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WOMAN GOES VIRAL FOR FINISHING HARVARD LAW SCHOOL EXAM WHILE GIVING BIRTH

 

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I went into labor in April- during final exam period. I immediately requested an epidural so that my contractions wouldn’t interfere with my Family Law grade. And, with tears in my eyes, I finished it. This “biting the bullet” experience is quite quintessential of my time at Harvard. To say that my last year of law school, with a newborn, and as a single mom was a challenge would be an understatement. Some days I was so mentally and emotionally fatigued that I did not leave my bed. I struggled with reliable childcare. It was not atypical to see me rushing through Wasserstein to the Dean of Students’ office with Evelyn in her carriage, asking DOS can they keep her for a few until class was over. If not, she’d just have to come with me to class. Evie attended classes often. So I’m going to be honest with you guys.. I didnt think I could do it. I did not think that, at 24 years old, as a single mom, I would be able to get through one of the most intellectually rigorous and challenging positions of my life. It was hard. It hurt. Instagram can make peoples’ lives seem seamless, but this journey has been heartwrenching. However, I am happy to say that I DID do it. Today, Evelyn in my arms, with tears streaming down my face, I accepted my Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. At first, I was the anomaly of my [marginalized] community. Then, as a single mother, I became a statistic. Next, I pray that- for the sake of my baby, I will be an example. Evelyn- they said that because of you I wouldn’t be able to do this. Just know that I did this BECAUSE OF YOU. Thank you for giving me the strength and courage to be invincible. Let’s keep beating all their odds, baby.

A post shared by Briana D. Williams, Esq. (@lovexbriana) on

 

While most of us who’ve gone to college are familiar with pre-finals procrastination – and the ramen-fueled all-night study sessions that follow – one 24-year-old Harvard Law graduate puts us all to shame

Atlanta native Briana Williams actually went into labor during finals season last year and not only did the single mom finish an exam while actively in labor, but she also successfully graduated this year. Talk about a real-life superhero.

While in labor, Brianna requested an epidural on the spot so she could finish her Family Law exam. “And with tears in my eyes, I finished it,” she confessed on Instagram. In her own words, this “biting the bullet” moment was typical of her Harvard experience.

“A small-town girl from Atlanta,” Brianna Williams is one of six children and the only one in her family to attend college. In a series of heartfelt posts on Instagram, the fresh Harvard graduate opened up about her struggles coming from a low-income family and getting into one the most exclusive and privileged colleges in the world.

Some days I was so mentally and emotionally fatigues that I did not leave my bed… It was hard. It hurt.— Brianna Williams

Although she managed to overcome her “imposter syndrome,” becoming pregnant and then raising a newborn as a single mom during her final year at Harvard brought a new set of huge challenges. “To say that my last year of law school, with a newborn, and as a single mom was a challenge would be an understatement,” Williams confessed.

At first, I was the anomaly of my [marginalized] community. Then, as a single mother, I became a statistic. Next, I pray that for the sake of my baby, I will be an example. Brianna Williams

Detailing her struggles with reliable childcare, Williams spoke of how she’d often ask staff at the dean’s office to watch baby Evelyn while she attended classes, and when that wasn’t an option, she’d go to class with baby in tow.

Many told her she would not be able to do it because of her daughter, but Williams credits Evelyn Willow with her accomplishments.

Now, after working as a waitress and bartender to support herself and successfully graduating from the most rigorous law school in the world, Williams has joined a top law firm in Los Angeles.

Know that I did this BECAUSE OF YOU. Thank you for giving me the strength and courage to be invincible. Let’s keep beating all their odds, baby.— Brianna Williams

 

 

 

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“OUR GIRLS NEED TO BE EXPOSED TO MODERN PROBLEM-SOLVING TOOLS LIKE CODING”- ABISOYE AJAYI

Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin is a Nigerian social entrepreneur passionate about quality education in technology and promoting the cause and advancement of vulnerable young girls and women in underserved and underprivileged communities in Nigeria. With her NGO, Pearls Africa, she has the vision of adding at least 20,000 young girls into the technology space by 2020.

A leader, mentor, ICT consultant, women’s right activist, businesswoman and change agent, the graduate of Business Administration from the University of Lagos is the first Nigerian to be featured as a CNN Hero for her passion in teaching young vulnerable girls coding. She has also made the Top 10 CNN Heroes List to be honoured as “CNN Hero of The Year” in December. This year, she joins nine other people the world over, who will receive $10,000 in support of their heroic endeavours. One of the 10 will be chosen as the “CNN Hero of the Year,” and will receive the sum of $100,000.

Speaking about her cause, CNN said: ‘Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin left her career to teach computer programming to girls in Lagos, Nigeria where Facebook and Google opened offices earlier this year. A 2013 survey found that less than eight per cent of Nigerian women are employed in professional, managerial or technology jobs. Ajayi-Akinfolarin hopes to change that statistic.’ The “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” will air live on Sunday, December 9, where Ajayi-Akinfolarin, along with the other nine heroes, will be celebrated.

In this interview, she speaks with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA on her humble beginnings and passion to teach girls coding.

Tell us about your growing up?

I learnt to survive and cater for myself from a very tender age, with the support of my siblings.

My mother passed on when I was four years and it caused us a lot of hardships financially, physically, and emotionally. We were all we had and we supported each other.

As a child, I knew I had to work really hard to succeed and this I did. My brother became my father even as he tried to survive in the university without support from anyone.

After fleeing home, I was adopted by a loving family, who took me in and ensured that I finished my secondary school.

It was a major struggle gaining admission into the university and when I eventually did, I combined it with work in an IT audit company and business in school.

What influenced your passion for teaching disadvantaged girls coding?

