VIVEXPRESS A Vivacity Global Publication
The Future of Work
WOMEN & TECHNOLOGY
A l a i n a Percival CEO, Women Who Code
Tim Berry founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans.com, and a cofounder of Borland International
LAUNCH2018 Speakers, Attendees and more
CONTENTS ABOUT VIVACITY GLOBAL We exist to connect people and ideas, to build platforms and opportunities to create impact for good.
LEAN BUSINESS PLANNING - TIM BERRY We will be hosting Tim Berry for a Lean Business Planning Online Workshop. We talk to him about the workshop and what to expect.
THE FEMALE ECONOMY What does the female economy mean to us? We introduce Danielle Kayembe and her white paper, " The Silent Rise of the Female Driven Economy."
THOMAS FREY What does the future hold? How are we positioning ourselves to make the most of the challenges and opportunities it presents
LAUNCH STORIES
VIVCIRCLE NIGERIA
We introduce Lynn Greenberg and Katrena Friel and the amazing work they are doing to inspire women to dare to pursue their dreams.
VIVCircle Kano is live and it is hosted by Aisha Tofa, founder of Startup Kano.
THE FUTURE OF WORK How do we harness the opportunities presented by these changes and how do we position ourselves to deal with the challenges? Are you ready for the future or will it overtake you?
At Vivacity Global we believe in the use of existing technologies to connect people for necessary conversations. As a company our focus is creating platforms and opportunities that foster learning and collaboration. Our current initiative VIVGlobal Network is a platform designed to connect female entrepreneurs to learn from role models, mentors, business leaders, experts and peers. It is designed to provide women with a global online and a local offline support network.
Our Growing Team
Abasiama Akpan
Ukot Umezinne
Carol Paterson Smith
Hajara Al Amodi
Charles O'Tudor
"
Think about what you know and what you love,
what you want for the world, what you want to have; and if it doesn’t exist
you have the power to make it happen through technology and through the connectivity of the world today, the
connections  that you have at the tips of your fingers.
You can make anything happen.
"
Alaina Percival
ALAINA PERCIVAL CEO WOMEN WHO CODE
Alaina Percival, Chief Executive Officer of Women Who Code (WWCode), has led WWCode to serve more than 137,000 women in 20 countries and 70 cities across the globe. Percival speaks around the world on diversity and inclusion strategies, appearing at WSJ.d Live, WITI, Belfast Technology Conference, Grace Hopper, Columbia University’s Social Enterprise, MIT’s Venture Capital and Innovation Conference and more. She was recently awarded by the San Francisco Business Times as a “40 under 40” influential leader in tech and has been interviewed by Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, and other publications across the globe to share her expertise on best practices for increasing diversity in tech.
The Interview
Talking about women and technology, data shows how
WOMEN WHO CODE Women Who Code is an international non-profit organization that provides services for women pursuing technology careers and a job board for companies seeking coding professionals. The company aims to provide an avenue into the technology world by evaluating and assisting women developing technical skills. In addition to training, professional evaluations, meetings, and scholarships, Women Who Code offers networking and mentorship Women Who Code envisions a world where women are proportionally represented as technical leaders, executives, founders, VCs, board members, and software engineers.
big the gender gap is. What are the challenges and how can we as women address it?
One of the big reasons that we see women leaving the tech industry is because of unconscious bias. This isn’t over sexism, this is just perceiving women as less senior than they actually are technically. This is excluding them on a day to day basis or speaking to them or treating them differently. The reasons are often things that are so small that if you complained about a single one of these unconscious bias experiences you’d be the weird person who complained.
