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CONTENTS
3 | EDITOR’S NOTE
AMB. ADESHOLA HELEN ONADIPE
4 | COVER PAGE Betty Hines
10 | FASHION AND LIFESTYLE Fashion and the influence of African culture
13 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS An Optimally Performing Lymphatic System is Key to Preventing and Healing From Diseases
17 | LEGALITY IN BUSINESS
The global businesswoman and asset protection
20 | MEN’S CORNER
Women empowerment - Why the right has to be given ...It’s their right to own
26 | SPIRITUALITY It’s not okay to be okay
29 | FITNESS TO FIT Priyaa Telavvane
34 | PARENTING
Parenting boost 2022
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COVER PAGE
Q: 1On your social media accounts your profile introduces you as a “Women Business Strategist”. To our women and lady Businesspersons and entrepreneurs out there, what does that mean? By definition, a strategist is someone who is skilled in planning the best way to gain an advantage or to achieve success, and that is what I do for my clients. As a women business strategist, I know the challenges of climbing the corporate ladder or trying to scale your business while navigating your everyday life and experiences, there is a tendency to prioritize everything and everyone before yourself. Many women entrepreneurs and executives do not take the time to develop a strategy for their businesses or careers. Being so focused on the operations of the business, can lead to missed opportunities and connections. Having experienced these things, I am able to assist other women on what strategy they should implement in designing and building a better leader. From my purview, I show women how to develop a strategic plan that improves their chances in reaching their goals by driving objectives to specific results. Q: What project “Women Elevating Women”, what is the project and initiative about?
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Women Elevating Women or W.E.W., is about recognizing the women’s right to be an entrepreneur or executive. For this very reason, we launched W.E.W. on March 9, 2018, to commemorate International Women’s Day. Our purpose is to bring women together from different backgrounds and cultures, to realize their full economic growth when they collaborate, connect, and communicate. In the United States, we want to close the revenue gaps between minority and non-minority women. We want to equip women with the tools and techniques necessary to scale and gain more access to capital and opportunities within and outside of the US.
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In W.E.W., we know that there are barriers we still need to overcome as women, so we seek collaborations country wide and globally, with the intentions of building long term business relationships as we all prosper. We also know that peer advisory groups are the best way to learn and grow. We know that in our women peer advisory groups we will learn from each other and seek additional learning to improve business acumen. In W.E.W. we can ask questions about what we don’t know without judgement. This type of learning is known to many as “collateral learning” and W.E.W. intends to use it globally for business growth. Our platform is for women where we encourage, inspire, and elevate each other in all business endeavors. Q: What exact positive impacts and empowerment has and will W.E.W. continue to have on/in the lives of women. Once you become involved or a member with the Women Elevating Women, you are placed in a group called the WEW C.R.E.W. This is where you have the WEW C.R.E.W. experience.
CLARITY- You will understand the essential elements that are needed to incorporate in your business. You will learn how to build business relationships and seek the support needed to enhance your business acumen. REFINEMENT-We believe that the platform we provide will help you succeed. Our group facilitation of issues and challenges places you in a better position to contribute more to the economy by working in this type of environment. ENGAGEMENT-We will work in groups that meet monthly and each person is assigned an accountability partner. We will engage you in two annual meetings, one domestic and one international conference allowing you to exchange information. We give the women more exposure through member spotlights on website, internet interviews, and podcasts. We will bring in subject matter experts in areas that you are deficient. WINNINGS-you will have ongoing support of the group who will be with you on your journey. You will learn how to be a leader and build a management structure. You will learn how to confront any shortcomings that impede you and your company growth. You will share your lessons learned from your experiences.
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Q. What inspired you to develop the W.E.W. idea? Knowing that in the USA only 4% of all women have gross revenues that exceed $1Million USD. When broken out by ethnicity it is a fraction of this percent. My inspiration was to work with women who revenues were under seven figures, alongside women who are over $1 Million USD and establish peer advisory groups to give them a platform to scale and brand their businesses globally and domestically. By bringing the women executive and entrepreneur together, you achieve more innovative ideas, more acceleration of business insights and profitability, and you assimilate different mindsets and influences from other successful leaders. W.E.W. wants to be the organization to provide members information on how to gain more access to capital, access to resources and opportunities.
Q: I see some of the awards you have gotten over the years: President’s Award for facilitating Greatness, Adrienne Hall Award r Breaking Down Barriers, share with us some of your awards won? For me, receiving awards and recognition is affirmation that I am doing the right thing and going in the right direction and fulfilling my purpose in life. Other achievements and recognitions are: • The Board Chairwomen of LINBIZ -USA
Q. In your strive to impact lives of women and to empower them by providing so much encouragement, counseling, information and the magnitude of what W.E.W. stands for, do you experience resistance and how do you manage them? I have not experienced resistance so far and don’t expect to because we connect and collaborate with visionary people. Visionary people know that more growth we have in small businesses/entrepreneurs there is positive economic influence that impacts everyone domestically and globally. As these businesses accelerate their business growth, so does employment. Their growth puts them in a sustainable position to survive during difficult economic times. W.E.W. believes there are enough opportunities out there for everyone. How W.E.W. prepares the women to overcome the barriers is a testament to the strength of their groups, the ability to collaborate, connect and willingness to share information and resources.
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The Advisory Council-Women Business CollaborativeEntrepreneurship and Access to Capital committee
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Advisory Board Member-The Black Experience
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Member of the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce
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Chapter Chair-Women Presidents’ Organization
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Board Chair-GroYourBiz
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Professional Insurance Ladies Association of Nigeria-Positive Impact Award
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Co-Founder of the 100 Black Men of America Inc. and Women Presidents’ Organization -Women of Color Achievement Award since 2006
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The Daily Record-Maryland Top 100 Women and inducted into the Circle of Excellence in 2012
Q. Why is a women’s empowerment program and ideas as W.E.W. .important Well, I generally do not speak of WEW as a women’s empowerment organization or program because I realize that women are already powerful. What I do recognize is the power that is unleashed
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when women are given the proper platform to come together and share their knowledge, expertise, goals, and vision. In this setting, with strategic planning and input guided by best practices, women can flourish as business owners and professionals. Women who are empowered should empower other women to effect the change in their economic status. W.E.W. believes that providing a platform for women who have achieved success, builds confidence for those who might not be at that level, have been excluded or marginalized. W.E.W. is inclusive, and we encourage the women to make informed decisions, allowing them to have a positive impact in their community and for their family. It is important to have a haven to vet personal and business decisions in a confidential and nurturing setting. Together W.E.W. women can turn to the group for their collective
techniques, and resources. I offer the Five Pillars of Success. For W.E.W. you must CONNECT with likeminded women across the globe, who aspire to excel in both their business career and business growth. You must COLLABORATE with corporations, executives, entrepreneurs, and other small businesses. Together you can understand how to overcome the barriers that prevent you from gaining greater access to capital and other unknown business opportunities. We believe women must have COURAGE, which is an essential ingredient in any successful business enterprise. You must have courage to take care of your wealth and health (mental and physical). By supporting one another, you gain more courage to move forward, even when the path is steep, and the odds are long. You instill the right way to COMMUNICATE. You must be clear on how you communicate your brand and project the correct image to others. You can do this by having a better understanding on how to use different social media platforms to highlight our business values, our products and our services. You must seek innovative ways to celebrate you and your business. You must CULTIVATE others which is a way of “giving back”. For W.E.W, we believe that we must encourage, inspire, and elevate nonprofit organizations that train and develop tomorrow’s thought leaders. WEW supports those organizations that help our youth develop their professional goals. In doing so, we provide one complimentary W.E.W. membership to the Founder or CEO, into each of our groups.
wisdom as they work through the challenges of running a business or being an executive. Organizations like W.E.W., are important because we make no judgement about cultural differences. W.E.W. creates an environment where you belong. W.E.W.is committed to lift each woman as they elevate to accelerate greater opportunities for all. For our readers, what makes an entrepreneur successful? To be an effective and successful entrepreneur, one needs the tips, tools,
Q. What’s the biggest factor that has helped your success in achieving the aim and the vision of W.E.W? Surround myself around individuals who are more successful than me. Practice listening and learn something new every day. Most importantly, always remember to give thanks. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 7
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Q. What is the best advice you can give to woman of this age, time and century? It is okay to not know something. But it’s not okay to not ask someone who knows for assistance. Q.Where do you see WEW in the next 10 years from now? What do you intend to achieve more with the project way forward.? I see WEW as a global franchise with a proven history of successful women entrepreneurs and executives. I intend to achieve a culture of “belonging” within each WEW CREW. With WEW you have acceptance and support from members of the entire organization. We are WEW, Women Elevating Women, so KEEP ELEVATING!!
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FASHION AND LIFESTYLE
FASHION AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE AFRICAN CULTURE "Fashion is about storytelling through clothing It's about a sense of history and pride and it embod-ies a greater sense of purpose than just a garment tossed on to cover bodies."
T
his definition by Shiona Turini, a freelance stylist and consultant, is perhaps my favourite description of the term. It doesn’t limit it to a social concept; instead, it describes it as a form of self-expression.
Just like every form of self-expression, it cannot be cornered into a box. Metaphorically, we can de-scribe it as a language that we all speak differently; hence the classification into styles like corpo-rate, grunge, vintage, chic, etc. Fashion is like art, and like every art form, people interpret it personally — that’s where the beauty of fashion lies. It is this different expression that we call ‘style’, the soul of fashion. Just like a paint-ing, it helps you express yourself and connect with people. The fashion world, much like every other sector in the world today, has gone through a lot of changes, and not just on the aesthetic or cultural side; the legal, political, and administrative side of fashion has witnessed changes as well. For instance, there are a few styles that used to be consid-ered uncool that are the rave now. One of such is oversized clothing.
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The same is true for indigenous fashion where native prints like Ankara and Adire are making a strong comeback, especially since they’re being fused with contemporary styles. We can’t really say where fashion is headed in the next decade or two, but if we’ve learnt anything so far, it is to keep our options open. It is an amazing world and anything, absolutely anything can find its way in or back into the mix. THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN CULTURE ON FASHION
Culture strongly influences the kind of designs and styles people love to wear. This is so important because through clothing individuals establish their personal styles and their place in society. For instance, most Africans are connecting more with African designs that tell the story of their cul-tural heritage. This is because a lot of African designers are changing the narrative by telling stories that connect with their African heritage.
FASHION AND LIFESTYLE They are beginning to explore more techniques and fabrics in Africa. By doing so, they are able to create pieces that make their stories more authentic and rich. It is a thing of pride to watch this unfold as some years back people focused mainly on the fashion narrative of the western world and mostly bought clothes made by them. Nigerian Brands like NKWO and Emmy Kasbit constantly use local techniques and fabrics to make their pieces. NKWO was able to create a new fabric named Dakala Cloth using Africa’s long tradi-tion of cloth weaving; talk about innovation. This here is mindful fashion as they apply ethical measures while producing their collections. It has also been well received by the indigenous people as well as on the global scene causing more people to embrace the African culture. Brands like Tongoro of Senegal tell their stories using the media, presenting Africa in a very beauti-ful light. In her documentary “Made in Africa” which ran for about thirty minutes, Sarah Diouf, founder of Tongoro was able to showcase the beauty of Africa, showing the rich cultures and vi-brant colours that make the continent beautiful. She took us through the process of producing in Africa and how she draws inspiration from the dif-ferent cultures that surround her. The documentary embodied the spirit of Africa, It was evident that Fashion truly embodies the culture of the people; reflecting their lifestyle and personalities. Anifa Mvuemba founder of the women’s wear brand, Hanifa, uses her platform to tell stories of the illegal coltan mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where she is originally from. She was mostly inspired by the traditional styles and prints worn by her mom. In her interview with Business Insider Africa, she said “I learned about my Congolese heritage mostly from my mom and the traditional styles and prints she would wear. For me, it was important to showcase this in my clothing from a unique perspective based on the cuts and structure of our tra-ditional garments…”. On May 22, 2020, Anifa pioneered a 3D Digital fashion show which was a gamechanger in the fashion industry. These African designers are true representatives of the new fashion trend in Africa where designers are mostly focused on telling their own unique African stories and LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 11
FASHION AND LIFESTYLE infusing these stories into the pieces they sell, giving their customers not just a fashion piece but an experience. The focus on telling their unique stories has resulted in them creating freely without being guided by the fashion calendar of the world at large. The weather in Africa is different, and with the sun out most of the year, designers explore various designs and cuts all year round, with most of the pieces being colourful, breathable, and lightweight to match the weather. My advice for anyone venturing into this vast, beautiful world of fashion is to approach it with an open mind. Don’t be too rigid in your definition of style because you get to determine what it is to you. In the words of famous fashion brand, Yves Saint-Lauren, “Fashion fades, style is eternal.” Don’t hesitate to tell a unique story about who you are and your experiences through fashion. As Godson Ukaegbu said in his book, Fashion A Second Language, “A designer is nothing but a com-pelling storyteller who understands the need to tell original tales on unique and rare fabrics”. Fashion is fun and fearless. The rules are only there to guide you, and if at any point they limit your choices, don’t hesitate to come up with your own. Throw on as much light as you find appealing, let the sun pale in comparison to your shine. but in all of these, stay true to your authentic story. Etemi is a writer and content creator. She runs a lifestyle blog called Orange and Steel where she writes articles on different aspects of everyday life and also writes fictional stories. Etemi is a fashion designer who is passionate about storytelling. She is launching her fashion brand in March 2022.
Website:www.orangeandsteel.com Email:orangeandsteel@gmail.com IG:@Kaliki. @kalikibyete
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HEALTH AND WELLNESS
AN OPTIMALLY PERFORMING
LYMPHATIC
SYSTEM IS KEY TO PREVENTING AND HEALING FROM DISEASES A poor lymph health underlies all health conditions from poor skin to cancers.
In this day and age, more people are falling sick with diseases known back in the days to be quite rare. Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer are becoming more rampant especially amongst younger adults.
To reverse this effect, we need to create an alkaline environment for the lymphatic system thrive. This is done with proper detox, change in lifestyle, nutrition and daily habits.
