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In Career Gems By

HELEN OYEYEMI WINS PEN OPEN BOOK AWARD FOR HER COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES

Helen Oyeyemi has won the PEN America OPEN BOOK Award 2017.

The PEN Open Book Award was created by PEN American Center’s Open Book Committee, a group committed to racial and ethnic diversity within the literary and publishing communities.

Helen won the cash prize of $5,000 for the category of the “Exceptional Book-Length Work of Literature By An Author of Color Published In 2016” for her collection of short stories “What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours”.

In 2010, she received the Somerset Maughan Award, and was named as one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young British Novelists’ in 2013.

Her books include: What Is Not Yours is Not Yours (2016); Boy, Snow, Bird (2014); Mr. Fox (2011); White For Witching (2009); The Opposite House (2007); The Icarus Girl (2005), and Juniper’s Whitening and Victimese (2005).

Source: Woman.ng

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KEY CHALLENGES FACED BY MODERN FEMALE LEADERS

Being a female leader in the modern day comes with its own unique set of challenges. Many of the challenges come from other people, the society and female leaders themselves – how we navigate through these issues is very important in a modern world

Being ‘too’ aware of gender: Most female leaders walk into leadership positions being overly aware of their gender as a barrier. I dare say there are great leaders- period. Gender is not a pre-requisite to great leadership. Female leaders need to embrace their knowledge, skills, diversity and just lead.  No apologies for being great individual.

Society Definition of Success: There is an enormous pressure to perform well while in a leadership position because of the societal pressure that suggests that everything the female leader does is representative of the female gender.  The pressure also implies that the female leaders’ actions determines how much opportunity other women get.

Clare Booth Luce once said ‘If I fail, no one will say she doesn’t have what it takes. ‘They will say, ‘Women don’t have what it takes. Society needs to start accepting women as capable to accomplish anything. Success should not be dependent on what gender you are.

Reality of Other Responsibilities – Work versus Family: Female leaders wear multiple hats: the wife hat, motherly hat, the sister, the child and so on. Dealing with the pressure of raising kids and having a stable career is a real issue female leader’s face. Women arguably have greater demands outside of work competing for their attention. Generally, women tend to compete better at the junior levels. However, as they progress to middle levels with heavier work demands and higher travel frequency, they tend to leave to focus on family or pursue part-time work or other endeavors. Another challenge is the ability to get attractive career opportunities inspite of maternity breaks. The effect is that the pool of female leaders for top jobs gets smaller.

Stereotyping and Leadership Style: Female leaders are often referred to as stereotyped. They can be accused of being / called emotional when it may just be being passionate and on the other hand a risk of being perceived as being overly controlling and confrontational. As Forbes recently noted, “Studies show that assertive women are more likely to be perceived as aggressive and that women usually don’t ask for what they deserve. When they do, they risk being branded as domineering or, worse even, “ambitious.”

Being Authentic – in a different element: In a predominantly male environment, female leaders are faced with male dominated discussions that makes them feel odd and may lead to being treated differently. There is a lot of distractions to make female leaders dwell on what makes them different meanwhile everyone is judged by their results. Female leaders are however still faced with the need to stretch their experience from a functional background to a broader base.

Limited access to Female Role Models and Female Leadership Groups: Many people prefer to have mentors of the same gender because they tend to understand the challenges most commonly faced. Sometimes, the needs of women from their mentors also tend to differ from the needs of men. There is a need for more encouragement, a role model to follow, and someone who have faced similar challenges to talk. Also female strong social networks also represent a tremendous, untapped opportunity that can be leveraged on.

Globalization: Mobility is very key in a modern world. Female leaders are faced with challenges that comes with relocation as they move higher. Globalization presents many new barriers for women.

The reality is that, historically, men have been the ones to define ambition and leadership in the business world but women have come a long way into being represented in top leadership. What make a female leader strong will remain the natural abilities that is brought into leadership — a concerted/collaborative style, ability to multi-tasks, a talent for listening, and a natural ability to manage interpersonal relationships – what will keep it going on top of this skills will remain the ability to being authentic to oneself.

Supports Leadership Programs can provide:

Platform for Leadership Coaching

Bringing out the authentic side in leadership.

Navigate through adjusting into a new culture with my move to the UK from Africa.

Staying ahead despite multiples roles at home and at work.

