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Fiona Osiro: We’re coming into a male-dominated field ready to prove ourselves and be treated as equals

Unfortunately, it is still our reality as women to face workplace challenges — lack of respect, overt and insidious sexual harassment, man-terruptions — simply because we are women.

These challenges are magnified for women working in male-dominated fields. From “bro-culture” to assumptions you don’t know how to do your job on the basis of your gender, women working in these fields go to work every day already saddled with the task of proving their worth and abilities — a weight their male colleagues do not bear.

Fiona Osiro is a 26 years old Engineer from Kenya. She has a Bachelors degree in Civil Service Engineering, as well as an MSc in Urban Management and Development.

In this interview, she talks about working in a male-dominated field and being good at what she does.

How did you get started in your field?

When I was younger I really wanted to be a journalist but as I got older my path was redirected mainly due to influence from my parents and uncles. I’m surrounded by many professional Engineers and I followed suit.

Working in a male-dominated field, how do you keep yourself pumped daily?

The field of Civil Engineering is definitely male dominated, which comes with many challenges. Proving yourself to be as able-bodied both physically and mentally can be a huge barrier.

People still get taken aback when I talk about my academic background and career path. People assume that I probably know too much or know too little. So I feel like I’ve had to work twice as hard as my male peers in proving myself which shouldn’t be the case.

My desire to make a difference in the world, make my family proud and be an example to the young women who want to venture into the field gets me pumped up for the day.

I’ve had to work twice as hard as my male peers in proving myself which shouldn’t be the case. - Fiona Osiro Click To Tweet

What advice would you give to men working with strong females

I’d advice men working with strong females to try not to feel the need to “baby” us.

I suppose it may come naturally to protect women around them, but at the same time, we’re coming into a male-dominated field ready to prove ourselves and be treated as equals.

Because we basically are equals out in the field, probably just with manicured nails occasionally 😉

What have you learned about yourself over the years and what are some traits that you really had to work on to be successful?

I’ve learned to not be so defensive. I initially had the attitude that I had to fight for recognition and acceptance by any means necessary.
I also learned that being a woman in such a field is such a unique and blessed opportunity, being able to be an example for others and to add a touch of grace while at it is something I relish.
I’ve learned to say no to free lunches. Pay for yourself, especially when everyone else is doing so, this will earn you the respect you deserve especially with your peers in the field.
Finally, take every opportunity to learn and grow. Connect with other people in the industry from different organizations, backgrounds, culture, and fields.

Take advantage of the unique opportunities set aside for women in male-dominated fields to grow. These opportunities are available and as women who want to make a difference, we should not shy away from making use of them.

How do you make your voice heard?

I know for sure that I do not have to be loud and aggressive to be heard but I must be very articulate, respectful and firm.

I’ve had to sit in meetings where I was the only female and the youngest as well. I already stood out, so I learned to take advantage of that and prove myself.

What advice would you give upcoming young women leaders in the industry?

I’d advise young women leaders in this industry to have a clear vision of what they’d like to achieve for themselves and for those they serve in their position.

Don’t be ashamed to be different, use it as an added advantage. Respect others and finally, put God first. There may be many obstacles to face, but upholding your morals and drawing strength from God will bring down any obstacle.

I do not have to be loud and aggressive to be heard but I must be very articulate, respectful and firm. - Fiona Osiro Click To Tweet

If you could throw a parade of any caliber through your office, what type of parade would it be?

Parade? Is there a parade that involves cooking and eating? Because that would be my happy place. 😉

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A Motherland Mogul’s Reflections from SLA’s SheHive Toronto 2017

by She Leads Africa

As African women, many of us have not had our life path paved with milk and honey. We have witnessed our mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, and kin put their lives on hold to work tirelessly long hours for little reward.

As I get older, I see more and more within us lays a common internal battle. In the midst of enacting the legacies of our lives, many of us are also carrying ideas engrained in us by our families.

Holding passions they have never known, we are constantly bombarded by family members pushing us to get into a “real career,” (aka becoming a nurse, doctor, or lawyer).

For creative women, with entrepreneurial visions bouncing off their every thought, balancing these two worlds is a beast to juggle.

