Yoadan Tilahun: Nothing gives more credibility than the quality of your work
So many of us dream of turning our side hustles into main ones. Few of us do but Yoadan Tilahun is one of the few who’s managed to succeed. Yoadan founded Flawless Events while working full time in corporate trade in the Washington, DC area. Flawless designs and produces corporate events, brand activations, international conferences and trade fairs on behalf of its clients in a number of industries. These include Coca Cola, Google, World Economic Forum, Africa Leadership Network among many others. Yoadan moved Flawless to her home city, Addis Ababa in 2008, where it has been flourishing since. Heran Abate, SLA contributor, spoke to Yoadan whose career decisions and approach to life demonstrate a calm boldness that exemplifies the #MotherlandMogul. Having worked in corporate trade, why did you decide to start an event management company? It started as a side gig, actually. I was looking for an additional source of income to supplement my day job. Around that same time, the events I was attending were quite unorganized —so I leveraged my existing network and tried my hand at it. But from the beginning, there was no two ways about it. The very first event sparked this exhilaration in me —from brainstorming initial designs to realizing the finest details, I was hooked! To this day, there’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of being in perfect sync with my team. Especially when months of planning and toil pay off and an event falls seamlessly into place before our eyes. It sounds like it was going well in the US, what prompted the re-location of the business to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? Ethiopia has long been a center for African intergovernmental affairs, being the seat of the African Union and the Economic Council for Africa. So, there were already many international conferences going on. Particularly around the Ethiopian millennium (September 2008 —we follow a different calendar), there were a number of grand initiatives to broadly expand Addis Ababa’s infrastructure and create larger FDI (foreign direct investment) opportunities. This meant an increase in modern facilities, roads and an influx of investors who were looking to tap into networks and opportunities. That was the market gap Flawless came to Ethiopia to fill. Would you say this re-location was the turning point for the company? Yes and no. While it was good timing, the hard work ahead was in building the momentum. We had to adapt to new regulatory frameworks, re-adjust to an entirely different set of clients. And also build relationships with vendors from the ground up. Like any start-up, the initial stages were crucial. You have to be tireless and tactful in pursuing new clients, being a step ahead of their needs. Until you build a reputation for over-delivering in (seemingly) effortless fashion. That sounds like there’s more good advice where that came from for our readers, could you elaborate? Certainly. To put it simply, nothing gives you more credibility than the quality of your work itself. No amount of advertising can make up for a poorly managed event. It was through happy clients’ referrals that we were able to get some of our highest profile and exciting events. So what makes for a flawless event? What else helped you establish a compelling brand and reputation? Clear process and production, the two are different but both critical. The first requires top-down strategy to tackle the separate pieces of the whole. It also entails investing time in creative output and designs to personalize the event then tireless follow-up. As the event nears, we burn the midnight oil, making sure there are no loose ends affecting back up plans and that we are in constant readiness for crisis —this is inevitable. Our clients rely on us to trouble-shoot and problem-solve on the spot —a late visa, equipment held up at customs etc. Are the majority of your clients international? What industries do you serve? About two-thirds of our clients are international. We mostly do corporate events, international conferences in trade and investment, development as well. We have held events that companies used as entry platforms into the Ethiopian market —Google’s first event for example. We’ve set up high-level meetings for finance entities who don’t have contacts in the country. Most recently, we organized an event in which Ethiopian Airlines celebrated its newest plane acquisition by setting a Guinness World Record for the largest human formation of an airplane. That was fun! How do you nab these high-profile events? We are tireless in building and sustaining relationships both locally and internationally. We are the only private-sector members of the International Congress & Convention Association. We are close partners with professional networks in Africa including African Leadership Network (we’ve hosted their event in Kigali and Addis) as well as Extensia —a continental group of high-level professionals in ICT. On the ground, we have excellent working relationships with hotels, government offices as well as previous clients. This gives us a lot of leverage to flexibly offer our clients a whole buffet of options. Your increasing influence sounds like a direct result from the events you have previously organized. Yes. Our influence is built on opportunities born out of our previous work and our growing network, clients calling us back to take on new events or referring us to contacts in new industries. You were very recently selected among 30 women entrepreneurs to take part in the Graça Machel Fund’s Woman Advancing Africa. What was the goal of this forum? What are the implications for Flawless? I’m honored to have been selected. Graça Machel is a Mozambican humanitarian and also the widow of Nelson Mandela. This forum is a platform for African women entrepreneurs to leverage their capacity and networks to influence the economic trajectory of the continent. It’s because of the integrity of the work that our client’s have attested to that we are invited to take part in larger conversations about entrepreneurship, economic growth. In Ethiopia as well, we are now well-positioned to take initiative in expanding the MICE (Meetings,
Edem Fairre: I need to push more boundaries if I must get to the top
