and this was when I realized that I could be the solution to this problem. After a number of trials and errors, I was able to come up with a particular oil that I used for some time and there was a tremendous improvement on my hair in terms of texture, color, size, volume, and strength. I am a Muslim, so I cannot carelessly flaunt my hair all over the place. One day, as I washed my hair, my cousins noticed the change and asked for the secret behind my beautiful hair. After sharing it with it them, they also tried it and it worked! That is how Salummy hair oil was born. Friends kept on asking for the oil, and I realized I couldn’t keep giving them my oil for free, and I slowly transformed it to my side hustle. I moved from making the oil to shampoo, hair conditioner and even beard balm for the men. Where do you get the ingredients for your oils? Are they natural? I mostly use organic products ( chemical- free)which is a combination of carrier oils, herbs, and essential oils which when mixed together can be a perfect combo to more moisturized, longer, softer and thicker hair. I use black Jamaican castor oil, curry leaves and lavender essential oil as part of the products I use in my combo. I source all my raw materials locally and I get my bottles from Nairobi, in a plastic industry. Who are your clients, and where are they located? Most of my clients are natural and transitioning ladies but I also have a significant number of relaxed ladies who still find my hair oil helpful to their hair mainly in terms of reducing on hair loss. I have a big market base- I have clients from Mombasa, Kajiado, Nairobi, Kilifi, Lamu, Zanzibar, Daresalaam, Nakuru and even England. What has been the feedback since you launched Salummy Hair Products? The feedback has been overwhelming. When I first started, I did not have a good response and I had to go back to the kitchen time and again to work on my recipe and to keep trying until I had the right proportion for all hair types. There are so many entrepreneurs out there selling natural hair products, what makes your brand unique from the rest? My brand is unique because I give the clients exactly what their hair needs. You will find most brands promising so much and delivering little but I have always tried to test my products with my own family and friends before taking them out to the market so that I give the people what they really want and not what I envision for them which might sometimes come out as an illusion of expectations not met. The first time you use a natural oil, you already can feel and know if it works or not. This is the beauty of it. [bctt tweet=”If you are passionate about what you do, you can never fail – @salummy_salmun” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What challenges do you or have you encountered? The main challenge has been to grow the business by myself. I have so many suppliers and ambassadors but I am still the entrepreneur and the head and it can sometimes come out as overwhelming especially since I have to deal with so many orders. The other challenge I face is introducing new products that my clients need like shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, and even soaps. I am really trying to take it easy and go as per my capacity. But I eventually know that I will have all these products out sooner or later. I am also thinking of adding partners in the company and a personal assistant to help me in distribution and marketing. What is your advice to young women entrepreneurs who keep dismissing their business ideas with doubts and fears? If you are passionate about what you do, you can never fail. Businesses do not grow in a day, it is a combination of effort, determination, consistency, and creativity. If you have all these with you, your business will speak for itself. Article by Rumona Apiyo. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Living Life with a Full-Time Job and multiple Side Gigs: 4 Commandments to adopt
6 months ago, I decided I needed to get a day job. The decision came after I had run my fashion design business and realized I needed firsthand experience running the kind of business I wanted. I got a job as a Personal Assistant in a big manufacturing company. The role is combined with several other unofficial roles. 6 months down the line, I can safely say I am not so over my head as was 2 months ago. Between this full-time job, running my fashion design business on a small scale and freelance writing, it is safe to say I had no “me” time. I had no life outside of work. I had finally done two things I dreaded: living for the weekend and working hard without being productive. Two months ago, I told myself that this had to stop. I finally came up with a routine that helped me do all I wanted realistically and still have a life. Here are my four quick tips for having a life with a full job and side gigs. [bctt tweet=”Balancing two or more responsibilities with self-care is hard but not impossible. Here are the 4 commandments to follow:” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 1. Thou shall keep a To-Do list and use it. I found out that having a to-do list keeps me organized. With so much to do at work and in my side jobs, I find myself running around a lot and doing nothing much. My daily To-do list is organized the night before. I factor prayer, working out, my main job, my writing, my sewing in the evening into the list. I make sure I leave blocks of time to accommodate the unforeseen jobs that will come up at work. This is a daily occurrence. The To-Do list increased my productivity by 50%. 2. Thou shall set realistic targets 3 months into the job I developed stress belly and added weight. My face broke out and I started to wear wigs, leaving my natural hair matted under the wigs. Forget mani-pedi. That was gone. When I took the decision to get my life together, the first thing I did was set goals. Safe to say the targets were pretty high and I gave up. I went back to the board and re-drew the plan. Work out thrice a week as opposed to every day. Drink water, get my nails done bi-monthly. Braid my hair once a month and wear wigs for the other days of the month. 2 months in, my stress belly has reduced and I still maintain my hair and nails routine. 3. Thou shall factor in “You” time I love going to the movies, green tea, and red wines. One of the first things I stopped doing was going to the movies. Weekends were tight. No more tea time and wine time. I now find time on Sundays to savor a cup of tea or a glass of wine. Most importantly I fix movie dates so I will have to make time for them. This means I must close out official work by Friday and put extra time into the writing. It is worth it. [bctt tweet=”Relate each work experience to your business. This way your work and life is balanced emotionally.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 4. Thou shall find a purpose in what you do. If your job pays a bit low like mine, you might grow resentful over time. This will definitely affect your work-life balance. For someone who wants the experience, this will make a terrible experience. One way I have managed to balance myself emotionally is to relate each work experience to my business. One thing I have learned to do is to be grateful and positive. It gives more light to the work I do. I make the choice to cut back when I can. Balancing two or more responsibilities with self-care is hard but not impossible and we are getting there. Till next time. For now, drink a glass of wine or cradle a cup of tea and take care of you! Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.
