Fela Anikulapo Kuti did not create music to be comfortable or convenient. He created it to confront, to question, and to awaken. Decades after his passing, his voice remains as relevant as ever—not because the world has changed enough, but because it has not. His posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is more than an honor; it is a quiet acknowledgment that truth, when spoken boldly, has a way of enduring.
Fela’s life reminds us that legacy is rarely recognized on schedule. It unfolds over time, carried forward by the courage to stand firm and the clarity to speak without compromise. In honoring Fela today, history is not revising its judgment—it is catching up.
Meet Emem Nwogwugwu.
She helps people build systems that serve the whole person and not just the bottom line. In our Founders Friday feature, Emem shares what transformation really looks like, how to stay grounded in chaos, and why presence is the real secret to a balanced life.
Born from family, built with purpose. Sisé is redefining how African meals are cooked and enjoyed, without losing the soul. Founded by two sisters from a lineage of incredible cooks, Sisé delivers bold, homegrown Nigerian flavours in under 20 minutes. Their mission? To make traditional meals accessible, joyful, and stress-free for modern homes - one meal kit at a time.
After 13 years of quiet growth and deep surrender, Elwoma returns with Throne of Grace, a worship album rooted in Hebrews 4:16 and birthed from a place of authentic devotion.
Thing and about thinking differently. About making bold decisions, developing clarity, and building discipline long before the money shows up.
In this post, I share 7 timeless money mindsets from the book, the kind that don’t just live in theory, but show up in your daily choices, habits, and circle.
Welcome to the Spotlight entrepreneur and our entrepreneur for the day is Zuwaira Ikharo Shuaib
She is the Founder and Creative Director at Amal Botanicals Natural Baby Care Company.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in your business.
Zuwaira Ikharo Shuaib, a Chartered Accountant & an Alumni of London Business School. I hold a Diploma in Natural Cosmetic Formulation with special focus on babies & children. I am the Founder and Creative Director at Amal Botanicals Natural Baby Care Company.
Amal Botanicals, a leading Natural Baby Care brand that caters specifically to newborns and children of all ages.
What led you into this sector as a career ?
My premature triplets inspired me to go in to the Natural Baby care industry.The passion started after they were born and needed only natural babycare products to use for them.
Enterpreneurship could be hard, what has been the highlight (victories and challenges) of your entrepreneurial journey so far?
Amal Botanicals Store opening at Ikoyi, our first flagship store.
The journey to getting our products certified by NAFDAC wasn’t an easy one, but we are grateful for the successful certification of our products by NAFDAC.
What is it like working in your industry?
Working in our industry its interesting and also challenging. We encounter different challenges on a daily basis but what keeps us going is the vision we have for Amal Botanicals.
How are you staying ahead in spite of covid19 and and what lessons or what advice would you give to anyone who wants to break into your industry?
What’s keeping us ahead inspire is COVID 19 is the love we have for providing healthy skin solutions for babies and children of all ages.
My triplets inspire me on this on a daily basis and I hope for same for every mother, because a healthy baby is a happy 😊 baby.
Advice for anyone breaking through to same industry is to know their craft and continue to horn on their skills. It will certainly pay off eventually.
THE FIRST WOMAN TO WIN THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING’S AFRICA PRIZE FOR INNOVATION
Women are gradually taking the lead in every sector, most especially technology.
26-year-old Charlette is really an inspiration and we love to see this. Young, African woman breaking barriers and setting a standard, this is just what we need.
By winning this award, Charlette N’Guessan can transform cyber security and reduce the prevalence of identity theft here in Africa. This would bring about a huge change and individuals will feel safer financially.
A digital verification system called BACEAPI was created and it makes use of an artificial intelligence and face recognition to verify the identities of individuals where they are in real time and this would reduce identity theft by a large percentage. The award was a $33000 (£25000) award, which is amazing.
This would definitely be helpful for us Africans and we hope it transforms our Internet space and make it a better place.
Charlette N’Guessan really showed the importance of finding the solution to a problem and build on it.
This is an inspiration to every young man and woman, you’re never too young to start innovating and find solutions to world problems.
There is a saying that goes “man is not an island”, this is evident in the desire to have relationships.
Networking is an important part of a huge success story, it can bring about growth, job opportunities or investors but it can’t be achieved by being a lone man.
How do we build the right network?
