Esther Ijewere

In Interviews&profile January 12, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

“I WANT THE WORLD TO FINALLY HEAR AFRICAN STORIES TOLD BY AFRICANS”– EDIRIN EDEWOR

Edirin Edewor is a Multiple Amazon Bestselling Author, an award-winning Entrepreneur, International Speaker, Consultant, Trainer and Coach at the Edirin Edewor Company. She is the founder of the Online Publishers and Entrepreneurs Network (OPEN), a community of over 20,000 Authors, Writers and Entrepreneurs, dedicated to helping Africans tell their original stories from their African perspective, showcasing Africa’s literary skills by helping writers become published as well as profiting from their skills. In 2018 alone, she helped over 250 authors get published, with more than 35 Amazon Bestsellers

Edirin is committed to work that focuses on youth empowerment, women-focused organizations, education, and employment as part of the United nations Sustainable Development Goals. She has collaborated with several NGOs directed at youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, education for the girl child and women equality. In September 2017, she was nominated for Supportive Publisher of the Year by the Mainland TV Fashion Show and Awards and has been profiled by several media outfit. Edrin has spoken at different life changing events both home and abroad. She shares her inspiring story with me in this mind blowing interview.

Childhood Influence

I had a very interesting childhood. We didn’t grow up with any toys. The only things we had were a couple of Children’s Britannica and Encyclopedia than an aunt had brought back from London. It had pictures of places, of British Royal History, dinosaurs and other wonderful things that piqued my interest and curiosity. I became an avid reader and I have been ever since. I learned about journaling and writing stories from one of those books and thus began to write from a very young age.

However, I never imagined it would become a career. I didn’t even think it would become a career as at the beginning of 2017. I had a written my first book in 2016 as a process of self-therapy after I was diagnosed with Early-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis that same year and didn’t really think anything of it, even after it became a bestseller on Amazon. It was a program with Steve Harris, and a nudge from John Obidi, that set me on this course, in May of 2017. It’s been amazing since then.

Edirin!

I always like to say I am a product of grace, because truth be told, I shouldn’t even be alive today. I struggled with Chronic depression from my teens and by the time I was 20, I had gone through 2 suicide attempts. The last one in 2011 was meant to kill me, but somehow, I survived it. I didn’t know what purpose meant at the time, but after that experience, I realized that God had kept me alive because He had something planned for me that I was meant to do.

I graduated at the top of my class from the Department of Fisheries, faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, in 2012. From my Youth Service year and beyond, I amassed professional certificates more times than I can count. Yet, with my stellar CV. I couldn’t get a job. 502 applications latter, still nothing. I started several businesses to make ends meet and failed in 9 out of 11 of them.

My Jewelry business and Interior Design Company were just beginning to take off and become successful in 2016 – we even won an award for company of the year- when I felt the nudge to shut it down and focus on helping people. I believe that if I wasn’t diagnosed with Early Onset RA, I still wouldn’t have listened to that voice and I would have been miserable. Many times, the things that afflict us are not there to make us suffer, nut to help us pause, reflect and re-adjust course.

Inspiration behind OPEN

OPEN (Online Publishers and Entrepreneurs Network) first began as eBook Profits Mastery. We started out with the vision to help people write, publish and profit from their books; however, as the scope of the vision became clearer and clearer, we realized we could do more for people, besides just writing and publishing books. We could help entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial people leverage their published assets – books, blogs, social media articles, online courses, and all kinds of content – to build influence, visibility and profitability in their industry. This, we rebranded from EBook Profits Mastery to the Online Publishers and Entrepreneurs Network. Since we did that, the community has grown to over 20,000 members in just a little over one and a half years.

Impact of my work

Whew! It’s hard to quantify the impact that my work has had on people. Besides helping people with publishing, content creation, storytelling and business strategy, I also use my story to show people that anything is possible, and that challenges are only stepping stones to success, and not excuses.

