3 ways to network in the diaspora
With the current online social media landscape, there is no excuse for not having a social network of people that you interact with and get inspiration from. It is becoming increasingly important to have a social network of people who you can get feedback from, especially if you are an entrepreneur or are running a business in the African diaspora. Understand that it is important to keep the contacts in your network up to date because people often move from place to place. There is a myriad of social media networks that can be used to build your network of potential business partners or mentors that you may need to get to the next level of success. On the other hand, there is always the old school method of going to workshops or conferences to build that network of support as well. Attend Local Conferences & Networking Events One of the ways for creating a networking relationship in the diaspora is by attending conferences or workshops where people who are interested in similar things as you are meeting. For example, there are Black Hair Expos that meet annually for people who are interested in all things concerning black hair. These expos and conventions make it easier to start networking with people who have similar interests and helps in keep that connection going by attending those conventions annually. Having a business card that you can exchange with people at these gatherings can be useful and a quick way to exchange contacts. Although it may be more difficult for people who live in the diaspora to attend such workshops and conventions, there are other ways of creating and building your network for potential future partnerships. Use the Social Media Toolbox Social media is now one of the most utilized tools for building a network. It is a crucial tool for keeping your network organized and up to date. One of the more popular networks, Facebook, offers the convenience of having both a personal profile and a business page. With this feature, you can separate your more casual social media network from your business and professional network. Other social media networks such as LinkedIn are tailored for business networking. This makes it easier to navigate your network of people who are connected to you in a more business relationship or partnership. For people like me in the diaspora, social media is vital in helping us to connect with people who far from us in distance. The opportunity to have a webinar or a “Google Hangout” to share ideas and discuss issues makes social media a handy tool. Keep Up with your Network In the diaspora, people in your network are prone to change location frequently. This can often make it hard to keep up with people and plan meetups. The challenge in keeping up with people in the diaspora is that people are not always online at the same time due to time zone differences and other factors. This becomes a challenge especially when you need to communicate or discuss a potential future partnership or need confirmation on a business deal in an instant. A good way to combat this challenge is by having a set time or schedule of contacting your network online and being consistent with it. Most people check their messages after work or early in the mornings. By sending messages or jumping on a call with your network of people at a certain time every week. This makes it easier to keep up with the network. Overall it is important to have an active social network while living in the diaspora. It can be helpful for building a business and having a network of mentors to communicate with What do you love the most about your country? Click here to share.
5 things you need to start doing to grow your business online in 2019!
When Yasmin Belo-Osagie and I decided to start She Leads Africa in 2012, we had no office, no team, just a shared vision. We didn’t have fixed plans, but we both had a strong passion to help young women do better in their careers and businesses. Since then we’ve built an amazing team, grown a community to more than 500,000 women across 135 countries, been featured in international media like Forbes, CNN and CNBC, generated hundreds of thousands of dollars through partnerships with global brands like Facebook, Samsung and Google, and was even invited to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange! Here are 5 lessons I have learned along the way: Set goals At She Leads Africa, our goal has always been to create a platform to help millennial women create their own version of success so it’s exciting to be able to design experiences and opportunities to help them get closer to it. This goal is broken down into many smaller goals and tasks that help us achieve this overarching goal. Create content that stands out There is such a significant need for interesting and creative content from diverse voices that there is no niche that has been overdone. Those who want to be successful must move beyond creating content and discover how they can create community, experiences, and commerce to build a sustainable business. Develop a brand layout or creative guidelines so your content looks consistent over time. [bctt tweet=”5 things you need to start doing to grow your business online in 2019 from She Leads Africa’s co-founder, @helloafua. Learn more.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Think beyond social media Make sure you’re creating a brand that goes beyond social media and these algorithm changes. Be able to connect directly with your customers, fans and industry decision makers without relying on someone else’s shine. One of the ways you can do this is by growing a mailing list. Help your team members develop through feedback As an entrepreneur, one of the most important responsibilities to your team members is to give them feedback. When your budget is tight, you can’t always afford to hire people with the most experience so you and your team will need to learn and grow together. Honest and consistent feedback is the way to make that happen. Network Find like-minded people in your community who can help you grow, and who you can help. Business relationships should always be symbiotic. Go to networking events. As an introvert, my go-to method before any networking opportunity: Breath. Research. Practice. The digital economy provides one of the most significant opportunities for young women to generate their own independent income and monetize their skills and personality to a global audience. Previous economic transformations required significant capital or permission from gatekeepers. That is no longer the case. The SLA team has pulled together resources to help you set and achieve your goals in 2019. Visit SheLeadsAfrica.org/NewYearGoals or OkadaBooks.com to learn how to jumpstart your 2019. She Leads Africa is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting young African women and their journey towards professional success. The organization has been featured on CNN, CNBC Africa, Black Enterprise and Fox Business and has more than 600,000 community members across Africa and the diaspora.