ATTEND NETWORKING EVENTS:
Any event is a networking event, yes , EVERY.
Be willing to meet new people and have conversations with them and it doesn’t have to be about business but the encounter can bring a change to your business.
As you attend that wedding party, don’t have a closed mind and have your business contact info at the tip of your fingers.
DON’T LEAVE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE ON PRIVATE
It’s very obvious we are in the digital age and some potential partners, customer or investor will go through your social media accounts.
If they want to reach you and send a message, it can’t work with a private account.
If you desire your privacy, open a business account and a personal page, which can be made private. This way, you can be reached on your business online platform.
HAVE A LinkedIn ACCOUNT
In 2020, a LinkedIn account is almost as important as having a bank account. It’s so amazing how individuals from opposite ends of the world have networked and took on big projects together.
Create a detailed LinkedIn account, have a professional headshot picture and reach out to individuals in your field or prospective field.
HAVE A MENTOR
A mentor ensures we don’t make the mistakes they made.
A mentor in your field of profession or prospective field of profession can be a stepping stone to getting a higher position. They can speak on your behalf and also introduce you to others that can help you in your field.
These are just a few points on how you can build the right network. The list is exhaustive but the consistent point is being ready to meet others and having an environment in which others can network with you.
We hope this post is helpful, stay tuned for for more inspirational and informative contents.
Welcome to the spotlight entrepreneur. Our spotlight entrepreneur for today is MADAME MODISH, the Style Consultant at Fierce & Modish Ltd, she shares insight into her journey as an entrepreneur.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in your business.
I am the Style Consultant at Fierce & Modish Ltd, a Personal Brand Publicity & Image Management company, birthed in year 2013. I am a Mass Communications graduate of Covenant University Ota with a Masters Degree in Corporate Communications & Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. I am also an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and have a Diploma in Media Presentation & Production from the London Academy of Radio, Film & TV. I have worked with multiple global fashion brands and create timeless and artistic brand identities for Celebrities, Corporate, Lifestyle, Fashion, Film and Television industries, through strategic campaigns, a peculiar essence and raw art, in Nigeria. I seek to change the narrative in the creative space by re-emphasizing the power of styling, its professionalism and role in communications, and for any brands looking to etch her legacy on the hearts of its publics, whilst surviving a fierce competition and dynamic business environment.
What led you into this sector as a career ?
Passion. I’ve always had a passion for fashion and style. Turning it into a business was a no – brainer because only the professionals in an industry can shape up things in it. If you wish for a change; be the change because true change starts with you.
What has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?
I don’t think anything good comes easy, you have to put in the work. Each milestone in my career has required determination, consistency and resilience so I won’t suggest any different for anyone who intends to embark on such a journey. Writing my book is a victory especially in these times, I am truly ecstatic at the journey of being an Author.
What is it like working in your industry?
The fashion industry is a very dynamic one and that is one of the reasons i constantly fall in love with it. The professionals have to keep up, so it continually keeps you on your toes. In this part of the world, it is even more important to be intentional because quite a number of people still don’t understand the relevance of looking good so you have to keep sensitizing and creating awareness to ensure that a better fashion community, evolves.
You recently launched a Style Book – Modish Maxims, would you like to tell us more about this?
Sure! Modish Maxims is a Style Bible, written to give readers a clear and simple understanding of how to build a basic, essential and advanced wardrobe (based on personality and preference), with the long term aim to achieve a tasteful and consistent personal style. It is a timely publication which gears towards decentralizing the knowledge of styling whilst giving readers’ the power to be stylish and establish the foundation they need to develop and hone a functional, memorable, aspirational and unique Personal Brand.
Modish Maxims is birthed out of my initiative to put the Basic, Essential and Advanced knowledge of my craft (Fashion Styling), which is a substantial part of creating a viable personal and corporate brand, into writing.
The book simplifies the tools you need to create a larger than life persona, tell rich and aesthetically pleasing stories and advertise products, through a strategic and endearing appearance. It boasts of over a hundred illustrated images to aid easy understanding of the multiple stages of fashion and style, delivers a reputable directory of Nigerian Designers & Retailers to patronize for male & female fashion (clothing & accessories) and 50 maxims, to live a fierce fashion & style journey by.
The first Fashion & Style book in Nigeria is a thorough and good read which truly empowers every reader.
As a style expert, what suggestions would you give anyone who wants to take their personal style to the next level?