In the past one and a half years, my book “The A – Z of eBook Publishing” has reached thousands of people. Over 250 of them have personally told me of their newly published books. We shine the spotlight on them on OPEN at no cost at all. Dozens of them have become Bestsellers on Amazon in a time where people still don’t believe Nigerians can self-publish on international platforms. I’ve consulted with big personal and corporate brands on online publishing and using storytelling to drive their marketing ad bottom line. By sharing my story of depression, surviving suicide attempts, abuse, failures and serious health challenges, I am helping youths and women in Africa see themselves as more than their circumstances, and beating the odds to make something remarkable out of themselves. I cannot put an exact number to the lives I have touched, but I hope it’s a lot.

Challenges

The biggest challenge I face in my work is still the issue of inclusion. For example, it’s still a challenge and a more difficult process for Nigerian and African Authors to go global by publishing their books on international platforms like Amazon. We still find it difficult to get paid royalties from our books because of restrictive payment channels. When we do, all that’s left is little because of heavy taxation. This can be quite discouraging for African authors who want to go international.

Another challenge is copyrights issues. We do not have very strong copyrights laws in this part of the world, so we see a lot of piracy in different forms. This discourages a lot of would-be authors from getting published.

Yet another challenge is the access to information. Still a lot of writers think that they have to have a publishing house accept to publish their books before they can get published.

My Drive

My drive is simple. I want the world to finally hear African stories told by Africans, so they can experience the heart of the people, their passions, their struggles, their victories and the unique blend of cultures that make us who we are. There are a lot of opportunities available to African Writers when we build influence, get discovered and are given a bigger platform.

Other project and activities

I have a number of projects I’ve already begun, and others I’m beginning in 2019. One of the biggest projects we’re planning for 2019 is to host a book fair where authors can showcase their books, bookstores can also exhibit theirs, new publishers can have a platform to launch their books and even have a contest where amazing writers can win publishing deals. I’m also starting a support community for women in Africa, connecting them to power circles via mentorship and accountability programs, so they can break barriers and achieve their business goals.

Reward

For me, the biggest reward is hearing someone say, “You showed me what’s possible, and because of what you said or did, I have also done”. Nothing trumps that in my books.

In five years….

I’m not one to tell. I mean, less than 2 years ago, I was on a different trajectory, and here we are today. What I am certain of, is that my purpose will remain the same, but the platforms to fulfill it will definitely be bigger. My purpose is to inspire people to see possibilities in themselves that they never saw before, and help them turn those possibilities into reality.

Recognition for women

I believe more can be done in the area of recognising women in any sector, for their contribution. This not only encourages these women, but gives the younger generation proper role models to aspire to, so that we raise better generations of women who can dare to dream and dare to act on their dreams.

My Inspiration

My mum inspires me to be better. Not to sound cliche but she has been my rock and backbone ever since I could remember. She’s sacrificed a lot for me and my sisters to be where we are today. She says I make her proud everyday, but I want to do more. She’s my biggest motivation. I also have a younger sister who is still in her teens and she looks up to me. I want to be the kind of role model for her that I wish I had when I was her age.

Being a Woman of Rubies

What makes me a woman of rubies….my unrelenting passion and drive to leave this world better than I met it.

Advice for female writers and aspiring publishers

I always say that everyone has a book in them. You don’t need permission from anyone to write and publish your work because nobody is going to give it to you. You have to step up and take what you want. You have a book you want to write? Write it. Today.

In Interviews&profile January 11, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

MEET THE MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS WHO OWN 13 MCDONALD’S FRANCHISES

Patricia Williams and her daughters, Nicole Enearu and Kerri Harper-Howie, have built an empire of McDonald’s franchises in the Los Angeles, California area. Combined, they employ more than 700 people in the community and generate annual revenues of almost $50 million. In April 2017, they opened their 13th franchise location.

