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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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Blessing Timidi Digha
In Editor's Choice By

Blessing Timidi Digha: The Canadian Feminist Helping Women Find Their Voice

Blessing Timidi Digha has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Female Genital Mutilation. She is a Community Based Researcher with over twenty years of experience working on issues centered around Gender Based Violence.

Blessing does a lot of counselling around Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and she is very vast at the work she does. She works with individuals, communities, stakeholders, gatekeepers, organizations and most importantly, Policy makers using community mobilization and engagement techniques for the purpose of social justice.

She has played different roles in the success of different policies in Nigeria, Africa, and Canada either through high level meetings, sensitization, training, contributions .

One thing that makes Blessing happy is seeing the young feminists she has mentored over the years make giant strides and contribute to the conversations, policies and rights of girls and women globally.

Blessing Timidi Digha

She works part time with the Nigerian community in Canada providing support, client management, and referrals in a prominent non-profit organization and works in the movie industry building and rigging sets.

In this interview, the fearless feminists share her inspiring story with Esther Ijewere

Childhood Influence

My childhood prepared me for what I do now, everything has added up to this moment and the future to come. I grew up in Kaduna alternating between my parents and grand aunt’s house. I grew up having people advocate for me and most importantly giving me room to advocate for myself. Asides church and school, both parties always ensured I picked up a skill or joined extracurricular activities like the famous Space2000, sports learning instruments etc., I did not always like it but every skill I have picked up along the way has contributed to my life. I also had my rebellious phase.

My Passion For Sexual Reproductive Health And Rights (SRHR)

When I was ten or so, one of the sisters in church was seen with a brother in church. Guess who everyone had smoke for? The sister. I remember asking why Bros J was exempted and the answers did not make sense to me at the time, but I also remember my mom sticking up for her and saying if she was going to get punished then he too had to be punished (my mom faced her own share of criticism for this move). It stayed with me for a long time. Then I got pregnant as a teenager and that experience changed my life forever.

From trying to get an abortion and deciding against it because of how dirty and scary the place was among other reasons, the stigma, my parents having to stand up for me, registering and attending antenatal, teenagers confiding in me, me starting a sexuality education club launched me fully into SRHR. The more I worked and related with people, the more the scope of what I was doing increased.

I was just doing my thing in one small corner in Ogbomosho and boom, I was growing, learning, unlearning, and rising through the ranks. People wanted to listen to me not just because I had professional experience but here, I was, a living experience of how SRHR impacts girls and women.

One experience that has also stayed with me and I have talked about this a lot is talking to secondary school students about abstinence and this student stands up and asks me what about those who were already sexually active, don’t they deserve information, resources, services, and support.

Managing My Role As A Feminist, Advocate, Storyteller And Community Based Researcher

Thankfully, all these roles intersect, managing these roles comes with a lot of listening, confidentiality, unpacking my personal biases, humility, passion, learning, unlearning, field work, talking, data, taking up and giving space to others.

Journey Since I Became An Advocate

Fulfilling. Very fulfilling. It has its difficulties and takes a lot from one individually and as a collective, but it is very fulfilling. I have learnt so much and in the same vein, I have contributed so much to conversations, policies etc. globally. Feedback, especially when someone comes back to say something you said or did contribute to xyz in my life, it gives drive to do more. When I am quoted in certain rooms and data, it makes the work worth it. The women saved from abusive situations, girls & women saved from FGM, the policies, research, movements one has been and is a part of among others all add up.

My Thoughts On FGM As It Relates To Africa, Especially Nigeria

We still have a long way to go with Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, yes I admit that progress is being made but there is still a long way to go especially as FGM is now becoming more medicalized (carried out by more medical practitioners to argue for its safety) and type 4 becoming more rampant (Type IV includes pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, cauterization, nicking of the clitoris,  burning or scarring the genitals, introducing substances into the vagina to tighten it, Labia stretching among others). We need to go beyond the beautiful laws we have on paper to effective implementation and systems in place.