Edem Fairre is one of the few models in Ghana who has managed to turn modelling into a career. She was discovered by Donthes Media in 2010 fully ventured into modelling in 2014. Though she has been in the industry for barely two years, she has walked several runways across the country; worked with known brands like Beige Capital Bank, Nivea, Renault, Samsung, Bayer Chemist, Joy FM, DSTV sport, Airtel Ghana as well as various fashion designers. She holds a managerial position in one of the top modeling agencies in Ghana, Empire Gh Models. Naana Joa had a chat with Edem, who though has achieved so much in the industry than many Ghanaian models, still feels the need to push more boundaries to achieve her goal. Why do you feel the need to push more boundaries? What is the goal? It doesn’t matter your achievement in life, there’s always room for improvement. There’s always something new to learn; a new goal to set and achieve. I’ve focused mostly on lingerie, promotional, commercial and sport modeling. I’ve not had time to perfect my runway skills but this is something I intend to correct. There’s more to achieve in my field of work. Equipping myself and excelling at all aspects of modeling will help me stand a better chance at getting to the top. My goal is to be a supermodel like Naomi Campbell or Tyra Banks who managed to establish themselves as the most recognised and in-demand models of their time. I also want to prove that modelling is a real career like law, medicine, engineering and business. Entrepreneurs and professionals alike complain of bottlenecks to getting to their goals and reaching the top. What would you say has been a hindrance for you? It’s easier blaming where I come from but that would be somewhat unfair since Africa has raised champions. I admit there are limitations in Africa. You’ll need to go the extra mile to break boundaries here. But with hardwork, dedication and talent, I believe this can be done. Personally, I’ve had challenges like self-doubt, my current studies at the university, and lack of funds. Surprisingly, models also doubt their work and themselves. Our job is to portray a character and the goal is to get it right. So when the results for the work done shows otherwise, self-doubt sets in. You begin to doubt your worth and suitability. I am currently studying ABE UK marketing management at the university. This simply means losing some job opportunities. But this course is to help me manage my brand better so I’m not one to complain. In the industry, other people call the shots especially when you do not have the funds to promote your brand. You are taken advantage of and made to settle for less than you deserve. Professionally, I will say unhealthy competitions and partiality is another challenge. Though the modeling industry in Ghana is small, it is very competitive and I love competitions. They push you to be better at what you do. But it gets ugly when competitors use unethical means to get contracts. This results in unqualified models being given jobs while the qualified are bypassed. What steps are you taking to changing the narrative? Regarding self-doubt, I am working on building my self-confidence and keeping a positive mind and outlook on things. I have also accepted that losing jobs because I have to be in school is totally worth it. To solve the issue of lack of funds, I am on the verge of breaking through in the movie industry. Also in the pipeline is hosting gig for a television show called Event Update on Top TV. These I believe would give me something on the side to help push me to the top. With unhealthy competitions and partiality, I believe models need to be independent. This way, they are able to fund their own projects. This may not entirely solve the issue. However, it would be a start. Advice for budding models? Be yourself Respect yourself and those you work with Don’t sell yourself short in the name of modeling Accept a good job even if it may not pay well If you were to contest with an African model, who would it be? Well, I’d contest with myself. There must be a secret to your success as a model. Tell us about it. If I tell then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. But I’d be willing to share with any woman who joins the modelling family. Do you ever imagine not reaching your goals? What would you do if that happens? That is not an option! I have worked so hard and patiently. I will not accept failure. Want to see women you know featured on SLA? Tell us what amazing things women are doing in your communities here.
Manyaku Mositsa: This is not something you get to learn in school
South African Manyaku Mositsa is a 31-year-old dreamer and achiever who grew up on the dusty roads of Mohlaletse Ga Sekhukhune. Though a graduate of Biotechnology from the University of Johannesburg, Manyaku left paid employment to pursue her passion for fashion. She just wasn’t happy with wearing the overalls that came with her job in SAB laboratory. Now a fashion designer, Manyaku has expanded to make her passion for empowering women with skills and experience a reality through her organisation, Giving Hope. SLA contributor Makalele spoke to Manyaku on fashion, inspiration and managing multiple initiatives. You could have chosen any other career path. Why fashion? It started as a hobby. Since I was five, I’ve liked dressing up. I loved wearing mommy’s clothes and doing the catwalk in front of the mirror. But I never imagined doing it for a living. As a young girl, I dressed differently because I thought the kind of clothes I wanted were just not available in clothing stores. In 2005, during my in-service training at SAB laboratory, I would dress up to work even though I knew I would need to change into a work suit and safety boots. Though I enjoyed the job, I never really liked wearing overalls. Finally, in 2010, I decided to pursue my dream for fashion by taking part time classes in dressmaking. I did the fashion business part time till in 2014 when I left my full-time job to fulfill my passion. My personal philosophy is, ”the best way to master something is by actively doing it with a strong will.” What is your favourite part of being a fashion designer? I love that I can be unique, inspire others and of course, turn heads. Your designs are so good. What inspires them? My inspiration comes from the desire to prove to myself and the world that ladies in dresses can be fashionable too. I also get my inspiration from unique fabrics and textures. My celebrity muse also plays a major role. What’s fashion to you? Fashion is simply dressing and accessorizing in style. You’ve got to have an eye for it. This is how successful fashion designers are able to create trends. Aside fashion, you’re involved in other projects. Tell us about your current project, Giving Hope. Giving Hope is a division of UD Holdings aimed at empowering young women with skills and work experience. We help them become employable and young entrepreneurs. The focus is on designing, clothing production, shoe making , bags and hats manufacturing , beauty therapy as well as events management. How do you manage running a fashion house and an organization? My love for what I do wakes me up every morning. This is where I get my drive for the day. This is not something you get to learn in school. I run both ventures in the same premises and that has made managing them a whole lot easier. I had to learn to stop procrastinating and just do it. Of course I’ve had some challenges but it’s worth it. What do you do for fun? The nice thing about this industry is you can work while having fun. Traveling, fashion shows, photo shoots, getting myself pampered all form a part of my fun activities and work too. We want to know what amazing things women are doing in your communities! Tell us here.
