Blessing Abeng is a Nigerian branding and communications professional, co-founder of the ed-tech nonprofit organization, Ingressive for Good, and co-founder of Disha. “I am all about democratising knowledge and being a catalyst to make people’s lives better” 

Known as a multipotentialite who expresses her talents to make lives better, she helps individuals and businesses discover and communicate their value propositions to their target audience. 

Her work with Ingressive for Good is geared towards empowering young people in Africa with tech skills, community and resources, thereby increasing their earning power and connecting them to jobs. The organization, partnering with global establishments like Facebook, Coursera, and Datacamp has trained 150,000 Africans in relevant tech skills. “So far, we have built a community of almost a quarter of a million in less than two years.”

Taking us through her career path, Blessing says “I started out wanting to become a Doctor. A Neurosurgeon specifically.” She tells us that she has always wanted to save lives, so she took a Pre-Med course, Biochemistry, at a Nigerian university. She realized, however, during her internship year that becoming a biochemist (or a doctor) did not stoke any fires of passion in her and she started looking for other ways to save lives.

“I found Branding and Communications. A friend of mine suggested it to me after she saw the marketing plan of a Business plan I wrote.” She says, noting that it wasn’t a popular field at the time. 

She enrolled at Orange Academy, a Branding school in Lagos, Nigeria and from there worked at an agency where she had the opportunity to work with local and multinational companies across industries. “I noticed that these big companies spent a lot of money on branding and marketing. And I wondered, ‘Small businesses who don’t have money, how will they compete?’.”

Realizing that there was a knowledge gap between African founders who were building outstanding businesses and storytelling to their audiences, she decided( with her partner) to build Startup Grind Lagos, a small startup community where she curated intimate events to educate, inspire and connect founders.

She went on to start her own Branding and Communications agency and began creating online content to educate founders and business owners on the topic.

Then Disha happened. The tech product which got acquired by African unicorn, Flutterwave is a product for creators started by her friend who invited her to join as a co-founder. “We created something amazing, built a wonderful community, and scaled fast, and it was acquired by Flutterwave.”

She moved on to becoming one of the founding members and co-founder of Ingressive for Good, the Edtech nonprofit. She shares that the organization started because there was a talent deficit problem in the tech ecosystem. The African tech-sphere has evolved over the last two decades with startups emerging and tech giants moving to the continent, but there was a lack of qualified talent to match this development. On the other hand, many young people had a sharp interest to upskill in tech but found it very unaffordable. She says that Ingressive for Good was created to bridge that gap.

 “We want to increase people’s economic power, and tech is providing us with a way to do that.” She states citing global partners who agree that Ingressive for Good’s solution is one that benefits the tech ecosystem and continent at large. 

Talking about the I4G team, she says, “My team members are so inspiring to work with. They live the mission and take it really personally. You should see them interacting with the community. They do it because they love it, they get it, and they motivate me with their dedication. I love every single one of them. We are a small team doing mighty work!”

She confides in us about challenges she has faced, mentioning a particular one in 2020 when the organization couldn’t find a donor to back them “We were just starting, but we had $0.” 

She explains that they realized they had to prove that the cause was a meaningful one worth fighting for and decided to do it with a pilot program. Through a partnership with Coursera who gave them 5000 licenses, they ran the program and got a surprising turnout of 20,000 applications. She says to make the most of that opportunity, they had to watch closely to replace people who were not taking advantage of the courses with a different set of people.

“The success stories from that program were massive! One of the beneficiaries of that program is currently in a mid-level role at Kuda. He got a job there after this program. The pilot program was such a success that we surpassed all of our pilot goals, and after that, people opened their arms to us.” She shares, mentioning that they were able to get more partnerships and donations to make even more impact. 

Blessing cites the impact as the most accomplishing part of her career. “Everything I have been part of has been a vessel of impact.” She mentions her agency that impacted hundreds of African businesses, Startup Grind that impacted 10,000 entrepreneurs and Ingressive for Good that has helped 150,000 young Africans successfully transition into tech.

“People’s lives have changed in diverse ways with stories of people finding hope and happiness again. Going from being a labourer, a painter, a soap maker, to becoming a designer, a software developer, it is so inspiring.”

Her advice to young people looking to start a career in tech is, “Tech is a leveler. It doesn’t care about your age, race, gender, country, or anything like that. It only cares about your skills, and the beautiful thing about skills is they can be developed with practice. You just have to start. Find your path. Don’t limit yourself with things you don’t have. Use what you have now to start and more resources will come to get you to the next level”

Blessing ends the interview with a word to her younger self, “Experiment more. The goal of an experiment is not to be right but to discover. In the world of experimentation, there’s no failure, only discoveries.”

What major challenges have you faced as an entrepreneur?

How did attending ELP impact your business? And how will you put what you’ve learned into your business?

You are one of the awardees of the business grant. How did you feel when your name was announced?

How will that grant help your business?

Thank you leading ladies Africa

Thank you Coca-Cola foundation

Thank you edojobs

Edobagmaker and ZONE A Creations are grateful

In your own words, who is Osayi Alile and what drives you? 

I am a mother, sister, friend and ardent believer in positive change. I am very passionate about the social sector as I believe strongly that impact must be made rapidly and consistently in a bid to foster development. Throughout my career from program management, learning and development to impact consulting the need for an indigenous grant-making organization was apparent.

Hence, I discovered that the non-profit sector could serve as a significant platform for rewriting the story of the continent and its people while positively influencing lives. I am constantly driven to pursue a purpose that will create opportunities to empower people who have no means of achieving what they want out of life. 

Amazing! You are the CEO of Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation (also known as ACT Foundation), can you share a little about the work you do? 

ACT Foundation supports sustainable high-impact initiatives that provide innovative solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges in Africa. Since its inception, ACT Foundation has committed to bridging the economic and social deficits in the African continent by promoting sustainability programs that revolve around the four pillars of health, entrepreneurship and leadership. 

That’s interesting! Why the specific focus on Africa? 

Our decision on where to focus our support was driven by the pressing needs of the continent. Up until recently, Africa had been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – poverty, conflict, corruption, lack of leadership and the likes. Despite being home to some of the world’s largest deposits of natural resources and a large and growing youth population, Africa is yet to live up to its full potential. For Africa to change its fortunes, we believe that the continent must look within and make significant investments in education, health, enterprise development, environmental sustainability and leadership specifically.

