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Stacy Francis – Every Woman Should Be Her Own Financial Officer

By Stacy Francis
@FRANCISFSFINANCE

President And CEO Of Francis Financial

Over the past two decades, I have specialized in advising women in moments of transition. This has given me the unique opportunity to observe women’s financial practices and attitudes during the window in which they are most open and most vulnerable.

Oftentimes, this change happens as a result of divorce; however, women also face transitions in times of marriage, starting a new job, motherhood, widowhood, etc.

These are the top five financial pitfalls I have observed holding women back from a secure financial future:

1. Not using a budget: While creating and maintaining a budget is a commonly dreaded affair, the benefits of keeping track of your monthly expenses far outweigh the disadvantages.

Such benefits can entail saving for retirement, buying property, or having a college fund for your children. On the other hand, not using a budget can lead to overspending and credit card debt.

Uncontrolled debt not only batters your finances but may also generate enough stress to threaten your health. Health.com writes that debt can lead to problems such as high blood pressure, which can result in heart disease or stroke; an increase in anxiety; and depression.

2. Not having an emergency fund: According to a study by BMO Harris, among people with rainy day funds, men have saved nearly twice as much as women.

How can you leave an awful job, an abusive marriage — any sort of bad situation — if you don’t have money?

Save for an emergency cash cushion and aim to have at least three to six months of living expenses in the bank.

3. A man is not a financial plan: Every woman should be her own chief financial officer instead of waiting for her knight in shining armor.

Don’t wait for Prince Charming to carry you over the threshold. Be the one paying the bills and keeping track of your assets and what you owe.

Women are increasingly earning more and, according to New York Life Investments, $14 trillion worth of personal wealth is controlled by women, which is only to increase in the years to come.

That means that, not only do women have the financial means to support themselves, but now is also the time for women to take control of their finances.

Even if you are married, don’t hand over all control of the money to your husband “because it’s a guy thing.” That robs you of your power and financial security. You, too, can be the “money person” or ask to hold monthly discussions to look at the family finances. Schedule a “financial date night,” and make it fun.

4. The need to know all the right answers and doing nothing: In many situations, I try to have all the right answers before I proceed. It turns out that many other women do the same.

But waiting to have all the answers can derail us from reaching our financial goals. For example, some people do nothing by sitting on the investing sidelines or investing too conservatively.

TheSimpleDollar.com, a free online resource, explains that women often wait to invest, or don’t invest at all, thinking that they need to know more to make any investment. However, you don’t need to be an expert, and can always ask for help.

If you really want to be wealthy, put your money to work with a nice mix of stocks and bonds. Have your money work as hard as you do — that’s what investing is all about.

5. Saving too little: Numerous studies show that, on average, women have lower savings rates than men, putting themselves at risk of outliving their money. Although women are increasingly earning more, such statistics could be credited to ongoing gender wage gaps and women leaving their jobs to become stay-at-home mothers.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Saving for your future should be just as much of a priority as paying off debt. Women can’t afford to only think short-term.

Stay consistent with a 10% yearly savings rate, which should include your individual retirement account and/or 401(k) plan contributions. Keep the money in an account you don’t have easy access to, so you can’t transfer it and it is constantly growing for your future.

Missing out on these opportunities from an early age only means you’re going to have to work longer or save more as you get older.

A helpful trick to easy saving is to set up automatic contributions to your retirement plan at work. You can also add the auto-escalation feature, which will allow your contribution to automatically increase 1% to 2% annually.

Empower yourself and take control of your finances. It’s never too early or too late to start.

Also, using different banks for your checking and savings account can help diminish impulsive spending. It can take almost three business days to transfer money to your checking account from a separate bank, which gives you time to reconsider what you’re using your savings for.

In this way, you’re able to keep track of the money you have in your emergency fund, your vacation savings, your wedding savings and any other savings goal you want to establish.

While many women may be guilty of making these money mistakes, it’s good to know you can bounce back and turn those bad habits around at any time.

Empower yourself and take control of your finances. It’s never too early or too late to start.

Ultimately, my money rule is simple: Spend less than you earn. Never give yourself an increase in standard of living — instead, increase your savings.

You’ll see the benefits pay off for your future and for your loved ones.

 

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Meet Josephine Uba, a Nigerian Marketing Influencer Impacting Growth for Businesses

Ebere Josephine Uba is a native of Ozubulu Anambra State but based in Lagos State, Nigeria. She is the current Nigeria marketing head at IIHT Technologies, an global known ICT training and education solution provider.

She leads the digital marketing experts at Kleensa Promotion, a marketing and branding company in Nigeria. In addition, she runs her dedicated marketing blog basically on digital Marketing, creative designing and branding to sustain both startup and individuals’ brand.

