Wednesday 28 January 2015

ISIS NYONG'O-MADISON | SHE LEADS AFRICA


Isis Nyong'o - Madison
I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I met Isis. I’ve always heard of Isis, the corporate force who has accomplished what most can only dream of and has therefore earned a lot of recognition for it. Isis, however, is great and really easy to talk to.

Isis is married and has a 1 year old daughter, who she’s rushing home to at the time of our interview, it is really very sweet the way she lights up when she talks about her young family. She describes herself as a passionate entrepreneur, and I believe her. She went to High School both in the United States of America and in Kenya before going to Stanford University to study, wait for it, Biology! At this point, my interest is peaked as I try to understand how she converted a degree in Biology into a vibrant career in sales and marketing.


Responding to questions at #SLAxIntel event
In her own words, the American market is extremely different from the Kenyan market in that they recognize that what you learn in university is not what you actually practice in reality. She therefore was able to get a job based on the fact that she was smart, hardworking, able to critically analyze any situation, make decisions and most importantly she was ready to learn. She worked in the USA for about two and a half years before relocating back to Kenya and joining a then upcoming job site, MyJobsEye.

After about a year and a half, she left MyJobsEye to go study her graduate degree from Harvard. Here she made a lot of networks and gained invaluable knowledge from the people she interacted with. “Networking is what you do daily. It’s a lot of practice and confidence. Push yourself and go out there,” says Isis.

At Harvard, she heard that MTV was planning to go into Africa and this peaked her interest. Isis admits that she “hustled” for this job. She sent countless emails which went unresponded before she finally gave the man a call. The lesson here, of course, is if you want something, go for it and be persistent. Although MTV was a bit hesitant to give her the role, mostly because she had no experience in sales, she got the job. She led MTV Network’s commercial entry into Africa as a founding member of the team.

After a couple of years, Isis got an offer from Google who were also planning their strategic entry into Africa. One of the perks of this job was that she’d be able to relocate back to Kenya as Google planned to have offices in Nairobi. At Google, she specialized in mobile and local content partnerships. She then became the Vice President and Managing Director of the African operations of inMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network.

At this point I’m curious to know why she decided to get involved in the She Leads Africa (SLA) event. Isis sums it up in one word, she is simply impressed. The founders of SLA, Afua and Yasmine, have taken charge of their lives and decided to tackle a pertinent issue on the African continent and they are making things happen. “You HAVE GOT TO BE proactive to be successful in anything you want to do,” says Isis.

L-R: Afua, Isis, Agatha, Terryanne, Yasmine
Isis is now a co-principal at Ashpalt & Ink, a firm which provides strategic advisory services to corporations, investors, start-ups, governments and nonprofit organizations operating in Africa. The firm was formed out of the recognition that Africa’s rapidly changing landscape necessitates new approaches, insights and partnerships.

Having the experience that she has, I ask her what the pros and cons of venturing out into business are. She says that one of the greatest advantages is getting to decide what is most valuable to her and having the freedom to set her own agenda. On the flip side, there are less resources and less developed teams in business and also, every second spent on other activities, regardless of their personal value, are counted as a loss to the business!

To the people considering business she offers some nuggets of wisdom. Firstly, think and decide whether entrepreneurship is truly for you. What is your motivation for doing business, passion or pure profit? If you are not passionate about what it is you want to do, chances of success are slim. If you are in employment thinking of making the big move, she advices calculated risks. That is, the awareness that you simply do not have resources to prevent all catastrophes and still allow for innovation.

Her final piece of advice, and quite honestly, my personal favorite, THERE IS NEVER A RIGHT TIME. “If you don’t pursue your business idea now, 2 – 3 years from now, you will regret it!” – Isis Nyong’o Madison during the fireside session with Terryanne Chebet.
Fireside Chat with Terryanne Chebet


I was curious to know what she does for fun, you know, after a long day of being absolutely awesome. She loves engaging in sporting activities which keep her fit, and there are results to show, trust me. She loves to travel, hang out with her family and this year she made a commitment to try something new EVERY WEEK. I thought that was quite ambitious and she admits that initially, she felt like it was ambitious too. Her husband convinced her and Isis is loving it.
I learnt so much from Isis. She is humble, passionate and a go-getter and she really is beautiful, both inside and out!!

-Gakii Biriri



Isis and Gakii during the interview

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Who wants to be a millionaire?


We are so proud to announce a partnership between Calibrated Blossom and She leads Africa.


She Leads Africa is a social enterprise in Africa investing in young female entrepreneurs across the continent. At the core of their vision is to invest in high growth female entrepreneurs who have the greatest potential to create large enterprises. After all, it is such women who have the innate power to become global leaders and effect change on a tremendous scale. 

They are heading to Nairobi on Saturday January 24th to host a training session for young women who want to turn their technology ideas into sustainable businesses.  They are co-hosting the event with Intel Africa and have put together an exciting panel of speakers and workshops for the participants.

The purpose of this event is to: Support young women interested in technology take their ideas and turn them into sustainable businesses.

