Women of Rubies
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Women of Rubies

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Zoe Saldana
In Inspiration By

Zoe Saldana Is The First Actor To Star In Four Films That Made Over $2B At The Box Office

Zoe Saldana is a hit at the box office, making her mark in four of the biggest films. She’s Gamora in Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War and Neytiri in Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. With the most recent Avatar film surpassing $2 billion worldwide, Saldaña is officially the first actress to star in four films that have crossed that mark.

Out of six films that have managed to achieve this feat, Saldaña is grateful to have starred in most of them. “Knowing that at 27 years old I was seen by James Cameron and he thought that I had what it took to become Neytiri, I just ran for the hills I tell you, I just ran with it and I gave 120 percent every single day. I haven’t stopped doing that,” she told Essence.

Zoe Saldana’s Background

Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for the next seven years. While living there, Zoe discovered a keen interest in performance dance and began her training at the prestigious ECOS Espacio de Danza Dance Academy where she learned ballet as well as other dance forms. Not only did her training provide an excellent outlet for the enthusiastic and energetic youngster, it would also prove to be a fortunate precursor for the start of her professional acting career. At age 17, Zoe and her family moved back to the United States where her love for dance followed and an interest in theater performance became stronger.

Career Path

She began performing with the Faces theater troupe which put on plays geared to provide positive messages for teens with themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. These performances not only gave her valuable experience but also a source of great pride knowing that she was making a difference in the lives of young people like herself.

While performing with the Faces troupe and also the New York Youth Theater, Zoe was recruited for a talent agency and her dance training years before coupled with her acting experience greatly helped her land her first big screen role as Eva Rodriguez, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the film Center Stage (2000). Since her professional career began several years ago, Zoe’s talent and determination have allowed her to be involved in blockbuster films and act with major actors, actresses and industry insiders at a pace that very few young professionals have experienced.
Zoe has not only held her own in major motion picture productions but gained the respect and praise from industry insiders such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg and actors/actresses such as Tom Hanks, Bernie Mac, Keira Knightley, Ashton Kutcher, Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom.

According to many of her co-stars, producers and directors, the sky is no limit for this young star who has incredible range, intense concentration, and a steely determination to be involved with projects that challenge her professionally with wide-ranging subject matters and characters. Just to ask practically anyone who she has worked for or with about her, glowing comments abound and earned friendships and respect are readily revealed. A star has been born, and growing every day.

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Relationship deal breakers
In lifestyle By

12 Top Relationship Deal Breakers You Shouldn’t Negotiate

Do you have relationship deal breakers?

A deal breaker is a factor to consider when deciding whether to follow through with something or not. It’s that little something that makes you say “I’m done!” even when you really love someone or you’ve been together forever.

It may sound harsh — after all, no relationship is perfect, right? — but having a list of relationship deal breakers is actually a healthy way to protect yourself from toxic situations.

Don’t get caught up in controlling, hurtful, and potentially dangerous relationships.

Here are 12 relationship deal breakers that you should seriously consider when deciding whether your sweetheart is actually worth your time.

1. There Is Abuse in the Relationship

A healthy relationship is about respect, putting your spouse first, and treating them how you want to be treated.

On the other hand, a partner who lays a hand on you or emotionally abuses you is a major relationship deal-breaker.

Many people convince themselves that just because it happens once doesn’t mean it will happen again. Remember, you deserve a healthy relationship, and someone who abuses you Physically or emotionally even once isn’t worth your time.

2. You’re a Secret

If you find out that your spouse hasn’t told their friends or family about you, run for your life! Because being a secret means one of three things.

  1. They are already in a relationship and you are the side piece.
  2. They can’t commit.
  3. They are embarrassed by you.

Your time is valuable and shouldn’t be wasted being with someone who would rather keep you as their dirty little secret.

3. Plans Are Constantly Cancelled

Does your partner always seem to be ditching out on plans with you last minute?

Sure, there are legitimate reasons that your partner may be doing this, such as being called into work unexpectedly, but feeling like the person you’re crazy about is bailing on your company in favor of partying with their friends is definitely shady.

If you find that your long-term partner starts doing this, it may be signs of a deeper problem in the relationship that needs to be discussed.

4. Substance Abuse Problems

Sitting down with a drink is a great way to relax — and let’s be honest, having a buzz on is fun! But if your spouse needs some sort of substance to have a good time, or if their personality drastically changes when they are under the influence, it can really throw you for a loop.

Substance abuse is one of the biggest relationship deal breakers on this list. It can cause your partner to mistreat you, be untrustworthy, waste money, and make poor decisions that will hurt you.

Why would you want to be around someone who is high or drunk 24/7, anyway?

5. Your Partner Isn’t Faithful

When it comes to cheating, put your foot down immediately. Don’t forgive and wait for the next round of heartbreak. If you have both agreed to a monogamous relationship, both parties should be respecting that decision.

