Laying the foundations of your business while holding down your day job
[bctt tweet=”This been the hardest undertaking of our lives thus far, but also the most rewarding ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] In August 2016, my friend and I took the plunge and decided to launch our very own social enterprise. Born out of many long conversations and brainstorming sessions, we finally settled on creating an organization that could help address some of the challenges Nigerian girls are facing stress-induced their educational development. That was how Give Girls A Chance came about. We were giddy with excitement as we embarked on the process of registering the organization and launching a fundraising campaign. In January 2017, we had raised enough money to sponsor the first group of girls in the program with full scholarships including tuition, fees, books, and uniforms. We also recruited five amazing volunteers to serve as mentors through our dedicated mentoring program. With all of this in place, we set to work running the organization like the bad-ass boss ladies we are. Half a year later, we can honestly say that this been the hardest undertaking of our lives thus far, but also the most rewarding thing we have ever done. Mind you we both decided to do this right at the moment when our other professional careers were taking off. I had just joined the UN in August and was posted to Zambia. My partner Hauwa was wrapping up her youth service and about to start working as a full-time doctor. But this idea was something that had been on both of our minds for a long time and we did not want to wait any longer. We are both deeply passionate about public service and believe that it is our duty to contribute to the development of Nigeria. What better way to do that than by training up the next generation of women and future leaders of our country? So, we took the plunge, and for better or worse, we have survived to talk about it. For every success that we have had, we have had twice as many failures and faced countless roadblocks. When it comes to laying the foundations for your businesses while holding down your day job, here are some of the experiences we’ve had and advice we would like to share with the readers. Say goodbye to sleep…at least for the time being Before you take this flirtationship any further, imagining the idea of starting a side hustle, business or organization while keeping your day job and still managing to get 8 hours of sleep, stay fit and avoid stress-induced acne, let me stop you right there. Unless you are Wonder Woman (and who knows some of you very well may be), you should know now that you’re going to have to make a choice between bringing your business to life or getting the daily recommended 8 hours of sleep. I can’t tell you how many sleepless nights we’ve had and how many things we’ve had to miss out on because we choose to invest our waking hours and our resources into growing our organization. There is so much research, planning, and coordination required to grow a business and if you have to do this alongside a job that demands the 8 hours of the day when most people are typically productive, it simply means you’re going to have to cut into your sleep and leisure time to stay on top of everything. The good news is that the joy of seeing your idea come to life is unparalleled. Nothing beats that feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment you will have when you start to hit your targets. And if all it takes is skimping on sleep every now and then, that’s a small price to pay, right? You can always make it up later when your name is up in flashing lights and you’re rolling deep in that moolah. [bctt tweet=”You’re going to have to make a choice between bringing your business to life or sleeping” via=”no”] Budget, budget, budget I grew up with a banker for a father and he tried his best to instill in me the spirit of budgeting and saving. But I like shiny things too much and I’m always ready to take on the challenge of seeing how much stuff I can get for all the money in my account. I am so thankful that Hauwa is in charge of the finances for Give Girls A Chance. We managed to raise a significant amount of money when we first launched and true to form I wanted to go big and sponsor as many girls as we could but Hauwa talked sense into me. We decided to start with 11 girls, put some money into savings so we could pay for events and plan for the future. We knew that it would not be cool if we sponsored 200 girls for one semester or two, but then had no money to keep on going. The girls would end up right back where they started, having to drop out of school because they could not afford to go. Instead, we decided to take things step by step, prudently accounting for every kobo and making sure we were getting the best return on our investments. As the new school year approaches, we are thrilled as we can now comfortably take on more girls for an extended period of time. My advice is to use the resources you have wisely and always have some money left in the bank. [bctt tweet=”Use the resources you have wisely and always have some money left in the bank ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Be consistent Because we both have full-time jobs, the only times we are able to work on Give Girls A Chance related activities are in the evenings and on weekends. In fact, that’s not true. We end up replying to emails, texts, and requests during our lunch breaks at work too! Saturday mornings at 9 AM are set in stone for our weekly check-in meetings and Sundays
