On Celebration of Women Entrepreneurs...

Tell them you’re nothing without a woman, no

Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow

Tell ‘em what’s up

I love how you go from zero to one hundred

And leave the dust behind

You’ve got this.....

When you have beauty and brains?

They find it astoundin’

Self-made, ain’t nobody doin’ gold digger

It's your time, they seein’ you glow……

Woman to woman I just wanna see you glow….

-?‘Woman’ – Brit Award Winner and Grime Superstar Little Simz, 2021.

Last week, on March 8, was International Women’s Day and I have dedicated today’s newsletter to 7 incredible entrepreneurs that have inspired me on my entrepreneurial journey. As someone who spends more than 95% of my time with women, I have seen personally?how they have struggled to shake off the labels, the stigma, and the extra responsibilities, to enable them to rise to the levels that their dreams expect them to be.

These range from the woman who became a?drug addict homeless and begging on the street as a direct result of domestic abuse, to those that have built multi-million-dollar businesses.?

I spent hours last week interviewing seven women entrepreneurs that have directly influenced every aspect of my life, have inspired me to no end, and also the communities in their sphere of influence. These were women who lived across four continents, from Africa to Asia, and from Europe to America.?

Young and old, budding and established, from different races.?

These are their stories:?

1. Maya Lawrence:?Maya is a creative entrepreneur. We’d passed each other like trading ships weekly, till I finally mustered up the courage and met her for coffee at our local Starbucks in Plymouth, Devon, where she told me her story.?

From the age of 12, she always knew she wanted to work in the design industry, so she went ahead and went to University to study Interior Design and a Masters in Textiles and Surface Design, where she secured a big corporate job as an Interior Designer role in North London. But she moved to Plymouth and took a break to start her family - before taking the plunge to start her own business, Maya Joy Design in 2021, which led her to design a bespoke range of homeware, soft furnishings and gifts.?

But the challenges began to mount up. Her husband, though extremely supportive, was a sailor and was away most of the year, leaving her with 2 young girls and a business to run. Also being black, she rejected the traditional expected role of black female designer entrepreneurs – to design apparel for her natural market. Instead, she chose to embrace both her heritages, British and Jamaican, which resulted - as she puts it ‘ dual heritage, pink-obsessed and joyful pops of colour to give all those feel-good vibes’.?

Of course, this decision came at a price, but her consistency finally paid off.?

Her big breakthrough came when she was featured in the March edition of Period Living -where her signature design- the blue leaves feather pillow - instantly became a best-seller.?

Her dream is to take up the space typically dominated by the British white female designer with her Jamaican-inspired design and to inspire women to follow their dreams, especially her 2 little girls.?

Her hard work, resilience, and consistency against all odds, have resonated with me as a black author trying to break through into an underrepresented genre.

For more on Maya, check out her website:?www.mayajoy.co.uk

2. Natalie Costa:?There is nothing that cheers me up more in the morning than opening my LinkedIn app and seeing the beaming, positive face of parenting expert and entrepreneur Natalie Costa. She has lit up the LinkedIn world with her positivity, her energy, and her tips on parenting which have become incredibly popular on the business–themed app.?

I was eager to find out more about Natalie, so I booked a call with her to interview her for this newsletter.?

And my hunch was correct. As with most women entrepreneurs, behind that famous smile, the challenges she has had to endure and overcome to get where she is now are nothing short of extraordinary.?

Natalie is of South African and Portuguese descent with a degree in Psychology. She left South Africa to come to the UK in 2006. She took up full-time teaching when she came to the UK in the same year. However she never quite found full fulfilment in teaching so she left, and became a supply teacher, whilst being a fitness instructor on the side.?

In 2014 she was sent on a coaching course – and she sort of stumbled upon her current business when she coached a struggling child. The child’s parent was so impressed that she called to say what an impact her coaching had had. Since then, she’s gone on to coach and help over 40,000 children worldwide, had sessions with corporate clients on work-life balance been interviewed by the BBC, as well as being featured in numerous magazines including Bella and the Telegraph, and has now turned her career up a notch by starting a bespoke training program for parents, the Empowered Parents Club. Her challenge as a woman reminded me of Alexandra Carter’s book, ‘Ask for more’ where she struggled to charge her clients what she was worth.?

I’ve been inspired by Natalie to keep a positive attitude, believe in my self-worth, work hard, and most of all, keep smiling!