Kagiso Madibana: Our generation desperately needs hope
Our SLA community knows Kagiso Madibana as the founder/ chairperson of Nayang Association, a social venture that she founded in 2014. She is also an entrepreneur who owns a communications company called MD Africa Communications. Kagiso is also a self-published author of the book ‘Tales from the heart of Botswana: Baareng’s journey’. She is currently working on finishing her second book which will be centered on her traveling adventures and actual journey to self-discovery. Her passion for telling stories has also pushed her to seek partners in the theatre world to try and turn her first novel into a play. In this chat, we look into Kagiso’s writing journey, and the successes she has encountered. What influenced your decision to become a writer? Over the years, I have learned that I can communicate and express myself better through writing. I also have an obsession with sharing and creating stories about experiences that could change lives or make an impact. What was the inspiration behind ‘Tales from the heart of Botswana: Baareng’s journey’? I grew up reading a lot of books and I learned a lot about the world these books. However, I never found characters that I could relate to. None of them sounded like my story or that of my neighbor. So, I wanted to write a book that the ordinary Motswana/African could relate to. I also wanted to write inspirational stories about hope because our generation desperately needs it. Your book examines relatable topics. Why was it important for you to write about these issues? The work we do at Nayang Association exposes us to a lot of poverty and people who give up on life because they have no hope for the future. Through our mantra of “community building“, we want to change the mindset that one has to rich in order to help build their communities. We seek to inspire kids and help them believe that they can become whoever they want to be and also be involved in community building. Through the book, I was able to bring to life characters that have the same challenges that people in our country face and show how they were able to overcome their obstacles despite their environment. How did your debut novel end up being adopted for the Botswana standard four class syllabus? From the early age of 8, children begin discovering things that develop their personalities and form who they will be. When I wrote the book, I made the decision to use English in its simplest form so that anybody from the ages of 8-60 could read the story. My breakthrough came a year after I had traveled to different government schools (primary to senior). During these trips, I would give talks and donate books to outstanding students at prize-giving ceremonies. I would also be reaching out to different schools to see if the novel would be a suitable read for the children. Bathoen I House in Orapa, a Debswana private school was the first school to order the book as part of their syllabus for standard fours. Thereafter, other schools and Bridge Books Bookstore, in Maboneng and Commissioner Street in Johannesburg, bought the novel for their libraries. How did you get nominated for the Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the Africa Youth Awards? What did you gain from this experience? I believe in sharing the activities of Nayang Association with our network because it helps us remain relevant. Through our Facebook page, we update our network and reach out to more people to help us attain our goal of touching lives. One day, I received an email from the Africa Youth Awards Committee, notifying me that 5 social entrepreneurs from across Africa along with members of the Committee had nominated us. The process was then open to public voting. Competing against very deserving and inspirational individuals was quite an honor. In the end, I didn’t lose anything, I gained a continental network. How was your journey as a Batswana literary artist/creative? Leaving an 8-5 job to focus on writing in a country that doesn’t have much of a reading culture was a gamble. However, I knew I had to take this path. My challenging journey often made me think of giving up. There is a popular saying that “passion doesn’t pay the bills”. However, faith and the confidence in what I was doing guided my experience. Eventually, doors started to open. During my journey, I had nobody to look up to or guide me. Don’t get me wrong, there are amazing writers in this country but I didn’t know their story. I choose to share mine to aspire young writers and help them learn and improve from what I did. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Search for entrepreneurship workshops in your area and online but most importantly NETWORK. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
How to build a Strong Foundation for your Business
You have made up your mind that your business is kicking off or you have been in business but you know there are a few things you need to put in place so your business can be well positioned for success now and in the long term. Here are a few tips on how you can build that foundation that will produce the desired result of a flourishing business enterprise. INVEST IN YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GET MORE EDUCATION Your business is an extension of you, how far you go, and how well you do is dependent on what you’ve got inside of you. To be successful, you have to constantly commit to more learning in your area of business and in your own education. You must know that there is no end to learning and knowledge or you might wake up one day and find out that the rest of the world has left you behind. To compete effectively in the world of business, you have to keep tab with ongoing developments and strategies in the marketplace and anyone who doesn’t have the knack for learning will be unable to succeed or stand out. KNOW WHEN YOU NEED TO HIRE EXPERTS At first, when you start out, you might need to do everything by yourself. From setting up shop to marketing, keeping the books, taking inventory, hiring staff etc. But as the business begins to grow do not be tempted not to hire the experts that will make the whole process more effective thus enabling the business to succeed even more. TREAT YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH RESPECT TO REDUCE HIGH TURNOVER OF STAFF Small businesses always have a high turnover of staff because employees never enter into the company with long-term career goals in mind partly due to the fact that the remuneration might just be something to get by, or their employers just uses them to get the job done without factoring into the whole process their needs and long-term goals. Some employers even overwork their employees and sometimes do not pay them for months! If this describes how your business operates, there is every likelihood that your business will not run effectively and will not thrive in the long run because you will continually lose the best hands. ALWAYS SEPARATE PERSONAL FUNDS FROM BUSINESS FUNDS A healthy separation of personal funds from business funds will indicate that you run your business in a professional manner and thus translate into the credibility of your business in the eyes of your customers. In addition, if it becomes necessary for you to obtain a loan from the bank, it will be easy for you to succeed with separated accounts than when they are mixed up. HAVE A GOOD CREDIT POLICY It is very important that you set your credit policy upfront before selling to a buyer who wants credit. Many businesses sell on credit to generate more sales and to have more customers but there are associated risks. If for any reason the buyer is unable to pay you, you stand to lose both your capital and profit. In the case where most of your customers are credit buyers, how will you be able to restock when customers with cash are at your doorstep? So be wise by setting up a good credit policy. NETWORK Relationships are key to any human endeavor. Your business will not run in a vacuum, you need people to make it a success. Thus it makes reasonable sense for you to initiate, build, and keep relationships with people who will enable you and your business succeed. Got a business advice for us? Share your advice with us here.