We sit in a unique position, one where we must create the blueprint for our lives, because no one has come before us to achieve our success, and no one will come after us. What often halts us in our journeys is the countless intimate moments we have within ourselves.

Moments that cloud our judgment, moments that awaken/terrify us, motivate us, or moments when we wish no one is looking. Most times we feel all of the above. To live out your legacy is soul-shaking work. What we forget is simple, following our dreams is not supposed to be easy.

It is supposed to terrify you, wake you from your sleep, and place a fire under you that cannot be ignored. Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to Attend She Leads Africa’s, She Hive Toronto Conference.

The conference cultivated a space for African women, ambitious beyond words to surround, empower, and inspire each other.

Attending this event shook my soul but, more importantly, it forced me to remember the following:

1) Let your ideas manifest

Too many times we hear and feel parts of our ideas, but most of us never actually give them a chance. We don’t nourish them with our energy and allow them to grow.

What we do is the exact opposite. We allow them to sit idle, we minimize them with our doubt and create a reality that reinforces that we cannot accomplish them.

We tell ourselves we don’t have the resources, money, time, blah, blah, blah! But, once we take that first leap towards our dreams, we allow the universe to become our GPS.

2) Be the energy you need

We need to be our own number one fan and our own advocates. Women need to be a friend, sister, and lover to each other!

Most times, we expect people in our lives to validate us, support us, and invest in us. But, are you the energy you need? Are you that push you want others to bestow upon you, to yourself? We need to give ourselves the energy we ask of others.

Light up that room, be that never-ending inviting spirit, because you benefit from it the most!

3) Ask, ask, ask!

Ask the universe.
Ask God.
Ask friends and family.
Ask yourself.
Be clear and specific when it comes to your goals and what you need from everyone.
PS…. this includes figuring out what you need from yourself!
Need I say more?

4) Know the kind of woman do you want to be

We need to remind ourselves of what kind of women we need to be. What are you not willing to comprise? Do you have your values written down?

What does your integrity mean to you when it is woven into your passion? If we remain grounded in these thoughts we will never regret anything on our path to our dreams.

5) Seek meaningful connections

Networking. Yes, networking is essential. You never know who is in the room. You never know who may be able to assist you or how you can assist another person.

But, even more, important than this, is understanding what meaningful relationships and connections you want with others. Seeking out meaningful connections means you are living authentically. You are not just thinking about a one-sided benefit.

You are considering the person, as a person, a soul to connect with, and not someone who will only be used as a future commodity.

6) With passion, ALL things can be done

Passion is our savior. It stirs you and your being. Our passions give us purpose and demands we show up. Our passions unlock our potential if we allow it to.

Fulfilling the vision and legacies of our passions is terrifying, it will arise a world emotion from you (as it should). Stand firm in knowing the world is awaiting the gifts you have dug a grave for. Be still, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remind yourself.

“I will accomplish nothing without the taste of fear,” – Zainab Salbi

This article was written by Amma Gyamfowa

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10 lessons I have learned since quitting my job to start a business

by She Leads Africa

It’s been almost two years since I officially resigned from my job at a top consulting firm to start a business. For the last 20 months, I have been filled with either extreme anxiety or euphoria and sometimes, both feelings have coexisted from running my own business(es).

It has been an experience like none I had had before, extremely excruciating, but also immensely fulfilling.

Taking the leap to quit a comfortable job with potential for growth was not a difficult decision for me to make. I grew up believing I had the “Midas” touch — that everything I touched would turn to gold. I was optimistic.

The prospect of extreme success was very exciting. I wanted to build the next Bloomberg or the next Warby Parker, in fact, I was like a child on their first day to school.

And interestingly — my entrepreneurship journey has been more of a school than anything I had imagined.

Here are just a few of the lessons I have learned and feel anyone planning on quitting their job to start a business should know.

About to quit your job to start a business? Here are 10 lessons you should learn from @Kazville Click To Tweet

1. Do not quit your job unless you have actually started your business

Yes. They say no one wants to work for a part-time CEO. But no one wants to work for a broke business either. If I could do it again, I would wait till my business has clear-cut cash flows before I take the leap. Sometimes strategy works easier and more efficiently than hustle.