Get a copy of the first fashion and style book in Nigeria, #ModishMaxims : A Set of Style Rules. This Style Bible helps you discover, develop and hone a functional and unique personal style that works for you.
Where can we get the book?
You can get a copy of #ModishMaxims : A Set of Style Rules in E-book on Kindle and Okada Books, in Paperback outside Nigeria on Amazon and in Hardback within Nigeria, on Paystack and directly from the author @madamemodish
How are you staying ahead inspite of covid19 and what lessons or what advice would you give to anyone who wants to break into your industry?
I did an instagram live session about this during the lockdown. The pandemic has brought a long and uncomfortable pause / limit to the possibilities and execution of creative jobs centered around person’s gathering so it is time to de-centralize your knowledge and expertise from being peculiar to your presence alone, to one that is accessible with or without you physically being available. The end of an era often ushers in a new one, it is time to launch new approaches to an existing function, embrace technology and become a world class brand. Enough of being local and subdued, the world is now, truly for the taking.
Welcome to the spotlight entrepreneur. Today, our spotlight entrepreneur is OLUWAKEMI AKUNNUBI and she has carved a niche for herself in helping individuals chart a course in their career and life journey. Keep reading to learn more.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in your business. (Your career when you launched your business, your sector, business focus and names)
Oluwakemi Akinnubi is Certified Human Resource Professional, a Career Coach, Author, speaker, and an influencer. I am dynamic young woman with 14years cognate experience in Human Resources. A graduate of History from the prestigious University of Ibadan and a master’s degree holder in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the University of Lagos, A member of CPHR Canada and SHRM U.S.A. I have carved a niche for myself in helping individuals chart a course in their career and life journey.
I am the convener of Hr Springboard a platform assist individual to establish professional goals, create a plan, and overcome obstacles that may be on their path to achieving success in any chosen field. I am a Trail blazer, a Self-starter, very confident, analytical. I love to meet people, exchange cultural values, and leave a positive impression.
What led you into this sector as a career Coach?
First, my passion gave me away. I love to see people excel in their desired profession was one of the driving forces. Secondly, I saw a huge gap in people aligning their skills to their passion. So the idea of Hr Springboard is to help individuals chart a course in the career and life journey, to help them establish professional goals, create a plan, and overcome obstacles that may be on their path to achieving success in any chosen field. This entails career exploration, making career choices, managing career changes, lifelong career development plan and dealing with other career – related issues.
My bumper sticker (My Slogan) “You count” “You can excel” “You are welcome”
Entrepreneurship could be hard, what has been the highlight (victories and challenges) of your entrepreneurial journey so far?
Oh yes very challenging, it is hard but hard work is the wheel behind any success. Also, keep learning everyday because everyone has huge capabilities lurked up in them and we must harness all we need to be successful. A lot of people find it hard to invest in areas like coaching and counselling but over time referrals have been a huge one for us.
Also, there is no one cap that fits all in counselling and Career choices so you must deal with individuals differently. Lot of people sometimes feel you should keep offering free services like you use to do in the past, but I have left that stage a long time ago. My victories are numerous and my session as also therapeutic for me personally which is my major achievement being a career coach. My mandate is that clients are happy and are not left the same way. I do periodic check up on all my clients to see how they are progressing, and still step in to assist them.
What is it like working in your industry?
The HR is a dynamic one but still stable. New trends keep coming and we must keep staying abreast of it. I love my industry and it is a fulfilling one because you are helping people solve issues generally.
What are some of the big goals you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?
I want to own my own Career Coaching Academy and I have 2 more books to write on Career. I also want to have a rehabilitation center to help reinstate people who have off the radii back to their normal life. There are so many ideas in the pipeline, but this readily comes to mind.
How are you staying ahead despite covid19 and what lesson or what advice would you give to anyone who wants to break into your industry?
The effect of COVID 19 has been a humbling experience and some things might never return to its initial stage. So, I urge everyone to maximize this season to self-develop themselves in areas that matter. The Covid19 era is one that will forever be remembered. Breaking into my industry is an easy one. Human Resources is very broad so you must know where you fit in and maximize the niche you have carved for yourself. Hr Analytics is one area that I will encourage newbies to dive into. From doing digital to being digital. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and cognitive solutions grow in sophistication, Human resources professional must ensure we align the organizations objectives with the ways we carry out our responsibilities.