Kuwala: The African continent isn’t simply inspiration for Western designers
It’s never easy connecting with emerging businesses half way across the world but Malawians Freeda and Veronica, founders of Kuwala, make it look simple as cake. Both women want to share their connection with Africa through heritage and fashion. Their brand, Kuwala focuses on vibrant African prints like the chitenge and their goal is to encourage ethical production methods. Kuwala achieves this by partnering with select fashion brands and designers that have unique messages to share. We had a chat with the friends turned business partners on how they promote high-quality fashion designed in Africa and they promote high-quality fashion designed in Africa and about how Africa can be more than just an inspiration for Western designers, but a fashion hub for creativity and manufacturing. Who are Freeda and Veronica? How did you both decide to start Kuwala? We are Malawian women who share a strong connection with the African continent through our heritage and fashion. Both our families had been close friends for some years. When Veronica moved to Toronto, the same city as Freeda, we further connected as friends. Interestingly, while discussing our life and career goals, we realized we had similar goals for business, fashion and staying connected to Africa. After months of researching and planning, Kuwala was launched in January 2014 and the rest is history. How do you identify socially responsible fashion brands for Kuwala? First, before agreeing to partner with brands, we consider their online presence and the message they share on their website and social media. Today, it’s almost impossible to have a business without some sort of online presence. From there, we email people we intend establishing a partnership with and negotiate terms that are mutually beneficial. Also, when we can, we also travel to the countries where the designers are based to further connect and review their operations. We think Africa has the potential to become a fashion manufacturing hub. In summary, through Kuwala partnerships, we want to encourage and promote ethical production methods across Africa. Who is the ideal Kuwala shopper? Simply, our ideal shopper is a woman that’s interested in rocking African inspired fashion in her everyday life. She understands Kuwala’s mission and is interested in spreading the stories of the brands we work with. Typically, her wardrobe is full of vibrant colors and unique prints. She simply enjoys standing out in a crowd and not conforming to trends. Most people are familiar with the wax prints of West Africa or the Ghanaian kente cloth. Do you work with Malawian fabrics? Of course, the most commonly worn fabric in Malawi is the chitenge. This cotton cloth comes in a variety of vibrant prints and patterns. It is also known as ankara or kitenge and is most popularly worn in Southern and West African countries. Most of the clothing on kuwala.co is made from this print. How is Kuwala redefining African fashion abroad? Tell us about your new model to connect fashion designers in the Diaspora. Basically, through Kuwala, we aim to promote the idea that beautiful and high-quality fashion can be designed and made in Africa. We want to dispel the idea that the African continent is simply an inspiration for Western designers. Whether it’s in-person or on our website, we try sharing stories of the designers and brands we work with. Also, with our new model, we’re working on facilitating partnerships with designers in the Diaspora. Kuwala works in Canada, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana and the United Kingdom, how do you manage this? Have you started manufacturing on the African continent? We manage everything through technology. From social media to emails and phone calls, technology has really helped us to better manage Kuwala effectively. In the past, it’s never been this easy to connect with emerging businesses half way across the world. We manufacture in Africa through the brands we partner with that are based on the continent. Also, like with most businesses, running Kuwala has had its share of ups and downs. However, this whole process has been a learning experience and we learn from the past mistakes made. You and Freeda have visited many African countries, what is your top advice on travelling the continent? Veronica: My advice for travelling in Africa is eat everything! No matter how different or “strange” it is. Be open to tasting the many delicious dishes that are available across the continent. It’s okay to not like it, but at least you’ll be able to say you tried something your friends back home haven’t eaten. Freeda: I am not as adventurous as Veronica in the food department. I would say, be prepared to have some of your preconceived ideas and assumptions about Africa dispelled. In addition, remember to also appreciate the beauty and diversity because that narrative of Africa is often overshadowed. Interested in collaborating with Veronica & Freeda? Reach out to the dynamic duo at hello@kuwala.co. To stay up-to-date with what’s going on at Kuwala, follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Mallah Tabot: Openness around sexuality is still lacking