2. Have enough savings to last you at least a year

Nothing sucks like having to invest in a business and worry about your house rent at the same time. Stowaway enough cash for yourself to survive for at least a year before taking the leap.

And by “survive” I mean your budget should also have an entertainment budget line — to fund those business coffee meetings and social gatherings.

Do not start a business thinking your business will feed you from Day 1 because the reality is that it won’t. And yes, some people will argue that you can never save enough. I disagree!

3. Your 9–5 job is just as important to your dream as your dream itself

I have read a lot of social media articles bashing employed people for building other people’s dreams instead of their own and I feel that these “motivational” quotes and articles are in such bad taste.

A lot of my progress and support have come from connections I made while at my job. My job taught me so much about managing my business and through it, I interfaced with top CEOs and management people that have since become personal friends and supported my business.

My first client came from my former employer. I am mentored by my former boss. The beautiful people modeling Wazi glasses on our website are my former workmates. If I had not had that job, I would not have much mileage today.

Sometimes strategy works easier and more efficiently than hustle - @Kazville Click To Tweet

4. Start a business you understand

Nothing takes longer and costs more than a business you have no experience in or understand. I cannot begin to count how much money I wasted paying ‘experts’ to make me furnaces that did not even work or molds that were defective.

Don’t even get me started on how much time I wasted back and forth with excuses from the said experts as to why work was not getting delivered on time.

Although I eventually pulled the business model off and actually started to make revenue, I think it gets any entrepreneur more mileage, success, and fun doing something they actually know and understand.

5. Get a mentor or two

I have been lucky to have mentors throughout my entrepreneurship journey. They have not only offered me invaluable entrepreneurship advice but have also opened up their networks and shared their skills. They keep me accountable and on my toes every time I slack.

6. Keep your business simple

Always keep your core business simple. Simple to implement. Simple to understand. Simple to pitch. Simple to share. Simple to scale.

Innovation does not always equate complexity and just because your concept is complex does not mean it will be profitable.

7. Do not stop learning

The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself as an individual. Of course, we have heard success stories of people who have made lots of money with no education.

But education and business success are not mutually exclusive. As long as you have the opportunity, learn as much as you can. Do that online course. Take part in that workshop. Do that masters. Do that professional course.

Granted, you may not need the degrees and certifications in the short run, but they will come in handy later and add to your credibility.

Just because your business concept is complex does not mean it will be profitable - @Kazville Click To Tweet

8. Beware of the busy bee syndrome

Many times entrepreneurs get busy with everything. Busy driving to meetings to discuss new ideas or running up and down to make meetings that add no value to their business. They are always busy trying one idea after another day after day and applying to every startup competition.

Busy busy busy busy.

Busy does not always equal efficiency and entrepreneurs need to treat their time like they treat their money.

9. Grow some thick skin

If anyone had told me entrepreneurship would make me lose sleep in the middle of every night for a week straight, I would probably not have started.

I have wanted to give up an average of twice a day over the last one year alone. As an entrepreneur, something will hit you so hard you will want to close shop and with your tail between your legs, go ask for your job back.

You will hear terrible things about yourself and about your product and get aggressive competition. Your workers will go on strike, and your most trusted ones will leave. Trust me, you will want to give up.

But every day you don’t, your skin grows thicker and you go harder. Eventually, it gets easier.

10. Do not be a parasite

Over time, I have learned that as an entrepreneur, you are as good as your network. But sometimes we forget and become the parasitic types of entrepreneurs.

Always calling people only when we need favors. Keeping people’s phone numbers only to tap into who they can introduce us to. If you want to build a strong network, add value to it. Call your advisor just to take them to lunch to talk about anything but your business. Buy a present for your neighbor’s dog.

Offer to connect other people in your network to each other. Encourage someone to apply for that opportunity. Buy another entrepreneur’s product.

Whatever you do, always add value to the people in your network instead of only being on the receiving end.

This article was written by Brenda Katwesigye

Brenda Katwesigye is the founder and CEO of Wazi Vision Limited a company incorporated in Uganda that builds eyewear and construction material from recycled plastic.

She is passionate about creating sustainable and affordable solutions for critical health care and housing challenges.