After my secondary school, my brother got me an internship at an I.T audit firm. This was where my interest in coding began. I was excited that I could actually develop a skill and earn with it, so I plunged myself into coding.

In a short while, I started earning with my skills and eventually it was with this skill that I paid for my studies at the University of Lagos.

From this experience, I realised that young girls from poor backgrounds and children, who grow up without their parents, go through a lot of challenges and hardships. I termed them “vulnerable.”

All they needed was economic empowerment at an early age like I did. And for me, digital technology was the key. This is why I have been using programming and other digital skills to thicken the economic veneer of their lives.

Coding is a very important and lucrative skill in today’s world and it can be used to solve a lot of problems in the society. Our girls are the future of the society and they need to be exposed to the modern problem-solving tools like coding.

At what point did you set up Pearls Africa?

Pearls Africa was established in April 2012, with mentoring and life skills to empower young girls to enable them to gain economic independence and have better opportunities in life.

Specifically, it started as a response to the inequality and injustice observed with the lives of girls and women in marginalised communities in Nigeria. Our biggest project, Girls Coding, started three years ago.

Why the choice of coding, how do you get these young girls and know their interests?

When I got into technology, females were really under-represented. You find very few girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related areas because they have been made to believe that it’s not a field or sector that they can go into based on their gender, which is a lie.

Even though some developed countries face similar challenges, the ratio of women in science and technology is still fair and not as bad as here in Nigeria.

Coding is an important skill for every young person in the world, especially as the world grows into a global city everyday. When we started, it was and still is community-based (correctional centres, transit homes, orphanages and IDPs), then public schools.

We started advertising for students to join our classes on our social media platforms, by speaking to those who knew of girls around them, who could not afford to pay for the programmes we offer. They go through our screening process, we meet their parents/guardians, then they are enrolled.

Some of our current students also tell their friends who are interested in learning to code about our classes. We know their interests by studying their performance and observing their passion and dexterity as regards learning all they are taught.

What has been the impact so far?

With Girls Coding, we have been able to boost our girls’ self-esteem. They now believe in themselves and know their rights.

By learning how to code, they have been able to develop their critical thinking ability, which is one very important skill people need to think reasonably and clearly.

Girls Coding gives them a stronger voice in society because they now have skills aside from their formal education, which is economically viable. They are able to build mobile and web applications, which are very relevant in this digital age.

Today, we also have a safe space called the Lady Labs Innovation Hub located in Yaba, Lagos.

It was launched last year. It’s a space, where we connect our girls with mentors and experienced professionals, who can give them talks and career advice as well as discussions on making the right choices in life.

The hub also serves as a space where young women in tech can come to hone their skills and learn more aspects of the tech field.

Also we’ve been able to get scholarships for some of our girls and given them international exposure.

The greater impact is bridging the divide between the poorest communities and the middle-class through the exposure that Girls Coding gives them.

Today, these professionals have little sisters in the slums and other marginalised communities to whom they have committed their love and support.

What other projects is Pearls Africa focused on?

At Pearls Africa, we run a number of projects to address the issue of gender inequality, especially as regards employment opportunities and they include; Girls Coding, Empowered Hands (vocational skills), GC Mentors (mentorship and career days) and Girls In STEM (Tech for 18-25 years in university).

At the moment, we’re taking Girls Coding to other states in Nigeria, especially the northern part. We run summer programmes for them for now, we are yet to start an afterschool/regular ones.

What is your take on Nigeria and the appreciation of technology?

We are still behind developed countries in the promotion of technology in Nigeria. The Information Technology (IT) space is fast becoming very important and indispensable in every sphere of society, ranging from business to health, agriculture, entertainment etc. Its importance makes it imperative for Nigeria to place much value on it. I see a lot of young people being innovative with technology and I’m very proud of how fast the young ones are catching up with global trends.

Tell us about the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) you attended, and how it has influenced your work?

It’s an exchange programme by the US Government and lasted for three weeks; it was in form of meetings and tours around four cities in the US.

It broadened my perspective on the work I do currently and made me realize that girl child education most especially in tech is a global issue. The theme was, ‘Education and activism for young women’.

You have made us proud being the first Nigerian to emerge a CNN Hero, how will it further impact your work with young girls?

I hope that every young girl will see herself as great even before the greatness comes. It serves as a form of validation for my work. I hope this honour will help young girls know that wherever their backgrounds are, they should never determine their future.

I hope that they can use my story and journey as an example that anything is possible and they can fulfill their destiny in life, regardless of where they are coming from.

I hope young girls can see that they are enough and there is no limit to what they can achieve in life. To be interviewed by CNN International for doing humanitarian work is a big honor in itself!

I believe it’s the biggest form of exposure anyone can get.

If you eventually win the ‘CNN Hero of the year’ award, what will you do with the money?

Winning this award will increase my ability to impact more girls and women with valuable technology skills by expanding our training facility, increase the size of our faculty and be able to equip more girls across Nigeria.

Above all, this will get us closer to our dream of having a girls’ village, which will be an incubation hub for these young girls and women.

Other African countries will also be able to benefit from this. And to get to be one of the top 10 CNN Heroes for 2018 brings about a feeling I cannot describe, really I did not see any of these coming.

It’s such a big honour and most especially for Nigeria and Africa. It’s the first time a CNN Hero is emerging from Nigeria in 12 years, I pray for more people to emerge from Nigeria and Africa

What is your advice to young people and how can they pursue their passion?

There is no limit to what you can do with your creative and innovative mind. No matter what challenges you may face, or whatever background or circumstances of life you might have gone through, never give up on your dreams.