Getting started

More than 30 years ago, Patricia, inspired by other family members who also owned McDonald’s franchises, took the leap herself. She was working at the time as a rehabilitation therapist, and her husband was a police officer for the LAPD. But they decided to cash out their retirement plans, and take out a small business loan to enter the world of fast food.

They opened their first McDonald’s location in Compton in 1984, but Patricia says it wasn’t easy. To become a certified McDonald’s owner, you have to spend some time working in the store yourself and take required classes.

Patricia told the Los Angeles Sentinel, “It was a pretty intense, a three-year program and I had two young daughters. But like most things in life, it was the right time and the right place. The opportunity presented itself so I jumped right on in and I haven’t regretted one moment.”

Growing the business

Because the McDonald’s brand was growing so rapidly in the 1980’s, the first location became a quick success enabling Patricia and her husband to purchase a second store.

However, shortly afterwards, their marriage fell apart and Patricia ended up buying out her husband’s share of the company. But through the years, she continued to work hard on customer service and marketing, which helped significantly to increase the revenue at both locations.

In 1995, she made the smart move of selling both of her stores… and purchasing five more. Now, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel, she is the owner of every McDonald’s in the city of Compton!

Patricia is also a recipient of the Golden Arch Award, the highest award that any McDonald’s owner/operator can be given!

Bringing her daughters on board

It was never really Patricia’s plan, but in the early 2000’s, both of her daughters ended up getting involved.

After making a major career change, her daughter Nicole went through the McDonald’s franchise training program for owners and purchased a store. She later went on to became the first female, African American Chair for the McDonald’s Southern California Regional Leadership Council.

Her other daughter Kerri, who is a lawyer, started out first by providing legal and HR help to her mother’s franchise locations. But, she too wanted to be her own boss, so she completed a training program with the Next Generation program at McDonald’s – a program for children of McDonald’s owner operators.

She told the Los Angeles Sentinel, “The opportunity to show my kids what it’s like to be my own boss is invaluable and I’m lucky enough to have a sister who I work extremely well with. She and I have been close our entire lives so that made the decision even easier.”

Creating a better experience… and community

Today, the three of them are together running a multi-million dollar company that provides hundreds of jobs to the local community. Via their non-profit organization called the Williams/Enearu Organization, they also provide scholarships to local students, and fund various local and national charities.

But technology and modernization in their community is also important to them!

Their newest franchise location features digital touch screens at every table, and self-ordering kiosks. But traditional customers who still wish to order at the cash register can do so via their HD television digital menu boards. The location also features Wi-Fi for customers who want to connect to the internet, and an innovative, interactive and digital Play Place for children.

Patricia and her daughters say that implementing these changes is a reflection of their ongoing commitment to enhance and contribute to the local community.

Source: Black Business

In self development January 11, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

OLUFUNKE ADEBAYO: GO BACK TO EDEN

As a young lady, I watched a relation of mine heal quickly from a gunshot injury because she was placed on a fruit and vegetable diet after being discharged from the hospital. My father is a professor of Botany; there were times he discussed plants with me. These are the things that gave me a burning passion to let people know the benefits of eating natural diets and the use of herbs to treat ailments.

By putting man in the garden of Eden after creation, God seemed to be passing a message on the right kind of diet for mankind. However, it is so unfortunate that man has always been rebellious by not eating all these God-given foods and this is why a lot of people are sick.

God has always been concerned about man’s health and this is why He left us a great clue as to what food helps what part of the human body. This is called doctrine of signatures.

Doctrine of signatures states that herbs resembling various parts of the body can be used to treat ailments of these body parts . For example, the avocado pear is the shape of a woman’s womb and from the time it is planted to the time it ripens, it takes nine months! If you cut a carrot into two, the layers on the carrot are exactly the layers on our eyes The kidney beans is shaped like the human kidney .