She’s a certified digital marketing expert with indept experience and knowledge of marketing and branding, who has spoken at events like Sales Pro Conference 2019, WordPress Wordcamp 2019 etc.

Figure: Portrait of Ebere Josephine Uba

Josephine Uba is a creative entrepreneur, corporate host, professional keynote speaker, tradeshow and spokesperson presenter. She has deep experiences across variety of digital marketing forms acquired by working with top businesses as well as startups. She has created integrated, direct, digital and social media marketing programs across diverse product categories encompassing soft goods, media, entertainment-related products, and craft-oriented offerings. She simplifies the complex concepts behind today’s evolving marketing challenges. Her Tagline is “SHE MEANS BUSINESS”.

Then (2016–2018) at Epoxy Oilserv, she was employed to lead a team of digital marketing professionals to establish their Epochem new brand together with its products in the industrial & institutional cleaning & maintenance Nigeria markets. Within 2 years, they successfully grew revenue with the products which they developed and fortunately, the equity of Epochem brand increased to the extent that their targets easily acquired their products more than some of their local based competitors.

Via Kleensa Promotion and blog posts, She has helped over 50 new start-ups grow via her posts & invaluable advisory services coupled with their marketing solutions. She create designs, graphics, websites, animations, digital assets & other marketing materials for Individuals & Businesses.

Merely 3 months after Josephine Uba got engaged to work for IIHT Technologies Nigeria as their marketing head and digital marketing professional trainer, there became evidences of substantial growth with respect to successes in walk-ins, enrollments, business-development, brand reputation/equity and overall revenue of the training company.

She stated that the successes they’ve acquired so far boosted her aspiration of becoming not just a marketing leader but a growth hacker who would empower business profitability.

A Clip Shot of Josephine When She was Talking about Constructive Website Design!

Josephine is great at researching and innovating strategies to attract customers and eventually solve problems for them. Ofcourse she has helped over 50 new start- ups grow via her posts & invaluable advisory services coupled with their marketing solutions.

Josephine at Kleensa Promotion, oriented “CONSTRUCTIVE WEBSITE DESIGN” an action oriented form of a UX website design targeted to fasten a web visitor’s decision to take relevant action, that even the laziest web visitors who hate to read contents can easily be converted via constructive website design.

Towards her journey of becoming a “Marketing Influencer”, she launched & proceeded with her digital marketing blog titled her name “Josephine Uba” where she continously offers insights to help businesses and individuals build/promote their brands.

The blog as a marketing blog is categorised into marketing, branding and creative designing treating up to 1200 topics & will eventually cover all topics with respect to digital marketing. See blog: www.josephineuba.com.

Truly, Josephine sees herself to be a “Marketing Model” as she hosts and speaks at various marketing events, product shows and activation, also organizes and works with a team of comedians, dancers and marketers to host market activations for businesses. In addition, she speaks publicly on topics relating to Business Marketing, Branding, Creative Designing, Personal Branding, Digital Marketing, Women Empowerment, Personal Developments and Motivations.

One simple fact about Josephine is she believes that no matter what, “SHE MEANS BUSINESS” and if you want to get something out of life, “MEAN BUSINESS”.

Source: WomenAfrica

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“THE RECEPTION TOWARDS PEOPLE LIVING WITH SICKLE CELL IN THE SOCIETY IS LOW”- OLUWAKEMI OGUNTIMEHIN

At age 18 Oluwakemi Oguntimehin was depressed and got tired of the stigma she faced due to her sickle cell disorder.

She thought she wouldn’t’ live   more than 20 years and saw no reason to wait till then, Kemi attempted suicide twice, got saved and realized she was Indeed  created for a purpose. In her pursuit of purpose and passion to help other  sickle cell warriors she founded Ignite Sickle Cell Initiative.

Oluwakemi Oguntimehin is a sickle cell warrior, a sickle cell advocate, an entrepreneur and change agent. She is giving hope in a not so hopeful society and lending her voice to the voiceless. Kemi shares her very touching and inspiring story with me in this interview.

In her words “Never allow the stigma and discrimination you face to affect your mental health. Accept yourself for who you are, focus on yourself, invest in your personal development ,self care, health , dream and vision”.

Childhood

Growing with sickle cell is not fun,  I was always restricted for fear of being sick, despite that I was mostly sick.  Not knowing what is wrong with me, with hospital turning to my second home, having to take blood transfusion every now and then. While thinking about all these , trying to know what is wrong with my body, since I don’t know about sickle  cell, nobody told me anything not even the Doctor, until I heard my teachers and classmates called me sicklier and treated me differently. On the other side are Pastors who will always come to pray for me in the hospital with revelations that I was a witch, some of this pastor said , I belong to a strong marine spirit group ,other labeled me as Agbana(money sucker) basically saying that I was sent to waste my fathers money on purpose and would only die after I have succeeded in turning him to a poor man.

