Top quotes from SheHive Nairobi
SheHive Nairobi brought together aspiring Motherland Moguls and established speakers and personalities from diverse sectors. Those who missed can only hope for next time. In the meanwhile, these choice quotes from speakers are sure to inspire and motivate. Wanjira Longaeur, Radio and Television host Wanjira is a well-known radio host with Capital FM Kenya and television host with EbonyLife TV’s Moments Kenya. On the last day of SheHive, she spoke on the business of the entertainment industry. – “Do your best you never know who is watching.” – “Mindset helps. I chose to see opportunities everywhere and in everything I do.” – “If people want to tear you down, kill them with kindness.” – “One of the worst things a director can do is to leave their audience bored.” – “Entertainment keeps moving but the camera doesn’t play.” – “Ignorance is a choice. We are in 2016 for Pete’s sake! We have the internet!” Hilda Moraa, Founder and former CEO of Weza Tele Ltd Weza Tele’s industry is tech and at SheHive Nairobi, its founder Hilda shared tips on how to get started in the tech business. – “Failure has been the key ingredient in my success.” – “If you are sitting and thinking that you are a woman in business. Then you have to be at your best to compete.” – “Don’t fear sharing your ideas, sharing could give you much needed feedback. However, protect the uniqueness of your idea, Protect your team, talent, data and execution from competition.” Dr. Helen Gichoci, Managing Director, Equity Group Foundation As an ecologist Helen dished out insights from her experience being president of the African Conservation centre and African Wildlife Foundation. – “You got to have (thick) skin in the game for anything to be of value to you.” – “Form follows function in a business. Find the problem, opportunity and the service you want to offer and the business will follow suit.” Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom Bob heads East Africa’s fastest growing company. His talk focused specifically on gender equality and inclusion in the workplace. – “Find your purpose, and then you won’t have to work for the rest of your life.” – “What is my personal drive? Trying to make a difference and leaving a positive footprint.” Lindsay Caldwell, Founder One Acre Fund Among her achievements, Lindsay is also an operations management specialist. – “You have to co-opt other ideas for your business to work.” Winnie Mwangi, VC fund Winnie has established her career working with investment companies. At SheHive Nairobi she talked about what investors look for in a business when deciding whether or not they will invest in it, – “When pitching to investors, under promise and over deliver.” – “Gerald George Patton said, ‘If everyone is thinking alike, then someone is not thinking.’” Eunice Nyala, Executive Coach, Etiquette Xllent Company At SheHive Nairobi, Eunice used her coaching experience to teach the audience how to develop leadership styles and how women leaders behave. – “We admire people who have etiquette. If you don’t have it, work on it. Start working on your tone.” – “Women should dress the part, it’s one of the most important visuals we are judged upon.”
Eunice Nyala, CEO Etiquette Xllent: All leaders make a lasting impression
Being a leader and a woman for that fact, requires a lot from the feminine fabric. It goes against the grain but it is true to say that women are judged before we even speak. 80% of decisions made about a person are based on other people’s perception alone. This was what I gleamed from Eunice Nyala’s talk on developing a leadership style at SheHive Nairobi. Eunice’s entrance into the SheHive Nairobi was propitiously noticed. True to her mantra, ‘All the leaders making a lasting impression’ Eunice is a head turner with radiant skin who gracefully sashayed in heels and an African outfit ensemble on a lazy Sunday evening in Nairobi. More often than not, as women we like to create mental barriers for ourselves. We sell ourselves short and let ourselves be held captive by our own narrow thinking. We may have perfected the art of holding ourselves ransom by trying to live by societal expectations. Most times the chains that prevent us from being free are more mental than physical. We need to recognize that people are different and capitalize on our weaknesses and strengths when developing our own unique leadership style. Eunice’s advice continues; Learning… There is something new to learn every freaking minute. No one is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Stereotypes accentuate on how women tend to be chatterboxes but we have to stop talking to learn something new. Take a minute to learn something about and from your cleaner, gardener, or valet parking attendant. It’s unprecedented that the most overlooked sources are wells of inspirations. Walk, poise Are you that lady boss, whose graceful entrance to a building commands attention and respect? Do people shush or scuffle to their desks when you walk in? Rather, do you walk in and Jane the office chatter box continues with her tête-à-tête. How you walk, conduct yourself and command attention dictates the respect you get from people around you. Pay attention to women in leadership The tides are changing and more women are taking up leadership roles. It’s time we evaluated and learned how those in leadership behave. Some of First Ladies of African