Businesses are to experience growth, it is an expected outcome. It speaks volume and show the work that has been put into it.
Today, we’ll be sharing 5 ways your business can move to the next level.
HAVE A STRONG ONLINE PRESENCE: As we know, technology and the internet is a great tool in the business world. Every business that needs to reach a wide range of customers needs to utilize this platform; The businesses with a thriving online presence utilized the platform during the total lockdown.
BUILD A STRONG TEAM: Have a trained team because they determine the outcome of the business in a very large way. It involves seminars, leadership training, qualification exams and ensuring understanding and passion almost as much as you have.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS: Being aware of the company expenses and inflow of profit ensures proper managerial skills. The business owner should be aware of the finances of the company.
These 3 tips are just a few out of many but can be helpful in the evaluation of the business and ensuring growth.
Stay tuned for more tips to take your business to the next level.
Follow us @thebriefnetwork on Instagram and the TBN Entrepreneurs Connect group on Facebook.
Welcome to the spotlight entrepreneur, we have another enlightening session today and I must say, it’s filled with words of wisdom. Today, our spotlight entrepreneur is OKEYINFU AJAYI and she is here to change the world through education and technology.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in your business.
My name is Okeyinfu Ajayi and I am a purpose driven individual who believes people should not remain the same after they have met with me. I am here to change the world via Education and Technology.
I am the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Busy Minds Center, an Educational Institution in Lagos Nigeria, with both online and physical business units. We cater for children aged 3 months to 16 years from two campuses. In addition, we have a Teacher Education and Leadership Development Center.
One of the special parts about my role in Busy Minds Center is Teacher and School Leadership Development. Why, you might wonder. Two critical pillars necessary for high education quality and school culture are, School Leadership and Teacher Quality. Of course, I also enjoy innovating with the school team on programs for the students and ensuring we stay accountable to the parents and our vision. Program Evaluation and Learner Assessments is also a huge part of my role.
I am happy I have a strong senior management team, who are able to take control and run the business, leaving me in the space where I can take a step back and focus on some other things within and outside the business.
Beyond Busy Minds, I run an Outsourcing and Technology Solutions Firm, Ka’Vabe Hub and it exciting to be in a space where I can give functional technology service and advice to SMEs especially, women owned business. I am typically in charge of client acquisition and supervise the entire user experience process and I love being able to talk solutions and integrations in a way that is relatable and most importantly, executable. I am the founder and lead creative for KaVabe Hub.
What led you into this sector as a career?
To be honest, getting into the Education Sector, was 100% unplanned but I am happy with where I am. A friend of mine who worked in a school in Lekki, called, asking me to come and have a chat with her boss because she believed with my operations background, I could help their school get their administration and operations unit sorted. As someone with an administrative background, as soon as I walked in and around the school, I could see some alignment and operational issues.
When I eventually met with Mrs Kalejaiye, I shared my observations and recommendations with her, promising to send a more robust report. As the conversation progressed, she offered me a job. I was interested but I had been a stay at home mom for about three years and I was unsure if I was ready for the leap, especially because I coming in at the highest managerial role. When I took the offer, I planned to help them out for a month or thereabouts. I was there for about four (4) years. I have been in the field of Education since 2009; That’s over 11 years.
When I eventually left Discovery House in 2013, I realised that every business idea I considered paled in comparison to the satisfaction I felt when I thought of getting back into education. That’s how I got back in and I must say it has been amazing being in this sector. A tough but life changing happenstance.
Entrepreneurship could be hard, what has been the highlight (victories and challenges) of your entrepreneurial journey so far?
I agree with you the entrepreneurship can be hard. One of the tough parts is to get beyond the glamour and understand the level of hard work and commitment it takes to run a business. Most people see you as a founder and assume you are having a ball. This gets old and tiring.
Another really huge challenge, is consistent and quality staffing. However, due to our on boarding culture and staff development framework, we can ensure we have people who are ready for the classroom and deliver on our promise. We could of course not forget to talk about governmental polices and poor infrastructure that are not exactly favourable to growth, but we keep powering on.
God has honestly been good to me, whilst I wished some things could be erased, I cannot deny they have made me a stronger leader and a better business individual. Some of my highlights are linked to collaborations that have happened in the educational sector. Being able to collaborate with many Educational leaders, has given the education sector a stronger voice. I am also quite excited about some of the team members I have been blessed with over the years. Their commitment to my vision is exceptional.