Where are the Role Models? One of the problems women and girls face in building successful businesses or careers is the lack of access to role models, which is one of the problems we are working to solve. Why do you think women are so reluctant to share their achievements and successes and be more open about sharing this with others? This is something that often frustrates me. In the media you often see 2 or 3 people who are very visible as women in the tech industry; There is Ginni Rometty of IBM and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook. The truth is there is a very large number of exceptional, talented women and it’s important to raise their profile because they are today’s role models. To listen to the whole interview click here
The Launch Program is annual program designed especially for female entrepreneurs at different entrepreneurial stages from idea, seed, startup to growth level. It is designed to provide female entrepreneurs with the support they need to pursue their dreams through learning from top industry leaders, business coaches, mentors, role models and more. The role of learning in this program is to inspire confidence in entrepreneurs and provide them with role models that will help women launch and build successful businesses. Building a business can be challenging and most successful business owners attribute their success to someone who believed in them or a mentor. Every time you speak to or  read an article about women entrepreneurs, there are 2 key challenges that are common. Some believe if they could address these challenges they can build successful businesses
LAUNCH2018
Top on the list is a support system. Whether it is having people believe in them, give them opportunities, provide much needed capital or just be there to see them through the tough times, having a support system in place is key to helping women succeed as entrepreneurs. Second on the list is access to role models and mentors. Storytelling is big business today. Brands are beginning to recognize and embrace storytelling as a way to promote their businesses. For women it is key that we have more women who are successful share their stories to inspire other women to pursue their dreams. It is also important for successful women to remain accessible and be willing to mentor other women. The LAUNCH Program is designed to address these key challenges. It is a program designed to connect women to leading voices in the business world, to business coaches and mentors to help them achieve their goals. This year we had 1000+ women from 25 countries and 12 speakers from 5 countries attend LAUNCH. To listen to all the speakers click here
The Speakers
Chinwe Onuorah
Ebere Akadiri
Stacey Banks-Houston
Kim F. Hoyer
The Speakers
Dr. Standralyn Terry
Oyifijeh Roseline Aadum
Ron Broussard
Malaika Simmons
The Speakers
Marion Chapsal
Zandra Cunningham
Charlotte Kemp
Colette Ellis
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We do not have control over our goals, we only have control over the actions that yield results that we want.
Chinwe Onuorah Chinwe Onuorah, the Managing Partner of BVC Consulting is currently the Chairperson of International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners & Women In Technology, Nigeria. Chinwe started her career as a biz development consultant with G4V (A Microsoft Gold Partner) in 2006, she was instrumental in the company wide training of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL Vs 3) & deployment of technology at various banks.
Things do not change, I change
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You cannot have a one dollar idea and a one million dollar vision.
Ebere Akadiri Ebere currently runs Ataro Global Food Services Holding BV, a spice packaging and distribution company located in the Netherlands. Ebere’s passion for learning and sharing her knowledge led her to offer mentorship and training sessions to small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives looking to establish new businesses or grow their existing businesses.Â
Understand your value and communicate it clearly.
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Push your passion! Do not let your distractions deter you from your destiny.
Stacey Banks-Houston With compassion and grace, Stacey’s dynamic speaking style connects with her audience, leaving a deep impact that inspires and empowers them to take the next steps in discovering and pushing their purpose with key strategies to effectively build their business. Award-winning entrepreneur, author, speaker, and business coach, Stacey Banks-Houston has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs start and grow successful businesses.
Prepare the soil Sow the seed Cultivate the soil. Reap the harvest.
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Study Adjust Grow
Kim F. Hoyer Kim F. Hoyer travels worldwide sharing insights on leadership, sales, marketing, innovation, strategic advancement, and human performance and happiness. He is best known for his trademark, “P4 Advancement System” which is a framework that helps individuals and teams move beyond the ordinary and hit whatever targets they set for themselves. Kim is a strategic thinker and implementer. He is in the business of helping entrepreneurial people accomplish anything they set their minds to.
Don't wait for the perfect circumstance. Start and build as you grow. There is no teacher like the marketplace.
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Give people PIE; Proof Information Evidence
Dr. Standralyn Terry
Dr. Standralyn Terry is a professional educator, trainer and speaker. Â She is a thought leader and strategy executive. Along with her comprehensive accomplishments in non-profit and educational organizations, she offers formal education and training in Business and Organizational Development.Â
Turn your strengths into skills through training and developing techniques
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Success is very jealous, It does not share. You must guard your focus. Spend time thinking.
Oyifijeh Roseline Aadum Oyifijeh Roseline Aadum is a renowned international corporate trainer, an enterprise and human capital development expert, business mentor and an award winning bestselling author. She is the Founder, Fijeh Roseline Aadum Foundation. She has a deep passion for making a positive difference in Africa; nurturing people, supporting entrepreneurs, transforming businesses, developing transformational leaders and helping clients to achieve extra ordinary results in life and business.
The greatest enemy of creativity and innovation is noise.
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In the process of building your vision you are going to experience some dips. Set the goals, accept failure and push. In the dip is the learning.