The reason for this is not far fetched as lifestyle, nutrition and daily habits have become fast-paced and genetically modified. This makes our bodies suffer with trying to adapt to these changes and creates a toxic environment in our bodies causing a negatives autoimmune response. We can prevent these sickness and diseases from happening by ensuring that our lymphatic system is serving optimal function for our bodies. The lymphatic system is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system, and complementary to the circulatory system. It is made up of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphatic or lymphoid organs, and lymphoid tissues. In simple terms, it is the system that carries essential vessels, organs and nodes and offers blood, oxygen and moisture circulation around the entire body. When our lymphatic system is clogged up, blood, oxygen and moisture circulation is hindered. This gives room for our cells and other organs to try to make up for the short-circuit causing an imbalance of the immune system. In return, free radicals are released into the body and this creates more havoc to the body, making the immune system not recognize its cells and organs and attacks the body. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 13
HEALTH AND WELLNESS It is impossible to embark on a detox without actually initiating a lymphatic detox. The lymphatic system is the superhighway that runs around the inner network of the body picking up metabolic waste and toxins and carries it out, mostly through the kidney/urinary channel. If the kidneys aren’t properly filtering the lymphatic system tries to use other eliminary channels to remove the waste, but ends up getting backed up and depositing the waste in soft organs, tissues, around joints - in places where deposits are possible. And this creates a toxic environment, creating symptoms and issues of discomfort, leading into disease. By detoxing the lymphatic system all symptoms of pain, discomfort, inflammation and irritation go away as it literally cleans the inner water of your being to flow clear within the blood and plasma. You will have a strong immune system, your body will absorb all your nutrients and vitamins better, cellulite and fat will dissolve and all the water retention will go away including any gut issues giving you more energy than ever before. There are simple ways to detox the lymphatic system. Ensure to speak with your medical practitioner on which way best suits you. 1. Exercise: By exercising, we are causing the body to induce blood circulation and oxygen all round, thereby forcing out all forms of wastes, congested buildup and fluid retention to be purged out. Seek proper exercises routines that help with increasing the function of the lymphatic system drainage. 2. Boosting your hydration levels: Keeping your body hydrated ensures your kidneys continue to function properly, aiding in the proper function of blood and oxygen circulation in the body. Ensure to include herbs such as dandelion which helps support liver function as well as improve lymphatic drainage. 3. Eating and Drinking more alkaline foods: Consuming foods that have high alkalinity will reverse any form of acidity going on within the body which is caused by a release of free radicals. Foods with high antioxidants also help to reverse free radicals and healing the body from the effects of acidity. Berries, cucumber, watermelon, leafy greens will help you achieve this. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 14
4) Reduce your stress levels: Reducing your stress levels will greatly improve the function of the lymphatic system as this reduces the amount of cortisol the body produces. When cortisol is on normal levels, hormones become balanced and congestion reduces a great deal. Try to keep a good sleep time pattern, mediate more often and create time for rest alot more.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS These few tips are some of the easiest and best ways to improve the lymphatic system which will automatically reverse any form of illness and help the body heal itself naturally. Judith Emmanuel is a certified cosmetic formulator, holistic herbal coach and consultant. With 9 years of formulating experience and tutorship, she has helped women across the works gain their skin and health confidence. She owns a brand called Nerolie Nature which is a personal care brand that specializes in the production of natural skin and haircare products for people of color dealing with acne and damaged natural hair. You can reach out to Judith on: Email: nerolienature@gmail.com www.instagram.com/nerolienature www.facebook.com/nerolienature
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PERSONAL PROFILE
Dr Mariam Georgette Awatai Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Lead Fetal and Maternal Medicine Gargash Hospital, Dubai, UAE.
D
r Mariam Georgette Awatai is a Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Lead for Maternal and Fetal Medicine at Gargash Hospital, Dubai. She specializes in the management of High-Risk pregnancies, Advanced Obstetric Scanning, Minimal Access Surgery and Gynaecology Endoscopy. She has a passion for Medical Education and Clinical Governance. Dr Mariam’s career spans 30 years practicing in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK (FRCOG) and holds the Certificate of Completion of Higher specialist Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UK. (CCT). She attained the Diploma in Advanced Obstetric Ultrasound from the Royal College of Radiologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK (Dip. RCR/RCOG) as well as a Diploma from the Faculty of Family Planning, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK. (DFFP). Dr Mariam is an accredited Level II Minimal Access Surgeon from the British Society of Gynaecology Endoscopy. She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Dr Mariam began her career at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, after graduating at the tender age of twenty-one with excellence. She undertook her houseman-ship training at the hospital before moving to the United Kingdom in 1993 where she worked at several prestigious hospitals in London and the home counties for 21 years. These included King’s College Hospital, London, The Whittington Hospital, London, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Colchester General Hospital, The Royal London Hospital and St George’s Hospital, London. After completion of her higher specialist training in London, she was appointed to the position of Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London and later became Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lead clinician for Feto-Maternal Medicine and Head of Clinical Governance at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital where she worked before her move to the United Arab Emirates. In 2012, Dr Mariam was head hunted to the Corniche Hospital for Women and Children in Abu Dhabi where she worked as Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chair of Clinical Audit and Quality Improvement. She was also appointed as Emirati doctors in the specialty.
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the Associate Programme Director for Family Medicine and Core Faculty Member for Postgraduate Medical Education at the hospital responsible for the training of postgraduate In 2016, Dr Mariam took the position of Head of Department and Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Burjeel Marina, Abu Dhabi where she developed and built the new clinic facility into a thriving unit. She was again head hunted to Dubai in 2018 and appointed as Head of Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai where she developed and grew the newly opened department into a busy and active unit until 2020 when she moved to Gargash Hospital, where she currently practices. Dr Mariam’s 30 years of experience in Obstetrics and Gynaecology includes teaching, clinical audit, management and administration and medical research. She has published key papers in medical journals and regularly speaks and attends at conferences and courses. Dr Mariam’s early years were spent in Moscow where her parents were posted as Nigerian diplomats. She speaks several languages including English, French, Russian, Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba. She is married with two children and her family give her the greatest joy. She is an active philanthropist supporting charitable causes for women and children. She has been awarded several achievement awards including the “Best Educator of the Year Award, SEHA” and the “Susheela John Award” in recognition of her work in the field.
LEGALITY IN BUSINESS
THE GLOBAL BUSINESSWOMAN AND ASSET PROTECTION
Mercy
Edukugho-Aminah TEP Mercy is the Managing Director of 1st Fiduciary Ltd WHAT IS ASSET PROTECTION? Asset Protection is the adoption of strategies to protect one’s wealth. It refers to strategies used to guard one’s wealth from seizure, judicial claims, taxation, expropriation and other loses.
Many a times we work so hard to become comfortable and be able to afford everything we ever want or need as well as to provide for our families. This desire to thrive and excel often gives us sleepless nights, late night work, less social life, less time for ourselves and those we love. All in the bid to prosper and be self-sufficient, we work so hard to accumulate assets and wealth. In some cases, people lose those that are valuable to them as they go on this journey.
Asset and wealth protection planning is very important and without such planning you are creating a threat to the preservation of your wealth. It is important that you plan now to reduce or eliminate adverse economic consequences from lawsuits or other claims which may arise in the future.
More often, in the journey to wealth and comfort, we often fail to realize that sometimes life happens, a fire outbreak could lead to the loss of property, then what happens next? All you have worked so hard for would be no more. Death or incapacitation could happen, and the children or family you worked so hard to give the best life would be left with little or nothing due to either improper management, family conflict, chaos or the greed of interlopers. Hence, as we accumulate wealth and assets, we must ensure that there are proper asset protection structures embedded in how the assets are owned. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 17
LEGALITY IN BUSINESS An asset protection plan has two goals:
HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF? ♦ Make use of business entities, avoid owning assets in personal name ♦ Make sure you have sufficient and adequate insurance ♦ Segregate assets and transfer the assets into a Trust ♦ Put in place an asset protection plan, some asset protection strategies are discussed below:
The underlying principle of asset protection planning is the separation of asset ownership from control, there are structures that can be utilized to achieve this separation.
1. Corporations, Limited Partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies.Owners of
a. To make access and the enforcement of claims or judgments against protected assets difficult, if not impossible; and, b. To allow you to plan and decide who will have the beneficial enjoyment of your assets and wealth during your lifetime and afterwards.
Implementing an asset and wealth protection plan comprises of a. Identifying the possible threats; and b. Understanding the benefits of instituting a plan in order to protect and preserve assets before a problem arise. WHAT COULD BE THE THREATS TO YOUR ASSETS AND WEALTH?
Listed below are some threats that can arise to your assets and wealth ♦ Professional liability in respect of claims brought against you. ♦ Personal liability in instances where you operate your business as a sole proprietor ♦ Breach of contract or negligence claims from persons with whom you have transacted business. ♦ Forced heirship claims from the executors or administrators of your spouse, children or beneficiary’s estate. ♦ Political and economic instability in your country ♦ Expropriation of assets by aggressive government agents ♦ Imposition of exchange controls ♦ Onerous government regulations ♦ Family provision or inheritance claims brought by a spouse, former spouse, child or other dependents. ♦ Divorce or separation proceedings from a former spouse; and ♦ Claims in bankruptcy.
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corporations, Limited partnerships, and limited liability companies are typically protected by the government through limited liability laws, whereby individual owners are not held accountable for the business entity or organization’s debt. 2. Asset Protection Trust. An Irrevocable or foreign situs asset protection trusts is a trust that holds assets protecting the assets from 3rd parties or creditors.
LEGALITY IN BUSINESS 3. Transfer of Property Right A person may transfer his/her legal right to an asset to their spouse, relative, or a trusted friend to protect it from creditors’ claims. This allows the debtor to possess their asset without the risk of losing it to creditors. Though, it presents a huge risk in the case of conflict between family members or friends, since they will legally own the asset. 4. An Integrated Overall Estate Plan It is optimal when you have significant assets and wealth to adopt a coordinated, integrated approach to protect your assets during your life, hence a long-term estate plan should be considered. Setting up a estate plan is important, this enables you to maximize the wealth protection and benefit of your assets during your lifetime as well as maximize the assets you ultimately can transfer after your death. When done the right way, the implementation of an integrated asset protection and estate plan strategy looks beyond traditional post-mortem planning. It looks at how you manage your assets today, and how that management can be structured and coordinated to maximize ease of use and flexibility in the event of unforeseen events as well as to minimize estate taxes that may fall due. In conclusion: a. Plan your asset protection ahead of time! Set up your plan well before you would need it. b. Separate your personal assets from business assets. c. Avoid sole proprietor as it puts you at risk of losing your assets, as it is easy to seize property that is under your name. d. Ensure that your business assets are safe in a business entity. Mercy Edukugho-Aminah TEP Mercy is the Managing Director of 1st Fiduciary Ltd (www. firstfiduciary.ng), a Private Client focused firm located in Lagos, Nigeria and has garnered over 15 years of experience spanning Capital markets, Legal Advisory, Energy, Governance & Compliance, Trust & Estates. This includes advising several HNI and UHNW individuals and families on local and cross border wealth management, legacy planning and private philanthropy. Mercy has advised clients on matters such as Family Trusts, offshore Foundations, Private client philanthropy, Family Governance, Succession Planning, Next Generation, and has worked with Private Client specialists in the areas of Law, wealth management, tax, luxury asset insurance and fiduciary services. Mercy is also responsible for business development in the Family Enterprise section of the firm which provides business planning and strategy solutions to family owned and owner managed businesses, focusing on strengthening and transitioning of the business, mergers, acquisitions and international expansion strategies.
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MEN’S CORNER
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT –WHY THE RIGHT HAS TO BE GIVEN… IT’S THEIR RIGHT TO OWN. were understood by default. The character was so strong that everyone looked up to her, approached her, and brought all the unresolved matters to her round the clock. Baji was the only one in the family that could create an atmosphere of understanding and compromise between the north & south of the family. I have witnessed in my olden days, her playing an anchor role in very bitter family disputes and putting her repute in the firing range.
Atique Muhammad Ajmal CEO / Lead Excellence Advisor
“Like life, peace begins with women. We are the first to forge lines of alliance and collaboration across conflict divides .” Zainab Salbi
(founder of Women for Women International)
When I read these lines, I paused my thoughts and went back in time, clearly seeing the 3 images in my mind. These women I had the pleasure and honor of interacting and spending time with, learning their wisdom and prudence. One led a family of 40+ in her in-laws, while the other was the mother of 4 from her husbands’ previous wife and the 3rd was the one I called “Walida”. Baji means elder sister in Urdu/Hindi, this is how she was mostly addressed by many in the family. Baji was the wife of 4th son of the house with one younger brother in law & Six sisters in law. Her responsibilities were never defined or even assigned by anyone, they
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Khala is the aunt (mother’s sister), that’s how was she addressed by the children of the previous wife of her husband. It is customary in the parts of India & Pakistan that the second wife is obligated to care for any children of her husband. In some cases, it could be one or two, but in Khala’s case they were 4 and the youngest was only a couple of years old. The real test begins when you have your children and need to maintain balance & love among all the children alike. Khala managed her duties and role to the best of her ability and made some rules of her own. Walida respectably is the mother, and we were six of her own. Her only purpose in life was to ensure that we were provisioned with good education and instilled in the best of manners. She dedicated her life to the pursuit of this goal her entire life. Her main hurdle was the stereotypical mindset of our societies that good education gets you good jobs and good earning, which was not her concern. She always made us understand that education is for you to understand between right & wrong and your values will live beyond you with people and in memories of who you interact with. It is very easy for us to get inspired by the celebrities and superstars and the fame of wealth and so on…. But I believe that we all have examples around us that reflect the successes in society and they are authentic
MEN’S CORNER and powerful enough for us to connect with. My respect for women across the globe is with my life. experiences and learnings from these three best women in my life. I learned how to be cooperative and manage an environment with forty plus people diplomatically and honestly. I learned how a woman can sacrifice her wish to bear children so that she can be just and fair with someone else’s children and nurtured them till they all were settled & married. And finally how it is so important for a woman to instill values & ethics in her children for a better future and a decent society. If these are not examples of women empowerment, I am not sure which part of the world you would find women with wisdom, sincerity, and futuristic approach. We have hundreds and millions of such women around us that inspire us in their way, may it be domestic, workplaces, institutions, or corporate… the list is endless. We do not have any right to claim that Empowerment should be given to them… It’s their right by default and has been designed for such powerful roles in societies. The social set up around us has become so naive to recognize the great women the history produced like Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Martina Bergman-Österberg, and many more. If we have policies & initiatives like UAE to have an equal pay law shall set some standards in the times to come to combat & conquer the fear. Unless & until we have changed our inner self and not a superficial surface coating of Fairness and equality slogan. I will conclude by simply mentioning the following, Women are empowered within and do not require permission or guidance from anyone.
“Like life, peace begins with women. We are the first to forge lines of alliance and collaboration across conflict divides .” – Millycent Mashele
Email: ceo@advantixprocess.com Mobile: +971 50 653 8256 Email: ceo@advantixprocess.com Mobile: +971 50 653 8256 Advantix Process Quality Consultants 1301, Burlington Tower, Business Bay, P. O. Box 32040, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 249 8601 Email: info@advantixprocess.com www.advantixprocess.com
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PERSONAL PROFILE
AUDREY ABAKAH
Head, SME, Agency Banking and Partnership - Absa Bank, Ghana udrey Abakah has rich experience in the financial services industry with over 16 years working relationship with Barclays bank now Absa and currently the Head of SME, Agency banking and Partnership at Vice president level. Her leadership has transformed a previously non-performing business into thriving business segment winning the best SME bank in Ghana in 2019, 2020, 2021 by the Sustainability and Social investment Award.
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She was recently awarded two citations to her honour as the Best SME personality of the year 2021 and the Best Financial Inclusion personality of the year 2021 at the 8th Edition of the African Women in Banking and Finance Awards. During the Covid year, she conceptualized and led the process to develop and launch Absa group’s first women banking proposition called EMERGE to meet the unique financial needs of women and to drive financial inclusivity among women entrepreneurs. She also led the process to strategically partner with Mastercard Foundation to financially support 5,000 SMEs especially women within 5 years while providing capacity building opportunities for them to sustainably grow their businesses. She is currently the president of Absa women network forum championing gender inclusivity and women career advancement. Prior to this role, she served as the Head of Service Excellence and was a member of the bank’s Country Management Team for 4 years. She extensively championed customer service transformation to significantly improve the service experience across the banks’ touch points. Her extensive work brought about process changes, adherence to service standards and improved complaint management process. She has led at senior level for over 14 years leading LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 23
PERSONAL PROFILE eight different teams. Audrey started her career as a contract staff in 2004 and through diligence progressed to become an Assistant Vice President in three years serving in the capacity as a Senior sales manager and overseeing over 300 sales managers and executives. She also led 13 sales centres looking after the sales operational activities of over 350 sales force. In 2009, she worked as premier relationship manager for 4 months and moved on to manage one of the largest branches where she became the vision ambassador for Barclays Africa. Her outstanding performance and contribution to the community caught the attention of Barclays global leadership who invited her to share her achievement story with over 100 global leaders in Barcelona in 2010. In 2013, Audrey was one of the proud winners of the first CEOs award winners held in Johannesburg under the sponsorship of Maria Ramos. Having successfully led 3 branches, she moved on to head prestige banking in 2014 and in that same year, was appointed the Head of Service excellence (VP) where she served at management level for 4 years. She was part of Absa’s chosen 500 leaders who participated in the strategic process to transition from Barclays to Absa. She was Absa’s strategic communication champion and facilitated Absa’s biggest change engagement sessions in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.