The stigma and discrimination were every where from  teachers to classmates, to nurses, to  doctors who told my parent to forget me and focus on the other children because I might not live past 18 or 20 years at maximum.

As a young child who just  want to be normal, not restricted, not always using drugs, yet constantly  tongue lash by people to others  calling me witch, who see me as the cause of my problem is something that was beyond me.  Thinking about it now, if only the right information was out there, I think my growing up would have be more easier. To help children living with sickle cell have an easier childhood is the reason I decided to break the silence on sickle cell through the right information. I believe without a rough childhood I might not be passionate about sickle cell awareness. So my growing prepares me for what I do now.

Inspiration behind Ignite Sickle Cell Initiative

The ignorance surrounding sickle cell disorder even among some medical personnel is heart breaking.

Not to talk about the stigma and discrimination people living with sickle cell faced in the society. I see it as  people living with sickle cell are the one who received the blame , the torture of our parents mistake.  Despite the pain and what we passed through, the society still blamed us , some children has been abandoned, some parents refuse to send their children to school because of false beliefs.

I believe people love to learn from other people experience. Using my life and experience to teach people belief on sickle cell will go a long way . No child deserve to be treated badly just because she/he has a genetic disorder. All these inspire me to start Ignite Sickle cell Initiative.

Overcoming Depression

I have been showing symptoms of depression but people don’t care about mental health here. But at age 18, I was greatly depressed.

I was exposed to bullying, stigmatization  and discrimination from child hood friends through my adolescent age. At a point in time, I don’t bother about it again, but getting to university, the bully and discrimination got worse. People were mean to me on purpose, I was treated like I was not human. Imagine you are feeling alone even in the midst of thousand students. From class to hostel. Everyday, I heard people saying it to my face that they pity my parents  who  just wanted to waste their money according to their belief, I would be dead before graduation. Hearing that every day from different  people  add salt to the injury . People seeing me like I was not human, not talking to me, believing I’m less than someone they can talk to or some said my appearance disgust them. I lost all hope and was determined to end my life.  I had two failed suicide attempt and thinking about it now. I’m grateful it failed then. There is more to life beyond the stigma.

Reception since I started my Organization

The reception has been great now, it has improved greatly. Though there is still so much to do but people are learning everyday and the more aware they are, the more the reception they give. We still have a long way to go but It can only get better.

Challenges people living with sickle cell face

The challenges people living with sickle includes, frequent painful crisis that can happen anytime,

Complications from anaemia, to Avascular necrosis that can make some people to be on wheel chair or bedridden, stroke, organs damage and so many more. Apart from the health challenges, there is also stigma and discrimination, where many are denied job opportunity just because they live with sickle cell.  Some are even fired because they are often sick.

Also due to the nature of the disorder, a lot of money are require for sickle cell management  with a lot of people not working and even those who work has to spend majority of their money on drugs and hospital bill. With the current situation of our economy and health, where we have to pay for everything and every services, a lot of parents can’t afford the management,  some are in debt, while some parents neglected some children believing it is better they die.

Other Projects

Other projects includes organizing rural community outreach to educate the communities dwellers and also conduct free genotype test for children ( 0 to 10 years ). One thing is early intervention in sickle cell is needed to reduce high mortality in children living with sickle cell through our Be-Aware campaign.

We also have project X- Campaign where we create awareness in school  both secondary schools and higher institution.

We also give out free routine drugs to people living with sickle cell in monthly basis which we call our “Wellness Clinic”

Apart from Ignite Sickle cell ,  other project is to help people to be confidence in who they are, using their story to change  narrative.  When we are constantly bullied, it affects our self esteem As someone who has  battled low self esteem.  I know the importance of having  a great self esteem. Though a lot of people living with sickle cell battles with low self- esteem though this problem is not peculiar to only  people living with sickle cell. It affect majority of woman and  men too.  To help others who has low self esteem, I have written a book  ,  is will be  available in eBook  as from next month which means distant is never a barrier to get as long as you are on the internet. The book is to help a lot of  people build their self esteem and Become Unstoppable in achieving their goals and vision.

The role the society Play

The reception towards people living with sickle cell in the society is low, unacceptance in terms of marriage, some parents will never allow their son to marry  someone living with sickle cell. Some men think they are doing you a favor by dating you and use that as means to abuse.

People still believe women living with sickle cell can’t give birth and some believe living with sickle cell makes you a lesser woman thus making some women living with sickle cell to hide their truth. They will rather do what they can’t do just to hide the fact that they live with sickle cell.

I think things are getting better though and will always get better.

Challenges of being a Social Entrepreneur

The major challenge is funding. Getting funding from individual and corporate sponsors is not very easy.

