The Girl Boss series aims to highlight the achievements of women just like you and me who are doing amazing things. Hopefully their stories will inspire you as much as they inspire me. This week we chat to Valencia Bogdanovic, a qualified cosmologist and content creator/blogger behind Style Your Confidence Now.
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The Girl Boss series aims to highlight the achievements of women just like you and me who are doing amazing things. Hopefully their stories will inspire you as much as they inspire me. This week we chat to Zahra Dada, the digital entrepreneur behind Livalil.
"Immerse yourself in a life that moves you, because what you surround yourself with is what becomes your life."
-Aurelia Nxumalo, Lawyer and Influencer
The Wear You movement, by ethnic haircare brand Sta-Sof-Fro, is a meeting of the minds of women from all walks of life, with one thing in common- they are real women living in the real world. The seminar aims to celebrate #versatyle women, while imparting and sharing a wealth of knowledge about various key topics.
It took place in Durban on the 27th of July 2019 and takes place in Johannesburg on 31 August 2019 as a full day seminar consisting of masterclasses by 13 powerhouse women as well as a panel discussion, Q&A and cocktail networking session. I attended the Durban one and the whole day was filled with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration and I thought I'd share some of the lessons I learnt with you.
Lessons in Life, Money and Business
You don't have to be a "POWER BITCH", you can still be kind. Nowadays the empowered "boss' women is seen as being ruthless and savage, doing everything she can to reach the top. Having ambition doesn't have to translate to being mean. You can still show kindness and gentleness on your journey.
You need to know what you don't want even if you don't know what you want. The world is full of distractions and things that take us off the course we're supposed to be on. But we need to know when to say no to these things that aren't right for us and find things worth putting our time and energy into.
Know where you stand - your positioning is a compass that will guide you.
TELL people what you do. We put so much thought into personal branding and yet miss the most important step - we have to actually tell people and make it clear to them what we do and what we want. Don't give them room to guess and come up with their own assumptions.
Read the requirements of the next job you want. It's as easy as looking on jobs sites like indeed.com. Use those requirements as a guideline as to what you need to do to get there.
There was also a lot of practical financial advice I took from the day:
There's NO SHAME in going back home and starting over (Now this hit so close to home for me!)
Make SURE you have an emergency fund - at least 30% of your income and importantly money that is liquid and you can access in 24 hours
Be financially disciplined. If you didn't have support from your spouse/parents do you make enough money to maintain your lifestyle?
Act your wage - whether you earn R5k or R50k if you don't have a good relationship with money you'll always be broke. No matter how much you earn, it comes down to the same principles.
And to end off on a lighter note - "Girl, focus on your money. It won't wake up one morning and decide it doesn't love you."
P.S at the event we also got the cutest 2020 diaries filled with wise quotes and motivation. Here are some of my favourite quotes:
"When we truly step into our power, there is no predicting the heights we can reach."
- Dr. Nandipha Sekeleni
"Don't compare your life to others. There is no comparison between the sun and moon, they shine when it's their time."
- Nelisiwe Masango
"It doesn't matter how good or talented you are, I can promise you this, you will fail more times than you will succeed and you will need to be okay and prepared for that eventuality. Sometimes the failures will be private and other times they won't be. Be prepared."
- Nandi Dlepu
The difference between success and failure is in taking the initiative. The Girl Boss series aims to highlight the achievements of women just like you and me who are doing amazing things. Hopefully their stories will inspire you as much as they inspire me. This week we chat to Misha Lee, a mega talented photographer and creative entrepreneur.
The difference between success and failure is in taking the initiative. The Girl Boss series aims to highlight the achievements of women just like you and me who are doing amazing things. Hopefully their stories will inspire you as much as they inspire me. This week we chat to Rukaya Mansoor, founder of Woman of the World (WoW), a female empowerment initiative, and a qualified chemist at Esse Skincare.