Always do your best to see that your work can solve problems and add value to the society. You should endeavour to make a difference in whatever field or sector you find yourself. We can make the world a better place if we can give a helping hand to other persons in need.

QUOTE: I hope that young girls can use my story and journey as an example that anything is possible and they can fulfill their destiny in life, regardless of where they are coming from

Source: Guardian Woman

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TODDY ROSIJI: 5 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2019

As we start the new year and begin to tick out our plans for the year, here are  Here are 5  key nuggets that will help you achieve your goals in 2019

EVALUATE YOUR NETWORK

“It’s about the circles you’re in, your network. We have to ask ourselves who is in our network? The challenge for our community is not one of worth, it’s one of trust. Because we’re spending money every day how much of those Nairas do you spend with black entrepreneurs?”

USE YOUR INFLUENCE

“We’re not using our influence. Were very influential. As a matter of fact, there is not a popular trend that’s been started that we have not been at the heart of.”

TRUST YOUR ABILITIES

“Always trust in yourself and your abilities. Be self-aware, because understanding yourself helps you to improve your leadership.”

STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF

“It’s important for us to stay true to ourselves. Not everyone is going to be out here [protesting] in the street but some folk may fund the movement. Not everyone is going to be the person who is going to be out front but every leader is building an organization of support.”

STAY FOCUSED

Stay focused enough [on your] own goals and aspirations.

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GROUPS SEEK POLICIES TO ADDRESS ISSUES AFFECTING GIRLS, WOMEN

Rise Up in collaboration with Cummins Incorporated have called on government to implement women-friendly policies to address issues affecting women across the country.

Stressing that Nigerian women and girls are faced with significant challenges in attaining their full potentials, they have identified poor policy implementation as a major factor limiting women from achieving their goals.

Programme manager for Rise Up, Africa, Chantal Hildebrand, said that global data has shown that when women are in a leadership position, there is gender equity within government, the country gets better, stronger, healthier, and happier with better opportunities.

On the upcoming general elections, Hildebrand tasked Nigerian women on the need for them to learn about their candidates, ask them about their plans for women and girls hold them accountable and ensure there are strategies in place to protect women and girls.

“We want to ensure that women are actively being able to be part of the decision and their inputs are taken into account at the same level as their men. We have only selected 20 leaders from Kaduna and Lagos for this phase; they will be spreading this information and training more people,” she said.

Hildebrand disclosed that the leadership training organised by Rise Up for civil society leaders was to prepare them to see the value of women in decision-making as well as advocate for them.

Similarly, Country Director of the organisation, Mrs Theresa Effa, said they are advancing health development and gender amongst women and girls and work most especially with civil society leaders to strengthen their leadership and advocacy skills in order for them to undertake advocacy efforts that would improve the lives of women and girls in Nigeria.

Effa continued: “Nigeria has beautiful policies that touch on all the issues we are talking about, but the implementation is the major challenge. That is why we need to continue the advocacy to remind government to pay more attention to issues affecting women and girls. Putting out a policy means that they recognize the problem and intend to address the problem but they are not addressing the problem. ”

“Rise Up has trained more than 200 people in Nigeria, but for this particular gender equity project that we initiated in April this year, we have trained 40 people.  After this second training and especially because it is an election year, we want to see how this group of civil society leaders will engage our new leaders and see how far their engagement will be Impactful and also bring the necessary results we want to see.

Managing Director of Cummins West Africa Limited, Ade Obatoyinbo, said the intention of the two organisations was centred on betterment of people’s lives and empowering a more prosperous world.

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IBIDUNNI IGHODALO FOUNDATION FETES MOTHERS-IN-WAITING

Childlessness in Africa is a major issue that no woman wants to experience, as the period of waiting comes with so much anxiety.And a foremost event planner, Ibidunni Ighodalo, through her Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation (IIF), has decided to help couples with the problem of conception to have children of their own with assistance from the foundation.

The IIF recently held its second outing where couples were selected by ballot to determine who would undergo the programme for the year. The theme for this year’s edition was Maa Gbe Temi Jo (‘I will carry my own and dance).

Couples began to arrive the venue as early as 8.00 a.m. and before noon, the Agip Hall of MUSON Centre was filled to capacity. The first event was for couples, selected from different states across the country, to meet with a team of medical experts to ascertain their medical viability through a series of assessments and pre-tests. The foundation then pays to a certified fertility clinic that is in strategic partnership with the foundation in the country for fertility services such as In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), Frozen Embryo Transfer and Intrauterine Insemination to be performed on them.

Ighodalo said: “Couples face a lot of challenges in their period of waiting to conceive. It is the reason the foundation is committed to going with them on this journey believing that together, their hopes will be turned to happiness. Last year was a good year and it will be better this year. Somebody got pregnant last year just by practising what was lectured here. Knowledge is power!”

Several fertility specialist doctors presented topics on infertility and how to overcome it, either by just doing what was said or by actually partaking in the assisted ways to do so.

A gyneacologist, Ogundiran Bridge from the Bridge Clinic, spoke on fibroids and pregnancies. He told participants that contrary to the saying that what you don’t know will not kill you, the opposite is the case: “Fibroids are common tumours in women worldwide, which is also the cause of infertility in many women. Though some may have symptoms and some may not, but based on study, six out of every 10 women may have it. While some people may get pregnant with fibroid, some women may not be able to conceive depending on where the tumours are located. So, eventually, not everyone may need IVF, as all you need to do is to remove the tumours and get pregnant.