In Nigeria , so many people believe you must be rich to be a social entrepreneur and with this mentality, people want you to pay high prices for some things, some even believe the government or some big politicians are the one funding you.  Volunteering is just becoming a thing now and many people want to be paid for volunteering their time because to them you are rich and wealthy.

As a social entrepreneur, I often encounter people who belief sickle cell is not an issue and advise me to change my course to HIV or something else. Some people also think I’m too small to start a social enterprise.

Impact of my work

Average of 100 children has being receiving free routine drugs every month, Our community medical outreaches has reach 6 rural communities  which has impacted over 6,000 individuals directly, Awareness in secondary and higher institutions reaching over 2000 people, 20 people hospital bills has been paid  and Online awareness reaching thousands of people

Being a Woman of Rubies

My impact to change the norms around sickle cell also helping people to be confident in who they are using their story to impact lives makes me a woman of rubies.

To my Parents and those who stood by me through thick and thin

I want to use this medium to appreciate my parents, who never abandon me and believe in me despite everything people said to them. I remembered people told my dad that he shouldn’t bother sending me to University, but they believe I’m a gift to them.

Also I will like to appreciate Chief  Bisi Ogunjobi for his unending support. I remember when we needed a place for our monthly clinic, not only did he give us a building but also furnished it. Thank you for supporting all our outreaches and our monthly clinic every time.

To women living with sickle cell

To women living with sickle cell, Never allow the stigma and discrimination you face to affect your mental health. Accept yourself for who you are, focus on yourself, invest in your personal development ,self care, health , dream and vision. Enjoy life.  Your pain and scars are the evidence that you are a survivor and a warrior.  Believe in yourself that you can achieve anything despite the pain because I believe in you. If I can do it, then you can do it.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ruby Girls| Ayodele Oluwatobi – “My biggest fear is to live without making an impact.”

Ayodele Oluwatobi is a 400 level student of Caleb University studying Business Administration. She is currently the Programs Officer for Vision Spring Initiative, a non-governmental organisation that advocates for gender equality and women empowerment. She is passionate about ending violence against women and girls in Nigeria and during her holidays and even in school she volunteers her time and skills to ensure the goals of the initiative is being met.

Oluwatobiloba is an editor for Men Who Inspire, an online platform that celebrates men around the world.

 

*1. Let’s meet you. Who is Ayodele?*

My name is Ayodele Oluwatobi and I’m a 400 level student of Caleb University studying Business Administration.

*2. What are your hobbies?*

I like writing, watching football and communicating.

*3. Who and what inspires you?*

I’m inspired by my gender. To be a woman who constantly makes a path for other young women and girls to follow.

*4. What is your biggest fear?*

My biggest fear is to live without making an impact.

*5. You are the Programs Officer for Vision Spring Initiative, an NGO for gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria. To what extent do you think gender equality is being practised in Nigeria? Do you consider yourself a feminist and what prompted your advocacy for gender equality?*

We are far from reaching our goal of gender equality in Nigeria majorly because of laws and policies that have handicapped the freedom of choice for women. I consider myself a feminist after I’ve watched how women are being treated in my environment, felt and experienced the treatment myself, I’ve resolved to work to achieve the objectives of feminism which is equal treatment and opportunities for both genders.

*6. Your best quote?*

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.- Martin L. King.

*7. You are an editor for Men Who Inspire (MWI) which was convened by a female, Esther Ijewere. Can you briefly tell us about MWI and also how it intends to change the narrative about males in the African society?*

MenwhoInspire is an online platform that celebrates men all over the world. I joined MWI from inception 2018 and it’s been an exciting journey. We have since 2018, celebrated men of different races and color. In Africa, there are so many misconceptions about men and we have used and still using our platform to change that.

*8. What keeps you up at night?*

My phone and of course a good book.

*9. If given the chance to be the President of Nigeria for a day, what will you change?*

For a day, I’ll sign all pending Bills related to the advancement of women and girls.


*10. You’re passionate about ending violence against girls and women in Nigeria. What does this mean to you? And how do you intend to achieve this?*

It means everything to me to live in a society free of violence where women and girls are not blamed for being raped or abused. To achieve this, I’ll as I’ve been doing intensify on my advocacy, writing and every other channels I can use in ending violence against women and girls.

*11. How are you able to manage your time with your studies and other activities you’re involved with?*

The most important thing is to be accountable and focused. When it is school time, I try as much as possible to be less involved in other activities and when I’m on holidays I focus on what I’m passionate about.

*12. Where do you see yourself and your brand in the next 5 years?*

I see myself in the next five years living in a society where women and girls can be whoever they want to be without being judged and abused and I’ll be happy knowing I contributed and still contributing to that achievement.

*13. If you were given the opportunity to address a group of girls five years younger than you, what will be your advice to them?*

My advice will be not to be scared to live. You are the most beautiful and the best version of yourself. Believe in your dreams and watch yourself move mountains!