Imagine your parents talking to you about sex. Awkward right? Mallah Tabot believes the world will be a better place if parents start having open and honest conversations about sexuality with their children. We’re inclined to agree with her. Since 2012, Mallah has been working very hard to improve the lives of many young Cameroonian women, including those at risk of early and forced marriages. As a reproductive health activist and CEO of an NGO in Cameroon- United Vision, she fights against trends and tendencies that relegate women and girls to the background. SLA contributor Marriane spoke to Mallah on her recently launched sexual education app called Ndolo360, her challenges, and dream for an Africa where women, especially young girls can talk about sex without stigma. Sex is not something we talk about in Africa. Why the passion for a topic like that? I agree, sex is a sensitive topic in the African socio-cultural environment. This is as a result of a void in comprehensive sexual education in the educational curriculum. Also, most parents do not discuss sexuality with their children. Many of the kids resort to the Internet for pornography as opposed to educative sexual information. When these young ones don’t get the right information from the right sources, they tend to make wrong decisions. This has often resulted in unplanned pregnancies, STIs/HIV, unsafe abortion, and more. That is why I am interested in creating a platform where we can address this. I believe parents need to start having open and honest sexual talks with their kids. What challenges did you face while starting out? How did you overcome them? Initially, very few people believed in my idea and its potential to work. People questioned my judgement for choosing to tow this path as opposed to finding something more “stable” like a full-time job where my financial security would be guaranteed. With a clear sense of purpose, I’ve been able to deal with that. As a young woman, it was hard. You have to make the strategic calls and connections in a sub-environment dominated by men. We had to deal with not being taken seriously or being courted 9 out of 10 times. I think it was even more difficult, given that our area of expertise is sexual health. Men didn’t take us seriously but assumed we would be comfortable listening to their sexual fantasies of us and other women. Unfortunately, that’s the unfair world we live in. We’ve strategically dealt with it and we are succeeding. The pressure also continues to diminish as I gain more confidence and skills in my area of work. I now face such situations with strength as I grow older. Also, I had challenges with building personal capacity to raise funds, running our programs and convincing outsiders to have a vested interest in what we do. Every day remains a challenge, but I’m happy that with time, they feel less like challenges and more like opportunities for personal and organizational growth. You recently launched an app, Ndolo360. Tell us about it. In Cameroon, like in most of Africa, sex is a very difficult and sacred topic. Young people grow up knowing nothing about their own bodies and end up getting the wrong information from the wrong sources. This has resulted in them making uninformed decisions. Teenage pregnancy rates are up and 141 out of 1000 girls aged 15-19 in this country have been pregnant, at least once. I found this despicable and started thinking of ways to address this problem, using technology. Ndolo360 is the first ever mobile application in Cameroon to provide judgement-free education, information and services on sexual and reproductive health for teenagers, adolescents and young people. The app is available on Google Play and is free of charge. It comes with several amazing features which will transform young people’s knowledge about sexuality and sexual health. What do you plan on achieving by launching this app? A few days ago, a father emailed us to say he had asked his 16-year-old to download Ndolo360 to serve as a starting point to openly discussing sexual health. This is exactly one of the many results we aim to achieve. Teenagers are expected to guess issues concerning their sexuality and act accordingly. In fact, parents don’t even have the confidence to mention the word ‘sex’ to their kids. If this app can at least be a starting point for sex education between parents and their kids, the impact will be tremendous. Also, this would help curb the high rate of unsafe abortions and other dangerous practices. It would lower the risks of teenage pregnancy, create more awareness on safe sex and lower HIV infection rates among young people. More importantly, it would encourage a culture of openness when it comes to discussions around sexuality and sex. Young people should use the app for self-education and group discussions about the issues that affect them. What advice would you give young African women looking to make a change in their communities like you? I have learned to believe in myself and my capacity. Most importantly, to surround myself with people who love and believe in me. That’s how I’ve been able to carry on with all I’ve had to do. And trust me, it’s a lot and can be burdensome. I’m happy to have made the decision to cut off toxic people. This has helped me focus on my goals and remain positive. Want to see women you know featured on SLA? Tell us what amazing things women are doing in your communities here.