Abimbola Siyanbola is a Director with a Global Multinational FMCG. She is very passionate about transformation initiatives that will support young leaders build confidence and leadership capabilities to succeed in a dynamic world. Abimbola likes to write, travel, watch a boxing or a football match.

Source: Mrsceonaija

 

 

 

 

 

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“A WOMAN CAN SUCCEED ANYWHERE” – STELLA DURU

Stella Duru is the first female partner in the Energy Practice Group at Banwo & Ighodalo law firm. Her rise to the top will definitely motivate you. It is a story of passion, commitment and the resolute belief that no challenge is too difficult to overcome. Because of her grit, many women have found themselves leading the pack in the area of oil and gas in the legal field.

Meet Stella 
I am a partner in the EPG practice, (specialising in energy and power) in the Nigerian law firm of Banwo & Ighodalo. I come from a happy, close knit and large family of six children. I am the fourth of six children and the second daughter with two older brothers, an older sister and two younger sisters. My mom and dad are the best parents in the world.

I am from a little village called “Alike” in a slightly bigger town called “Umunumo,” which is located in the Ehime-Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. My parents are retired. My dad was a banker, while my mum was a teacher.

I am proud to say that I am “home grown…made in Nigeria”, as all of my education was in Nigeria. I attended St. Mary’s Private School, Lagos State, and then went on to Queen’s College, Yaba, also in Lagos State. I had my undergraduate studies at the University of Lagos.

I was called to the Bar in 2001 and I have been working at Banwo & Ighodalo since then. I love travelling and when I find the time, I absolutely love to cook.

 Decision to pursue a legal career?
My love for intrigue and righting wrongs. Though cliché-ish, but the late Nelson Mandela unknowingly played a larger than life role in my pursuit of a legal career.

Rising   ranks in your career
A very green horn, I started my career as a Youth Corper in Banwo & Ighodalo. I am happy to note that I was retained at B&I, following the completion of my 12 months as a Youth Corper.

For the first three to six years of my career, as is usual with any young lawyer trying to decipher what area of law to build a career in, I juggled litigation, general corporate commercial and energy (oil, gas and power) transactions. However, by the fifth year, it had become clear that I had fallen in love with everything, oil, gas and power and my career took off at that point. At that time, I had become involved in advising oil and gas companies, negotiating industry specific contracts, and if I recall clearly, I had been drafted as part of the team diligencing the vertically integrated government-owned power utility, known as National Electric Power Authority. Nigeria was deeply on a reform path then. Indeed, the Electric Power Sector Reform Act was passed into law in March 2005.

By my sixth year in B&I, I had started to lead teams in relation to certain oil, gas and power transactions, and in recognition of my commitment to client satisfaction and quality delivery, I was officially elevated to the role of substantive team leader in the Energy Practice Group (EPG) and promoted to Senior Associate/Counsel and subsequently, Senior Counsel under the Firm’s former hierarchical structure.

This elevation to the position of team leader came shortly after I returned home, following a successful nine-week Africa visiting lawyers’ internship programme in the law firm of EdwardNathan (as it then was), in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is important to note that during my stint at EdwardNathan, I published an article on the Nigerian power sector in the Business Law Review of the BusinessDay in July 2005. Thus, you would see my continuing relationship with the power sector whilst the oil and gas sector continued, ever so often to woo me.

I was admitted to partnership, 11 odd years later in recognition of my loyalty, commitment and continuing push/tenacity for “bettering my best”. In a nutshell, I rose through the ranks by remaining focused, committed, passionate, tenacious and never losing sight of the fact that clients’ satisfaction remains paramount. I also hold dear the principle that a lawyer is only as good as what she knows and how she uses what she knows in solving her clients’ problems.

Being the only female partner at Banwo & Ighodalo
I am actually not the only female partner in B&I. Our firm prides itself on being inclusive and have as many women as men, smashing glass ceilings in their areas of specialisation.

However, I am the only female partner in the EPG of the firm, which houses our oil, gas, power and mining deals/transactions.
ven the very technical nature of deals and transactions in this area of law, female lawyers have traditionally shied away from playing in thisspace. However, I love challenges and the ability to be a pacesetter and that helped in directing me into this area of law practice.

