When you look back on 2019, what comes to your mind? Do you focus on the pains, regrets, and mistakes you made or do you concentrate on the strength you gained and all the blessings that came your way?
Since this is the beginning of a new decade, here’s a positive to-do list for the year ahead. With 2020 now in full swing, keep doing these 6 things for yourself:
1. Embrace your humanness and give yourself more credit
Human is the only real label you’re born with. However, it’s easy to get so focused on what others tell you that you forget how far you’ve come and what you’ve managed.
Give yourself some credit and appreciate all that you are.
2. Make your happiness a priority
Just in case you’ve forgotten, you matter A LOT. Your needs matter too! If you fail to put your needs first or look out for yourself, you hurt yourself more than you can ever imagine.
3. Enter new relationships for the right reasons
Every relationship whether romantic, business or friendship has a purpose. Focus on starting relationships with dependable and honest people – people who reflect the person you are and the person you want to be.
4. Forgive yourself and others
Ever heard, forgiveness is not for the other person but for yourself? Stop rehashing old wounds and reliving the pain of the past, but forgive yourself and let go of the pain.
5. Build up your confidence
It’s never too late to chase after your dreams. Don’t think you’re left behind; start from where you are and work your way up towards where you want to go. Every day and step is necessary.
6. Track how you invest your energy and make productive shifts
You can’t do the same thing and expect change. Be mindful of what you spend your time on and focus on what really matters.
Want to invest in yourself? Join the Motherland Mogul Insider– an 8-week online program to help you grow your network and reach your professional goals.
Daisy Adul is an experienced professional in marketing and client relations. She is also the founder of Uneeq Salon software, Kenya’s first cloud-based salon software.
With a demonstrated history of running sales and operations for several organizations, Daisy has built a team that prides itself in offering a unique and customized experience for customers while guiding them to achieve their maximum potential.additionally has a track record of exceeding targets.
Having worked within the Logistics industry with multinationals such as FedEx Express, Bollore Logistics for over a decade, inherently understanding how vital customer service, marketing, strategic planning, and implementation is to a business.
Daisy is one of the top 5 She Leads Africa x Dark and Lovely Beauty Accelerator, finalists. In November 2018, she attended the accelerator residency boot camp at the L’Oréal HQ in Johannesburg, and she shares her experience in this article.
Tell us about your business
Uneeq is a software company providing affordable and convenient cloud-based business solutions such as inventory management, customer data collection, invoicing, payroll, financial reports, branch management, appointment scheduling and so much more within the beauty and wellness industry.
How did you hear about the SLA x Dark and Lovely Beauty Accelerator
Being a follower of She Leads Africa on social media, I have always followed the remarkable work they do with women across Africa. I receive their monthly newsletter, and so this is how I found out.
At the time I didn’t think much about it, but after watching Accelerator programs held in the past, I was sure this is exactly what myself and the business needed. Talk about perfect timing.
What are your 5 key tips for submitting a winning application?
The first thing which you cannot stress enough is your story.
Secondly, it’s your pitch deck which is basically a layout of key information about your business that aims to attract potential investors. Your pitch deck should be captivating enough. Keep it short and simple but highlight key points such as what problem it is your trying to solve and the solution.
Know your market, your competitors, challenges you face and some of the steps you have taken to overcome these challenges.
Highlight your milestones or personal success within your business or as an entrepreneur. Nobody wants to be associated with a boring brand.
Tell us about your experience during the SLA x Dark and Lovely Beauty Accelerator residency.
In one word, eye-opening. When I first came to the program, I thought I knew exactly what I was doing regarding my business and its structure. It gives you clarity on some key things we usually tend to overlook in our businesses.
Meeting other fabulous boss ladies doing phenomenal things within their space and realizing that I am not alone in this was cool.
The assurance that in one way or another, we all face challenges in our businesses, but we can’t give up. After all, the motherland needs more women in leadership positions.
Support from the entire team at SLA and experts from Dark and Lovely also made the week bearable. Moments of self-doubt became winning moments, and courage to speak up about my business is something I take home with me.
What was your highlight of the residency program
Definitely learning how to create an excellent pitch deck.
As a business owner, what would you say is your unique sellingproposition?
Being the first Salon software within the Kenyan market and across East Africa is something we pride ourselves in.
But that isn’t enough, ensuring that this software is integrated for the African market through understanding the missing value chain from 3 fronts that are salon owners, customers and technicians are the extra miles we have gone.
What’s the most important thing the SLA Accelerator residency has taught you?
Tomorrow is always a better day. During the week we all had low moments, and at some point, I wanted to give up.