Oby Igodan: I’m teased for all the business ideas I come up with
If you’re a #MotherlandMogul and a mom, you know the struggle of finding the right kind of daycare facility for your young kids while you hustle. For Oby Igodan, what disturbed her was that the facilities she came across did not feel like home. Running a daycare can be a profitable business but as a mom, your child’s development is of utmost importance. Looking to start a crèche and daycare that’s a home away from home, Oby launched Home Also Crèche & Daycare. She runs this while also working as a Managing Partner at VIL Consulting. As the children in her crèche grow, she is looking at expanding into a preschool to cater to our older kids who love it at the crèche. Oby spoke to us on the challenges, joys, and satisfaction of providing children with a secure and stimulating experience in a comfortable and relaxed setting. Why start a crèche? While raising my own children as a career woman, I realized something interesting. The facilities I took them to in their early years didn’t really provide the feel of a home environment or afford them the gradual transitioning into the academic arena. A lot of those outfits were run purely for business with little or no consideration for the unique developmental needs of each child. I set up Home Also to identify every child’s uniqueness and help foster proper development. What challenges did you face starting your business and how have you overcome them? Majorly, it took some convincing to get my family to surrender the living room space. In fact, I wanted the entire ground floor of our home to run the crèche. It sounded ludicrous. With persuasion and the knowledge that this was my dream upon retirement, they agreed to let me use the space. Secondly, finding the right staff that has been difficult. My staff has to be well-trained to offer young children —from 12 weeks to 3 years— a fun and educational experience. And of course, there was raising the required capital to start paying staff without having a single child enrolled. Then, paying for staff training while anticipating that it would translate to enrollment. I will say that God has been gracious to me and I give Him all the credit for helping me overcome these challenges. Has it been any difficult working with other people’s children? Actually, it’s been really rewarding and thrilling to have these little angels kept in our care. We feel that their parents trust us and we must guard that trust jealously. We’re grateful that they trust us enough to leave us their babies at such tender ages. Some are as young as 3 months. It’s a vote of confidence that we uphold. From your experience, what does one need to have covered to open a crèche in Nigeria? First, ensure you have the passion and the required aptitude for the business. Then, good, knowledgeable and experienced staff. A safe, secure and hygienic environment is also very important. Be sure to meet the requirements of regulatory bodies. And of course, there’s the all-important start-up capital. What keeps you inspired in hard times? My life has been dotted with ups and downs. Through it all, God has helped me. The knowledge that I have a father who loves me gives me inner strength to weather storms. His mercy and grace have brought me this far and will see me through the years ahead. When it looks like there is no way out, the voice inside will read out relevant scriptures to give me confidence and hope. That’s just it. On occasion, I’m inspired by stories of people I admire. People like Joyce Meyer, Stormie Omartian, and Oprah Winfrey. If you weren’t running a crèche, what would you be doing? If I wasn’t running a crèche, I would be working full-time running a consulting firm. This is something I am engaged in at the moment, but on a part-time basis. It’s called VIL Consulting and it’s a homegrown management consulting firm set up by a team of experienced professionals. We have the best from businesses and institutions who help to provide expert advice and assistance to clients. I participate as a managing partner, providing the required strategic direction for my partners. My daughters always tease me about all the business ideas I constantly go on about. So, if I didn’t have my hands full with two start-ups at the moment, I’d be working on starting another. You see, I need to prove to them that mummy’s not all talk! If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Andrena Sawyer: Flexibility is key to increasing your business lifespan
Start-ups sometimes need miracles to survive. Luckily there are superheroes who rise up to the challenge. Take Andrena Sawyer for example, she runs P.E.R.K. consulting an advisory firm that provides quality and affordable services for small to mid-sized nonprofits and businesses. Andrena is so effective at ensuring SMEs survive that in 2015, P.E.R.K. consulting, placed 1st in the AccelerateUp Business Growth Competition presented by the Maryland Small Business Development Center and Capital One Bank. This basically means that P.E.R.K consulting can serve as great model to new startups. When Andrena offered to share her story with SLA, we jumped at the opportunity. Get ready for actionable advice on overcoming funding challenges, lengthening your organisation’s lifespan and increasing revenue. Firstly how can SMEs overcome the juggernaut that is funding? Importantly, SMEs need to create effective business models that include strategies for cash flow management if they’re to navigate funding challenges. Cash flow challenges are inevitable for most start-ups, and many wait until a seeming crisis to develop a management plan. Creating a strategy before the need arises is essential for survival. In addition, it is important that SMEs have a compelling value proposition. As a Small Business Consultant, I meet passionate entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas, but the value ends at their passion. To survive the initial start-up years, the problem that a business solves should be clear to customers, investors, and partners. I firmly believe that the more informed stakeholders are, the more engaged they will be. How can organizations lengthen their lifespan? Simply, flexibility and innovation are the keys to organizations lengthening their lifespan. With the advent and increased use of social media, industries and consumers are rapidly changing. It has become more important now that founders remain flexible and informed of how their customers’ needs are changing. The focus should be on creating a culture where change is encouraged. Doing this can take an organization from a reactive to a proactive stance in marketing, capacity building, and revenue generation. How did you manage to increase P.E.R.K.’s revenue by 72.3% in one year? Primarily, the reason for the increase in revenue is that we identified our niche. When P.E.R.K. launched in 2013, I envisioned being all things to all clients. I desperately wanted my passion for community development to translate quickly to meet the needs of anyone that was interested. The challenge was that our customers were confused about our expertise, experience, and scope of work. Also, in our second year of operations, we started to refine our offerings to three key services. They include entity formation, business development, and capacity building support. This created a more targeted marketing approach, which allowed us to focus our efforts and ultimately bolster our credibility. Understanding our market also allowed us to conduct more accurate research. This helped to set competitive rates and create strategic partnerships with other key players in our industry. What advice will you give other startups looking to use P.E.R.K. as a model? There are two things I would say to startups looking to use us as a model: Be persistent. As cliché as it sounds, do not give up. Entrepreneurship can be extremely stressful, and