AUDREY’S PERSONAL PROFILE
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She is a motivational and conference speaker and has been featured as speaker on several women conferences, workshops and trainings. She has served as a mentor for over 10 years to many women within her organisation and several schools She is a leadership training facilitator and has extensively trained and developed several leaders in the bank and several institutions. She founded Dreamers Leadership club foundation and out of her personal resources, trained and developed over 200 University students She is the president of the women ministry in her local church. She supports her husband to pastor over 600 church congregation. She is a co-founder of Institute of business transformation a cutting-edge digital business consultancy firm and serves as the Commercial and Business development director. She is the board chair of Rehoboth foundation which for the past 10 years has provided community health services to 1000s of elderly people, skills training to emerging young leaders, and built social amenities like boreholes for several communities. She has been a jury member of the Strive Masiyiwa Gogettez award 2019 and Gender mainstreaming awards Africa 2021. She is a Chartered marketer from CIM UK, holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Ghana, A fellow of UCLA/ Santander W50 2017 Cohort USA. She is married to a Reverend Minister and blessed with 4 beautiful children.
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SPIRITUALITY
IT’S NOT OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY
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ait, wait, wait! Did you just glance at the title and declare me nutty or out of date or thought it to be a misprint? The good (or not so good may be) news is that you read it right actually - ‘It’s not okay to not be okay’. Nah, the idea here isn’t to dishearten Netflix fans or modern-day positivity analysts but to make us all simply yet strongly realize that in case we fall, we can’t mistake it for our permanent home, fluffing it with ‘it’s okay to not be okay’. That isn’t the place we were carved for, and it’s not at all okay to be in a space that isn’t okay for you. It makes sense to remember that whenever we land in troughs during the lifetime, the power to lift ourselves up lies solely within us and the futility of relying on friends, family or colleagues needs to be acknowledged. Your connections and near ones won’t carry the load for you, they can only share the load, it’s you who must do the lifting. Much in circulation these days is a pleasant sounding word called ‘Pleasanteeism’. Heard of it? Well, a beguiling bite for semantics and etymology enthusiasts, but what’s in it for us in addition to being vowel heavy? Let’s get the meaning first. It refers to feeling the pressure to always appear pleasant, positive, and untroubled, be at work or home. The trouble is that this can lead to people feeling reluctant to voice concerns, ask for help or take breaks when needed. Even though the pandemic has moved mental health to the center of our conversation, LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 26
SUPRIYA SHARMA
CX Alchemist| Organizational Transformation Coach| Management Consultant - Strategy| Keynote Speaker| Investor| Author| Podcast Host| Materialistic Spiritualist| Air pistol shooter Email Address: sss.mach7@gmail.com
many still are guided by the pull to be pleasant above all else. What’s missing is the spiritual piece. Pleasanteeism, as pleasant as it may sound has consequences that aren’t pleasant for employees, companies, families or community on the whole. You don’t push things under the rug when they aren’t okay. Do you? It calls for mending or repair work. But where does it start? Within you. Where exactly? At the level of the spirit. Here, my reference to spirit is not in the religious sense. By spirit, I mean the very essence of your being, the source from where you derive remarkable strength. How to unleash it? By having a spiritual practice. It can be a transformational lever to your success and living your life purpose. It is worth recognizing that your spiritual practice coincides to a great extent with the self-love practice. Spirituality is the reality of our spirit. Being spiritual helps us to connect with who we truly are, and that’s what brings authenticity to our leadership. If you want to make an impact in the world, then you have to begin with yourself. To be able to love others unconditionally and illuminate the world with your potential, you must first love yourself unconditionally. This is where most people struggle, especially women, because we are garnered to dedicate our lives to others. You struggle, suffer, and doubt when you are out of harmony. It is hard to emanate unequivocal love when you are viewing yourself from a materialistic lens or what is known as the primary 3-D lens, i.e., finding your worth in money, looks, or outcomes. But love isn’t material, it is energy. So to spread love and receive love, we must be love, and the best way to do it is by tapping into the divinity within you. . It is the deepest form of self-love, characterized by owning and accepting yourself, in a fashion that isn’t demagogical; gets you to be intimate with the inner you and go deep into your
SPIRITUALITY most uncomfortable places and shine love and healing into those spaces. When you view yourself through the lens of the Divine, you see the whole you. You embellish yourself with the grace, forgiveness, and magic you need to be confident, courageous, and free. It empowers you with compassionate directness, to speak up, voice out what isn’t working, give feedback, disagree and surface problems, pain points and share constructive criticism; basically, to take steps to come out of ‘it’s okay not to be okay’ zone, because when you are operating in the spiritual realm, you know your true worth. You realize that you are a blessed creation of the Almighty and you weren’t meant to not be okay. Research has proven that combining psycho-neurobiology, neuroscience, quantum physics, and parapsychology with the time-honored wisdom from spiritual traditions helps you reach a point where you get into the flow, and this natural state allows creative solutions to emerge and wellbeing to reign. Let’s stop forcing pleasanteeism, and cultivate the chivalry to be unstoppable, banking on your spiritual resource. The next time you accept a calendar request, coffee invite or an appointment, make yourself the priority in the benefit of the universe, rest can wait. It’s okay to choose yourself over others and shower all the time, attention and love you deserve, because now you comprehend ‘it’s not okay to not be okay’.
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FITNESS TO FIT
y Fitness mantra is no longer secrete. They say Heath is wealth And after covid- 19 pandemic entire world believes that Everyone around us have their fitness regime…to be fit and healthy is the priority in today’s life… Fitness is not related to physical but mental fitness is an important part to be healthy. DANCING helps me to achieve my allfitness goals for to be healthy. Dance is hidden language of my soul & benefits of dancing I am live example. My energy high & happy mindset achievable by my dancing practice. Dancing is the not only physical exercise but it keeps you happy, mentally stress free. While dancing you focus on music as well as body parts movements, you enjoy fullest Definitely Dance is the best way to be fit as per my experience. We all human beings dance when we are happy and celebrating something. I have started dancing when I was 3 years old. I was fortunate that my mom understood my love for music at that age and enrolled me for Indian classical dance called Bharatanatyam. (an ancient Indian classical dance form) I have learned from the roots for 14 years of my life. Constant practice and learning this dance form gave me lots of positive points. Body flexibility, Correct posture of the body, focus , face expressions , expressing feelings ,hand and feet co- ordination ,cardio exercise , being happy Dance has given me all that I can look for as a fit body with soul.
Priyaa Telavvane Founder of 361 degrees design solutions
Nrityapriyaa dancingDubai Dancing Diva An architect/interior designerBollywood Actor and Dancer MRS India globe 2019International speaker I have learned not only Indian classical also few lessons for ballet, belly dancing, salsa & contemporary to know my body limits. All dance forms are unique and need dedication. Now I have my own style which is perfect mixture of all to benefit Female body specially. Dancing improves Body language and gives you more confidence to be in your skin Dancing on stage is like meditation for me. You experience a different world when you are performing ……I am sure all you agree In India there are 7 classical dance forms completely different from each other and many folk dance forms believe me its tuff to learn all of them. All dancing forms have grace and deep meaning I feel Belly dancing in all middle eastern countries is graceful and tuff to learn.
All dance forms from all nationalities have similar positive points. all dance forms we have to learn and then practice to be perfect. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 29
FITNESS TO FIT The classical Opera, contemporary, Tango, hip-hop , ballet ,tap dance, salsa, have particular style and stanz can be achieved after many years of practice. One should learn at least 1 dancing form in their life in their childhood. This will allow you to have discipline and develop love for art. I dance on Bollywood music…graceful, melodious, Feminine...My dancing perfect blend of classical, Bollywood Indian dancing with western dancing influence. This will not only move your body and mind but helps you to burn fats. Continue practice will allow to have flexible & graceful body with greater stamina. My dance workshop is an experience can’t be expressed in words. After being An multiple international award winning entrepreneur never stopped my dancing and acting. My passion for dancing & acting keep me moving at professional front I am constantly on stage or Infront of the camera for my dancing. Do checkout short dancing videos on my Instagram which will inspire you to move. Most of the time we all feel tired and don’t want to go to our gym ,every women can relate with me as we do multitasking. Start listening to your fav slow music and groove slowly which will encourage you to have the Physical exercise. Start with hand and feet coordination slow moves then gradually increase thespeed and see how many calories you already burned while doing that. Plus you will be super happy. Covid 19 lockdown pushed me to make multiple dancing videos on Instagram. that lead to start my dancing workshops for ladies. Now I have started with Dubai Dancing Diva a dancing challenge for all ladies which will happen every year in Dubai. Aer you ready to show your dancing moves? Specially after work, family commitments and personal commitments its tuff to take out the me time….30 mins of Dancing at your preferred location meets your fitness goals for a day Note - 9 push-ups ,9 seat ups , 9 crunches, jumping for 1 min Repeat this for 3 times while you dance on your fav song. I would say LADIES KEEP DANCING…….
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PERSONAL PROFILE she focused on technology for social intervention and rapid rural development. To add to this, she is a philanthropist and is Managing Director for The Eblah Foundation (TEF) which focuses on improving maternal health care, early childhood learning and youth skills development to meet market and industry demands. She is a mentor and believes in developing the next generation of Africans through positive reinforcement, mentorship’s coaching and opportunity creation. Finally, as a champion of children, youth and women rights, she brings a lot of passion and dynamism to the female empowerment movement by partnering with other NGOs to create training and work opportunities for women in the Petroleum sector.
Elinam Horgli
Her background is ICT, Innovation Management, Operations Management, Transport Logistics, Data design and analysis and executive Business management. Her background is ICT, Innovation Management, Operations Management, Transport Logistics, Data design and analysis and executive Business management.
With several awards under her belt from the Oil and Gas to Safety sectors, she continues to blaze a path for young women to believe that linam Horgli is an entrepreneur, a change maker and a youth and it’s alright to dream big, but it’s better gender activist. She is the Deputy Managing Director of JK Horgle to get the audacity to start and even Transport and Company Limited. The largest and most awarded better to cultivate the persistence to 100% Ghanaian owned and operated petroleum transportation never give up. business in Ghana and West Africa.
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She is also the group secretary of the Horgle Group of businesses that has stake in Petroluem import and retail, real estate and agriculture. Being a multipassionate innovator, she is also the Managing Director of Eblah Trading and Advisory Limited a technology research and general trading company were LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 31
Horgli
Elinam
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PERSONAL PROFILE
MRS HENRIETTA SEFOGAH Managing Director, SHAPE Healthcare, Ghana.
Mrs Henrietta Sefogah is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the leading top notch multiSpecialist hospital- SHAPE Healthcare Specialist Medical Center in Ghana that provides advance healthcare service to individual and corporate clients from across the globe, and a celebrated facility in Ghana’s medical tourism industry. She holds a Bachelor of science degree in Operations & Project Management, as well as an Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration.She had previously held Senior Management positions in the hospitality industry. She is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SHAPE Baby Food & More Organization in Ghana. Her excellent strategic leadership has seen the Shape Healthcare Specialist Medical Center consistently receive very high profile international clientele from the West African sub-region, Europe, Americas, Australia, Asia, the Middle East and beyond; lifting very proudly the flag of Ghana globally.
Mrs Henrietta Sefogah drives the Organization’s main vision of ensuring Satisfied clients, happier families, healthy & medically empowered clientele across the globe. Shape Healthcare operates an ultramodern specialist medical center in Accra rendering excellent quality international standard specialist healthcare across all the major clinical specialties including in vitro fertilization and other advanced fertility treatments. Her remarkable leadership has earned her several honors and global recognition, including the Most Outstanding Female Provider of Healthcare Service Award in 2021. Mrs Henrietta Sefogah is a celebrated Member of the SHE ACHIEVERS Ghana, and a family woman with three lovely children.
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PARENTING
PARENTING BOOST
2022
Atiyya
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Dudhat
arenting has always had its challenges and as such, most parents are right about ready for any curveball life can throw, especially after the challenges of 2020’s lockdowns and 2021’s vaccine rollouts, online learning, and new Covid variants that pop up every little while. So yes, we’re ready for a bigger, better, and, yes, healthier 2022. Here’s to the parenting trends we are welcoming with open ‘sanitized’ hands and unmasked smiles this year.
What’s in? 1.Experiences over things! It is true that the pandemic has prompted an increase in experience gift purchases. People seem to value quality time together and doing something meaningful. Experience gifts are so much more valuable than stuff that loses its novelty moments only too soon. Many parents resorted to buying toys in order to keep kids entertained during the pandemic. I for one gave in to demands for an X-Box. My weak point was, “But mum, we don’t have any friends when we don’t go to school!” Children deserve fun things after so much isolation and confusion, but as we look forward to brighter days ahead, we should prioritize experiences like travel, time spent with loved ones, and getting out of the house.
Need some inspiration?
How about bowling club or ice-skating rink passes? Maybe even Kids Golf! Paint your Pet art classes, or archaeology and craft kits. The list is endless. You might want to gift Mum’s and Daughter Spa Treat night, music lessons or something more robust like booking a paddle-tennis court or an Astro soccer field for your child to invite their friends to a play day. Kids need to be kids and that means active play, food, and good ol’ fun! 2.Talking about trauma In 2022 we hope to see a focus in schools, and amongst parents and families to rebuild a sense of community, establish support LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 34
networks, and provide children with consistency and normalcy. Social-emotional health and mental health are slowly becoming more mainstream topics of conversation. The main point here is that it is OK to be honest and vulnerable about the difficulties kids face because isn’t your kid’s wellbeing more important than learning trigonometry, anyway? Chalk out a special time in your calendar weekly, if not daily, to make an appointment in your schedule where you put everything aside just to look at your children with open curious eyes. Don’t ask, “How was your day?” You are almost guaranteed to either get a small grunt, a roll of the eyeballs, or a “Fine!” followed by awkward silence.
PARENTING Rather ask something specific that will elicit an open conversation, not a yes or no, fine not fine, type of answer. Ask about anything that happened that week that excited them or worried them. “So which subject was the easiest today, or which teacher was the most annoying?” Think about what it was like when you were a kid. What riled you up, what got you going? Tap into those kinds of emotional moments to get your children to learn how to have a healthy, expressive conversation instead of bottling things up inside, only to explode in the wrong times. Need some inspiration? Parents should encourage schools to discuss what approaches they have for helping children who face academic shakiness due to the lost face-to-face school time. What child wellness programs do they have in place? And do the extra-curricular activities make room for holistic opportunities for all children? Chess, Zumba, Table-Tennis, outdoor sports, swimming, cooking classes, or meditation-what and how does your child’s school do to support their non-academic wellbeing. Yes, it’s that important that schools need to up their game. 3.More Vegetables...Yes, you read that right! You may struggle to get your child to eat a single green pea, but 2022 could be the year your fussy eater gets just a little more adventurous. With kids and school education placing a high priority on personal health and the health of the planet, protein replacements and vegetarian options are the star of the meal, food experts predict. And perhaps that’s no surprise. Everyone wants to boost their immune system and the focus to preventative health has never been more highlighted. Take advantage of this paradigm shift, especially when things seem o be back to the old ‘norm’. With a whole lot of interesting recipes online to make veggies more appealing, you have no excuse not to include veggies daily into meal time. Make the time by searching for a 7-day veg plan and assigning 1 recipe a day. Get teens involved, they may love the culinary search and perhaps take this chore off your hands. Who knows, you may give rise to the next Jamie Oliver. With more veg-based food available at home, it only makes sense that a habit of healthy eating will follow suit. Need some inspiration? Veggie burgers are more popular than ever before as animal-based food prices soar. Falafel burgers are
absolutely divine and easy to make if you buy frozen packs. Add a veg salad that looks interesting as part of the main dishes, eg. A 3-bean colorful salad, cucumber sticks with sauce dip, cauliflower buffalo wings, stripped purple cabbage in the stir fry, tiny chopped mushrooms under the cheese on pizza (where they can’t see it to complain), smoothies, happy -face potatoe wedges. Again, the list is endless. 4.Paternal leave We can’t believe we have to qualify this as “a trend” rather than a no-brainer. Dads need to support mums to create a space of wellbeing for everyone around, including themselves in this joyous and stressful situation. As per Article 54 of the Federal Decree-Law no 7 on Human Resources, a male employee who gets a child is entitled to paid paternity leave for three days during the month of the delivery if the delivery happens in the UAE. Most fathers want to be involved, they want to be around, they want to have it all—a career and to be a good father to their children. Paid leave is a great way to help dads do this. So yes, paid leave for parents benefits everybody. So, now is the time for everyone—men included—to speak up about family wellness. It’s part of being a responsible parent. Atiyya Dudhat, www.AuthorsTribe.com Atiyya Dudhat is a clinical counselor, Functional Wellness coach, author, and cognitive intelligence consultant with 25 years of experience in human development. Her authorpreneur venture, AuthorsTribe Publishers aspires to help writers reach their goals of becoming published authors leaning on a streamlined process of author coaching and her signature style of unparalleled personal support, media exposure, and a collaborative network of international experts. Atiyya is a pioneer of wellness and attainment of the United Nation’s SDG goals through humanitarian and commerce endeavours. She responds to the Beijing’s Platform for Action call for female representation and advancement in media by bringing quality health, education and entrepreneurship matters to the fore.