My Work In the Non-Profit Sector

I work in a non-profit organization providing client management, support, referrals, information, and services to the Nigerian community. Initially, the role catered to Nigerian women providing a safe space for conversations and interventions, but we eventually expanded the role to cater for the entire community – men, women, young people etc. . The lessons I have learnt is that first, a lot of Nigerians associate shame and stigma with accessing numerous services especially if they are free or government provided/subsidized and so I get to be creative and meet people where they are to ensure they access these services. Second, Nigerians are not unlearning certain mindsets when they migrate and get in trouble because of it.

Blessing Timidi Digha

Importance Of Therapy To Healing

Therapy is very important to healing. It helps you hold up a mirror to see yourself. You can have Jesus, Allah, Ifa , and still see a therapist or psychiatrist. Therapy helps you unpack so much in a safe environment, but you must be willing to put in the work. Therapy is work, I always tell people “If you are going to lie to your therapist (or psychiatrist), then maybe you should not be in therapy.” Therapy is work, there are days where you will scream your lungs out, shed ugly tears, keep silent, sleep off etc but it is important. There are also certain milestones or experiences in your life that will demand that you go for therapy e.g., divorce, loss associated with death, migration.

Challenges

Boundaries, Pedestals, unnecessary/unrealistic expectations and demands.

Other Projects And Activities

I work part time on movie sets doing construction and electricity, I love it so much. It is exciting to be a part of building and taking sets down especially the finished products when I can recognize the locations. I watch certain movies I have been a part of and smile from the cockle of my heart.

 I studied Food Science and Engineering in the university, and it is always refreshing to apply the knowledge from all those mechanical and electrical electives on set. I do content creation on women’s issues and lots of consultancy on these issues. I am also into research as a freelance researcher while transitioning into academia. The thing is that I am a creative, so I have my hands full with a lot of projects and activities as an individual and through collaborations.

 I am currently setting up my home studio so I can record with ease and at any time. Who knows, in the future, people can get to use the studio but for now, it is mine to use. I have gone back to my pole dancing classes, I started pole dancing as a form of fun and exercise during the pandemic and stopped when everything shut down, I am back at it now.

What Do You Enjoy Most About Your Job

The fact that I am doing something that impacts another girl and woman positively. The versatility of the job is also intriguing, you can be anything you can to be with the right experience and education.

Three Women Who Inspire Me And Why

 *  My Mom– She is a go getter, always working to get better in her personal and professional life

* Me– I am learning to blow my own trumpet and I have put in work, passion, and time to impact lives plus I keep showing up every day despite all life has thrown at me.

* Bola Aramowo-Badejo– go getter per excellence, she grounds me, tells me the truth even when I do not want to hear it. She inspires me to get a PhD and be the best in my fields.

 What We Can Do Better As A Society To Support Women In Abusive Relationships

The society needs to do better about stigmatizing women in abusive relationships, laws and policies should cover the different scopes of abuse not just physical abuse, government led initiatives must be readily available. For example, shelter systems, rapid responses (private led initiatives should complement existing government structures not the other way round).

One Thing I  Wish To Change In  The Development Sector

Better pay. The development sector does not pay enough for the work people do and this impacts a lot of the outcomes we see. It is not enough to ask people to come with passion, passion does not pay the bills, money pays the bills. Another thing will be the gatekeeping especially of the younger ones, the fact that someone is younger does not take away from the expertise they have.

One Thing People Do Not Know About Me

I am an introvert to the core, though because of work and other factors I have been able to work on my people skills and communication, but introversion is my default state. I am also very shy which is funny because I get to talk a lot. I love kickboxing.

Blessing Timidi Digha

 

Being A Woman Of Rubies

 I put my best into whatever it is I am doing and build tables and bridges for others especially other girls and women.

 

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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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Major Madisa Nomcebo Mfeka
In Inspiration By

Meet Major Mandisa Nomcebo Mfeka, South Africa’s First Black Female Fighter Pilot

Major Mandisa Nomcebo Mfeka was born and raised in Ntuzuma township, KwaZulu-Natal. She realised her love for aviation when she was 5 years old.

She joined the South African Air Force (SAAF), in 2008 and in 2010 she started flying at the Central Flying School in Langebaan; in 2011 she got her wings.

At age 29, Major Mfeka grabbed headlines as she swooped over the Loftus Versfeld Stadium at the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration as part of the Hawks formation.