But surprisingly enough on the last day when presenting our pitch decks, I was not the same person who had walked into L’OREAL office on Monday.
I was bold, confident and passed on the exact message I had been struggling with which is simply how brilliant my business is. I learned how to stop selling myself and my business shortly.
One of your exercises during the residency was to create a vision board for 2019. What’s that one goal you MUST achieve in 2019?
What is most important to me currently is self-development in all areas of my life. And so the one thing I intend to accomplish in my 2019 is to get recognition for my business in various platforms for women in business through growth and restructure.
What’s your secret sauce? How do you get your glow up?
Com’on, we’ve gone past that time where we had to wait for graduation to start a business, master a new skill, or even start making trips to the bank…
Deliwe Makata is a living example. Currently an undergraduate, she founded Women Inspire, an empowerment and capacity building network for young women and girls in Malawi.
Deliwe has trained over 250 Malawian girls and conducted over 50 face to face mentoring sessions with girls, about issues relating to personal development.
Join us on Wednesday, 13th September, as we host a Facebook Live Chat with Deliwe, who will be sharing her advice onstarting a company and pursuing her passion while completing her studies.
Register below to have access to this opportunity.
Some of the topics we’ll cover:
Founding a company while in school
How early self-development has helped Deliwe to train young girls in Malawi
“She Leads Africa Facebook Live with Deliwe makata – Founder of Women Inspire, Malawi. How to run a startup while completing your studies. Join the She Leads Africa community by visiting SheLeadsAfrica.org/join!”
Watch the first part of this video on our Facebook page.
About Deliwe
Deliwe Makata is a writer, speaker, and highly ambitious leader, with aspirations of getting into international public policy-making. She is the founder and executive director of a women empowerment organization called Women Inspire.
Women Inspire is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, both locally and internationally. Through training & mentoring women and girls in the areas of education, human right advocacy, capacity building, leadership and decision-making positions.
As a speaker, Deliwe has inspired many through her motivational appearances with international organizations, such as AGE Africa.
Deliwe is also an exceptional final year student currently pursuing her undergraduate degree with the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, studying Arts in Humanities.
Being a global leader is not all about working in the United Nations or travelling the world over to proffer global solutions to all the world’s problems (although that also counts).
Real global leaders are those that recognize the impact of their actions on their communities; that is why many #MotherlandMoguls and #BossLadies are beginning to lead Africa from their doorsteps.
Whether it’s business, philanthropy, social activism, entertainment, technological innovation etc, you can begin to make global impact by taking active roles and actions in your community (aka your society, aka your neighbourhood, aka your district, aka your area, aka – you get the gist) because that’s where real change happens.
So without further ado, here are a number of ways you could start leading Africa from where you are;
1. Practice core leadership values
Whether its through integrity or service, practice core values in your career and in relation to your community. These values support your personal leadership skills and help you in deciding what you what to be known for as a leader.
2. Be a global citizen
Be involved in your community in practical ways, this could be through volunteering amongst others. Asides from boosting your resume, you’ll be creating real global impact from your community.
Someone smart has said this before. Your network has an impact in your leadership success. Effective networking gives you access to information, valuable resources, referrals, knowledge, mentoring and a vast number of skills that would be helpful in advancing your community.
Find out about programmes, summer camps, and platforms that help you build your global leadership self.
A number of them might include leadership camps, bridge programmes or professional boot camps. There are a host of activities that would help you along the path of taking effective actions and decisions in your community.
5. Be an entrepreneur
If you are not solving a problem in your community, then you are the problem.
With the vast array of online classes/courses the internet provides, self-development is just a click away. Develop your brand, research, read, read, and read (not just Harlequin), finesse your leadership ability. Know that girls can be pretty and smart.
7. Have a global mindset
Enhance your communication and interpersonal skills. Global leadership requires an understanding of various diverse views and perspectives. This can be gained from travelling abroad or reading widely.
Stay abreast of international happenings around the world. This makes you very knowledgeable about other communities. It could also provide necessary information and policy which would help you in achieving your own set goals for your community.
8. Join She Leads Africa
Besides being extraordinario, SLA would help you get to the next level of your career and finesse your global leadership mindset.
From inspiring articles to amazing events to the Accelerator programme, SLA is becoming the number one destination for smart young and ambitious global women and you could become a part of our community.
Start acting today and be at the forefront of rising global leaders, who says girls can’t have it all?
The assurance that in one way or another, we all face challenges in our businesses, but we can’t give up. After all, the motherland needs more women in leadership positions. 