Brenda is an Alumni of Vodafone’s FLANE program, a 2018 Westerwelle Foundation fellow, a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow and has served on the Regional Advisory Board of the Young African Leader’s Initiative (YALI) and the Board of the STARTS Prize of the Ars Electronica.

You’ve got 6 More Months To Slay and Conquer this year

by Eden Benibo

January through June have come and gone. Yes, these past months may have come with lots of setbacks, perhaps in achieving our personal goals and dreams or in advancing in the corporate world.

It may have been six months of moving in circles. Six months of going below both personal and general standards. Six months of bewilderment crawling up in between high hopes and a positive stand.

Here’s my own little story…

Personally, I tasted the true meaning of depression. How or where it came from, who knows? But hey! The good thing is I’m out of it now! Like out for good!

I never even remembered I had suffered from the disease of the mind (as I like to call it) until just a few weeks back, on different occasions, I encountered different individuals slowly sinking in the depth of this same ‘depression’.

Indeed, it’s been a battle thriving beyond all odds these past months and for the first time, I was glad I went through what I went through to better understand the situation of those that came around with the same ailment and help them gradually scale through.

Your confidence is one of the main weapons of emerging as a conqueror at the end of the year - Eden Benibo Click To Tweet

Perhaps this is your own story…

Maybe, just maybe, you had achieved a reasonable number of your goals and aspirations during the first half of the year. Awesome! Have all or majority of your inputs fallen in alignment with your expected result? Great!!

Whichever category you had fallen into, just know there are six more months to slay and conquer.

In duality, we would be looking at two categories in this article. Let’s say – Slayers 1 & 2.

Slayers 1 are the people who went through a relative number of down times during the first half of the year. If you fall into this category, here are a few tips for you:

Regain your confidence

Your confidence is one of the main weapons of emerging as a conqueror at the end of the year. Without confidence, a soldier is nothing but a loser even before the war begins.

Without confidence irrespective of the cash at hand or even your skills within, one will have a very low chance of succeeding.

Face the phase

Of course, it’s good to reflect on the past sometimes, to retrace your steps and know where to improve on, but what we do most times is that we get so engrossed with past failures and pain that we allow a replay of these negativities in the future.

Have the failures of yesterday boxed you in? Or built a shell in which you have crawled into? It’s time to come out! And face the now. This phase.

Bill Newman rightly said “you must be willing to fail. Don’t fear other people or their opinions. Don’t just sit there and wonder, you should be doing. Act, start today, make it happen”.

He is not trying to say we should set our minds on failure, no! All this is trying to convey is that we should not allow the mere fear of failure to be an obstacle to us succeeding in our business and life in general.

Stop agonizing and organize what you're doing - Eden Benibo Click To Tweet

Newman further stated “stop agonizing and organize what you’re doing. Not to decide is to decide not to.” In other words, not making a decision is a decision on its own. Not acting is a move. A wrong move though. A move of stagnancy. Break free today!

Slayers 2, on the other hand, are also known as the already Slaying Gang!

It’s important to note that no one prays for a ‘bad beginning’, but it’s better to have a rough beginning and a smooth end than experiencing the reverse. Therefore, this is a call for unrelenting zeal to keep thriving. Thrive on!

Ask yourself some questions. What did you do to get you to this point? Build on that.

If possible, I advise you increase your general input, because it is very easy to remain in your comfort zone. Remember, never to be trapped within the confinement of living in past glory. Most importantly, learn something new every day.

Now listen. If inexplicably you belong to the two categories, it’s all good. Here are some tips for you to explore.

Breath
Break free from the norm. There’s more to explore!
Smile and say a warm hello to July and the next few months at your disposal.
Remember your future is all in your hands: handle with care.

Finally, here’s a piece of advice from an all-time scholar which applies to everyone, regardless of the level of such an individual at work)

“If you are a senior executive, don’t take yourself too seriously. It is essential to hold on to our sense of humor throughout our lives if we want to remain sane, as has been shown by research into psychological cognition, and especially in the later years”.

So go ahead and break free, slay and conquer it all, starting with your fears!

