Women of Rubies
Category

womenofrubies

Category
In Interviews&profile By

#INTERVIEW | “I WANT TO USE MY BREAST BAG TO CREATE MORE AWARENESS FOR CANCER” – CHRISTINE KATO

Christine Kato is reative director and founder House of Christine Art and Designs a Nigerian based company which creates Art inspired designs. The young northern based designer was born on May 2nd 1994 in Makurdi,Nigeria; a sociology graduate of the University of Abuja,Nigeria. I

Christie is an avid writer, artist, designer, a human and animal right activist, and a feminist who uses her design for notable causes. She is presently using her bag designs to create awareness for breast cancer awareness. In commemoration of the breast cancer awareness month I bring you the inspiring story of a young woman whose breast bag initiative isn’t only helping to educate people on cancer but also advocate for more Health reforms as it relates to treatment and medical help.

Childhood Influence

I wouldn’t say I had this planned but I had a good foundation to prepare me for what I was to expect in the future; I always knew I could achieve anything I wanted as long as I put my mind to it. I was fortunate enough to have the basic things I needed to help me succeed.

Being an animal right activist

I believe animals are Gods special angels on earth; God placed them into our care for us to honour them: We lose more of our humanity when we are cruel to animals; we are the only true voices animals have; we must fight for them; we must save the animal; we must save our planet.

House Of Christine

House of Christine Art and Designs is a Nigerian based Art/Fashion company which creates unique art pieces.
Our Art designs are form of one expressing himself: an essential ingredient to empowering the hearts of people they are a remarkable way of depicting culture all over the world, they act as therapy to convey memory, hope: to remind us that we can strive to see it appreciate it and have. it self appreciating art tells stories reflection of the society garnering attention to people about causes that are otherwise ignored.

They are pure works of art so they are delicately crafted so every ornamental detail, structure and functional property matters,so as to convey the message about the inspiration of the design.All designs are the first of its kind they are all intellectual properties of house of Christine arts and designs and are subject to patents

House of Christine Art and Designs is all about creating Art that people can relate to and showcase with confidence.

 

Inspiration behind breast bag for Cancer

“The inspiration behind the design emanates from a feminist view: a revolution; the need to empower women to reclaim, celebrate and embrace their bodies, sexualities: to display the power of feminity: to create awareness about issues affecting women; to make feminity look fierce to celebrate womanhood.” October is breast cancer awareness month and there is no better time to celebrate the design than now!

The reception so far

There has been a lot of contention and controversy over the breast handbag design; some received it positively others negatively; some see it for what it really stands for while others have a different perspective of what it is; causing a lot of stir with attacks here and there. My staffs are also under attacks; and are told to cut ties with me.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m stubborn. I go for what I want! I fight for what I believe in! I’m an artist! I love what I do! I am unique! I am bold and daring!The more attacks I receive the more I’m motivated I am to push on.This is my world I rule it!.

Challenges

I would say an idea is just an idea until it is executed; also new ideas take sometime to be accepted but i would say what motivates me in life and my craft is the hunger to overcome a hurdle a difficulty, a problem a challenge. When I have an idea and seems so impossible to create and others think it’s weird and crazy. I keep pushing no matter how long it takes in order to actualize what I have in my imagination: ironically when the piece has been created it receives appreciation and that’s the best feeling ever. The road can very lonely but it later ends in victory learning from so many mistakes and finally creating a masterpiece. It’s such a satisfying and fulfilling feeling.

Reward

The greatest reward i have ever gotten lies in knowing that my consistency, persistence and hard work has finally paid off despite the odds; its such a fulfilling feeling knowing that I’m able to undertake any challenge and successfully achieve it.

My brand in 5 years

In 5 years, my brand would be on a global level impacting and changing lives; breaking barriers competing among top world brands.

On Giving up

A few times in few seconds but I knocked some sense right back into me; I have got the heart of a fighter; nothing ever good comes easy and if it did it wouldn’t be cherished as much as if one worked hard for it; I see every problem as a new opportunity to make positive impact.

Being a Woman of Rubies

I’m strong, passionate, bold and daring powerful beautiful woman! I’m a trendsetter, I break the norms; I set the trend! I’m a woman of substance.

Advice to women battling with breast cancer

Women should see themselves for the magnificent beings they have been created to be; they must tap into their potentials and transform it in power; they must learn to embrace their true uniqueness and love themselves; chase their dreams and soar high! For those battling with Cancer, please don’t give up the fight.

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

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

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

“MY HOPE IS THAT AFRICANS WILL HAVE ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION GLOBALLY”- GENEVIEVE NNAJI

Genevieve Nnaji sat down with Women and Hollywood prior to the premiere of her directorial debut “Lionheart” at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to discuss the inspiration behind the movie, challenges she faced and her inspiration for going into filmmaking.