countries, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Queens of the world are a few women of well-thought-of demeanor. Hats off to these ladies! You’ve got to research on them, emulate them, act out and from there acknowledge what makes you stand out. Leadership is everywhere We can choose to delve into the debate on whether leaders are born or made. However that’s a topic for another day, let’s not digress. Life provides each and every woman a leadership position 24/7 /365 days a year. If you doubt it then let me preempt. A mom is a leader at home. A teacher is a leader at school; you are the leader of your siblings and at the chama (Swahili for a women’s group) you could be the voice of reason. Seize these and many other opportunities and practice leadership skills and you will easy lead people. You can have an executive presence from the onset; you don’t have to wait for an elective position to be a leader. Utilize the power of networking Networking is formal opportunity bequeathed to us. This is where we get to share our competencies with people who may give us a hand. It’s a chance to expend the power of entrepreneurial and professional circle. Lonesome girls don’t perform well in professional and corporate workplace. More importantly it’s where you could meet your next partner, client, mentor, friend, even hubby. However, things could get embarrassing when swimming in the murky waters of networking. There are four things to do in this event Be strategic about your networking event choice. Do your research and get know something about the attendees beforehand. Get to know people, what they do and better yet have their contacts. Always acknowledge the people you meet in the room. Plan your questions in advance and ask smart questions. Leave a lasting impression. If you want to be remembered, speak out for yourself and ask questions. Dress like a leader Work on your dress code. It’s one of the visuals that will be used to judge you. It’s been over emphasized and may sound cliché but be purposeful in your dressing and be conscious of what you wear. You can choose to identify an executive leader and try to borrow from their style. Lastly be authentic in your dress code and be mature in how you speak to your colleagues in order to earn their respect. There is need for etiquette in everything we do in all aspects of our lives. It’s not one size fits all. All individuals have varied needs. A parting shot from Eunice, “We admire people who have it. If you don’t have it, work on it. More importantly, work on your tone.”
Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom: Women are high achievers
Bob Collymore is a man many people admire. It’s in the simplicity and efficiency with which he runs the fastest growing telecommunications firm in East Africa that draws people’s attention. But just what is his secret in running such an organisation in East Africa? At the recently concluded SheHive Nairobi, Bob dished out some of his secrets. – I pay attention to the micro-inequities to make a significant impact in my organisation by articulating and ensuring that diversity and inclusion is acclimatized for by the organisation. Sadly, after years in the corporate industry I have noticed that women don’t step up for gender roles. The African culture plays a gender bias in the African work place. It’s not that women are few; there is significant gender balance at the workplace. It’s just sad that women didn’t vote for other women. Is it because we don’t trust other women with leadership? I don’t know. – Currently in Africa there are few women in the tech space and in leadership. Imagine you were challenged to list the top 100 women in leadership you know of within five minutes. You would probably start by churning out names fast but by the 25th name, I bet you start scratching your heads. It’s not so obvious. – My disappointment with women in leadership is that the more they ascend the ladder; they tend to adapt masculine behaviour. I already have men around me. I certainly don’t need women acting out as men. I would appreciate women being women. They should maintain their femininity when they hold these positions. – The company’s advertising strategies are geared towards diversity and inclusion. Nowadays we have Kenyans of Indian, Asian, European and American decent in our ads. Unfortunately we have live in a misogynistic society and it’s a shame that in 2016 we still thrive on the same. Women should stop playing the victim game. The society is harsh towards women but the best women can do is to always win. – Safaricom thrives in East Africa by empowering women in all frontiers. We have a nursing home that caters for children of our staff between ages of one and fourteen. Women at Safaricom get more leave days and they get less hours of work after the leave is over. – I am happy that when one of our regions was facing stiffer competition for a fierce competitor, I appointed a lady to head the region. So far she managed to turn things around and that’s the best performing region in the entire organization. I am proud of what she has been able to achieve and if she could do it better than the men then it’s a validation to you women that you are high achievers. My advice to everyone is that you find your purpose and you won’t have to work forth rest of your life. Also acknowledge that where you come from doesn’t define where you will end up in. What drives you?