Volunteering: Diversify your professional experience and drive social impact
[bctt tweet=”Let’s admit – w/everyday #adulting struggles, it can be difficult to consistently volunteer” via=”no”] Community service and a spirit of volunteerism hold a place in the hearts of many millennials. We relentlessly seek ways to care for the marginalized. College provided a perfect platform for us to exercise this passion as opportunities to plug into communities and give back were ready-made; all we really needed to do was sign up and show up. Life after university has, however, proved to be a different story as we have to seek out volunteer opportunities on our own. Let’s admit: with jam-packed schedules and the everyday adulting struggles, it can be quite difficult to find an organization to volunteer with on a consistent basis. Enter skill-based volunteering This is where skill-based volunteering —typically known as pro bono work— comes in. Skill-based service enables you to match your skills and interests with the needs of a non-profit. Many non-profits are often lacking the staff capacity, so they need help in areas like marketing, financial management, strategic planning, and technology. Organizations are in need of professionals to partner with them in solving complex, pressing issues —and that’s where you provide value. While filling an essential need, volunteering gives you an invaluable opportunity to sharpen your skills and diversify your background in areas that interest you. Technology opens greater access to organizations and projects that are all over the globe. Through skill-based volunteering, the digitally savvy woman can tap into a deeper pool of opportunities that are not readily available in her current network. You’ll build a portfolio for that side hustle you’ve been meaning to kick start and amp up the experience section of your CV. All from the comfort of your living room with a warm cup of coffee (or tea) in hand. [bctt tweet=”Skill-based volunteering grants you an invaluable opportunity to sharpen your skills” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I started my skill-based volunteering journey to explore an interest in consulting non-profit organizations. I wanted to facilitate an experience that would mirror the expert-client relationship found in working with organizations to help further their mission. After looking through LinkedIn postings and several volunteer websites, I came across Catchafire —a website that connects professionals with nonprofits. Within three months, I worked with three organization on projects that involved marketing and communications strategy. The most rewarding part being that these organizations supported issues that I cared about! If you’re ready to launch your skill-based volunteering journey, here are 3 quick ways to get started: Sit down and draw a list of the competencies you’d like to build. A great way to do this is to review career opportunities that interest you and see what a competitive candidate background looks like. This can help you determine the kinds of projects to take on. Think of causes that you’re most passionate about. If you enjoy working with troubled teens, for example, you can focus your search on organizations that serve that demographic. This will not only allow you to engage a community you care for but also aid in addressing the issues facing it. Once you’ve narrowed your list of competencies and causes, it’s time to reach out to nonprofits. Leverage volunteer matchmaking platforms like Catchafire and Taproot, or utilize your LinkedIn profile. Catchafire connects volunteer professionals with nonprofits through 1-hour consulting phone calls and/or fully-fledged projects. My favorite aspect of Catchafire is the personal dashboard it generates with project details, experience testimonials, and your monetized impact —all great metrics to share on your CV or portfolio. Taproot has pro-bono opportunities ranging from one-on-one consultations to team-based, long-term projects. On LinkedIn you can specify in the volunteer section that you’re searching for pro-bono projects, thus making it easier for nonprofits to find you. As you start working with nonprofit organizations, it’s important to treat these projects with the same regard and excellence as you would any other engagement. Discuss project specifics and map out a project timeline with benchmarks, deliverables and KPIs. A carefully organized experience enables you to share your skills in a meaningful way and also ensures that the nonprofits get quality service. [bctt tweet=”Organized skill-based volunteering enables you to share your skills in a meaningful way” username=”no”] What are you waiting for? The bottom line is that skill-based volunteering is a great way to build and develop your professional background as you provide value and drive social impact in marginalized communities. While you diversify your CV, you’re also building a network of professionals active in the causes you’re most passionate about. Therein opening up opportunities for future ventures to implement sustainable community development programs. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start volunteering! To help guide you through the volunteering process, SLA has created a cheat sheet. Grab it by here —sign up and slay up!