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2015
Time: 10am – 6pm
Venue: Nairobi Garage, Piedmont Plaza, Ngong Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Participation: 50 – 60 estimated attendees
Sponsors: Intel, Forbes Woman Africa

The Exciting agenda includes:
- Big Ideas: Interactive problem solving session on how technology can and has been
used to solve community problems
- Working Session: Building your minimum viable product and getting it ready for the
public
- Lean Startup: Developing your go-to market strategy and listening to your customers
- Reaching your first 1,000 users: Panel discussion with local entrepreneurs on how
they jumpstarted their businesses and get their first set of users
- Fireside Chat: An intimate discussion with a leading female entrepreneur and investor
on how women can reach business success


Amazing Speakers include:

Keynote Speaker: Isis Nyong’o





 Isis Nyong’o is the Vice President and Managing Director of the African operations ofInMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network. She has degrees from Stanford and Harvard and has previously worked in senior management positions at MyJobsEye (Kenya’s leading Job site), MTV, and most recently, Google. In January, she was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Moderator: Terryanne Chebet
Terryanne Chebet is one of Kenya’s top Business news anchors who reports on news and business stories from across the African Continent, interviewing Heads of State, Global Business leaders, Policy makers & CEO's. She currently hosts Kenya’s top Business Show, the Business Centre on Citizen TV.
Additionally, Terryanne is the CEO of Scarlet Digital, a 360 Advertising and communications firm that opened in 2011. Scarlet Digital prides itself as a house that understands digital conversations and helps propel brands in that space.

Panelist: Angelah Madara

Angelah Madara is Director of Digital Financial Services at KnightStirling Consulting. Angelah was part of the team that provided inaugural support for the successful implementation of MPESA.





Panelist: Judith Owigar
Judith Owigar is the owner of the tech startup Juakali, and President and founder of AkiraChix – an organisation centred around building, supporting, and inspiring African women in technology. She is also a social enterprise fellow at the Anita Borg Institute. She is a coder, a blogger and a tech enthusiast.



 
Panelist: Calvince Okello
Calvince is the Founder and CEO of M-Shamba, an interactive mobile platform that provides vital information to farmers and other stakeholders along the agricultural value chain.. Calvince holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural, Biomechanical, and Processing Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University.


Panelist: Collins Omwenga


Collins Omwenga is the Co-Founder and CIO of Quintelcon Limited. He also serves as the IPHUB Manager at Microsoft as well as the Projects and Events Coordinator for the JKUAT Tech Expo.



Calling on all you tech women out there, this one is for YOU! Lets make 2015 OUR year. 
Don't forget to check out our Facebook page (Calibrated Blossom) and twitter handle (@Calibrated_B) for more info!

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Forget new year resolutions; Dare, Dream and DO!


It’s a new year! Can you feel it? Do you feel the freshness, the numerous opportunities and the clean canvas ahead? I certainly do, and I am super excited about this year. I am thankful to God for a restful holiday and the opportunity to see a new year.

 You probably expect this to be your typical post…where you are probably expecting me to talk about new year resolutions- setting them and ways to make your 2015 better. I prefer to make this post a little different. Believe me, it’s great to set new year resolutions, be prepared and know what you want to achieve. In fact my father has a saying that goes “Luck is opportunity that meets a prepared mind”. So yes, preparation is important. But why not do it differently…go against the tide, make it personal, make it different!



The inspiration behind this post is the story of Lou Holtz who, broke and unemployed, decided to write down 107 goals one evening in 1966. Some of his goals were as ludicrous as having dinner at the White House and meeting the Pope. To date, would you guess how many of these goals he has achieved? 102 of his 107 goals!!

So lets do it differently this year. Why limit your dreams to 1 year? Lets dream together, and lets make those dreams as crazy as they come.

Ask yourself these questions:

What is my inspiration?
When have I had the most fun in my life?
What caused me to enjoy and remember that time?
If I had a magic wand, what wishes would I make happen?
What do I want most for MY life? 


Those are the things I would like you to think about, DREAM about and BELIEVE IN!


Would you like to travel the world? Would you like to be Kenya’s next president? Would you like to be the youngest CEO? Would you like to have a family and a pretty home? Would you like to go into music? Who in the world would you love to meet, dine with and have a conversation with? Would you like to start your own business? Which corner of the world would you like to explore? Would you like to grow your career?

These are the things that make life worth living, and these are the things I want YOU to DREAM about and set out to achieve. They may not be limited to 2015, some may take you years to achieve as was the case with Lou Holtz. But no matter what, DREAM, DREAM DREAM! So go ahead and let your mind wonder.

Once you are done, write each and every one of these dreams down..no matter how trivial or no matter how ridiculous they sound!

After that, commit yourself to take one step each day to make these dreams happen. Let yourself imagine what it would feel like to achieve these dreams and make it your life purpose to make that feeling a reality. What is that one step that you will take today to make it a reality? What is that one thing you may need to sacrifice today?

Lastly surround yourself with people who appreciate and understand your dreams..YOUR TEAM! They will be your biggest supporters. They will keep you accountable, encourage you, laugh at you and smile with you.



 
Here’s to an awesome 2015!

In pursuit of perfection