Janet Kibuthu’s 5 tips on setting up a solid communication firm
I met Janet Kibuthu, a solid entrepreneur in the communications space, at the recently concluded She Hive Nairobi. She has a communications and advertising background and a Master’s degree in finance. Interesting, isn’t it? I thought so too. “A lot of people do not understand why I had to study finance, and the reason I give them is that when setting up a communications firm, financial knowledge is crucial. Without financial literacy you will be setting yourself up for a major disaster”, she posits. She is a passionate business woman whose vision is to empower women and girls with the resources to thrive in business and life. Janet publishes one online magazine for women in business, “Lady Entrepreneur” and another for spiritual nourishment, “Truth and Spirit”. Her book, “Weight Loss for Moms”, helps women who have just had babies to not only maintain a healthy lifestyle but to also enhance their self-esteem and regain their foothold as new mothers. Further to that, she is an entrepreneur running a communications outfit named Eclecti Communications. Eclecti communications, is a leader in design, communications, and marketing especially for the real estate and hospitality industries. “We offer state of the art branding and communications solutions especially for commercial properties and hotels .We connect with consumers and developers especially through opportunities the digital space offers”, she adds. The reason Eclecti communications is advancing at this niche market is that, in real estate there’s an ever-increasing demand for homes, hotel investment products and office spaces. She adds that a huge chunk of the company’s clients in the diaspora; UK, Canada and the United States. This is an area of communications and branding that Janet feels young people could capitalize on. So how does one build such an empire? – No fear: Janet asserts that fear is an element that never goes away and could be an impediment that will keep most people away from their destinies. Just do it. – Surround yourself with like-minded people: Look for mentors who will see something special in you and will assist you to add value to your life. – Financial management: Is a crucial life skill when it comes to entrepreneurship. How are you going to run a business if you can’t budget, read financial statement, or if you can’t figure out your liabilities vis a vis your assets. With these sound tips Janet further advises that there are a lot of opportunities out there for young women, the secret is to go all out and take complete advantage of them. – Take the risk: starting a business doesn’t have to be capital intensive but one should at least have some resources to expose the company to potential clients. Visibility is key when setting up a new company and it costs money. – Have faith: The one person who will make or break the company is the owner. It’s simple, if you do not believe in the company, no one will.
Shamim Ehsani, Marketing Director Tribe Hotel: The inefficiencies of other hotels guided us in developing our brand
Shamim Ehsani is the co- founder and marketing director of the Tribe hotel, a five star hotel in Kenya. It’s a family business he started with his brother. One of the speakers at the recently concluded SheHive Nairobi, Shamim shared his lessons learned from working in the hospitality industry. A unique experience “Coming back to Kenya from Boston I had no knowledge of hospitality. My brother and I started this hotel from a consumer point of view. After traveling across the world, there are things we despised in many hotels. we hated having to pay for Wi-Fi, uncomfortable beds, bad showers, thin walls , billing disputes, empty minibars , non-functional plugs, scratchy sheets , stupid hotel policies, breakfast ending at 9.00am, overstuffed and under stuffed pillows and lack of generosity. These inefficiencies became our guide to developing a brand. We made an entry point into business by identifying the hospitality market gap in Africa built a luxury hotel.” Have a proper vision From the onset, Shamim and his brother wanted a hotel that looked to have been inhabited by a new-age tribe for a short while before embarking on a nomadic journey. The hotel didn’t have to look brand new rather they wanted a warm habitable place. In their architectural design antiques, crafts and interior decor all come together to complement each other and tell the story of this futuristic tribe. Have a unique proposition The tribe’s proposition is its team and the ambience of the hotel. It has a diverse team with unique personas. Apart from their qualifications, the vibrant team possess unique eccentricities that are amusing. Shamim knows his team by name and respective qualities. “Dan loves bird watching (weird); during the interview Anthony had a funky jacket and Lilian loves and adores fashion and magazines. Nick, Ken, Jackie, Carmeline have warm personalities and great smiles. My staffs appreciates good food and have great taste in dining, we often find ourselves visiting similar places.” Branding Shamim and his brother wanted to revolutionise the industry. The hotel