The time has come for action-based initiatives on changing the African narrative. The world must see Africa for what it is; a land of enormous resources and potential. At ACT Foundation, our goal is to build sustainable societies by engaging initiatives that unleash potential and empowers beneficiaries in Africa. Over the years, we have seen a constant need to create and support ecosystems for businesses and innovation to thrive in Africa, therefore providing better solutions to challenges faced on the continent. We recognize the need for an indigenous grant-making organization that will play a significant role in positively changing the African narrative. 

Who would you say are some of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of the programs and projects ACT Foundation supports? 

Since our inception, ACT Foundation has managed to reach over 2 million beneficiaries from African communities through social impact solutions and initiatives in the focus areas of Health, Entrepreneurship, Environment and Leadership. The beneficiaries that ACT Foundation reaches represent the most vulnerable and marginalized of people in society. For example, within our focus area of health, we have impacted cancer survivors and health professionals, visually impaired people, low-income pregnant women, traditional birth attendants and individuals suffering from neglected tropical diseases. In our focus area of entrepreneurship, we have reached beneficiaries that are rural, smallholder farmers, unemployed young people, socially-disadvantaged women and girls, and business persons with disabilities. We have also managed to impact students, teachers and young entrepreneurs in the focus areas of environment and leadership. All these examples represent just a glimpse of the type of beneficiaries that we have impacted within the past 5 years.

Now let’s dial back a little bit. What sparked your interest in the Social Impact and Development sector? 

From a young age, I had always wanted to do good wherever I found myself. However, furthering my education opened my mind to a new level of consciousness. Hence, I discovered that the non-profit sector could serve as a significant platform for rewriting the story of a continent and its people while positively impacting lives. Ever since, I have been interested in fostering development in every area I have been opportune to be a part of, especially with regard to growth and empowerment. 

Do you ever get jaded or discouraged sometimes? 

I have been discouraged but never felt like quitting. To pick myself back up, I try to focus on the impact I see that we can have and the success of the work me and my team have had. It’s really about changing lives so I try to keep that in perspective always. I have also learnt to be my own cheerleader – believe in yourself, hype yourself, blow your own horn. I have a strong network of friends and family to rely on. 

Tell us about your team at ACT Foundation — how do their roles tie into the overall vision of the Foundation?

The vision of ACT Foundation is too big a dream to accomplish alone. As we know, teamwork makes the dream work. Leading the organization for over five years, I have been privileged to work with very skilled and seasoned professionals that make up the composition of unit leads and members at the Foundation. These units include the Programs unit, Communications and Branding, Administrations, Human Resources (HR), and every support staff working with us and together to create effective social impact in Africa. Knitted together as a team, we work together to ensure the growth and sustainability of grantee organizations and together create effective social impact across Africa.

A lot of young women (and men) see you as a role model — what tips would you give those who are looking to build a solid career like you’ve done? 

Leading in such a time as the one we find ourselves in is very crucial. As young, emerging leaders you need to find more innovative and creative ways to do things and prepare yourself for true leadership. In every situation we find ourselves, at work, in our day-to-day lives, in school, at home, we must always push for balance. Equal does not mean identical, equality is not equity – remember everyone has a right to choose, choose who they want to be, choose what they want to do. You have to be confident and own your personality, flaws, and all. You need to set goals and be committed in improving yourself and the lives of those around you.

TIPS

Set Clear Goals And Action Plans To Achieve Them. Goals, action plans and tracking are all areas a confident woman understands and uses well. 

Monitor Your Progress. The best way to reach your goals, big or small, is break them into smaller goals and to monitor your progress. Whether you’re trying to get promoted, get a better job, get into graduate school, change careers, eat healthier or lose 10 pounds, the best way to know if you’re making progress is to monitor it.

Find guidance. Mentorship is so important as you build your career. The right mentor can bring enough experience and knowledge, so you won’t make the same mistakes they did. Guidance can be offered as advice on how they handled similar issues in the past or red flags to pay attention to.

Constant Learning, Knowledge and Training. Learning and research can help us to feel more confident about our ability to handle situations, roles and tasks. Knowing what to expect and how and why things are done will add to your awareness and usually make you feel more prepared and ultimately more

Use Positive Thinking and Words. Positive thought can be a very powerful way of improving confidence. If you believe that you can achieve something then you are likely to work hard to make sure you do if, however, you don’t believe that you can accomplish a task then you are more likely to approach it half-heartedly and therefore be more likely to fail. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence” -Helen Keller. As a woman you should constantly use positive words in conversations to build yourself and others up. You don’t have to put other people down in order for you to feel good about yourself.

Find your leadership style. What is your preferred leadership style? Do you ask others for their opinions? Do you tell everyone what to do and how you expect them to do it? Do you lead from the front? Do you worry about where your team is headed and whether there is a clear vision ahead? You’ll gain great insight into your preferred style of leadership by taking a few minutes to introspectively think about these questions. 

Improve on Your Communication Skills. Even someone who excels in many aspects of leadership will hit a ceiling if he or she is not a good communicator. Starting now, you should aim to communicate properly with everyone on your team, so nothing gets misunderstood or misinterpreted. Do you excel at written reports, but clam up when it’s time to speak during a meeting? Alternatively, are you a natural when it comes to conversation—but secretly worried that your lack of grammar know-how will hold you back? Instead of relying on your strong suit, improve whatever area of your communication skills is lacking.

Develop situational awareness. A mark of a good leader is someone who can see the bigger picture, and anticipate problems before they occur. This is a valuable skill to have when handling complex projects with tight deadlines. The ability to foresee and provide suggestions for avoiding potential problems is invaluable for a leader. This ability also helps you recognize opportunities that others overlook, which will certainly earn you recognition.

Build a supportive network. You can’t create a successful career in a vacuum. Seek advice from mentors and sponsors. Look for powerful female role models and observe how they exhibit executive presence. Build mutually beneficial relationships with people you can help and who, in turn, champion your ideas, provide advice and the information you need to be successful.

What are your views on mentorship, and are mentors an important part of one’s life/career journey? 