The star actress and filmmaker described “Lionheart” as “an inspiring drama about family values, succession, and most importantly, female empowerment. It highlights the various challenges faced by women, particularly in male-dominated industries.”

On what drew her to the story, Genevieve said: “The message and the environment which forces a heroine to shoulder the load. Questions of succession, gender roles, and traditional versus modern ideals surround the story. Plus, that it was rooted in African culture which made it even more fascinating. So, drawing inspiration from a close friend and family run businesses in Nigeria, “Lionheart” was created.”

Genevieve told Women and Hollywood she “wants people to reflect on the endless possibilities of growth and success that come with men and women, the old and the young, working together: a world where insecurities are tackled and equality is encouraged,” after seeing the movie.

“We need to be more open and accepting of competition instead of feeling threatened by it,” she added.
Her biggest challenge making the film will be “playing both roles of director and lead actor,” she says. “Fortunately, I was surrounded by a very efficient and effective crew. With their help, plus adrenaline and sheer determination, we were able to make a movie,” she added.

When asked about what inspired her become a filmmaker, she said:
I’ve always had a hunger for visual storytelling. There is so much material out there that is still untold — countless real-life stories from within and outside Africa, and today, we have the chance to tell it ourselves. My hope is that Africans will have adequate representation globally, and be given a seat at the table in big studio productions as we continue to grow and improve from within the continent.
I also believe that my generation of women need to continue to work at paving a path better than the one that exists today for the future generation of women in film.

Credit:Bellanaija

by
Keep Reading
In Interviews&profile By

I STARTED FROM TEACHING WOMEN HOW TO MAKE SHAWARMA AND BUILD A BUSINESS AROUND IT- BUNMI AJAYI

Bunmi Ajayi is a business coach known as the Start-up mindset coach, convener Passion to profit masterclass and author of, Get up and rule. An expert in helping people, mostly women to overcome limiting mindsets on their journey to starting thieir own business and projects.
This sought after speaker who once battled low self -esteem and coyness left her dazzling university result and turned her passion for speaking into a business just a few years ago. Through her coaching programmes, speaking engagements and consulting gigs, she helps her clients to craft and monetize their idea to the masses.
Bunmi shares more insight on why people have low self-esteem and how she was able to deal with hers and pull through life

Growing up
I won’t say my childhood fully prepared me for what I do now, my childhood was a different ball game. Just like every other child, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to be. I think at some point I wanted to be a medical doctor, a police officer.
I hated writing, didn’t like school, I was more worried about playing than going to school but something was constant, I loved talking and I still love talking. Talking is the only thing I didn’t leave behind.I feel parents should encourage and support their kids more than trying to force them into career paths they would drop later on.

Meet Me!
My name is Bunmi Ajayi. I am a startup-mindset coach, author of the forthcoming book; Get up & Kickass, which teaches first time star ups how to break free from fear that holds them back from starting a successful business, so that they can build confidence, Identify, monetize and build a profitable business around their Idea, passion, mistakes and knowledge.
I help start-ups break free from fear and other limiting mindset so that they can start a profitable business around their idea, passion, knowledge and experience. I graduated from Igbinedion University Okada, Edo state, where I studied Mass Communication.

Passion to profit master class
I fell in love with the fact that you can make money doing what you love. So I discover a lot of us underestimate our skills, passion, even our knowledge, we go after other things and ignore the diamond inside of us. Sometimes we are aware but either too busy to notice or we are scared nobody will buy from us when we eventually put a price on it. People are ready to pay for what we know that can give them results. The moment I discover this truth it inspired me to start my own trainings which takes place online. There are lots of people making money from their passion, their knowledge and even the pain they have healed from. The truth is no pain is a waste. I started from teaching women how to make shawarma and build a business around it. I once attended training where people paid to discover their most profitable passion. So this increased my drive to organize my own online profit to passion masterclass.
After each class people tend to discover more than just passion, they discover who to sell to, how to build an identity around it.  The first thing we do in the class is to gain clarity and break limiting mindset before going deep into the class, there are lots of people who do lot of things so well but teach people for free just because they feel putting a price on is bad.

Being a coach, author and motivational speaker
Well they all have their strength and weakness. As a coach you can work both online and offline, just make sure you find a time that works for both you and the client. As a convener you know when best to fix your event which can be once a month, twice a week physical or online event. That is why it is important to know your personality type and know what works for you. Planning helps me to know which one comes first. I have a 2018 daily planner with daily reflection that helps me know which one comes first.

Challenges
The first challenge I had to deal with was my mind, fear of approval, lack of clarity, lack of understanding and many more were what I faced when I started. But the moment I was able to overcome my fear, develop a better self-esteem and better clarity of what I want and the people I want to help, things changed. Too many people have not dealt with their fear so it keeps holding them back, some say fear is a push, but the bad part is when there is no fear, they find it hard to push forward, while others try to sell to everyone, they do not understand their ideal customers, they are not just clear about what they really want. It is a challenge for some people in their business.