How do you ensure that your impact is felt in an environment that is male dominated?
I get younger lawyers, especially younger female lawyers, to see that a woman can succeed anywhere, provided she remains true to what she believes in and does her homework smartly and with grit. I think too much emphasis is placed on male dominance, and not too much time is given to actually doing the hard and smart work required for the job.

So, I make time to deliver presentations to the oil and gas club in the University of Lagos (my alma mater) and also give talks during the Career Fair at the same University. I usually punctuate my talks with pep talks on how the world seemingly dominated by men; can be conquered by any focused, driven and intelligent lady.

Instructively, during my time in Houston negotiating the Brass LNG suite of contracts, I had an all female team and we were dubbed the “B&I Angels,” as we were unrelenting in meeting our deadlines and beating down on the men at the negotiation table! So, I would think I have been able to impact quite a few ladies, who now have blossoming careers in oil, gas and power sectors.

Values
Hard, smart work, integrity, be inclusive, go the extra mile, be different, do different, and have fun whilst you can. All of these values I learnt from my parents. They remain my main motivating factor and influencers. It is also important to note that my parents ensured equal opportunities for the girls, as well as the boys in the family.

As mentioned above, I am from the Eastern part of Nigeria and traditionally, it was not the norm to educate the females, at least not up to high school and university levels in the family, as the men were considered the breadwinners, since the women will most likely be married off.So my parents went the extra mile and they did differently from their peers and I can proudly state that all their children, even the daughters, are accomplished professionals today!

Do you think women are well represented in the legal field?
Oh yes! Nigerian women in the legal field have been smashing class ceilings!

What  it take to have a successful career as a lawyer?
Passion, without which you will not hunger for knowledge and will be unable to successfully improve yourself. A lawyer that is not knowledgeable cannot solve problems, and if you cannot solve problems, then you can be chalked as having wasted the fees you paid for school, especially law school.

It is also important to dominate your skills, by getting better at what you do. There are other values like commitment and loyalty, nurturing and maintaining relationships, as well as remaining relevant by continually updating your knowledge base.

How did you develop the interest in the area of renewable energy?
My interest in power generally was linked to when a distant relation died on the operating table, because of power outage and no back-up generator in the hospital. That sort of shaped my continuing interest in the energy space, especially the link between gas and power. I hold strongly to the view that once we fix the power sector, then quite a huge chunk of our ills as a nation will slowly, but surely be fixed.

What would you say is your most significant achievement so far?
Being able to convince one of our biggest clients that there was no requirement for international counsel on one of our deals and that we as a Nigerian firm could successfully negotiate the relevant contracts at cheaper rates, thus helping with the cost profile of the company with the same, if not better quality than our international colleagues.

I am happy that we delivered on that deal and excellently, too. And the accolades from the chairman/managing director/general counsel of the company were deeply satisfying. Also linked to this deal was my deep satisfaction that the ladies, who were part of my team, went on to become top-notch negotiators/lawyers at the companies they joined after working with out firm. Being invited as a speaker/panelist at the Women in Energy Breakfast, as well as the Africa Power Roundtable all the way in South Africa, between January 31 and February 2, 2017 is indeed a great feat.

What are some of the challenges you have faced in your career and how did you overcome?
Being able to overcome the narrative that, for certain type of deals, local counsels are not “good enough”. With such narrative, your only option is to continually give your very best at all times. You don’t overcome a challenge by talking about it. You continue to do and then you find that the challenge doesn’t exist any longer!

How do you juggle home and work?
I think it all boils down to being diligent and efficient. Also, timing is important. You have to be very deliberate about what you want for you and ultimately find your happiness. It can be tough, but I can say I see more and more women successfully managing these two roles. Some may have health challenges because of a lack of sleep, but they seem to be managing it quite well.
Most importantly, you must find a supportive spouse, who is interested in seeing you succeed at both roles – as a mother and as that successful professional. Your success is his, ultimately.

How do you relax?
I go to the movies, watch series, go to the spa, read or write fiction and cook.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
First female Minister of Power? Minister of Petroleum? Who knows?

What is your advice for younger women wanting to strike the right balance between career and family?
Love what you do and find time for family. Career cannot take the place of family and if you are all for family and cannot bring bread to the table by what you do, then you may not have a family after all.

So, find the right balance. Ask God for guidance, when it gets overwhelming and frustrating. Take a deep breath at such times and then very quickly, get back to the grind. Don’t forget to find time for you though, because without you, there is no career and simply, a memory in the family.