Ron Broussard Ron Broussard is an internationally celebrated speaker and executive presentation consultant and coach whose mission is to help business leaders and people stretch their relationship capital by using their energy, influence, and resources to create positive changes in the world starting their most important relationship with the man/woman in the mirror. Â Ron helps people and businesses create relationships that improve their personal, career, and business performance.
Let perfection go. Don't confuse perfection with excellence.
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You are successful right now! You are successful as soon as you determine to be successful.
Malaika Simmons Malaika Simmons, co-author of best selling "The Success Blueprint" with Brian Tracy, the upcoming "The Momentology Method: Stop Waiting, Start Winning", and two series including a children’s chapter book series, Shiloh B.(co-authored with her 6-year-old daughter) used to be very busy. Then she discovered that when you add a little brilliance to your “busy,” you get balance. Manage life in moments. That's what the Momentology Method® is all about. Learn to accept the "now." Realize that all you need to be successful you already have within you.
Awareness, Gratitude Expectancy; The 3 tenets of Momentology.
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Stage presence is simply the way you get closer or further from your audience. To engage your audience use your smile, your gestures, your voice, your pauses, ask questions, use images, tell stories.
Marion Chapsal Coaching others to attain their personal and professional best is Marion’s passion. She is the driving force behind Women on Stage, a unique course to help women find their voice, communicate with confidence and enthusiasm, and develop fully as 21st century leaders. Her clients today range from growing tech companies like BlaBlaCar to top executives from Clarins, L’Oréal and Imerys, as well as the French Overseas Development Agency (AFD) and major conferences like TedxSorbonne.
To tell your stories effectively always remember the word cars. C - Context A- Actions R - Results S- Skills
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It is important for parents today to expose their children to entrepreneurship or expose them to solving problems. It is a great way to lay a foundation for them to build on in the future.
Zandra Cunningham Zandra Cunningham is a 16 year old entrepreneur from Buffalo, NY. Zandra’ s fascination with entrepreneurship began when she was 9 years old; inspired by a simple“no” from her dad. As the CEO of an eco-friendly social good company, Zandra is committed to sustainable practices with a priority on how gentle and sensitive teen skin can be. The mission is to create high quality, fun + fresh products that smell amazing . Zandra has just recently launched her newest initiatives, Young Mogul Prep School, and The Zandra “tlc" Foundation.
It is really important to start grooming your children early to start thinking they can be change makers.
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As you look towards your future and seek to identify your preferred future, take advantage of everything you see and don't react in fear against them.
Charlotte Kemp Charlotte Kemp is a futurist, professional speaker and writer. She assists audiences and teams to find their way to navigating or creating the future for themselves and their industries. As a speaker, Charlotte has addressed many audiences and has spent the last few years teaching people how to use social media and in particular, LinkedIn, to raise their profile, connect with other thought leaders and to do research and grow. She's the author of I’m Not Afraid of the F Word. 50 Lessons Learned on the Way to Business Failure.
Use scenario planning for your future.
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Carve out time for yourself in your calendar. Make an appointment, a date with yourself, Honour the time you have set aside for yourself and work everything else around that time. Communicate those time blocks with others so they understand they are not being ignored.
Colette Ellis Colette Ellis is an author, coach and transformational speaker on mindfulness, motivation, and workplace culture. As founder of InStep Consulting, she facilitates learning for global leaders. In 2016, Colette became one of 40 Founding Members in The Women's Lab at Centre for Social Innovation, a collaborative workspace and community for social impact organizations benefitting girls and women. She is contributing author to Transform Your Life With One Call: America's Top Life Coaches Reveal What You Need to Know.Â
There should be an alignment between what's important to you and how you spend your time and resources.
TIM BERRY
BUSINESS PLAN EXPERT Tim is not just a business plan expert; he is also a successful entrepreneur. He is founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans.com, and a co-founder of Borland International. He built Palo Alto Software from zero to 40 employees, multimillion dollar sales, no debt, and 70% market share without outside investment.
He's seen business plans and planning from many different viewpoints. He reads and reviews about 50 business plans per year as an investor member of the Willamette Angel Conference (WAC), a local angel investment group. He was investor chair in 2010 and investor fund manager in 2013. He's a frequent judge of business plan competitions, including the Rice University Million-Dollar Business Plan Competition and the University of Texas’ Venture Labs Competition, formerly Moot Corp, the Superbowl of business plan competitions. He successfully landed venture capital for Palo Alto Software in 2000, and then bought out the investors in 2002. He was a consultant to Apple Computer as business plan expert steadily for 14 years of repeat business, doing (among other things) 14 years of annual plans for Apple Latin America, Apple Pacific, and Apple Japan. Apple Latin America grew from $2 million to $37 million annual sales while he was doing its annual business plans, and Apple Japan grew from $187 million to $1.5 billion in annual sales while he was doing its planning.