What next?
I am currently working on a project for authors who want to break free from limiting mindset and be able to go from no idea to a published author in 30 days or less instead of taking two years to publish a book. Most people desire to write and publish a book but are either scared or worried that they are not worthy to write or publish the book.

Reward of my work
I would say knowing people that have broken free from the fear of starting a business. That alone means a lot and somehow people tend to appreciate you for helping them discover something they never saw

On how the economy favour start-ups
I won’t say the economy alone but certain policy affects start-ups, certain government policy make it difficult for startups to flourish. But depending on your kind of business economy doesn’t affect you. There are start-ups who are growing daily, the economy favors them. So sometimes it is about the kind of business you are into .If you go into a business at a time when nobody is ready to spend money, then there might be a bit of challenges.

Never giving up
There were times I gave up. I said I was no longer interested in helping people discover their passion; there were times I wanted to do something else.
I just wanted to go back to my comfort zone, but I had amazing people who encouraged me not to give up. I call them my support system, when you are surrounded with the right people with the right mindset then it becomes easy to speak to them when it feels like you are giving up. I think everyone who is on a journey to greatness, people who are doing great things at one point must go through this stage.
If you are not in your comfort zone, or getting desired results, sometimes you know where you are going to, you know it is going to turn out fine but somehow the strength to press on disappears. So you just have to keep pushing, keep moving and have the right support system

Who and what inspire me to be better

When I think of how much I have grown it inspires me to invest in myself more. I look up to certain people who motivate me to become better, they are constantly doing things to make lives better. Different people and things inspire me to become a better person. Knowing that people look up to me inspires me to become better. Every day inspires me to get better.

Being a woman of rubies
A woman of rubies is not scared to stand out .As a woman of rubies I know when to balance things. A woman of rubies is creative and dynamic. She is ready to help when she can. A woman of rubies is interested in the growth of others. A woman of rubies believes in herself and that is who I am. I believe in myself. I am also a lover of God.

Start-up nuggets for young women who want to start their own business
I would say do not let other people project their fear of doing business to you. Just because someone had a terrible experience, does not mean you will have a terrible business experience too.
The first thing is to break free from fear and gain clarity about the kind of business they want to start and the process involved. Know that not everyone is your idea client. Your business cannot attend to everyone, so find your target audience that needs the solution your business offers.
Do not be afraid to innovate, you do not have to copy everyone, you do not have to do the same thing everyone is doing.
Understanding of what the market needs. But most importantly they should understand their why: There are right and wrongs reasons people start business, I discussed this in my book. People start business on the wrong note and when it fails, they start shouting business is bad. So I would say understanding your why is very important.

Dear Woman….
You are more than enough, don’t try to dim your light for someone else to shine. Be around people who see your strength and can help you focus on it, stay away from things and people who don’t empower you. In everything please protect your inner space

by
Keep Reading
In Interviews&profile By

ONE OF MY CHILDHOOD DECISION WAS TO HAVE A BUSINESS THAT WOULD PRODUCE SOMETHING MY FAMILY NEEDED – ANGELA OKON

Few weeks ago, top comedian Alibaba shared the story of a young woman who made bespoke shirts for men, the post not only went viral but inspired several people , most especially youths who were still finding it hard as start-ups. 23 years old Angela Okon is the young woman he was talking about, a graduate of Accounting from Lagos State University who carved a niche for herself in the men’s fashion industry, as the creative director of Ikadi Shirts . According to Jane, being the only girl among three kids and the inability of her brothers to get ready made shirts inspired her to start her brand. She shares her story and aspiration with me in this inspiring interview

Childhood Influence
My mom was a business woman. So I grew up looking up to her. As a child, I had always known that I would be an entrepreneur and that made me pay close attention to my mom’s business. It was from there I got firsthand knowledge on how to run a business.

Meet Me!
I’m 23 years old. I come from a family of three children of which I’m the only daughter. I love being different and doing things differently. Many people think I’m weird and sometimes I agree with them.

Inspiration behind Ikadi Shirts
Well it all started with a family problem. My mom found it impossible to get ready made shirts for my brothers. Apparently, we have very long hands and slim body in my family. So it was either the shirt was too big or the sleeve was too short. Then she decided to get a tailor to make shirts for them but the quality of the shirt was poor. As a result, I decided that shirt making will be my means to penetrate the fashion industry since this problem is faced by many. It’s not that there were no bespoke shirts brand before we started but we strive to meet a high standard while making it affordable for the customers. In this way, men no longer have to manage ready-made shirt that doesn’t fit all in the name of getting a quality shirt but now they can get a premium quality shirt that is made specifically for them.

Motivation to pitch my tent in the fashion world of men
One of my childhood decision was to have a business that would produce something my family needed so that they would never have to buy it elsewhere. Since I was passionate about fashion, I decided to go into men fashion so that my brothers and my dad would never have to buy clothes elsewhere. Another reason is that 98% of my friends are guys, I find it very easy dealing with men than with women which is probably as a result of my upbringing. So the men fashion industry was the perfect choice.