 

Source: Guardian.ng

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MRSCEONAIJA : DOES YOUR SPOUSE LOVE SPENDING? HOW TO MANAGE A ‘SPENDAHOLIC’ SPOUSE.

No one is perfect says the world but some vices are more bothersome than the others. Many men can relate with this topic. I wonder if men talk about how much their wives love to spend on hair- whether braids, wigs or natural replenishment. Better still, if they talk about our bags, watches, lotions, spas, dresses, perfumes. What of our vacations? And our constant shopping of toys for the kids!! Oh women!

Ok, now that we have satisfied the men, let us share some of the ache of the ladies. Does your man spend a lot on TGIF! A drink here and there, designer belts, designer ties and shirts- all the same color (white and blue). God bless the women that their spouses love games too! What of the man that likes to loan everyone in the office?

Spending is part of life. Some will argue, what is the point of earning money and stashing it. What is the point of investment? If not to spend it later. There is a popular Ebenezer Obey song that says ‘olowo majeye, eyin lomo, awon to laye lana da, won ti ku won ti lo’. It means rich man/woman that doesn’t want to spend and enjoy life, na you sabi. those that were alive yesterday are dead and gone.

I agree to an extent. It sucks to be stingy. It sucks to have money and live like a pauper. However, there are limits.

A spendaholic is someone that spends arbitrarily. This means irrational, not planned, not needed spending. Spending for the sake of spending. Spending as if he/she did not work hard to earn the money. Spending on any and everything. Buying everything in sight. This is not cool.

Here are tips to handle.

1.Show the problem. First step is to show the spender that there is a problem. Most spenders have different reasons for their habits. Some will say ‘ how much is this bag sef, sebi it is just N20,000. What can I do with that money anyway. It cannot buy me land, cannot buy me a car. So let me enjoy’. Educate the person that N50,000 set aside monthly for 10 years is N6,000,000. Even without any interests. Go through the person’s bank statement and add up all the little costs here and there and it will amaze you how much it adds up to.

2.Proffer alternatives but don’t create a bondage. No one wants to feel like a child being monitored, so allow flexibility. An easy way to do this is to create 3 accounts: one for yourself, one for spouse and one for joint projects. Agree with your spouse an amount on projects and investment and focus your energy on that. Example, we try to do 30%- 40% on investments and dedicate that to the joint project account. Then, each person can manage his/her personal pocket money as they like. They secret here is to take as much as possible for projects so that spouse has just enough for life! (Wink) and a few luxuries. Also, ensure both of you are aligned to the project or dream. Do not impose your dreams on your spouse. This is a NO- NO! and NO!

3. Link loans to spouses account or set up alternative systems. A clean way to block money with a shopaholic is to link project loans to the account. Whether we like it or not, the debit alert for loans happen ‘gbagaun’ automatically monthly. So link this and you won’t have to worry about ‘lau lau’ spending. However, ensure that loans are taken for productive ventures that can pay itself and the interests on capital.

a.Alternatively, set up recurring bank instructions. You can instruct the bank to move some money out of your account into a savings account as soon as allowy/salary lands at month end.

4. Have a budget and financial goals. This is key. Every year, I set financial goals. E.g.

a.I want to build a commercial property

b.I want to build up cash up to XX amount

c.I want to pay off loans

d.I want to invest in children’s education trust fund

e.I want to set up a community CSR fund pot.

f.I want to set up children’s university savings

g.I want to establish my younger one’s business

h.I want to take a vacation.

Let us be clear. This is not about me. So replace ‘I’ in above sentences with your name. This is about you. Make a list of your financial goals for 2017 now. Draw up a budget too. What % of your income will you spend on accommodation, feeding, education, children’s school fees, beauty, tithe, giving back, transport, savings, investment, gadgets etc?

5. Keep some fun money aside. All work and no play makes Adunni a dull girl. So remember Obey’s song. Spend some money on things you love, things that make you happy so you can live long enough to spend the savings. Remember, no one was born a shopaholic. With a lot of love, support and education, your spouse will be a financial guru in no time. At the same time, don’t victimize your spouse in the name of financial training. Everyone is different and your spouse may never get to the level of discipline you have.

What do you think?