Even if you put breaking your trust and your heart aside, your partner’s cheating on you puts you at risk for depression, sexually transmitted infections, and major embarrassment.

If your partner doesn’t love and respect you enough to stay faithful, dump them. They aren’t worth your time.

6. They Fight Dirty

There are times when we’ve all said stupid things in the heat of an argument, but there’s a difference between getting caught up and using a disagreement as an excuse to be a complete jerk.

If during an argument, your partner or spouse:

  • Brings up past experiences with the intention of hurting your feelings
  • Calls you rude or degrading names
  • Gaslights you to make you feel crazy
  • Attacks you instead of the issue
  • Uses the silent treatment

Then you should consider walking away.

Healthy relationships are about open communication and fair conflict resolutions — not about seeing who can hurt the other more.

7. You Don’t Feel Good About the Relationship

Do you feel good about being around your partner, or do you get knots when you think about hanging out together?

Do you get anxiety when you think about your relationship?

Does your partner make you question your self-worth?

If so, something inside you is probably screaming: “This relationship isn’t right!” There is definitely something to be said for gut instinct when it comes to deciding whether or not to stay with someone.

If your gut is telling you something is off in your relationship, there probably is.

8. You Want Different Things

Sometimes, even if you really love each other, your relationship game just isn’t meant to work out.

He wants East Coast, you want West.

She wants to save money, you want to spend.

He wants kids, you’re fine riding as a duo.

Even if you get along well, these fundamental differences in your goals and where you see your lives going are going to cause serious resentment problems if you don’t address them soon.

9. They’re Unbelievably Selfish

We’re all selfish from time to time, but some people take it too far.

If you feel like you’re giving your all to your spouse, and all they’re doing is taking, focusing on themselves, and taking advantage of your kindness, it may be time to re-evaluate your relationship.

Don’t spend a second longer with a selfish narcissist. Trust me, it isn’t worth the headache.

10. They’re Always Jealous

Healthy jealousy is totally cool when it inspires couples to treat each other better and not take one another for granted.

However, controlling, hack-your-Facebook-and-demand-your-phone-password jealousy should never be tolerated. This is a sign of insecurity and can quickly develop into dangerous or abusive behavior. It’s better to get out before it reaches that point.

11. You Don’t Share Values

You may think that opposites attract — and that’s true! — but that doesn’t always mean they make the best partners.

If you are passionate about your politics or your faith and your spouse has opposing beliefs that upset or anger you, it could mean that your relationship wasn’t meant to be.

If you’re going to be in a relationship with someone with opposing values, be aware that it will take a great deal of time to work through how you talk about and handle those things. If you simply don’t have the patience or desire to do so, it’s time to walk away.

12. You’re Always Fighting

Do you feel like you and your spouse are always arguing?

Sure, even happy couples argue, but constantly arguing with a partner is one of our relationship deal breakers because it shows that you have poor communication skills.

Communication is everything when it comes to a healthy, happy relationship. Couples need to be able to talk to each other in order to build empathy, resolve problems, and get closer. This means addressing problems as they arise, not letting them sit and turn into huge fights down the line.

The Bottom Line

Life is far too short to spend it with someone who isn’t worth your time. If your spouse is controlling, annoying, or won’t seem to give you the time of day, it’s time to call it quits! This is obviously a difficult decision to make, but your future self will thank you when they’ve found someone who is better for them.

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In Inspiration By

Abimbola Oki: I’m Teaching Women How To Turn Their Passion For Cooking Into Business

There is a popular saying that the easiest way to a man’s heart is through food; a well prepared meal could make an African man give you a blank cheque some say.

While cooking shouldn’t define the worth of a woman, It is always an addition when a woman knows her way in the kitchen, Abimbola Oki is helping many women , not only navigate cooking tasty meals, but educating them on how to turn their passion to business.

The founder of  D’Potters Catering Services  which started in 2014, is one of the most sought after caterers in Nigeria at the moment, catering for several top events, and using social media to also showcase the beauty of cooking.

Abimbola Oki

Abimbola Oki decided to turn her passion into a corporate business  by aiming to provide healthy and delicious meals for busy people, thus satisfy their cravings at affordable prices with poise for prompt delivery . Her mission is to provide amazing food experience for everyone irrespective of their status, tribe, pocket and taste

The caterer whose passion started from supporting family members during festivities, share her Inspiring journey with Esther Ijewere in this exclusive interview.

Childhood Influence

 My mum used to sell bread even though I wasn’t involved as per last born child. My sister had a restaurant back then too and I helped to run it. I never thought of running a food business then, but I was able to learn one or two things from that experience.