I have seen a lot of wonders in nature: women with polycystic ovarian syndrome had their menses induced naturally; I have read stories of people who refused chemotherapy and got healed of their cancers by sticking to natural diets; I was there when a young boy was intoxicated with alcohol and locust beans (iru) came to the rescue; I used to have ulcer – I was given loads of antibiotics, but I got no relief until I tried nature!

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying people should not visit their doctors. After all, we have all done it wrong-diet-wise all our lives and a lot of us are sick and even on prescription drugs. All I am saying is that eating the right diet has a profound effect on our general well-being.

A lot of references have been made to the benefits of eating natural diets: Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said “leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food”. He also said “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Hippocrates favoured the use of food in treating patients. Thomas Edison also said “the doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs but rather will cure and prevent diseases with nutrition”.

One good thing about all these natural foods are that they heal our body; infact, they have the same effect as the drugs we take. No wonder Dr Pfeiffer said “for every drug that benefits a patient, there is a natural substance that can achieve the same effect”. For example, strawberries have the ability to block pain receptors in the body the same way aspirin does .

Concerning the use of herbs to treat ailments, a lot of people think it is fetish. This is a wrong mindset! God created all the herbs for man (Genesis 1 verse 29 and Psalm 104 verse 14). You can use herbs to treat ailments without chanting incantations!

You are probably on medications for an ailment for a long time now and you have not seen improvements in your health. Why don’t you try eating right? Eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce your processed foods intake. Remember, there were no cakes, doughnuts, sausages and bottles of cokes in the garden of Eden when God put man there!

On this platform, I shall be discussing fruits, vegetables and their health benefits. I shall be talking about the lifestyle changes we need to make to stay healthy too. After all, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not the absence of disease or infirmity.

Though man was chased out of Eden, I would like you to join me in this quest to create another Eden for ourselves!

About Funke

Funke is a prolific who believes in Nature and it’s importance to humanity, she can be contacted on 08038477768 and 08051071004.

In self development January 10, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

QUEEN ESOHE IGBINOBA: 5 BRAND STORIES YOU SHOULD BE SHARING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

I want us to talk about 5 brand stories you should be sharing with your audience. There are 5 types of stories your brand should be sharing:

Your personal story

If you want to start a conversation with a stranger, you do one of two things:

Introduce yourself briefly and ask about the other person

Find common interests and instantly bond based on shared interests.

None of the strategies is wrong, you can employ both.

The important thing is you make sure to share parts of your personal story that resonates with your audience.

Your self-awareness story

This is keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey

You didn’t just wake up and decide to start the niche business that you are currently working on.

Even if you’re still finding clarity about what you want to do, you can share the different insights you’ve gotten from your self-introspection.

Your growth story

As you get more aware of yourself and you grow, you need to find out what periods in your life you experienced tangible growth (in your mind, capacity or results).

Journal all these experiences and use them as often as you can in your brand stories, as long as your audience can relate to them.

Your result-oriented story.

This is the part a lot of us jump right on to.

It’s not a very effective strategy.

The saying holds through, ‘’I don’t care how much you know until I know how much you care’’.

Hence, you communicate your results-based story with EMPATHY.

Communicate with a shared sense of understanding of the problem and struggles of your audience and how your growth journey and key milestones achieved qualifies you as a guide to help them on their own journey.

Make it all about them.

Never about you.

You’re the guide remember?

Empower your hero to stay in the spotlight. Be the guide.

Your movement story

This is when your storytelling gets interesting.

You have gotten the attention and trust of your hero and you’ve shared your journey: struggles, failures, milestones, successes and how that qualifies you as a guide.

Now, you have to CLEARLY communicate the journey you are taking the hero on and how you will take him on that journey.

Introduce your movement and trigger curiosity, interest, and excitement.

Find other heroes and introduce them too to your movement.

Lead your tribe.