Escaping the comfort zone
The comfort zone is a terrible thing. I’ve probably made this statement and tweeted it at least 20 times in the past month. This article is as much for myself as it is for many of you out there. The comfort zone is this wonderful place where you can sit pretty and be comfortable. In the comfort zone, you have a good level of assurance that despite not being where you are meant to be, you are okay for the time being. It might be a physical space or a mental one. One thing is certain though, the comfort zone is a dangerous thing. There are steps you should be taking, moves you should be making to put yourself out there. But you’re not. In your 20s and 30s, you have got the zeal and energy to make things happen. Your mind is fire and you have so much potential you need to explore. So, why aren’t you popping right now? Because you’re comfy…in the comfort zone. Unfortunately, the comfort zone isn’t where great things happen. You can’t realise your dreams or start the business you’ve been planning for the past six years in it. Sure, many of us have heard stories of how opportunities literally fell into the laps of unsuspecting people. This model was discovered by a scout as she went about her shopping in the local mall; Rita Dominic accompanied a friend to an audition and got discovered. But let’s be real, that’s just not everyone’s story. And while you’re waiting for the mystery opportunity, the clock is ticking. Haven’t you noticed that some of the greatest hustlers are those that started from the bottom? With no safety net or comfort zone, there is no other choice but to hustle for all it’s worth. Prison break It might be a plush prison, but you’re in a holding cell nonetheless. Girl, you need to step out and the time is now. Leaving is really scary. You’ve got a myriad of fears. What if I fail? Well, so what if you do? If you do, you pick yourself up and go back to the drawing board. If you don’t try, you’ll never know and will resent yourself in the future for wasting the prime years of your life saying what if? So what do I do now? – Tell yourself you need a change This first step is very important. It might sound so simple but you shouldn’t underestimate the power of the spoken word. If you aren’t convinced in your spirit that you need to take charge of your life, then it doesn’t matter how many times others tell you. You need to tell yourself this, and you need to believe it. – Start doing the groundwork and looking for opportunities Look for opportunities that excite you and scare you at the same time. – Take a leap of faith! Go out there and just do it. Take action. It’s not necessarily going to be an easy path but the heat refines the diamond. Once you get out there, you can really get your hustle on.
Webinar with Nene Mboweni: How to balance your business & your studies (Nov. 1)
Missed this event? Make sure you don’t miss the next one by joining our community today. A lot of you Motherland Moguls out there are busy chasing that diploma, but you still have entrepreneurial dreams floating in your head between classes and exams. You’re wondering how to leverage your school network to get your business started and how you will balance it with your studies. Introducing: Nene Mboweni who has started two businesses, Mkweni Groundworks and Nnua Cakes, all while forging ahead in her biomedical science studies. On top of this, Nene volunteers her time and is actively involved on her campus and around her community. Did she clone herself? How does she juggle it all and what are her future plans for marrying all these interests? We’re about to find out. Join us for a 30-minute (don’t be late, o) webinar with Nene Mboweni on November 1st, 2016. We’ll be discussing what it takes to be a student with a side hustle and answering your burning questions about the entrepreneurship/student life. Register below to get the exclusive link to the webinar. Some of the topics we’ll cover: Turning your side hustle into a business Networking on campus and beyond & leveraging your connections Balancing your business, your studies & other responsibilities Preparing for post-grad life when your studies don’t match your business Webinar Details: Date: Tuesday November 1, 2016 Time: 8:00am NYC // 1:00pm Lagos // 2:00pm Johannesburg Watch this webinar: Don’t miss another inspiring webinar! Join our community today! Click here. About Nene Mboweni Nene Mboweni (21), matriculated in 2013 from Crawford College, in Sandton. She is currently enrolled at Wits University studying Biomedical science and to complete her final 3 years in Medicine at Wits. Nene works part-time at the Natalspruit hospital in Vosloorus on weekends and during her vacation. She is an avid baker and founder of Nnüa cakes an online virtual patisserie and decadent catering company. Not only has she done work for reputable companies such as Transnet, Vodacom and Primedia, she has collaborated with Jimmy Choo and Luminance on a luxury line of cupcakes and also worked with various high-profile clients and governmental organisations, having recently just done the 80th celebratory cakes for the late former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela’s wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela She is also the co-founder of Mkweni Groundworks, a women owned construction company providing services in civil engineering, Rail and other sectors. Nene has been featured in Forbes Woman Africa, Destiny Woman, Cosmopolitan for a lot of the work she has done . She is a part time tutor in science and Mathematics at Bophelo Impilo School. Nene is extremely passionate about education and contributes all of her profits towards providing bursaries for students on campus. She has incubated several community initiatives including but not limited to the Courageous Ladies and the AfriSun Trust.