Developing professional relationships can be life-changing. A mentor/mentee relationship can be beneficial, engaging and energizing. Mentors are very important because they hold you accountable and can guide you through making decisions to avoid mistakes. Mentors use their knowledge and experience to help mentees develop a clear sense of their career and personal goals. I believe mentors are invaluable resources and advocates that can change the course of your career. A mentor/mentee relationship is not a one a way street —both parties will benefit from each other’s experiences, ways of thinking, educational backgrounds, etc. So, you shouldn’t think by taking the time to mentor someone, you stand to lose. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Mentors and mentees often learn from each other and share some of the same benefits such as increased self-confidence and self-awareness, in addition to growing communication skills and exposure to new, different, and varying perspectives.

Looking forward to the next 5 years — what do you see for yourself professionally and personally? 

In the next five years, I want to see myself as more responsible, knowledgeable and experienced. I will make sure that I explore skills and used opportunities so that I can contribute and share my knowledge, see myself learning and growing with every experience and last of course want to be happy.

As an organization geared towards sustainable impact, ACT Foundation hopes to build more effective partnerships across all sectors providing and promoting positive change in Africa. To this end, Africa led by ACT Foundation would be at the forefront of providing innovative, sustainable solutions to the various socio-economic challenges in our continent while also being able to have impacted more lives in Africa.

Tell us about yourself.

I am Oluwasola Obagbemi, a wife, a mum to two adorable children and a Public Relations and Communications professional with over 10 years of experience.

I started my career at Red Media Africa as a Communication Associate working closely with Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams for seven years, where I developed competencies in Public Relations, event management and business development. I left RED as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Senior Account Manager for various brands before joining Andela (a software engineering company) in 2018 as the Communications Manager for Nigeria.

Six months after leading PR efforts with my fantastic team that significantly increased the brand’s visibility and awareness, I was promoted to build and lead the comms team in Africa. As Senior Comms Manager for Africa at Andela, I worked with the best team across Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana to tell the Andela story to Africans and the world. I transitioned from Andela in 2020 to my current role at Meta as the Corporate Communication Manager for Anglophone West Africa.

I also hold a master’s degree in Communications Studies from the University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana (2012-2013), with a major in Public Relations and Advertising. I am also a certified member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and a certified management consultant and a fellow of International Management Consultants (FIMC, CMC). I am very passionate about the girl child, and I have championed causes to promote equality and inclusion for women. I am also a very vocal advocate for women rising to the peak of their careers while having a work-life balance.

It’s interesting to see how far you’ve come; please tell us what your experience being the Corporate Communications Manager for Anglophone West Africa at Meta has been like.

It’s interesting when I hear people say, ‘Sola, you’ve indeed steadily climbed through the corporate ladder’. However, thinking about it now and looking back, I am very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with the best team members throughout my career journey.

About my experience in my current role, I have always loved the Meta brand (formerly called Facebook), I was the senior account manager for the brand when I was on the agency side at Red Media Africa, so it’s been rewarding to be a voice for the brand in my region and overseeing the brand’s external communication in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia. I have loved every bit of my days here since I joined in 2020. I feel privileged to be a part of the team leading the drive to connect communities and empower creators and entrepreneurs doing fantastic work across Africa.

I look forward to telling more stories of African content creators and small business owners leveraging Meta’s technologies to scale their businesses or earn a living.

What are the significant challenges you’ve faced while climbing this ladder of success? 

People don’t believe me when I say I struggle with imposter syndrome, but I am forever grateful for my husband’s role when I go back to doubting myself and asking how I got here in the first place. I am one of those that actually “Do it afraid”. My major challenge is not paying attention to the hard work I put in when delivering on anything I have committed to doing and just doubting and asking myself how I got here.

The good thing is, I am wiser now; I have grown past that and am now in a phase of self-realization and confidence that I am incredibly great at what I do, and I strive harder every day to be a better version of myself.

Another major challenge I have faced not in my current role but previous jobs is always to show the value of communication and strive to get a seat at the table, especially when decisions are being made. The same applied when I was on the agency side; the primary struggle was having the smallest budget for PR while looking at the enormous figures for other agencies when activating on the same campaign. Grateful that I work with a company that knows the value of comms, understands why there is a need to have a seat on the table and appreciates the hard work we put into building the brand image and reputation.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

Searching for stories of Africans that have not been told and pitching to have them profiled on a global map.

I love telling untold stories, and I do that almost daily. Sometimes, I go back to some of the campaigns we’ve worked on, and I smile watching the videos because these stories keep me going and keep my fire burning.

If you were to transit into any other occupation, what would it be?

Now, this is a tricky one, maybe acting.

I studied Dramatic Arts as my undergrad at Obafemi Awolowo University and majored in acting. I got the award of the best upcoming actress of the year when I joined my first year and have played several lead roles, including “Karina” in Ola Rotimi’s “Man Talk, Woman Talk”.

I love stage plays; I love acting on stage, and I love memorizing my long lines. I am a thespian, but I haven’t just had time to follow through – maybe I need to go and sit down with Lala Akindoju. When I go to TeraKulture to watch the stage plays, a part of me keeps saying this can be done as a side hustle, but I don’t know that I have the time for that now.

If I one day must take a break from Communications, I bet you will see me on screen/stage acting or teaching drama.

You’re a mum and a lovely wife. How have you been able to balance work life as well as family life? 

Again, I get asked this a lot, mainly because I spend a better part of my spare time helping my circle of mentees.

The one thing that has helped me is getting a support system that works for me. The one thing that I know is that I have a goal of developing an identity and personal interests outside of work. I am not great at multitasking, even if my husband thinks I am the best multi-tasker in life. I tune in and out of each phase and get all the help I can get to make me perform optimally at home. In the last three years, I have learnt to outsource the work that doesn’t need my attention and supervision so I can have quality time to spend on the things that genuinely make me happy and irreplaceable.

People say there isn’t a work-life balance, but I want to continue to advocate for women and let them know that career doesn’t have to halt because of motherhood and vice versa. With the help of God, a unique and supportive partner and the right support system at home – you can single all, and before you know it, you are winning on all fronts.

What would you say to your younger self?

Thank you for staying laser-focused on what you want out of life from your second year in university.

Thank you for doing all those internships across PR and Advertising companies, for not taking the fascinating teaching job at that private secondary school and for just going straight for your master’s because you already knew you wouldn’t like book again.