Power supply as a business Challenge
Closing deal with prospect outside Lagos is one challenge. We have to get the customer’s measurement before production but when they are outside Lagos, they would have to get a tailor to measure them then send to us. Some of them do this, while some don’t. As a result, we might lose that prospect. However we are working on resolving this issue. Another challenge is power supply but we all know that’s not new so I won’t discuss it.
I blogAside making bespoke shirts, we also run a blog that provides information on men style tips. You can check it out on www.ikaidiclothingblogspot.com

Customer satisfaction is my reward
The joy I see in the eyes of a satisfied customer. When a satisfied customer tells me how much he has spent on shirts that were of no good and how glad and relieved he is to have patronize the brand, this is the greatest reward. There’s no other joy that can be compared to knowing that you are making an impact.

In five years
In 5 years, we would cover the whole of Nigeria and Ghana.

Ever thought of giving up
No. Although, there were times I needed a break, but my mindset has always been “I die here no matter what “.

My inspiration
My mom is my inspiration. Though she’s is late, I have never met any woman as driven as my mom. She taught me a lot about hard work and the benefits of always being hungry, never settling for less.

Reception since I started
It has been positive all the way. No dulling moment. This gives me the conviction that I’m on the right path.

by
Keep Reading
In Interviews&profile By

“I AM AN UNREPENANT OPTIMIST AND A FIRM BELIEVER THAT OUR DREAMS ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR” – TOLULOPE BABAJIDE

Tolulope Babajide, the Lead strategist of Ink & Ideas Consulting is a passionate and creative Communications specialist. A 2006 graduate of English and Literary Studies, Tolulope started her career in Advertising as a copywriter and swiftly moved into core journalism at the defunct 234Next as a copy editor, Arts and Culture reporter and a columnist.

Since then she has worked in the Non profit sector as a Communications and Programmes strategist and also consulted with organizations on grants writing, rapporteuring, social enterprise strategy. She is highly committed to using communication in changing human narratives and excited in helping organizations get their writings done more creatively

“Growing up in family where intellectual conversations are held around the dining table helped me to be in constant search for knowledge/”, Tolu says as she shares her story with me in this interview.

Early life
I grew up in Ilesa, Osun State and as a young girl, all I was surrounded with was books and thought-provoking conversations. My dad had this huge library (at least to my eight-year-old mind) and he compelled us to read as many books as we could. He encouraged us to read across all genres, so one minute am reading medical textbooks, the next minute am buried in Wole Soyinka’s books. This has particularly helped me in having a rich imagination which has in turn strengthened my writing skills. My parents made it their priority to consciously train children whose minds are not controlled by their environment and backgrounds. Through the books I read, I went and experienced so many cultures even when I haven’t been there physically.

Meet Me!
My name is Tolulope Babajide. I am a graduate of English and Literary Studies. I am a Communication specialist with the belief that any narrative can be changed with the right approach of communication. I started my career as a copywriter, then as a journalist at the defunct 234Next newspaper and moved into Development Communications (Nonprofits).
I love learning new things, this is what drew me to online learning. I don’t miss out on any opportunity to stimulate my brain. I am an unrepentant optimist and a firm believer that our dreams are worth fighting for unless they remain just dreams.

Inspiration behind my initiative Ink & Ideas Consulting
The inspiration behind Ink & Ideas Consulting is the need to do more and be more, a bespoke content creation agency with services including speech writing, grant writing, rapporteuring and social enterprise strategy. It has always been my side hustle, from helping people to write compelling grant applications to crafting human centered and creative speeches to offering my scribing services to organizations and strategizing with social enterprises. I finally got to the point that I wasn’t comfortable again having it as just a side gig. I believe that there are millions of grants for nonprofits and startups in Nigeria, all they need is a passionate grant writing agency who will go all in. There is also an urgent need for creativity to be infused into speeches; most of the speeches I hear today lacks the passion and not memorable at all.
Rapporteuring/report writing also has become one service that is undervalued in Nigeria. There is a need for every organization to have an objective, accurate record of their retreats and business meetings.

Impact of working in the print media and advertising sector for a while
I am particularly grateful that I started my career in Advertising as a copywriter. It gave expression to my creativity and helped me to receptive to endless possibilities in life. On a lighter note, it helped me discover my very playful side.  In the print media, I learnt a lot from the industry’s best, the likes of Molara Wood, Kadaria Ahmed, Dele Olojede, Victor Ehikhamelor etc. My time at 234Next newspaper is still one of my most exciting experiences in life; there I learnt that the world is not just black and white. That I can question status-quos and not be put in a box of conformity.