Acing your side hustle: the DJ Khaled example
Say what you want about DJ Khaled, but you can’t knock the major key to his success— his hustle. While the Miami mogul has been behind some of hip-hop’s hottest hits over the last decade, he’s also dabbled in various other ventures as a producer, executive, entrepreneur. And most recently, he’s the hottest social media phenomenon on the block. Even though being your own boss is appealing, don’t play yourself. Definitely, it’s no walk in the park. Setting your own hours and building your own product or service can help fulfill your passion and purpose. Yet, the grass isn’t always greener in the startup life. With growth comes staff management, customer acquisition and retention, and the dreaded mountain of paperwork. Start a side hustle. It’s a great way to earn some extra money or slowly grow your business. If you’re an aspiring #MotherlandMogul, establishing your side hustle is one of the first steps to building your empire. Evidently, pursuing a passion project while working a 9-to-5 is no easy task. It takes creativity, discipline, and a whole lot of grit. So here are a few keys to help you follow DJ Khaled’s lead and stay winning. Figure out what you’re good at In an ideal world, the thing we’re most interested in is the thing we do best. More often than not, that’s not the case. That doesn’t mean that you have to abandon things you’re passionate about. It just means you have to evaluate where your skillset overlaps with your interests. Okay, think back to your childhood years. Did you show an aptitude for something? Do you often receive compliments from others for something that comes innately? Do friends and colleagues repeatedly ask for your help with certain tasks? By honing in on what you’re good at, you can figure out if it can be translated into cash. Once you’ve established your talent, consider whether people need your services and, more importantly, how much they’re willing to pay for it. Use your network As the saying goes, “your network is your net worth.” If you’re launching a new service or product, do a test run or distribute samples to family and friends to get their feedback. Those who are closest to you are often the most likely to keep it real. Now, if you’re looking for financing, your network becomes particularly crucial. Family, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues—these are the low-hanging fruit that can get the ball rolling. People who are invested in you as a person will be more invested in your success. These are the folks who can speak passionately about your work and spread the word to help you secure more clients. The first step is asking. Be direct and personal whenever you can. Send individualized emails and notes, post on social media, and set up coffee dates where you discuss your side hustle clearly and succinctly, and outline concrete areas where you need to fill gaps. Manage your time well You have the same amount of hours in a day as everyone else. Admittedly, you might not have the staff or millions… but you do have the same power to decide how you spend your time. Time management is essential if you’re investing time in a side hustle in addition to full-time employment. We each have 1,440 minutes every single day. To make the most of them, fully commit to your goals by blocking time off each day to work on your project and making the most of that time. Set deadlines to hold yourself accountable. Believe in yourself Most importantly, if you want someone to buy into your idea or project, you have to first buy it into it yourself. It’s easy to get discouraged when trying something new, but remember that each failure is a lesson that prepares you for your next success. Entrepreneurship is a creative process. We learn what works by learning what doesn’t.