About Esohe

Esohe Igbinoba is the Founder, The Global Brand Network. GBN is a brand management organization with a focus on teaching entrepreneurs the art of influential storytelling for attracting visibility and building an engaged audience so they can build profitable businesses. She helps them to achieve this through her unique system: The Influential Storytelling Formula. She has helped over 150 people in 10 countries. She helps them through her online school, GBN Business School where she offers one on one coaching programs, online courses and training programs.

You can connect with her on

Social media @queenesohe

Or send an email to esohe@queenesohe.com

Or on her website queenesohe.com

In self development January 8, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

NIKE FOLAGBADE: HOW YOU MAY BE SABOTAGING YOUR CHANCES OF MEETING THE RIGHT MAN

“A common saying states that; “You attract who you are” and a lot of ladies wonder, how come they’re attracting players into their lives when they don’t do the same.

I understand that you may have these questions and thoughts in your mind like:

I am a good girl but I keep attracting men that want to rape me. Does it mean I’m a rapist too?
I try to spend all of my income on my girlfriends yet they always end up using me. Am I guilty of the same offense?
Why is it only married men that come after me? What have I done to deserve that?

My answer:

You don’t have to be a player or rapist to attract one but you can be projecting a part of you that attracts such men.

Let’s look into life of Monique for an example.

Monique was raped at the age of 8 and she developed a quick hatred for men following that incident. At the age of 10, when she went visiting her uncle. His friend molested her yet she could not tell anyone. Her parents were the busy and absent type and even when they came around, they were usually fighting or shutting her down which made her develop low self-esteem.

She grew wishing she didn’t come to that family and she also hated God for making the rape happen. When she got into the university, she became difficult for men to talk to yet she was very pretty. Some cult guys in the school that tried chasing her decided to set her up for a rape again at age 20. At this point, she was done for. She became bitter. She went ahead to join a girls cult and became a lesbian too. Her aim was to gun down men that try to get at her or punish her rapist in the best way possible.

After she graduated, she had to go for her NYSC, get a job and start her life all over. Monique had also lost some of her gangs in the final year while she was in school. All through school, she never dated any man. She joined a church later on after much persuasion from her neighbor and she got better by the day.

The only problem she had was that, she still had her secrets. She had not worked on herself or sorted things out. Most of the men that came around her were either touchy or requesting for sex at the first date. What could be wrong?

She was trying to run from the kinds of men that raped her but it wasn’t working that way.

Monique has to undergo an emotional therapy that can help her understand what happened in her past, change the meanings attached to her experience, spot out the positive reasons behind her past, forgive herself for the hurts, forgive the rapist which is very difficult but possible, forgive her parents for their kind of parenting, seek completeness in God, release the total experience and start a new journey.

Now, it sounds easy to write but it is a long journey to activate. Why is this necessary?

For every experience you have had, there is always a belief system you create around them which forms your perception. All of these reality becomes your model of the world.

Monique must have created beliefs like; “All men are bad”, “All men are rapist”, “Parents are always too busy”, “Any man coming around wants sex” etc. As little as these beliefs sounds, they determine your decisions and destiny.

The law of projection works with the beliefs in your subconscious mind which is the main reason why you need to undergo a process of recovery, transformation and repositioning. If you don’t, you will keep attracting the unhealthy beliefs you have.

As tough as she thought she was, she was insecure, had low self-esteem and didn’t see any worth in herself. As much as she projected that image behind her expensive dress, insecure men came around and tried to touch her too. It works in a mysterious way.

If you are a plus size, you may keep thinking that you cannot meet a man that can appreciate your size, you may be forced to start begging a man to stick with you.

“If your mind believes that it is impossible to attract a man that is not a rapist, that will be the reality.”

This is why when I engage my coaching clients, I start with the vision they want in a relationship or marriage and then tackle what the problem is. It usually stems from the mindset. There’s usually a fault in the belief system or an emotional trauma.

When I was younger, my uncles lived with us and almost every day, I kept hearing about their sexcapades with girls and I developed a thick skin against players, the truth is, for so long, I kept attracting men that wanted to sleep with me. It was a struggle actually.