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This Woman Traveled To Every Country On Earth. How She Did It – You Can Too

Melissa Roy is on the list of women making history by visiting every country in the world. On December 27, 2019, the 34-year-old visited Bangladesh—the birthplace of her late father and grandparents—and became the first woman of South Asian origin to travel to every country in the world. Though she doesn’t plan to apply for a Guinness World Record (“I’m doing this for myself,” she says).

Roy’s accomplishment is an unlikely one, considering that she rarely traveled as a child. She was born in the small Midwestern town of Monroe, Michigan, and grew up in Greenwood, Indiana. . “I never had a chance to travel growing up because, quite frankly, we didn’t have the money to do so.”

Despite the circumstances, Roy had a deep curiosity about the world beyond her small town. “I never understood how some people want to sit in their one little corner of the globe and not want to see something bigger than them,” she says. “I have an insatiable curiosity for the unknown.”

Here’s the story of how she did it.

What Inspired her:

Having visited 66 countries by age 29, I decided to challenge myself and set a goal of visiting 100 countries and all seven continents before my 30th birthday. I ended up celebrating the big 3-0 in Antarctica with one of my favorite animals, the gentoo penguins. It was also my seventh continent. After that, I decided to keep going, with the goal of visiting all the sovereign UN countries

How She Paid For It:

I am unusual in that I have no sponsorships or endorsements—I pay for all my travels out of my pocket. For the first decade or so, I would return to my home base in Hollywood, do various TV commercials, music videos, even background work, anything that would give me the flexibility to decide my own schedule. Meanwhile, I’d be planning my next trip on a shoestring budget. I was lucky to be in Hollywood at a time where I was able to make decent wages and even luckier that I made some wise investment decisions in the stock/bond market, allowing me to use my returns to fund my travels.

On Country Counting:

I became the first woman of South Asian origin to travel to every sovereign nation in the world when I visited my 193rd country, Bangladesh. As for the number of countries there are in the world, this is a big point of contention among travelers. I wanted to keep things as uncomplicated as possible and go with the list of actual UN members, of which there are 193.

On Why She in not Going for the Guinness World Record: I’m not going for a Guinness World Record because no record really corresponds to what I did—I wasn’t trying to be the fastest and I can’t be the youngest because that record is currently held by my friend Lexie Alford, who’s only 21 years old. I’m doing this for myself—and okay, maybe for bragging rights for my future grandchildren who can tell their friends how crazy their granny was!

Why Bangladesh: I chose Bangladesh as my final country to honor the birthplace of my late father, Subhash Chandra Roy (whom I’d seen for the last time on my sixth birthday) as well as all four of my grandparents. I wanted to try to find the village where my father was born but I thought it would be a shot in the dark because I didn’t know a single person in Bangladesh. Most of my family had moved to India after my father moved to the US, so I didn’t have any connections left in Bangladesh. Once we made contact, we went straight to the small village of Netrakona, and it was truly an emotional experience. Seeing the exact house where my father grew up was nothing short of powerful and moved me to tears. I had the privilege of staying with and meeting several of his childhood friends who were kind enough to share old photos and memories of him. I know he would have been proud of me.

Mixed Emotions: When I arrived in my final country, I experienced a combination of feelings: the euphoria that accompanies the accomplishment of a lifelong goal; the sense of relief that all the hard parts (ie. the bureaucracy and all the necessary sacrifices) were finally over; and the bittersweet feeling that I would no longer be able to have that adrenaline rush of landing in a new country.

Best Experience: One of the highlights, of course, was reaching my final country with my mother by my side, whom I flew out to join me. Neither one of us had been to Bangladesh before, and both of our fathers were born there. This was also the first foreign country we had explored together as a mother-daughter duo. Seeing it as a symbolic homecoming to my roots and origins, I wanted to come full circle and end my journey where my family started—my ancestral homeland.

Her Advice for Other Women Who Want to Do This: My advice for women who want to do this is the same advice that I would have for anyone wanting to do this. It is possible—so get the word “can’t” and all the self doubts out of your mind and vocabulary. Honestly, though: If I can do it, I feel that anyone can. If cost is a hindrance, it is shocking how much you can save each month by cutting out things you don’t need (daily Starbucks, monthly manicures, personal trainers). I’ve often laughed at how much I save by traveling. Per month, it costs me more to live in one place in the States than it does to travel in most parts of the world.

On What’s Next for her:

I’m still not 100% sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I have been considering working with some NGOs with missions close to my heart and eventually starting my own. I am very passionate about women’s rights and empowerment of those that are vulnerable, which, let’s face it, are women, in most of the world.