founders may find that they initially encounter a lot of rejection. My advice is to do your due diligence by ensuring the idea is viable. Get the support of trusted mentors and advisors, and push through the challenges. Be creative. I once read that the average millionaire has about seven streams of income. There is a lesson to be learned there. If those who are thriving financially are always looking for ways to earn more, I believe that businesses can thrive in much the same way. For example, P.E.R.K. primarily provides consulting services. However, there are several other ways that we generate revenue including trainings and seminars, publications, and referrals through partnerships. As long as it is consistent with the business’ value proposition, there is no limit to how creative founders can get in generating revenue or reaching their audience. As a Sierra Leonean, are you engaged in any initiatives back home? Interestingly, even though I am not directly engaged in any initiatives in Sierra Leone, P.E.R.K. maintains a partnership with several organizations. These organizations help to mobilize young Sierra Leonean professionals in the United States and within the diaspora. In 2013, we helped launch the Sierra Leonean Empowerment Network. The network has since grown to include thousands of young professionals, many of whom are now working in Sierra Leone. Who will you say is the greatest African woman to have ever lived? Fortunately, there have been many great African women who have impacted the continent and the world. Women like Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Winnie Mandela, and Miriam Makeba immediately come to mind. However, I have been personally impacted by Leymah Gbowee’s story. As someone whose life was altered by the Liberian/Sierra Leone civil war, her story narrated in the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell reignited my passion for community work. Studying her work as a peacemaker who mobilized thousands of people in Liberia to put an end to the war compelled me to launch P.E.R.K. Consulting as a platform to support other change agents. Surprisingly, women like her are often thought of as just extraordinary. But her story challenged me to believe that any woman with a conviction and commitment can inspire a community to effect change. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Helen Dausen: If used well, fear can be your propeller
There was a time when it wasn’t easy for Tanzanian women to find a skincare product that was 100% natural and meant for the African skin. That was before Tanzanian-made African beauty brand, Nuya’s Essence came along. Nuya’s Essence is a natural bath and body care brand that handcrafts natural products from botanical oils, butter, and herbs. The product is made from the purest botanical and non-toxic ingredients there is. Largely, the ingredients are sourced locally and from South Africa, Ghana, India, and Morocco. Njeri Meja, our SLA contributor spoke to former beauty queen and formulator of Nuya’s Essence, Helen Dausen. She found out more about how Helen’s beauty queen past helped her business and the steps Helen takes to improve her hustle. What motivated you to start Nuya’s Essence? I have always been so careful about how I nourish my skin. I think I got it from my mother. As a young girl, she would apply olive oil and pure coconut oil on my sisters and I. I had also been unemployed and needed to do something about my life. While in college, I wondered if I could get a quality soap to complement my beauty care routine. So I went looking and found some DIY ideas for soap. I started mixing stuff at home and sharing recipes with friends. I would also tell them what to apply or what food to eat and the like. The idea of Nuya’s Essence first gained root in my heart in April 2013. However, we didn’t start marketing it publicly until in June 2014. How did you start? I started small with support from my parents. I began with making handmade skincare products from the backyard at home. I sold to my mom’s salon, farmers market, pop-up shops, and friends. Did being a beauty queen help your business in any way? Yes, it did. As the crowned Miss Universe Tanzania 2010, people often asked about my skin and hair-care routines. That also fueled my decision to build a skincare brand. Who is your target audience? Actually, everyone can use my products. The marketplace is saturated with products made with harmful chemicals patronized by unsuspecting African women. I wanted to create something great enough to be an option to the mainstream skincare products. Nuya’s Essence is for women looking to go all natural and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Tell us more about your range of products Our natural skincare range is formulated to work with all skin types. The ingredients are carefully selected and suited for everyone. We do not add fillers, toxic chemicals or test them on animals. Our products are recyclable, bio-degradable, eco-friendly and safe enough to be used by kids. It can be used on sensitive skin, very sensitive and mature skin. We produce them in small batches with our customers’ satisfaction in mind and they do serve the purpose. Did I tell you that they also smell amazing? Oh yes, they do! Currently, our product range includes natural handmade soaps, body oil, body butter, body scrub, 100% pure coconut oil, and raw shea butter. However, we keep working at developing new products. How have you improved yourself as an entrepreneur? I just completed a Mandela Washington Fellowship program for Young African Leaders. The intense 6-week-long program ended on the 4th of August 2016. I worked hard at it and formed great partnerships and friendships. It was a great experience and boost for my personal and business growth. I look forward to better opportunities. I have also done some training in natural/organic skincare formulation in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. There, I learnt the basics of formulating a perfect product. I still study online, read lots of books on the subject and strive to improve my beauty range or create new ones. Any challenges? How do you mitigate them? My biggest challenge so far is getting customers to believe in our products, especially women. I started using my products long before I sold them. This made me more comfortable and confident to tell other women about them. Personally, I have experienced the healing powers of plants and I have been able to achieve youthful, flawless, glowing and evenly-toned skin. However, getting clients to believe in you is hard. To tackle this, I give free samples for trials and this has worked. They usually return with their friends and this time, they actually buy. Word goes round and we’ve done well so far. How would you advice a woman looking starting something like Nuya’s Essence? Fear will always be a constant factor but if used well, can be your propeller. You may never enjoy absolute support. Money may never be enough. But girl, you can rise above it all. The trick is to start with what you have at the moment and then grow in small paces. Last words? One of my favorite successful businessmen said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” I believe there are so many opportunities out there. You just have to be ready to take them. Be willing to take risks and accept failure as a learning curve. The only real failure is not trying at all. After all, what’s the worse that can happen? Always believe in something. Personally, my hope and faith are in God. I am at peace with myself, my work and the people around me and that helps. I set out to glorify Him in everything I do as a person or business woman. Always have something or someone to fall back on for support. You can never go wrong with this. Want to see women you know featured on SLA? Tell us what amazing things women are doing in your communities here.