Abimbola Oki

Inspiration Behind D’potters Catering

I love hosting people in my house especially during festive seasons. I noticed my guests enjoyed my cooking a lot so much that they give me money. I was still job hunting as at 2013. My husband and I had a discussion about starting a food business and that was how I started fully in 2014.

Abimbola Oki

The Journey So Far

Oh it’s been bitter and sweet with so many challenges but absolutely worth it. God’s grace has brought us this far and everything is going just as I wanted it.

 D’potters Catering Academy And It’s Impact

Alot of people know how to cook but they don’t know about the food business. I started D’potters Catering School to educate women not just about learning how to cook but also learning about the business aspect. It has been an amazing journey so far. The first set of students graduated last month and some of them already started their businesses and doing well.

Abimbola Oki

Educational Background, And My Aspiration As  A Woman

I attended Lagos Anglican Girls Secondary School and graduated from University of Lagos with a BSc in Estate management. My aspiration as a woman is to see my fellow women doing well for themselves.

Challenges Of Being A Vendor

Trust-Getting customers to trust me, because we usually do payment before delivery. We have been able to build their trust.

  • Delivery- Getting a trusted delivery company to deliver food on time. There are many cases of food getting sour by the time clients gets it. We have been able get our personal bikes.
  • Staffing

Nuggets On How To Be A Sought- After Food Vendor

 We have been consistent with our principles which is to give customers value for their money

We treat our customers fairly and we don’t hesitate to apologize when things go wrong

We try to exceed their expectations ,this makes them happy to refer us to their friends and families

Why I Helped  Families In Need During The Pandemic With Food

I always love to put smiles on people’s faces whether I know them or not. I have been through the very hard times too so I understand their situation, this is my inspiration.

Do you think the food industry is favourable enough to entrepreneurs

Yes the food industry is favorable to entrepreneurs because many Nigerians are now looking for different ways to ease their stress. Nobody wants to get home from work by 8pm after a bad traffic and start cooking. They prefer to buy food.

 Other services I offer In My company

Apart from cooking bespoke food for people, we do trainings how to cook different dishes and we also teach them the business aspect. We also rent out our cooking studio to content creators, food bloggers, food brands etc Our outdoor cooking area is also available for rent to caterers who need a convenient cooking space for their large cooking

Relocating  To A New Space

I have always dreamt of moving to a bigger space but I was scared of the unknown. We were given a quit notice at the former space because they did not want us to use the space for cooking again. We had no choice but to get a new space and we got exactly what we wanted. It was not easy getting space for cooking, or took us a year to get this new place. We did some renovations and it came out perfect. All Glory to God!

How My  Work Inspire Other Women

I get a lot of messages from women that I inspired them. I have been able to prove to women that being consistent and dedicated to one’s business will pay off and they can make it in any business they decide to venture into.

 3 women who inspire me and why

  • Racheal Ray did not have a formal culinary education just like me but she is now one of the most famous female chefs in the world.
  • Siba Mtongana has been able to combine her life as a family-oriented woman and work as a celebrity chef and presenter with the support of her husband.
  • Ngozi  Okonjo Iweala  has given us a representation of global and national power. She reminds me that I can achieve anything I want to.

Abimbola Oki

Being a Woman of Rubies

I have been able to teach other women how to start their businesses (not necessarily food) and also sell on social media platforms.

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Joyce Agbanobi
In Editor's Choice By

Joyce Agbanobi Is Closing The Gender Gap In The Tech Industry Through Black Woman Paving Ways

Joyce Agbanobi  and her team are trying fix the gender gap problem in the tech industry  through their Black Woman Paving Ways Initiative.

Joyce is an enthusiastic Tech leader who is passionate and committed to closing the gender gap for women of color in technology. She is a Technical Program Manager Lead at Microsoft with over 7 years + of experience in ecommerce sectors.

She is also the Co-Founder of the Black Woman Paving Ways, a platform that aims at closing the digital divide and increasing the percentage of women in STEM, through building initiatives to help women upskill for the future and Matching newbies to their dream Mentors across different Fortune 500 companies.

She founded BWPW with her grad school friend Lola Quadri  who is also in the tech sector.

Black Woman Paving Ways was created in November 2020 and since then, they have helped 4,000+ women find their unique paths in technology, gain skills for the future, get matched to technical experts and gotten their dream jobs.

Watch:  How To Save And Invest Wisely In 2023

With the major layoffs in the tech space., the goal of her company for this year is not only to bring women into technology but also to make sure they are uniquely skilled and indispensable on their roles.

To ensure that, and commemorate the Black history month, BWPW will be holding a free 2-weeks Data Analytics hands on training for women transitioning into tech, those in non-tech roles and those who own their business but not exactly sure how to make sense of their data. The training is open to both male and female.

In this interview with Esther Ijewere, Joyce shares her inspiring story and how her company is determined to support women transition into different parts of the tech industry.