Before I started Busy Minds in 2013 April, I had another business which I started in 2008. I was not ready for it and it died despite trying to resurrect it. Now I realise, I was not quite ready for the commitment entrepreneurship required. I was basically playing office.
Success is not defined by others; we need to define it for ourselves and by ourselves.
My unique experiences count, and I do not need a applause to validate me or call me successful.
What is it like working in your industry?
Working in education is a lot of fun to be honest. It is always fresh every single day because we work with children and young adults. It is very intense as we deal with real life children and sometimes, extra sensitive parents but at the end of the day, knowing that we are all working towards the good of the child makes it easier. When the children come to school and feel free enough to share the good and not so great things that happen at home, it can be earth moving. But we smile and spin a tale to make it alright.
Seeing a child that came in shy, progressively become bolder and be able to stand in front of the class and make a presentation is a surreal experience. I love it.
The lack of regulation governing opening schools, means one (a school) can practically spring up right next to you with zero warning. It can be a little unnerving but the truth is, we all have different customers. It is however important that we all deliver quality education and be accountable to all the students and families that walk through our doors. Sometimes, the school hype is a real distraction, causing people to focus on the wrong metrics as determinants of quality education. However, I would not trade it for another sector. I am deeply satisfied here.
How are you staying ahead in spite of covid19 and what lessons or what advice would you give to anyone who wants to break into your industry?
As a business, it is always important to be responsive via an agile feedback process. The pace and quality of change outside your organisation should not out pace you. If it does, your relevance and market share will keep shrinking. Responsiveness is like oil, it keeps things moving. Secondly, communicate and keep the lines of communication open.
At BusyMinds School, we have always had a strong technology component and part of our strategic 3-year plans, was launch our online school. As soon as COVID-19 spread into Europe, we started to look at our plans and think about how to fast-track our online/ Virtual ED Component. We were able to run a 2-week pilot at the end of March/First Week in April and this helped us refine our platform and get it more user responsive.
Another thing I believe is extremely important at this time, is empathy. We are fully in touch with our clients, those who have their children online and those who do not. What we did it to create a free platform for those who were unable to join us online due to several reasons – parents at work, no devices etc. This ensures the children stay on track with learning.
Beyond COVID-19 the online school stays because we have students outside Lagos State and Nigeria. We are drawing up measures to ensure that we can go back to school safely but still retain the essence of robust schooling which goes way beyond concrete learning.
For those want to come into education, I have a few questions for them. If they can answer these questions, they should be fine. Education is an extremely sensitive, so it is best to determine if you are in for the money or the impact. Of course, both streams could lead to money and impact, but the start-up approach is different.
Why Education?
What level for you want to cater to?
What is your unique service position?
Who is your target audience?
How do you plan to let them know you exist?
Why will they come back to you? (Service Measurement)
What curriculum will you use?
What is your Overarching vision for the school and your role?
What location are you looking at for set up?
Does it align with your number 7?
What is your digital integration strategy (Academics and Administrative)
The tips I have shared below have also helped me immensely:
a. Trust God with everything. b. Start where you are but have a self-development plan. c. Communicate clearly; never assume people know what you are about. d. Make your thinking visible e. Have a strong support system f. Know your why/ your core, and build on that g. Think long term and short term and include an execution path with clear next steps and what connections you need to make. h. Leverage network when possible but rely on what you can control i. Be customer centric with a good feedback loop
j. I always ask myself – what needs to change or be improved? k. How can I leverage technology?
Welcome to Spotlight Entrepreneur and today, Banke Alawaye has the spotlight today. She gives us a sneak peak on what it’s like being in technology and the challenges she has faced as a business owner. Let’s get right into it.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in your business.
My name is Banke Alawaye, I’m a digital transformation specialist and CTO @ aCubed Limited where we work with smart businesses who are interested in growth, profitability, and longevity. I’m also a teacher of sorts in that I teach entrepreneurs and freelancers how to use digital tools to work smart. I’m particularly focused on tools for automating business tasks to create efficiency.
2.What led you into this sector of tech as a career ?
I like to say that the CTO stands for Chief Transformation Officer. Our work at aCubed is about helping our clients develop structures that are foundational for their growth. And you can’t escape technology in a growing company at this time.