Lean Business Planning Why Lean Business Planning? Why is it important for entrepreneurs? Lean business planning is about management. Whether you are starting a business or running a business, you probably don’t need a big formal business plan, but a lean plan is simple. It’s just lists and tables and it helps you get organised, see your costs, see where your revenue is coming from and helps you manage your business better. At what stage should an entrepreneur think about planning? Every entrepreneur should start planning at the moment that they are looking to consider whether or not an idea is 27th September, 2018 What’s important actually an opportunity. is to start breaking it down with a simple plan; How much can I sell? How much will the goods cost? Who is going to buy it? How do I reach them? These simple questions help you get organised and get going with the business. So as soon as possible, start a business plan but you don’t necessarily need a big
formal business plan right at the beginning. However, never wait until it’s done before you start working on your business. A plan is to help you make it easier, it’s not a hurdle you have to run over before you get started. Start soon and you never finish a plan, you review and revise it as you go. What can reaaders expect from this book? A simple powerful easy way to get what you want from your business. Any business, existing, startup, or in the planning stage. Use it to stay focused, grow faster, and adjust quickly to change. Set expectations and track results. Use it to review and revise regularly to simplify and watch the important milestones. Know when to stick to the plan, when to change it, and how to tell the difference.
Learn how to easily forecast sales, expenses, and cash flow, and how to manage ongoing results. Set priorities for long term and manage steps in the short term. Lean business planning is a simple but 27th September, 2018 powerful way to get what you want from your business. Get focused, grow faster, and adjust to change. A lean business plan is an easy and practical way to align strategy, tactics, milestones, assumptions, and essential cash flow without the fuss of a full business plan. Just Google “business plan expert” and you’ll see that Tim Berry is the world’s leading expert on business planning. Well-known author Pamela Slim calls him the Obi-wan Kenobi of business planning. Small business radio host Jim Blasingame calls him “the world guru on business planning.” He’s the expert other experts turn to. He’s been interviewed on business planning by CNN, Forbes, USA Today, Guy Kawasaki, and others. But he’s not just a business plan expert; he’s also a successful entrepreneur. He built Palo Alto Software from zero to 40 employees, multimillion-dollar sales, no 27th September, 2018 debt, and 70% market share without outside investment. He was also founder of bplans.com, and co-founder of Borland International, which went from zero to more than $50 million annual sales in less than four years. He’s involved in several current startups, has raised venture capital, and is an active investor member of the Willamette Angel Conference.
E n l i g h t e n y o u r d a r k n e s s . A s k q u e s t i o n s !
...more than just a beverage company
The Female Economy
What the female economy means to us? The female economy does not represent the money women spend annually. It represent the human capital, the women doing amazing work in different fields and industries, it’s the woman at the zenith of her career, it’s the successful business woman, it’s the woman empowering other women, it’’s women paving new paths for other to follow, the women breaking glass ceilings and showing us what’s is possible, the women who reach back and affirm that dreams do come true and show us how, it's the women who believe in their dreams and dare to pursue their dreams. The female economy is You, Me, Us (women), harnessing the power of us for the benefit of all of us.
Women now drive the world economy. Globally, they control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and that figure could climb as high as $28 trillion in the next five years. Their $13 trillion in total yearly earnings could reach $18 trillion in the same period. In aggregate, women represent a growth market bigger than China and India combined—more than twice as big, in fact. Given those numbers, it would be foolish to ignore or underestimate the female consumer. And yet many companies do just that, even ones that are confident they have a winning strategy when it comes to women.
https://hbr.org/2009/09/the-female-economy
Women need role models You can’t be what you can’t see.
We need role models. Through our VIVGlobal Network Initiative we work to connect women to role models and mentors who inspire us and make us believe in our ability to be all we can be. Can we take off lack of access to role models and mentors from the list of problems women have for not succeeding in business and in their careers? Yes we can. Female entrepreneurs need to see other women who have followed their dreams and achieved success to believe that we, too, can succeed.