Childhood Influence

I remember growing up being the only girl in a family of 6 (including my parents). With my dad been a mechanical engineer working in oil and gas, all he knew and wanted, was for all his kids to be either Engineers, Medical Doctor, or a huge disappointment.

I did not grow up having the opportunity to choose what I really wanted, my dad and Late Grand Pa (who was also an Engineering Professor) choose for me to become a Psychiatric Doctor hence I have a BSc in Psychology.

I remember my dad, saying when he was in school, in an Engineering class of 50 students, they only had about 10 girls and by final year they were left with only 2 girls with the others dropping out to less technical courses. As a result, he constantly coached my brothers and I exactly same way, to be always bold, never be afraid of been the only one and never to stop pushing even when its hard. My Parents never saw my Gender as a blocker to success, so I never saw it as a problem.

I have come this far in my career and rapidly growing, is because of some great traits (Grit, Confidence and Curiosity for Knowledge) I got from my Parents and Brothers. Who would have known that I will continuously be the only Girl or Black Girl in the room?

Inspiration Behind Black Woman Paving Way

Women are one of the most innovative creatures ever but been the only Woman of color constantly in the room was confusing to me, so I decided to really understand why and how that can change, instead of constantly complaining?

Based on my research, I realized there is a huge gender gap because of some key issues: Lack of Technical skill for the future, awareness, representation, and support on all levels. So, in 2020 during Covid, I started sharing knowledge on LinkedIn, IG, Clubhouse and had some technology series on a friends YouTube Channel- “how to break into the technology” with some technical trainings.

I also mentored women for free but got overwhelming after a while and knew I couldn’t scale doing this alone so I partnered with my Grad school friends who were also passionate about increasing the percentage of women in the space. That’s how BWPW was born!

The Journey So Far

I must say it’s been nothing short of amazing but also very tasking, time and personal funds consuming but refreshing, because we have been able to train, mentor, and help over 4,000+ women transition into different paths of technology across the globe. But we are still barely scratching the surface with over 3 billion women in the world, we have a lot more to do and planned for 2023, watch the space.

My Role As A Technical Program Manager Lead At Microsoft And How My Work Experiences In Jumia And Amazon Prepared Me For This Role

As a TPM, I Lead the analytics and process automation initiative for Hyperscale Network Connectivity in Azure, my strong analytical skills and PM experience across the 2 eCommerce giants has uniquely set me apart for my current role in Cloud Networking.

Challenges In My Line Of Work

I think my challenges are similar to a lot of other women in this space, but I can say the major challenge for me as a young woman of color and an Immigrant with an accent leading technical Projects in a room filled with white male mostly twice my age, I constantly have to prove myself, which I personally do not have a problem with as I am now used to it, but it’s a challenge.

Our BWPW Free 2-Week Introduction To Data Analytics Intensive Training For Women

With the current climate of heavy layoff in the tech space and as artificial Intelligence continues to take preeminence, we want to make sure our women are constantly upskilling to become the disruptor and not the disrupted. Low skill jobs will be the easiest to automate hence they need to stay up to date on latest technology and continuously learn new skills to stay relevant.

Whether you are a business owner, a Product Manager or wanting to get into the AI Space, an in-depth data analytics knowledge is very key.

Black woman paving way

Hence BWPW is partnering with some Snr. Data Engineers at Amazon, Google, and Samsung to hold a 2- weeks Hands on free Master Class to train women in Advanced Excel, SQL, Python and Tableau. With an opportunity to solve a real-life business problem through hands on project.

Click here to register; https://mailchi.mp/0fa2c3cea99b/data-science-masterclass?fbclid=PAAaZ7Ws_MqB3fNYMsK0BlYlnnDaWuUNgBB7Z9xgPNJkwI8OUQkkRYRjPPDHs

Other Projects And Activities

We have several products in works but our most recent is:

A platform to help democratize mentorship for women of color across the globe with a launch in 5 countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Canada, and US), so we are excited for that one.

What I Enjoy Most About My Job

Critical thinking and Ability to solve problems. Every Problem to me, is an opportunity to shine and learn something new.

3 Women Who Inspire Me And Why

  • Bozoma Saint John – CMO, Netflix
  • Shelley Zalis – Founder, Female Quotient
  • Annie Jean-Baptiste – Director, Product Inclusion & Equity @ Google

These women inspire me to do more every single day. They decided not to conform to the norm, but push themselves to constantly create solid tables, instead of waiting to be invited to one, in their respective space. Their continuous way paving for women in the cooperate space is highly admirable and with them I am hopeful for a brighter future with more women in it. I believe together we can all make this change!

What We Can Do Better As A Society To Support Women Who Aspire To Go Into The Tech Industry

Support: As of today, women make up to 47% of all employed adults in the US, yet according to Computerscience.org only 18% of women earn a computer science degree. This simply means just women alone are not able to do this, we need more male support to close the gender gap.