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CONTENTS
38 | COVER PAGE Queen Sandi
48 | YOUR BUSINESS YOUR FINANCE Building your business
52 | THE PROFESSIONAL CARRIER WOMAN Validate yourself
56 | MENTOR MEETS MENTEES Life coaching
61 | SINGLE AND MARRIAGE Why me? Divorce Management
65 | YOUNG FEMALE LEADERS Meet Madina Kender
75 | ART AND CULTURE
Creative mindset: An essential corporate tool
80 | TALKING BUSINESS WITH BIA Trending and innovative business ideas for 2022
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COVER PAGE
Q: Can we meet with you, Queen Sandi? I am a free-spirited person. I choose to walk the paths you see me walking. At any given time, I am responsible for my choices in life and I own up to them. Good or bad I am ultimately responsible for my life choices. I value myself and I love my life. I seek to impact the lives of the people around me with what I have learned in life. Q: What is your upbringing like? I grew up in a very small town in India called Kanpur. Growing up with my parents I had a pretty comfortable childhood. I was much loved by both nuclear and extended family members and it remains so even till now. That was how the Queen tag name came to be. I have always been a centre of attraction and have always had this positive perception about myself hence the self-confidence I have always been known to show.
Queen Sandi LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 38
At the age of 5, my father got a job in Kuwait in the Middle East in 1959. I moved with my family of my younger sister, mother and father to start a new phase of life in Kuwait. At that time the quality of education in Kuwait was not of a high standard so my parents decided that my sister and I should attend school in India and so we stayed with my grandparents to continue with our high school education, as my maternal grandmother was not in favour of us attending a boarding school. She took great care of us while we lived with her. The only clash I had with her was that I felt she was just too Victorian in her method of raising us!!!! After high school, I chose go to Lady Shri Ram College University in Delhi, a very prestigious college. While holidaying in Kuwait I eventually received the letter of invitation for an interview from the Lady Shri Ram, Delhi University where I had applied to. It was the process, way back then, to first attend an interview at your university of choice before the real admission is approved. I had so much confidence in myself right from when I was a teenager that I had trusted that the university was going to
COVER PAGE
accept I had not applied to any other college...just in case! My friends at that time felt irritated with my level of confidence. I travelled to India to attend the interview and I was indeed admitted to Lady Shri Ram. I have always believed that when you focus on something that you want you will achieve it! Back then, once a girl reaches her 20s, marriage was the next step! I was at University when I met my now-husband who was a lawyer practicing in the High Courts. My father initially was against my choice as we are of different religions but did eventually come around and support us. After graduation, I went back to Kuwait. My fiancé joined me there. He got a job as a lawyer We married at the Indian embassy in Kuwait in 1975. I had my child, a boy in 1977 and had my second, a girl in 1982. We moved to Bahrain in 1983. My husband’s thriving career as legal counsel to banking institutions in the region fueled a very luxurious lifestyle! Later, a move to Dubai changed all. As a family, we were forced to bring down our standard of living and lifestyle It was a major emotional adjustment for us all my kids faced a lot of emotional trauma. Q: At time in your family life you faced a challenge and had a crisis that almost impacted your family growth negatively. Can you share this with our readers?
that as a man it is their responsibility to always fix such matters in their homes. that if they share what is not going right then it will cause worry and stress in the home! They don’t want to be seen as being incapable. However, that is not a good way of looking at issues within a family, the earlier all family members are put in the know of a problem the more prepared they all get to be about it because when the issue does eventually break out, when it is out of control, as was my case then, it becomes harder and more difficult to bear for the family. This could somehow have been avoided or mitigated had I been in the know from the get-go of the issue. I wouldn’t have blamed him, my husband for the financial situation if I because I was just as much involved in the spending and mishandling of the family funds that led to the failed situation. I didn’t handle things well by not being actively involved in knowing what was the true situation of our family’s financial stability One day in the middle of all this drama my husband collapsed in a restaurant out of exhaustion. That was a wake-up call for me. That incident was a wake-up call there was no point for me to continue to be seated like a helpless woman flipping my hands in the air at my helplessness, putting more stress on my husband who was in burn out phase. It was time for me step up, time for me to be
The journey was what I made of it . I entered the workforce when I was 44 years of age! Before then I had never worked or personally had a source of income. I mean it, never worked for a day before! I was very much a housewife, a handson mum, always with my kids, raising them and guiding them through schooling. I was okay being in the passenger’s seat in life, another person (my spouse) driving, always the one in charge, the one in control. As a full-time housewife and stay-at-home mum, I stopped being aware of what was going on in terms of finances and spending. I was ‘asleep’ in the passenger’s seat when the financial ‘car’ crashed. I had thought as usual that my husband would be able to fix things but unfortunately, this time around he just could not and neither could anyone else, fix the financial crisis of a lifetime My husband like most men doesn’t like to share the state of their financial situation because they feel LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 39
COVER PAGE
constructive, do something myself that will help us out of this situation. I have always been a very confident person, if and when I put my focus on something I know I can do it. So, at 44 years of age, I decided to get a job. To start to earn an income. I got excited about the idea but didn’t realize that nobody was as excited about the idea as I was. Even my sister whom I asked to help me to prepare a Resume was frank she said the chances were LOW. Facts did add up too much... apart from my name, marital status, number of children, a graduate that never worked there was nothing to stand me out in a Resume. She also added that I did have a good fashion sense, was eloquent in speech, had a good knowledge of fashion brands, and was a socialite, but these qualities were not going to get me a job. Q: At the slightest challenge in life a lot of women lose themselves, lose their families and become a shadow of themselves. Your journey to getting yourself and your family back on your feet. What was it like?
I couldn’t even type, I was computer Illiterate. One day I pushed myself to read through the job ads in the classified section of a newspaper and I saw in bold fonts, “ If you think that you are a people’s person and you have good communication skills, no experience needed Training provided Please attend this presentation at the Hilton Hotel.” .” Wow I almost did not believe what I was reading if not for the venue that was stated. I thought to myself it can’t be shady. My focus was so much on the event that when I got to the venue I didn’t notice the company name on the board at the entrance. I walked past the notice at the entrance into the conference venue. I looked around the hall and in the front row, I saw 2 empty seats. I walked straight to the seats and occupied one. Lesson Always make your way to the front, you can’t get noticed at the back!!! I am not shy, I was my bold usual self.
I did not allow the rejections to bother or to discourage me. I told myself I needed a job and that was all I focused on. No matter how many times people say no, you must never doubt your abilities and continue to believe in yourself. Be clear in your intentions. So, I held unto these two things: to believe in myself and to have a clear intent. This is very important for everyone in the journey of life. I prayed for a door to open! I just needed one open door, not a particular one, just one open door and no matter the sometimes-hurtful attitude of people kept giving me I learned not to focus on that or allow it to get at me. At the end of each day, I would tell myself tomorrow is another day. I was relentless. Did that attitude of mine pay off at last? Yes, it did! How? I never used to read the newspapers in the cause of my job hunt because in the classified ads section I didn’t ‘qualify’ for anything! LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 40
Giving the presentation was this young man on the stage, as he continued, I started to feel familiar with the products and services the presenter was talking about savings, retirement, and investment services and that was when I realized the name of the company. While my husband and I were living in Bahrain, one thing that I made him invest in was this insurance company’s Education plan. As the presentation was going on I was able to respond intelligently to questions asked and made brilliant contributions to what was being said too. At the end of the presentation,
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, the young Mr Kumar (who is now a Sales director and still l my boss) asked that I should stay back as he would like to speak with me and some other participants. I was told that the company was impressed with my attitude, manner of speaking, self-confidence and that I had the qualities to make a good salesperson. I was told that the company was ready to hire me if I was okay with it. I was shocked and surprised the offer sounded so easy to me considering that they don’t even know much about me yet. However, Mr Kumar kept insisting that they could see the abilities they wanted in me. I did take a while before responding and Mr Kumar kept on calling me to remind me of the offer and the need for them to know if I was going to take it. It was on one of the calls that I decided to ask what the salary range is for the offer.
the world. I even was able to buy properties with my income. have invested in training myself, attended lots of courses, conferences, and done professional exams. There is no such thing that once you get to a certain age you can or cannot achieve your dreams or do something for a career or a business. Whatever you do give it your best irrespective of what people around you say or feel about it. Q: Financial empowerment, Social-economic enlightenment, Financial capacities, sufficiency, and the likes of that, what are some selfdeveloped philosophies and bits of advice that you have working for you over the years that our readers can learn from.
If you want to do something meaningful, something where you want to make a distinct impact, just go ahead and do Be clear n what you want to achieve, have a game plan a ‘roadmap’ it without looking for people’s approval and support. Listen to what is positive, constructive, can add value, can assist you. As an individual start gain momentum and success from her/his idea a a business venture, people will get more ‘uncomfortable; with your success and they will find ways to try to stop you. Unfortunately, many of us no matter how many positive compliments we receive, we tend to focus, get discouraged at just one negative remark from one a perhaps a someone who is jealous of your success. Hold on to the positive compliments and encouragements and run with that. When I mentor people I always explain to them the need to handle rejections in life just as we do every other part of our daily lives and living. Not everybody around us will agree with us on what The company informed me that there was no fixed salary just commissions! I we are doing. Nor will they pat you was very disappointed, I looking for how I could help with bills at home, pay off on the back and support your ideas our debts and bring a new life for my family and was told there was no salary. in life. In your business life or your Mr Kumar assured me that if a sales person works smart he or she could make personal life, you just have to be more than any salary imagined. I had been offered this job an opportunity I balanced I find it very amusing when reminded myself how I didn’t even have any qualifications needed for a job! people say you need to ‘get back ‘on I accepted! Best decision ever. Today 26 years later I’m still with the same track. What if I don’t want to get back group and Mr Kumar is still my boss! I generated so much income in the job on that track. What if I want to form a that I was able to help pay off our family debts, take care of our bills and travel new track of my own. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 41
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We need to consciously think through our ideas before we articulate them. Certain everyday words and phrases do not positively impact our lives, they subconsciously affect our attitudes to certain life issues in a way that is not of any benefit to us. It is insanity to something in the same particular way each time and expect a different outcome. Don’t buy into a proposal, plan, business, until you understand it! The financial world, the business world is a male-dominated and it is like a ‘big boys club’. The girls, ladies, are not ‘allowed’ to enter this male domain. A woman for example goes in with a full-proof business proposal looking for an investor wouldn’t get the funding permissions etc. However, the male with an even inferior business proposal, in all likelihood would get a sponsor/ investor. Facts, statistics have proven that many hedge funds and other investment funds which are headed by women have consistently made more than those headed by men! But the bid buck is still not available to them to expand and progress. Statistics, Research, studies have proved that women make excellent managers, CEOs, and company owners but there is always prejudice. So, do we fight the prejudice or carry on regardless, continue to do things as we see fit? We don’t need to compete or to be on the same side. Women can just go ahead and carve their own niche.
or become become too pliant, shun due diligence to quickly close the deal or else it might slip out For instance, a woman addressing women is confident, however of our hands. Wake up reality, play to win, equal when she is addressing male counterparts, there is sometimes a terms no less. hesitancy, subconscious thoughts from social conditioning holds her down, makes her feel less capable. My belief is this, if for Q: It is sometimes believed that women example I have a company, and am looking for an investor, I am do give up easily in businesses perhaps a business person out to grow her business. I maintain my stand overwhelmed by challenges that confidently and tell myself that even if this person walks away sometimes lead to the of their failure. To from the deal, I will still get another investor. Negotiate with the businesswoman just starting can you confidence, know your facts, do your research have the proof of talk to us on how to handle our feelings, your success. Unfortunately, some women start from where they emotions, and attitude in trying business think that the offer could probably hold and end up coming down, periods. getting less than what they intended on having. In business, there is what is called Sweat Equity. The person with the business idea, professional know-how, training and so on is equally as valuable if not more valuable as the financial partner In Sweat Equity, you must learn how to protect your financial interests. Without the ideas, skills, and expertise the business wouldn’t exist. At business negotiations, always ask for equal terms and agreement that is a win-win situation for both sides. Some great business ideas were conceived in some women’s kitchens but the businesses failed simply because terms and conditions were not legally drawn up ‘partners’ did not negotiate fair and equitable terms. This is unfortunately is quite common amongst women. We tend to get too easily overwhelmed LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 42
As a Manager/ Consultant In sales, I have 2 roles manage people, expand and run my own portfolio. In Sales any business for that matter there are very important words. ASK - Attitude, Sales and Knowledge. In my sales job, I had no skills and no knowledge but I had the right Attitude. With the attitude, I got the knowledge. Attitude comes with confidence, a healthy display of confidence. The right attitude to a business is that I don’t know but I am willing to learn. That also is humility. The right attitude to
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business start offs is that if you don’t understand it don’t do it. Don’t be afraid, ‘failure’ or a rejection today, it could turn out to be the success for tomorrow if rightly handled. Be authentic don’t pretend, business is part of life. Don’t get overwhelmed and become stressed out by the challenges, Find the solution and move on. There is no perfect business scenario. Handle each challenge as they come. Go to sleep with the mindset that tomorrow is another opportunity to succeed at what you do. Not all successful business people are happy. But all happy business people end up being successful because they feel comfortable in their skin whether they experience failure or success. People expect you to run your business in a certain manner because that’s the way it’s always been done. Yes, while certain aspects are what we might call ‘carved’ in stone when it comes to legalities and financial practices that must meet all legal due diligence parameters, the rest depends on your Creativity Negotiating skills Attitudes and most important your Clear Vision. Here are some mantras that have worked for me Why fit in when you were born to stand out. You have to be odd to be number 1. You were not born to fulfill the dreams of others you must fulfill YOUR destiny Anytime you want to check out the competition take a look in the mirror; Your only competition is you! It’s OK to ask questions you don’t have all the answers!