“Nobody knows the cause of fibroid but based on study, obesity has been associated with it. When you are obese, the chances of conceiving are lean.”Bridge also cited diet consisting of plenty preservatives, hypertension, family history for not conceiving for long as causes of infertility. The symptoms, according to him, are abdominal pains, swelling and infertility.However, he said the best solution is to do a medical check up and remove any lump in the stomach if necessary to avoid complications.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Bode Abbas spoke on “How To Handle Infertility’ and the challenges that come with it. Abbas said infertility is a diagnosis like any type of sickness, but people here see it as a special kind of sickness that no one should be associated with.

According to her: “Stigma comes in different forms such as public stigma, where nobody invites you to their children’s birthday parties, neither will anyone wish you happy Mothers’ Day because you have no children. Self-imposed stigma where some women carry a long face and an unpleasant attitude just because they don’t have children.”

According to her, the government is not left out, as they structurally stigmatise couples by not having health insurance big enough to cover the cost of infertility treatment. She advised couples to find treatment and not to isolate themselves but speak out and focus on the positives, saying, “We need to start thinking differently because our parents in those days adopted children but today when it comes to putting pen to paper to adopt, it becomes a problem.”

Dr. Mini Iyizoba spoke on fertility health, saying: “The basic things people forget while waiting is they can freeze their eggs, times are changing and people are marrying at later years than before.

Former Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Muiz Banire, who also had a traumatising waiting period said: “My experience was just for three years, but it was like forever. People put a timetable by saying things like, we are coming to eat rice o, and they put immense pressure on couples without knowing.

“They will give you all sorts of advice, telling you places to go to for solution as well as if it is automatic and couples keep going up and down without a solution. But I think the way forward is belief in God; don’t stress yourselves and above all, trust God.”He, therefore, urged the men too to also accept the fact that they could be the ones with the problems instead of putting the automatic blame on the women, as it is always the case.

While Head of Department of Psychiatric Lagos State University (LASU), Dr. Rotimi Coker, spoke on the psychological effect the period of waiting has on a couple, Dr. Oluyemisi Adeyemi-Bero spoke on surrogacy.Pastor (Mrs.) Ruth Essien brought another dimension to the programme as she spoke about things that Africans will normally term as taboo. But above all, she advised couples to be peaceful in their marriage, as it contributes a lot to conception while waiting.

Source: Guardian

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CROWDFUNDING WEBSITE FUNDENTERPRISE.ORG SET TO LAUNCH ON NOVEMBER 22ND

On Thursday, November 22nd, 2018, Lagos, Nigeria will witness the official launch of Fundanenterprise.org at Best Western Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. Fundanenterprise.org is a donation-based crowdfunding website (first of its kind in Nigeria) built specifically for fundraising activities, solely in form of grants to support start-up, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria and beyond.

Date: Thursday, November 22nd, 2018
Venue: Best Western Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos

The website is owned and operated by the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Crowd Funding Foundation, a new not-for-profit organization in Nigeria. Given the imbalance in the Nigerian economy and its recent rating as the poorest country in the world, it is high time individuals and groups joined hands together to make our economy work again. It is high time we began to support one another in every little way in order to expunge the poverty index and make our economy great again.

The MSME Crowd Funding Foundation, through Fundanenterprise.org, is here, not only to provide the much-needed relief to start-ups, small and growing businesses but to change the way Nigerians in particular and the world in general support business operations. Crowdfunding (raising funds from a large number and spread of people all over the world, majorly through a website) is a globally accepted financing method, practiced as a much easier alternative to the traditional fundraising through the Capital Markets and other Financial Institutions.
Crowdfunding has been used globally and successfully to fund a wide range of entrepreneurial ventures/activities and community-oriented projects, as well as test the community’s reception of a particular project or business idea to find out if it will be successful before embarking on such business. The MSME Crowd Funding Foundation, Nigeria, believes that by bringing this practice of crowdfunding for enterprises closer home, Nigerians can benefit from the much-needed ease of funding / financial support for their personal and group enterprises.

The mandate of MSME Crowd Funding Foundation is therefore solely to help build thriving enterprises, as many as can possibly be; to guarantee a meaningful life and livelihood for Africans, and Nigerians in particular. This mandate is carried out through three (3) key functions as follows:
Skills Training: The Foundation provides its enterprise community members with the necessary financial and soft skills training to start, manage and grow their businesses. Most importantly, the Foundation works with intending start-ups to develop a business plan that is realistic and practical.
Crowdfunding: www.fundanenterprise.org is a crowdfunding website designed to link enterprises that need funding, with good people who love engaging in philanthropic activities and changing lives.
An African proverb says “If you think that you are too small to make a difference, you have not spent a night with a mosquito”. Every small donation, from any volunteer, would make a big difference in our community and by extension, in our country.
Handholding/ Monitoring of Enterprises: A compulsory one-year hand holding support is put in place to assist enterprises who are beneficiaries of grants or backers’ grants from www.fundanenterprise.org put a proper legal and operational structure around their new businesses. Existing businesses are also offered the same business process improvement to ensure that they henceforth grow more, generate their own funding needs and also assist other start-up and struggling enterprises with donations.

It is all intended to be a communal enterprise building circle, to empower our people and build our economy.
The MSME Crowd Funding Foundation, through Fundanenterprise.org, is here to help our country and our world, in the following ways:
People who love to engage in philanthropic activities (both in and outside the country) can now help build enterprises and change lives very easily by donating to enterprise building on Fundanenterprise.org.
Donors can get the products and services they love, through rewards that campaign creators are encouraged to offer on the website.
People with entrepreneurial drive and energy, can now very easily get the funds they need, to start up or scale up their businesses, through their well thought out fundraising campaigns to be published on Fundanenterprise.org.
Young businesses will get it right from the start, as the Foundation and its handholding partners will set up the right legal and operational structure around their businesses for free.
Prospective and existing business founders will find the much-needed knowledge sharing partners/ mentors for free, in the Foundation and its consultants.