#LiftAsYouClimb-Takeaways from SheHive DC
[bctt tweet=”There’s a seat at the table for you and me. Lift as you climb” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] In my junior year of college, I sat in the White House. I sat at the edge of my seat as I listened to women of color ranging from Chief of Staff members to representatives from economic policy and public engagement. These powerful women talked about experiences and lessons that they had learnt as White House Staffers, and as I took in everything, I appreciated the opportunity to sit, listen and learn. I experienced a similar feeling of respect and gratitude as I sat surrounded by amazing black women at the SheHive DC conference this past weekend. There is something powerful about hearing from people who wield successful and influential positions, people who see themselves in you and who you can see yourself in. That being said, here are three key takeaways from the conference centered on your value proposition and how you can learn from others. The takeaways are: track your data, don’t be afraid to ask for informational interviews and lift as you climb. I hope you learn something concrete that you can apply to your career, business, and life just as I did! [bctt tweet=”There is something powerful about hearing from people who wield successful & influential positions” via=”no”] How you can provide value In the “Building Partnerships” workshop with Afua Osei (co-founder of SheLeadsAfrica), Afua talked about one of the ways that her organization proved their value proposition effectively. In their proposals and potential partnerships, they were able to collect and measure relevant data. They could pinpoint exactly how much value they added to potential partners and sponsors based on data that they tracked including statistics like how many more followers they could bring to an organization’s social media presence. Our world is increasingly becoming a more data-driven one, and the ability to measure data and showcase it in digestible ways will open doors to building partnerships and attracting sponsors in your business. A cool resource I want to share from a YouTube channel that I follow(shout out to TechChange!) that looks at everyday datasets and visualizes it is Piktochart. Piktochart is an easy way to visually represent data that you collect and it can help you start thinking more about collecting and representing your data! [bctt tweet=”The ability to measure data and showcase it will open doors to attracting sponsors in your business” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Learning from the people around you Another valuable tool, that should come in handy is the informational interview. I first learnt the concept of informational interviews through one of my mentors (shout out to Davia!) Informational interviews are essentially interviews where you seek out and ask for an opportunity to meet people you admire and want to learn from. At SheHive, Denise Horn, who is currently head of corporate communications at Turner Broadcasting, also emphasized the importance of connecting with people through informational interviews. A tip was to also ask these people for two other people within their circle that you can connect with! During my job search, my mentor connected me to so many people doing amazing work in various sectors in her circle. These interviews gave me clarity on what I wanted to pursue career wise and the things that I was passionate about. It was amazing how people I didn’t know were eager to help me learn from them. I hope that you too will also seek out people that you want to learn from. Don’t be shy when it comes to asking questions and asking for informational interviews! And finally one of my favorite takeaways from the conference: “There is a seat at the table for you and me. Lift as you climb.” My friend, Adoley, and I coined this quote as our takeaway from the conference. (And won a bottle of wine for it too ayee) I am a product of the people who invested in me. The people who made time and shared their knowledge and experiences with me. Recently, I