More on Natalie:?https://www.powerthoughts.co.u...

3. Anju Agarwal:?I featured Anju in my newsletter ''The dark side''. I have been fascinated by art and even more fascinated by her story. Anju started life in Delhi, India as a teaching assistant when her children were young for 33 years. In the last 16 years, the stress of teaching and parenting began to take its toll. She developed serious health challenges,?she developed serious anaemia and arthritis, had to go through multiple surgeries and finally had to quit her job when the stress became unbearable. Her kids were grown up then so she decided to follow her passion – art, poetry and philanthropy. Since then, she’s held her exhibitions across India and Asia, written several poems, and has been involved in philanthropy, such as feeding the hungry and spending time with dementia patients and surprisingly, her health problems have almost completely disappeared.?

As I spoke to her on a video conference, her passion and energy were palpable, as she talked about how she expresses the complexity of human nature in her work:?

?‘’This painting shows a woman surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colourful shapes. This is an attempt to highlight many facets of a woman’s identity. Different shapes represent an array of her wishes and aspirations. There is so much she wants to do and achieve, but is riddled with responsibilities…….that she is more than a single aspect of herself, that the experience of a woman can be rich and multifaceted’’

For more on her art and work, please see?www.anjuagarwal.com

4. Julie Smale:?One cold and windy Saturday, Dela and I were walking down a street in downtown Plymouth when we came across a little shop – called Bud Houseplants. Dela, being a lover of plants – was drawn in and so was I. I was intrigued because a popular florist shop that had been a feature of that street had closed a few years prior.

Inside, the shop?was beautiful, -?understated beauty that was moving. Julie, the owner was a passionate and knowledgeable entrepreneur who believed in the power of plants. She spoke to a particular customer that suffered from anxiety who came into the shop – and instantly felt better – the support she had received from the community, and what struck me the most – her enthusiasm for recommending other new businesses that had also started trading down her street. We loved it. Her story in her own words:

“I have always had a passion for plants and had been propagating Aeoniums as well as a?variety of succulents for a few years and sharing with friends. Around April 2020 I sold a few that I advertised online along with a small selection of houseplants, Bud then grew.?

The business started from my garden veranda which meant that I could offer an al fresco by-appointment-only service come rain or shine. Most importantly at the time, customers were able to shop for plants in a safe and welcoming environment.?

Over a short period, I sourced reputable Dutch growers and a unique pot and accessory supplier who I still work with today.?

I could instantly see the joy that plants would bring. During a difficult time, it was so lovely to be able to meet plant-loving people of all ages and talk about all things green, I think it was a cathartic experience for both my customers and myself. Bud then grew from what started as a ‘hobby job’ to a local high street retailer.?

I have been asked many times what made me move from home to a shop. The answer is simply that I ironically outgrew my space. There were only so many plants and pots that I could stock and display at home so when the opportunity of a retail space became available at Hyde Park Plymouth I felt that I just had to go for it. I had a vision of creating a beautiful tranquil space full of beautiful plants and accessories, so that’s how Bud Houseplants came to life in September 2021.?

I love creating new displays to inspire and help my customers when choosing their first plant or another to add to their collection or maybe for a gift. I always encourage them to play with different plants and pots, to come in and have an experience, a chat too.?

Last year I was blown away when winning two Muddy Stiletto awards as well as the??Best New Lifestyle Start-up in Devon in the summer and in December, the?Best New Lifestyle Start-up in the UK, I couldn’t believe it. I love what I do,?however, I?wouldn’t be here without the support and loyalty of my lovely customers, both old and new”?

For more on Bud houseplants and to connect with Bud:?

https://www.facebook.com/budho...

https://www.instagram.com/budh...

5. Morgan Gist MacDonald:?I wouldn’t be here typing this newsletter if it wasn’t for Morgan. I knew I wanted to be an author but had no idea where to start or what to do. I stumbled across her book on Amazon,?‘Start writing your book today’-??read it in 2 weeks and contacted her. A year from that day, I had become a multi-award bestselling author.?

As a wife, a mother of four kids and her love for adventure, her success as a CEO and in work/life balance is a lesson in discipline, passion and focus. She wrote her first book when her baby, Meredith had just been born and calls her – ‘her happiest morning writing companion’.?