Major Mfeka says her journey as a Combat Pilot really shifted her perspective about what aviation and what being a military practitioner looked like. Nonetheless, she believes that becoming a Combat Pilot has been an amazing experience.

Speaking about her journey to becoming a combat pilot, Major Mfeka said, “It has been an amazing experience. This is such a dynamic environment and so mentally stimulating. I love it because I’m growing in my technical expertise and learning more about aerodynamics.”

 

Major Mfeka joins the ranks of another female pioneer, Second Lieutenant Thokozile Muwamba, who also made history in 2017 by becoming Zambia’s first female fighter pilot.

At the time Muwamba told the local newspaper Times of Zambia, “Men are not the competition but counterparts that one should work with. Women should begin to participate and realise their abilities. Because of this understanding, I am ready to undertake the task ahead of me. “

‘I look at the fact that when I am in the aeroplane, the aircraft knows no sex. Everything depends on my input, no matter my gender.” She said.

One quote that Major Mfeka lives by is, “The sky is the baseline.” Which means, the excellence bar that you pushed yesterday should be your starting point, tomorrow.

We celebrate you Major Mfeka

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Christianna Hurt
In Inspiration By

How Christianna Hurt Made $11M From Founding Her Own E-Commerce Academy

Christianna Hurt is the  Founder of Wealthy College Kid; an academy school that teaches men and women how to make 6-7 figures monthly; currently has over 50,000 students enrolled in digital courses and grossing $11M; a social media influencer and the face of the eight-figure brand, The Boss palace doing $10.4M in 2020.

That’s not all. She was inducted into the Forbes Next 1000 class and endorsed by Forbes Under 30.

Meet Christianna Hurt

Christianna Hurt; a Florida native, who is revolutionizing the digital marketing space one step at a time. “I knew I’d always make some type of large income, I just didn’t know in what way exactly. But I always pictured being able to go places and explore freely,” she says when asked if she envisioned being this successful at a young age.

The Journey So Far

Let’s rewind. Hurt’s journey was not always smooth. She started off on a rocky path after being fired from several jobs in 2016 and her boyfriend at the time convincing her to sign a lease she couldn’t afford.

This desperate situation forced her to turn to affiliate marketing and introduced her to the world of e-commerce leading her to start WealthyCollegeKid. “I decided to start this because of the gap in the market. No one looked like me, no one was similar to me, and I felt like people weren’t trying to help people pay bills.

At the end of the day, people just honestly want to make ends meet or get their feet back under them. So, I created exactly what I needed as a newbie online looking for a way to pay my rent,” she says.

This hustler mentality and sheer resilience have contributed extensively to Hurt’s success and now, she is able to share insider tips on how to build a successful e-commerce business.

She says: “With e-commerce, you want to have a GREAT, not good product or sell everyday things that no one cares about where it came from or who’s it’s made by. You pick a side of the fence, stick to it, make it profitable and scale up.”

Booming E-commerce business

As the e-commerce industry continues to boom, it is expected that the market will become increasingly saturated. You may wonder what it takes to stand out and build an engaged online community. “As far as building a loyal customer base, you just have to make creative content and get as many eyes on it and that’s easy when you are selling something great. And a great product is one that solves a problem for others and runs out like a candle that burns out, and forces a customer to repurchase it,” she says.

It seems everything Hurt touches turns to gold as she has been able to replicate her success with WealthyCollegeKid to build her personal brand as a travel influencer.

Christianna Hurt

Work-Life Balance

You may wonder how she manages to do it all. Hurt is quick to credit her great team and staff that help with posting and responding to emails and comments on social media. Her job she says is: “just to create as much as I can.”

She is also quick to emphasize that although her work requires her to be online most of the time, she places great importance on her personal life and has found peace with logging off sometimes and not being online.

Hurt recalls one of those personal moments: “I had a miscarriage that resulted in a c-section which changed my life forever quite honestly. I needed to put my negativity and pain into something more positive so I created just kidding kids Streetwear for infants and toddlers it means the world to me and it’s my pride and joy honestly,” she says. From this pain was birthed a children’s clothing brand which she started in 2018.