Role models are essential to help women reach the top A recent survey shows that the notion of a single glass ceiling is dead – many other factors hinder women's careers. Role models are one of the most fundamental ways to manage these barriers. However we also have to take a level of personal responsibility. One of the most surprising – and concerning – findings from the survey was that 75% of those questioned had few or no female role models in their organisation. Some respondents (8%) even went as far to say that a lack of role models had had a detrimental impact on their career to date. Good role models can transform an individual or team. So what's holding us back? Why aren't we all shouting about our successes? https://www.theguardian.com/careers/role-models-gender-barrier
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/role-models-gender-barrier
Danielle
Kayembe SPEAKER - AUTHOR ENTREPRENEUR - FUTURIST Danielle Kayembe is a female futurist and serial entrepreneur dedicated to empowering women through her global work in business, social impact, writing and public speaking. Through her company GreyFire, she advises governments, companies and startups on how to integrate forwardlooking initiatives. She was a founding partner in initiatives to bring investors like TechStars, 500 Startups and Wingpact, from Silicon Valley to tour growing tech hubs in Africa.
Danielle is also the author of "The Silent Rise of the FemaleDriven Economy" a white paper that re-positions women as central to the future of business and innovation. This is a must read for all women and businesses. Below is an excerpt from the paper.
"Women represent the largest disruptive force in business — and the business world is unprepared. Currently women are the largest unserved market in business as a result of coded patriarchy — the assumption of male as default and exclusion of female perspectives in Danielle is an advisor to social impact nearly every domain. Put very simply, startups and a mentor to Columbia University’s business accelerator. She is a most of the structures, design, https://www.theguardian.com/careers/role-models-gender-barrier technology and products we interact frequent speaker on CNBC, at the with are designed with male as the United Nations, TEDx, Google, General default. Assembly and other conferences. Danielle has over 10 years of experience in international consulting and finance in New York, London and sub-Saharan Africa. She has worked on over $25 billion in business transactions for global banks such as Bank of America and HSBC, and advised private equity firms Helios and Kingdom Zephyr on acquisitions in Africa.
This has led to an echo chamber in the business environment that has created the largest unaddressed market in business. This market has been largely ignored for decades by the mostly maleled companies and investment teams who function as gatekeepers to capital, and are unable to see opportunities outside of their lived experiences."
Full Paper can be found here "The Silent Rise of the Female-Driven Economy"
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/role-models-gender-barrier
We believe in the POWER ofÂ
Uzoma Dozie CEO, Diamond BankÂ
Diamond Bank appointed as a Forum Member Adviser to the World Economic Forum Diamond Bank is the first Nigerian company and only the second African company to become a World Economic Forum Adviser. Membership is on an invitation only basis and is extended only to the most dynamic businesses who are using tech-driven disruption to drive growth.
The Future
Futurist
Futurist Thomas Frey
Over the past decade, Futurist Thomas Frey has built an enormous following around the world based on his ability to develop accurate visions of the future and describe the opportunities ahead. Having started seventeen businesses himself and assisting on the development of hundreds more, the understanding he brings to his audiences is a rare blend of realitybased thinking coupled with a clear-headed visualization of the world ahead. Predicting the future has little value without understanding the driving forces behind the trends, subtle nuances that can be leveraged, and implications for both the people directly affected in the industry as well as others farther down the technological food chain.
Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Tom spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over 270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer. He is also a past member of the Triple Nine Society (High I.Q. society over 99.9 percentile)..His work is not just restricted to advances in technology. Rather, he takes a much larger view of the playing field including shifts in governance, system changes, evolving attitudes and human conditions, and much more. Because of his work inspiring inventors and other revolutionary thinkers, the Boulder Daily Camera has referred to him as the “Father of Invention”. The Denver Post and Seattle Post Intelligencer have referred to him as the “Dean of Futurists”.