Campaign creators will have their business plans critiqued and reviewed by professionals, to ensure that they are good enough to turn out viable enterprises.

Campaign creators can pre-test the public’s reception of their intended products or services through the pattern/level of donations and reactions they get on their campaigns on fundanenterprise.org.

The Foundation can help build the consultancy industry by engaging as many qualified consultants as possible, to render professional and training services to our enterprise community on fundanenterprise.org.
Our people and their dependents can have a meaningful livelihood.

The country will increasingly become an entrepreneurial hub and our economy can grow to reach its full potentials in the ranks of developed economies.

It is the belief of the MSME Crowd Funding Foundation that unless many more people undertake meaningful and viable enterprises; unless the elite and more successful people in our society make it a point of duty to support budding and struggling enterprises, our economy will continue to be underdeveloped. The Foundation is, therefore, calling on everyone out there who wishes to make an impact in the society (no matter how small) to support us in this cause to make our economy buoyant again.

Donate to an enterprise today on Fundanenterprise.org. Photos of the Foundation’s latest enterprise building projects in partnership with its handholding partners – Vi-M Professional Solutions (a tax, audit, and business advisory services firm) are displayed below:

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MEET THE THREE FEMALE DESIGNERS WHO DESIGNED LEBRON JAMES’ NEW NIKE SHOES

Three African American designers from Harlem, NYC – Kimberly Goldson, Felisha Noel, and Undra Celeste Duncan, have designed the first Lebron signature shoe. The three designers were selected for the project based on their previous work and passion for sport.

At the request of Nike and Lebron James himself, the three designers first traveled to Nike World Headquarters to learn how a performance shoe was made before meeting back in New York City for a working design session. The designers and James say they felt a kinship the moment that he described his vision for the shoe.

“We each had something that connected the four of us based on what LeBron saw from his mom, and the sacrifices she made for him,” says Goldson. “My mom did it. LeBron’s mom did the same for him. The connectivity was there between all of us.”

Their new design called the HFR x Lebron 16 was inspired by James’ belief that “African-American women are some of the strongest people on earth.”

He comments, “As someone who has a platform, because of what I do, I thought it was important to lend that platform to a group of people that I believe are under-recognized.  Being the son, husband and father of strong African American women, I felt like this was something I wanted to do for them and for all the strong women out there who are succeeding despite what might be stacked against them.”

In its cooperative creation, representatives at Nike say that the HFR x LeBron 16 is a symbol of unified strength.

The limited edition shoes can be purchased online at www.nike.com/launch/t/womens-lebron-16-hfr-white-sail/

Watch their story below:

 

https://youtu.be/07DWXkYf6-8

Credit: blog.blackbusiness.org

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“I STARTED MY ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY AT THE AGE OF 10, SELLING FIZZY DRINKS IN TIED NYLONS” – KARIMOT ISIAKA – KARIMOT ISIAKA

Karimot Isiaka is a Certified Life Coach, Two Times Amazon Best Selling Author, a Personal Development strategist. She is the founder of Becoming More Academy, which is an online Academy where people learn different tools that help them improve in their personal development journey

She started her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 10 by selling fizzy drinks in tied nylons. She moved on to trying her hands on other businesses which she stopped after a while. However, as soon as she embarked on self-discovery journey, she discovered her passion for helping others become better and she started consulting on personal development at the age of 19 as Law student of National Open University of Nigeria.

As the founder of Becoming More Academy she has organized personal development programs such as, Becoming More Summit, group coaching sessions, Confidence building masterclasses, Empowering beliefs training. These programs have helped participant become better version of themselves and many are learning to live their life without limits.

She is known for helping individuals build confidence in themselves. She has done this through her coaching programs and also through her Best selling Book, ‘Confidence Within’. She is also known for helping individuals overcome limiting beliefs so that they can utilize their greatest potentials and live a life of inspiration.
She has volunteered for community services with several non-profit organizations because of her passion for humanity, Karimot shares her very inspiring journey with me in this exclusive interview.

Early Life
My childhood prepared me for what I do now. Although, every of my life experience has contributed to this preparation. I started as a confident child; I would say i was fearless. I approached events without fear and i confidently had conversations with people including strangers. However, this confidence and fearlessness began to fade away after a while. I almost got into trouble expressing my opinion on matters sometimes. I was either asked to keep quiet or told that I say things that are beyond my years, in such a way that made it look like it was a taboo for a child to be expressive. Speaking up against wrong done by an adult was turned to rudeness. I was painted too forward and I really began to think something was wrong with me. As a kid, I really was not my wonderful mother’s friend; she made it obvious that I was different in a kind of way she did not like. Truth be told, i did some things i and my siblings were asked not to do. I was just a child who does not follow instructions because they were given but because they were right and reasonable.
My life story is not complete without my childhood. My childhood is like my origin, and when everything changes, the origin remains the same.

Karimot!
I am a lady who is passionate about living for a reason. I believe it important we have something to live for. I call this something that gives one’s life meaning. I am the third child of five children. I was born on the 13th of May, 1996. I am Muslim and I am forever grateful to almighty Allah for this privilege. I love to write. I enjoy educating others in such a way that gets them inspired and transformed. I wake up every day with the desire to positively impact someone, even if it means just putting a genuine smile on someone’s face. My mantra is Become More.

Becoming more academy…
Becoming More Academy was inspired by the need to cater to more people on the subject of personal development. I remember I launched the Academy online in 2017 with a free online course on confidence building. This course was inspired by an undergraduate who was introduced to me by her friend and she needed help with building confidence. So I worked with her and I also got to realize that, there are a lot more people who need to fix their confidence and creating an online course for these people which they can take at a time they find convenient.
Apart from this, I also got to realize people want to learn a couple of things I know, so an online academy makes it easier for them to access these things. We have courses on writing, speaking, confidence building, self-discovery and other related subjects.