Thank you, young Sola, for creating your standards without being bothered about what was happening around you. In the end, it turned out just OK; all your worries about not wanting to disappoint mum and dad are now a thing of the past.

The world is your oyster, and the sky is the beginning. Reach for the stars, baby girl. Finally, you can build solid relationships virtually; oh yes, you can – wait till the pandemic, you’ll see what I am talking about.

Photo credit : Media Room Hub

Taaooma whose real name is Apaokagi Adedoyin Maryam is a popular Nigerian online comedian, content creator, and cinematographer from Kwara State known for her comedy style of making jest of typical Nigerian mothers.

First #LLA100Women2020 Honoree and now Media Room Hub Cover Girl, Taaooma talks about a range of things, from her skills, to her businesses, life and thoughts on major issues such as rape culture. See snippet below:

Media Room Hub: What’s your take on the rape culture?
Taaooma: I’m saying no to rape, I don’t even like the word, I dont like the conversation about it because I can beat you if you try to defend a rapist. Also I feel like 95 percent of girls right now have been sexually harassed before or even raped one way or the other so we all have something to say and we are going to fight it. We faced it but our children are not going to face it.

Click here for the full interview

Congratulations to this star girl ????

Source: @mediahubroom_ @taaooma

Photo Credit: Lilian Oparaji

Lilian Oparaji is the chief principal stylist at SimplyLil Clothes and more, where she creates sophisticated and classy styling for the modern woman on a budget. She is a foremost an International Certified image consultant based but not limited to Port Harcourt. She is an advocate of styling women according to their body types, her famous lines  “You don’t have to be naked to be stylish” and  “ dress the way you want to be addressed“  stems from her desire to promote more body confidence in the everyday woman. She also teaches women how to live life more Intentionally outside the roles they play as wives, mothers, sisters and so on.

For over a decade she has built and sustained a career in fashion retail, personal styling , personal shopping, corporate image branding and consultation and a successful interior design business.

What does Entrepreneurship mean to you?

What does Entrepreneurship mean to me? It means doing what I love while getting paid for it.

One of your favourite quotes/taglines is “BE INTENTIONAL!” Can you shed more light on this topic?

Being INTENTIONAL. It means living life and not existing, Living outside the roles I play as a mother, wife, daughter, stylist and all. It means living my life in such a way I fulfill that which God has called me to be, living in his purpose and dying empty.

What inspired you to establish the SIMPLY LIL SPEAKS STYLE BRAND and  what 3 greatest lessons you have learned on your business journey/while building a global brand?

Simply Lil Speaks Style was born after I finished my business session with my coach turned friend Steve Harris, the need to stand out from the regular boutique seller, and so I decided to take international classes and be certified.

3 business lessons?

1. 1. To keep pushing because most people around you can’t see your vision
   2. To always trust in God even if it sounds stupid to you
   3. You have to put in the work

   Can you share some entrepreneurship myths you have encountered on your journey?

2. 1. No one will buy it
   2. You need a huge capital
   3. You have to have a store

Your 3 top recommendations for women in our community who’d like to become Image Consultants & Stylists?

1. Learn and keep learning
2. You have to believe in yourself
3. Respect yourself enough to know when to say No because everyone isn’t your client

The Lady Boss Series is a weekly interview series that highlights the achievements and entrepreneurial journeys of African female entrepreneurs. The idea is to showcase the Leading Ladies who are transforming Africa and the African narrative through enterprise and business.

It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa, a non-profit that promotes leadership, inclusion and diversity for women of African descent.

If you know any kick-ass women of African Descent doing phenomenal things in enterprise, email lead@leadingladiesafrica.org, and she could possibly be featured.

Photo Credit: Tolulope Tunde- Ajiboye

Tolulope Tunde – Ajiboye is a dynamic speaker and Founder of Blooming Amazons  Ministry (BLAM), a for-purpose ministry that is focused on supporting women to  discover and live in the reality of being ALL that God has called them to be. With the Platform BLAM, she organizes conferences and seminars for young women particularly between the ages of 22 and 40 for knowledge impartation and spiritual nourishment with the aim of challenging them to live up to their full potential and contribute their quota to transforming the societies and the world at large. 

In June 2018, Tolulope Tunde-Ajiboye was named Next Generation Female Leader by African women in leadership organization amongst several awards, recognition, and feature on National dailies. Her recently published book “Undaunted” has been christened the testament of God’s love and His redemptive ability to wield our pains, mistakes, betrayals and build a masterpiece out of it. Her life’s goal is to stir up an awakening in women, both young and old to live at their best. 

Tell us about, Tolulope Tunde – Ajiboye?

First of all, I’m a Jesus Girl. Wife, Mother, Banker, Entrepreneur (Events Planner). I’m also the founder of Blooming Amazons BLAM.

Can you share with us what Blooming Amazons Ministry (BLAM) is all about? 

Blooming Amazons is a Faith based Non- Profit that encourages young women to live their best lives inspite of their past, present or the odds that might be against them. We achieve this by organizing conferences and seminars, where we have inspiring women who have walked the path share their own journey to becoming the “success” they are today. It’s also a platform for purposeful networking, support and community engagement.

Photo Credit: Tolulope Tunde- Ajiboye

Motivation and Inspiration behind founding BLAM?

I would like to say BLAM is a call, without sounding spooky, I believe It’s an assignment God has given me. There’s a need for the right kind of mentorship in my Generation and I have been raised to be bridge that gap at a time such as this.

Measured impact and achievements since BLAM was founded?

We have been able to touch thousands of lives through our conferences both online and offline, many of whom are walking in purpose now, we also have a community where they can fall back to for encourage and mentorship.

Photo Credit: Tolulope Tunde- Ajiboye

Challenges and Lessons learnt

One major Challenge was Fear. How was it going to be, what if I don’t get the desired response, so many “what ifs” , but I have learnt that courage is not the absent fear, it’s taking necessary actions inspite of what we feel. The courageous might not live forever but the fearful don’t live at all. We all need some degree of courage to live a purposeful life.

There are also the naysayers and those who literally want to just tear you down, but this is where focus comes in. I see naysayers as distractions and we need not pay too much attention to them. We should be so consumed in living a full life that we don’t have the luxury of time to whine over them.

I look back today and wonder what would have happened if I didn’t step out in obedience walking on water; that’s the thing, you never know what is on the other side of your obedience and the so many other lives tied to it until you obey.