was instrumental in reorganizing the industry from the conventional rack rates set by tour operators into best available rates. They put a huge focus on media and social media. They further contracted a reputable Hollywood PR company to take the hotel up to a celebrity status. Years into the industry the PR efforts paid off, they have bagged accolades since 2010 such as the Hot List awards, and World Travel Awards to name a few. Accept criticism Despite being told off by a big consultancy that brand name (Tribe) would be the windfall of their venture, Shamim’s team stuck with their guts, cocked their guns and went ahead with their name. Shamim felt that the consultant was a little bit conservative whereas he felt the Tribe name was punchy, kickass and powerful. “Initially they wanted to brand our hotel as Moto however Motorola began campaign with a similar name.” Leadership Shamim attests that Tribe hotel has been able to maintain leadership in the industry through authenticity. Competitors can mimic your idea but that doesn’t mean that you remain complacent. Through a robust leadership and comprehensive training, the hotel had the highest rate of staff retention. The entire team undergoes a courtesy and hospitality training for months before getting into operations. Advice to women entrepreneurs in hospitality As a woman in hospitality, you need to get staff to buy into your vision. We encourage our staff to be friendly to customers. Our staff are approachable and confident. We train staff to acknowledge that they are equal as any guest. We are flexible to let staff interact with clients after work.
SheHive Nairobi Exceeded My Expectations
She Leads Africa opened its doors to Nairobi on June 30 to hold the first edition of SheHive Nairobi at Nairobi Garage, Westlands. This marked the beginning of what was to be four days of great insights from badass entrepreneurs and professionals in Kenya. Bootcamp sessions The first two days saw the All Access ticket holders being taken through training sessions by SLA co-founder, Yasmin Belo-Osagie. These were intimate, personalized round-table sessions that gave lessons on entrepreneurship and looked into each participants’ area of business while giving tips on how to improve it. Yasmin gave us an exercise that involved coming up with questions we would ask potential customers. This was an eye-opener to most of us on the direction we should be taking. Day two had the same set up as day one; round-table, intimate, one on one, Q & As, a few exercises here and there. We also had a surprise guest speaker to start us off: Ory Okolloh, co-founder of Ushahidi. Ory took us through her journey in entrepreneurship and the challenges she faced while starting out. She gave us insights on how to balance being a mother, a wife and an entrepreneur. She was quick to add that not everyone you expect to help you will do so, and recommended surrounding yourself with people who support your dream to make your journey bearable. Getting into business Day three saw a shift in the set up. We had the weekend pass ticket holders come in, more speakers, a move to a bigger room and more activities on the program. We started with a team-building exercise that saw the winners getting hair products – I can’t deny that it felt good to be on the winning team. Maureen Murunga, Founder & NEO of Amadiva was the first speaker on the list. It was while she was speaking that something hit me about getting into business; you never know what to expect. You just don’t know. One day you will be rearing to get your business off the ground, armed to your teeth and ready to face any obstacles head on, only to be forced to relocate for one reason or another. Or only for you to realize you are pregnant and need to take it slow. Maureen and Ory brought out one point crystal clearly: nothing is predictable in business. For you to succeed, you’ve got to learn to roll with the punches. When the petite Hilda Moraa, founder of Weza Tele came to speak about her journey in the tech industry, she stressed the fact that surrounding yourself with like-minded people will help your journey in the business world, something she attributes her immense success to. Winnie Mwangi who is an Investment Manager-LGT, took us through retail business. She talked about the importance of location and the expectation of investors when they choose to invest in your company. She mentioned something that surprised me; just like a marriage, the chemistry between the investor and entrepreneur should be right otherwise the relationship will not work. Chemistry people! Who would have thought. When Dr. Hellen Gichohi (who is not so keen on being referred to as Dr.) took the stage she dished out punchline after punchline; accountability and transparency, funds follow function, knock doors and seek opportunities. Hellen who is the CEO of Equity Foundation, is witty and very engaging. She stressed the need to have a functional system in place that will ensure that your business runs smoothly through and through. Any loopholes in the system could be to your detriment. This was echoed by Andreata Muforo, an Investment Director at TLcom capital partners