The difference between success and failure is in taking the
initiative. The Girl Boss series aims to highlight the achievements by women
just like you and me who are doing amazing things. Hopefully their stories will
inspire you as much as they inspire me. This week we chat to Tasneem Randeree,
founder of Nura, an online accessories store, and MSc Molecular Biology
student.
1. Who is your favorite female fictional character and why?
Wow, so many to even mention, I really love Khaleesi and Sansa Stark from Game of
Thrones. But, if you asked my brother, he would say Mulan (both fictional and real) because I was totally obsessed with
the movie growing up (still am and can recite the movie back to front).
2. Everyone's been making New Years resolutions. What are
your New Years resolutions?
I’m not big on resolutions; I like to work through goals at my own pace. But if I had to pick
one it would be; to be less judgey,
there is way too much hate going on in the world and it needs to end. It’s time
to start empowering others. More importantly, I feel like I’ve held myself back many times because I was
worried about what people would say. It’s been so bad that I don’t even
comment on pictures often because I wonder what people will think. So maybe if I let go of times I judge, I’ll be
rewarded with the same energy. Also, it’s a big year for our business so
there’s many resolutions and goals to work on (fingers crossed). If my husband
and mother decide to read this, my other
resolution is keep my cupboards more organized. My make up and shoes are everywhere!
3. If you could have lunch with any woman, dead or alive,
who would it be?
Again, my brother would say Mulan (the real one). I am really
inspired by empowered and strong women. Growing up, there were way too many
fairytales about women being rescued by a man. Mulan was the first one I
remember where the female lead saved
herself instead of waiting around. Plus, it dealt with so many themes and
topics that are still so relevant today.
4. What did you want to be growing up?
I think a ballerina
for a while, I never really had an idea of where I wanted to be or who I wanted
to be growing up. Which was great actually, because it landed me in science, although some days I think that was inspired
by The Big Bang Theory.
5. Miss Scientist! What is it like as a woman in STEM?
I’m still currently doing my masters in molecular biology so not a full scientist yet. I started
off with a Bachelor of Science because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study.
The course had really good credits but after the first month I realised that it was where I wanted to be. It’s great
being a part of the STEM community, and as a female it’s extremely empowering.
Of course, some days people ask me if it’s a stepping stone for Medicine or
Pharmacy and I feel pushed back another 10 years. It’s an incredibly uplifting experience and community and I would recommend
it to anyone who is interested.
6. What inspired Nura?
There was no real inspiration for Nura, we just needed money, so we started a small business and found a niche
to work with. We made the effort from the start that we had to try and be different. We grew to love
the work. I think sometimes it’s great to acknowledge that you don’t have to be passionate about something to try it.
7. What was it like starting a business? What are some of
the challenges and wins you've experienced?
It’s incredibly hard,
we picked a random name to try and keep some anonymity. We also refrained from
telling people because we were so nervous about it. But getting out there was
the hardest part. Once we overcame our fear, building up a base became a lot easier.
Every day presents itself with new challenges, the worst and the best part about business
is the people. There are some days, where you are so frustrated you feel
like giving up but more often you will have people that remind you why you
started. Our biggest win was our collab
with Nabilah Kariem last year, there are so many people that we have met
along the way that have just made our experience so amazing.
8. What's it like working with your significant other? Don't
you get tired of each other (Lol!)?
It’s really great actually, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We disagree on the smaller things
often but we’re pretty much on the same
page when it comes to running of the business. We’re learning how to work around and with each other, but we
also have our studies and jobs away from the business to focus on, giving us a
break.
9. What keeps you motivated when you feel like giving up?
Honestly, there are days where everything really brings me down to the point where I just don’t
want to deal with it anymore and give up. We attend to messages whenever we
can, even if it is late at night or early hours of the morning. We package
orders at ridiculous times and lost tons of sleep. That’s when I like to scroll
through messages and pictures that people have sent us where they are happy
with our products and services. The
people who support you will always carry you through. We are honestly
nothing without the people who encourage and support us.