Anything you try to run from can end up being your reality.

So what should you do? Seek for professional help that can help you identify and eliminate the wrong beliefs and experiences. You deserve the best relationship ever.

About Nike

Nike Adedokun Folagbade helps singles build healthy relationships via break up, dating and relationships coaching.

Her goal is to help many singles recover from heartbreaks, attract and keep the right partner and build healthy relationships.

She has been featured in numerous magazines, newspaper, television and radio programs like Channels, The Punch, Business Day News, CoreTv, The guardian, City fm, Happenings Radio amongst others.

Her Facebook group, The Right Partner Community is targeted at helping one single at a time achieve their relationship milestone. She blogs at www.nikefolagbade.com and can be reached via adenikeadedokun@gmail.com or hello@nikefolagbade.com

In Interviews&profile January 7, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

MEET ZAYNAB ALKALI, THE FIRST WOMAN NOVELIST FROM NORTHERN NIGERIA

Zaynab Alkali is a Nigerian novelist, poet, short story writer and is regarded as the first woman novelist from Northern Nigeria.

Born in Tura-Wazila in Borno State, she graduated from Bayero University Kano with in 1973 and obtained a doctorate degree in African Literature in English in 1979.

She became the principal of Sakera Girls’ boarding school and went on to be a lecturer in English at two universities in Nigeria. She rose to be a dean in the Faculty of arts at Nasarawa State University in Keffi where she taught creative writing.

Although, Zaynab writes to empower women economically, politically and psychologically, that was not her focus when she started. She was a very bad speaker and had a phobia for public appearance.

“I actually started writing because I discovered that when I was in school and the teacher asked questions, I had the answers, especially in literature, but I was too petrified to put up my hand. So I would right the answers down. Soon, one of the teachers, who happened to be a European, noticed that whenever I had an assignment in literature, I would score an A or B+. Yet, my hand was never up in class,” she told Punch in an interview.

By the time she was 20 years old, married and still a student, she started writing but the stories weren’t for publication. She was just writing to express herself.

Even though she didn’t plan to publish her work, she gave an expatriate, who called for submission of short stories her manuscript and begged him not to show anyone, but, the expatriate went on to read one of the stories read on the British Broadcasting Corporation.

For Zaynab, writing is therapeutic. “Unlike some people who have said that they do not write because of any trauma in their lives, I think that writing has been the only thing that has helped me to pull through a lot of things, including depression. I suffered severe depression in the past. But whenever it happened, I would sit down,” she said.

At first, she wrote only for her own pleasure and benefit. But, when she started getting positive reviews and comments in the newspapers, she had to change her mind.

In self development January 7, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

IJEOMA THOMAS ODIA: HELP YOUR KIDS MAKE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

Last year, my daughter saw me scribbling fast on my notepad and wanted to know what I was up to. I told her about my New Year resolutions and she was interested in writing hers, said Rita Bada, lead speaker for a teens-based outfit called Riospeaks.

“So, together, we embarked on a project of writing her New Year resolutions. She wrote down things she wanted to accomplish the next year and how to accomplish them. So far, she did accomplish most of them and I am glad we did it together.”

According to history, the ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year resolutions, some 4000 years ago. New Year resolutions have to do with making goals that we want to carry out in a new year. In summary, they are promises we make in order to live a better life. It is not enough to make resolutions. We must state the objectives of that goal.

The foremost teen coach stressed that children are certainly not left out, “I believe that great things start with small beginnings and as such children should be encouraged to start now so that as they grow older, it becomes a part of them. There is no better time than now to teach your children why and when they should write their New Year resolutions. From an early age, it teaches them to be purpose driven, focused and goal-oriented. This goes with them as they grow into adulthood.

