Motherland Mogul Feature: Siyamthanda Makhwabe
According to a World Bank article published in November 2018 on women entrepreneurs and the future of Africa, enterprises owned by male entrepreneurs have more capital than women-owned enterprises. This month, we shine the spotlight on a fierce lady who has bootstrapped her way into starting not just one – but two – businesses while holding down a full-time job. Siyamthanda Makhwabe is a professional town planner, a wife and mother, owner of Kuhle Bags and Accessories and a town planning consulting business. Fellow Motherland Mogul, Zimkhitha met with Siyamthanda to talk about juggling work, business, a kid, and a briefcase. The Many Hustles of Siyamthanda Makhwabe Determined to gain financial freedom, Makhwabe took the leap in 2019 to start two businesses while keeping her job as a town planner. Leveraging her background in Town Planning and Housing, Makhwabe started a consulting business catering to SMEs and startups. Using the power of her network as a launchpad, she has run this venture in the past year purely by word-of-mouth and industry referrals. In October 2019, Makhwabe diversified her business portfolio to include a fashion business named after her daughter, Kuhle. Here she offers affordable bags and accessories to South Africans online via social media. She coverts a lot of customers via WhatsApp and uses Instagram to advertise what’s in stock, which markets she will be visiting and pop up stalls. Entrepreneurship: A seat at the table As a STEM woman working in a male-dominated space, Siyamthanda has not always found it welcoming. She explains that this dismissal boils down to the most basic things. For instance, in meetings, men are more readily acknowledged and engaged than women. “When you sit at that table, it can be very easy to feel invisible and like a fraud, hence many women rather take the back seat”, she says, talking about the dreaded imposter syndrome that creeps in even when you know you have both the qualification(s) and relevant experience to be seated at the proverbial table. With her ventures, Makhwabe has found autonomy and confidence in being a decision-maker and leader. This remains a key motivator for her in moving her business forward. Siyamthanda’s Top Tips for every Hustler Here are Siyamthanda’s top tips for female entrepreneurs on the building – not only a sustainable – but profitable business, from the ground up: 1. Before you throw money at it – innovate There is a temptation to think that money will solve your problems. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to learn how to be scrappy. Think on your feet, look at the competition and see how you can offer more value to your customer base. 2. Stay learning and find mentors As you grow your business, you will find out there is a lot you don’t know. It is necessary to stay curious, take short courses and prioritize soft skills. A mentor also gives you an edge in the game. Having someone who’s been there in your corner is invaluable. It’ll save you money, time and headache. 3. Never stop networking You don’t know what you don’t know until you know. Reach out to those in your market and those outside to get inspiration and to see what is out there. This will help expand your mind into untapped segments. Zimkhitha‘s Notes: My interview with Siyamthanda was eye-opening. I think it is important to emphasize how necessary it is for female entrepreneurs to be more transparent about their experiences. The hustle does not always look glamorous and that’s okay. To all you Motherland Moguls out there, keep on SLAying and exuding your #BlackGirlMagic! Ready to take your business to the next level? Join the Motherland Mogul Insider program.
Introducing the Money Talks Series – addressing financial issues young African women face
She Leads Africa and FSDH Asset Management partner to bring you an 8 episode web series focused on common money issues young career and businesswomen face. Want to make serious money moves in 2019 and start taking steps to reach your financial goals? Whether you are getting married or are married, part of the bridal team, just started working, planning to pursue your master’s degree and more, the Money Talks series is here to help you! With each episode focused on different financial issues most Nigerian women face, the Money Talks series aims to help women reach their financial goals through various FSDH product offerings. The Money Talks series is brought to you by She Leads Africa in partnership with FSDH Asset Management and will be hosted by She Leads Africa’s Head of Content, Hilda Awomolo. Each episode will feature successful career and businesswomen, including our co-founder – Afua Osei, who’ll share their insights and provide tips on each topic. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/vN-_bULPGiE Through this series, viewers will: Gain tangible advice on how to deal with various financial – related issues. Have access to 4 Quick Math guides to help make money moves at the end of each episode. Participate in a LIVE chat during the premiere of each episode on She Leads Africa’s YouTube channel. Be provided with an opportunity to discuss topics in a Twitter chat every Tuesday on She Leads Africa’s Twitter page. The episode guide is as follows: Episode 1 – Who gets your first salary? You or your parents? Episode 2 – Are you a bad person if you don’t buy Aso-Ebi? Episode 3 – Should you have a separate investment/bank account from your husband? Episode 4 – What’s the actual cost of having a baby? Episode 5 – How do people fund their master’s degrees? Episode 6 – How do you react to friends and family who borrow from you? Episode 7 – Do your friends help you spend or save your money? Episode 8 – Does your spending personality match your account balance? The first episode will be released on Thursday, 28th February 2019 at 6pm WAT on the She Leads Africa YouTube and Facebook pages. Brand new episodes will go live every Thursday at 6pm WAT from 6th March on both platforms. More about FSDH Asset Management FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD – FSDH AM is a wholly owned subsidiary of FSDH Merchant Bank Limited. They are one of Nigeria’s leading asset management and financial advisory firm. FSDH AM is versatile in financial transactions and investment strategies that meet the need of investors in an emerging economy like Nigeria. They recognize that today’s investors need the services of dedicated and expert professionals to provide them with intelligent investment counsel. Therefore, their strategies are dedicated to preserving investors’ wealth while maximizing the value that they receive.