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How to Invest Collaboratively with Friends: Tomie Balogun

by Tomie Balogun

When you invest with others, you take advantage of the power of many - @tomie_balogun Click To Tweet

As a certified financial educator and Instructor, Tomie Balogun has a lot of experience in investing with friends. While pursuing her MBA, she and a few classmates started an investment club.

Their passion to achieve financial freedom and make an impact on society saw them successfully invest in various small businesses and assets.

However, investing with friends hasn’t always been that easy. Like Tomie, many people have had bad experiences either loaning money to a friend or requesting for a loan. The conclusion: money and friends are a horrible mix!

However, the question many ask, is it still worth investing with friends or anybody else?. Tomie gives us tips on how to make this work.

The Power of Many

Think about the way you ask more people to contribute money to a party, so everyone can have more food options. Investing with other people helps increase the number of resources you raise and strengthens your financial future.

Investing in Bigger Things

Co-investing in an investment club gives you the opportunity to invest in bigger opportunities, share risks and share higher returns as well. For instance, while real estate is a great asset class that always appreciates, not a lot of young people can invest in it.

However, if 5 or more people decide to come together and invest, they will have more cash. Over time, they can earn returns from their initial investment and continue to flip multiple real estate deals. That’s a better option than waiting till your 40’s to eventually own real estate.

Choosing the Right Team

You might be thinking, co-investing or starting an investment club is great but what about the emotional issues that come with investing with friends or colleagues at work? This can be tricky!

The first thing you need to do while selecting partners is to avoid sentiments. You need to make sure that you choose your partners with clarity and objectivity. When identifying people, choose partners who are disciplined with spending money and more importantly, have a strong sense of integrity.

Shared values are very important when co-investing.

Details, Details, Details!

First, you need a legal structure in place to protect everyone’s interest. When this happens, you limit liabilities in investment deals. You can register your club as a limited liability company or a limited partnership.

What’s important is to make sure you have the papers to support your words if things go wrong.

Secondly, they say the devil is in the details. In creating your legal documents and other admin paperwork, make sure you don’t skim through anything.

Practice good financial bookkeeping, assign roles to manage tasks and create a constitution! Remember all information can be important!

Make that Money Work

Once you sort your membership and legalities, you can then start contributing money. Don’t set unachievable contribution rates, but set goals that everyone can work towards. If everyone believes in the goal, they will eventually build it too.

At the end of the day, there are many options to invest. However, investment clubs are both great for collaborative investing and also fun! They are a smarter way to take advantage of the power of many to achieve your wealth goals sooner.

So as soon as you can, get your motherland moguls into formation and start co-investing together towards your financial freedom.

Lifelong Learning: 5 Lies You Tell Yourself

by Osemhen Okenyi

What comes to mind when you think of “lifelong learning”? Oh, wait. Did you just roll your eyes and give a defeated sigh? Girl, we know the feeling.

Some of your feelings might be valid but here are some thoughts you might have that are definitely wrong.

Here are some of the lies you probably tell yourself all year round which eventually hinders your growth:

I have a degree. What am I still learning?

Big mistake, sister. When did you graduate? 2, 5, 10 years ago? The world is changing fast and we need to evolve.

Standing in one spot only means that others are going to overtake you and take opportunities that should’ve been yours.

Look at Nokia. How long did it take for them to lose their position as Number 1 phone maker? To be a successful Motherland Mogul, you need to keep learning the new trends in your industry.

I am an expert in my field

It’s very easy for us to settle for what we think we know is best. But does learning ever stop? If you have plans to branch out and innovate your brand, you need to prepare yourself!

Are there other things you learn from other industries that may be linked to yours?

There is so much more to learn about your passions, hobbies, and interests. Ask yourself questions such as ‘how badass is my excel skills’? When was the last time I gave a presentation that was wowed my audience?

Take the time to improve and build on what you already have and what you need to make yourself better.

I don’t have money for courses.

In this day and age, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to learn! With a stable internet connection and time, you can access so many free resources online.

From Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, YouTube and the many blogs and articles out there; the options are endless.

But once you choose to make this investment, you start the journey towards a successful and educated life.

I don’t have time to learn.

Let’s rephrase that as “I don’t make out time for learning new things because it’s not a priority.” Doesn’t sound nice, does it?