Helping organisations in the non-profit sector write grant proposals
It was my move to Abuja that exposed me to the Nonprofits industry. There I learnt that living for oneself is selfish and smallminded, there are tons of great causes to advocate for. Having worked on projects including Female Genital Mutilation, Immunization, Adolescents Access to Family Planning Services, Maternal and Newborn Health, I discovered that I enjoyed helping these causes to raise funds through grant writing. There are many great nonprofits who really need a funder so that they can scale up their activities.
There was this Cancer Outreach nonprofit that I worked with on grant writing. They go into very rural areas to screen women for breast and cervical cancers; we can all attest that it is not cheap to get test kits for the screening. Nonprofits like this need donors’ money to be able to continue with their good work.

Challenges
I just moved from Abuja to Lagos. I guess that that is a challenge in terms of building networks and making them see reasons why they need my services. But the prospect of meeting new people, businesses is exciting and am all in for the ride.

What next?
I am presently working on projects that advocate for Adolescents to have a safe, no-judgement access to Sexual Reproductive services in Nigeria. I am also passionate in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation, I believe that no female should be cut. I am blessed to have this bubbling energy that enables me to collaborate with people on projects that are dear to my heart. It is an ongoing journey and am excited about it.

Reward
Getting into the Cherie Blair Foundation Fellowship for Women in Business is one reward that I am so grateful for. I just became a Mentee in the Foundation’s Mentoring Women in Business and it runs for a year. Being peered with my International mentor will redefine my game and belonging to this awesome community will strengthen my networking and business skills.

My view on the advocacy and development sector in Nigeria and access to funding
The advocacy and development sector are doing a lot and they should be commended. I cannot imagine a Nigeria without the tireless input of this sector. Nationwide Immunization success will not have been possible without organizations like Gates Foundation, GAVI, John Hopkins etc.
Still on the immunization angle, I believe that there is an inadequate funding. There are new vaccines that are unaffordable for the common man; vaccines like Rotavirus, Chicken Pox, Typhoid, Meningitis etc. It will be great if these vaccines can be subsidized, there shouldn’t be anything like ‘Special Vaccines’. All vaccines are important.

Women in advocacy not celebrated
They are appreciated majorly in the terms of salary and emoluments but not celebrated.

My Inspiration…
My kids inspire me to be more in life. That might sound so cliché, but it is so true. They are my greatest motivation.  Also, the need to touch everyone I meet positively. People need to know they are needed, respected and their opinions are valid even if it disagrees with mine.

Being a woman of Rubies
My refusal to be broken by life’s pitfalls. It doesn’t matter how many times I fall, I keep on standing up. I don’t have the luxury of giving excuses.  I am also not shy in blowing the horn of another woman. Rising together as women is the sweetest. What is the essence of living in a castle if you are going to be there alone.

Advice for young women who want to go into the communication sector
Read, Read and Read. It stretches your mind and gives you insights into a variety of subjects. Don’t be that woman that knows only one thing, be all compassing. This will help in dealing with different clients from different sectors.  Be flexible, learn how to be a people’s person.

by
Keep Reading
In Inspiration By

“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.

by
Keep Reading
In Editor's Choice By

“TALENT WILL GET YOU TO THE DOOR , BUT THE RIGHT ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU INSIDE”- VICTORIA NKONG

 

 

 

 

Victoria Nkong (C.E.O Qtaby Events) is a multilingual Entertainment consultant, An Events Producer, Talent Manager, Public Speaker, PR strategist with a strong interest in supporting less privilege children and youth, she has been involved in events production and entertainment for over ten years and has been running charity projects for about five years now. Her break into entertainment was through the prestigious KORA All Africa Music Awards as bilingual presenter.
As a talent Manager and PR strategist, Victoria has worked with most of the big artists and personalities around Africa and the world like.
Besides KORA, she has also successfully produced a number of world-class events like the Opening Ceremony of the International African Athletic Competition, Headies and several others.
As a Philantropist, She is on the board of trustee of Jegede Paul Foundation, she is the Administrator and mother to the children at Life Fountain Orphanage Home. She is also the brain behind the annual “Slum Invasion” outreach to slums and Share your closet for widows.

Childhood Influence
Yes, partly my childhood prepared me for the charity work that I do now, my parents operated an open door policy and at every point in time we had relatives living with us, as a matter of fact, my mum was a school principal and back then even at moments when she did not have a lot because my dad and her were separated for a while and she had to carry all our bills over, she was still the mother to all the youth corps members in her school and she will ensure that all of them are fed on a daily basis in our house. In our family house there was always an average of 20 people, my parents went the extra mile to touch lives and that naturally became part of me .On another note, I realised at a very young age that fixing peoples problems and putting a smile on people’s faces gave me a lot of Joy.
For entertainment and media, I was a part of a dance group in secondary school, I was always the one getting everyone together. I realised that I was entertainment inclined while I was in the university. My HOD was launching a book once and the person to anchor was running late so he asked if any of us could handle it, everyone called my name, maybe because I was also the best student in class at the time so they believed I will be able to handle the switch begin French and English better. I found myself anchoring that book launch with everyone applauding me and telling me how impressed they were. I automatically became the anchor for any of our departmental events in school up to our farewell dinner.