Slash your Way to Career Diversity: 4 Tips on WHEN to turn that ‘side hustle’ into a full time gig whilst keeping your full time gig
‘Just because you love doing something doesn’t mean it’s wise to do it all day long. I love coaching but the intensity of personal connection also makes it quite draining for me. I find writing extremely fulfilling but as an extrovert I need to balance it with human interaction and external stimulation. Speeches and interviews are a joy, but after a certain number of hours on stage I have nothing left! I couldn’t do any of these things as solitary endeavour, but when I combine them in the right proportions each enables the others.’ – Michela Lecher career coach/writer/speaker Last time, I tried to provide some guidance on embracing your slash life by looking at the questions, What and Why? What does one slash and why would one choose to do so? Hopefully you found the insight helpful and are fully ready and positioned to embrace the slash life that awaits you. In continuation, today I want to discuss the ‘When’. As Motherland Moguls I’m sure you are all used to your passionate mothers saying over and over again that, timing is everything. Yup, Mama knows best! This is a crucial concept when it comes to the slash life. The timing of your slash is enough to make or break it. I believe having the correct strategy is half the battle won, and a big part of strategy is timing. The first question you need address is: What is my anchor slash at this point in my life? The reason I say this is simply because it is not possible to add a slash to something that is not there. Take this simple visualisation of a slash life, ‘A/B’. If the ‘A’ was unstable or not present then it will read ‘/B’ which is not a slash life at all. The first part of the slash has to be stable for you to ‘add on’. So that been said ladies let’s get in formation! Here are 4 tips on when to embrace your sLASH (in other words that other thing you do)… 1. The Anchor vs Orbiter Dynamic Spend some time making sure that that the ‘anchor’ is solid before you add anything else to it. Any good career adviser will tell you that to get a new job, you need to be killing it at your current job. This demonstrates the capacity to do something well. For your slash life, it is the same. Invest the time in getting your ‘anchor’ slash correct before moving on to embracing something new. I really think this is crucial. For me, my anchor slash is my job in finance. The moment that begins to slip, everything else slips as well. This is simply because this aspect of my life currently takes up most of my time, so the longer it takes for me to sort that out, the less time and energy I can give to my slashes. Think of it as solidifying the base and creating a pretty strong platform for the other skills to nicely orbit around. 2. Have Clear Goals A slash is not something that you just pick up randomly. You have to make a slash goal. Now guys, this language around ‘slashing’ is just a mechanism for you to address a process I believe is very natural to all of us. In other words, it is nothing new. A good slash is a well thought out slash. Before I knew what job I would do, I always knew I wanted to write and speak. The wisdom is not in knowing what your talents are and planning for them, it is knowing WHEN it is the right time to do so. For some of you this is the time to begin to plan your future slash once your anchor is solid. For some, it is time to put those very detailed plans into action and ‘work smart’, for some it is time to reduce the amount of time your anchor slash takes because it has achieved its goals and begin to actively develop your slash. Everyone is different. The key here is to understand where you personally are on the journey, and do not compare! The only person you should try to be better than is who you were yesterday. 3. Double or Triple Time Okay so let’s assume you are a total badass at this and your anchor is solid and strong and you have taken up a slash. How much time should you spend on each? I put it to you ladies that it is not really about the amount of time you put it, but the amount of energy and focus it extracts from you. If you have three slashes, your energy and strategic efforts should be divided amongst the three equally, even if your time is not. So for example, I have three slashes currently. Work, my website (a platform for guidance and inspiration) and my charity. They all take up the same amount of energy, even though they occupy different amounts of time. A slash should be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with another one in terms of your commitment to it. If it cannot, then please down grade it to a side gig or side hustle which you can start and stop at any time. 4. Seasons of Life One of my most treasured books in the world explains how there is a time for everything. A time to slash and a time to wait. A time to let an old slash go and a time to embrace a new one. I really believe this is true. Sometimes a slash is not meant to be for the long haul -some slashes are seasonal. It may have seemed like the best idea to start a company when you were younger, and now it looks like the vision has evolved and you need to re-brand it. That’s fine. Or, your company might be going through downtime, which means you need to increase