Bada noted that when her daughter wrote down her resolutions, she pasted it on the wall and it was a constant reminder of what she was supposed to do from time to time. It guarded her daily actions because she had a column where she ticked done after she had accomplished any, and where she missed one she tried to make up for it. This really helped her to understand the importance of goal- setting.

It is important that parents guide their children in making New Year resolutions by intentionally having a simple conversation about it and then help them put it into writing with colourful descriptions and pictures. An example is, if the goal is to live a healthier life, then state when and how many times, snacks is taken to school in a week.

Here are five simple tips to help you and your child in keeping your New Year resolution.

Be Realistic: When setting New Year resolutions, be realistic. Do not set goals you know your child cannot attain. Make smart (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) goals.

Outline your plan: After you must have decided on the goal, it is important that you outline steps that will help in achieving that goal. For example, if your child wants to be the best in his class, then there is a need to draw up a personal timetable and reduce TV time or time spent on social media.

Track your progress: It is important to have an assessment tool. Find a way of measuring your child’s success from time to time. You might need to talk to his teacher about his performance, constantly review homework together and find better ways to improve.

Celebrate small wins: There is a need to constantly reward your child when you see improvements especially in the achievement of their New Year resolutions. Get a small gift or take him out. This will further boost his morale to do more and stay motivated.

Stick to it: Sometimes, it’s easy for children to lose focus. It is our duty as parents to guide them through the process of achieving their New Year resolutions by encouraging them always.

Bada noted that children should be allowed to make age appropriate resolutions; an example is you cannot expect your five-year old to wash the toilet, but you can expect him to tidy his room by making sure all his toys are neatly kept away. “I want to urge every parent out there to remember that when it comes to resolution, it is important to lead by example.”

Source: Guardian Woman

In Interviews&profile January 7, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

MEET THE FORMER HAIRSTYLIST WHO HAS A TECH COMPANY WORTH $173 MILLION

Njeri Rionge, one of Africa’s most celebrated entrepreneurs, used to work as a hairdresser and a yogurt vendor. When she saw a business opportunity, she immediately acted on it, made it grow and became one of the very few pioneers in the technology sector. In fact, one of her several successful companies, the Wananchi Group, is now worth over $173 million!

“I believe that success is defined by increased value — not simply financial rewards,” Rionge once said and she continues to demonstrate that throughout her own entrepreneurial career.

Humble beginnings

At age 19, Rionge started her first business of selling yogurt from a friend’s car trunk to two schools in Kenya over their school breaks. They would go to another town to stock up on their products and return to school every day to sell it.

Around that time also, Rionge also worked in a salon as a hairdresser. In her line of work, she realized a business opportunity in selling luxury products to her wealthy clients. She regularly flew to London using discounted airplane tickets. There, she would buy luxury goods and re-sell them to her clients for a profit.

A leap of faith

During the 1990s, many people didn’t have any idea about technology and the Internet yet but Rionge already saw a great opportunity to make it accessible to the general public. In the year 2000, she co-founded East Africa’s first mass-market oriented Internet Service Provider called Wananchi Online, which is a Swahili word meaning ‘citizen’ or ‘the people. It made Internet connectivity affordable for the average household for the first time.

As one of the very few pioneers in the ICT sector, Wananchi sure faced challenges including industry regulators, government monopoly, existing competition, and even the firm belief that Internet was only for the upper class. But despite it all, she grew the business from a $500,000 startup business to East Africa’s leading and largest ISP worth over $173 million.

Continuous success

Because of her passion for creating businesses, she continued launching numerous companies that are becoming successful one after another. She founded Ignite Consulting, a business consultancy firm; Ignite Lifestyle, a health care consultancy firm; Insite, a digital marketing company; and Business Lounge, Kenya’s leading startup incubator.

“I create companies serially because I believe that Africa is the next economic frontier and we must build indigenous organizations that will support this growth,” she said.