Memorable moments and highlight in the course of your journey with BLAM?

The most memorable moments and highlights of this journey would have to be the very first conference. I was obviously trembling, like if you came close to me, you would have seen me shaking, but I still forged ahead. We had it at Shehu Musa Yaradua Centre, one of the most sort after event centres here in Abuja, Hall was full to capacity and running over, the support, the good-will was overwhelming and most importantly the feedbacks. I was so thankful I didn’t let fear stop me.

Another highlight was hosting Mrs Ibukun Awosika, I mean, she’s one woman I admire so much and when I had the nudge to ask her to speak at our conference, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Especially because I had quite a number of older platforms say they had tried to get her speak on their platform but her schedule hasn’t been able to accommodate it, then we lived in different cities, but then again, I reached out anyway.

You can imagine the joy when I got a call from her office to say she had received my letter and would be glad to be a part of the work we are doing.

Photo Credit: Tolulope Tunde- Ajiboye

What is most fulfilling about the impact you make and your thoughts about fears and giving up?

For me fulfillment is seeing that other women are able to launch out because I gave them the courage to. We must never ever, I will say that again in CAPS, WE MUST NEVER EVER GIVE UP. Nothing worthwhile comes easy, ask anyone who is doing anything significant in any sector at all, they will tell you they had several reasons to give up, but chose not to.

Our lives are truly not ours, but a gift from God and what we do with it is our gift back to Him.

With how far you’ve come, and your success, what achievements do you hope for in the next 5 years?

Hmmmm, as unconventional as this might sound, I honest don’t have a five-year plan. My life is totally surrendered to the one who owns it and I will have do what He will have me do with it. Off course, I can trust that His plans for me are of good and not evil to  bring me to an expected end.

Photo Credit: Tolulope Tunde- Ajiboye

Can you share briefly, some women you consider mentors?

I love Michelle Obama, Ibukun Awosika, Tara Durotoye to mention a few. I’m purposeful about living a life of balance, and these women represent that for me.

Do you have a life philosophy, personal mantra perhaps that keeps you steady when the going gets tough?

Yes I have 2; one my husband schooled me on, which is never toll the path of least resistance. This is to say don’t back off at the face of opposition.

The other is: Undaunted which happens to be the title of my book. Living the life you were created to live in spite of the challenges and set-backs against you.

Photo Credit: Tolulope Tunde- Ajiboye

Your thoughts on the importance of community impact?

No community can really thrive depending only of government. It’s easy to criticize, but we all have to contribute our quota to making our community what we want it to be. We can’t keep passing the ball. We have to take ownership. A light bulb in gross darkness can’t do much but when we all bring our light bulbs together, there is no darkness we can’t overcome. We are not called to shine differently but collectively.

The LLA Grassroot Series is a monthly interview series that highlights the achievements and journey of African female who has demonstrated exemplary initiative at the grassroots level.

The vision is to showcase the Leading Ladies who are transforming Africa and the African narrative through impact at the community level.

It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa, a non-profit that promotes leadership, inclusion and diversity for women of African descent.

If you know any kick-ass women of African Descent doing phenomenal things at the grassroots level, email lead@leadingladiesafrica.org, and she could possibly be featured.

Photo credit: Marie Ndow

Marie Ndow AKA Doseofafriqa, is a 25-year-old entrepreneur, mum & wife,  who was born in the Gambia but grew up in the UK. A graduate of the University of Bedfordshire with a Health & Socialcare degree. She started  MN Beauty Group about three years ago and by November 2019, her Celebrity Palette was nominated at the UK Beauty Awards with OK magazine and won the “highly recommended product” category. Here’s to every African woman and entrepreneur, read up and be inspired just as we are.

A brief Introduction on the person behind “MN beauty group and DoseofAfriqa”

My name is Marie Ndow AKA Doseofafriqa, a 25-year-old entrepreneur, mum & wife, I was born in the Gambia but grew up in the UK, I graduated from the University of Bedfordshire with a Health & Socialcare degree. I started a beauty brand almost three years ago, MN Beauty. In November 2019, my Celebrity Palette was nominated at the UK Beauty Awards with OK magazine and won the “highly recommended product” category, since then, the business has been great. I thank God!

The MN Beauty Group is a UK based brand, specialising in beauty products, currently, we have a wide range of beauty products, these include MN Beauty products, TrendMarc Lashes and will be introducing another game-changing product to be lunched soon! hopefully, after the current pandemic is over. I have an amazing team behind all this and I couldn’t have done this on my own without their tremendous hard work and support. I am the CEO “Marie Ndow” and the person behind DoseofAfriqa.

Background story and Inspiration to Founding ” MN Beauty & DoseofAfriqa” and what they are all about?

It has been such a magical story. About 5 years ago, I used to buy crayons from Poundland and use them to mix different colours In the cooking pot, I just had a baby then and I didn’t even know what I was doing, all I knew was it’s something I enjoyed, testing different colours out for my “future makeup brand”- just after that I started looking for investors on gumtree because I couldn’t afford to start anything on my own. I came across a potential investor but he was more interested in having a relationship with me than investing in my business ideas, so I stopped communicating with him. Fast-forward two years later, I came across another individual, he was like God sent to me, his name is Tendai (deceased) he was the CEO of English Rose Care, a care agency in the UK.

I applied for a receptionist role and he took me in, he said regardless of my qualifications, he wants me to work alongside him sometimes too when he’s going to care for some people, he never told me why, I never asked, because I didn’t want to lose the job, I accepted. That very first day we were going on our first call, he started asking me questions like what I want to be etc, I told him, a businesswoman. Tendai started guiding me and he wanted me to see the other side of life, people dying (they were all end of life) I didn’t understand why and I just kept going with him to work. Months later, Tendai said he wanted me to see that side of life because he wanted me to know that I have an opportunity in life, being young and being able to be on my feet, I can do anything I want, Tendai then gave me a startup capital to buy my first batch of products, they were private labelled and the MOQ’s (minimum order quantity) was always high, so it was a bit of money. I got the first batch and they sold out, some within weeks, others within months. Tendai continued guiding me and I was very excited about the business. I went back to the Gambia and officially launched the business. Two years later, we won the most recommended new eye product and he was so happy, I couldn’t contain my excitement and I was also grateful, for him.