have been reflecting about the kind of footprint I want my life to leave as I transition from my undergraduate experience. And it’s one that embodies the theme of #liftasyouclimb. The idea of trying to be a woman who actively encourages women around you. Someone who willingly shares tips, advice, and experiences, and connects people to others within your network when necessary. A lot of times, in our attempt to achieve success, we forget about other people that we can carve out time for and support to reach similar successes that we have had. We all have experiences that others can learn from and it’s important that, when we are able to, we share our experiences with others in a way that is constructive and beneficial. [bctt tweet=”We all have experiences that others can learn from & it’s important to we share them with others” via=”no”] Thanks to SheHive DC for that reminder. Track your data, don’t be afraid to ask for informational interviews and lift as you climb.
Nomfanelo Magwentshu: How to shape #MotherlandMoguls into leaders #SheHiveJoburg
[bctt tweet=”To be a leader, take a leap of faith, follow your dreams and add value to other people’s lives” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Nomfanelo Magwentshu is a partner at McKinsey and was the lead organiser for the SA Fifa World Cup. She was previously the GM for South Africa’s national carrier, South African Airways. Nomfanelo provided some tips on how to be leaders at #SheHiveJoburg. She also opened up about her upbringing and her reasons for leaving certain roles in her career that did not fulfil her. With that said, one saying we took from Nomfanelo and her journey and that can resonate with Motherland Moguls is this, Take a leap of faith and follow your dreams and add value to other people’s lives even in the smallest ways. Nomfanelo shared what has shaped the leader that she is today: Show up and take risks Always show up and take risks when you are given opportunities in your career or in business. Show up and be counted. People must know you, and acknowledge you. Ensure that you’re not just a number to an organisation, you need to make sure you leave your mark. [bctt tweet=”Nomfanelo Magwentshu advises leaders to find sponsors and mentors that will challenge them” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Find sponsors and mentors According to Nomfanelo, find sponsors and mentors that will challenge you. Someone that will challenge some of your deepest issues and fears. One of her deepest fears is the fear of failure, especially the fear of not being good enough in a new environment. She pointed out that mentors will not make the decisions for you. It’s important to make yourself accountable for everyday decision, even if you have a mentor to help you navigate through your life. #MotherlandMogul tip: Find people to coach you —different people who can coach you on different aspects of your life and find those people that will challenge to get the best out of you. Think about the bigger picture When Nomfanelo joined the SA Fifa World Cup organising committee, it was not about being the best in football. She shied away from the media but her biggest goal was to think of the bigger picture, and that was to ensure that South Africa delivers the best World Cup. [bctt tweet=”Always listen to your head and your heart to become the leader you’ve always wanted to be” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Listen, follow your head but don’t neglect your heart At times where she lasted 5 months in an organisation, in her head Nomfanelo knew this MIGHT be the right place for her but her heart told her otherwise. Ensure that you listen to both to make the right decisions for yourself. Failure is a step towards success You need to learn from your failures as they are a step to your next success. When you go to your next step, learn from your failures and you are guaranteed to be successful. If you make another mistake, always get up and keep moving. #MotherlandMogul tip: Ensure that you reflect and you learn from the failures and make sure that you do not repeat them.