Well, it’s true. We all make time for things that we consider priorities. Catching up on social media, binging on Netflix, attending owambe parties. But if we think about it, we spend many hours every week on things that aren’t really adding to our bottom line.

If you’re one of those superwomen who resists all such temptations and still can’t find the time to learn, what about the time you spend in traffic? With the developments of education and technology, you can learn anywhere and everywhere!

So, don’t make excuses for wanting to learn. If you believe in investing in yourself, then you will make the time to learn more.

I’m too old to learn

Lol! Did you know the oldest person to graduate college was 95 years old? We’re never too old to learn. Even if you have started a family and gotten 7 children, it’s never too late! It’s all about prioritizing. We can always learn new tricks!

You’ve probably run out of excuses now. But don’t let this daunt you. The trick is to start small. Pick one skill and set yourself a target of one hour a week to develop it. If you don’t know where to start, Google resources and create a learning calendar.

Once you set milestones and give yourself small treats every now and then, you’ll be surprised by what you learn in a few months.

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5 Things a Motherland Mogul Leader is Not

by Mosopefoluwa Fayeun

Leadership is an art. It means taking courage to maneuver a group of people with common intentions, goals, and objectives in an organized manner. Not everyone can be a good leader!

Of course, you have to bear in mind your follower’s individual strengths and weaknesses while walking on eggshells trying not to annoy this group of people – even when they throw their frustrations and aggression at you!

With all these pressures, leaders quite often fall into bad habits as they struggle to achieve their goals. To avoid this, as a Motherland Mogul and leader, you are probably asking, what is a leader not?

Bossy

There is a wide difference between being a boss and being bossy. A bossy person is a maniac! They operate like a machine put in place to juice their subjects in order to extract what they want for the company.

A great leader is none of these. They are diplomatic and understand that more is given willingly than forcibly. A good leader is compassionate. They do not exclude others from contributing their part towards the common goal.

Nepotist

Yes. We all have that cousin or friend that we think would be the best at this job. But what would your followers think if this was the case? Would they be committed to your family company?

It is very sad that nobody nowadays values meritocracy. Leaders give more attention to those who massage their ego, than those who tell them like it is.

However, true leadership requires building the right team that will challenge you and helps you grow your organization.

A jolly old person

The truth is, great leaders do not try to keep friendships with others by satisfying their needs at the expense of their followers and the common purpose. When you start pleasing everyone, you start compromising.

This then causes your standards to get a tilt and you’re not the same leader anymore. It doesn’t hurt to make friends, but don’t let your friendships compromise your value and your objectives.

A Narcissist.

Have you ever heard the tale of Narcissus? According to Greek Mythology, he was cursed by a God to look at his reflection in the water and fall in love with it every day. He fell in love so much that it actually ruined him!

As slay queens, we need to love ourselves. But we shouldn’t let our self-love turn into overconfidence, self-adulation, and self-centeredness at the expense of our followers and the common purpose.

A prejudiced discriminator.

In 1949, sociologist Merton illustrated prejudice and discrimination with four categories of people:

Unprejudiced non-discriminator
Unprejudiced discriminator
Prejudiced non-discriminator
Prejudiced discriminator

The prejudiced discriminator is the worst kind of leader to experience. They are a chooser and not a trainer. This kind of leader doesn’t believe that followers of a particular sect, religion, ethnicity or region can offer the common purpose any productivity due to insufficient justification and undue prejudice.

Great leaders do not just build visions, but they also build people. If one doesn’t avoid these habits of bad leaders, they end up attracting the wrong crowd, or no crowd!

As Motherland Moguls, let us strive to make sure we are not bad leaders. Build your dreams on the right and with the right attitude. Let’s make Africa better with the advent of good leadership and fellowship.

If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.

5 Simple Steps to finally launching your business idea

by Nina Dafe

Was one of your new year’s resolutions to finally get that blog, podcast or business idea off the ground? Well, if so, I’ve got great news for you!

I recently sat down with the amazing Tobi Olujumni who shared 5 simple steps that you can take to turn this dream into a reality.
For anyone unfamiliar with her, Tobi is the founder of the WTALK, a Multiplatform Entertainment & Faith Network which empowers Women to explore Faith via entertainment.