Remi Owadokun: Before you write a book, determine what success means to you
Remi Owadokun is a Certified Health Coach, Life Coach and Founder of the Total Makeover Program. The Total Makeover Program is a lifestyle brand dedicated to equipping individuals to live healthy, happy and better lives. She has written not just one, but four bestsellers. In this interview with SLA, she shares her experience as a best selling author. What made you decide to write a book? Well, I was indecisive. I was not sure anyone really wanted to read my story. In fact, I felt it was too ordinary and way too familiar but I had gotten a few requests from people who were interested in reading my book if I wrote it and so I started writing and stopped in chapter 3 or 4. I had never written a book and wasn’t sure what I was I doing. My mentor found out about my book and he served as an accountability partner until it was completed. I was not thinking of the bestseller status at all at the time, just writing the book and holding it in my hand was such a big deal that I did not realize that they were much bigger things to aspire to. So, once I published my hard copy, I put up a new goal. I wanted it to be a bestseller. [bctt tweet=”That your book is an Amazon bestseller does not necessarily mean that your book is a good book. It – @remiowadokun” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] As a 4 time best selling author, how did you feel when your books achieved bestseller status? The first time was a very huge deal for me as I held best-seller status for about a week. On Amazon, bestsellers are announced on an hourly basis. The highest number of downloads made per hour determines who is a bestseller. So for me to have this for almost a week was massive. I had set a high standard for myself, I couldn’t go below my first book. If the first book became a bestseller, all my books would be so and that determined how I approached the entire process. How has this benefited your brand and business? I would say for my brand, it gives a nice ring to it when I say I have 4 best selling books. It has also helped position myself as a Thought Leader on the topics I have written about. When I get invited to speak or participate in a panel, the audience is more willing to listen, and the organizers are more open to inviting me on their platforms. Can you share some tips on how intending authors can make their books attain Bestseller status? That your book is an Amazon bestseller does not necessarily mean that your book is a good book. It just means that people bought or downloaded the book on Amazon. It doesn’t even mean that people read it. So I would implore that you invest the time to put out very good work, do your research and put your heart in whatever you are doing. Build a community of people who love your work and be consistent in giving value. If you don’t want to end up with boxes of books in storage, it is important that people are hungry for your book even before you decide to put it out. So share, share and share until they can’t wait for you to write a book they can buy and read. [bctt tweet=”Find your authentic self and be true to it – @remiowadokun” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What would you say are the general worries of potential authors and how can they scale these hurdles as they attempt to write their own books? Everyone is different and so everyone has different brands of fear, so it is hard to call it one thing. It might be the fear that no one will buy the book, that no one will read it, that people will question your work, that people from your past might see it, that it might be a failure, that it might be a success. It could be anything. My recommendations would be to pass the thoughts through the lenses of critical thinking. Determine why you want to write the book and what success in that area means to you. For some people, they just want to complete a writing project, not necessarily put it out. For some people, it is to get it into the hands of people without profit attached, for some they want to become famous or make money. So determine your why and let that guide your process, strategy. When it comes to writing, no one really puts their best works at first, so don’t wait for it to feel perfect, even if it feels so in a few years you will look back and wonder who wrote it. Who are your favorite authors? Paulo Coelho, he is a remarkable storyteller and I love storytelling. Chimamanda Adichie is also a great storyteller and I love her style of writing. Where do you see your work in the coming years? I see my work developing into other expressions of art like plays, films, cartoons etc. Final words for young African women in business and career Find your authentic self and be true to it. Interested in contributing for She Leads Africa? Click here.