My background includes investment banking and leading a Pan African digital agency. All that business and technology experience is best used to serve businesses who are trying to gain market share in an increasingly digital world.
I’m also very keen to get more women into tech. At aCubed we have a women-in-business program that is targeted at female entrepreneurs who are ready to structure their business and make the transition into a thriving business entity.
Personally I provide mentoring through a program called Girls in Glasses which I started as a way to find and nurture talented women interested in the tech world.
My goal is simple. To help and support women in tech by:
Providing mentoring to take their tech related idea to launch and/or grow their business
Providing support and information to help find a path to becoming a woman in tech
To create a community of women tech service providers and connect you to job opportunities
This is a labour of love and I look forward to telling some success stories from the group soon.
4. Entrepreneurship could be hard, what has been the highlight (victories and challenges) of your entrepreneurial journey so far?
It’s interesting and has its challenges. I’m lucky enough to love what I do and to have built a reputation to attract the right clients to my business. But entrepreneurship is not all roses. I have closed down two businesses over the years for various reasons. The good thing is that from those failures I’ve learnt what doesn’t work and what not to do. For a long time I was a reluctant entrepreneur but now that I’ve found my stride, I’m loving it.
5. What is it like working in your industry?
Just like any industry, you have to stay ahead of the curve. Technology is continuously evolving and you have to keep yourself up to date on new developments so as to provide the most value to clients. I’m lucky that this plays to my strengths as I am always learning.
6. How are you staying ahead in spite of covid19 and and what lessons or what advice would you give to anyone who wants to break into your industry?
Technology has become necessary for so many people to do their jobs and keep their businesses afloat. This has meant that my industry has been busy as people seek out expertise and support to get them on their digital path.
For anyone looking to break into the technology industry, the first step really is education. Take some courses and see where your interest lies. There are many free courses to get started just to see what area you want to learn more about. There’s no better job in the world than the one that you love to do and you’re excited to do. Don’t follow the bandwagon. Play to your strengths. There are many opportunities in technology at this time.
Follow Banke Alawaye on Instagram and LinkedIn. Also, visit her website to be more informed and learn more to run your business with ease using technology.
Who loves to dance and also be fit in the process? I do!! Dancing is one of the best ways to stay fit and have an active lifestyle. Today our entrepreneur is a Dance fitness expert and dance choreographer. She is Tamara Ajasa and she shares her journey as an entrepreneur.
Tamara Ajasa is a Dance Fitness Expert and a Dance Choreographer. She is a certified Pre-Natal and Post-Natal fitness specialist and the Creative Lead at DanceMusicologyConcepts, a company focused on Dance, Fitness and Wholeness for women.
Tamara and creativity are synonyms as she has written, acted and directed a number of stage plays.
She is a content creator, a self – taught Davinci Resolve Editor who shoots and edits most of her materials herself. Tamara has also co-produced a reality weight-loss show currently in post-production. For several years, Tamara was the ballet teacher of choice at one of the most prestigious primary schools in Nigeria. Dance features prominently in most of her creative projects and it is no surprise that she was part of the first set of certified Zumba Instructors trained in Nigeria.
Tamara recently re-tooled her business DanceMusicologyConcepts and has currently set her sights on ensuring women embrace wholesome living choices and healthy daily habits.
She currently runs routine ONLINE weight-loss/fitness services to help women achieve their body transformation goals in a sustainable manner.
She also uses her page to advocate for wholesome living for women and mothers. Tamara has an exercise EP out on Spotify, Youtube Music and other music platforms in aid of DMC’s weight loss services.
DMC also offers choreography services for music videos, product launches, stage plays and other functions.
As an entrepreneur for the past nine years, I have faced a number of challenges while trying to grow my business. Some of them include;
Talent development: In my field, finding employable talent has been a huge challenge. I have come across dancers and fitness enthusiasts who see no need to be professionally trained or certified. On another hand, I have had staff leave after I have taken them through training. This often leaves me to do most of the work myself and I make do with just contract staff.
Value appreciation: There are no set fees for creative work and value for my work has sometimes been depreciated. A client requests my services to choreograph a routine for a social event or fitness event and when I give my bill, you hear comments like, “Is it not only 10minutes dance?” “Why should you charge for choreography?”
My advice to entrepreneurs would be;
Be ready to Persist. Perseverance and consistency is the only way you can sustain a business in this life. Great brands are what they are because someone somewhere did not give up. Stay focused and diligently push till you hit your goals.