of work As part of the celebrity speaking circuit, Thomas continually pushes the envelope of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come. His keynote talks on futurist topics have captivated people ranging from high level government officials to executives in Fortune 500 companies including NASA, Disney, IBM, Federal Reserve Bank, TED, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Visa, Frito-Lay, Toshiba, Dow Chemical, KPMG, Siemens, Rockwell, Wired Magazine, Caterpillar, PepsiCo, Deloitte & Touche, Hunter Douglas, Amgen, Capital One, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Korean Broadcast System, Bell Canada, American Chemical Society, Times of India, Leaders in Dubai, and many more. Thomas has been featured in thousands of articles for both national and international publications including New York Times, Huffington Post, Times of India, USA Today, US News and World Report, Popular Science, The Futurist Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, World Economic Forum, Times of Israel, Mashable, Bangkok Post, National Geographics, ColoradoBiz Magazine, Rocky Mountain News, and many more.Â
Thomas Your Business in 2030 – “Creating a Future-Resilient Organization” Unlike the study of macro or megatrends, situational futuring is a micro-futuring process that begins with a single invention, tiny idea, or what-if condition and expands from there. The process begins with an initial scenario and asking some of the standard whowhat-when-where-how-and-why questions. Probing deeper, questions formulated around things like timing, monetary implications,
disruptive effects, symbiotic partners, who-wins-who-loses, wild cards, policy changes, and strange bedfellows will help expand your thinking even further. This works particularly well in a brainstorming environment where thoughts and ideas can be quickly sketched out, described, or clarified so more can be added.
Frey
Money & Banking – “Rethinking the Banking and Finance Industry One Transaction at a Time.” There are approximately 2.5 billion people in the world who do not have access to traditional banks, yet nearly half of them have a mobile phone. The future of banking will be mobile, happening on devices we carry in our pockets, built into jewelry, and on our wrists, not in fancy office buildings. Brach banking will all but disappear. In less than five years, smartphones, watches, and other devices will replace credit/debit cards, wallets, lenders, stockbrokers, and insurance agents. And we’re just getting started.
Future Jobs – “Preparing Yourself for the Workforce of the Future”
What are the odds that the job you’ll be doing 10 years from now doesn’t exist today? Turns out the odds are pretty high. Even though much of today’s technology is giving us super-human attributes and virtually everyone can now think-faster, know-faster, and dofaster than ever before, every new technology requires new skills, talents, and understandings that are hard to quantify.
Lynn graduated from Franklin and Marshall
Upon moving back to NY a few years later,
College in 2014, majoring in Government
Lynn joined Autonomy Ventures as the sole
and minoring in Sociology. Shortly after, she
Associate, where she procured deal-flow,
moved to London to work for Bloomberg LP, managed teams, and drove value creation of while also serving as the Co-Chair of the F &
portfolio companies.
M London Alumni Network. While abroad, Lynn faced many of the challenges and
Lynn is also a frequent panelist and startup
hardships that virtually all people
judge at various events, including FundingPost
experience when moving to a new and
at SXSW. Lynn is an advisor and mentor at
unfamiliar city – how to go about making
Astia, a curated, global community of experts
friends and how to get information on your
committed to the success of world class
city from people you trust.
women-led, high-growth startups.
Lynn searched but could not find a resource
Additionally, Lynn is a Board Member and the
that connected people one-on-one based
VP of Panels for the New York Venture
on their existing network and
Community (NYVC) and is an active member
commonalities, which is what she had
in the Women in Venture Capital group in NY.
hoped to find and use. With this as a
Lynn was recently
backdrop, Lynn and her brother, Scott, started brewing what is now, Pivt.Â
Introducing
Lynn Greenberg Lynn was recently awarded StrtupBoost’s NYC 33 Under 33 award for her efforts towards Pivt and work in venture capital. Lynn has been featured in publications like the London Evening Standard and podcasts including, the Entrepreneur Podcast Network (EPN).
What motivated you to start your own business? I wake up in the morning deeply passionate about what we’re building because Pivt was born from my own struggles as an expat. I didn't seek out to start a company, I saw a problem and I wanted to fix it. I start everyday energised by our mission to make any city feel like home. By taking some of the fear out of moving and traveling, we hope that Pivt will make it possible for more people to go to unfamiliar places and expand their outlooks.
Tell us about your business? Pivt is a mobile app designed to help people moving and on the move make any city feel like home. Home is a small gathering of New York Giants fans in an East London pub or the perfect recommendation for authentic Thai food in the East Village of Manhattan. By building a community with your trusted extended network, including mutual friends and fellow work/university alumni, to source recommendations, get trusted advice, and make plans IRL, Pivt makes it possible for ex-pats and locals alike to make any city feel like home.
What are some of the key principles you have applied that have helped you as an entrepreneur? Honesty, transparency, and understanding your strengths, but most importantly your weaknesses. When you don't know the answer, find several experts who do.