Starting my entrepreneurial journey at age 10
I think the greatest impact it had on my life journey is having the courage to start something new without knowing how it would unfold.

 


My book “Confidence within”
Confidence within is book embedded in so much value. It teaches readers how they can overcome low self-esteem and in turn build self-confidence. It is a book that shows how parents influence the self-esteem and confidence of their children. It shows how teachers, schools and the society at large have got a role to play in the self-confidence of every individual. It also opens the eyes of the readers to how I was able to bounce back and take charge of my confidence after going through so many experiences that crushed my confidence. It is even more interesting that it shows us how we can help others develop confidence in themselves. Every reader would be inspired to live with confidence from within, the book guarantees that.

Challenges
Challenges are beautiful if you ask me and they are normal when dealing with humans. Working with people who have given up entirely on themselves is a big challenge. Some people know they need help regarding an aspect of their live but they do not believe the growth they desire is possible. So I have to do a lot of work by convincing these people before getting to work with them.
Another challenge is the issue of trust. When some of the people I have worked with recommend me to other people, sometimes I notice they have doubts about whether to sign up or not for the program they want. Some people also believe I should offer my services for free since I am not selling a physical product.

Other Activities
I like to come up new ideas that i believe can help others make tremendous change in their lives. We have ‘Becoming More Community Stories’ where we invite people from different fields to share their inspiring stories with others, to get them inspired and also rekindle their hopes. This is a project that runs in a Becoming More Community on Facebook. I also hold trainings from time to time on several personal development topics.
I also would be starting a school tour later this year, to educate secondary school students on confidence building, I also look forward to training teachers and parents on how they can help student s and their children build confident. So, if you own a school, feel free to reach out to me.

Adding value
The greatest reward so far is knowing that I am contributing to making lives better. The feedbacks I get from people I have worked with sometimes make me look back from where i used to be and ask if it is really me that is helping people produce great results regarding their lives. I read emails and messages that say; I never thought I would be confident until I met you. Some people say they look forward to reading my posts. I remember a woman who reached out to me saying life is unpleasant; she later got to say she has realized that there is hope and life is beautiful when you choose to see the beauty. On my birthday someone said to me that, she blesses the day she summoned the courage to chat me up on Facebook. Some even pray for me. I mean, what can be more rewarding?

My organisation in 5 years
In five years, I see Becoming More as a bigger movement with footprints across the world. I see us raising leaders. I see us impacting the corporate world also. I see us becoming one of the most sought after human capital development firm.

Never giving up
I know giving up is never an option. However, there have been times I got tired. I have discovered that, being tired is a signal that i need to pay attention to something. It is either I need to take a break, or focus more on things I love to do which are usually work-related. I get tired, but I have to keep going. Giving up is equals failing myself, disappointing my creator who has placed this great desires in my heart. Giving up is not an option, instead I choose to keep going up.

Who and What Inspire me to be better
I would say life as complex as it appears to be, inspires me. I get inspired by people’s stories. The stories of Steve Harvey, Lisa Nichols, Sidiquat Akindele, Tope Fajengbesi , Remi Fagbohun, Chichi Umeseaka and many more have inspired me a whole lot. Remi Owadokun is a very inspiring lady who mentored me and continues to inspire me by the way she projects her greatness. She has impacted me a lot and has taught me to make myself proud. Making myself proud became a desire, and this desire inspires me to be better. My parents and my family inspire me to be better too. You know, wanting to live a better life than the one handed over to me is enough inspiration.

I am a Woman of Rubies
Being me makes me a woman of Rubies. By that, I mean being a product of many experiences. Choosing to be a blessing to others regardless of the circumstance. Choosing to stand even when there are reasons to fall. All of these makes me a woman of rubies.

Final words of advice for women
I advise every woman to be great. You are great when you help others. No matter how bad you think your circumstance is, there is always someone in a worse situation. Be a helper. Be yourself. Live your dreams without holding people’s opinion of you in high esteem than you hold your dreams. When you are afraid of moving, remember that not moving gets you no where. Thank you.

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Tale Alimi: 3 Ways To Stand Out In A Saturated Industry

My industry is saturated, everyone seems to be doing what I am doing!
This is a narrative I have heard several times.
In any growing economy, most industries that provide for the general needs of people will be filled with various businesses catering to those needs.
An industry being saturated is actually an indication that there is strong demand for the products and services being offered in that industry.
So, the goal is to find ways for your business to stand out, so that you can get the right visibility and market share.
Here are 3 ways you can stand out in a saturated market.

Identify a gap and fill it
Believe me no matter how many players, there is always a gap that needs to be filled. Let me use the food industry as an example. A few years ago I was in Las Vegas; my card did not work in most stores, because of the difference in technology.
I started to ration the little cash I had with me, but by my last day, I had run out of money. I couldn’t buy food so I decided to go on a forced all day fast. By 10pm, I was so hungry that I went to one of the bars in the hotel to beg for some fortune cookie. I ate two of them as my meal that day, but by 1am, I was too hungry to sleep.
I began to wonder that surely there would be some overnight food business with a website that I could order food and hopefully my card would work online. I Googled and fortunately found one and my card worked. I placed my order by 2am and my food was delivered in 30 minutes!
I was so happy and the food was so yummy. Anyway they say food is always sweet when you are hungry.
The lesson I learned from that experience is that as saturated as Las Vegas is with restaurants and dinning places, when I wanted food at 2am, the person who served me were the ones who got my money.
How about you, what gap can you fill in your industry?