WEBINAR WITH FBNQUEST TRUSTEES: DISCOVER THE POWER OF ESTATE PLANNING (DEC 5)
Wealthy or nah, we all have an estate and it’s important to have a plan for it. Without a solid estate plan, your friends and relatives can spend a lifetime scrambling over your assets – we wouldn’t want that to happen would we? While you’ve worked super hard to build a secure and comfy lifestyle or are still working towards it, it’s time to protect those assets with a proper estate plan. Tune in on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 for a LIVE webinar with certified Estate Practitioner – Mofoluke Keshinro, in partnership with FBNQuest Trustees. [bctt tweet=”Discover the power of estate planning with @fbnquest & @sheleadsafrica during a LIVE a webinar on Dec 5th at 2 pm WAT! Reg here: bit.ly/fbnquestEP” via=”no”] Some of the topics we’ll cover Why you need Estate Planning Keeping your wealth within the family Planning for your loved ones 10 Common Estate-Planning Mistakes Women Make Register below to access this opportunity and submit questions that you would like Mofoluke to answer. Webinar Details: Date: Wednesday, December 5th 2018 Time: 2pm Lagos // 3pm Joburg // 4pm Nairobi Location: We’ll send you the link to watch once you register Watch the webinar here: About Mofoluke Mofoluke Keshinro is the Head of Private Trust at FBNQuest Trustees Limited and is one of only two certified Trust and Estate Practitioners (TEP) in Nigeria. Her experience includes roles at Liberation Partners, Wema Trustees Limited, and Great Nigeria Insurance Plc. She is a full and certified Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has attended STEP seminars/conferences in Johannesburg, Dubai, New York and Singapore. FBNQuest Trustees is part of FBN Holdings Plc, one of the strongest and most dependable financial groups in Africa. They assess your needs and provide tailored solutions for the safekeeping of assets. From estate planning to government bond issuance, FBNQuest Trustees holds a solid market position as a leading trustee services provider.