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Lupita Nyong’o On The Impotance Of Literature On BBC

The Star of 12 Years A Slave, Lupita Nyong’o was invited to the  Harris Westminster Sixth Form, London to mentor young women on leadership and the importance of literacy in an event hosted by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Lancôme.

Nyong’o, now a best-selling author, told the BBC she didn’t even like reading when she was young as the books were not about her personality and kind.

She believe books should be about all people, black and white and it should address all concern.

Last year, she released her book ‘Sulwe’  a children’s fiction picture book that addresses colorism in the Black community. It follows the story of a young girl who wishes for her dark skin to be lighter. The story is ultimately about colorism and learning to love oneself, no matter one’s skin tone.

While there, the Kenyan-Mexican actress spoke to the BBC about the importance of literature and her own journey with reading books as a child.

‘I realized that books don’t have to be about White people, they can actually represent all people,’ the actress says describing her complex relationship with literature during childhood.

“When I was growing up I didn’t like reading but I was surrounded by books all ti mes and I did know how to read. But as I grew older I realized that with reading comes comprehension and confidence,” Nyong’o begins. “And I think those are two qualities that are really important as you get into the workforce and try find your place in the world.”

Intermittent snippets show the actress speaking to the young women about the roles reading and studying have played in her professional career when having had to play certain characters with specific capabilities.

Cutting back to the main interview, Nyongo’o continues, “When I was younger, one of the things that didn’t help my dislike of reading was the fact that not a lot of the books that I was reading were relevant to my immediate life, to my immediate world.” She adds that, “I realized that books don’t have to be about White people, they can actually represent all people.”

Towards the end of the interview, Nyong’o says simply, “When you are reading stories that have themes and characters that are relevant to your world, then you’re more likely to stick with [reading] longer because you can see the ways in which it is applicable to your life.”

 

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21-Year-Old Daniella Ekueme Is Bringing Nigerian Palm Wine Into A Bottle

Daniella Ekwueme, founded the Nigerian palm wine company Pamii, in 2016 after a casual thought when looking out at her mother’s land in Abuja. “She just had this farmland and she wasn’t doing anything with it,” she recalls. “So I was like ‘Oh, have you ever thought of planting palm trees and getting palm oil or palm wine and boxing it up?”

Though, her mother’s answer was no, the the idea was already fixed on her entrepreneurial mind. She’d had palm wine—an alcoholic drink made from the sap of various species of palm trees and endeared to many Nigerians—at weddings and gatherings in the past, but it never quite “hit the spot” so to speak. “I realized that every time I’ve had palm wine in Lagos or Abuja, it’s always off or sour. Because palm wine ferments, so the longer you leave it, it gets bitter and [undrinkable]. So anytime I’ve had it at weddings it just doesn’t taste right to me.”

This presented an opportunity for the young student who was just 18-years-old at the time and moving between Lagos, London and Abuja: she could improve upon an age-old product, still very much in demand, by revamping the production process and packaging it. After extensive research and visits to local palm wine farms in Abuja, Ekwueme decided she was ready to experiment. Along with a small team, she bottled her first batches of palm wine in December 2017, calling the product Pamii—a naturally-brewed, premium palm wine. Ekwueme’s product is different—it fills a void in the Nigerian spirits market because it’s actually Nigerian-made. She reminds me that while her company isn’t the first to try bottling the beverage, others fell short due to “poor execution, poor branding,” and failure to “cultivate a brand and lifestyle around it.”

“I had never tried palm wine myself before my uncle served my mom and I a chilled bottle of Pamii during my recent trip to Lagos. “Back then it was considered the drink of choice for the big men in town,” he told me of the slightly sweet, but mostly tangy cream-colored beverage. Likening it to a typical image of old men opening a bottle of aged scotch and gathering around to share war stories. It was traditionally served and preserved in a large “calabash,” a jug made from the fruit of a gourd plant, and bowls made of the same material. “You can just drink it and go to sleep,” he added, clearly speaking from personal experience.

In reality, palm wine is less of a hardy liquor and more like a wine cooler, with an average of only 4% alcohol content by volume (it becomes more alcoholic the longer it ferments) the drink, especially when served chilled, is a light refresher in thick Lagos heat. It’s considered casual and inexpensive.

“Part of what makes Pamii apart is it’s “premium” brand identity and the drinking experience that it promotes, which is a far cry from the old-timey one my uncle described. Instead, Ekwueme wanted to make it more accessible for people in her age group. “Because I’m young, I [thought] let’s get young people drinking palm wine and package it as premium wine,” she says. “So you’re actually telling people this is a drink, it’s really nice. And you can take it to the beach and you can mix it with other things.”

Most importantly though, it tastes good. After tasting Pamii at my uncle’s home in Lagos, my mom and I became curious to try it at the various restaurants we visited. After trying it at the first restaurant, my mom remarked: “No. I like the one we had at your uncle’s house much better.” I agreed and we resorted to drinking from the stash of Pamii stored in my uncle’s “special fridge” for the remainder of our trip. I brought two bottles back with me to the U.S.

