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Women entrepreneurship day holds with empowerment, enlightenment of SMEs

By Maria Diamond
01 December 2018   |   2:00 am
Nigerian women were not left out on the celebration of the Women (WED), a day set aside globally to celebrate, connect, network, empower and further enlighten SMEs on how best to run their businesses in order to flourish.

Nigerian women were not left out on the celebration of the Women (WED), a day set aside globally to celebrate, connect, network, empower and further enlighten SMEs on how best to run their businesses in order to flourish.

The event themed: Leave Your Mark-Building Legacies, was celebrated in grand style in collaboration with Access Bank, with a host of women in SMEs in attendant, at Otres Restaurant Lekki last weekend.

Speaking at the event, Adenike Kuti, WED Nigeria ambassador said the ideology of this year’s WED commemoration was to have women learn, connect and network amongst themselves. “This year we decided to have women entrepreneurs who have built a legacy of excellence in their businesses, teach other women on excelling business techniques aside the regular business engagement.

“We are encouraging women to not just run businesses, but go a step further with relevant business models which includes, training employees to the level of independence that makes them run the business successfully in your absence, and treating them right to get best services from them. Also, Access Bank introduced ‘W’ Power Loan, initiated to empower women in business to get loan without constraints,” she said.

Sectioned in plenary sessions with successful entrepreneurs, the event took turns of business thriving techniques and logics by speakers who have been there, done that, and know the drills.Karen Ubani, the Creative Director/Founder of Karen Ubani Apparel, talked about the importance of employing workers who have passion and renowned mindset to work for you as though it is their personal business.

“It is very important to vet and test the people you’re employing, that way, you can get them to own your business without necessarily coming to you for everything, unless they are stuck and exhausted all ideas. This narrows down to giving staffs power and believing in them after being vetted and tested,” she said.

Ubani further explained the importance of rising after hitting the wall in business, which is sometimes inevitable. “If you hit a wall, re-envision, edit the processing as there is always a way to do things better.”

Wonuola Lamidi, Managing Partner/Co-Founder, Diamonds and Pearls Travels Limited, said structure, planning ahead, value and integrity are the keys to a successful business. “Every business needs structure, business has gone beyond social media, it’s at a personal level. Don’t see your staff as individuals, see them as family, show them love, intentionally care for them, pay their salary on time, do not make them feel less than you and don’t see them as pests. When you take care of your staff they will take care of your business,” she advised.

Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-founder/ COO, Piggybank Nigeria, said entrepreneurs need to be prepared to learn everything because when starting a business, you cannot afford to hire staffs immediately, so you do everything yourself which requires a lot of self-confidence and awareness that helps you deliver in absolute capacity.

Sophia Ike-Onu, Founder/CEO of The5KShop said the key to successful business is dealing with the right people rightly, processing your input and output appropriately and putting out unparalleled product, adding that success crowns business when you stay ahead of your game through constant and consistent learning as well as being on the lookout for opportunities.

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