6 ways to build your personal brand
Personal branding is that mythical thing where you decide you want to be famous and have a reality TV show with your family, right? Umm…not exactly. Simply put, it’s the perception that people have about you after your interactions on a regular basis – be it a business meeting, social gathering or from your online presence. After other people form their perception, the question for you is what they observe about you, what you want them to remember? If the answer is no or you’re not sure, here are a couple of tips to help you build a personal brand that you can be proud of. 1. Define your brand The first step is to know who you are, your personal goals, mission and what you want to be known for. We all have different passions and ambitions so having a personal brand isn’t exclusively for public figures. If you want to be computer programmer, what are the unique skills you want to be known for? If you want to become a popular stylist, what style and approach do you bring to your clients so that they remember you? Once you define that, develop a personal mission statement that summarizes who you are, what you do, who do you do it for, and how do you deliver value in a way that no one else does. 2. Start Building Your Reputation Once you’ve developed your personal mission statement, now is the time to let people know about it. Take time out to network, go to forums within your industry, and find opportunities to interact with different people both socially and in business. Personally, I always set a target each month of people I would like to interact with. I also create a target list of the business workshops or events in my area of expertise that I want to attend in order to build my skills and meet new people. This way, I get to grow and represent my brand as well. 3. Get Advice Amid all this networking and building visibility, it can be easy to get carried away and forget to find potential mentors or advisors. Mentors can help you focus all those ideas you have running through your mind, and hopefully share advice that can keep you from making common mistakes. Not all mentors need to come from your area of expertise. It can be good to find someone with a totally different background than you who can give you an external point of view and general leadership advice. 4. Know Your Stuff If you are going to start claiming to be an expert in an area, then you should definitely be an expert in an area. That doesn’t mean you can’t continue to learn and grow, but you should have a good idea of where your talents lie and how you’re going to build upon them. Get to know your weaknesses, identify your strengths and work to become the best person in that area. Your goal is to become the first person people think of when they have a problem they want to solve or are looking for an expert, so make sure you’re ready for the opportunity when they come calling. 5. Maintain Your Connections After you do all of the hard work to start to build a reputation and connect with relevant people in your industry, you also have to put in the effort to keep up with your brand new contacts. Use social media and blogging to keep your brand in the right places and the right publications. Set up a system where you’re sending follow up emails to every business card you collect or person you meet at conferences. As you maintain your connections, then they’ll be more likely to recommend you for new opportunities or open up their network further. 6. Keep Learning and Improving Your Skills Have you noticed a common pattern here? Just because you decide to become an expert in something and build your personal brand around it doesn’t mean your job is finished. If you want to maintain relevance in the market and stand out for the long term then you need to make sure you’re always on top of relevant trends and continue to add new skills to your toolkit. In conclusion, becoming well known in one area of expertise is so important for Motherland Moguls today. When you can’t rely on a job to employ you forever, we all have to be masters of our fate and keep our options open. Hope these tips gave you a good road map to starting building your personal brand and showing the world all you have to offer.