What is the best advice or quote that has helped you in your journey? “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” ― Maya Angelou Share the link to a great article you have read recently https://blog.kissmetrics.com/megaentrepreneur-richard-branson/
What are some of the key skills you have learned that has helped you in your journey? I joke that building a company is like jumping out of a plane and building a parachute on the way down. Perpetual curiosity, hustle, the ability to work in a risky environment with a lot of ups and downs are all very necessary. Above all, the ability to be a quick learner and an attentive listener-to customers, employees, and field leaders.
Social Hangouts https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-greenberg3515865a/ https://www.facebook.com/PivtApp/ https://www.instagram.com/pivtapp/ https://twitter.com/Pivt_App and https://twitter.com/lynngreenberg10 www.pivtapp.com
Katrena Friel For over 25 years, Katrena has worked in most industries, specialising in leadership management development. Her sound knowledge of business, plus her ability to put ideas into action through planning, training and development ensures her clients success.
Throughout the course of her life and career, her name has become synonymous with transformation, learning and fun. This has led her to be recognised as an international expert in personal and professional performance excellence. Her PURPOSE in life is to transform, uplift and be a laser beam of focus. She has been sharing her message of invigoration and spirit of transformation for over 25 years.
Tell us about your business? After 15 years of key note speaking, training and coaching in the corporate market (which I still do), there was always one woman that would come up to me afterwards and ask me how did I do it? So based on my experience, trial and error of building a speaking, training and coaching business around your own brand, I put together the Becoming the
Katrena Friel is one of the brightest minds in training, coaching and corporate consulting today. She incorporates three key aspects, one being life-transforming skills, training and professional development programs as well as professional coaching and mentoring. She has contributed to the success of thousands of companies, consulted to hundreds of entrepreneurs and guided tens of thousands of people inspiring them to their next level of development. She holds formal qualifications in Training, Business, Management, Advertising, PR and Marketing and is a Master Practitioner and Trainer the Trainer of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Katrena's life purpose is to develop solutions that develop creativity, leadership and communication skills for a leap frog effect in people's lives. What motivated you to start your own business? To have control over my own destiny.
Expert Program, to help women build their own brand and do what I do. The program includes everything they need from start to finish, so they can efficiently and effectively move through the process. I do everything for them, I then teach them how to do it, so they are independent and not relying on other people, that way saving loads of time and money.
I designed a chequebook of inclusions, so you can see what you get in the program. It is great value for money and hard to beat anywhere else in the world. It is all done one on one, and starts with your business plan and then your signature program, your book and all the marketing collaterial required to run your brand as a global business. What would you want people to know about you and/or your business? I offer a free coaching session, so I can learn about you and your business, its vision and provide instant value and advice to help you navigate the road ahead. It gives me great joy to support woman, whether or not you become a client, I am happy to help those that put their hand up, reach out and connect. Have you ever felt like giving up?What keeps you going? I never wanted to give up. What keeps me going is the fun, the freedom, the creativity and being in control of your own destiny. Doing whatever you want, when you want is the key to my happiness. I love teaching my clients how to build their freedom and create a lifestyle that is enjoyable and one where you never stop learning, you are always meeting new and interesting people and you are being appreciated for your role in making their life better. What is the best advice or quote that has helped you in your journey? If you think you can't, you can't. If you think you can, you can. You will always be right.
Talk about the challenges you faced in your journey and how you over came them. So many challenges. Challenges are good, as it builds your business muscle and makes you strong as your business grows. Listen to your instincts, to avoid most problems. When I haven't listened to my gut, I have got into trouble. My first issue, was when I first started my business and left the corporate world. I paid $30,000 out to a coaching company and I lost all my money. They had nothing and sold me air. My lawyer asked me, did I learn a $30,000 lesson? The answer was yes! I did learn a $30,000 lesson and that is to listen to my gut, follow my intuition. My second major lesson, came when I lost $75,000 in earnings from one partnership. This lesson was all about trust. I trusted people to do the right thing, but I learnt that they don't. It toughened me up and made me more careful with where I put my energies and I stopped being so generous to help build other people's brands and now I build my own brand when I train. Big lesson and it hurt like crazy, but eventually I was able to move on and forgive myself for being so stupid. How do you give back? Do You run an NGO? I'm on the Advisory Board of http://www.hotcubator.com.au/. It is a social enterprise aiming to foster entrepreneurial spirit among the student community. We build partnerships with educational institutions and support them by creating a community of engaged learners and budding entrepreneurs who are willing to disrupt the status-quo and transform the future. I am also on the Advisory Board for Star Mums.