Morgan began her career in academia, as a sociologist, but soon found the entrepreneurial pull to take her skills as a researcher writer, teacher and leader into building a company from the ground up. With more than 15 years of experience in writing, editing and publishing, Morgan, through Paper Raven has published scores of books, some of which have won the highest awards in publishing in their fields.?

In writing my book, I had been turned down by almost?20 publishers – traditional, hybrid, vanity presses, but Morgan saw something nobody else saw, and took me on.?

I have found her incredibly inspirational. Her wit, humour, personality and love for fun as well as professionalism – along with an endless supply of gifts – books, paper mugs, timers, and postcards to help me on my writing journey were priceless.?

It has always been a massive source of pride for me that my book, Pay The Price was illustrated, produced, published, publicised, and marketed by an all-woman team, (apart from Brian Dooley, my editor) and I owe my incredible success as an author to her and her company, Paper Raven Books.?

For more on Morgan and Paper Raven:?www.paperravenbooks.com

6. Claire Oatway:??One day, in 2011, I was about to start my project for my MBA at Warwick Business School. I had no idea what I wanted to do, what project I wanted to undertake or my direction after graduation. I was mindlessly browsing through projects undertaken by alumni, and I stumbled across a project by one Claire Oatway who happened to be from my adopted city, Plymouth.?

When I finally caught up with her 5 years later, Claire was now the head of the largest surgery group in Plymouth, The Beacon Group, where she was responsible for over 10 surgeries and generated almost ￡800,000 of additional income.?

What inspires me about Claire is the uncanny and incredible way she can reinvent herself – a proper change-maker.?

She moved from an executive in the primary healthcare space, to an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker and business coach, recognised in the top ten globally by?influencive.com , to an expert in the intersection between AI and ethics, a top-rated podcaster and now a business strategist, thought leader and a co-founder of the Global AI collective, whilst at the same time, being a dedicated wife and mother.?

Claire has inspired me to believe in myself, and believe that everything is possible – and even invited me to be a guest on her podcast – which was incredibly scary.?

She’s been an incredible mentor, example and friend, and I’m always grateful for the day I picked up her project work that cold afternoon in Warwick.?

For her work:??https://www.neon-juno.com

And her podcast:?

https://open.spotify.com/show/...

7. Mrs Patience Tsegah:??Mrs Patience Tsegah is the CEO of Unicom Chemist in Accra, Ghana.?

After my pharmacy degree in Ghana in 1998, I applied for my first-ever pharmacy job in a small pharmacy in downtown Accra, Ghana, where Patience was my boss. Back then, she had one small pharmacy retail outfit in Dansoman, a middle-class suburb in Accra. I left for the UK in 2000 – and I didn’t return to Ghana properly till 2019. By then, I was shocked at the growth of Unicom Chemist which had evolved from that tiny pharmacy to a multi-million dollar business.?

It had grown to over 30 world-class pharmacy retail shops, a huge toy shop, a 4-storey head office and plans for a huge manufacturing outlet, and had now grown to be in the top three pharmacy chains in Ghana, and Patience was recently awarded the woman entrepreneur of the decade, and just last week, awarded the best pharmacy entrepreneur by the Ghana Ministry of Gender equality.?

As a woman in a male-dominated world of CEOs, she had to overcome incredible challenges to achieve this feat, and I was privileged that she gave me three major breaks in my life – my first job, where I met my wife, and my first major million-dollar pharmaceutical contract in Ghana. I owe my healthcare career to her.?

But what has struck me has been her integrity, her gentle but firm demeanour and her quiet resolve.

As my first-ever mentor, most of the confidence and resilience I developed as a healthcare entrepreneur is down to her willingness to take me under her wing to manage her first-ever pharmacy.?

So there you have it, - the top 7 female entrepreneurs who have inspired me, in 7 different fields, in 7 different ways.?

And my heartfelt gratitude goes out to every one of them.?

And to all the women out there daily hustling, including the manager of an award-winning NHS facility juggling leadership, caring for the elderly, and being a single mother, the educational entrepreneur who has left everything to care for her ill husband, the former drug addict who has fled domestic abuse to get her life back on track….

…I salute you all, and I want to see you glow.?

I’m rooting for you!

Steven.

https://youtu.be/jWHKkkXIFTM. My podcast interview with Dr Lois Sonstegard on building a legacy in your entrepreneurship journey:

And to subscribe to this newsletter so it goes straight into your inbox as well as a FREE second book, please subscribe here: www.stevenadjei.com