Shortly after that, Tendai was fighting a battle I knew nothing about, cancer, and a few months ago, he peacefully passed away. May God bless his soul, Ameen. He was my guardian angel and he stood by me and helped me when I needed it most. He has always been there for me until I met my husband but shortly after I got married, his life was cut short because of Cancer. MN Beauty started because of him, The MN Beauty Group will go on in honour of him!

Doseofafriqa is just my social media name, it started when I did a photoshoot and it was pretty much like an African vibe shoot, someone commented “you are literally giving us a dose of africa” I fell in love with that statement and made it my new social media name!

Photo credit: Marie Ndow

What has been the Highlight for you since you founded your businesses and how would you describe work for you during the pandemic?

The highlight for me would definitely be being nominated at the UK Beauty Awards last year with Ok magazine, winning it was the biggest shock but the biggest moment.

Work during this pandemic hasn’t been any different, which is a bit strange because I had thought people won’t have time for makeup to be buying our products but I was wrong.

How do you handle running your business successfully in this social climate and what Is your mission?

Recently, I have understood instagram much more than I used to be, which is the platform I use more to promote the brand and engage with customers. Social media is powerful and it’s amazing the things that can be achieved with one click!

My mission is to get the brand loved, I’d rather have 1000 people love the brand than have 2000 people know the brand. To love the brand, you’re likely to come back, to know it alone, won’t be as beneficial. 

Photo credit: Marie Ndow

How do you stay innovative?

Through strategy innovation (organisational growth strategies, collaborations and networking)

Business model innovation (New ways of selling, pricing, and packaging products or services)

Product service innovation (new product designs)

Marketing innovation (Use of social media and other new marketing channels)

Organisational innovation (New forms of motivation, communication and teamwork)

Your Plans for “Dose of Afriqa & MN beauty group” In Five Years?

Doseofafriqa- I plan to be a very successful entrepreneur and be a role model for women all over.

MN Group- I want MN Beauty to be a huge name and a business to be proud of.

Photo credit: Marie Ndow

Challenges on your journey and Lessons…

It’s hard to start and run a business with all the competitions now a days but the biggest lesson I have learnt is that to be successful you have to fail several times.

Upcoming projects and what you hope to achieve

I was just about to launch a brandnew product for the MN Beauty Group, I’m excited about this one and I know it’ll be a game-changer.

Photo credit: Marie Ndow

Tips on how you handle when the going gets tough?

Always have faith, always believe in yourself and always believe that God wanted it to happen that way. Nothing good comes easy and nothing easy is as good. 

Final words to women in our community 

Believe in yourself, go for what you believe in, go for what you want and always know that you can achieve anything you want, speak it into existence, then into experience! You got this

The Lady Boss Series is a weekly interview series that highlights the achievements and entrepreneurial journeys of African female entrepreneurs. The idea is to showcase the Leading Ladies who are transforming Africa and the African narrative through enterprise and business.

It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa, a non-profit that promotes leadership, inclusion and diversity for women of African descent.

If you know any kick-ass women of African Descent doing phenomenal things in enterprise, email lead@leadingladiesafrica.org, and she could possibly be featured.

Photo Credit: Sana Afouai

Sana Afouaiz is an award-winning, gender expert, women advocate, and public speaker on feminism and women issues. She is author of “Invisible Women of the Middle East”. She has spoken in 40 countries at universities, panel discussions and international events.

In 2016, she established Womenpreneur Initiative, an organisation with a community of 10,000 across 20 countries, that aims to advance women’s place in entrepreneurial scene, technology, innovation & society. Through her work, Sana reached thousands of women, to drive visibility, social impact, and resources for women in the ecosystem and beyond.

For the past 6 years, Sana advised United Nations, European Commission, corporate institutions and organisations on gender issues. She was heavily involved in SDGs discussions, she helped drafting several resolutions and recommendations on gender in New York, Bali, Geneva, and Paris and presented to UN representatives.

Background story and Inspiration to Founding ” Womenpreneur Initiative“ and what this initiative is all about?

My name is Sana Afouaiz, I am the Founder and Director of Womenpreneur Organization, which is basically an organization that supports women economically speaking. We try to empower women to have a mindset of innovating and creating for the future. We work in more than 20 countries, focusing on the East North Africa region, we have since 2016 empowered more than 10, 000 women, we help them by creating their own initiatives, projects through different empowerment tools and we are also working on challenging the changing mindset of society that has use women in a traditional way. We are using entrepreneurship as a tool and our objective is the empowerment, freedom, and independence of women.

Before establishing the organization, I travelled to more than 50 countries exploring the situation, the issues of women in different countries. I worked for International organizations like the UN and the EU, I actually started my journey as a blogger, I was basically collecting stories of social injustices and I was doing social complaints against gender discriminatory laws, including my own country Morocco. We had the law that allowed the rapist to get married to its victims, so I did a quite extensive complaint against that, some for my blog and some complaining in different countries, I also had the experience and the opportunity of travelling to different countries exploring different situations. Then I decided to establish my own organization. I also published up the middle east where I basically tell stories of women that I met and interviewed in the middle east who share their perspective on the gender views and ideas that explain the issues that they are going through.

What has been the Highlight for you since you founded Womenpreneur Initiative and how would you describe work for you during the pandemic?

This is a very important question, I think working in this field is definitely very challenging, when we try to operate in certain countries, the issue is not just empowering women to learn new skills, establish their own initiative and projects, you find yourself dealing with gender discriminatory laws, you find yourself dealing with traditions, cultures, in situations, some women cannot come to take part in a training or a program because they should not be mixed with other men. Then you have the whole, the environment, the perspective, the way society see women. The self-perception that makes women not be in the front line, this mindset blocks them from exploring different opportunities, possibilities etc. so I think one major challenge for us is the challenge in the change of this mindset.

How do you handle running your business successfully in this social clime and what Is your mission?

The corona virus really hit us badly and I think that is the case of everyone. We had different plans and projects that was supposed to be launched in March but then the crisis happened and everyone was locked down so we had to cancel and postpone different projects. But actually that period was also good and a reflective period for us because we had to adjust to the change and come up with new innovative projects, we just launched recently a call for applications online program to support women during the crisis. At the same time, the crisis was a good reflective moment for us to explain how important it is to work on gender  issues because the crisis is going to cause a lot of job loss worldwide and a lot of these jobs are held by women.