Connecting the African Diaspora through fashion and entrepreneurship
As an undergraduate at University of Pennsylvania, I was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad twice in Ghana. This was the first time that anyone in my family, since we were brought to the USA as slaves, had the chance to return to our ancestral land. While in Ghana, I was exposed to the vibrant and stunning Ankara fabrics and traditional Kente cloth. I instantly fell in love with the fashion there and it’s potential to grow beyond the shores of West Africa and take root and blossom around the globe. I was also intrigued by the prospective economic impact that fashion could contribute to the households of Ghanaian artisans. Then LaBré was born Over the past year I’ve been vigorously working to realize my goals of creating and launching an African inspired fashion line, LaBré. LaBré exists to increase economic growth in Ghana through job creation. It also aims to provide Ghanaian artisans and their products with access and exposure to the international market. LaBré primarily employs women, a population that is often the most disenfranchised. We just recently led a Kickstarter campaign which culminated into a little under $11,000 to employ more Ghanaian artisans with our company. I am proud of the fact that all of our items are handmade in Ghana by Ghanaian artisans. My inspiration comes from my ancestors At the end of the Civil War, most southern African Americans who didn’t migrate to the North made a living through sharecropping which replaced plantation slavery. This is also known as tenant farming. These systems required farmers to plant and grow crops for the owner of the land in exchange for a portion of the crop. Sometimes, it required farmers to use their labor as rent to reside on the owner’s land. Sharecropping and tenant farming has persisted in my family to my grandmother’s generation. As a result of having to be self-reliant, my grandmother grew up knowing how to plant cotton. Through sewing, she also knew how to turn the raw material into cloth. My passion and dedication to create LaBré has culminated into the inter-generational exchange of technical skills. Not only that, it continues to build upon the legacy of self-empowerment, ingenuity, and tenacity. The power of Diasporic connections Learning to deal with the challenges that come with running a business overseas, has made me appreciate the diligence of Ghanaian entrepreneurs. I’ve had to work with electric cuts, language barrier and a lack of efficient telecommunication. Add to that the fact that I’m not physically present. The networks I’ve made have been helpful. Particularly with entrepreneur Peter Paul Akanko, CEO of Kente Masters. Paul helps coordinate and implement LaBré logistical operations on the ground such as shipping, inventory, and photoshoots. In February 2016, the unemployment rate for Black American ages 16-24 was 14.5%. This is similar to the situation in Ghana. Young people aged 24 and under make up 57% of the Ghanaian population. According to the World Bank’s “The Landscape of Jobs in Ghana” report, 48% of Ghanaians between the ages of 15-24 don’t have jobs. My friendship with Peter is a great example of what collaboration throughout the Diaspora and youth entrepreneurship can produce. Telling history through fashion When you wear LaBré you aren’t just wearing beautiful clothes, you are showcasing your resistance.You’re showing that you are critical of where you invest your money, from who and where you buy, and in what you wear. The common narrative is the extraction of wealth and resources from Africa. Through LaBré I am seeking to invest in the Ghanaian economy by providing supply for the rapidly growing demand for African inspired fashion. As an African American, many of us desire to reconnect with our place of origin in meaningful ways. Through LaBré I am telling history through fashion. Our men and women summer collections are both named after Ghanaian liberation leaders, Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa and King Badu Bonsu II. These are people who we in America grow up with no knowledge of. LaBré is committed to promoting heritage and traditional fabrics through modern design by producing a compelling fashion-forward aesthetic. I plan to build LaBré into a global Diasporic community connecting people through fashion, art, history, and culture. I am currently creating an online platform with Andre Glover of Indsic. The platform will allow Ghanaian artisans mass market and showcase their designs to a global audience and customer base. This is a grassroots effort that will work with local artisans. From the Kente weaving villages of Andanwomase and Bowire to market women in Kejetia and Tamale. I didn’t realize I would be using my International Relations and African Studies degree to create LaBré. If I could go back and give myself advice before starting my company it would be to “trust God and do it now.”