who talked about women as funders. The entertainment industry and importance of gender equality Four speakers done in day three and the last day of SheHive Nairobi came so much sooner than I expected. There was nothing easy about our Sunday morning as we started off on a high note. High because Wanjira Longauer is energetic, bubbly, witty and oh-so-humorous! Easy to see why she excels in the entertainment industry. Wanjira is a Radio host at Capital FM Kenya and a Television Host at Ebony TV’s ‘Moments Kenya’. The takeaway I got from her session several laughs later was the need for women entrepreneurs to always trust their gut because it never misleads you. I can vouch for that since I am a big believer and follower of my instincts. Lindsay Caldwell took us through her journey in the different business ventures she undertook before settling on Angaza as Director of East African Operations. Lindsay stressed that a true entrepreneur is a doer and not a dreamer. We now had three more speakers to go, two of whom were male – the only male speakers we had. Shamim Ehsani, Marketing Director of The Tribe, talked about the deliberate branding that they envisioned for the hotel from the beginning. How they ensured that it stood out from other hotel establishments, not only in the country, but in the world. Something that has given them bragging rights of being among the top 100 hotels in the world. Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom, followed hot on the heels of Mr. Ehsani. He addressed gender equity and its importance not only to the economy but also to the company. He noted that a company does well if it is aware of the importance of gender equity. We were then to close the session with Eunice Nyala, Founder & CEO of Etiquette Xllent. Eunice took us through the do’s and don’ts of professional etiquette from dressing to poise to body language to tone of voice to demeanor. It was interesting to note that we sometimes communicate negatively – unintentionally so – by the way we dress or by the tone of voice we take. It was a bit sad to see SheHive Nairobi come to an end. We had networked and learned so much in four days, we did not know what to do with ourselves now that
The five people I met at She Hive Nairobi
Friday, day two of the She Hive Nairobi boot camp was so much fun. The ladies were so much fun to be with and the sessions were just as great. Gleaming tips, asking questions, having discussions and doing a few exercises went well. Learning has never been so much fun! I had a chance to interact with a few of the many ladies in attendance. Here, let me tell you about the five people I met at the event. Yasmin Yasmin was the facilitator of the day. She covered topics like Pitch Deck practices, prepping for investor meetings, identifying and developing customer profiles, presentation skills and strategic and analytical marketing. She is interesting and graceful. Yasmin thinks that we are a fun group so she enjoyed facilitating the sessions. Empowering African women to grow in their business ideas and implementation causing a higher standard of life, makes it all worth it! Jimia Yassin I like her name, a lot. She figures it is derived from Jamii, Swahili for community/society. Jimia has enjoyed the sessions so far. Some of the lessons she took home with her as an upcoming tech-preneur was that not everybody is her customer. This she realized from an exercise done yesterday, Thursday. She discovered that she had to know who her target market is and where she would get that market from. She also learned a great deal on the different tools to use in marketing her business as well as the various tips on how she can develop her business. Sylvia Moraa Sylvia and I sat beside each other. Boss Lady of her tech company, the empowered beauty was a great sport (even after I spilled something on her). Sylvia came to the realization that not all social media platforms work for all the businesses so she has to find out which work for her company and implement it. Other eye opening tips were on business planning and having a system to follow up on her company’s clients. I hope she will not be afraid of sitting next to me tomorrow if she has to. Paula Rogo Paula Rogo is the founder of Dhako Media, a media company focusing on the millennial woman. There was no boring moment with this chatty lady. The hours may have been long for her, but she enjoyed every bit of the sessions. What hit home for her concerned branding, group participation and client feedback. Loni Stephens Loni is a lady with numerous business ideas which I won’t preempt today. She found the sessions very useful. “Today was awesome! There is a lot to process, but it is definitely worth the time.” She feels that the things we learnt at the seminar may have taken longer to learn if we did it on our own but now that journey has been shortened thanks to She Hive Nairobi. There were many other great, wonderful and fierce ladies attending the She Hive Nairobi event and all are fun. We learnt so much together. It was interesting to watch light bulbs switch on as each of us come up with ways of applying this knowledge into our various ventures.