Flipping The Script

In essence, this sums up Hurt’s journey to date – making lemons from lemonade. Through every curveball life has thrown her way, she has channelled it for the greater good. Reflecting on her success, she says: “Honestly, I feel like I’m just another girl who made a ” you made your bed lie in it ” mistake like so many others, but I bounced back from it and made it something I can be proud of. This is what so many other young women can relate to.”

Chasing Her Dreams

With visiting almost 40 countries in 2 years and a consistent business model, I’m quick to ask what the future holds for this WARRIOR .  “Just having a baby and being happy in my little family truthfully,” she says.

Hurt wants to let young women  know that similar success is possible for them. She affirms: “Find your lane and double down on it. Don’t let social media make you try to invest or do a million different things. Lock into what works for you and don’t take your foot off the gas.”

To find out more about Christianna Hurt, check out her Instagram page and the Wealthycollegekid on YouTube and Instagram.

Source: Baucemag

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Eleora Ogundare
In Inspiration By

How Eleora Ogundare Created Hairline Products After Suffering Hair Loss During Sickle Cell Treatment

Eleora Ogundare was diagnosed with sickle cell disease  at birth and finally got treatment when she was eight years old.

During the course of treatments and chemotherapy for the red blood cell disorder, her hair started falling out.

“My hair was my confidence because the kids I was around, they had like the long, nice long hair,” Eleora told Cbc news ,  she then  decided with her mum to cut her hair and make the change quick, hoping kids in school wouldn’t make comments.

“I felt, like, naked almost because, the thing that was like giving me confidence, I didn’t have it anymore. I had to cut it all off.”

Eleora is now a healthy 15-year-old, but instead of closing that chapter of her life, she decided to help others facing a similar challenge with their hair — and their sense of identity.
Eleora Ogundare

Owning Her Identity

While Eleora was battling for her health, her mum was trying to find solutions for her young daughter’s hair, and with it, her sense of self.

“The struggle for them is identity, you know, trying to understand why their hair is not as silky as the next person in her class,” said Eugenia Ogundare, Eleora’s mother, who says hair for a Black women is “her crown.”

“But then having to lose that hair was a whole different ball game altogether.”

Eugenia says during months of treatments, they spent time trying out different oils, butters, and creams, eventually determining their own formula and using it to launch a line of products geared toward Black hair types.

“One of the problems Black women actually face would be the edges, so that’s the first thing we get, that, ‘Oh, it actually works for my edges’,” said Eugenia, who has received plenty of positive feedback about the products she and her daughter work together on.

“And then we get the mothers who say, ‘Oh, my daughter’s hair was hard to manage. It’s more manageable [now]’.”

Adedoyin Omotara sells the Eleora Beauty line through both her salon, Adoniaa Beauty, and the Adoniaa Collective, a store for Black entrepreneurs at Westbrook Mall.

“It’s a huge part of what makes us us, especially physically, but we need to understand the impact it has on us inside,” said Omotara, who says she understands the pressures to conform that can sometimes arise for Black kids as they become more conscious of their environment and who they are.

Omotara says her own three-year-old has already questioned why his hair is so curly or difficult to comb compared to the hair of his friends.

“Especially for younger people, they need to understand that there are products that can actually work for our hair so that they don’t start to put toxic product in their hair, just to want to look like another Sharon on the street or another Anita on the street.”

Regaining Her Self-Confidence

Now long past the illness she suffered as a child, Eleora hopes that the products created through her experience help other young Black girls feel empowered to be themselves.

“Our hair is beautiful the way it is and it’s different in a good way … it just expands our culture and really shows who we are,” said the teen, who recently chose to cut her hair again.

“It wasn’t as bad this time. Like, I’m more confident in it, and I also just want to teach other, like, young Black girls that, you know, like short hair or like long hair. You can rock it either way.”

Omotara says the young entrepreneur’s story is one that should give hope to their community.

“Whatever problems we have in our community, we remain the solution to those problems because we know where it bites the most, right? And that is why we are the ones to proffer the solution.”

“I think we’re making a difference in like, young girls lives,” said Eleora.

“When I was younger, I kinda wish I had something like this too, to make me feel more confident. But I’m happy that I’m doing it now to help other people.”