The Victoria Nkong story
My name is Victoria Nkong, I am a Nigerian from Cross River State, I am the CEO of Qtaby Events, we are into Events Production/Content Production, Talent management and PR. I am also a writer and I just unveiled my first book: DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN” it is actually my memoire. I have learnt through life to be the sweetest to the sweet and gal to the bitter, maintaining the balance is unarguably one of the most challenging parts of my job but I have also since realized that I was born to do this, it is my calling, it is the life I chose and somewhat the life that I am stuck with. I am that little girl on the inside that comes out exuding so much confidence and behaving like I have got everything in control and I can look the world in the eye, while in truth I am very shy on the inside and wishing that someone else would take away the responsibility of the front line from me. My life is so full of drama that I sometimes wonder how anyone could live like I do; constantly running between changing diapers and playing loving mother to 23 children on the average, and trying to keep up with the glamour involved in strutting the red-carpet while trying to be the modest Christian woman…no stop button at all. My core objective is to help as many people as possible to find themselves and make a meaning out of their lives

Inspiration behind my foundation
I grew up to a family where all my sisters sang in the choir and I was the only one who did not have a good enough voice to sing, I prayed to know what I could do for Gods kingdom and I realised that I derived fulfilment from putting a smile on people’s faces. I set a goal to start an open kitchen where street children and homeless people will be guaranteed 2 free meals daily, I was working towards that plan before the saddest event of my life took place: I lost my elder sister to a violent marriage, domestic violence and her husband eloped with the kids. That was what finally pushed me to stop work for a period and start the Foundation and Orphanage Home, I needed to heal, I needed to reach out to people, I needed to convert my pain by turning other peoples pain to joy.
I found someone with like-passion who was a lot older and financially stable and we got it going. I am glad I did because it has been very rewarding, my children at the orphanage have been my real source of joy and the reason life really has a meaning. Wealth for me is measured by the number of lives a person touched rather than how much money a person has.


Running my events company successfully
Getting Qtaby Events to where it is has been a journey of several phases; rough, tough, exciting, challenging and fulfilling. Being a woman in the industry is not easy, you get to deal with a lot. Firstly there are still a lot of men who do not believe that women should be front liners in the society career wise. Also, for a male dominated industry like ours, I have had to deal with continuous sexual advances, harassment and in some cases refusal of contracts e.t.c due to not giving into some of these advances. If I say all these and not add the brighter side, it will be wrong. So on the brighter side, I get to meet a lot of people, impact lives and earn a living from having fun.

Events production could be very time demanding and also stressful, but once you know what you are doing and have the right team, it’s a wonderful experience. In the end I love to chill and watch people enjoy the experience we created for them. It could also be very financially rewarding when you hit the right production but these do not come every day so you need to know how to manage and create your own events.

I was quite lucky that some of the big brands that we worked with while I was with KORA Awards, noticed my dedication and hard work while I was there and contacted me and started working with me a year later when I opened up that I had left. Gear House South Africa worked out a representation with us and gave us major jobs and referrals. They actually sponsored my trips for a couple of trainings outside Nigeria.
Through it all, I am happy to say that we have been part of some of the biggest Events ever produced in Nigeria. We have produced the Headies Awards twice, Co-produced the AMVCA with uncle Eddie Lawani, the last AFRIMA Awards e.t.c, corporate events like SCB Road show, Bidvest Chairmanship Awards in South Africa. In all, making and maintaining relationships is very important.

My big break in the music industry as a bilingual presenter for Kora awards
For me, my break into KORA All African Music Awards was like my dream job finding me. I was very young when I joined KORA, about 19years old. Initially I was recruited as a bilingual phone operator taking enquiries from artistes from all over the world speaking English, French and Spanish, I remember receiving a call from 2face Idibia, just after African Queen…Lord, I felt I had arrived. I was later trained to present the prestigious Red Carpet for KORA Awards, it was like a dream come through. It was a lot for me at that age as I was quickly introduced to the crème-de-la-crème of the society and the industry. It quickly became life on the fast lane flying from one country to another, flying business class, keeping up appearances, trying to live up to public expectations e.t.c. Of course it was very exciting at the beginning, we were received by presidents in some countries and my official car will have a presidency plate-number driving in a convoy and all…I felt I had blown…lol.
On the other hand, my family was worried about me because I was supposed to go for a 2nd degree in Law, as far as they were concerned, entertainment was a waste of time, it was for unintelligent people and miscreants. I always tried to send gifts home to create an impression that I was on top of money in order for my family to leave me alone, I also had to take up online courses and send my results and certificates home to satisfy my family.

