I Am The Diaspora

The founder of Aso-Swap, joined me on the Iveoma Show to discuss how she created the FIRST online African consignment store.  Elizabeth noticed that many of her Nigerian friends and family spent an average of $200 making fabulous outfits (material plus tailoring) and would only wear them to a wedding or ceremony once.  I think we can all agree that this is so true! So she saw that there was a need and decided to combine that need with charity work, 5% of the proceeds from every transaction on Aso-Swap goes to non-profits that benefit Nigerian women and children in underprivileged communities. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Why Elizabeth started Aso-Swap (0:53) Charitable side of Aso-Swap (2:18) Starting Aso-Swap in June 2016 (4:50) How Elizabeth created the website herself with no coding skills (7:23) Elizabeth's advice for entrepreneurs (18:48) Aso-swap developing an app & seeking funding (22:38)

I have the pleasure of introducing Abiola Wabara, professional artist and owner of Art By Abiola, on The Iveoma Show. Abiola was born and raised in Italy, moved to Texas to play basketball for Baylor University, traveled around Europe playing professional basketball, and now is based in Houston Texas about to start law school while running her galleria Art By Abiola. This intriguing journey & (fabulous accent) was the reason that I was so excited to interview her. She is clearly multi-talented and gifted so I can not wait to see her fanbase grow. Thank you Abiola! TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Born and raised in Italy to playing professional basketball at Baylor University in Texas (:45 secs) When Abiola started painting (1:52) How I met Abiola at Afrifest in Houston Texas (2:57) How art became a business (5:50) How artist price their work, deal with a commission, etc (7:00) Abiola's dreams for her galleria, Art by Abiola (8:28) Painting live for The Truth Project  (10:20) Abiola going to law school

I am excited to welcome Myoa Sobamowo, singer and songwriter, onto the Iveoma Show. I was curious about the business side of music and Myoa indulged me and told me the secrets of how musicians and singers make money.  She also talked about how she balanced her demanding 9 to 5 career in finance/accounting with a growing music career.  I am so excited to see what she does in 2017 now that she is doing music full-time. She is a star (in every sense of the word), a talented singer/songwriter and just an awesome person. P.S Now, I am a huge fan! TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: How startup singers/musicians make money in music (1:05) Promoting her debut single "Can A Stranger Lead Me Home?" in Nigeria  (4:12) Myoa's plans to take Nigeria and Africa by storm as an international artist (6:20) Myoa's unique sound... soul, pop, jazz (6:49) How Myoa put together her band (8:00) Myoa's finance background and music career (10:27) How to grow a fan base (14:26) How to balance music with a finance career (16:00) Myoa's

Ifeoma Malo, the founder of the Clean Technology Hub & Country Director of Power For All, joined me on The Iveoma Show to talk about the opportunities in renewable energy for Nigerians, especially women. Ifeoma discusses that 60% of Nigerians are living without access to electricity and this energy poverty mostly affects women and girls. Ifeoma reminded me that because women and girls bear the primary responsibility for cooking, washing, fetching firewood and other chores in Africa, lack of electricity significantly impedes their economic advancement and even affects their health and personal security. So join us as we explore the opportunities in renewable energy for Nigerians and African women everywhere.   TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: The difference between a hub, accelerator & incubator (3:30) Why Ifeoma started the Clean Technology Hub (7:03) Why the lack of electricity paid a major role in the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls (8:33) Percentage of Nigerians who do not have access electr

Moses Mutabaruka, founder & CEO, of The African Perspective Magazine (TAP Magazine), is joining me on The Iveoma Show to talk about why it is important to care about the negative perception of Africa in global media and how TAP Magazine is fighting that perception. Moses talks about the business side of media, how he turned a blog into a beautiful magazine, why he cares about producing top-notch quality for African readers and creating strategic partnerships. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Moses' background growing up as a Rwandan refugee (1:50) When Moses saw how the world viewed Africans ( 7:10) Why Moses started blogging in 2012 and how it turned into TAP Magazine (13:12) How to make money in media (19:21) Why it's important to create beautiful quality products for Africans (23:15) TAP Magazine's deal with Uber (30:40) Why TAP Magazine contains many different African perspectives ( 39:32)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Somto Ajuluchukwu, the founder/CEO of Vortex Inc, an animation and comic company. He is a content creator and exports African culture through animation and comics. It's time to change the persistent negative perception of Africa in the media and it was a pleasure speaking to someone who is actively doing something about it. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Why Vortex Inc started ( 2:00) Exporting African stories globally (4:50) How animation & comics  is socially relevant (6:00) Why content creation is important for the positive perception of Africa (13:42) How Somto choose his team (15:00) The expanding content creation industry in Africa (21:14) Growing with audience and making money (30:12) Inspiring and training youth to go into an animation and comics ( 34:37)