As someone with a unique vision and a quality product to offer, 21-year-old Ekwunema—who is preparing to graduate with a degree in Development Economics from London’s SOAS University—represents a very specific kind of Nigeiran “do it yourself” mentality. She’s also an image for what the future of Nigerian entrepreneurship could and should look like: young, forward-thinking, willing to preserve tradition while also improving upon it, and emphatically culture-driven. “I’ve always had an interest in everything African. I’m an African optimist,” she explains, adding that she’s proud of Pamii’s status as a “for Nigerians, by Nigerians” product. “There’s this culture brewing,” she says. “[It’s about] appreciating things from home and reclaiming them and doing them better. Because there’s no reason, honestly and truly, why there’s Guinness beer and no Nigerian homemade beer. There’s just no reason why.”

While her business model is young and progressive, Ekwunema asserts that she’s really just following in the tradition of women-led entrepreneurship that has always existed in Nigeria—even though women haven’t always received the recognition they deserve.”Young women and old women from everywhere in Nigeria, drive the entrepreneurial spirit of the country,” she states firmly. She’s had several examples of this kind of leadership in her own life from her mother, to a friend who owns a wig business, another who runs a honey business and the scores of Nigerian women who fill markets and sell everyday items by the roadside. “If you look on the road, they’re frying puff puff at 4:00 in the morning, they’re making soup, they’re selling corn—I heard of a woman who built a house in her village out of her corn proceeds,” she adds.

Drawing inspiration from these highly-capable women is why she won’t let things like the “mansplaining” she faces from men, who assume she’s too young or too inexperienced to actually know what she’s doing, phase her. “Having a strong mom, I’ve never felt like I could do less. There’s no way someone would tell you no and you listen to the no when you know it’s a yes,” she says quoting words of wisdom from her mother.

Once she graduates, she plans to head back to Lagos to work and continue running Pamii. She expressed slight nervousness, but full-blown excitement about plans to expand and start bottling other popular Nigerian beverages. Though she won’t tell me which one, only stating that it will likely be an accompaniment to Pamii.

Pamii is already being delivered across the country to loyal customers like my uncle, and being sold in select stores. But there’s still so much the young business-owner wants to do, including possibly exporting to the U.K. and the U.S. in the future.

As a young, first-time business owner in Lagos, Ekwueme knows she faces potential challenges, and while she expressed that there may be a “learning curve” ahead, it hasn’t stopped her from getting this far—or from wanting to go even further. “I definitely think we’ve barely reached the surface, like I’ve barely scratched it, and I’m very excited. In the next two to three years, I think Nigeria women will definitely take over for sure.”

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Rihanna To Recieve The Prestigious Naacp Presidential Award

At 31, Rihanna Robyn Fenty is the highest-earning female musician and a staple in both the beauty and fashion industries.
She will be receiving the President’s Award — which recognizes special achievement and distinguished public service — at the 51st National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 22 in Pasadena, California.
She is a high achieving, nine-time Grammy award winner, executive producer, fashion designer, actress; and a global advocate. In 2012, she founded The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 11: Singer Rihanna attends the launch of her first visual autobiography, 

In a statement released by the organization, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, commented on what sets Rihanna apart for the award.

“Rihanna has not only enjoyed a groundbreaking career as an artist and musician but has also distinguished herself as a stellar public servant. From her business achievements through Fenty to her tremendous record as an activist and philanthropist, Rihanna epitomizes the type of character, grace, and devotion to justice that we seek to highlight in our President’s Award.”

Johnson will present the award to Rihanna during the LIVE TV special on BET on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Pasadena, California.

Previous recipients includes last year’s recipient Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O’Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali among others. 

Winners for the 51st NAACP Image Awards will be revealed during the LIVE TV special airing on BET on Saturday.

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Kim Kardashian’s Kids Learn About Law At An Early Age

Kim Kardashian West makes an amazing step for a woman we met years ago on reality TV.  She changed her focus to prison reforms so dramatically?

On her kids, she said they see so much of how she studies, go to school like them and how she opens up to them about what she does. They’re so young now, but seeing their mom make a difference means everything.

As Kim matures, its obvious she’s realizing how her A-list status can make a real impact on the lives of others.

On UsMagazine, Kim explained, “They (her children) just see so much, you know, they see that I have to study, they see that I go to school, just like they go to school and we talk about little things like that. I have always been really open and honest with my kids about what I’m doing and what’s going on, and I think they’ll appreciate it, definitely when they get older.”

She said her kids have met people she has helped, thanks to her work.

Perhaps Kim wants her children to grow up in a world where they know it’s up to all of us to demand action when things seem unjust.