By: MrsCeo Naija

Pic Credit: shutterstock.com

 

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DO BUSINESS UNSUSUAL: ATTEND F.A.B.B MAKUP BUSINESS CLASS

Are you a Beauty Business Owner who is looking at challenging the status-quo and raising the bar in the Nigeria Beauty Industry?

Register to attend F.A.B.B Business class with Veteran Makeup artist Lola Maja- Okojevoh, Business start-upper and Finance expert Femi Darabidan and IT guru Steph Obi.

And learn:

* How to structure your business for growth in Nigeria Business Climate

* How to get access to capital for your startup

* How to access grants and loan for business expansion

* Documentation and accounting

* Business branding techniques

* Latest tricks in makeup artistry

* How to do 21st century beauty business.

Limited spaces are available. Make reservation for a seat now, text: Name, location and email address to; 090- 75555- 054, 0816- 7454- 617 or 0903-0044- 009.

The F.A.B.B Business Class is powered by The Trillionbucks Company.

Our hashtag is FABB2017 and social handle is: F_art_shion on IG and

Twitter, Fartshion on instagram.

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TOBY NWAZOR: 5 VITAL CLUES TO KNOW YOU SHOULD BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR

Most people toy with the idea of becoming entrepreneurs at least once in their life. I mean who wouldn’t? Especially after coming across a very successful one. Yeah, I know that feeling. But frankly speaking, entrepreneurship is not as rosy as it seems. So don’t just run into it because your cousin did so, and he seems to be doing well.

Personally I took that leap of faith that made me a die-hard entrepreneur sometime in 2013, and since then I have not looked back. I have had my fair share of challenges, but rather than deter me, they propel me for greater heights. And if given the opportunity again, I will still opt for entrepreneurship over and over again.

What about you? Have you ever toyed with the idea of being your own boss? Have you ever wondered if starting and running a business is your thing?

Don’t look too far. The clues below will help you make that decision. Of course, it is not exhaustive, but don’t hesitate to raise your hands and shout Hallelujah if I make a point that kinda hits close to home.

Let’s walk…

You wanna be Independent
Earlier this month, I visited an old friend of mine in Warri. And even though we have been in touch to an extent, I was really shocked and excited to see how well he was doing for himself. We had a lot of catch-up time, and I just couldn’t resist asking him what prompted him to quit his job when he did.

I mean, I remember when he was working in Enugu. And before I knew what was happening I heard he quit and started his own business. His main reason? Independence.

You see that life where you call the shots on how you spend your day, where you go, what you do, when you work or not, and most especially, how much you earn, it cannot be quantified.

For me, my eureka moment was when I told myself that even if I was selling zobo and puff-puff, I would make much more than I was being offered in the last place I worked. And when I got to that point, there was no stopping me.

Your job doesn’t give you fulfillment
I know what it means to work at a job that doesn’t give fulfillment. I mean you wake up in the morning happy, only to get sad at the thought of going to work.

Yeah, used to happen to me a lot when I was working with an Insurance company in Lagos.

Truth is that everyone wants to be fulfilled. And if your job doesn’t offer you that, it’s time you thought seriously about creating a job that could give you just that. If working at that crazy million dollar idea of yours smells fulfillment to you…that’s a sign right there.

You don’t want to compromise on your life Goals
Sometime in 2009 I wrote down a list of things I hoped to do before I die. One of them was what drove me to go for what became my first swimming experience. Apart from that, I equally wrote a lot of things that had to do with starting and running a couple of businesses.

But I didn’t just write these goals down; I got committed to pursuing them. I knew that a goal I don’t pursue will never get actualized.

If your job is not helping you achieve your life goals and you’re no longer comfortable with that, it is time to consider moving from employee to entrepreneurship. Nothing should matter more than achieving your life goals. That should form the very essence of your daily activities. So look at your job again, is it servicing your life goals?

Recurrent ideas
Don’t quit your regular job because of one idea that just flashed your mind. Ask every successful entrepreneur, it really has to be an idea that keeps coming to you. In my own case, the thoughts kept me awake at night, and gave me daydreams during the day.

So don’t be deaf. Take note of those ideas that keeps coming to you. The more recurrent, the clearer it becomes. These recurrent ideas come with an unusual surge of energy. If that is you, then entrepreneurship is for you.

An idea is the first milestone in building a successful business. Tweet that!

Your passion
Passion fuels inspiration. If your inspiration is fueled by a passion for something outside your regular 9-5 job, then please consider following your passion.

