Telling My Story of Growth

In 2020, during the pandemic, I did something bold: I started HerVest , a women-focused tech-inclusion platform that is giving women access to participate in savings, impact investment and credit. Before then, I had worked at marketing agencies as a copywriter then moved to Meristem Securities to pioneer their Marketing and Communications (MarComms) department. But through my career journey, I noticed a worrying trend: financial institutions globally particularly, locally were not targeting or consciously inclusive of women.?

You see, I speak so much about how women should do better, financially, but I wanted to do more than talking. So, I hit the streets to ask women why they weren’t investing their money and adopting higher levels of financial services. If I was going to serve a community of women, it was important for me to know why Vivian, who had a thriving business, was not saving enough. Or why Mary saved all her money but was too scared to invest some of it. Or what made Mama Joy insist she wouldn’t start her investment journey except she knew a friend it worked for. So, when I launched HerVest, it was designed to be a solution to the investment challenges a lot of Nigerian women face.?

Beyond the why, one question people often ask is what prompted me to start. Let me say that I’ve always been a solutionist by nature, and at the core of this was my love for positive change. When I was in university, one of my favourite courses was Communication for Development. I was fascinated by how communications can create change and how change can be behavioural and orchestrated. As I journeyed in my career, I realized the impact words can have; they can constrain individuals or empower them to take control of their financial futures. I also understood the importance of my own voice in fostering the kind of change I wanted to see in the world, particularly for women. So, I leveraged this. First, it was using creative storytelling in campaigns and promotional copies when I was a full-time marketing copywriter, then telling beautiful stories around money. With HerVest, it is about creating tech-driven tools to empower women financially, and with my book, “Stripped: An African Woman's Guide to Building Generational Wealth,” I am throwing a lifeline to lead African women out of financial jeopardy and help them build wealth that transcends generations.?

Being hungry for positive change and leveraging my voice was not all there was for me. Another thing that has helped me in my journey from zero to one is being able to think of solutions in every situation. I am always seeking innovative ways I can drive growth, enhance business relationships, promote excellence, and connect with people beyond mere transactions. Beyond having these conversations, I am thinking of solutions in every situation, even amidst chaos.?

So in the spirit of connecting with people, leaning into my expertise, delving deeper into issues affecting us, tackling challenges, and advocating for change, I am excited to talk about my newsletter: Zero to One. Here, I hope to tell you about my many expressions of life – from my love for social causes, paving more opportunities for women in tech, HerVest, volunteering for nonprofits, lifting financial participations for African women above nuances, what drives me, my opinions on how we can improve policy reforms and governance, and build a world where women can thrive, and many more – I will be talking a lot about public systems, public sectors, governance, leadership, and what it means to lead from an empathetic POV, sharing lessons I have learned along the journey as a storyteller, founder and CEO, financial feminist, and as both a citizen and leader.?

Imagine this as my public diary where I share my thoughts and journey with you, every week. We’ll talk about goal setting, ambition, life and business, women and gender. With this newsletter, I hope to inspire you to take the plunge and be solution-driven, to move from zero to one. This newsletter is a unique space where finance, tech, women's empowerment, and my personality intersect. But it’s also going to be a two-way conversation, so if you have something you want to learn, a story you want me to share, an aspect of my life and journey you want to know more about, or a question you want an answer to, feel free to let me know.?

Before I go, I’ll leave you with one thing: the power of doing and working with great precision. We’ll talk about this some more but for now, I’ll leave you to ruminate over what working with great precision means for you.?

See you next week! ?????