W360 is the membership streaming service of WTALK set to redefine Faith within global entertainment.

Tobi Olujumni

She is a powerful communicator and sought after preacher of the Word of God. You can read the tips that she shared in our interview below:

1. Start small but do something

First of all, I would say, start small. Start small but do something. I think that in the day and the society and the culture in which we live now, everyone expects you to have ten thousand followers or a hundred thousand followers, or what have you.

And you’re almost deemed unsuccessful if you haven’t attained that. All of these things are just massive distractions. If you have something on your heart to create, I would say start small. If you want to start a blog, start writing. Start writing on your notepad.

For example, it’s so funny because someone asked me about how I do status updates. Well actually, some of my status updates come on the train and I put it in my notepad. Then I get a kind of a nudge a few weeks later and I think “Oh, that’s for this time!” and I post it.
So first, I would say, start small but do something. That’s big! Because, you know, I have a lot of people that come to me and they’re like “how?” or “what should I do” and I’m like “just do something!” It doesn’t have to be fantastic.

I am a perfectionist but sometimes that can work against me because sometimes some things need to go out.

Some things need to resonate. It’s not about the camera angles, it’s the message that needs to reach the person who needs it most. So that’s why I would encourage whoever it is to start and do something.

2. Be consistent

And then I would say, be consistent. Be consistent because people like to trust that you’re going to be around. That’s how you build a community.

That’s how you build a following- if people trust you; that you’re going to be around. And, if you think about it, if we look at any of the big, massive brands, we trust that they’re going to work.

For example, if I log onto Netflix, I trust that the shows are going to be there. That’s because of their consistency and I think, as you show up and you’re consistent, people will build a trust towards you. People will build a trust towards your voice.

3. Know your voice

The third one I would say to everyone is, what’s your voice? It’s incredibly crowded. It’s incredibly noisy. People are getting notifications left, right and center.

So, what is your voice? It goes back to knowing your identity because I think your voice flows from your being. For example, I’m not creating anything today that doesn’t flow organically from who I am.

You only have got to spend about an hour with me and you’ll know that’s true. So, I would say, what’s your voice? I hear people say they want to be the next Oprah. Good for you but Oprah exists and she doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere for now.

What’s your voice? Because your voice will resonate to the place it’s supposed to be sent.

4. Be persistent and be determined

And, after consistency and knowing your voice, be persistent and be determined.

Your idea is not going to grow overnight. If you get it overnight, you’ll probably lose it overnight. It’s about legacy. It’s about building deep roots.

Like at this moment, I’m not overly concerned with having millions of followers but what I am concerned about because we’re in our infancy at this stage (we’re under 5 years as a company), is building deep roots. Roots that are so deep our infrastructure is laid and it’s tight so we can build upon that.

If your infrastructure’s dodgy, if the foundation’s dodgy and you’re trying to get to 100 followers, the whole thing’s going to collapse. The fact is, if you don’t want the long endgame, I would challenge you to question why? What is your why?

If you just want to make a little bit of money- you can do something else that is less stressful. If you want it now, I would challenge you to question your why. If you get your why, then you’ll know it’s definitely a long run.

5. Be passionate

You must be passionate about what you’re doing because you have great wins and you have days where you’re just like “oh my goodness!” And I just think, the thing that keeps me going is my why and my passion.

It’s the passion- seeing who you’re hoping to help or who you’re hoping to bless or who you’re hoping to communicate with, it’s those things.

Having a little reminder on your phone is really helpful too.

Got an article you’d like to share with us? Share your story with us here.

Hey Motherland Mogul, Celebrate!

by Nelly Makena

One month down, eleven more to go. I really hope you’re not letting out a sigh yet because my polite reminder to you this year is to take it one day at a time. One, not two or three, but one.

Stop worrying about being the perfect student, mommy, worker, just celebrate each day Click To Tweet

Rather than going through the list of things at the end of the day that you haven’t achieved and turn mauve with anger, how about you just celebrate and be happy because, in this grand dance of life, that’s all you need to get through another day.

I am asking you to stop worrying about being the perfect student, mommy, worker, all that in between and just celebrate each day in its uniqueness.