Find your niche and hone it. Do not try to be jack of all trades. If you have several vocations and passions, choose one first – work hard to set yourself apart in that field then you may diversify later.
Evolve with times. Change is the only thing that is constant. What you start out with may need tweaking from time to time. Keep your eyes open to moving trends and find ways to make your business adapt. This would constantly put you at the forefront of your industry.
Embrace technology! This is very vital in this new decade. Have an online presence on as many social platforms possible. Make use of the internet as a marketing tool. Find new ways to give your customers/clients a stress-free experience.
In all, always remember that times and seasons are predetermining factors to an entrepreneur’s success. While you put in every effort to be the best, do not be discouraged by stumbling blocks and mountains you would face. See every phase of your journey as a learning process. When it is the set time, you would be great and you would reap the rewards of all the years of diligence that you have planted. Be of good cheer.
The one thing owners and managers of small businesses are after is business growth and the extent to which a business can provide a great customer experience goes a long way in determining the extent of growth. The bad news is many small business fail at this. However, others have used excellent customer service to transform their businesses from good to great! These set of small businesses seem to understand how to manage their customers and have therefore established enough trust to not only keep existing customers, but to also attract new ones. From my experience running a business and the challenges I have had to face, I have put together 7 things you can do right now to improve your overall customer service experience.
Pay attention to what your customers are saying. In fact the best customers are the ones that give you feedback – because such feedback can serve as springboard to what you need to change to improve how you do your business and your overall product / service offerings.
Pay attention to how you want to be perceived and start showing up like that. In situations where customers have to visit your office / store in person, you need to pay attention to how you want to be perceived. First impression matter, and the subsequent impressions too. The truth is you want to ensure you are showing up exactly how you want your business to be perceived. This means when someone interacts with your brand (be it in person, in a chat, on the phone and so on), the message you are passing across about your brand is same across channels.
Be sure that the values your business represents are clear and are communicated with every body in the organisation – from the CEO, to the manager, the customer service officers, the social media handler, the dispatch, every single person. Do not leave out any one.
Pay attention to the little details. You can’t have a glamorous social media presence, and then your delivery packaging is not in sync with what you preach. The little details matter and they help in determining brand perception.
Hire Right and Train them: Great customer service delivery can set you apart from other brands and especially in an overcrowded market. What will a small business do when the company begins to grow and customers are making repeat purchases and new ones are added regularly? The key is to not wait until it’s too late before you start hiring right. You want to get staff with good human relation skills and you also want to invest time and resources to train them.
Be sure that customers and clients are able to do business with you smoothly. Some time ago, I purchased an item from a reputable online business. I was expecting an update from them after a few days, but no update aside the initial email confirming my order. Long story short, the item never came then I got an email informing me that the item I purchased was sold out. I immediately requested for a refund. The customer service officer told me they do not issue refunds, she suggested other products, but I was not interested in the offerings; in this case the best they could do for me was to put my funds in a wallet on their website so I could use same for future purchases with them. Just look at that! The competition is quite fierce, consumers have a lot of choices these days. Once I found an alternative to that brand, I moved on. Why should customers come to you? To what extent are customers able to do business with you smoothly? Can a customer easily get in touch with you? Is your delivery process smooth? Do you respond in a timely and efficient manner? If they want an exchange, is it easy for them to reach you and get an exchange? Are customers able to get refunds for damaged or unavailable items? What about after sale service? Creating a smooth process is not the easiest thing to do, if it was, every business will have a great process. But it’s not, that’s why only few succeed. I believe you are one of those few.
Use Technology: As your business grows, it might become more difficult to manage your budding customers. This is where technology comes in. Use technology to automate repetitive processes; Some examples are automated response (ensure you actually follow up); including an FAQ page on your website where you have answered all possible customer related questions and inquiries; having a contact form with pre-defined subject matters among others.
The goal of every business is to build trust, good customer service delivery can help in building trust and it begins with the very first contact a customer has with your business. Once you constantly do your best at providing great customer service each time a customer gets in touch with you, the trust they have established at the first interaction with your brand will grow. When customers trust you, they will keep coming back to you. The more they keep coming back, the more you increase the customer lifetime value. An increase in customer lifetime value will lead to an increase in revenue.
Keep in mind, the growth of your business is at the other end of great customer service