Webinar with FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT: The balancing act – managing debt and building long term wealth (Oct 11)
“Staying out of debt is staying out of danger”. We don’t remember who said this, but its true! Not all of us make six figures today, and even when we try hard to maintain financial discipline, this economy sometimes makes it hard to stay out of debt or even pay what we currently owe. If you want to walk in financial freedom, it’s important for you to have a plan on how to manage your finance effectively and tackle your debts. Most importantly, you need to make sure you’re not uncomfortable around your friends if they have RIRI’s song as their ringtone everytime y’all are hanging out. In our previous financial planning webinar’s, we taught you How to make your first investment and how to Save and slay. Now, it’s time to go in deeper as we teach you how to improve your finances by managing your debts and building long-term wealth for yourself. She Leads Africa, in partnership with FBNQuest Asset Management is inviting you to a 45-minute webinar with skilled wealth advisor and financial planner – Emmanuella Ekhaguere, on Thursday, October 11th, 2018 at 3 PM WAT. Emmanuella will be giving some tips on how to balance your finances, how to manage your debts better and how to build long-term wealth for yourself. [bctt tweet=”Join SLA & @FBNQuest for a webinar on October 11th at 3 pm to learn how to manage your debts, build long-term wealth for yourself and how to balance both! ” via=”no”] Some of the topics we’ll cover: Understanding financial fitness and measures Managing your cash flow, budget and time value of money Top 10 ways to live a debt free life. Webinar details: Date: Thursday, October 11th, 2018 Time: 3PM Lagos // 4PM Joburg // 5PM Nairobi Location: We’ll send you the link to join the session once you sign up! Watch the webinar here: About Emmanuella Emmanuella Ekhaguere is Investment Advisor with at FBNQuest Merchant Bank, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc. She has over 15 years of Agricultural banking and financial planning experience from various Financial Service Institutions. Emmanuella started her career at Kakawa Discount house Limited as a Client Relationship Officer. She later moved to Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank Nigeria). In deepening her passion and experience in Wealth and Investment Banking, Emmanuella joined Metro Capital Advisory Group in 2008. She has an MBA from Aston Business School Birmingham, United Kingdom, and is a certified financial Planner (CFP), from Florida State University (FSU) FBNQuest Asset Management is a subsidiary of FBNQuest Merchant Bank, one of the strongest and most dependable financial groups in Africa. They work with individual and institutional investors to provide a strategy best suited to your investment goals and portfolios, from mutual funds to liquidity management etc.
Webinar with FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT: How to Save and Slay (Aug 3)
How exactly do you indulge in sipping champagne on a beer budget? You gon’ learn today! First, we’ve taught you How to make your first investment, now its time to learn how to save and SLAY simultaneously. Saving money may sound like one of the hardest things to do when it comes to your finances especially if your income isn’t breaking the bank. But hey, you only need as much as you have right now to save! If you’re wondering how to save money without your slay mode depreciating, then this webinar is for you. SLA in partnership with FBNQuest Asset Management is inviting you to a 45-minute webinar with skilled wealth advisor and financial planner – Emmanuella Ekhaguere, on Friday, August 3rd, 2018. Emmanuella will be giving some tips on how you can to start planning and investing for your future with your current income. [bctt tweet=”Join SLA & @FBNQuest for a webinar on August 3rd to learn how to save and slay.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Some of the topics we’ll cover: Understanding the psychology of money Living your best life through personal finance management Saving hacks for motherland moguls – daily, monthly and long-term Getting S.M.A.R.T about goal settings and how to achieve them Watch Video here: About Emmanuella Emmanuella Ekhaguere is Investment Advisor with at FBNQuest Merchant Bank, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc. She has over 15 years of Agricultural banking and financial planning experience from various Financial Service Institutions. Emmanuella started her career at Kakawa Discount house Limited as a Client Relationship Officer. She later moved to Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank Nigeria). In deepening her passion and experience in Wealth and Investment Banking, Emmanuella joined Metro Capital Advisory Group in 2008. She has an MBA from Aston Business School Birmingham, United Kingdom, and is a certified financial Planner (CFP), from Florida State University (FSU) FBNQuest Asset Management is a subsidiary of FBNQuest Merchant Bank, one of the strongest and most dependable financial groups in Africa. They work with individual and institutional investors to provide a strategy best suited to your investment goals and portfolios, from mutual funds to liquidity management etc.