Be in control of your business. As a businesswoman you are not just a businesswoman, you could somebody’s wife, sister, mother and so on. How are you showing up for everybody? Make sure you are comfortable with yourself, your daily decisions and your mindset. You have to show up as you. Discover yourself. Who is this me that has to show up for everybody in my life? Don’t go out of your way to make other people happy by making yourself miserable. A miserable person can’t think straight and can’t maintain healthy emotional wellbeing. We tend to look for too much validation from the outside when the only validation we need is on the inside. Be true to yourself. Be brave enough to take responsibility for what is not working for you. Everything starts with you, inside of you. The choice to be in total control of your life. You are starting in a business, and you are all welled up what decisions to make, how much money to invest, should I invest, and so on, some people are gamblers, they do it anyway, they believe that life is a gamble. They go about their lives and living like that. If their decisions bring favourable outcomes or not they own up to it. . In life, we learn to take calculated risks. this in business comes down to your financial stability. Before you start a business make sure that you are
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financially stable. The attitude is that if this business doesn’t start to bring in returns on time I must have something to fall back on, something to support myself with. It is important to write out a business plan and make it legal. There has to be an exit plan. What will happen when you decide to let go of your business. You could want to exit the business for so many reasons. It could be that you have lost interest and strength in it. It could be anything, you need to have an exit plan. You must have a strategy to exit in a way that will still have made money off it. Contingency, exit plan, are very important. Nobody remembers to include this in their business plans. We focus on entry into the business, not the exit. To have a stable business, we must have a strong foundation. Foundation simply put, is that you must have strong legal agreements from the beginning of the business. have your business incorporated. Have legal partnership agreement terms and conditions in place, legalize all your agreements with whoever you are doing business with or who you will involve in the business even in the future. Q: The money aspect when it comes to a business start and the running of the business, what should the right approach be like? The attitude to money is that of a what do I have to do differently to get a better result Attitude. This is very important. When you are looking on starting a new business, on the one hand, you have your business plan, you have your projections, can I meet all my financial commitments, unless I have my safety net in place I must never attempt to start the business yet. Another important aspect of the business at the start is Insurance. When I am talking insurance, I am talking about Medical Insurance, Life Insurance and Critical Illness insurance. These types of Insurance policies are a very important aspect of a business plan. Life insurance will help you to take care of your mortgage, loans, your children’s lifestyle in case of sudden death and the critical illness will take care of your family if you should suffer a critical illness example Cancer, stroke Heart Attack. A Critical Illness insurance policy will take care of you while you are getting treatment but paying out a pre-determined cash amount that you can use to meet all your financial obligations Accounting is a major part of any business way forward. You need a proper accounting structure to keep a tab on the financial progress and growth of your business. Make sure you take a salary from the business income. The business is a different entity from you. If you are paying other workers pay yourself. Your business is not your piggy bank! Don’t just take money from the business account any time you like. This attitude runs businesses out very fast. Due diligence is finding out details about everything you do in business. Before you sign any contract, find out details from LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 44
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a qualified lawyer. You must have a business lawyer. Keep records of money coming in and going out of the business account. If you don’t understand don’t sign! Ask detailed questions about banking facilities before taking them. Do your research, ask professionals about banking-related issues. Check the terms and conditions of offers and contracts. Once you put your signature to it, it is final. Don’t pretend to know if you don’t know. The internet is not your lawyer. Get a business lawyer.
know you and what you have to offer. Put a little sense of humour with people don’t be too serious. Your body language speaks volumes. It is a fact that more than 60% of what we communicate is through body language, so be conscious of how you stand, sit, use your hands etc.
Q: How do we market ourselves as business owners in terms of attitude, approach, and mindset?
: Every woman should never be too busy to take care of themselves. I pay conscious attention to what I eat I don’t abuse my body with over indulgence in food then go on crash diets or pop pills to control my blood sugar, cholesterol Health is internal. When your internal organs are
It’s a lot of confidence. The situation appropriate attitude to get people to want to listen to you, meet with you next time, want to buy what you have to offer, pay their hard-earned money on what you have to offer. Show up looking your best, add value be presentable. Be humble but don’t drag yourself in the mud by so doing. L Listen more than you speak, learn the art of driving a conversation to your advantage with appropriate questions. Research and seek knowledge on what you do. Improve your skills appropriate to your career/business Walk the talk! If you want something ASK don’t wait for others to give
Q: At 70 how do you manage to still keep fit and good-looking as you do?
Most people don’t know the difference between self- assured and being proud One is filed with confidence the other with ego Appreciate kind gestures from people. Speak nicely to people. Be ready to try new things to improv Set out for each day on your business with the mindset that today will be good. Be happy with your level of achievement every day. Take care of your health and well-being. Whenever I am being considered for an award I truly genuinely appreciate it and I should that I do. Talk the talk and look the part. People will accept your business as you present it. Q: Image and branding in business, what is your take on that. Image includes your outward appearance. Make sure that you are comfortable with what your fashion sense is. Dress t impress Be elegant and always stand out. Another imagemaking magic is your speech. Speak well, be knowledgeable in the topic to be discussed at any outing or in any gathering. Think well before you start to speak. Read a lot on different life issues. Be well exposed to life topical issues so that when you make contributions to discussions you come across as the intelligent individual you are That is when people want to get to LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 45
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well attended to it will always have a positive impact all the other parts of the body. You don’t need expensive body creams and lotion to look good and make your body healthy. I use lots of organic products made for me from India. The cream and the bathing soap I use are made by a friend in UAE and are all organic. I drink a daily mixture of ginger, turmeric, that I boil in water. It works for me. I exercise regularly, cardio and weight training in addition to kriya yoga and I sleep well I do at least 1 physical fitness challenge ever year that keeps me out of my comfort zone mentally and physically After all I have this one body created to perfection by the almighty and it doesn’t come with spare parts! I am careful with how I live my life. I am at peace with my life choices.
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YOUR BUSINESS YOUR FINANCE
BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS TEMI ALADE-MUSTAPHA
LEAD CONSULTANT, MONEY MATHEMATICIAN AND INVESTORS NETWORK TEL-08086464622 Website- WWW.Temialademustapha.com
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tarting a business is not an easy task. The prospect of offering a new product or service to people, designing one’s own future, getting constant income and creating a legacy are why many people step into the world of business. There are factors to be considered when planning to set up a business, and many more factors to consider in running the business effectively. The first step in building your business, or creating sustained growth, is a solid business plan. If the business is well established it may be time to create a new business plan that fully explores the growth potential and makes it clear for those you will approach for financing in situation where you do not have sufficient personal fund. The first option for financing a start-up business is drawing money from your personal savings, otherwise known as bootstrapping. On the pro side, starting a business using cash pulled from your own assets means you’re not going into debt right off. Having to make monthly payments to a lender could be difficult in the beginning if you’re still working on generating positive cash flow. On the other hand, using your own cash for small business finance is risky for you personally. If the business doesn’t work out, then you’re out the money you invested. Aside from that, your personal savings may only be able to take you so far if you don’t have a lot of assets to draw from. In that case, you might still need to supplement your investment in the business with financing from other sources. To convince an individual or company to invest in your business, you will need a good business plan. Your business plan is a map for the upcoming three to five years for a company. It is comprised of several LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 48
components and is meant to be a living document, one that is able to grow and change as the needs and abilities of the business change. The business plan should contain a thoughtful executive summary that encapsulates the entirety of the business plan and references the company goals and profile. The company description should provide the salient details of what the business does, why it is different from similar competitors and the primary markets it will target. A market analysis should be completed prior to beginning a new venture. This will create a clear picture of the industry, outlook of the industry, information about the target market and potential market share available. An organization and management section will help define organizational structure, details about ownership, management profiles and qualifications of a board of directors. It is then time to describe in detail the product line or service the business intends to offer and the marketing and sales methods which will be implemented. Compiling all of the information the lender will want to see early allows the business to anticipate issues and address them in order to make the process of securing financing go more quickly. The type of business loan one decides to pursue can have a long-lasting effect on the future of the business and should be researched
YOUR BUSINESS YOUR FINANCE and deliberated over as thoroughly as any other major business decision What is your state of your financial affairs? Are you on top of your business finance? Staying on top of your finances means avoiding unforeseen business debt and having enough money to invest in and grow your business. To build up your business you need to: 1. Properly manage your accounting. Hire a good bookkeeper. You can install good accounting software. It’s crucial that you keep accurate track of your income and costs. 2. Review your costs. Keep track of all of your small business expenses. These can add up quickly, but reviewing them allows you to fine-tune where your money goes. 3. Make financial projections. Having clear financial projections is important. Your main business plan will help you to anticipate and address possible future obstacles. 4. Don’t get stalled on invoicing. • Send out invoices as soon as possible after providing goods or services. • Set payment terms of seven days to make sure that payments are not forgotten or lost in the process. • Always follow up on sent invoices. Make this easy by creating set templates for email or SMS follow-ups. • Reference invoice numbers and cross-reference these with payments. 5. Keep a separate business bank account. Mixing business money with your personal finances is a recipe for unexplained losses. Keeping your business’s money separate will make calculation of profit easier and help you to keep proper track of your expenses. 6. Keep track of personal loans to your business. Keep accurate records of what you loan to your business. When your business starts making money, pay back the director’s loan first. 7. Remain frugal. Even though you pay yourself, don’t get sucked up in the benefits of business ownership even if you can afford it. Set your salary as low as possible and offer government-mandated benefits only. What you save now will give you more flexibility in future lean months. Some businesses are collapsing while some are standing strong. The difference lies in materials use in building and the financial skill of the builder.
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PERSONAL PROFILE
NKEM OKEKE MD, MPH, MBA, MSPM
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kem Okeke, MD, MPH, MBA, MSPM, is an award-winning kaizen entrepreneur, physician executive, and transformation coach; with a successful career spanning over two decades. She is the founder of Medicalincs - a Population Health Management Organization located in the Washington DC Metro area. Currently through Medicalincs, Dr. Nkem and her team advise and support healthcare leaders and organizations on strategic solutions to enhance implementation framework strategy, improve operational efficiencies and outcomes, and increase revenue volume/revenue streams. Although Dr. Nkem began & enjoyed her career in clinical practice, she decided to combine her love for equitable, patient-centered care delivery and passion for bringing rippled-value to others by pursuing a career in the healthcare business administration and public health. Over her career to date, she has delivered multi-milliondollar cost savings and improved population health outcomes for thousands of lives. Prior to founding her company, she has held leadership positions notably at Kaiser Permanente, Booz Allen Hamilton, & Johns Hopkins. Dr. Nkem is also the founder of three other companies - Healthlincs, Cordinnate, and Consociator. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 50
She is a recipient of 2 global awards - the 2021 Enterprising Woman of the Year Award, and 2022 S.H.E Awards Top Ladies in Business. And serves as a board of trustees for Lasell Village & the Black Women’s Health Imperative, and on the advisory council of a number of organizations. • • • • • • • •
A board member of Lasell Village; A board member of Black Women’s Health Imperative, A member of the Forbes Business Council; A Maryland Health Care Commission Advisory Council member on Primary Care Transformation (appointed by the Maryland Secretary of Health); A leadership member of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee at Women Business Leaders Healthcare (WBL) An advisory council member of Women President’s Organization, Women of Color Committee An advisory council member of Women Business Collaborative and Enterprising Women, and A senior advisor to the CEO at Priority Partners (Johns Hopkins Healthcare) on board priorities.
Dr. Nkem obtained her Medical degree from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria, and completed her training at KorleBu Teaching Hospital, University of Ghana as a Family (General) Practice Physician. She also obtained triple-master’s degrees in business administration,
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PERSONAL PROFILE
roject Management and Public Health (from George Washington University, DC & Tulane University, LA). She completed her fellowship in Clinical Data Analytics, at Johns Hopkins University, MD. She is also certified in Project Management (PMI), Lean Six Sigma (Johns Hopkins), and Change Management (Prosci). Besides drawing inspiration as a mother of 3 lovely daughters, her Core Values make her “THICK” (Trust, Heart, Innovation, Commitment, and Kaizen). She is guided by the principle captured in a famous quote - “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples”. So, Dr. Nkem considers herself a rippled-value creator, and her insightful experience in work and life (spanning healthcare to business to IT to culture and beyond) brings a unique 360-degree value-add perspective.
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THE PROFESSIONAL CARRIER WOMAN
VALIDATE YOURSELF
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ne of my favourite questions to ask someone. More than the answer is the thought process that I enjoy. It not only offers a unique insight into the person, but it also allows me to connect with him/her on a deeper level. So who and how would you identify the professional woman?
“If you are ever tempted to look outside yourself for approval, you have compromised your own integrity. If you need a witness. Be your own.”
The next question may be how did she get to the top? Well she didn’t just get there alone, and it was not because she fought and crushed everyone in her way. She got there because she values passion and optimism in her work and prefers to be surrounded with a team who value similar traits. A professional is a member of a profession or any person who earns a living from a specified professional activity. ... Some definitions of “professional” limit this term to those professions that serve some important aspect of public interest and the general good of society. A professional attitude is the manner in which you conduct yourself in a professional setting. In this context, the term attitude often describes both how you appear and how you act. A professional attitude is often more formal than a personal attitude, in terms of appearance, comportment and interaction. Essential elements of professional behavior include knowledge and skills about a field, communication and relationship skills, work ethic, and professional ethics. Professional behavior in the workplace is a combination of attitude, appearance and manners.
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THE PROFESSIONAL CARRIER WOMAN decisions. The main principles of professional work behavior include: » » » » » »
Treating your managers, colleagues and clients with respect Projecting a positive attitude Being polite Showing good judgment Being ethical Dressing appropriately
The professional woman will always have her style or what I call her swag. This is her identity,persona, it gives her confidence. Being stylish at work can be a struggle. Five days a week we find ourselves staring into our closets debating on what to wear, worrying about professionalism, appropriateness, color, and any number of other quandaries. Yes, we can always default to trousers and a button-down shirt, like our male counterparts, but is that enough? Not for most of us. She wants to be stylish but conform to business standards, while at the same time be feminine and confident. This is especially true when she attends conferences, where she meets people for the first time, speaking to large crowds, or doing the whole meet-and-greet at a booth or social function. “You don’t need anyone but yourself no matter what others or the society have to say” At work Going to work amongst familiar colleagues at her own desk is a whole different ballgame than a conference, where she needs to give a great first impression but be herself at the same time. “Behind every woman is HERSELF “
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PERSONAL PROFILE She is a devoted Christian concisely; a member of the United Methodist Church. Nevertheless, she has high respect for all religions; and is consider as a advocate of religious tolerance since it is one of the major recipes for peace; she’s from a background of two major religions Christianity ( Father) and Islam ( Mother). She is married and bless with 3 Biological kids (All Girls) and several other kids in Salala district #6, Bong Co, Liberia and around the world. She obtained her Elementary Education from the Martha Tubman Elementary & Junior High School located in rural Liberia, Salala City, Salala District Bong County.
Hon
Moima Briggs -Mensah
She also graduated from the Cathedral Catholic High School with a Diploma and a WAEC Certificate in 1998/1999, not satisfy, she obtained a Bachelor Degree in Management from the University of Liberia in 2009, and as a means of advancement she again matriculated at the University of Liberia in the Master Program in Management.