Congrats, Eleora. We celebrate you

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Maria Eneyi
In Editor's Choice By

Maria Eneyi: The Entrepreneur Teaching Women The Business of Food Branding And Packaging 

Maria Eneyi is the founder of Enechambs Foods, a business that has grown significantly since she kicked off 2 years ago, from starting with a N55k capital to making over seven figures monthly.

Enechambs food is a virtual store that deals with seafoods and other raw food items. Maria and her team are on a journey of reducing sicknesses caused by wrong food handling practices, by ensuring raw foods are directly sourced, processed in a healthy environment, and as well packaged for maximum protection.

She has successfully established her business presence in Nigeria, African countries, European and American nations delivering neatly processed and packaged food at their doorsteps.

Maria has trained over one hundred students how to start a food packaging business through her Enechambs food Institute.

In her words, ‘Our mission is to become a household name for everything groceries shopping within and outside Nigeria. In this interview with Esther Ijewere, the public administration graduate shares her inspiring story.

Childhood Influence

I was born in the very early 1990’s in the  city of Kaduna state,  tudun wada precisely before the Sharia crisis of 2020,I could remember accompanying my mum during holidays and midterm breaks to sell cooked food at a spot popularly known as “mama put “ then, we took hot rice to those who couldn’t come to her stand to buy food. There I learnt how to serve customers with a smiling face and greeting them so they can come back the next day.

Maria Eneyi
Maria Eneyi, CEO- Enechambs Food

After the crisis, my mom had a provision and cosmetics shop at the Central market in Kaduna where I accompanied my mum to the store whenever I was on holiday from the boarding school.

My dad also had a salon then where I visited mostly weekends as it was one of their busiest days where we had to provide errand services for women who came to make their hair.

So going to their stores helped me gain firsthand knowledge in marketing, Sales and customer relationship and has formed the basis of my success in business.

Inspiration behind Enechambs food

When I followed my mum to the market where her store was located, I saw first hand how foods were managed by the market men and women, how they used insecticides to wade off pests and rodents in their stores where these foods laid, how different hands will touch the raw foods and most times they end up not buying and then an unassuming customer  will come and buy.

I also saw how busy professionals rushed into the market between the hours of 4-6pm to shop for dinner and most times they got foods that are not as fresh as the morning set or foods that have been touched by different people which was a major turn off from an incredibly young age for me.

I have also met people who just do not like groceries shopping from the local market and on my own part is what I love

Having experienced all of these inspired me and I thought of how I could really make life easier and better for people by giving them a better food option and this gave birth to Enechambs food.

Enechambs Food is a virtual store that deals with all kinds of seafood like snails, dry fish’s prawns etc. and other raw food items like egusi, Ogbonno, palm oil, proteins of all sorts, tubers, grains etc.

We are on a journey to reducing sicknesses caused by wrong food handling practices, by ensuring raw foods are directly sourced, processed in a healthy environment, and as well, packaged for maximum protection.

The Journey so far

My journey so far has been one filled with so many lessons, difficulties all in the quest of evolving into a global brand.

When I started, I struggled with gaining the trust of people to patronize me and I remembered one time in the quest of looking for trust I sent some foodstuffs to Abuja to some persons who showed interest but, on the condition, they will pay after they receive the products.

After sending you will not believe they refused to pick up from the park giving one excuse to the other, one told me she has travelled with someone I spoke with before heading to the park, the others complained of where the park was located.

But look at us now, we are gradually making a name for ourselves that people do not hesitate to commit six figures even without knowing me.

Challenges

Over time we have not really been faced with serious challenges But a few that we experience are:

  1. Logistics: Enechambs food being a virtual store means we take orders virtually and most times we send stuff outside Kaduna state and Nigeria too.

For the Nigerian deliveries,

There are times we get orders for perishables to the eastern other states but because of the situation of the road and the vehicles used for this purpose are halfway gone , items that are supposed to spend less than 24hours on the road spend more than that which isn’t good for business  so because of this constant experience, we were forced to stop collecting orders for perishables except the client want the tomatoes to be processed into paste.