10. What advice do you have to girls who want to start their
own business but are too scared?
I know it’s scary, truthfully, there is nothing to fear. Once you have decided that this is what
you want, take the leap. It’s not easy but will be worth it. All
small business at some point only had 100 followers, everyone comes from humble beginnings. You will also learn along
the way, so you don’t have to be an expert in business to start. There is great network of small businesses who help
each other, always offering advice or a willing hand. You are not alone in
this.
11. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I grew up in a small town in Northern KZN, moved here to
study and now Durban is my temporary home. Small
town and big dreams. Omw, I’m not that interesting. I spend most of my free
time napping, eating, Netflix, watching videos of kittens doing stupid things
and annoying my husband.
12. If you could give your 13 year old self one piece of
advice, what would it be?
To relax, you
will leave the small town, you will see the world, you will have your life
together. Life has a weird way of
working things out. Just take it one step at a time and everything will
fall into place. It’s often advice I still give myself.
13. Lastly, where can we find you?
You can find me on instagram: @Tasneem.Randeree not very active on other social media but you can
check our business out on instagram: @nuraonline_
or facebook: Nura Online
Hello, February!
A month of love and affection, chocolates and roses and of course, my new favorite fake holiday, GALENTINES DAY.
A month of love and affection, chocolates and roses and of course, my new favorite fake holiday, GALENTINES DAY.
This week we chat to another #girlboss - and she's literally the boss! Nafisa Grey has built a name for herself as a mother, wife, blogger and CEO. This is a unique edition of the #girlboss series and is aimed at motivating and inspiring you to conquer this exam period! Nafisa recently went back to school and is in progress of her second masters degree - talk about doing the most.
Hey you. Yes you, the one procrastinating and reading this blog post - you should be studying!
Time for another #girlboss interview! Get to know what keeps these Queens motivated to do the mostest! This week we chat to Dr. Rohini Bisaal, a dental surgeon, international model, brand ambassador for Miss Uniworld and dancer.
August's theme of Women Empowerment is in full swing! Every Friday this month you've experienced an interview with another #girlboss and got to know what keeps these Queens motivated to do the mostest! But why just stop at August? Women should be celebrated every month. So every second Friday for the rest of 2018 you can expect a new another one of these Girls Boss interviews - I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me! This week we chat to Teshie Ogallo, a UCT student and fashion blogger who just this month launched her online store, STYLETECH by Teshie Ogallo.
If you've been to any clothing store lately you've probably
come across some kind of shirt with the slogan "The Future Is Female"
- as soon as corporate finds an opportunity, they commercialise on it and this
is no exception. However, the phrase still holds so much weight.
Women are taking over all aspects. This is undeniable. Most
undergraduate classes are at least 70% female, stay at home moms are becoming a
dying breed and in general women are dominating every sector of life. However
the scale isn't completely balanced, especially in the entrepreneurial sector.
While this isn't completely new territory for the fairer sex, it tends to be a
rather hostile one. That's why organizations like Future Females are so
necessary.
What is Future Females?
A movement formed by females for females. It is an
empowerment movement aimed to uplift and helps women from all walks of life
through their entrepreneurial journey. The organisation first launched in South
Africa in August 2017 (Exactly a year ago!) and have already grown to have over
3000 members of the community actively participating to drive our mission
globally with events in South Africa, German and Namibia. The Future Females
mission is to accelerate the success of aspiring and existing female entrepreneurs
and intrapreneurs to provide an environment where females can connect, and
access the necessary resources.
2 March 2018 is SheDecides Day. The SheDecides movement is founded on a belief in "a world where every girl and woman can decide what to do with her body, with her life, and with her future."
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South Africa is also a part of their worldwide campaign with the SheDecides Flagship Event, to be held in Pretoria, 1st March 2018 and bringing together over 200 young people and politicians from Eastern and Southern Africa.
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