Yasmin Says: How to make your network your net worth
We’ve all heard the phrase “Your network is your net worth.” And though, it may seem like one of those cheesy phrases that’s only appropriate for fridge door magnets and tacky self-help books, its 100% true. For young entrepreneurs like us, networking is especially important for a couple of reasons: As you grow your network, you’ll hear more and more about interesting and unique opportunities It’s a good opportunity for you to practice your communication skills There are a number of different ways to network but today, we’re going to focus on how to #WIN at a formal networking event. Formal networking events are tough for us because both Afua and I are true introverts. So, even the thought of having to spend an evening talking to people we don’t know exhausts us. That said, sometimes, it’s got to be done. So, it’s best to be prepared. Come with a game plan You’ll never have a chance to speak to everyone, and if you’re able to preview the guest list before hand, come with a clear list of the people you’d like to speak to. If Afua and I are going to a conference, we’ll do more than come up with a target list. We’ll also prioritize the list so we have people who we MUST connect with vs. people who’d be nice to chat to. Once we have that list, we create a spreadsheet with these key pieces of information. 1. A few points on the person’s background Knowing a little bit about them will make it easier for you to strike up conversation. I was at a conference two years back and really wanted to meet the CEO of a large African bank. I did a bit of research and found out that he’d given a really interesting talk on Gender Equality. So when I went up to introduce myself to him, I opened with “Hi Mr. X, my name is Yasmin. I watched your talk at XYZ about gender equality and found it so inspiring.” And on the conversation went. 2. Why we’d like to speak to them It’s important to be clear (if possible) on why you’d like to talk to someone. It helps you steer the conversation in the right way and tailor your pitch appropriately. So, if I’d like to speak to someone about being a pitch competition judge, I’ll start off talking about our awesome pitch competition, the other judges we’ve had and how much fun those judges had. If I’m talking to someone about sponsoring our event, I’ll focus more on talking about the SLA community – growing it is. See the difference? PS: This isn’t being disingenuous. It’s just understanding that people care about different things and so making sure that you’re emphasizing the part of your business that they’re most likely to care about. Hang out by the food table If you don’t feel comfortable introducing yourself to people, try hanging out by the food table. Food is always a great conversation starter. If you see someone picking up that lovely mini cupcake you just tried, go up to them and say, “Those cupcakes are absolutely amazing. You should definitely try one. O … I’m Yasmin by the way. Nice to meet you. What’s your name?” And voila! You’ve struck up a conversation in a non-awkward and relaxed manner. Ask questions Most people think that networking is all trying to impress people with your amazing accomplishments. But it’s just as important to listen to other people and try to learn more about them. Not only is it polite but the more you learn about someone, the more likely you are to find interesting ways that they could be helpful to you and your business. I was at a conference once and struck up a conversation with a guy who worked in PE – his deals were all Europe-focused so there wasn’t that much in common with SLA. But after chatting for a few minutes, he mentioned that his wife sat on the board of an organization that we’d desperately been trying to reach out to! Now, you see if I’d spent the whole time blabbing to him about myself, I may never have found out about this awesome connection. Go for the number 2 Here’s a scene I see at networking events all the time. Important woman or man arrives and everyone swarms him/her, jockeying to get a word in, shoving cards in his/her face, begging for his/her card. Important man/woman is overwhelmed, a little uncomfortable and frankly doesn’t see individuals, instead he/she just sees a mass of overly eager faces. When this happens DO NOT join them. Here’s a little trick I’ve learnt. Look around for the people that this person arrived with. It might be a chief of staff, a PA, a family friend or just a friend. Target that person. Why you ask? Because that person is waaaaay more accessible than important man/woman and yet they have access to important man/woman. So, connecting with them gives you a good chance of securing a (maybe even private) meeting with important man/ woman in the future. More generally, that person may actually be able to teach you a thing or two. After all smart, successful people tend to surround themselves with other smart, successful people. So there you have it! A couple of short tips to help you become ace your next networking event.