She has worked for several private entities in the Republic of Liberia the last of which is the 54th Representative Legislature at District Salala (District #6, Lonestar Cell Communication Corporation/MTN for 14 years before being politically driven, at Bong Co. RL) Lonestar Cell MTN, she became the first female Born in November 7, 1975. She is happily Married and she’s a Christian by Religious and president of the Staff Association and was at the same time the Event and Sponsorship Senior Tolerance. Lead, a position she served until her departure. Her Favorite word is “Win through your actions, never through argument” And her Personal quote: Don’t twist our gender as Hon. Mensah is consider as a true mother to all weakness, we are fe-male ( Atonic number 26) “Fe” as element citizens of Salala District# 6, Bong County, her actions are filled with Love, Unity and Peace Iron says Madam Moima Briggs Mensah. Building. She’s an Advocate for Competitive She’s the Legislative Membership: Chair -Bong County Legislative women’s leadership in all sectors, Women and Caucus, Co. Chair- Post and Telecommunication, Member APU Children’s Right and Good healthcare. (African Parliamentarian Union, Member Gender Equity, Child Moima Briggs Mensah became Representative of Development, Member State Own Enterprise. Salala District #6, Lower Bong Co. in 2017 after Winning a Democratic Election of 16 contestants Birth: with a total votes of 6,216. Hon. Moima Briggs- Mensah was born in rural Liberia at the Totota Clinic by a midwife which she got named after (Moima) She believe that through the means of Recognition, Inclusion, Building Mutual Relationship and She a daughter of a former Representative, Hon. Roosevelt A, Communicating basic Information that needs the Briggs of Miamu (Konowola Clan) and Madam Ellen Fatu Kolleyfull Kromah of Tumutu (Nyanforquelle Caln) Bong County. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 54
PERSONAL PROFILE
In line with her present duties as legislator, Hon. Briggs- Mensah is the proponent of the Traditional Midwives Sustainable Bill of 2018, Districts Emblem Bill of 2020, participation of the citizens her district will improve in every sector be it Education, Health, Agriculture, and Infrastructure Development.
surgery. Including several contributions to individuals and organizations. Konawolala Administrative District, An Act Granting Pre-Trial Detainees the right to vote and has co sponsored several bills to include Domestic Violence Act of 2014, National Renumeration Act of 2019 and etc.
As part of Hon. Moima Briggs- Mensah efforts for the last four years in political office, she has Recognized, Include, Build Mutual Relationships, Communicate significant information to her people; thereby, making progress in the health, education, agriculture sectors of her district.
As a proud to women in Leadership, Hon. Moima Briggs Mensah for the years in political leadership has won different awards; The Golden Image Award - Rural Development 2019, National Event Planners Awards- Best Female Lawmaker of the Year 2019, Corruption Watch- Tough Talking Female Law Maker of the Year 2019 with a grade of A, Ireed Report -Top Legislative Debater with a grade of A in her legislative performances.
In line with those achievements, she have initiated several educational, agricultural, infrastructural and health projects to include: Over 500 Scholarships to rural High school and University students, Distribution of farming materials and products (Seed Rice), Construction of 16 Town Halls , 3 Market Buildings , 2 motorcyclist centers, and 2 Elementary Schools and the construction of a health Theater to conduct
AWARDS:
She cognizant that she can not do all her district needs by herself; therefore, she request the supports of all wellmeaning and like minds Liberians and international partners, including individuals wanting to see Salala District #6, Bong County and Liberia develop in order to achieve the dreams of being a developed country. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 55
MENTOR MEETS MENTEES
Life Coaching
a need, a choice towards changing the future
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oaching was limited to sports like football, tennis, basketball, and so on… it was my understanding for a very long time and when I heard the term “Mentor” it was only a decade back when I joined toastmasters to learn about public speaking. With this limited understanding, I was intrigued to discover and learn the reality behind the two terms. So, the journey begins.
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
Excitement with delight instigated in me and I was looking forward to the first-ever experience of Mentoring. My journey of Mentorship had started and since then I had experienced many mentors myself and still seek guidance from time to time from many such professionals related to a specific field of expertise and specialist of their trade. I do connect with Chefs when I am trying to develop a certain balance in my recipe, I connect to Leadership Gurus when I am developing content on Leadership, I Seek advice from Sales Specialist in preparing a Sales Funnel for my clients, and so on with Marketing, Digital Transformation, Data analytics and so on.
If this is what you need, you are heading in the right direction. Always seek mentorship from the experts in the subject matter and be specific with your desired goal(s). Secondly, there could be more than one mentor for the same subject matter, the responsibility of the decision lies with the Mentee.
MENTORSHIP DEMANDS ◊
Relevant experience and expertise
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◊ ◊ ◊
Enthusiasm on the subject matter and role Alignment with Mentee and their goals Understands the value of mentorship Guidance, Constructive feedback, and Personal insights Challenges you to do better always Empathy and great Listening skills Positive role model with a great attitude
In pursuit of knowledge, when I learned and experienced the Coaching side, It helped me unlock my hidden potential, by eliminating negative thoughts and embracing my strengths I was liberated from my inner fears that have been restricting my ability to achieve my goals. “...coaching focuses on equipping the individual to discover their unique potential.” -Brian Cagney
C
oaching is a life-changing experience of inner change reflecting success outwards, growth, and life purpose. I learned if we are clear on our purpose, eliminate negativity from our lives, and have the tools and techniques to build meaningful relationships, happiness and fulfillment are achievable. Coaching in achieving a meaningful life is the air we breathe to live. Unfortunately, it is not in our practice and systems to adapt to this special source and benefit from it. Successful Entrepreneurs globally have coaches for business, Life, Personal Development, Relationships, and so on. Every sport has the component of coaching. We come across people seeking and benefiting from coaching since their early ages and have grown out to be role models in society and the world.
MENTOR MEETS MENTEES understanding that the person knows within themselves to make the improvements. How life coaching helps people is extremely enlightening information and I have personally experienced my friends and family across the board benefiting in the following aspects. • • • • • • • • • • •
Building self-confidence A different perspective self-awareness Create a balanced life Achieve goals Discover clarity of purpose Keep commitments Discover yourself better Identifying strengths & weaknesses Unlock potential Improve communication • • • • • • • • •
Manage time and Eliminate negativity Overcome your fears Eliminate bad habits Define your values Motivation & Better decision making Show empathy Learn to accept criticism Show more appreciation Reduce stress
Not only does it help the individual, but the people around the individual, family members, colleagues, friends, and social circle, , in fact all around him get benefit in some way or the other. The change in personality and life reflects after coaching reflects Just as a professional sports player has a coach from every single interaction with the person. Some of the to work on the technical and psychological parts of examples globally belong to fortune 500 companies, Great their performance, everyday people should take a Political Leaders, Business Gurus, and Billionaires. structured and disciplined approach to personal growth and advancement. A life coach is a person that works in partnership with an individual to help them reach their potential across all aspects of life, depending on the need of the individual or engagement. A life coach helps to support to make improvements in lives and help them move out of their stuck states. A life coach works more as a facilitator,
“All coaching is, taking a person where he can’t reach himself.” - Unknown
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MENTOR MEETS MENTEES
L
ife coaching is discrete from giving advice, consulting, counseling, mentoring, and administering remedies. You engage a life coach to help you with specific professional help, personal goals, and transitions.
If you are facing any or similar to the following situations in your life, you surely should shout out loud for a life coach, I mean it is undoubtedly clear that some help is needed…
Any life coach helps you grow by analyzing your current situation, identifying limiting beliefs and other potential challenges and difficulties you face, and developing a specific plan of action intended to help you achieve specific results in your life.
♦ Your negative thoughts are overpowering ♦ Faced a tragedy or going through a stressful incident ♦ A major change occurred in life, career, or relationship and facing challenges ♦ Have a fear of failure, defeat, or loss ♦ Have a life-challenging habit that you want to stop
Many individuals improve the following areas while engaged with a life coach such as ♦ Finding the purpose of life ♦ Finding a vision for success ♦ Defining Goals and set Targets ♦ Plans for Growth & Success ♦ Recognizing limiting beliefs ♦ Finding life balance ♦ Effective Communication Skill ♦ Leadership Skills LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 58
"A life coach does for the rest of your life what a personal trainer does for your health and fitness." Elaine MacDonald
In the end, I would like to conclude with a statement from Stephen Hawking’s that explains the purpose of this article and the essence of life & coaching & Mentoring
“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”
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PERSONAL PROFILE
“She believes that Values Education is an effective alternative to tackling societal challenges that impede Personal, Communal and National development”. Izehi Anuge , a Trainer, Speaker and Author is driven by Nation building in every aspects of life. There are four intrinsic paradigms that drive my pursuit for a great nation; my passion, my values, my beliefs and my aspirations. Izehi is fascinated with Values and the mark it makes in the psyche of every individual that embraces it. This fascination stemmed from a deliberate choice to see people within a nation succeed, propelled by a craving for excellence that is not just controlled or “performed”, but learned and lived continuously through values. Izehi pursues and lends her expertise in multiple areas of Values Based Education and Learning that influences holistic development of the eco system’s. Her teachings focuses on the family, the child from early years, adolescents, young adults and schools. She is an Author of a children’s book series (Captain Excellence) which focuses on triggering a Values-Based consciousness in children and adolescents. Izehi Anuge is the Managing Director at Shape-A-Child and the Founder of Inspire Excellence Initiative expressing her expertise by creating a Values-Based Framework for Institutions. Izehi daily acknowledges that values build character in both individuals, businesses and Nations and helps them rise above the crowd. This has led her to become A 2021 recipient of an award of recognition in Lagos State, Nigeria, for spearheading the distribution of her books on values, “Captain Excellence and The Great Hall of knowledge”, to children in public schools, through the support of individuals and LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 60
Izehi Anuge
The Values-Based Educator organizations, that share similar values. She has also supported multiple NGOs in Nigeria, towards ensuring that more children from early years have the benefit of engaging with values, and facilitated community projects that onboard parents and community leaders on a values framework at Ajeronmi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, tagged “Let the Children Read Project”. In a few short years, Izehi’s leadership has reached 15.000 children, ensuring that children who otherwise would not have interacted with values education, now strive for excellence. Driven by a need to ensure that the African child is well equipped not only in Intellectual knowledge but in Character and skills to compete in the 21st Century and for Global Participation, her Company, Shape A Child continues to break the barriers on how custodians of values, interact with, teach and communicate Values to the 21st-century child.
SINGLE AND MARRIAGE
Why Me? DIVORCE MANAGEMENT By Shireen Jabry
SHIREEN JABRY’s Credentials Since she was a child, British Author and International Journalist, Shireen Jabry has had a passion for writing. Her other books are: Passionate Encounters, Design of Death and Missing. The Book Trailers can be found on YouTube. She started out as an Editorial Assistant for City Life, Metropolitan and Al Mamlaka magazines before moving up to roles such as Editor of Me Magazine and Managing Editor of magazines such as Mercedes Middle East and Nokia Middle East. In 2019 she and her business partner, Hussam Hattab, decided it was due time to open their own Magazine Publishing House in London. In 2021, they relocated their business to the United Arab Emirates. Shireen Jabry’s online work portfolio: https://shireenjabry. wixsite.com/workportfolio As the Tansparent Publishing Limited Founder and Publisher, she has divided her time between writing fiction and running the business. Her Magazine Publishing House, Transparent Publishing Limited (TPL’s) website: https://infopublishinglimi.wixsite.com/pl-site “Marriage is the beginning—the beginning of the family— and is a life-long commitment. It also provides an opportunity to grow in selflessness as you serve your wife and children. Marriage is more than a physical union; it is also a spiritual and emotional union. This union mirrors the one between God and His Church.” This above is the google search engine’s definition of Marriage. Funny, because I must admit that it sounds
a little strange for me and in a moment or two, you will read the following couple of paragraphs, and you will understand why. King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and had Parliament declare him supreme head of the Church of England, starting the English Reformation, because the pope would not annul his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon. He so desperately desired to marry his then mistress Anne Boleyn, that he would do absolutely anything, anything to get his hands on her. But here’s the important question: Who demanded that King Henry VIII break ties exclusively with the Roman Catholic Church and its pope? Was it King Henry? Absolutely not. Yet just another example of the power women reigns even as far back as 1533. Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, served as queen of England in the 1530s. She was executed on charges of incest, witchcraft, adultery and conspiracy against the king. But yet, she changed the way that women take power and deal with men, helped King Henry to break with the church and helped with the English reformation, gave birth to one of the first female monarchs, and showed Henry how much power he had and what he could do with it. A considerable feat, LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 61
SINGLE AND MARRIAGE , wouldn’t you say? This and I reiterate again was back in 1533. What are we today? 2021 and it bloody amazes me the extent of traditional conformist mechanisms and ideologies of some societies. Of course, with complete respect to all, because it must be said time and time and time again that there is no wrong way but only a different way. It is this difference that I will be writing about. Why? Simply because I want to shed light on what divorce was like for me and what my divorce was like for some people around me, close, far, maybe even a little in between. Anne’s greatest legacy was her daughter, Elizabeth. She ruled England for 45 years after the disastrous reign of her half-sister, Mary I. She set a precedent that women could rule successfully, although it has taken until 2013 for the law to be changed to give women equal rights to the throne. Just think of that, think of how long it took from Queen Elizabeth’s 1 reign in 1558 to 2013, for that law to be finally changed. If history has taught us anything, it is that women hold far more power than society expects them to. They are resourceful, ambitious, capable, resilient, determined, nurturing and the list goes on … So, keeping that in mind, is it perhaps reasonable to assume that a woman upon marriage in her mid-30’s would expect a lot from her male counterpart? Obviously and I sure hope so. But expecting and accepting are two completely different things. When we expect we are hopeful and logically tuned in on the sensibility of the act of ‘expecting.’ And ‘accepting’ well that’s a whole different world altogether. With acceptance comes a sheer volume of compromise. And if marriage has taught me anything it’s the following two things: Without compromise there is no marriage and without complete acceptance of the other there is no love. SIMPLE … I have found that the minute I allow myself to expect things from my partner, I must be ready to first accept them as they are and love them for who they are. Yes, I know I’m stating the obvious – but you would be surprised at the number of people who know this on the surface but absolutely refuse to do it. They refuse to LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 62
compromise because they assume that they are right, they refuse to accept the other because they think the other is wrong and what strikes me as completely odd is that after they do all that, they are left perplexed when their marriage fails, and things lead to divorce! But each to his own. Life is far too short to stay in a marriage because society dictates that after birthing a child, its best practise to stay as a family together. Life is far too short, to spend your days married to the same person but realistically living daily separate lives. Life is far too short, to portray to your child a fake presentation of married love and life. Life is far too short to spend your days with someone who doesn’t bring out the best in you and who you cannot, no matter how hard you try, bring out the best in them. Life is far too short, to spend your life with someone who never loved you. Life is far too short to stay in a marriage for everybody else just to please them. Life is far too short to be happy with everyone else around you but your partner. Life is far too short, to be told what you should do and who you should be, all the time. If you accept this, its no longer your life, you will be living the life of the person who demanded that you change. And nobody in their right
SINGLE AND MARRIAGE minds, with even a pea sized brain would accept that! And here’s the mind-boggling thing! So many people do it! So many women do this! I look at them with sheer surprise, I gawk at them, I try to imagine 101 different scenarios that would maybe explain to me why they put up with this! But no matter how hard I try, I can’t understand and honestly, I don’t think I ever will.
I thank my lucky stars but just because I do, it doesn’t mean that it was easy, in fact it was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life, not quite the hardest but second to the hardest thing I had to do in my life. But it’s okay because once you gain enough distance, you get clarity and perspective! And you realize the following TRUTH:
Of course, there are many women who wouldn’t put up with this and dial divorce immediately. They are aware of what lays ahead of them: a tough struggle, lots of pain, a make-over of your whole life from A-Z. It’s hard to fathom especially with kids on one end and the society they belong to on the other. But you know what?
“Some changes look negative on the surface, but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” - Eckhart Tolle –
The loneliest thing in the world is to be married to yourself and essentially that’s who you’re married to if you allow the expectance and acceptance to die and wither away. And who wants to be in a blissful union with themselves?????
And you suddenly realize that you’re full of hope again and one bright sunny morning you find out that in the words of Oprah Winfrey, “Hope is dreaming with your eyes open for a brighter future.”
It is for this reason and all the above reasons that I am now happily, ecstatically, dancing the night away, celebrating daily, thanking God profusely, delighted that I’m finally divorced!