7 steps to starting your business with a full time job
I had at least 3 failed attempts at running a business with a full time job before I got things right. I often wondered how other people managed to do it. But now I finally got it right, I can let you know how to start right. For the last 4 years, I’ve combined my 9-5 job with starting and growing my business Deluxe Childbirth Services. Today I’ll share 7 simple steps with you that have helped me effectively manage this leap of ‘craze’. Be clear on how much you really want your new business Why exactly do you want to start your business? Is it because everyone your age has one? Or is it because you don’t mind having multiple streams of income? Do you want to exit the rat race? Or do you want to provide solutions to challenges around you? There really is no right or wrong answer. The important thing here is to know your real motivation and write it down. Write down why you want to start your new business, your first year goals and what you are willing to give to see it become a success. You’ll need it to keep you going when the tough times come calling. Take a break to clear your head for action Your current job might leave you working long hours. If you add in the long commute to work and back home, it’ll leave you totally drained. This is why when you want to start any new business while working, you may need some time off to clear your head! My idea of time-off is at least three full days with no distractions. You’ll spend the first day resting to refresh your body and brain cells. Then you start thinking up your launch plans from the second day. At the end of this much-need timeout, you should have a list of the key actions to launch and sustain your business. These actions should cover the first 1 year, at least. It should answer when these actions need to be completed by, which of the actions you will complete yourself and those you will delegate to others, and who you’ll outsource to when necessary. Understand your fears and destroy them Dreaming about an idea and how it will blossom into a successful big business can be a pleasurable experience. Sometimes I wish that’s all we needed to do to make money from our hustles. Sadly, when it’s time to start, reality sets in and some people get scared. I know I did when I was about to start my current business. Most of the women I speak to also get super scared! But guess what? It’s okay to get scared. It’s even okay if the fear sounds flimsy, I was scared of my name being out there. What is not okay is letting your fears rule you. To move ahead with your new business idea, you owe it to yourself to understand why you might be afraid and conquer that fear immediately. Turn the needed actions into small tasks; pace yourself and celebrate success I know you might be tempted to take your new business launch on like you take on projects at work. You know, with that ready to bulldoze it attitude. But when it comes to your business, you might need to go a bit slowly. Remember that you’ll most likely work on your business after your regular work hours. By that time, your body and head will most likely be tired. So pace yourself, give yourself more than usual time to complete a task. And, once the task is completed be sure to give yourself a small treat. Be ready to work HARD My friend, there is no escaping this! To be a success at both your job and business, you need to work hard and be disciplined. While at work, focus on your job and deliver your agreed priorities with as much excellence as you can afford. And when you get home, focus on your business full-time. You may need to tweak your work schedule to include working on your business on Saturdays. This may mean sacrificing a lot of time, sleep and outings to work your business but you can be sure you’ll be off on a great start. Get an accountability partner/coach and have regular reviews with her An accountability partner is someone with whom you can share your dreams and plans. This person will constantly remind you on agreed deliverables. She is someone you really would not like to see upset when your regular reviews reveal that you are behind on agreed actions. Your accountability coach must be someone who is genuinely concerned about you. She is someone who wants to see living your dreams, not someone who will kill those dreams. Recognize His grace and ask for help I believe we are nothing without God’s grace. As such, I always advice acknowledging this and asking for His help because really what you are about to go into is not an easy task. Once you are clear on your business ‘goals, it’s a good idea to ask God for the strength and capacity to do more. You want an environment free of obstacles and stumbling blocks so you can close out tasks faster. Most importantly ask for opportunities at work and in your business where you can shine brightly with little effort. So there you have them! Start out today and keep me posted on how it goes. If your job is flexible and not as demanding as most jobs…count your blessings and make it work in your favour!
How a slash can transform your answer to the dreaded question; “What do you do?”
