This morning, I was telling Laura, my friend, that I had a dream last night which involved me travelling to New York/USA for the sole reason of trying to meet Oprah Winfrey so I could ask her a few questions about my business. We both laughed between us that it was a tad stalker-ish yet I had mentioned to her that Oprah was definitely my business role model.
Contacting business role models is something that lots of people do (or at least I think they do). Laura remarked that the Oprahs of this world must get so much fanmail and people wanting to spend time with them, and I added this is probably because of the halo effect which I think is understandable but not entirely sincere. I have so many questions in my head for her, that’d I’d like to ask her about business and building a company but naturally she is a very busy and successful woman.
I think if anyone is planning on doing this, you need to have your shit together because their time is money (pounds, dollars and shillings!).
Would you contact your business role model or would you be too scared?
I remember M.I.A from my university days when her first album, Arular, dropped. She came to my first university and did a set which is know almost 5+ years ago. I just knew that I was going to be hearing about her again because she had the X Factor from the moment she stepped on the stage. I have followed her career on and off since Arular and Kala, which is my favourite album of hers. Now her appearance on the US Superbowl and her new video have inspired a lot of harsh criticism – she is 36, I am sure she can handle it – but it made me think, why are societies across the world frightened of a woman who speaks her mind?
‘You want me to be somebody who I’m really not’
In her song XXXO from her third album, /\/\ /\ Y /\, she sings about how someone wants her to be someone she is really not. This really applies to women who are ballsy, aggressive and are fortified in life, and especially in business. I think society expects women not to be aggressive and going to get what they want. When a man goes out there and closes on a deal, he is a killer, a wolf, handling business. If a woman tries to show the same kind of concentrated aggression in business, (some) people get intimidated by this.
I don’t think women in business should try and be like men – we should just use the focus required to succeed in the same way without worrying about gender labels. We are separate and equal: the analysis advantages women have can be used in business to qualify leads for cold calling and writing proposals to increase sales. In developing countries though such as Tanzania, I believe people do not take businesswomen seriously when it comes to closing deals. This sounds like a massive generalisation but it is one that I think is true, most male business owners here want to close deals with men – imagine a focused woman turning up to a deal signing – it’s like someone has crashed the party – and this is the impression that I get in my trials & tribulations to be taken seriously here.
Excess Sex Oh: A case study
The other day, I was at a family wedding event and Laura, my friend from London and I were waiting in the car park. I was joking around and messing with her. A military guard came over and tried to assert his brand of masculinity on me barking orders at us to leave the car park immediately, that he could see we were having a ”party” in the car park (we were standing joking + laughing). He was incredibly rude and authoritative in such an inappropriate way – we are civilians, this was not the army barracks and it was a wedding event. I let him know in no uncertain terms that he could not speak to me like that and if he wanted to get his point across, he did not have to be rude because I was not going to accept that.
It put me in a foul mood but then it reminded me of the consistent bullying that occurs against women here by some men. If you show a hint of strength or aggression in standing up for yourself, you are going to be put in your place whether you like it or not, that is the impression I got from others. This is why I think M.I.A’s song XXXO makes total sense to me – women are accepted for sex and whether that is in excess terms, that’s great but once you are seen as someone who is going to stand up for themselves, the male-oriented society of Tanzania wants to remind me that I am not as important.
‘If you like what you see, you can download install’
Ultimately, going out there and getting what you want is the only way to build a successful life where you call the shots. Since I have been living in Tanzania now for almost 2 years, I always think every day about how I want to be the one who is controlling my own life. M.I.A chants that you can download/install if you like what you see in her electro-pop track: this applies to women who are trying to do their own thing. If people like what you symbolises, they can download what you are about, if clients like the products and services you are offering, they are paying to install them into their business. If your family does not support what you are about or the society at large does not want you to be the woman you are, tell them you love them with XOXO.
Above is a picture of the view from the office where I am currently working.This is the view that I can see where I work. I should give some background, my cousin helped me get this office space temporarily as he is a consultant at an office, and I help him out every now and then but I focus on my work 95% of the time in this office.
How a typical day is for me
8am-9am: Get into the office – check emails and plan the day out.
9am – 12noon: Do remaining work that is outstanding such as copywriting articles, features, writing blog articles for clients
2pm onwards: Sending email enquiries to potential clients, conducting lead generation such as researching what companies to contact and prospecting for new clients by using email. I want to use more phone based work as well.
6pm-7pm: Wrap up the day, write to my consultant who conducts some work for me, send work to clients.
How is a typical day for you?
I want to spend more time prospecting and more time in the morning doing work.
As I type, I am the Coco Beach bar at Coco Beach in Oyster Bay. I am going to be meeting up with my friend later for an evening of gossip & catch-up. I just asked for a Coke and ice.
They did not have ice. (Hold on, a bar that does that have ice???) Continue reading →