Discover why Gideon Odijie, organizer of TEDx Ajegunle, thinks that collaboration in business is the way that Nigerians can connect and spread information. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Gideon's background (1:27) How growing up in Ajegunle shaped his future (6:21) How he started Africa Radio Live with collaboration (10:30) Importance of building a team (16:43) How his networking strategy got him in front of the African Union (18:37) Desire to create documentary films in Africa (20:35) How he is creating a volunteer management system (23:40) How he organized the first TEDxAjegunle and how he is building a skills development school in Ajegunle Collaborations with local Nigerian government and private sector (31:37) Why people are the most important element in business (34:55) Why networking is important (36:14)

Looking for the purpose of life in the midst of depression.

Today I got the chance to talk with a friend of mine, Derick Ofodirinwa founder of Strategic Sales Solutions. We’re talking about sticking with a business for five years, love vs infatuation for a business, no-one believes in your dreams as much as you do, haters vs misunderstanders, our parent’s achievements, and more…

Today I am excited to welcome Osayi Emokpae Lasisi on iveoma.com. I reached out to Osayi because she is a returnee, she was an attorney in the United States, moved to Nigeria in 2012, then subsequently started several businesses.   Osayi is the founder of  Happy People Happy Profit & The MoneyMaking Mommies Academy. She is the author of  “Invest in People, Invest in Profits” and “The Billionaire Mindset (For MoneyMaking Mommies): How to Make your billions and build your legacy”. Osayi Emokpae Lasisi shares what it takes to inspire and empower employees to tap into their creativity. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Osayi’s background (1:39) Why treating people well is profitable (2:57) How to appreciate employees (6:02) How to improve communication (8:38) Clients vs supporters (21:07) The importance of mentorship (31:23) Money Making Mommies Academy (40:36)

Victor Ekpo and I talked about 2 of his most popular subscription-based businesses, Power Ideas, and The Highly Paid Experts Network. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: -Victor’s entrepreneurial journey (3:32) -Steps that Victor took after he ran his butcher business into the ground (7:00) -Selling a personal story/brand vs selling a just product (9:01) -Why a subscription or membership based business model is the future (11:30) -The importance of building an authentic personal brand and fan base (13:09) -Victor's time management tips (28:00) -How Victor is working towards his personal goal of 200 rest days a year (30:52) -Victor’s dream for Nigerian students from impoverished backgrounds (50:00)  

Adefunke Lola Fowora is the content creator behind Editor in Kinks. She is also a published author of 2 books Healthy Hair Is Good Hair – a quick guide to developing a healthy natural hair care regimen & You Wanna Have An American Baby?: a step by step guide on the process of having a baby in America (for those living outside the US). TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: - Adefunke Lola Fowora’s entrepreneurial journey (2:20) -The niches that Lola decided to focus on and why (4:40) -Lola's step by step book publishing process (8:08) -How Lola is positioning and branding herself in the beauty industry with networking (12:03) -Collaborating with Nigerian bloggers who are in the natural beauty & women empowerment space (18:55) -The most satisfying moment in her business (24:26) -Finding clients on social media (41:44)

I had an interview with Adekunbi Adeoye, the founder of Sesewa, the FIRST internship placement company in Nigeria. She is known as the First Lady of Internships because she created the internship placement industry in Nigeria.   TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE: Adekunbi’s story of how she got to where she is today How an internship in a law firm changed her career Her first paying customer Becoming the solution to a serious problem in Nigeria Why internships are important in Nigeria Why networking offline is incredibly important in Nigeria Starting from where you are Importance of mentorship Lessons learned during The Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2015 (YALI)   * Heads up, during small parts of the interview our voices overlap, it was a bug in the Ringr Mobile software. :( *

I am going to interview Nigerians from the Diaspora who have moved to the continent in order to create businesses. Also, I will document how I am building my business/brand.