And you do what you have long forgotten to do, since you got married; you rebuild yourself, you focus on YOU, and YOU do all this guilt free. So, I got up, brushed off the rubble of my broken home off my dress and relocated my company to the UAE, my Magazine Publishing House – ‘Transparent Publishing Limited (TPL)’ and started to work hard to grow and expand the business, with my business partner Hussam Hattab. Originally set up in the UK in April 2019, with our main Flagship Title: ‘Faces Of Motherhood’ Magazine, we have brough that to the UAE market and we have just launched an additional 4 magazines, namely: ‘This Month’s Art Stoppers, Mining The Mind (English), Mining The Mind (Arabic) and Dubai Wonder Full. We are aiming to launch a further magazine called, “The HOT Pink Issue” that will focus on promoting Breast Cancer Awareness annually in December. And in the words of C.S. Lewis, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
BECAUSE YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE, MAKE IT COUNT!
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PERSONAL PROFILE
deline Quarshie, Managing Director for Credence Micro Credit. A highly competitive company in the Micro Credit industry that harnesses innovation and technology to bring delight to its customers. I am a business leader focused on entrepreneurial creativity to bring financial solution to many businesses and the ordinary person. I am a strong believer of sound leadership. A transformational leader with attitude that can turn the fortunes of both organizational employees and the organization itself. I believe that businesses have had enough ‘bosses’ and it’s time for ordinary people with leadership qualities to take over and lead small scale businesses to the next phase of their fortunes.
W
ith a strong value for human dignity, honor and respect, I lead teams to tell their story and advance our brand in a highly competitive sector - the financial sector; to bring unprecedented visibility to the organization and impact others as well as develop relationships with both executive level, internal and external customers and regulators whiles building support for key initiatives and exploits. I have a degree in marketing from Ghana Institute Of Management and Public Administration and HND from Accra Technical University. I am a holder of MBA from UGBS in Ghana and other international certification from MIT, YALE, Temple University and Howard all in (USA). I have a long serving career in LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 64
&Technology Foundation; WIFI & TECH FOUNDATION. A nongovernmental organization that is seeking to harness knowledge and technology to mentor, empower, support and sponsor women in the area of entrepreneurship and professional advancement. My greatest philosophy in life is ‘FAITH’. You have got to believe whatever you are doing regardless of how small and inattentive people are to you. With my favourite quote being _*” no tree, however great, ever starts growing as a tree, all trees start to grow as a seed.”*_ (By my own honorable self). Despise not your little beginnings!
Adeline Quarshie Managing Director for Credence Micro Credit
banking which spans beyond the borders and shores of Ghana, thus South Africa . I am a passionate advocate who believes in innovation and technology to advance development around the world by ensuring greater participation from young people. This is evidenced by the age demographics of my employees. In an ever-dynamic world, the best people who are both very much in touch with the world and also creative enough are the young ones, hence, my greatest joy working with them. I am the Co-Founder and President for Women In-ICT, Finance, Industrialization
YOUNG FEMALE LEADERS
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MADINA KENDER Number +966533767762
initiatives without hesitating or waiting for someone else to do so and somehow I was always in this mindset that produced new ideas every minute.
Y
es, technically my names means “city” in Arabic but I guess my parents were just intending to name me after the Holy city Medina.
I’m known by many nicknames but the ones I feel describe me the most are Philosopher and Big Boss. The reason for why it is so would be for another day. I am an Ethiopian who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. Growing up, I was always confused about my identity but I guess it’s something a lot of the immigrant kids go through. I studied in an International school surrounded by people from different nationalities which exposed me to different cultures and people without having to leave. You can say that I got the opportunity to “travel” and experience aspects of life from the comfort of my own school. While I was in high school, my parents decided that my siblings and I had to enroll and complete our undergraduate education in our mother land, Ethiopia while my parents stayed in Saudi Arabia. Even though I was hesitant at first because I’ve never been away from my parents, I ended up going for it and that decision is one of the things that I’m most thankful for as the 3 years I spent there helped shape me into a stronger me and more independent me. Some people do not choose what they do, and instead it chooses them. I happened to be one of the people who got chosen. I’ve always been so sure in wanting to become a doctor but after growing up I became more aware of my abilities; I was often chosen as a leader in groups, I took
One promising summer vacation, I worked as a salesperson at an expo and it was my first paid job ever. Working there helped me decide to join business field. I can’t explain it in words but all I can say is that interacting with people, the whole bargaining ideal in a sale, convincing someone that they need your product, interacting with other fellow workers in the expo all felt natural to me even though it was a 12hrs+ shift sometimes. I somehow had the energy to continue. I remember thinking to myself, “ Wow, this is the field that I’m made for” Fast forward to 2015, I had graduated from high school and had gone to Ethiopia. I studied Business Management at Aksum university located in Axum city of the Tigray region. During my stay there, I was a part of the Female Empowerment Club, and an English language mentor for the English Language Club at the University. Axum, where I went to for University, is a historical city and a major tourist attraction site so it was always bustling with tourists from Europe, Asia and the far west. This peaked my interest in the tourism sector in Ethiopia and the services industry as a whole. I focused on studying the area and writing every new idea that came to mind and also developing my high-end skills because I believed that my first investments should be on myself. After graduation, I returned back to Saudi Arabia and worked my as a VP of a contracting team at a company named Golden Alliance. Even though I stopped working there sometime ago, questions about how I got to work there are still common and all I can say is that I didn’t do anything special, just invested in high-end skills and was lucky enough to have come across a boss who saw talent over years of experience. I worked in several other companies in different fields like translating, sales, contracting, general consultancy, etc. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 65
YOUNG FEMALE LEADERS I’m a strong believer in giving back which pushed me into building a still growing platform on Instagram called Ethiopian Youth Alliance (EYA). I intended it to be a platform for the youth to connect and talk about business. Through it I shared my advice to students, graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs like me. I also got the chance to pair up with another platform and form a language academy with the help of a volunteer teacher. Giving back doesn’t have to be with money as it can also be with knowledge, experiences, connections and that’s what I was trying to achieve. Although the account is currently inactive, I have plans to change it into African Youth Alliance and come back stronger. As for now I’m a professional freelancer with my main focus being in services because that’s what I do best. Doing so has allowed me to meet business men and women from different industries and to deal in different projects like import/export deals, finding investors for mega projects or for business owners who are looking to expand while needing a silent partner, closing deals on behalf of a client; more like a personal contract executive. I also provide recruitment services for events and companies who ask me to recommend them someone for a specific position in their establishment and many more. The future for me is a bunch of plans. I want to open a holding company that will pool together professional freelancers and companies to be a one stop shop for businesses. After COVID-19, many companies resorted to outsourcing and found it easier and more efficient. Also, new business owners who can’t afford all the employee costs can rely on us to provide what they need from consultancy to cleaning services. I know this one is needed especially in developing countries and even though it’s not a new idea and not a very complicated one but it speaks to the need of the businesses and people. I am doing this as a solo-entrepreneur now but would love to expand it with the right partners. I’m very humbled to be featured on this magazine even though I feel I still have a long ways to go before I achieve my goals and be a real big boss! I am open to new connections and projects. You can reach me through my LinkedIn (link)
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PERSONAL PROFILE
MRS NANA ADWOA KONADU DSANE FCILG, IHRM, ChPA CMC, CEMBA, BSc, PhD (candidate)
Deputy Director, Medical and Scientific Research Centre, University of Ghana Medical Centre
M
rs Nana Adwoa Konadu Dsane is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Leadership and Governance (CILG). Currently, she is the Vice-Chairperson, a Chartered Professional Administrator, Chartered Management Consultant, the Patroness for the Ladies wing of the Ghana Methodist Students Union (GHAMSU), and Founder/President of the Thyroid Ghana Foundation. She holds a BSc in Business Management Studies from the University of Cape Coast, a Professional Certificate in Human Resource Management from the Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (IHRMP), and a Commonwealth Executive Master of Business
Administration (CEMBA) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of South Africa pursuing a PhD in Human Resource with her research focused on Leadership, Empowerment and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour. Mrs Dsane has about 20 years of experience in administration (research, health, education, and corporate), having worked at the Office of Research Innovation and Development, Office of the Provost, College of Health Sciences and University of Ghana Medical School (now School of Medicine and Dentistry), Haematology Department etc., holding various administrative positions. She has previously worked as an Administrative Officer on The Hunger Project–Ghana and in the Finance Department of the Trassaco Real Estate Company. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 67
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PERSONAL PROFILE
he is currently the Deputy Director, Medical and Scientific Research Centre (MSRC) at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC). Aside from her official roles at the MSRC, Mrs Dsane is the Principal Investigator on a study titled ‘Implementation of AIDET communication framework at a new large teaching hospital in Accra, Ghana’, which is ongoing at the UGMC. She is also a Co-Facilitator of the AIDET communication framework Training for UGMC staff. The AIDET Communication Framework is a communication tool aimed at reducing the anxiety levels of patients and their relatives in the hospital environment. Out of her harrowing hyperthyroidism experience, Mrs Dsane established the Thyroid Ghana Foundation to create awareness of the Thyroid disease in Ghana and bring affordable treatment to those affected by it. Mrs Dsane has supported over 500 persons living with thyroid disorders within Ghana and beyond through the foundation. The support comes in training, seeking appropriate medical treatment, dietary, symptoms, and stress management. She has collaborated with various institutions and individuals on numerous programs towards the health improvement and provision of affordable treatments for persons living with thyroid disorders across Ghana. Examples of such collaborations include: •
An agreement with major Laboratory institutions such as MDS-Lancet Laboratories Ghana Limited, Scanport Medical Diagnostics, Metropolis Healthcare Ghana Limited and Premier Healthcare Medical Clinic to offer substantial discounts on laboratory investigations, medical imaging services and clinical consultations for thyroid patients.
•
An agreement with UGMC to offer subsidized thyroid surgeries for twenty thyroid patients due for surgeries.
Mrs Dsane seeks to establish a state-of-the-art health centre for treating and caring for thyroid patients in the Greater Accra Region through the Thyroid Ghana Foundation. Due to her passion for humanity, Mrs Dsane accepted to be the Chairperson of the Global Transformational Agents Foundation (GloTAF), an N.G.O. focused on youth development through the transformation of prisoners, advocacy for peace and sanitation, and health improvement of people. Her work towards bringing peace to individuals by relieving the suffering of humanity and the impact she is creating in society, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF Ghana) awarded her UPF Merit Ambassador Awardee and as an LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 68
PERSONAL PROFILE Ambassador for Peace at the UPF 2021 End of Year Assembly held on 21st December 2021 at Alisa Hotel, Accra, Ghana. Also, African Regional Journal recognized her among the 2021 100 Most Inspiring Individuals in Africa, held in Kigali, Rwanda on 27/11/2021, further the Chartered Institute of Leadership and Governance (CILG, Ghana) awarded her the 1st CILG Personality of the year 2018. She is happily married and blessed with three children
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YOUNG FEMALE LEADERS
final year student of the Department of Radiography and Radiological Science, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. In addition to this, she is currently workingon developing an App (Radiographic positioning at ease) that will help Radiography students and Radiographers for effective practising of Radiography. I have a passion for Radiography and lookout for ways to make the study and practice of Radiography for both students and Radiographers, this is why Healthmate academy and Radiographic positioning at ease App is going to be one of the major solutions for this. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 70
PEACE THOMAS Co-founder/CEO of Healthmate Academy
Healthmate academy is an eLearning platform for medical students and medical practitioners, while Radiographic positioning at ease App is an App that compromises Radiographic positioning images, centring points, the direction of radiation and the expected image after an examination.
PERSONAL PROFILE those at the lowest echelon of the country’s socio-economic ladder. She continues to battle big forces that threaten the economic and social wellbeing of the Liberian people. Nyonblee currently serves as the political leader of Liberia’s secondlargest opposition party, the Liberty Party. She led the formation of and chairs the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), which comprises the country’s top four opposition parties. At the Senate, Nyonblee chairs the committee on Rules, Order, and Administration. She is also a ranking member of several other committees, including Ways, Means, and Finance; Public Accounts; Health and Gender; and Post and Post Telecommunications.
Senator Nyonblee
N
Karnga Lawrence
She holds a BSc in business management from the University of Liberia and an MBA in business administration/marketing from the Kutztown University in (USA). She has obtained an advanced certificate in leadership from the United States Congress. WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE
Nyonblee enjoys serving people from yonblee Karnga-Lawrence is a two-term Senator and the first all backgrounds across Liberia. Notable female Senator of Grand Bassa County. She was born and raised among causes dear to her heart are: in Liberia— a small Country located on the west coast of Africa. She has experienced severe adversity, including urviving a raging • Women and Children’s Rights – she is a passionate advocate of civil war that engulfed her homeland for nearly 15 years. Through it all, she the cause of women and children. persisted. Since her election, Nyonblee has remained a leading champion A renowned women’s rights campaigner and social justice activist, for women’s rights and has Nyonblee was first elected to the Senate in 2013 and reelected during the worked across the aisle to deliver 2020 midterm elections. Throughout her first term, she remained the only protections for children, led the fight female in a senate that comprised 29 men. Yet, she resisted and defied for gender equity, and taken steps every attempt of male chauvinists in the Senate directed at distracting her. to ensure women and children have She shattered every roadblock thrown her way while getting the work done access to needed social services. for the people—no wonder she was nicknamed the lioness, the iron lady of the Senate.
As Senator, Nyonblee’s time, energy, and resources have been exclusively dedicated to amplifying the voices of Liberians, especially
•
Good Governance Best Practices – she has relentlessly campaigned for good governance and leadership
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PERSONAL PROFILE with integrity in government—always denouncing and speaking up against Liberia’s scarce resources being mismanaged. Nyonblee is on record for her zero tolerance of appointed officials being confirmed while indicted in audit reports. She believes that any individual with a questionable image should have no place in government until proven otherwise. All Nyonblee demands is a government that is more fiscally responsible and transparent. •
Access to affordable Health care and Education – Nyonblee is leading the charge for ensuring affordable healthcare and quality education is within reach of the needy. She currently has multiple health and educational programs operating across the country. For example, her foundation, Nyonblee Cares, is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the socio-economic wellbeing of impoverished Liberians, regardless of religious or political affiliations. Established in 2010, Nyonblee Cares provides medical equipment to hospitals across Liberia. It also operates multiple mobile clinics in some of the country’s remotest parts—places where health care is nonexistent. Moreover, Nyonblee Cares provides financial and technical support to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) training at various colleges in Liberia.
It is imperative to note that Nyonblee is the first Liberian Senator to address the Pennsylvania State Senate, invited by PA Senate majority leader Patrick Brown. She used the opportunity to seek financial support for Liberia as the country struggled to battle the killer Ebola disease. She further took her activism to top-ranking members of the United States Congress, including Charlie Dent. Her efforts paid off when the US Congress approved $7 billion to fight the virus globally—Liberia was a beneficiary. BEFORE HER SERVICE IN THE SENATE
A goal-oriented, results-driven public servant, Nyonblee is a seasoned government marketer and brand promoter with a deep passion for serving the people. She served as public relations manager at Liberia’s Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) from 2006 to 2013. There, she acted as a bridgebuilder between the entity and its target audience. She ensured consistency across the institution’s messages, strengthening its brand and increasing its visibility beyond borders. While working to protect the company’s external image, Nyonblee worked unceasingly to enhance its internal brand—among employees. She joined the LPRC LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 72
when the institution was teeming with 750 employees, tripling its intended size. Through effective rapport building and delivery of impeccable customer service [through collaborative actions], Nyonblee helped to streamline the entity’s operations by: • •
Advocating for increased salaries and benefits Building capacity of co-workers for improved performance and increased productivity • Campaigned for comprehensive retirement packages for employees Nyonblee and her husband, Adolph Akwe Lawrence, became Liberia’s first legislative couple. Adolph was a geologist who joined politics in 2011 following his elections to the House of Representatives. When Nyonblee won in 2013 to become Grand Bassa’s lone female Senator, the couple became unstoppable. Adolph, however, lost his life to a tragic motor accident in 2019. He died on his 53rd birthday. A native of Grand Bassa County, Nyonblee is a mother of two boys and a girl and seven adopted children. She hails from a reputable family. Her father is a bishop, humanitarian, and educator. Her mother is an educator and a renowned gospel singer. She has 12 siblings.
