BAKER TILLY PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE 01/10/2018
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June 2022
Widow’s day YOLK
June 23rd is recognized on the UN calendar as International Widows Day to raise awareness of widows’ silenced voices. Poverty and injustice are also faced by many widows and their children. International Widows Day 2022 theme being “Sustainable Solutions for Widows Financial Independence” is a topic I was very happy to share with my fellow widows as the Key Note speaker. Yes, you can, as Yolk Africa theme is was my central message. So we begin with the mindset- just believing in oneself and your capability that you will do it. So the only thing between that you so wish for is just you. I encouraged the widows to move away from boxing themselves as widows who are not able to provide, wallowing in pity parties hoping people will feel sorry for them, yet they still have their 2 hands and the God given brain to excel. Roll up your sleeves and get out there and do something, as the opportunities are there. I shared a bit of my being widowed at 41 years of age. I had a huge family to look after – my own widowed mother, my children, my siblings and my late siblings’ children. I mourned my husband for a week and had to go back to work after 5 days. Same week I lost my husband in 2001, our only manager at SECURICO was attacked by thieves on his way home, and he died a few days later. SECURICO was still a small company employing around 120, and I had no choice, but to go back to work as there was no one else. Also shared on what I consider my biggest achievement – fighting and advocating for the acceptance of women in the security sector. I had to fight for the security industry to accept women as capable practitioners. We have over 900 women – mostly widows and single mothers. Pray for WISDOM, I told them. I pray for Solomonic wisdom every day, not material things. Wisdom, Wisdom, not anything else, has taken me this far. What a Happy Widows Day it was!!! Many of them were inspired and encouraged. Thank you, Yolk Africa and UN, for enabling this platform.
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP – Series Part 3
Look at Obama, and you find Leadership + Character were his hallmarks hence he won the 2nd term when it looked almost impossible. Human nature is that people want to deal with people they trust hence a track record which is beyond reproach is essential.
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THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP – Series Part 2
From Series 1 one of this topic, I will share some of the practical nuggets on the practical building blocks that have also helped me on my journey as an entrepreneur and building in a harsh economic and social environment. Social as well as there are social aspects to it. Want to make more money??? Provide more value. Want to beat out your competition? Provide more value than they do. Want to make lots of money quickly? Provide lots of value quickly! So, the more value you provide, the more profitable you should become. My team and I always Think of all the ways we can currently help our customers and look for ways to do more. Try to get a better understanding of what their most pressing issues are and then help them with solutions is a sure way of winning their hearts. The costs can stifle and certainly can kill a good business. We chose to grow our business organically, with very little borrowing, retaining all profits into the business for the first 6 years of the business – no dividend – zero – as we had our eyes on the vision. Our policy on dividends is very conservative. I sold a house 2 years after I started the business, to create cheaper capital, and moved into a rented one with my sister with all our 8 kids, and took over 2 years to build a modest house that I live in now as we were not receiving any dividends as we reinvested the returns into the growing business. Not that the money was not there, but I know it was not my money yet. That takes serious discipline. Discipline is probably the most critical quality possessed by successful entrepreneurs. I chose to cut back on life style choices so that the capital could attain longevity. I Focused on creating the right mindset. I always try to Show up with an open mind and a positive demeanour. I am informal and try to have a sense of humour. That has an element of making anyone feel they belong and that is just magic. The connection with people and the business has helped in inspiring excitement and sets the scene for an execution culture in the company. When you come to our offices and interact with any of our team members or anywhere, they may be, you see this great sense of purpose in all of them. We call this a “rush to the scene of the crime” culture. That has given us the competitive advantage and are always ahead of the curve.
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IDG SUMMIT IN STOCKHOLM
Inner Development Goals (IDGs) is a non-profit organization for inner development. They research, collect and communicate science-based skills and qualities that help us to live purposeful, sustainable, and productive lives.The Inner Development Goals framework is fundamental in the work to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Why the IDGs now? Global Goals for 2030 can only be accelerated by a wide range of issues that involve people with different needs, values, and convictions. Modern research shows that the inner abilities we all need now can be developed.IDGs framework is represented by 5 categories namely Being, Thinking, Relating, Collaborating and Acting for driving change.In May 2022, I was invited to speak at the Inner Dev Goals Summit in Stockholm in a panel discussion chaired by a great woman Asa Jarskog on the Collaborating pillar.I shared on the following:
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