Find something you are passionate about and do it passionately. If you love the social media a lot, Instagram for instance, then let your passion drive you to seek out how to monetize that Instagram account.

But note that passion, not money, should guide your decision to become an entrepreneur. If you are genuinely passionate about providing a solution, then you are surely going to do well as an entrepreneur.

The hallmark of entrepreneurs is their passion for providing solutions other than just the prospect of a better paycheck. (Quote me)

So, what’s your story? Has the thought of starting your own business been giving you sleepless nights? What’s been keeping you from taking that leap of faith, even if it’s a side-hustle? What are you waiting for?

 

Source: Bellanaija.com

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#PROFILE | BLACK FEMALE INNOVATORS YOU SHOULD KNOW

You know we love profiling Amazons and Trailblazers, Women who beyondjust being part of the board room are making change happen. We  profile some of this  epic black and female innovators you should know.

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The’ Budgetnista’ Tiffany Aliche.

She works tirelessly to make sure more women worldwide become more financially savvy. Isn’t that amazing? She does this through her Facebook group and bestselling books. Because of her consistency and excellence in the field, she has been featured on Forbes, New York Times, Essence and more.

Laura Weidman Powers

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What’s not to love about a beautiful and fearless woman who daily does all she can to make black people proportionately represented in tech. She is the co-founder of CODE2040 a nonprofit organization that creates pathways to educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities.  Laura was a senior policy adviser for Science and Technology in Obama’s administration.

Evita Robinson

 

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Who creates a group dedicated to building a community of travelers and making world travel more accessible to people of color and successfully builds the group to more than 14, 000 members? Evita! She has even built a successful business around the community.

Bozoma Saint John

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Boz as she is fondly called is the Ghanian- Amercian woman , making waves at Apple Music. She was recently appointed the head of global consumer marketing for iTunes and Apple Music and has proved her worth ever since. She is the brains behind the biggest Apple Music ad ever starring Taraji P. Henson, Mary J. Blige and Kerry Washington.

Lindsey Day

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Natural hair is the in thing but we love that Lindsey found a new way to celebrate the movement. She started CRWN, the world’s first natural hair magazine. The quarterly publication amplifies the experiences of women of color with curls and afros to celebrates them like the queens they are.

Curled from Leadingladiesafrica.org

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ONCE YOU DELIVER EXCELLENCE WITH INNOVATION & PASSION, IT DOESN’T MATTER THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN, YOU WILL STAND BEFORE KINGS” – KUNBI ADEOYE, FOUNDER-SESEWA

Kunbi is the executive director of SESEWA; a company she founded while still in university in 2009. She holds an LLB from Obafemi Awolowo University and was enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2010. Her company, SESEWA is at the forefront of providing internship and career opportunities for Nigeria’s young generation and she is building a legacy for internship businesses in Nigeria. Adekunbi is a frequent speaker at youth events, and a big inspiration for young people in Africa cities in Africa. In this interview, the beautiful entrepreneur opens up on how she has been able to build SESEWA into a formidable brand.

Growing Up
Growing up for me was fun and filled with lessons. I was the child that was born to work…. I was really enterprising, I still am but when I was younger, I engaged in several kinds of businesses. I was particularly thrilled by the reward and satisfaction I got when I delivered a certain value or sold something. Let’s just say I was born for enterprise!

Inspiration behind Sesewa?
My sesewa experience is one that has changed my life forever.
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For me, SESEWA is not just a business idea; it is more like a mandate attached to my life. It is seated at the core of my existence. SESEWA started first with my deepest desire to have people experience clarity and pursue a career they were really in love with because that was what I felt like after I had an internship in a law firm as an undergraduate. That experience left me empowered and I felt everyone deserved this opportunity- To be sure about what they wanted to create with their lives.
This desire grew into a business because of my highly entrepreneurial spirit. The business operates as a social enterprise designed to tackle the diversified problems of recruitment and unemployment in Nigeria. We specialize in providing internship, volunteering and job-shadowing opportunities to youths. With our well-developed curriculum, training school and set of assessments, the regular Nigerian graduate is transformed into a job-ready professional. This serves a dual purpose, in that it also provides organizations the best wave of talents to drive their corporate vision. For those who don’t know, the name SESEWA is a coinage gotten from a Yoruba expression ‘Se ise wa?’ (Is there a Job?)This seems to be question on the lips of many Nigerian graduates and SESEWA will always say YES! We have got the RIGHT JOB for you!