One remarkable lesson I learnt from mixing with celebrities from different cultures and high flying political officials was the fact that “A woman needed to keep herself, respect herself and maintain dignity and self-respect” as I was privy to several conversations where women were explained off in the most disrespectful manner simply because they compromised their integrity for material gifts.
On the other hand, I never lost sight of the fact that I am my mother’s daughter, I doubled up as personal assistant to the KORA president and that was the sour part, I worked so hard behind the scenes, I slept for 3hours at most. so much work keeping the team together and cleaning up the mess behind my boss (I guess that is where I learnt a lot about PR and diplomacy), the irritating part which I have never mentioned all these years was the fact that my boss started making advances at me, at first I was terribly shocked because he paraded himself like a moralist so I could not understand this new discovery…in fact, he attempted to rape me twice & I could not understand why me; because I knew he could get almost any girl he wanted. It is a long story and I opened up about it in my book “Diary of A Mad Black Woman” I think every young girl or boy deserves to read and learn a thing or two about managing sexual harassment at work and knowing when to walk away irrespective of how glamorous the job is.

In all KORA gave me a lot of exposure to the entertainment industry, talent management, events production and most of what I do now. I also made a few enemies as well because a lot of people did not understand that I did not have as much power as they imagined to either make them win a KORA or make certain things happen for them. The entire experience was priceless and I am grateful to have been a part of such greatness irrespective of the challenges.

Challenges
First and foremost being a woman, a lot of people already do not give you a chance, being a woman with high moral standards and principles also worsens the matter, 98% of the men that I have met in the course of work actually made sex the first and most important topic of discussion, I will arrive for meetings and have to waste the first 30mins talking about looks and trying to steer the conversation away from “the other room”..lol. The fact that I am also young and get to look younger than my age is a challenge sometimes though I overcome that as soon as we get into a conversation because you quickly realise that you are not speaking with a child. it is also a challenge when you don’t belong to certain “caucus”, I tried to join initially but my personality doesn’t allow me to keep up appearances or make certain compromises, I don’t mean this in a rigid way but since I lost my sister I have had to look at life from a different angle. I also prefer to feel like I truly merit something rather than feel like I got it because I had to cheat someone else or give kickbacks. I don’t mind appreciating people and all after getting a job but I like the appreciation to be done after proper completion of the job, voluntarily.

Finding the right manpower is also quite challenging as a lot of young people do not understand the concept of “work” & dedication.
The biggest challenge in all these however is finance, there is a lot that one can do but it is easy to get crippled midway because of finance.

Other Projects and Activities

Besides Events Production, I manage talents and we have worked with quite a wide range of artistes around Africa. We also do PR and marketing for brands and SMEs. We produce content for TV, we have a TV show currently running on African Magic, we shot the last GOTV commercial, we just finished producing an educative TV show for children which we are looking to sell to a TV station and we are currently in pre-production for another kiddies reality show. There is a lot of work on going as we continue to innovate to add value and make a difference.
I just unveiled my book Diary of A Mad Black woman and the book will be launched next month. The book is currently available on pre-order on www.victoriankong.com. I also write a series on Talent Management on 360nobs and I am working on starting it on my own website mentioned above.

For charity, I have an annual slum outreach project called Slum Invasion, we take celebrities with inspiring stories to the slum to celebrate with them and motivate them to strive for a better life. We partner with organisations to enrol the youth from the slum to learn different skills as well as providing scholarship and feeding for them.


Managing  the “Olajumoke” brand successfully
Yes, when Olajumoke approached me to work with her, I gladly took up the project and informed my team. I knew it will be a challenging project but I had a clear picture of the vision I wanted us to attain with her project, at the time the initial buzz following her discovery had died down totally and my fear was that the society was about to create a problem; take a lady who was harmlessly earning her humble living from selling bread, expose her to a better life, make her popular and unable to continue hawking bread then leave her to her devices. I was glad to be able to attempt to help as I could identify with the attributes that TY Bello saw in her, Ty Bello had done her part alongside her former managers in a bid to change a life, however she now needed a grounded team and the right attitude to move things forward.

As long as Olajumoke is under our management there will always be something new coming from her direction. She is currently shooting her reality show, we plan for her to start a hairline soon since she is skilled in that domain, we also did some work collaborations with some very big brands during our trip to South Africa in June and we will be showing it to the world soon

I plan for Olajumoke to learn as many skills as possible and continue to be a better version of herself. I must confess that she is not an easy brand to manage given the nature of her story and background, there is a lot to handle behind the scenes but it is also a welcome challenge and there is a lot of satisfaction each time I see her move a step forward. By the way, her talk show is currently airing on African Magic Yoruba. People need to go and watch it.

Reward
My greatest reward is actually seeing lives change positively. Money will come and go but a life touched is a seed sown that will outlive you because that life is now armed to touch other lives as well and create a positive chain. My entire work is centred on changing lives and turning lives around, be it through the Foundation, the Orphanage Home, Managing Talents and helping them build a career out of their talents or helping brands get better visibility through PR. Even our delve into content production was out of a need to change the narrative and have dignifying content on TV before the next generation gets convinced by most of the things they watch.