8 Technology Hacks for your Growing Business
Whether you’re a new business owner or been in the game for a while, you all have one thing in common: you need to be on top of your game. Real talk. This is why I’ve put together eight of some of the easiest tools in this technology-driven world to propel your growing business. Canva Hands down, this is a favourite technology hack. It’s a simple graphic tool with thousands of templates at your disposal. Canva is great for designing Instagram and Facebook posts, posters, letterheads, infographics; in fact, all kinds of graphics. It’ll make anyone feel like a graphic designer. Certainly fuels my ego. There’s a mobile version available too; and it’s free. Happy customizing! PicMonkey PicMonkey is my favourite photo-editing tool. There’s a free version with limited options, but it allows you edit, make collages selecting from a ton of templates, add text, resize and more. It’s also great for creating watermarks. You can choose the paid version if you require more features. PicMonkey is amazing if you deal with a lot of content! Hootsuite Hootsuite is gold. This hack allows you schedule and sync your content across your social media pages. You can mention other social media handles whilst drafting in Hootsuite (and see if they’re the right ones). It’s great for shortening lengthy links as well. Save time by scheduling up to thirty posts at a time! Calendly Calendly is a great tool for setting appointments. It’s a convenient way to send your availability to clients by sending them your link through which they can book a slot. Once the client books, you will receive an email confirming this. It will also be added to your calendar on Google and send you a timely reminder. It makes perfect sense! Office Lens Maybe I’m just really lazy, but I use Office Lens to scan all my documents when I’m away from my desk. It’s great for emailing copies of documents on the go and is a lot tidier than using the camera on your phone. With Office Lens you can crop and make simple adjustments, save and even convert to Powerpoint or PDF. What are you still waiting for? Download this tool now! Fiverr Fiverr is a freelance site with a large pool of sellers offering services for a lean $5 and upwards. There are basic tasks you may wish to outsource as a business owner, to enable you focus on your core. Browse through Fiverr for services such as business writing, video, branding, graphics work. There’s also Fiverr Pro for more technical, professional work. Check reviews carefully before you buy! Trello Trello is amazing and absolutely easy to use. It’s like a little personal assistant that helps you keep track of the work you and your team have scheduled. You can update plans for the team to see and move across different stages. You can make checklists and add key team members to activities. It’s fun and highly useful! Quickbooks Major hack here! This helps sort out your business accounting with an annual fee. You can keep track of payments, send invoices (and include your business logo), manage different customers’ finances. It can also be used on multiple devices. The best part is all your data is backed up. It’s quite a technical tool so you’ll need to undergo a tutorial or training! I got you covered with these technology hacks to meet your business needs from graphics, to accounting, to personal organisation, but there are tons of other good ones. So make sure to research and ask around. Let us know here, which other technology hacks you love!
Facebook Live with Deliwe Makata: How to run a startup while completing your studies (Sept 13)
Getting an education should not be a barrier to pursuing your dreams early in life. Com’on, we’ve gone past that time where we had to wait for graduation to start a business, master a new skill, or even start making trips to the bank… Deliwe Makata is a living example. Currently an undergraduate, she founded Women Inspire, an empowerment and capacity building network for young women and girls in Malawi. Deliwe has trained over 250 Malawian girls and conducted over 50 face to face mentoring sessions with girls, about issues relating to personal development. [bctt tweet=” You can start your career or business while in school. Learn how.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Join us on Wednesday, 13th September, as we host a Facebook Live Chat with Deliwe, who will be sharing her advice on starting a company and pursuing her passion while completing her studies. Register below to have access to this opportunity. Some of the topics we’ll cover: Founding a company while in school How early self-development has helped Deliwe to train young girls in Malawi 3 keys to balancing your studies and side hustle Facebook Live Details: Date: Wednesday, September 13th, 2017 Time: Lagos 1pm // Lilongwe 2pm // Nairobi 3pm Where: facebook.com/sheleadsafrica/ Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/sheleadsafrica/videos/1937257893164188/ Watch the first part of this video on our Facebook page. About Deliwe Deliwe Makata is a writer, speaker, and highly ambitious leader, with aspirations of getting into international public policy-making. She is the founder and executive director of a women empowerment organization called Women Inspire. Women Inspire is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, both locally and internationally. Through training & mentoring women and girls in the areas of education, human right advocacy, capacity building, leadership and decision-making positions. As a speaker, Deliwe has inspired many through her motivational appearances with international organizations, such as AGE Africa. Deliwe is also an exceptional final year student currently pursuing her undergraduate degree with the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, studying Arts in Humanities.
The GoalGetter’s guide to creating schedules for productivity
Where does your time really go? The goalgetter’s guide is here to change your life! Whether you are a full-time student, employed, a small business owner or you’re juggling all three, we are all bound to have moments of wishing for more time. If you watched our webinar on personal efficiency and time management, with Tafadzwa Bete-Sasa, and you’re still not sure how to create the time and discipline to be productive, NO WORRIES, we’ve designed for you a practical guide with some tips and tools to get you organized to and enable you to get more things done. Get you the goalgetter’s guide to learn all you need to know about time management, productivity, and discipline. And guess what? You’ll also get more tips directly from GoalGetter after signing up for this guide. Topics this guide will cover: How to schedule your weeks and days Creating routines Prioritizing Time management tips and resources The last two points will definitely do you good if you spend half your day doing sweet nothings, binge watching episodes on Netflix, or stalking Queen Bey and the twins on Instagram. Getting access to this guide is easy: just fill out the form below to join our community and get access to this guide, as well as AWESOME weekly content. Don’t forget to send the sign-up link to all the serial procrastinators you know. Help a sister, brother, or frenemy out.