Hire Women: Diversity breeds innovation and according to ongoing research conducted by McKinsey, it’s been discovered that diverse teams financially outperform non-diverse teams as much as 25% based on gender diversity alone. Partner with platforms like BWPW for fill those roles.

Mentor and Promote Women: Again, it’s worth going out of your way to connect with women, support your female teammates and help them climb the ladder. It’s difficult to find your footing when your peers don’t look like you or can’t relate to your challenges. Be sure to extend the same benefit of doubt you extend to men.

Encourage Women to pursue STEM: the STEM Field can appear intimidating as its heavily male dominated, so it’s important we become the bridge for young women and encourage them to pursue these field.

Support Families: about 70% of adult women will become mothers so its important for companies to provide good employee benefits to include parental-focused incentives, as having a child is a huge life changing experience.

One Thing I Wish To Change In The Tech Sector

The Technology space is constantly changing, and companies should provide room for everyone to learn and grow whether you are an intern out of school or a leader. We need to support people, so they feel empowered by technology and not frightened by it.

Being A Woman Of Rubies

Honestly been exceptional to me means caring less about perfectionism and validation from everyone but deciding to be exceptional on my own terms. Embracing my uniqueness, acknowledging my struggles, following my path, believing in myself, and ensuring I don’t lose my identity is what makes me an exceptional woman

How We Are Reflecting International Women’s Day #Embraceequity 2023 Theme In BWPW

-Leading the Black Minority Student Program (BMSD) at Microsoft: creating technical workshops to educate, close the digital divide and expose high school students to technology

– Hiring Women

– Providing Mentorship for women within the company

 

 

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Lynda Madu
In Inspiration By

Lynda Madu: There Should Be No Limitations For Women In Today’s World

Lynda Madu is the Associate Director of Corporate Services and Development for Nestoil Group. She started her career as a consultant in the late 90s with Arthur Andersen, which later became Andersen and then KPMG. 

During an interview with WomenAfrica, she spoke about women experiences;

“I would say for as long as I have been a woman, of course, as we get older and more mature, we get more and more conscious of it. It is something I am very passionate about. I have four daughters, and perhaps that even makes it more of a passion for me. Some of the challenges are quite evident in the corporate world, coupled with cultural issues and societal pressures.

And I know for sure that it is not just a Nigerian or African issue, it is a global one;

I have read several books and articles on it and have also related with other citizens from across the globe, especially women, that confirm this. So, as you get into it, it is right in your face; you have discussions with people and can relate with the issues, and therefore, you are encouraged to make your own contribution at whatever level, particularly if you think you have the opportunity to do that.”

Sharing her view on feminism, she said; “Feminism, for me, simply means that you recognize and treat me as a person, first. Consider my work purely on its own merit and based on my results and the quality of my output. As a woman, it is a quest for fairness, even if we know the world is not necessarily a fair place.

You are probably right to say issues about feminism could be controversial but that is because sometimes people, including women, subconsciously have their own idea of where the woman should be, and so see feminism as a threat to that ideology.

I do not think that women are asking for any special favours or such. Women are simply saying, see them first as human beings, judge their work based on quality and not gender. As women, they are entitled to their human rights.

We are saying ‘remove the biases and judge my work especially in the corporate environment based on its merits, and please do not deprive me of my rights, just because I am a woman’.

It is a work in progress. We may not be where we want to be yet, but the awareness is being created and people and corporations are taking necessary actions. There are still a lot of required interventions: at the global level,at national levels; and even within organizations in Nigeria and everywhere for that matter. 

It is reflected even in the way certain organisations now hire. They know the benefits of gender balance and personally when I have to make the choice and all things being equal, I am more likely to select a qualified (quality cannot be compromised) woman over an equally qualified man. And that is because several studies have been done on the impact of women in management and business.

McKinsey, in a recent one (study) showed a clear correlation between gender equality and an increase in GDP. Countries like Japan are, therefore, beginning to make deliberate efforts to fix gender inequality knowing the value that brings to the economy.

Some other countries and organisations insist on gender quotas, both in management and Boards. Even in Africa, Rwanda is doing very well in that regard, ranking in the top 5 countries for gender equality. South Africa also has a very good representation of women in government and in their parliament. There is great value in gender balance. And by that I do not mean equal, absolute, numbers like 50-50; no. That would be unrealistic in many places.

Click her for full article

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Dr. Mercy Bello Abu
In Inspiration By

Dr. Mercy Bello Abu: Business Consultant, Social Entrepreneur & Clarity Coach

Dr. Mercy Bello Abu is a thought leader, business consultant, lead Consultant at IHP Consulting Services and social entrepreneur with several years of experience.