Before I delve into the slash, let me start with a question…When people ask you, “What do you do?” Does a one word answer come to mind? Or, is there a bit of mumbling, as you try to find the best way to describe what it is you do in a way that this person might understand. This one is for all my fellow Motherland Moguls who explain what they do by referencing one thing and then feel like they have left out a huge part of what they actually do. I used to just give up and say the title of my job, but since finding out about the slash effect by Marci Alobher (from her bestseller “One Person/Multiple Careers”) has helped me understand that we can create very interesting dynamics in our lives when we combine all our gifts and talents into our ‘what you do’! It is all a matter or being strategic and adding a simple “/”. According to Gail Sheehy, “a single fixed identity is a liability today”. She was totally right then, and is definitely right now. In this challenging economic climate, we have to be flexible and creative! So, what is the slash effect? In very simple terms, it is multiple identities, managed simultaneously! If someone asks me what I do? I’ll say I work in finance/life-coaching. I am a SLASH and that is totally okay. The thing is so many people already have the slash effect, but because the role on the other side might not make money, they disregard it and think of it as a side-gig only. That may be so, I mean we all have our side hustles, but embracing your slash just might be the extra step you need to make it profitable. Let’s look at some basic questions: Why? What? and When? So, why SLASH? Having a slash in your back pocket can be a wonderful luxury if your primary vocation turns out to be anything less than what you hoped for. Taking on a hobby as a full time career puts a lot of pressure on it to succeed. Instead, if you take it on as a slash, the pressure to succeed is off. You already have a career so there is a lot less to lose. Taking on slashes is a personal challenge that shows you just what you are made of! So, what do you actually SLASH? Like many things in life the answer here is: whatever. The slash life is not exclusive to certain type of passions or jobs; it is completely inclusive as long as it is an investment in something that is in line with who you are. The ‘what’ in this case depends on two key things: creativity and discipline. I will use myself as an example here. No one ever gave me permission to call myself a full blown life-coach. I constantly found myself advising people on life issues spanning form careers to relationships. With encouragement from good friends I realised that inspiring people either through speaking or writing was something I wanted to be more intentional about so I created my website. Another route in developing a slash based on talent and gifts is to see a need and fill it. This is how my friends and I gathered to form a foundation focused specially on educating girls in our home town Nigeria. None of us had any experience, but we have passion, dedication and a willingness to fail and learn along the way. We also have a lot of help, which is crucial as well. My work slash is my biggest slash, it’s the most for me. The other slashes are a lot about pouring out, whereas work is for my personal development and financial stability. All these aspects form my answer to the question, “What do you do?” Key points in slashing You may be wondering, how do I decide what my slash is? Some key points ladies! Choose anything, but be clear on the reason. Is it a raw talent? Meeting a need? A niche service? It needs to come from YOU. Make sure there is a balance between things you spend your energy on and things you can gain energy from. Life is all about balance, even in a busy slash life. Think about the whole picture, and not just the parts. If you work 16 hour days, and are thinking of slashing by running a website that requires 10 hours of reading and writing weekly, think Again sister! Clearly those are not compatible slashes. You will be exhausted. A slash is meant to elevate you, not cripple you with unattainable obligations. Know your limits and create a platter of slashes that makes you full enough to be satisfied. Not overwhelmed because you’ve eaten too much, or snacking because you are hungry. You know that feeling you get when the food was just enough to fully satisfy you? That nice and easy feeling? Yep…that’s the one you need here. A slash should bring balance and fullness to your life, not stress and angst. Slash something you are proud of! If you can’t sing your praises, no one else will! Say it loud and proud! I am a banker/dancer or I am a lawyer/blogger. Own who you are and enjoy the ride! For the third question, ‘when to slash’, look out for the next post. Before that get in formation ladies! Start thinking about your slash and when next you are asked, “What do you do?” Like a badass include that slash. Girl, Show them!