Aside from building companies, she also builds dreams that ignite the potential of other entrepreneurs. She invests more on Business Lounge to help start-up entrepreneurs develop their ideas into successful businesses. She also provides motivational speaking and coaching to encourage future entrepreneurs through sharing her wisdom and experiences under her personal brand Njeri Rionge.

With over three decades of experience in leadership and management, Rionge is definitely a perfect inspiration for other entrepreneurs. She encourages them to be resilient as she believes that resilience, or having a strong backbone that can handle challenges, is the key to successful entrepreneurship.

Source:Black business

In self development January 5, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

MEET THE 13-YEAR OLD FOUNDER OF HAIR CARE PRODUCTS WHO WON $25K IN FUNDING

At just thirteen years old, Lexi Proctor launched her own hair care line, Curlanista, because she wanted girls to feel empowered to wear their natural curls proudly. Her brand most recently received the top honor in the Sally Beauty Cultivate Program where they won $25,000 in funding and support to help grow their business.

Lexi is a beautiful girl with natural curls. But she felt otherwise when she was bullied about her hair. She even tried straightening her curls up to the point of damaging it just so the bullies would stop.

Eventually, she learned how to embrace her natural hair and encouraged others to do the same thing. It’s what inspired her to create homemade blends from what she learned as a STEM student. Her brand, Curlanista, definitely promotes healthy, curly hair and self-love.

“I wanted to build this brand to help other girls going through what I went through. I want them to not only love who they are but know that what other people say doesn’t matter,” Lexi told Hello Beautiful.

Her ideas are what made her win the Sally Beauty Cultivate “For Women by Women” accelerator program. Curlanista will receive $25,000 in financial support, product distribution at SallyBeauty.com, select local store distribution in Maryland and Virginia, mentorship from the Sally Beauty management team and fellow female brand entrepreneurs, among others.

Moreover, Lexi looks up to successful Black women such as Beyonce and Oprah, but she said it’s her mother Monica Proctor, who is also the brand’s co-founder, that really pushed her to dream big.

“My mom is literally my biggest cheerleader. I thank her because she has given me so many opportunities to try out different interests and experience new things,” she said. “I have so much confidence because of her. When times get hard she pushes me to not give up and even offers to help me when she can.

As a young entrepreneur, Lexi is continuously learning. She is being hands-on with the business while at the same time prioritizing her studies. She said, “If I have a homework assignment or project due I make sure I get that done first because education is my priority. Then I work on my business each day even if its a 15 minute post I write to make sure I engage with my followers.”

Lexi encourages other young entrepreneurs to show hard work, consistency, and dedication to be taken seriously in the adult-dominated business world. She added, “You will be amazed at what you can do if you don’t give up.”

In self development January 5, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

SIJU YUSUF: GENDER EQUALITY

One of academias most intractable problems is gender distribution and representation.

The number of accomplished women though appreciably increasing in recent year is a barb, compared to their male counterparts.

Even in religious circles, restrictions are enforced on the extent to which a woman ‘owns’ the space.

And the list is endless…

This discovery is not new, I am only jostled by recent research outcome on women participation in seminars.

Findings reveal that women ask the least questions.

This makes me wonder and think about the struggle against patriarchy.

A seminar is a for-all kind of participation except if there are specific dictates against it. Particularly in the academia where participants are not only learned, but also usually have strong arguments and opinions on issues.

I am forced to think, that as much as we favor patriarchy in discourses of gender relations and participation in various fields, perhaps, there is an innate disposition of a woman, to be less confrontational.

This line of thoughts amongst other more acclaimed arguments bordering on physical attributes, emotional relations etc sits to juxtapose all reasoning of gender equality.

As research evolves, new line of thoughts are provoked. Maybe the fight to adopt in this present time is the one for human rights.

Gender equality in all its complexities continues to unveil limitless dimensions.

While you are sweating it, trying to convince the unlettered, perhaps, your argument would hold more water if there’s a human right slant to it.

Connect with us