This is a good lesson that it’s never too late to embark on a new path.

Her father was an attorney, and as The Things reported, that was influential in sparking her interest in the area of law. She may not have followed this passion earlier, but she has now taken action and has followed in his footsteps.

Will any of Kim’s kids follow her lead? Which is a good example been laid out for them.

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According to Experts:10 signs of a healthy relationship

We gathered advice from some of the most renowned voices when it comes to love and romance to find out what the signs of a truly healthy relationship are. We also discovered what to look out for to know that a relationship isn’t built to last and could be heading for a breakup.

Their Life Goals Are The Same

According to the experts at Psychology Today, a clear sign of a healthy relationship is two people sharing the same life goals: “You both know what you want out of life, what your common goals are… and are firmly committed to achieving these together.”

There is room for difference in a relationship, but not on the important matters like these.

They Respect Each Other’s Family And Friends

Being good to a person means nothing if you treat their family and friends poorly. Another sign of a healthy relationship is being on good terms with each other’s family and friends.

This shows that you’re willing to make an effort with the people in your partner’s life for the sake of your partner, even if you wouldn’t otherwise get along with them.

They Look Forward To Seeing Each Other

Los Angeles-based relationship expert Dr. Gary Brown told Elite Daily that looking forward to seeing each other is a sign that a relationship is happy and healthy.

Things like finding yourself “excited to make plans” with your partner and disappointed when you have to cancel show that the relationship is in a good place.

They’re Able To Spend Time Apart

A healthy relationship isn’t about spending every moment together. Dating experts agree that a couple should also be able to spend time apart doing things that are important to you as an individual.

If you’re able to spend time apart without getting jealous or possessive, it suggests that your relationship is going along smoothly.

 They Bounce Back From Arguing

Arguing in a relationship doesn’t mean it’s not healthy. All couples argue, whether they admit it or not. What’s important, according to Mind Body Green, is the ability to bounce back from fights.

“If you can resolve issues and move forward in your relationship, then you’re on the right track!” explains the wellness site.

They Accept Each Other The Way They Are

A big part of any healthy relationship is accepting the other person the way they are. While couples can support each other and help each other to grow, they ultimately need to be able to love each other unconditionally and embrace each other’s imperfections.

This isn’t always easy, but if you can do it, your relationship is probably in a better state than you thought.

They Maintain Their Own Identities

Too often, people lose all sense of self when they begin a relationship with someone else. According to Psychology Today, it’s a sign that your relationship is healthy if you can both keep your own identities while still putting time and effort into the relationship.

A relationship might be part of who you are, but it’s not the complete story.

They Contribute Equally To The Relationship

A healthy relationship requires both people to contribute equally. One-sided relationships tend to result in a lot of resentment, as well as feelings of entitlement.

Instead, each partner should be contributing what they can and putting an equal amount of time and effort in so that the relationship works.

They See Each Other In Their Futures

Black couple having a conversation at a cafe outdoors in the spring

According to Mind Body Green, your relationship is in a good place if you currently envision each other in your future. It’s even better if you can’t imagine your future without your partner.

For a long-term relationship, it’s obviously important to see yourself with that person in the long term, even past marriage and kids if that’s what’s in store for you.

They Encourage Each Other To Improve

Relationships are about accepting people for who they are and loving them anyway, but that doesn’t mean a couple can’t encourage each other to improve in various ways.

Psychology Today explains that when a relationship is healthy, two people “inspire each other” to be better people and encourage each other to grow and change.

They Connect On A Number Of Levels

There are more levels to a relationship than just physical or just emotional. A healthy relationship takes into account the various elements of a relationship at which two people should be able to connect.

A sign of a healthy relationship, according to Mind Body Green, is being able to bond with your partner spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

Their Communication Game Is Strong

Any relationship expert will tell you that a couple needs to be able to communicate efficiently to make things last.

You know that your relationship is in a good place when you can talk to each other about anything and know how to communicate your needs and wants without the fear of being judged or shut down.

They’re Able To Disagree Respectfully

A couple will always have arguments, so they need to know how to disagree with each other in a respectful way.

If they can disagree with each other without hurting each other’s feelings, and accept that sometimes they’re going to feel differently about things, it’s a sign that they’re in a good place.

There’s A Sense Of Peace Between Them

Mind Body Green explains that there should be a sense of peace between two people in a relationship. Your partner should bring you comfort and happiness, not stress and anxiety.

If you are overrun by negative emotions when you’re with them, it’s a sign that the relationship isn’t healthy.

They Trust Each Other, No Matter What

Trust is a non-negotiable part of being in a relationship. When your relationship is in a good state, you should trust each other to be there and support one another.

You can also trust your partner to stay loyal to you, keep your secrets, and follow through with their promises.

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