Create a sub category or niche and dominate
In any industry, there is something called ‘first mover advantage’. This means that the first person to enter the market usually becomes the market leader. (I have seen a few exceptions)
So how do you stand out in your industry when you are not the 1st or even the 10th?
Create a Sub-category or niche where you can be the first! 😁
A few examples:
1. You might not be the first delivery service company in Lagos, but you can be the first to offer 1 hour delivery anywhere in Lagos (or whatever city you are) if you can pull it off, you can openly brag or promote that you are the ‘No 1 one hour delivery company in Lagos ‘ This way you will stand out!
And everyone who wants quick delivery will come to you plus more money in your account.
2. You might not be the first mobile food restaurant or service provider in your city, but you can be the first to provide same day customized meals. So, if your customer wakes up and wants to eat plantain porridge with shaki for lunch, you can deliver to them by lunch time.
People will rave about your ability to satisfy their food cravings when they want it and of course it will put more money in your account. I hope that makes you as excited as I am.

Identify a trend and ride it
In the larger society, there are always events, activities, pop culture occurrences that can lead to a trend. A few weeks ago, Davido released the song Assurance and presented a car with ‘Assurance’ as the plate number to his girlfriend on her birthday. A few weeks after, a certain lawmaker presented a car to his wife with ‘Assurance’ as the plate number also.
Now I am sure that we have not seen the last of this trend as many more men are preparing their own ‘assurance’ and their women will be happy to receive it.
So how do you ride this trend? A smart car seller can turn this to an ‘Assurance campaign’ and say that they sell cars that give assurance. An insurance company can say that they offer the real assurance, which is ‘life time insurance’. A wedding ring seller can put a slant to it and say, the real assurance is to ‘put a ring on it’.
Do you get my drift? By riding an already existing trend and promoting it, your business will stand out among the pack of people offering similar products or services.
In my podcast last week, I broke these points down and gave more examples, you can listen to it here.
I also created my own version of assurance for business owners who want to earn consistent 7 figure revenues a month, it is a play book titled ‘Generate 1 million a month’. You can download my free playbook here.

About Tale Alimi
‘Tale Alimi is the CEO of Tale Alimi Global; a premium business coaching and strategy consulting boutique focused on helping progressive and forward thinking SME’s take their business from small to scale. She is the author of Uplevel-find your niche, share your story, build your tribe and profit from your passion(www.talealimi.com/uplevelbook). She has a Masters in Business Administration from Lagos business school, a certificate in personal coaching from the coaching academy UK. Visit her website to learn more:( talealimi.com.com). Get daily business inspiration when you follow her on twitter (http://twitter.com/talealimi) and Instagram(https://www.instagram.com/talealimi).

Source: Bellanaija

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I DECIDED TO QUIT BANKING AT THE AGE OF 40 AND START MY OWN BUSINESS – OLUWATOYIN EDUN

Oluwatoyin Edun is the Group Managing Director of Fusion Group Limited. She graduated from University of Ibadan with a B.sc degree in Political Science and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Business School Netherlands.
She started her career at Eko International bank in 1999 then proeeded to FSB International bank and joined FCMB in 2005
In 2012 her portfolio was enlarged with the inclusion of commercial and retail activities covering 10 branches of the bank in Ikeja and its environs where she was designated the zonal head. Based on her initial goal to quit at the age of forty she decided to take a bow from the banking sector in 2014 to pursue her dream. She later became the Director of finance for the Akiwunmi Ambode Campaign Organization for Lagos State.
She shares her  grass to grace journey  in this inspiring  interview.

I grew up prepared to fly in the world
My childhood was full of optimism about the future. I grew up wanting to be a lawyer but
later on I met a Professor of Political Science who influenced my decision to study Political Science, however that is totally different from what I do today. This has taught me that it doesn’t matter where we start from, eventually with our aspirations and as we go along, meet people, interact and deal with issues of life, we will end up at the destination that God has prepared for us. But in terms of academic background and upbringing, I will say that I had enough preparation for the role I am playing now because I was academically inclined as a student and also attended good schools; I was focused very on education with a determination to excel at everything I ever did. I believe I was adequately prepared to fly in the world.

Toyin Edun
I am the first of five children (4 girls and 1 boy). I grew up in Ibadan where I attended Bodija International School, Queens School Ibadan, International School Ibadan and i graduated from the University of Ibadan with a Second Class Upper division in Political Science. I fell in love with the Banking Industry during my University days and this led me to choose a career in banking. I started my banking career at Eko International Bank from the Human Resources department, proceeded to FSB International Bank and thereafter, Metropolitan Bank Limited. I later joined FCMB in 2005. While at FCMB I started as an Assistant Manager and rose to the position of Assistant General Manager having worked in different departments of the Bank. I retired from Banking at the age of 40 to start my own Real Estate and Hospitality business. I bought into a family business in 2015 where I became a Director and subsequently took over the operations in Real Estate and Facilities management, and also expanded our focus into co- working space with the setting up our Virtual Hub. I also have a keen interest in Tourism and hospitality and I have done quite a lot of work in hotel management, short letting as well as consultancy for the hospitality and tourism sector. Currently, I run a group called the Fusion Group with subsidiaries in South Africa and United Kingdom.

Inspiration behind Fusion Group
While in the banking sector, I realized that I had a flair for Real Estate and got inspired by my own personal experiences especially when I was buying my own home for the first time. I realized that I was very much interested in every detail that went into the home. I got really interested in Construction and at that point, I decided to make what was just a hobby into a profession and business. By the time I decided to quit banking at the age of 40, I started to plan my exit and the first thing that came to mind was for me to pursue business in the Real estate sector which got me buying into a family business that was already into facilities management and to expand the scope to do everything else around the real estate business. I am very passionate about space; I love spaces whether it is your home space, your office space, your hotel space etc! I believe a space tells a lot about the personality of the person so I always like to add a personal touch from designing of partitioning, structuring of space, colour scheme, the furnishings and the management of space. Spaces in general fascinates me and I believe that is what has kept me in the business till now coupled with being a passionate person that does whatever I have to do extremely well.