PERSONAL PROFILE
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YOUNG FEMALE LEADERS
he is a certified digital marketer and graphic designer. She is a network marketer, networking for IMMERI and Other networking companies.
Princess is a model and brand advertiser who has modelled and advertised for different brands such Guyimas touch(cosmetics brand), Bee herbal (Skincare brand), Lyns collection(Lingerie and Nightwear brand). She is a member of niger delta SEE US PROJECT. And also working with Project 1000. She has received a certificate of participation in training for students of tertiary institutions on tobacco taxation digital advocacy, Swift entrepreneurs Financial webinar in partnership with PAYSTACK, The leadership masterclass at the emerging leader’s conference, Nigerian Economics Students Association (National Body). She is passionate about is self-development and self-improvement in her personal life. She is always looking to challenge herself and learn new things. Also, she is passionate about empowering and helping others find their passion. She likes being confident in her judgement and decisions. Princess is skilled in the following areas; Communication, Creativity, flexibility and problem solving, among others including Graphic design, Project management, administrative and marketing. She usually engages in Community services, Travel, designing, outdoor activities, reading and handicrafts in her spare time. Her mantra is that “If you just work on things that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out”.
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Princess Atim Eneyo
CEO of Princess Collection, Vice president of Swift Entrepreneurs Nigeria and a 200 level student of the Department of Economics University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
ART AND CULTURE
CREATIVE MINDSET: AN ESSENTIAL CORPORATE TOOL I start my mornings with a positive creative affirmation, gratitude for all my blessings and enthusiasm for all the good things that can happen to me “today”. I try to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing any of the creative mindset development methods listed below.
I was a paralegal machine, often working 24-hour shifts. Money was rolling in and I was on top of the world. Until, one morning, my body decided to abandon my parade. I woke at 4am with severe chest pain and breathing difficulties, which eventually stopped. I dutifully dragged myself to the office. My horrified boss ordered me to go the hospital. I was diagnosed with an oesophageal spasm of similar intensity to a heart attack. I was 26 years old. The doctor bluntly told me to find a creative outlet before I worked myself to death. That is how I ended up taking a painting class. Within a few months, I had finished 3 oil paintings and discovered a passion for art that has only intensified over the decades. The increased creativity gave me new energy and I soon saw benefits in my work performance, mood and mental wellbeing too. People started calling me “creative” and were amazed at my new-found zest for life.
A creative mindset is an essential tool that empowers us, using Pavlovian conditioning. We create the mindset we want as our baseline for the day, so that we can perform at our best. A creative mindset allows us to see opportunities everywhere instead of obstacles. With our default creative mindset, we can more easily evaluate risks, identify optimal solutions to any problem and even connect with a new client… all in milliseconds. It helps us trust our gut instinct, our first immediate response to any given situation. The feel-good hormones released when we are successful at a task, are a wonderful boost that can last for hours. There are many ways to develop a creative mindset. . Physical exercise might work for some people, but due to the combined concentration,
There is no magic pill to become creative. We are all born with a creative mindset, but it will not necessarily evolve with us as we mature. Creativity is a powerful emotional state. It does not require much money or time. It does, however, require regular maintenance to keep it at peak performance. We waste a lot of time worrying about the future or the past. It is better to spend time on short bursts of creative focus every day. Focus only on “today”. Just one day at a time. And repeat that every day. The words “yesterday” and “tomorrow” do not exist. Only “Right Now”. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 75
ART AND CULTURE rush of endorphins and fatigue, they are not as effective. Here are 5 of my favourite methods. These can be done in 30 minutes or less each day. 1. Keep a Focus Journal. Write down bullet points of issues as they arise. Just before bed, read them again. When you wake up, write down the first thoughts that pop in your head. If the solution has not presented itself, write down a new set. Do not read the old pages before bed, only today’s entry. Your subconscious never sleeps. Input the data that you need resolved and it will tumble those words around all night long. When you awaken, you will discover a few interesting options to try. I even use this method for my creative works when I encounter technical challenges. 2. Wash the dishes while listening to music. I prefer to wear rubber gloves. The warmth of the water and rhythmic motions create an almost meditative state. Let your mind wander. It will soon pick up random little thoughts like beads and string them together in new patterns. I have discovered many solutions and new ideas while doing this chore. 3. Arrange something in your home into a new display. Store your kitchen utensils in a crystal vase. Display your pot plants in colourful mixing bowls. Drape a dozen scarves on a curtain rod for an eye-catching display that makes you smile every time you see it. By ignoring the current home decor trends, you boost your creativity and create a beautiful space that reflects your unique personality. Conformity dulls a creative mindset. Change things around and rearrange them often. Visually interesting scenery helps boost a creative mindset. 4. Take a multi-picture frame (cheap or expensive) and write people’s compliments in the different windows to remind you of good times when you felt powerful, valued or beautiful. You can add photos too or even write your own affirmations and surround it with little gifts and trinkets from loved ones. This is the one true mood board that literally helps boost your mood. 5. Learn a physically creative skill with a short class. There are many techniques and materials such as: fabric, wool, paper, glue, buttons, paint, clay, wood, edible ingredients. Sculpting can be done in clay and edible fondant. Painting can be done with different paints, bits of paper and glue (collage), or with fabric and stitching (quilting). Try different methods until you find one that resonates with you and fires up your enthusiasm. Let the inspiration flow and relax. Your creative mindset will grow exponentially with this method, LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 76
and you might even find yourself drawn to taking it up as a permanent hobby. Do not make art to turn it into a business. Trends like that devalue the art itself and due to over-hype and oversaturation, usually result in emotional fallout of feeling depressed, worthless and inadequate You do not want that. You want to make art to spark your creative mindset, to bring joy, to be inspired in all aspects of your life. Openminded creative exploration can be a lot of fun and will boost your creative mindset. This will allow you to tackle any new challenge in your life with a positive attitude, creative enthusiasm and a smile. Lene’ Pieters is a creative solutions consultant, paralegal, editor, writer, NFT artist, Reiki Master and mother. She has been involved in the Dubai Regulatory/legal fields and vibrant art community since 2005 and some of her artworks are held in private collections throughout the UAE, South Africa, Finland and Canada. Founder of Moonberry Creativity Studios International, Lené develops sensory-led creative thinking programs for both corporate and personal growth integrating collaborative and self-help mindsets. Lene’ also provides Reiki art therapy as a CSR component to facilitate emotional wellbeing for people who cannot afford traditional treatment.
PERSONAL PROFILE
Ambassador
Dr. Kimberly Grant-Bynoe It was in here, in the financial mecca of the United States and, arguably, the world, that Kimberly was introduced to the financial industry. Ambassador Dr. Kimberly obtained strategy and insight into business and financial systems. After years of working in Corporate America she later married and relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to the Suburbs of Long Island, New York, to fulfill the American dream of homeownership. Alongside her former husband, they were the first African American family to ever have a home built in this predominately Caucasian community.
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After years of working in Corporate America, Kimberly was later called to leave her job to begin her first ministry assignment as a full-time stay-at-home mom to raise her two children. This was a rewarding but financially challenging time in her life. During her financial pit experience she sought the Lord for direction and clarity. This is where she discovered her purpose through the life of Joseph and where she answered her ministry call of leaving the workplace to pursue her dreams of entrepreneurship.
mbassador Dr. Kimberly Grant-Bynoe is a 3X award-winning economic developer, visionary leader, social entrepreneur, and marketplace influencer. She has been transforming lives, building dreams, and changing communities for over 20 year for the underserved and disadvantage. She is a new emerging voice commissioned by God and sent beyond the four walls of the church to govern in her sphere of influence both in Founded in 2001, International Dream Team Christian Association, Inc. (IDTCA) business and economics. was conceived in New York State by Kimberly’s life work, mission and sustainability development goals visionary and CEO Kimberly Granthas been eradicating poverty. Born and raised in the USA Brooklyn, Bynoe. IDTCA is a Certified WomenNew York alongside three siblings, her desire from youth was to Owned Small Business (WOSB) located overcome poverty by fulfilling her dreams of entrepreneurship to in Atlanta, Georgia, serving as a faithcreate wealth. Her journey began in Corporate America after grad- based community economic development (CEDC) strengthening uating high school and obtaining her first employment opportunity corporation on Wall Street in the financial district working for C-Suite Execu- disadvantaged communities in sustainable tives as an Executive Assistant. She worked for several Fortune growth and reducing poverty by providing 500 Companies such as Merrill Lynch, Shearson Lehman Brothers resources, programs, and services for small business enterprises, economic and American Express. LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 77
PERSONAL PROFILE
empowerment, and teaching financial literacy. Kimberly has served on the Small BusinessAdministration faith-based advisory board, and worked alongside New York State Housing & Urban Development providing grant writing seminars & training. She is the former Regional Conference Services Coordinator for the New York State Senate, and Suffolk County Director of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce. There have been numerous citations and proclamations presented acknowledging her work and service. She is the 2016 Town of Islip N.A.A.C.P Game Changer in Economic Development recipient and Senator Phil Boyle Community Service award recipient. Most recently Ambassador Dr. Kimberly Grant-Bynoe received the award for Global Excellence in Leadership & Organization Growth in Dubai, UAE from Leaders without Borders Development Centre. She will be launching her new business venture and International Headquarters in Dubai, UAE, 2022. Kimberly’s life goal is to educate, train, empower, influence, and transform the lives of others in understanding business and financial systems, to become more financially savvy in fulfilling every entrepreneurial vision, and leave a legacy for generations to come.
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Trendy and INNOVATIVE BUSINESS
IDEAS FOR 2022 ♦ Integrating social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest in business strategies. They make buying and selling possible without having to leave your comfort zone. They also allow for your clients to have direct and natural contact with you in a medium they are already comfortable with.
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cross all sectors, organizations are grappling with rapid transformation, and with the calendar getting ready to flip to a new page, now is the ideal time to clutch the top trends and innovative business ideas. There is absolutely no definite way of discerning how these trends would progress, par example as evidence by the covid disruptions on a global scale in the year 2020. However, we are optimistic that one or more of these ideas could be phenomena for your business to suit our rapidly changing world. Every business must be aware by now that modern trends can soon fizzle out. And for that reason, it’s important to remain flexible so you can adjust your approach as necessary. Correspondingly, we had a look at some growing trends, checked some expert opinions, and came up with some best practices for businesses in 2022. Evanescence of traditional commerce approach Many organizations are moving toward a product led growth where user acquisition, conversion, and expansion are all driven by the product itself. It is a much more organic approach to utilize digital marketing techniques, as it makes sense to market your products and services where your potential customers are. To efficiently stand out in 2022, you need to personalize your marketing, content, products, emails, and offering a real experience to boost profits. Some effective modern approaches are;
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♦ You might consider working with an influencer although you will still need to propose a campaign, with a defined period of collaboration, and whether you want to bet on micro or macro-influencers. The reason for the success of influencer marketing is owing to trust, naturalness, and personalization. The trend is clear and many people may have bought a product due to the good word of an influencer. ♦ Smart speaker incorporation systems including voice search unto promotional materials that especially focuses on content strategies. Therefore thinking about the possibilities that people would prefer to speak instead of typing ♦ Video presentations are forever key, which is becoming very normalized. In short, underproduced video is better than no video, so long as you and your business look professional. Customers appreciate realness and integrity. The idea of this type of strategy is to cultivate contacts, deliver information efficiently, increase sales, find your potential customers, and provide real and immediate support and assistance. Every organization must seek to eliminate or reduce the environmental costs of doing business. Closing off the supply chain is a sensible place to start. Flatter organizational structures
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The conventional full-time employment is becoming a thing of the past, as organizations are shifting to hire staff on a contract basis – with those contractors working remotely. No longer are organizations being very hierarchical and rigid in their structures. This change is indispensable, as leaders recognize the need for more agile structures that allow the business to quickly reorganize teams and respond to change. This is the age for flexible communities rather than a topdown pyramid structure. It is no longer the fashion to brag about how many hours one has worked. More and more entrepreneurs are on board with the mantra “work smarter, not harder.” Remote work or flexplace can be accomplished from home, a personal office, or any other favorite spot of an employee. The greater advantage is that, you will be able to hire great talents from all over the world, employees (and employers) save commuting time and costs, and increase in productivity due to autonomy and less office interruptions as employees choose when to start and end their workday and/or how long to take their break for within agreed limits set by management. You can more easily make the decision on whether remote work is beneficial to your business. Virtual events 2020 changed our lives. The unusual online meetings stopped being unusual, becoming an everyday thing. In 2021, finding opportunities in the restrictions, marketers have taken those changes and created new ways for businesses to reach the world. In 2022 marketing will only continue to evolve to match the needs of restricted real-world business, and the opportunities of online business. This year we have seen big brands such as Channel and Apple present their new collections and products with onlineonly events. These kinds of virtual events have exploded in the last year. Although many of us are feeling virtual exhaustion right now, there will still be a place for these types of events, even after we resume the events in person because they are hugely more accessible – for example, they are inclusive to people regardless of location or ability. A virtual event can be as simple as a live stream, a webinar, or as complex as a thousand user conference. The reason for the new umbrella term ‘virtual event’ is most likely the fact that these technologies are replacing real-world events. Whatever you call them, they are here to stay and will undoubtedly grow in our collective consciousness.
For many businesses, especially those that relied on physical-events pre-covid, virtual events are a no-brainer. But there’s also a rising opportunity for other businesses to get into the event space, seeing as virtual events represent the knocking down of the huge barriers to entry. So, it is a good time to ask yourself if your customers might appreciate or enjoy seeing more of you, and of each other. What could you teach them as a group, and what could they learn from each other, or help each other with? Getting into the middle of this exchange might help position you more as an essential business partner to your customers. If you want to try teams live events for your business, the first thing to think about is what type of experience you want to provide. Today, it is considered a great opportunity for businesses, companies, industries, and even nations. You can target more specific audiences that will help you to be much more efficient and faster - which means higher conversions and lower customer acquisition costs. Purposeful business Linked to authenticity, this trend is all about ensuring your organization exists to serve a meaningful purpose – and not just serve up profits to shareholders. Purpose defines why the organization exists. (Not what the organization is or what it does or for whom. Therefore, purpose is different to mission and vision.) It is a growing trend within the business industry for organizations to redesign their business plans to push towards their ultimate objectives. This can increase confidence while finding it easier to envision how most importantly, a strong purpose has the promise of transformation or striving for something better – be it a better world, a better way to do something, or whatever is important to your organization. Co-opetition and New forms of funding We live in a time where pretty much anything can be achieved by outsourcing. The global business world has never been so integrated. And it is noteworthy, because the need to work together to solve key business challenges (not to mention humanity’s biggest challenges) is great. Indeed, in the future, LINBIZ GLOBAL | PAGE - 81
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it will become increasingly difficult to succeed without really close partnerships with other organizations. In practice, this means greater supply chain integration, more data integration and sharing of data between organizations, and even cooperation between competitors. The ways in which companies can generate finance is also changing. New platforms and mechanisms have sprung up to connect businesses with investors and donors – think crowdfunding, initial coin offerings (ICOs), tokenization and special purpose acquisition. In conclusion, if an organization is yet to consider the impact that these discussed trends could have on their businesses in 2022, then they must take a step back to reset. By harnessing the power of these trends, you could soon find yourself in a better position to succeed and increasing digitization, which every company must be ready for. Forwardthinking businesses are looking beyond the supply chain to improve sustainability across all business operations. And of course, sustainability is linked to resilience, since resilience means being able to adapt and survive for the long term. Any business that ignores sustainability is unlikely to do well in this age of conscious consumption.
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