Fatima Zahra Nassik: Treat your business like a rollercoaster
There’s nothing as inspiring to us as seeing students getting their hustle on. Talk about getting into things early. Fatima Zahra Nassik is a bomb-ass social entrepreneur from Morocco. While pursuing her studies, Fatima co-founded Enactus ENA, a platform for student and business leaders, with her friend. Fatima didn’t stop at Enactus ENA though, she also started Laymouna with Fatima-Azzahra Benfares. Laymouna is an initiative that brings fruits and healthy snacks to busy students and working people. She’s also involved in starting other ventures and still interns at the same time! Read on to find out how Fatima brings her academic savvy into her entrepreneurial life. Tell us about your organization, Enactus ENA. Why enter into social ventures? Through Enactus ENA, the idea was to show that architecture students can also have an entrepreneurial mindset. In our first year, this was basically our goal. We started organizing conferences and events like, ‘Find the leader in you’. At this event, we had interesting leaders and speakers give inspiring speeches. We also had the first edition of the Enactus Regional Summit. It gathered 8 teams from the region to share experience, knowledge and especially communicate on their projects. Through workshops where business tools and team building activities were taught, we had several on-field types of research where we spotted different needs. After many interactions on ideas that responded to those needs, Laymouna, TownOut and C-Home were founded. Tell us about your social ventures. How do you ensure that they achieve success? Laymouna is an enterprise that aims to make fruits and healthy snacks readily available to students and working people. The idea of Laymouna really came from a need that we, as students, faced in university. We decided to do something about it. We do this through innovative vending machines and stands that provide fresh and accessible choices for people who want to eat healthily. On a more ambitious level, we want to improve the food culture in Morocco. Then through TownOut, we organize trips to remote areas in Morocco. We promote them as new tourist destinations and therefore empower them economically. Finally, C-Home is an alternative construction method where we use lightweight cardboard for homeless people. The idea is to build at a lower cost and quickly too. To ensure our ventures achieve success, we give presentations of our project’s progression to an advisory board formed by many professionals and business leaders. We organize this approximately every two to three months. We also ensure our projects participate in as many competitions as possible to maximize feedbacks and improvement. Most importantly, we have Enactus Morocco as a constant counsel. What difficulty have you faced in founding and co-founding? What advice will you give other women looking to start a project together? Concerning founding and co-founding the venture, we discuss and respect each other’s opinion at every single step. Of course, final decisions are made by the CEO if a mutual agreement takes too long. I would advise women planning on starting a project together to view their ventures as rollercoasters. Ups and downs would be a recurrent feature. Aspiring entrepreneurs must see them as necessary challenges to reaching goals. Instead of being discouraged, see them as opportunities to show that things can be different and especially like you imagined. At the end of the day, you are here to create impact and value to the world. How has your organization grown since you started on it? What steps have you taken to get it to where you want it to be? The organization is growing pretty fast. Actually, we come top to mind when it comes to entrepreneurship in our university. We are looking forward to gaining more impact in the next year and to give birth to other projects. Professors and trainers have shown interest in coaching us. We’ve been contacted by many foreign partners interested in not only our events, but also our projects. For this year, we aspire also to have more projects in the field of architecture or urbanism, a domain that we master. Tell me about your experience at the Henry Ford Academy. What steps did you take to ensure that your project won the best pitch prize? My experience in the Henry Ford Academy (in partnership with IIHEM) was rewarding. Several entrepreneurs and business leaders came and we heard their inspiring stories. We had many courses from shaping the idea of a project to how to pitch it. And finally, how to finance a business venture. For three different prizes, a presentation of our project was to be made in just one minute. Since the training was in French and English, my colleague and I decided to pitch Laymouna in both languages in exactly one minute. I think the originality of the pitch is what made us win this prize as we caught the attention of the audience. Furthermore, Laymouna was the startup selected for the HFEA ICP program for a two-week consulting with IIHEM alongside VCU students who came from the US. As a freelancer and businesswoman, how do you manage all these projects? What do you do to unwind and relax? I think the answer to this question is actually passion. I am a super active person. I really believe that my actions can give a positive impact in this world. Freelancing is most of all, a way to help me gain experience in the professional field beside my studies. My passion has helped me find a way to manage these projects. It’s my strength especially in my lowest moments (rollercoaster, remember…). Personally, I believe travelling for a few days or spending time with family is the best way to unwind and relax. It helps me achieve a broader vision of where I’m going and how. Lately, I’ve started working on starting some dancing classes. I want a physical activity that includes fun. Are you still a student? Yes! I’m in my fifth year. Of course, this means I’m basically focused on internships.