I also feel fulfilled when I see my work getting appreciated somewhere, for example, long after we shot the GOTV commercial, a senior friend who I never told we shot the commercial was seating out with some of his friends who are top executives in Multichoice and the commercial aired, they all started talking about how good the production was and how the lady who produced from Nigeria was very professional and did a fantastic job. In the course of the conversation he found out that it was me and he mentioned it to me later, this for me is worth more than the money paid for the job. It is very rewarding when I watch my content on TV or when I see someone recognising the improvement in the life of one of my talents e.t.c. The person doesn’t even need to know it is my work, I just feel satisfied knowing that the work is making the right impact.

Opinion on Celebrities supporting advocacy causes
Sincerely I do not think so, they try from time to time but as a matter of fact I think that a lot of them are only drawn to causes that give them some sort of financial reward, or rewards them in other ways. I feel that we could do a lot more, the commitment and dedication that we show when it is a business deal that brings in money is different from the lackadaisical attitude that we put up towards causes at times. I am guilty as well even as an advocate I think I could be doing a lot more.
One thing I tell everyone is that simply because the problem hasn’t affected you directly yet, it doesn’t mean that it will not affect you or your relative eventually if it is not curbed. A stitch in time saves nine.
A cause is a cause whether it is championed by the MD of a bank or a market woman, and you are no longer advocating if you want to wait to be paid before you speak up or if you only speak up for the sake of PR. I think it is getting better these days though as more celebrities are coming out but we can definitely do better. Advocacy is a lot of work and it is very time consuming so it takes a strong personality, passion and strength of character to indulge in it.

Opinion on Celebrities supporting advocacy causes
I would only appeal to celebrities to make more effort in using their platforms and the voice that they have been given to speak more and make more positive changes. It is okay to have controversial conversations about butt enhancing surgeries and private jet acquisition, we know that is partly what keeps their social media popularity going, but if they can give the same energy and attention when advocating for causes, then there will be a balance and the world will be a better place.

Giving up

Yes there has been several moments when I have wanted to throw in the socks. Entrepreneurship is a lonely road and sometimes you are no longer sure of what the vision and motivation is exactly. Again, once you have the right foundation and build your business through the ropes, it is easy to pick up the pieces and find a way around it; this has been my case, I did not “blow” suddenly or get lucky, I worked and prayed my way to where I am currently so for every blockade that comes my way, I find the strength, pick myself up, look back at how I resolved situations successfully in the past and do so all over again.

There was a particular time I invested in several projects and while waiting for returns on investment, one of my projects crashed. It was a very tough period for us. Scheduled cash inflows were delayed and operatios became very tough. I gradually fell into depression but still had to show up daily at work seeming confident, with prayers and proper strategy, overhauling my system and pushing forward, things stabilised and business picked up.

Who and what inspire me to be better
Myself in the mirror and my endless list of responsibilities..lol.. My family and my children in the orphanage who believe so much in me and think that I am a heroine or some sort of super human; everyone who has ever believed in me at one time or the other, and the thought of failure.

Being a woman of Rubies
I will rather leave this question for you and your readers to decide if I had my way. I think my ability to be sincere with myself about who I am and make an effort to be better while helping other people become better versions of themselves maybe a plus

Advice for young women who want to go into the advocacy and development sector
Yes. They must be well armed psychologically and spiritually. They must never compromise their principles for material things, your integrity is pretty much all you have got as an advocate, and even more as a woman we are role models and supposed to set the pace for the rest of the world to follow, do not ruin it. Finally, create time for yourself to relax and exhale because passionate advocacy could be very demanding and it is easy to get drowned in your passion and forget to live a little.
In the development sector on the other hand, you need to learn to give up yourself to develop others and this is usually very time demanding. You will be misjudged, trampled, disregarded; your magnanimity will be mistaken for stupidity and you will meet with a high level of ingratitude: through all of these, keep your eyes on the goal because when things begin to fall in place, you will realise that it was worth it all. There is no work that is easy, from brick-laying to General Managers, everyone comes with its pros and cons.

Wisdom nuggets for women
1) Financial independence is a must, never underestimate the importance of financial independence. You have so much to offer the world, do not let anyone convince you that it ends in the kitchen and labour room.
2) Stop trying to put other women down, they are not your competition, they are your support system. Hold each other’s hands and it will be a lot easier to move up.
3) Attitude is everything, talent will get you to the door but the right attitude will get you inside. You can get whatever you want out of anyone in the world with the right attitude.
4) If a man is violent, get away as fast and as far as you can from his life, at times separation helps both parties appreciate each other better. Do not stay there and die, I have lost a sister to an abusive marriage and I know how quickly it can happen.
In all remember: IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING

by
Keep Reading

©2025. WomenofRubies. All Rights Reserved.