Webinar with Aisha Addo: How to start a non-profit organization (Jun 20)
Aisha Addo is the founder of Power to Girls Foundation, an organization that helps girls identify their true purpose and calling. Join us for a webinar with her on June. 20th, as she shares with us some of her tips on social entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship isn’t just one thing. You can be an entrepreneur in a small business, startup, large company etc. But if you’re interested in making the world a better place, you’re on your way to becoming a social entrepreneur. You need to ask yourself – What type entrepreneur do I want to become? Aisha Addo is a social entrepreneur, who has dedicated her life to empowering women and young girls with her initiative – Power To Girls Foundation. She offers them the mentorship, guidance and the resources they need to achieve their dreams and excel. Join us for a 45-minute webinar with Aisha Addo on Tuesday, June 20th, 2017. We’ll be discussing what it takes to become a social entrepreneur, and starting a non-profit organization. Register below to get the exclusive link to the webinar. [bctt tweet=”Join @AishaAfua for a webinar on Tue June 20th to learn how to start a non-profit organization” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Some of the topics we’ll cover: Starting a non-profit organization Risk taking in social entrepreneurship Having confidence in your idea How to live your most authentic life doing what you love. Webinar Details: Date: Tuesday, June 20th Time: 11am Toronto / 3pm Accra / 4pm Lagos Watch here: About Aisha Addo Aisha Addo is a graduate in Business Administration Accounting, but her true passion and dedication lies in ensuring girls around the world are provided with the guidance and resources that’ll help them to reach their full potential. Aisha founded Power To Girls Foundation, a non-profit organization to offer young girls the mentors and role models that were absent during her own youth. She is a recipient of the Young Black and Gifted Award for Community Service, was named a Black Diversity Group Role Model and One of 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada, and also among the 150 Black Women making history in Toronto. Her latest initiative is DriveHER, the ride-sharing service for women by women.
Webinar with Wild Fusion: How to grow your business with digital marketing (Apr.11)
Are you wondering why your business is not getting the online attention it deserves? Or why Facebook and Instagram is not really working for you? Hold up! Lets educate you a bit more on digital marketing! It has been proven by many successful businesses, that digital marketing is the way forward to boost and expand your business online. But what you need to know now is how to keep up its evolving and ever changing strategies. Join us on Tuesday April 11th for a webinar with 2 professionals from Wild Fusion – Africa’s leading digital marketing agency, who have been in the digital marketing game for awhile. Agatha Emina – (General Manager) and Prashant Kirpalani – (Social Media Manager) of Wild Fusion, as they share with us fresh and unknown strategies of digital marketing every business owner must know of. During this webinar, you’ll get direct answers from these professionals on any digital marketing related question you ask, so, you don’t want to miss it! Register below to get the exclusive link to the webinar. Topics that we’ll cover: Digital marketing for African start-ups The top 4 mistakes you need to stop making on your business social media page Strategies you can use to gain more customers without breaking your budget Webinar details: Date: Tuesday April. 11th, 2017 Time: 2pm Lagos // 3pm Johannesburg // 4pm Nairobi Help us spread the word: [bctt tweet=”Sign up for this webinar with @Wildfusion to increase your business social media reach (Apr.11)” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Watch this webinar: About our experts: Agatha Emina, is an online enthusiast with over 7 years working experience in the digital industry from the client side and the agency side. She has worked as a Digital Strategist and Project Manager in the financial, e-business, online advertising and traditional advertising industries. With her strong understanding of digital marketing and project management skills, Agatha has executed award winning digital campaigns across various sectors including FMCG brands, Telecom, Finance and more. Some of her latest works includes taking Close Up and Knorr Nigeria online and enabling these brands succeed while increasing Returns on Marketing Spend. Prashant Kirpalani, is a social media enthusiast who is certified in Google Analytics, Social Media and Digital Marketing. His work experience cuts across social media strategy, Google Analytics, Facebook and pay per click advertising, blogging, website management and forum management. He has a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology where he created a social media network targeting students who wished to study abroad for his final year project.