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Maya Horgan Famodu: On Self-Care And Courage

By Yvonne Onyinye
09 October 2018   |   12:06 pm
Famodu is the Founder of Ingressive, a tech integration company that provides market entry services and tech research for corporates and investors. A Fellow of the Forbes Africa Under 30 and a 27-year-old gatekeeper between tech investors and the Africa entrepreneur ecosystem. Her mission as she stated to Guardian Life is to help open the…

Famodu is the Founder of Ingressive, a tech integration company that provides market entry services and tech research for corporates and investors. A Fellow of the Forbes Africa Under 30 and a 27-year-old gatekeeper between tech investors and the Africa entrepreneur ecosystem.

Her mission as she stated to Guardian Life is to help open the gates to Tech and startups and ownership as much as possible. Leading a heroic life does need a lot of global trotting and we were curious to find out how she’s kept her skin flawless and her mind right.

Maya Horgan Famodu. Photo: Twitter

What has been a major motivation for you?

Knowing what we are doing is helping to democratise access to technology and train youth to build big businesses. My biggest pain is knowing I have the intelligence and capacity to do something and having a blocker outside of my control come into place. I want to make sure as few of us as possible face that.

You’re an active woman always on the go, what are your skincare and hair routine?

Extremely basic. I don’t really wear makeup. I wash my face and body and scalp with a 100% organic black soap with rosemary and some other sweet herbs and then condition using a 100% organic shea butter conditioner. I also use Tama Shea hair oil for my hair and Shea body oil for my body, and that’s it! I workout with my trainer as much as possible, go to the beach or get Vitamin D regularly, and try to eat 100% organic and avoid red meat which helps with my skin and hair growth.

What wardrobe pieces will we definitely find in your travel bag?

Nude heels, dress pants and a button up, and something with a bright Ankara print for after hours. I design all my own Ankara clothes and love collaborating with local designers, so it’s something I definitely take with me as a flag when I’m away.

Maya Horgan Famodu

As a busy founder, what’s your take on self-care?

I think it’s incredibly important and actually fundamental for running and growing a business, but personal self-care is underrated and also of utmost importance for founders. It’s an isolating journey and an exhausting journey, to build a business. Make sure to surround yourself with authentic people who push you to be your best self and support you through that process, make sure to take breaks and step away. Also, delegation and increasing efficiency in processes are necessary to scale. You can’t do it all alone. Also, water, regular exercise, regular balanced meals, regular meditation and spiritual connection, saving time to laugh and also time to learn. I also like using mantras and working on short-term and long-term goals. It keeps me aligned.

How have you managed fear so far?

I’ve worked really hard to try to understand it. Fear is one of two things for me: it’s either my intuition warning me about something I need to pay close attention to and create a plan to avoid or better understand, or it’s the emotion that warns me of change/growth. I’ve learned to not see it as something I should run from, but something that identifies things I need to spend a bit more time focusing on.

What’s your advice to the next lady looking to break ceilings in Venture capital?

Always lead with numbers and the tangible value you offer. No matter if your skin is green and you have antennas if you’re going to make someone real money in a way you’ve proven you have the ability to do through numbers, experience, expertise, intelligence, there’s nothing that can be said. Try and make friends with everyone by doing things to help people and adding real value to their work without asking things in return. The [Venture capital] VC industry is definitely a relationship-based industry. Make friends. Be boldly shameless. Reach out to that MD. Ask her for coffee and make sure to include something that will be of value to her. Be strategic, know your network is limitless, and contact whomever you desire to reach (but always make sure you have something to offer them).

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