She Hive Nairobi: What participants are saying
The first day of She Hive Nairobi featured attendees from diverse fields. The room oozed with entrepreneurship, passion and beauty with brains, left, right and centre. The attendees are frontiers in print and digital marketing, media, cosmetics, fashion, freelance journalism, and writing. This coterie of African trendsetters have titles going from start-up magnates to Motherland Moguls, leaders to marketers, directors and CEOs to media strategists and professional consultants. One thing for sure is that these ladies are high-fliers. By attending the She Hive Nairobi they have already hoisted their sails for the entrepreneurship voyage. The beauty, charm, courage and confidence are something to be awed at. This is the event this side of Sahara that you never want to miss. Here is what some young women are saying about SheHive Sylvia Moraa, CEO and founder Tech Hub Creations What I do: I am graphic designer, branding and a print consultant. The session was great. Yasmin is a resourceful, motivating and an engaging person. My key take away from the session was the emphasis on tracking marketing contacts and how to define entry points for my business. As a marketer, I have attended many trainings and I felt that the session was a validation of what I have learned and drives business in my line of work. Phelena Jean, Founder of MADAM Indigo What I do: I provide luxury hair extensions for women of distinction. The most important lesson, I gained in this session was the necessity of keeping spreadsheets of integral contacts in my industry. Leilah Namisango What I do: Digital marketing executive/Head of content, Kidz Culture/Ramsa Ltd I am glad that this session tackled many things that I was eager to learn. The content delivery was okay and I loved the personalized interactions from the SLA co-founder. I felt that issues that touched on market research insights, customer profiles and business development were handled effectively by Yasmin. Loni Carol, Semgalawe What I do: Entrepreneur and founder of ILadu. I am in the development stages of setting up my business. I learnt a lot in this interactive session and what stood out the most was importance of customer research and Google creeping to my business. Ruth Nkirote, Director Tina LTD What I do: I am a marketer. She Hive Nairobi boot camp was a lively discussion full of gems. I got to learn more on my customers, what their problems are and how I can provide solutions for them. I now understand the importance of having to write down my business contacts and ideas. Lastly, Yasmin highlighted on how grow my business through my community and I can set value to my customers. Overall, She Hive addressed what my business needed to move forward. Anonymous The key points I’m taking away are to learn to get feedback from customers, the importance of being creative on how you market and getting out value set
Twitter chat with Flavia Tumusiime: Building a career in the media industry (Jun 16)
Missed this event? Make sure you don’t miss the next one by joining our community today. Ever wanted to know how to make it in the media industry? Are you invested in building your public image? The media can be a very lucrative place for young women to build a career in but many of us don’t know the first step to enter into it. Join us on Thursday June 16 for a twitter chat with Ugandan TV presenter, radio host, MC and actress, Flavia Tumusiime on building a career in the media industry. If you’re not sure how to move forward in becoming a media personality, then you need to join this chat. Follow She Leads Africa on twitter and use the hashtag #SheHiveNairobi to ask your questions and participate in the discussion. Topics that we’ll cover: How to balance public and private lives as a celebrity When to start building your public profile How to gain and maintain a lasting public image The necessary skills required to work on TV Media industry mistakes to avoid at all costs Twitter chat details: Date: Thursday June 16, 2016 Time: 2:00pm WAT // 5:00pm EAT Location: Follow She Leads Africa on twitter and use the hashtag #SLAChats About Flavia Tumusiime Flavia Tumusiime, has become a consistent and steady face in Uganda and Africa’s media world. Her journey began at the age of 14 when she landed top spot as one of the hosts of popular teens show on WBS TV. She later did a short stint on HOT 100 radio before being offered a show on the number one radio station in Uganda 91.3 capital FM where she now hosts the mid-morning show daily. She was a face of Freedum Nytil a Ugandan clothing brand from 2006 to 2008. In 2007 she featured in her first film role in “Kiwani”, a H.Ssali production and is now lead actress in the “Beneath the Lies” series. Flavia’s career took a major turn in 2011 when she landed a role as co-host of the popular game show “Guinness Football Challenge” for 2 seasons and also became the first Ugandan VJ for popular African music channel, Channel O. She was the first East Africa to co-host the popular Big Brother Africa reality show in 2012.