She is also a coach on clarity and finding your way,  a public speaker and an advocate for women in business.

She is the president of Entrepreneurs Platform Initiative (EPI) – a network and support base for female entrepreneurs.

Her life goal is to leave a positive impact by helping people discover their innate abilities and maximize their potential.

She is married to Elder Ahmed Abu and they are blessed with four phenomenal children.

Dr. Mercy Bello Abu

IHP Consulting

She is the Lead Consultant at IHP Consulting Services. IHP is a Management Consulting firm which offers business support services, business management consulting/training services for individuals, public and corporate organizations, SME business development services, project management, recruitment, hospitality, entrepreneurship training, business reviews, process reviews, system implementation, HR audit, team energizers, strategic retreat and gap analysis intervention.

Their area of core competence is to develop, package and deliver innovative, quality, reliable and cost-effective services that best satisfy customer/client’s needs, whilst executing a highly profitable, resourceful and ethical organization that will survive well into the future and also be a valuable asset to its shareholders.

EPI

She also leads the Entrepreneurs Platform Initiative (EPI) – a network and support base for female entrepreneurs offering business clinics, seminars, training, capacity development, and round table with entrepreneurs’ mentorship and coaching.

EPI gives its members:
* A platform that creates Business linkages for Entrepreneurs
* A forum for strategic Networking.
* A platform where you OWN YOUR STORY, sharing inspirational stories that inspire and motivates Entrepreneurs.
* A platform that informs you about grants and loans from Financial institutions and educated you on how to get it

They also have The Entrepreneurship and Mentorship Academy (TEMA) Entrepreneurs Breakfast Meeting (EBM) Monday Classes are designed to build entrepreneurs that will take over the marketplace. Their goal is to create the next BIG Entrepreneur, a world changer and a marketplace giant. This platform exposes you to practical principles, trainings and opportunities that will grow your brand and make you exceptional in the marketplace.

Being a Coach

We asked her why she is passionate about her work, this is what she had to say:

People often ask me why I am so passionate and driven. They want to know what motivates and drives me and I usually tell them, “If your ‘why’ is compelling enough you can endure almost anything and achieve whatever you set your mind on”

I didn’t come to discover my why until I was faced with a dilemma on the 10th of April. 2010. My business of over 15 years came crumbling down in a fire incident. I lost a huge sum of money, all the goods in the supermarket were congealed, and the bank was on my tail.

Dr. Mercy Bello Abu

My world crumbled and the seemingly burning passion with which I started began to dwindle. In all of these, I learned that “what you focus on grows”.

My work is changing lives in lots of ways, I give out my platform to anyone who is willing to learn, and I impact them in such a manner that they will be compelled to be who they were designed to be. So be good at what you do, that good will come looking for you.

Source: Woman.ng

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Aysia Hilliard
In Inspiration By

How Aysia Hilliard Leveraged TikTok To Boost Her Lip Balm Business

Aysia Hilliard is a 21-year-old entrepreneur who started her own lip balm company in 2017. She is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a biology major and a chemistry minor at Howard University. Hilliard’s company TrapStix Lip Balm Company LLC sells lip balms based on musical artists and music, consisting of a wide variety of flavors such as “Lil Uzi Vernilla” and “Sticki Minaj.”

Since 2017, Aysia Hilliard has been the CEO of her own successful business which has skyrocketed in popularity and sales over the years. TrapStix Lip Balm is sold worldwide, with over 5,000 followers on Instagram, over 93,000 followers on Tiktok, and over 700 followers on Facebook.

Aysia Hilliard

Hilliard initially thought of the idea as a joke but turned the lip balm into a reality when she began selling them to family, friends, and peers.

Her business gained popularity when she started promoting it on her TikTok account over quarantine in 2020. As a new and yet extremely popular social media app, TikTok is known for being an extremely beneficial tool for those looking to gain a large following over a short period of time.

During quarantine was when TikTok really began to gain popularity, so Hilliard’s timing was perfect. She promoted her company on TikTok and received half a million views on her very first post, thus jumpstarting the success and popularity of TrapStix Lip Balm.

“I never expected when I posted my first ever video that it would blow up like that,” Hilliard said, “It was especially shocking since it was my first-ever post, but I think things just happened the way they were supposed to because it gave me more confidence to continue posting.”

Five years later, TrapStix Lip Balm is thriving as a business. With the help of her parents, Hilliard is continuing to build her brand and hopes to partner with larger companies and corporations in order to expand into online and brick-and-mortar stores. When speaking on her success, Hilliard said, “The most unexpected part of entrepreneurship is the constant need for intrinsic motivation.

Whether your business is doing phenomenally or poorly, you have to wake up every day and choose to work hard on taking it to the next step. There’s always improvements to be made, especially in a completely new business.”