Biggest risk ever taken as an Entrepreneur
The biggest risk I have taken as an individual is to leave the known for the unknown i.e. to leave the banking industry, where I had everything going for me and to launch out to try to do business and I’ve not had a day’s regret since I took that bold step. In the real estate space and in hospitality.

Challenges
We started the business at the time when Nigeria was just going into the recession and this really affected a lot of our projections, our business started off on a very slow note, we did not have the kind of clientele that could afford our services so the sluggish start was sort of troubling but we found our way around it and we were able to understand what the market could absorb and packaged our services to attract international organizations who could understand and afford our value proposition and also wanted to come into Lagos, Nigeria to do business. The other challenge was the power issue ,The third challenge is People. We have had our fair share of human resource challenges with staff turnover.

Balancing the business and the home front
I will say this is the popular problem of every working woman and therefore not peculiar to running a business. It is the same challenge I faced when I was still in paid employment. Once you are a working woman, you have to balance the home front with your career. I understood where I was going and I developed a working template, thus I have structured my home in the most efficient manner. I have always had highly professional carers to support me with raising my kids and happy to pay the premium in order for me to focus on my career. I also structured my timing to accommodate quality family time which is the most important thing to me but also ensuring that it does not affect work.
I also made sure that I took out time to attend every important event in their lives, every important school event, every important exam and all of that. Yes, it meant me staying up longer hours and keeping awake trying to juggle all the balls but I believe that once one is organized and you are committed to something, you will always find a way to make it work. Life is all about planning

Tell us about your other project and activities?
Our other projects include our interest in tourism and hospitality. We have started doing some work with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC). We are also doing some work in short-letting across the continent and the UK. Also, preliminary work is going on in setting up our hospitality school which is a passion for me and I believe has to be done quickly. This is a cause I am committed to in order to boost the quality of services in the hospitality and tourism sector and we are working towards achieving it. It is also my way of giving back to an industry I love so much as unfortunately many Nigerians do not seem to understand the true value of customer service. The focus is to train future employers and employees for the Nigerian Hospitality Industry. This will help the industry grow, reduce the unemployment in Nigeria as well as help to grow the Nigerian economy as a whole.
We also have interest in Infrastructure maintenance under facilities management and we are currently doing some work on some transport infrastructure deployment and management. At the same time, we are looking to expand our co working space, the Virtual Hub by setting up another branch in Lagos and opening one in Abuja. These are the projects we have on the front burner right now.

Fusion group in five years
I see Fusion Group growing in leaps and bounds. Our five year road map is to consolidate our efforts and investment in real estate, in hospitality and tourism as well. We would be developing our own estates and also operating our hospitality school within that period. I see Fusion Group becoming about a $100M dollar franchise within the next five years.

Giving up is not an option
My personal mantra in life is to learn to focus on winning so much that I forget how to fail. Therefore giving up was never an option. I am naturally resilient and tenacious. Challenges bring out the best in me. Like I said, I left banking in 2014 and I knew there was no going back so I always knew I had to keep forging ahead no matter what life threw at me. I must confess that I have had my fair share of daunting challenges and there were times when i felt really overwhelmed but my trust in God sustained me.

Who and What Inspire me to be better
The things that have inspired me to be better at what I do are within me. The desire to excel, the passion for service and the willingness to learn from every experience. I believe that how you do anything is how you do everything.
The person who inspired me to be my best was always my Sister , Dr Adenike Aiyedun , she was also my very first business partner. She gave me a lot of push and support as well. She always saw it in me that I could thrive and excel at business and she was the first to give me her support when I decided to leave the banking industry. She always nudged, assisted, coached and prayed for me. She always reminded me that I have everything that I need to succeed and encouraged me to follow my dream.

Being a woman of Rubies

First, I want to say a shout out to every woman out there who is trying to make a difference in the world, to her society and her family. I believe that I am one of those women. I did not mention at the beginning but I was raised by a single parent and my Mother taught us the value of hard work and why it was necessary for me to able to fend for myself and people around me. Hard work, Dedication, Commitment, Loyalty and Passion were all those words I heard from my mum right from when I was little and those values have positioned me for who I am today. As a person, I believe I mentored a lot of people whilst I worked in the banking sector, I raised a lot of other women because
I believe as women, we must hold and raise ourselves up, we must be able to keep each sister going and I believe this I have done so much of and will continue to do. I also believe that I collaborate very effectively with men in such a way that we all achieve results together.
I believe that as a mother, I have done a whole lot to raise children to understand values, morals and important ethics of life. So in terms of what qualifies me to be a Woman of Rubies, I believe in my personal life, I have been able to showcase that. In my business life, I have conducted myself as a woman of rubies. somewhere. In terms of achievements, to God be the glory; I have been able to record my moderate achievements across board. I believe all this qualify me as a woman of rubies.

Final word for female entrepreneurs in Nigeria and women in general
You need to be very confident, you need to first identify your dream and goal and be committed to it and remain very confident in what you do.
I will tell you for free that you will be intimidated by situations, by people and by the opposite sex as well. You are going to feel like you are at your dead end at different times and feel like you are being taken advantage of. You also have to be upright, integrity is everything in business and you should be known for what you do and be known for what you say.
As a woman, you should never give up and never feel we are second rate to anyone.

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