8 things they don’t tell you about having a side hustle
Folayemi Agusto is a Business Development Manager for an online media company. When she’s not identifying business opportunities, she’s busy running The Artisan’s Gift Company, a retailer of handcrafted favours. You can also find her on Eat.Drink.Lagos, where she is one half of the no holds barred restaurant review blog. Folayemi shares her 8 untold truths of having a side hustle. Depending on the nature of your side hustle, the experience is different for everyone. When I first started my business, I wasn’t working and ran it full time. THEN, I went back to work *cue dramatic music*. I thought to myself, “This shouldn’t be too hard, everyone in Africa has a side hustle…even Lupita.” Simply put, I was wrong! Here are 8 things people don’t tell you about having a side hustle! 1. Having only one to-do list is for learners. You should have three separate to-do lists. One for your day job, one for your side hustle and one for your personal life. 2. Working in the evenings can be a trap You’ll plan to do work in the evenings, but most times you won’t. It goes something like this: get home, have dinner, unwind and then midway through an episode of Blackish you look up and it’s 10 pm! To avoid this trap, you must remind yourself of the goals you’ve set. It’ll help do away with procrastination and keep you disciplined. 3. Social media planning is a major key. If you manage social media accounts for your business, you’ll need a social media schedule. This way, when your boss is on your neck over a report and your creative juices aren’t flowing, you won’t have to worry about coming up with a witty Instagram caption. 4. Streamlining saves you from excessive social media promotion Use IFTT to cross share updates across all social media platforms. 5. You’ll have to pass up on weekday events There will be some professional development programs/seminars on weekdays that you won’t be able to attend. Don’t be too disappointed; there are good programs that happen on the weekends as well. 6. You are immobile during business hours Have supplies to pick up in Lekki but you’re stuck at work in Ikeja? You don’t have to have a driver or wait till Saturday to run errands. There are tons of pick-up and delivery companies popping up in big cities across Africa and you should have ALL of them on speed dial. 7. Lunch break is everything! You will surprise yourself with how much you’re able to cram into your lunch hour. Your coworkers may think you’re a bit of a phone addict but little do they know you’re actually getting your work on. 8. Once you get it, you get it When you finally achieve the perfect side hustle/9-to-5 synergy. You’ll feel like you’re on autopilot and nobody will be able to stop you! Running a side hustle is difficult but can also be an extremely rewarding experience. Along the way, you’ll discover talents you didn’t know you possessed and develop a newfound appreciation for time-management. As a generation of risk-takers, we’re often encouraged to strike out in hopes of launching the “next big thing”. However, we mustn’t downplay the value in having a safety net while nurturing a business through its early stages. Do you have a side-hustle? Share your side hustle tips with us in the comments!
Webinar with Clarissa Bannor: Managing The Freelance Life (Apr 22)
Missed this event? Make sure you don’t miss the next one by joining our community today. Salute to all the Motherland Moguls out there who’ve decided that they’re going to use their hard earned skills and talents to freelance full time and create an independent lifestyle for themselves. While the daily independence and opportunity to wear sweatpants while taking conference calls is exciting, not knowing where your next paycheck will be coming from and how to access bigger opportunities can be very stressful. If you want to maximize your life as a freelancer and grow your business, join us on Friday April 22 for a webinar with Clarissa Bannor who has built a successful career as a freelance writer and public relations consultant so that she can spend more time with her two daughters. Some of the topics we’ll cover: How to build your portfolio and find new opportunities Tech tools you can use to manage your time, finances and projects How to make sure people actually pay you on time What to consider when thinking about how much you’ll charge Webinar Details: Date: Friday April 22, 2016 Time: 10:00am EST // 3:00pm WAT // 5:00pm EAT Location: When you register below you will be sent the private webinar link About Clarissa Bannor: Clarissa Bannor is a Ghanaian-American freelance writer and publicist. Get Out There PR (GOTPR?), her boutique PR agency, is her solution to helping startups, creatives, and small businesses gain market share and international visibility on a shoestring budget. She blogs at www.ThisAfropolitanLife.com.