Aysia Hilliard

Aysia Hilliard has gone from selling her very first TrapStix flavor, “Gucci Mango” to those around her at school and at home, to being the CEO and spokesperson of her own company. She handles all aspects of social media and marketing as well.

“My favorite part of running a business is the ability to let myself make mistakes,” Hilliard said, “Because I am my own boss, I understand that I really don’t know what I’m doing until it’s done. Being an owner allows you to go through trial and error stages without repercussions from someone else.”

As well as offering consumers a wide range of lip balm flavors with creative names centered around stars of the hip-hop industry, TrapStix Lip Balm also offers merchandise such as T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, and baseball caps on its website. Gift cards are also available for purchase, making the products of TrapStix Lip Balm a great gift idea for the holiday season. For more information on TrapStix Lip Balm, you can visit the website or email the company

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Marriage pressure
In lifestyle By

Titilola Edu: Single, 30 & The Unnecessary Pressure To Get Married

Marriage pressure is one of the biggest challenges folks in their 30’s face. If you have experienced this, then this article is for you.

“Simisola, buy balloon na and do photo-shoot for your birthday”, Tayo said.

“Limme, I’m not buying balloon”

“Why nau? Buy jor so that we can post fine pictures on Instagram”

“Please you people should not go and display my age on my birthday on Instagram o”

Simisola’s 30th birthday was in a couple of days and she was sure her friends would want to announce her cross over to the world of the thirties. But Simi was vehemently against it. Tayo bullied, scolded and bashed her but she maintained her stand that she didn’t want a public announcement of her age. She just wasn’t ready for the questions friends and family would ask.

“So Simi, err… time is no longer on your side o, when are you getting married?’

Aunt Dayo her mother’s eldest sister had called her a couple of days ago full of praises. “SimiSimi peperempempe Peperempe, How are you my dear, your birthday is coming up soon o, Awon brother nko? when are we going to meet them, you are not getting younger o, don’t let your looks deceive you. Abi is there a problem? Shey you will come to my house let us discuss it. Plus Joke, that my friend, her son is back from the States, very fine boy….”

Her Mom had also called her to get ready for deliverance in her church soon.

Poor Simi, she’s beginning to think she has a problem and must marry the next man available.

So many ladies are in Simi’s shoes right now. The pressure from family, friends and the society is insane! Why are we like this sha?!

Society will force you to get married because according to them you are now “ripe for marriage”, saddling an otherwise good woman with a lifelong handicap.

We look upon a young unmarried lady as though she’s suffering from a vile disease just because she’s not married. A lady over the age of thirty soon becomes the butt of ridicule, accusations and meddling, by those around her. Of course there are many reasons a woman could remain unmarried – failed relationships, attitude, exposure, etc.

A lot of times people assume it’s because she has a bad character – in cases when it is, rather than ridicule them, why not help build and mold such women to be better.

Marriage is not the beginning and end of life. I have no doubt its meant to be beautiful and meaningful because it is God’s mandate, but only if you are in it for the right reasons with God’s leading, then it will be fine. Maybe not perfect but it will be fine.  Please don’t make marriage seem like the highest possible achievement a woman can ever have.

There are so many young, impressionable women out there, what advice are we giving?

Be a better woman so God can send the right man your way or you better hurry up and marry the next available guy because time is no longer on your side.

We need to realize that at the end of the day titles are meaningless where genuine feelings are nonexistent.

Stop worshipping the RING! Nigerians also need to change the mentality that the life aim of every woman is to be married and have children. Don’t get me wrong please, I am definitely not in support of the “You don’t need a man team” Hollup! Lol. I definitely need a man, but biko, please, let us marry for the right reasons, not because we want to please friends and family.

No be so? Please advise Simisola.

 

 

 

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Afraid of commitment
In Career Gems By

Tammy Kyne: 5 Signs You’re Afraid Of Commitment

Are you afraid of commitment? Your significant other one day mentions how all of your friends are getting married and starting families.

You don’t see the rush or the big deal since you’ve been pretty satisfied in your relationship. You clam up at the thought of the M-word and cleverly redirect the conversation and dodge that bullet yet again. Are you just not ready for marriage? Or could it be that you are afraid of commitment?

Here are 5 signs you could be.

Hot then cold.

When the relationship started, you were moving fast and just couldn’t get enough of being with your boyfriend. Bae was the only thing on your mind. He was also the person on your contact list you’d make sure you wouldn’t miss a call or text from. Then when the direction of your connection turned serious, you start to stomp on the brakes. It seems a fire that was burning so hot at the start has now started to cool off quickly.

The chase is always fun and exciting, but when it seems you’ve captured your prey, it loses all the fun. Afraid of commitment? I would say probably so.

Friends and family.