Beyond Expectation
The truth remains that the big picture for SESEWA keeps expanding as we break new grounds; and yes! SESEWA is having the effect I caught a glimpse of in my mind years back. It just keeps getting better. Today, young people walk into my office with potentials that are worked upon and made valuable. They always leave better than they came. I have my interns go to clients and I get feedbacks from clients saying the interns are so fantastic that it is difficult to pick just one intern for the job. We call it the SESEWA Experience… As I will always say, “there is no discrimination against excellence.” Once you deliver excellence with innovation and passion, it doesn’t matter the color of your skin, you will stand before kings.

Reception
Just like every other ‘new’ idea, SESEWA had some acceptance issues, basically because the concept was not so popular when we started. We just did our part, defined the value we were offering and we were determined to be the best at it. It wasn’t long before individuals and organizations started warming up to the idea. Let me mention here that there are times you just need to believe in you enough to give others the right reasons to believe in you too. I had people who believed in SESEWA because of the confidence and passion with which I spoke about the value we proposed to deliver even though we were doing it for the first time. I look back now; I am so fulfilled and grateful to God for being my Anchor.
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Giving Up
This is one truth not so many people talk about. Fulfilling purpose is not as easy as spelling P.U.R.P.O.S.E. It sometimes feels like swimming against the current, it is super difficult. There were days that didn’t look so bright, there were days I didn’t feel up to the title “Executive Director” but at such times I was reminded of the WHY behind SESEWA and I got energized again. This is one thing I tell everyone who cares to listen, understand the purpose behind anything you do because when the road gets rough, you will be in one piece, strengthened by WHY you started in the first place. So, at the times I felt like giving up, I remembered SESEWA is not about me. This makes me jump out bed every morning whether I felt like it or not. Though right now, I feel we have gone too far to look back. The only RIGHT way is FORWARD!
Relationship with Interns
Yes, we have succeeded in building a FAMILY. It is not just a work relationship. Our lives are so intertwined with the entire process that after the internship, it is hard to go back as just regular people. For the SESEWA family, we are consciously raising a new breed of excellent, talented professionals to redefine work in this part of the world.

Challenges
Every idea, business and journey has peculiar challenges. SESEWA had the challenge of acceptance as certain organizations didn’t understand what we were proposing at first. We had to work on our product, curriculum to ensure we deliver excellent value every time. We were also faced with fund challenges just as many start-ups with bills rising and demanding attention.

Future Plans for Sesewa
We hope to expand our sphere of influence, reach out to more youths, develop more products and programmes that can come in handy to youths as we groom the best waves of talent, the most sought after in the land. We also hope to establish solid local and international partnerships with other organizations.
Advice for Young unemployed Female Graduates?
Give yourself more credit. You are awesome too if only you can believe in yourself. Please don’t define your entire life by your current phase of being without a job; just don’t be idle. Keep your hands and mind busy. Get as much skills as possible. The internet has made it so easy for you to learn practically anything, enroll for online courses, volunteer for projects, get an internship just ensure you are increasing in value. What employers pay for is not the number of years you spent in school or the kind of school you graduated from but the value you can bring to the table.
For those who want to run their businesses, don’t get too excited yet; get the needed skills and knowledge and please get a mentor! The concept of mentorship has been abused but I am sure you can still find great people who will be willing to take you through the paths they have walked in smarter ways.
What Makes You A Woman Of Rubies?
I will just describe who I am in my own words and you will decide if that qualifies me to be a ‘Woman of Rubies’, I am simply Adekunbi Adeoye, a woman passionate about living out the blueprint of the Master for her life. I love God with my whole being. The process of fulfilling my purpose of helping others discover who they are has developed traits in me that I find amazing myself. I am a fantastic problem solver. I don’t see problems; I see opportunities to touch lives. I am highly enterprising, I am so gifted that I believe I can sell anything even sand and still create a lucrative business out of it.

Final Word for Young Women?
Don’t put a pause on your life waiting for anything! It doesn’t suggest that you shouldn’t be patient; just don’t be mediocre. Discover what your life was designed to be and spend every moment living it out. Live freely! Dance, Sing out loud! You are beautiful, celebrate yourself always and quit settling for less!

 

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