Photo Credit: Sana Afouaiz

In addition to the crisis, we have the digital revolution. There is already change in our life systems everyday and its going to cost a loss in more than 75,000, 000 of jobs by 2022, again these job losses are held mostly by women. So, when crisis like this happens, gender issues become bigger and bigger. If we do not have the right plans before hand, we are going to have a serious problem.

I’m afraid that gender problems and it’s going to be a problem a few years from now when you look at the world population and you see that more than 50% of these population are women and they are discriminated from every single field, we are losing talents and we are actually violating the human rights at the same time.

How do you stay innovative?

The thing that I always say is that we always need to look at the needs of our target group, the needs change and we always need to adapt to that. The first thing we did when the crisis happened was to check in and do a field study of how this crisis is impacting women and at the same time we did a study of how in different countries of how crisis different crisis, economic, political crisis have affected women that has helped us to gather the right information and to come up with as we believe the right tools or solutions and that was the reason why we launched the acceleration program

So the program called Generation ‘W’ stands for ‘Women” as we know we talk about generation Z, Y, so what about generation W? This is an accelerator program for 6 months, focusing on providing skills, tools, support and advice for women to cope and manage crisis and stay innovative. Women entrepreneurs or who are interested in entrepreneurship, and those who find themselves with no jobs so they need skills to adapt to the needs of the job market. They have to apply, and then 50 women will be selected. We recently launched this program in Brussells for now to see its impact and how it’s going to support these women, before we launch it in different countries.

After they are selected they are taken through 6 months of activities through our online platform, Generation W platform dedicated for these women only, they will have different resources, mentorship opportunities, trainings, capacity buildings, inspirational meetings and also access to networks of the job market. After these 6 months these women graduate from this program and the objective is that they link to other projects or for those who are looking for a job, to find a job opportunity and for those who want to become entrepreneurs to have the right guidance to start their own businesses or their initiatives.

Photo Credit: Sana Afouaiz

Challenges on your journey and Lessons…

From my own experience, being a woman is already a challenge. It is not easy, that’s why I do believe that women are real fighters. I think when you are young and you know your worth, your objective and your goal, it does scare society. So growing up in Morocco it was challenging everyday to really fight this mindset, the mindset perceived in women that as women we have few spaces to explore. I always refute that, and I always had issues with the men culture were the men are treated as kings and are allowed to do everything whereas women are kind of limited to explore different things. So growing up for me was always a case of constantly fighting this mindset for me to get normal things, basic things, but I think that has built my character to actually be a real fighter in the field of entrepreneurship.

So I left Morocco, I lived in different countries, first in the US I did my educational degrees in different european countries then I decided that If I wanted to support women, I need to understand women and their needs. So from my environment where I grew up In Morocco I first thought that the needs of women were the same but it was often an experience for me when I travelled to these different countries then I understood that it was often not the case and then I decided that I was going to stop working for other organizations and I was going to create my own and that was a challenging process because when I presented my project to 20 investors, I got zero funds. Everyone believes in gender equality, yes its cool, we need to have equal societies but yet its not as important as other issues, it’s still as I said earlier a pink issue, its not seen as a serious one and people think that doing these events on the 8^th of march, giving women flowers is enough contribution to gender equality.

So, It was very difficult at different points In times, actually there was an incident, I was with a colleague of mine, when we met a quite interested investor in the project, after I pitched the project and I asked to go to the toilet, he basically told my colleague that if he is the manager of the project that he will put the money in. Because for him as a young woman my plan in life is to get married and have kids. So that was quite a challenging situation, I was very shocked and my colleague felt not really well at all to be in that situation.

It happened to us several times, It happened to us recently like a year ago, we wanted to reserve a space for women, we went to visit different spaces, this time the woman who owned and managed the public space kept referring to him, although I was the one who wrote the email to her, I was the founder of the organization. She was kind of talking to him as if he was the one running the project, she completely excluded me from the discussion, and whenever I asked questions, she would not respond. And at the end she told him, I really don’t believe in feminism, but I’m very happy to see that there is a man, so that moment was like, you know when women themselves are part of the misogyny and the challenges  are more and more, its like everyday when you are an entrepreneur it’s a challenge and when you’re a woman it’s a double challenge.

That is a learning experience, I’m very proud of the impact that womenpreneur is contributing, and we try to do an act by example, I always say it is important to share our vulnerable moments, I keep telling our women community that I’ve been through this, it’s not the end of the world you have to go through it.

Your Plans for “Womenpreneur Initiative” In Five Years, Upcoming projects and what you hope to achieve?

With projects we always implement as we go along, however our objective for the upcoming years is to grow over the region, definitely to impact women, more women, and our dream is to challenge and change the mindset which is the biggest problem in every culture/country. We want to make sure that we put women in the frontline in the digital revolution, that women are involved in every level of decision making, that the female voice is not only heard but also taken into consideration and that is what we work with.

Tips on how you handle when the going gets tough?

Basically in every situation, what I do, and this maybe due to meditation, I try to be always calm and study the issue and I think for every issue there is a solution and then you make different possibilities. Challenging times they will happen today, they happened yesterday and they will happen tomorrow and that’s why I think its important that we invest in the future by coming up with different plans, on every level it is important especially for women, study very well the situation and don’t be dependent on any one, that’s a very important thing.

Final words to entrepreneurs and women in our community 

Thanks to Leading Ladies Africa for having me, if there’s anything I’d say to women is basically asking them to free themselves from the social prisons and from their own self perceptions, the day they free themselves from the cage, they will see the different possibilities out there.

Interview by: Precious Akpan

The Leading Ladies Africa weekly interview series focuses on women of African descent, showcases their experiences across all socio-economic sectors, highlights their personal and professional achievements and offers useful advice on how to make life more satisfying for women.

Do you know any woman of African descent doing phenomenal things? Send an email to lead@leadingladiesafrica.org and we just might feature her.

When Ayo Bassey founded the COC Beauty School, her mandate was clear — to teach skincare product formulation and makeup production — in a world class, beauty institute with excellent standards. Ayo is the cosmetic business coach and head tutor at the beauty institute, and has helped raise over 100 beauty entrepreneurs in 10 countries and counting.