If you’ve been dating for any significant amount of time, let’s say 6-8 months and have yet to introduce your new boo to your family and friends something is definitely off here. A person that has a long-term interest in a relationship wouldn’t be able to keep their significant other to themselves for that long.

Can’t find a reason to show him off? You’re probably afraid of commitment.

Sabotage is her name.

Say you begin a relationship and just as things are going along well, you decide that a minor flaw in the other person has become immediately unacceptable and you break it off. Or a worst case scenario would be to just end the relationship without an explanation. Both of these scenarios is a sure sign that you don’t want to be in a long-term relationship. The thought strikes fear deep in your heart and paralyzes your better judgment and consideration. Sabotage driven by fear of commitment destroys what could have been a promising relationship.

My future is bright.

It’s all about right now. How you feel right now. What you’re doing right now. Who you’re interested in right now. The passion for your boyfriend is all good..now. Thoughts about your future equal everything you’ve ever wanted; that promotion in a career, travel, and possibly another degree. You just don’t envision your boyfriend there with you. Your life is on the fast track to success and you don’t want anything to ‘get in the way’.

We’re just ‘Friends’.

“Oh he’s just my friend” That’s what you say when friends and family ask you about the guy you’ve been hanging out with.

Labeling is for food. When it comes to relationships you’re okay without them. As long as everything can continue as it has, you see no issue with being called “just friends”. If the norm is maintained, then that is right in your lane and everything is everything. The trouble comes at the talk of anything like boyfriend/girlfriend or even God forbid, ‘fiancee’. That’s when you run for the border, tell him he is moving too fast and stop answering his phone calls.

The one for me?

The idea of being with one person for the rest of your life is scary, an absolutely terrifying thought for a commitment phobe. The thought of being with only one person for the rest of your life has so many layers. This will be the only person you have a sexual relationship with; the only person you’ll wake up to EVERY morning. That can be overwhelming to say the least and for a commitment phobe, that worry multiplies.

Conclusion

If you are a commitment phobe, it can turn into a frustrating situation. You have to keep in mind what is acceptable in your life and realize that time is precious and it waits for no man or woman. For the one that is commitment averse, keep this next thought upstairs. When or if you finally make up your mind, just hope that you don’t run into yourself.

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Sade Muhammad
In Career Gems By

Sade Muhammad Appointed As Chief Marketing Officer of TIME Magazine

Sade Muhammad has been named Chief Marketing Officer of TIME. In this role, Muhammad will oversee the brand’s integrated marketing, customer success, branded content, and communications, as well as TIME’s newly created impact division.

As TIME begins its centennial year, this appointment marks the first time the brand has named a CMO since becoming an independent company in 2018 under the ownership of Co-Chairs Lynne and Marc Benioff. As CMO, Muhammad will focus on invigorating the TIME brand for the next 100 years and accelerating TIME’s digital transformation and growth opportunities.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sade Muhammad, who has a proven track record of innovation, revenue generation, and building trust with audiences,” said TIME CEO Jessica Sibley. “As TIME enters a pivotal moment in its 100-year history, Sadé’s background as a marketer, trained journalist, and changemaker makes her the perfect person to lead TIME as our Chief Marketing Officer.”

Sade Muhammad

“My passion is harnessing the power of authentic brands to get audiences to listen and, in turn, unlock their unique power to affect change,” said Muhammad. “TIME is one of the world’s most trusted storytellers and I am thrilled to bring our partners’ stories to life with imaginative ideas to inspire a smarter, better marketplace.”

Muhammad joins TIME from Forbes and brings over a decade of experience in marketing and innovating advertising products to the role. Most recently, she founded Forbes’ Representation & Inclusion Practice, an award-winning B2B ad business which encouraged marketing partners to broadcast DEI as an underpinning to their company’s growth strategy, after identifying a gap in thought leadership around equity and inclusion in company design.

Muhammad led all business development, sales and marketing strategy, client relations, and execution of sponsorships for the Practice.

Muhammad graduated BSc, Cum Laude, in Magazine Journalism from Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and was honored as one of the International News Media Association’s 30 Under 30 for Achievement in Advertising. She began her career at NBC as part of the NBC Page Program.

The appointment of Sadé Muhammad as Chief Marketing Officer aligns with a period of record growth for TIME, including the launch of six new divisions: the Emmy Award-winning film and television division TIME Studios that has generated more than $100 million in revenue; a rapidly growing global live events business built around its iconic TIME100 and Person of the Year franchises; an industry-leading web3 division including the TIMEPieces NFT community; Red Border Studios, producer of award-winning branded content; the website-building platform TIME Sites, which TIME acquired earlier this year; and the sustainability and climate-action platform CO2 by TIME.

Today, TIME reaches the largest audience in its history—more than 100 million people around the world across its platforms—and its iconic magazine, with more than 1.3 million subscribers, remains the largest U.S. print title in news.

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