Creating more opportunities for women in trade is the right thing to do. Gender inequality is more than a moral or social issue, it is a critical economic challenge. Women account for half the world’s working-age population and if they do not achieve their full economic potential, the global economy will suffer. A McKinsey Global Institute report finds that $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women’s equality (McKinsey Global Institute, 2015) Economic evidence shows that giving women the same opportunities as men improves a country’s competitiveness and productivity, which in turn has a positive impact on economic growth and poverty reduction. Globally, the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women could raise per capita productivity by 40 per cent, according to the World Bank (Doing Business Report, 2017). Women play a significant role Continue Reading
The Queen of Hearts: The Confessions of An ‘Accidental’ Leader I didn’t purpose to be in the space that I find myself in – Founder & CEO, Passionate Entrepreneur, EQ Fanatic and OWIT Nairobi President. God plucked me from the path that I had set out for myself & set me on an alternative journey. At the start it all appeared somewhat ‘accidental’ but I know now that it was no accident, rather His design, His purpose for my life… So now that I am here, these are my confessions…the lessons I am learning about being a woman in business, building an empire, one brick at a time… Lesson No 23: Work Smart “Working hard and working smart sometimes can be two different things.” Byron Dorgan You have undoubtedly heard the age-old adage, ‘working smarter, not harder’. I have learned that Continue Reading
The Queen of Hearts: The Confessions of An ‘Accidental’ Leader I didn’t purpose to be in the space that I find myself in – Founder & CEO, Passionate Entrepreneur, EQ Fanatic and OWIT Nairobi President. God plucked me from the path that I had set out for myself & set me on an alternative journey. At the start it all appeared somewhat ‘accidental’ but I know now that it was no accident, rather His design, His purpose for my life… So now that I am here, these are my confessions…the lessons I am learning about being a woman in business, building an empire, one brick at a time… Lesson 22: Chart Your Course “Many women live like it’s a dress rehearsal. Ladies, the curtain is up and you’re on.” – Mikki Taylor, Essense Magazine The research is clear. It makes good business sense to have Continue Reading
Women entrepreneurs often start businesses using less capital than men due to limitations in income and reserves as well as lack of knowledge about the availability of institutional funding. They are less likely to use bank loans to fund the commencement of operations and more likely to borrow from family and friends and use non-traditional/non-institutional lenders. This manifests in the relatively smaller sizes of the businesses that they run. On Tues 2nd April, OWIT Nairobi hosted a seminar – ‘Financing Growth’ – in partnership with Gulf Africa Bank. It was an insightful conversation. In addition to the presentation made by GAB, the OWIT members & guests took it as an opportunity to ask everything & anything about raising capital to finance growth. The key takeaways for me were; Build a relationship with your Banker. An Account Manager who has a Continue Reading
I didn’t purpose to be in the space that I find myself in – Founder & CEO, Passionate Entrepreneur, EQ Fanatic and OWIT Nairobi President. God plucked me from the path that I had set out for myself & set me on an alternative journey. At the start it all appeared somewhat ‘accidental’ but I know now that it was no accident, rather His design, His purpose for my life… So now that I am here, these are my confessions…the lessons I am learning about being a woman in business, building an empire, one brick at a time… Lesson No. 21: We are moving! “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on” ~ Exodus 14:15 I have learned the growth can be terrifying – but true leadership is about moving forward anyway, regardless Continue Reading
International Women’s Day: Celebrating Women! #BalanceForBetter From empowerment seminars to pop-up festivals, business master classes and , female voices echoed across the globe last week on Friday with a resounding message: Women want balance. #BalanceforBetter is this years’ theme. The 2019 initiative is aimed at gender equality, a greater awareness of discrimination and a celebration of women’s achievements. In line with my philosophy to #GoBigorGoHome, my IWD celebrations have lasted longer than a day & spanned continents – kicking off in Nairobi & concluding in DC! Kicked off at the monthly @OWITNairobi Business Meeting on Tuesday 5th March at our new home, Fairview Hotel in Nairobi. The theme was ‘Inclusive Trade as a Catalyst For Women In Economic Empowerment’ which is in line with our Vision – Empowering women to transform communities through global trade. OWIT Nairobi is part of a global Continue Reading
The Queen of Hearts: The Confessions of An ‘Accidental’ Leader I didn’t purpose to be in the space that I find myself in – Founder & CEO, Passionate Entrepreneur, EQ Fanatic and OWIT Nairobi President. God plucked me from the path that I had set out for myself & set me on an alternative journey. At the start it all appeared somewhat ‘accidental’ but I know now that it was no accident, rather His design, His purpose for my life… So now that I am here, these are my confessions…the lessons I am learning about being a woman in business, building an empire, one brick at a time… Lesson 20: A Fierce Tribe Of Sisters “Behind every successful woman, is a tribe of fierce & successful sisters that have her back and push her to be more, all the while keeping Continue Reading
“Behind every successful woman, is a tribe of fierce & successful sisters that have her back and push her to be more, all the while keeping her grounded” – Mucha Mlingo, Adapted As I look back at the journey I have travelled, more particularly over the last 18 – 24 months, one thing is very clear. There has been a tribe of fierce & fearless women who have mentored & inspired me, holding me accountable to the goals that I have set. I have learned that having a mentor is not a sign of weakness; rather – it shows you are smart enough and are driven enough to succeed. The reality is that the entrepreneurship journey is a tough one – a good mentor is a necessity! Why you might ask? Mentors believe in you – they have faith in Continue Reading
As I look back at the journey I have traveled, more particularly over the last 18 – 24 months, one thing is very clear. There has been a tribe of fierce & fearless women who have mentored & inspired me, holding me accountable to the goals that I have set. I have learned that having a mentor is not a sign of weakness; rather – it shows you are smart enough and are driven enough to succeed. The reality is that the entrepreneurship journey is a tough one – a good mentor is a necessity! Why you might ask? Mentors believe in you – they have faith in you & push to be better. They also encourage you to keep moving when things get tough. Mentors are honest with you – they give out doses of ‘tough love’ & tell Continue Reading
I didn’t purpose to be in the space that I find myself in – Founder & CEO, Passionate Entrepreneur, EQ Fanatic and OWIT Nairobi President. God plucked me from the path that I had set out for myself & set me on an alternative journey. At the start it all appeared somewhat ‘accidental’ but I know now that it was no accident, rather His design, His purpose for my life… So now that I am here, these are my confessions…the lessons I am learning about being a woman in business, building an empire, one brick at a time “Behind every successful woman, is a tribe of fierce & successful sisters that have her back and push her to be more, all the while keeping her grounded” – Mucha Mlingo, Adapted As I look back at the journey I have traveled, more Continue Reading