Presently, the world class institute boasts of an enviable roll call of distinguished alumni — all making great strides in the skincare and beauty industry.

In today’s special edition of #LLALady Boss, we’ll be spotlighting four of the accomplished alumni from the COC Beauty School.

Meet the New School 

Photo Credit: Nma Arua

Nma Arua; Founder Classic Organics — a skincare brand focused on children, adolescents and women.

Photo Credit: Violet Adesina

Violet Adesina; Founder Amla Botanicals — a skincare brand focused on educating people and correcting misconceptions in the skincare formulating world. Amla botanicals currently achieves this through targeted online training for those who want to learn more.

Photo Credit: Oluyemisi Akinrinola

Oluyemisi Akinrinola; Founder Princess Naturals — a natural skincare brand produced specifically for adults and children. An ITEC certified therapist, Yemisi also runs a spa that offers services such as: facials, pedicures, manicures, massage, body polish, microneedling, microdermabrasion,  microblading and waxing.

Photo Credit: Yejide Erogbogbo

Yejide Erogbogbo; Founder Eres Bella Organics — a skincare brand specialised in the development of natural and organic skincare products that target skin issues such as acne and hyper-pigmentation.

The Journey on becoming an entrepreneur

For these women, being skincare specialists is a passion they all have in common, however, their journeys into the world of business are different. For Nma, it was a passion to create lasting products for children and adults — and that passion and vision carried her through.

For Violet, it was a God-given vision that came from on high, which spurred her to constantly push and challenge herself in the face of difficulties.

Oluyemisi started out as an HR Executive, but quit her job after four years, because the lure of creating products to help women and men look good, was a stronger motivation. She started out with the production of organic black soap, and seven years later has expanded into a line of 20 products.

Yejide began her business because of a problem she needed to solve — dealing with post-puberty acne while she was studying abroad, and her mother coming up with a black soap recipe, which she improved on — provided the much needed impetus to start a business.

With their inspiring stories of grit, focus and determination, none of these women have looked back since they set out to impact the world through their line of business.

Navigating the challenges

The challenges of being an entrepreneur, is something all four women can readily attest to. From operating in the difficult and rather peculiar landscape of Nigeria, to the attitudes people have towards patronizing homegrown businesses, these are some of the hurdles they’ve had to learn to overcome.

“Being an entrepreneur is a very difficult task for both genders — especially in this country, and the journey hasn’t always been smooth. But these impediments have made me work harder to overcome them” says Nma. For her, securing funding was also a challenge but through hard work, dedication and an unrelenting devotion to her vision, she’s been able to surmount the obstacles.

For Violet, her own personal challenges are keeping up with the ever vibrant social media scene. “I’m naturally not a social media person, and so have struggled with posting content consistently. I’d rather stay in my workshop formulating, but have realized the importance of social media, and so employed someone to assist with that. It helps to push me out of my comfort zone.”

Getting clients to accept Nigerian brands was one of the first challenges that Yemisi faced, but the effectiveness of her products and word-of-mouth referrals helped her to surmount those challenges. Another challenge is the cost of having to generate power for her business; “we have to run on generators most times to attend to our clients and this eats into our profits” she says.

According to Yejide, the key is to not be afraid of making mistakes. “You need to hone your technical skills so you’ll feel confident when you want to cut loose and get really creative. Without solid technique, you will never become a truly versatile formulator. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you never make mistakes, you’re playing it safe and your abilities are not evolving and growing. Some of my favorite techniques are the result of work-arounds I discovered while fixing a mistake.”

Lessons learned and the way forward

Being aware and being able to surmount challenges in the world of business is important, but so also is moving ahead and charting the path to a successful future.

“There are many advantages to being in the beauty industry” says Nma. “Not only do you help others feel confident about themselves, it also provides you with the opportunity to pursue more than one career path. Prioritizing your time is also something you quickly learn, you also learn knowing where to focus your energy — once you become excellent at doing all of this, in addition to holding yourself accountable and being committed to your vision, you’ll see that the sky is your starting point.”

“My approach is being honest, being open and always putting God first” says Violet. “I understand the place of consistency but I also know that it’s good to step back once in a while. I take time out to re-evaluate and re-strategize on ways to stay relevant. If you are looking to come into the beauty industry, let your major drive be to add value and not money, get standard knowledge of formulating and please be honest about what you give people to put on their skin — integrity always pays.”

Yemisi echoes similar sentiments: “Don’t make it all about money — yes, money is a major part of business success — but your passion and vision are the things that will keep you going everyday. Constantly seek to improve and reinvent yourself —  get the right education and training, as this will make you confident of yourself and what you’re offering. It will also set you apart from quacks and competitors.”

Originality and being authentic to ones’ self are crucial elements to Yejide. “My biggest piece of advice for those looking to create something in the beauty world is: don’t try to be like everyone else. Learn to recognize the thing that you do, or have created that sets you apart from everyone else. Understand that you can’t be everything to everybody — be true to what you love and what you are passionate about, and the pieces will come together.

Importance of mentors and support networks

Mentors and support networks are key for those wishing to succeed at being an entrepreneur.

According to Yejide, “Networking with other dedicated beauty entrepreneurs and working with them has actually helped our separate businesses grow in amazing ways. I find mentoring to be very fulfilling and I encourage everyone to get involved regardless of the stage of their career. My mentors are the other women in the skincare industry that I’ve come to know and respect.”

On her part, Nma gives huge props to the COC Beauty School, acknowledging them for contributing to the vast knowledge she has in being a skincare entrepreneur. She also speaks of her love for Folorunsho Alakija — “She boosts my morale. She is such a brave woman that has made not just Nigeria proud but the whole African continent. She has also been giving back to society through her foundation Rose of Sharon.”

Violet credits Susan Baclay-Nichols — a great cosmetic chemist, who she’s learned so much from, her supportive husband, her business coaches, The Prophetic Tribe Sisters, as well as the COC Beauty School for her success in life and business. “It’s taken a whole village to get me this far” she says.

The Lady Boss Series is an interview series that highlights the achievements and entrepreneurial journeys of African female entrepreneurs. The idea is to showcase the Leading Ladies who are transforming Africa and the African narrative through enterprise and business.

It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa, a non-profit that promotes leadership, inclusion and diversity for women of African descent.