What are some of the key principles you have applied that has helped you as an entrepreneur? I have 10 key principles for success in business. If these principles are lacking, you tend to struggle in business. 1. Extrovert - Introvert - where on the scale do you sit? We need access to both to be successful in business. 2. Rationalist - Humanist - where on the scale do you sit? We need access to both to be successful in business. 3. Flexibility 4. Creativity 5. Planning 6. Initiative 7. Independent Thinking 8. Purpose -Did you get into business for work/life balance or did you get into business for the challenge of it? 9. Emphasis - Do you want to Manage People and be in General Management as the boss or do you prefer to do your technical genius 10. Determination - where on the scale do you sit? Share the link to a great article you have read recently https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephcoughlin/ 2018/03/07/how-women-arepioneering- thefuture-of-retirement/#5da12ab46bf2 Every entrepreneur should read… Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill What would you want people to know about you and/or your business? I offer a free coaching session, so I can learn about you and your business, its vision and provide instant value and advice to help you navigate the road ahead. It gives me great joy to support woman, whether or not you become a client, I am happy to help those that put their hand up, reach out and connect.
Leave women with a challenge to dare to pursue their dreams. To you the Dreamer, I dare you to write your biography, of what you want to become, so that you know when you have fully stepped into that vision of yourself. I remember, looking up at those people on the stage and thinking, I want to be like you. I remember feeling, somewhere deep down, that I could do that. I remember feeling scared, anxious, doubting myself and being a little jealous of their lifestyle and freedom. I want to help you become business savvy and live a life of freedom. There is no better feeling than being up there on stage, in front of a group of people teaching. It is the best natural high. I will give you everything I’ve got to make your dreams a reality and to ensure you get out of your own way. I believe teaching for a living, is the best job in the world. Low overheads, high returns, working from anywhere, travel the world, people pay your expenses and at the end of everyday, people applaud you and want you to sign their book and take a photo with you. What other job delivers all that without any of the hassles of being famous? Katrena Friel Social Hangouts https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrenafriel/ https://www.facebook.com/RefreshyourThinki ng https://www.instagram.com/refreshyourthinki ngwithkatrena/ https://twitter.com/activatedlife www.becomingtheexpertprogram.com
Aisha Tofa is the founder of Startup Kano and host of VIVCircle Kano. Her mission for her community is to create opportunities for women and youth in their ecosystem. Startup Kano is a modern company that promotes and advocates entrepreneurship, ICT Innovation and Self-employment. It incubates and accelerates startups and trains them on strategies to secure funding from venture capitalists, angel investors and government grants. They provide guidance on bootstrapping strategies for startup growth strategies and expansion of businesses. We are currently processing VIVCircle VIVCircles are established to provide female Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Lagos, Kwara, Abuja. entrepreneurs with an offline support Do you have an idea on how to empower network and a platform to showcase their women entrepreneurs? Join us! products. VIVGlobal Networks also works collaboratively with hosts to ensure that we help them achieve these goals.Â
The Future of Work
The Challenges and Opportunities
An article in The Economist quotes Bill Gates as saying at least a dozen job types will be taken over by robots and automation in the next two decades, and these jobs cover both high-paying and low-skilled workers. Some of the positions he mentioned were commercial pilots, legal work, technical writing, telemarketers, accountants, retail workers, and real estate sales agents. It has been predicted that by 2030 over 2 billion jobs will disappear. This is a wakeup call for the world. So much is being done by governments around the world and by global institutions to address the effects that technology and automation will have on the future of work. Currently we are faced with the huge challenge of unemployment. How do we deal with this present issue using the opportunities the future presents?
WE ADMIRE IN ONE SENTENCE
Nelson Mandela
He inspired and keeps inspiring generations of humanity, to believe in their ability to be all they can be through dedication, determination and passion.
“THERE IS NO PASSION TO BE FOUND PLAYING SMALL - IN SETTLING FOR A LIFE THAT IS LESS THAN THE ONE YOU ARE CAPABLE OF LIVING.”
Nelson Mandela
&
Gary Vaynerchuk
You’ll hardly find someone so passionate and open, so willing to share and inspire so many people with his experience.
“THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND, LIFE IS IN CONSTANT MOTION. YOU’RE EITHER GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARDS.”
Gary Vaynerchuk
We don't pl@y by the rules We are unboxed
Partin
g words
Too many rules keep you ... Just do it!
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