Society has taught us to swank the achievements and sweep the disappointments under a heavy Persian rug. Take a brief look at successful business stories or closer home, social media. They only tell of the good side, the pictures we see are predominantly facades but no struggle is told of at length (probably a few) and only briefly.

We only see the tip of the iceberg but not the rock underneath. What you need to do is, take a long look at that rock and celebrate it. Without it, that tip would never be. Maybe this is the year that the rock is forming, or it could be the next.

Well, lady, celebrate that!

At the risk of sounding like a fluffy motivational speaker, let me share three reasons as to why I am asking you to celebrate these days, these moments, this rock, this masterpiece that’s loading.

1. Your sense of success will be enlightened even better.

The more you face your challenges better, the more your successes will give you a deeper sense of awareness. Here, I am talking about the awareness of the self.

You will achieve that balance that allows you to neither be to be too sad as to sit and wallow in your supposed failure nor be vain about your success and thus become complacent.

If you're irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished? Click To Tweet

2. You will wear gratitude like a daily cloak

You will begin to appreciate the little things, the very miniature ones included. For once, you will start to see and be thankful for that morning ray of sunshine in a different way.

You will give thanks for that roasted maize you bought on the roadside, you’ll be happy for the tiny bedsitter you’re living in as you hustle for that business or job, because hey, you have a roof over your head.

Every single person, event or item will be a point of meeting yourself at the heart of sincere gratitude. You know that they say with a grateful heart, right? Blessings abound.

3. You will become a better person

With this kind of celebration, it doesn’t matter if you can’t go out and spoil yourself with material things and not that I am against this but it matters more that you can do it within.

A lot of introspective work goes into this kind of felicitation and it takes plenty of willpower to be okay with the present; to sit in stillness and celebrate the challenges. This creates a deeper understanding of oneself and refines you from the inside out.

Then, you can lift others and encourage them. With your courage, you can elevate someone’s spirit who can see you wear pain and disappointment like Cinderella’s glass sandals. These are selfish days my friend, go on and give some light to someone.

There you go. So now, who’s ready to celebrate with me?

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10 ways to end a business year

by Olayemi Olajide

In the course of the year, entrepreneurs can get consumed with loads of activities that it becomes difficult to keep track of all that’s happening.

The end of the year is the time when most business activities wind down, therefore, it’s a good time to pause, take stock, plan and take a position for the year ahead.

Here are 10 things to do to make that happen:

1. Review your financial statements (balance sheet, cash flow, income statement) and prepare tax returns.

You need to know:

If your business is profitable
How profitable your business is
Where all the money that passed through your business in the year was spent
How much the business owns
How much the business owes
Exemptions you can get on taxes

2. Review business expenses. Its important business expenses are directly linked to the bottom line of the business.

3. Compare financials from the year before to that of the current year. Pay attention to any rise or drop in figures, investigate reasons for them.

4. If you have made a very good profit for the year, this would be a good time to consider buying or replacing any equipment that will directly result in increased revenue.

5. Reconcile your goals for the year with your achievements; take note of goals you could not achieve. Also, be careful not to discard these goals instead try to find out why you were unable to, and devise new ways to go about achieving them.

6. List and celebrate major accomplishments, you can share with your staff, this should motivate them and make them emotionally invested in your business.

7. Reward your employees and customers, it does not have to be much, could be in form of bonuses, gifts, personal notes…

Also get in touch with your vendors/suppliers and inform them of any change in the business that might affect them.

8. Pay attention to your numbers; identify your metrics, this varies from business to business – website analytics, the source of customers, customer growth rate, customer return rate/retention, subscriber list, downloads, number of monthly orders e.t.c.

Identify patterns of growth in such areas, trace down these patterns to identify much bigger opportunities and devise ways to multiply effects of these patterns.

9. Review your systems, operations, and processes. This is a good time to review and update (if required) contracts, license agreements, and technology, Identify your strengths and work on your weaknesses.

10. Create a vision for the coming year, based on this vision, set goals, write down your action plan and ways you intend to implement these plans.

Hope these tips help you end the year with sufficient knowledge of your business even as you prepare and position yourself for growth and opportunities in the coming year.

How are you wrapping up the business year? Share your ideas with us here.