Internationally, Nigerians in the Diaspora also wish they can still access all Nigerian foods most especially incredibly good Palm oil. So, getting the right route to send this item is usually difficult.

  1. Finance: for a very perfect finish of our processed foods, equipment is needed to achieve it. The food business is highly capital intensive and these equipment needed are not cheap and as a small business owner it is not easy gathering such money for equipment, so this is a significant challenge.

Also, in our quest of becoming recognized globally, our products need to be standardized by the appropriate bodies locally and internationally and all these costs a lot of money.

Why I resigned from my Teaching Job

As a subject teacher, I was taking four (4) subjects, I have three (3) kids and no house assistance. There are days we process food like snails or meat for export till 2-3am then we rest for 1-2 hours before we start preparing for work.

This was not the life I had imagined as growing up, I saw how my parents owned their time and made decisions and this had already been factored in my head.

 After the covid pandemic when I started my business, after a year I noticed some months, I made more than my salary and some months I made close to or my actual salary.

After 1 year My business grew into making over 6-7 figures in turnover and then I knew there was more from where it was coming if only I gave the business the desired attention it needed.

Although, I struggled to make up my mind as I was already attached to my students but then I wanted to be free so I can do more. Eventually I did and it has been an amazing journey.

How my work inspired other women

Managing business and family is not a walk in the park. But because of how determined I am to succeed in this business all the things happening around me never discouraged me but fueled me more.

I remember when I was working there were days I kept my kids in the custody of my neighbor or locked them in the house after I came back from work by 3:30pm to do market runs.

There were also days I would leave them in school in the custody of the Nannies or security to pick up or drop off items.

So, some months back, my neighbors and I were having a talk and one was asking me how I manage my business, three kids with no domestic assistance and how my house and immediate surroundings are always intact, so she had to tell herself to sit-up. Guess what? She has recently just started her business from home too!!

I’ve had women write me,  telling me how I inspire them on social media  and how they will like to do what I do but they have  kids below the ages of 5 and 10 and don’t think they can do  it and when I open up to them that I also have 3 kids with no help they are always shocked as to how I do it… most of them have dropped their excuses and have started pursuing their dreams.

Other projects and activities

Right now, there are no other projects, we are only focused on this business and how we can scale up, get licensed by the appropriate bodies, sit on international shelves, and become a household name and globally recognized.

What I enjoy most about my job

What I enjoy so much about this business is the joy that fills our customers’ faces when they receive their package within and outside Nigeria. Aside from the joy, it gives me a sense of fulfillment when my clients do not have to bother about stocking up for themselves, loved ones or parents. The feeling of solving a major food problem is what I enjoy. Serving you undiluted, Unadulterated, cleaned, processed, and neatly packaged food stuffs is my calling

Three women who inspire me and why

Chiddie Anyasado: Meeting her changed my entire life and reduced the time I would have spent finding my feet.

After she placed an order with us to be delivered to the United Kingdom, she announced us to her audience and her entire tribe came knocking on our doors.

Since then, our business went up and turnover increased to over 100%. She is so meek, supportive and a pacesetter. She has refined and brought a lot of hidden potentials in me.

Numerous times she has challenged me in so many ways. Her approach to matters is also quite different from the normal and a huge inspiration to me.

Ifeyinwa Ighodalo:  How this woman started a business at 52 years of age after she and her partner parted ways surprises me.

What I learnt from her, despite living a comfortable lifestyle and having it all, her love and concern for the welfare of her former workers made her come back to doing business and even better. Following her lessons made me understand that your staff are also a major priority.

Ayodeji Megbope: Remember that lady who sold Moi Moi in the white House?  how a complete novice in business was able to learn all those stuffs like accounting, bookkeeping and all that. I tell myself if she can do it I also can. She is also one confident woman who knows what she is capable of doing and one who is not ashamed. I see a lot of her qualities in me and it is a major strength for me.

Being a Woman of Rubies

My ability to stand tall even amid all the challenges leveled up against me that would have brought my end makes me a gallant woman of ruby.

How I am scaling up despite the economy

 

I constantly show up and I deliver well. I reach out to anyone who I feel can help me as a person or brand. This has brought so much help, referrals to the point I don’t even know if the economy is bad anymore.

 

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