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VAULT
DECEMBER 2017
FASHION, BEAUTY, STYLE, TRENDS, LIFESTYLE
ISSUE NO.5
KICK START Y$5.00 OUR BIZ LIFE HERE! Stories to get you started!
JASON NJOKU ...is living his African tech dream
MAKE MONEY MOVES THIS 2018 How to become financially healthy?
FREE
T H E B U S I N E S S E D I T ...stories to inspire
vault ISSUE 005 DECEMBER 2017
EDITOR IN CHIEF / CYNTHIA TABE
COVER / JASON NJOKU
CONTRIBUTORS / PHEBE ETCHU, DEE BURROWES
FEATURED STORIES / RONKE LAWAL, PHIL MPHELA, LIZ NGWANE ALL FEATURED PHOTOS USED, CREDIT GOES TO THEIR ORIGINAL OWNERS
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PUBLISHED BY MODEMAISON PR PUBLISHING GROUP ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Email: modemaisonpr@gmail.com
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Printed copy: Available on request
editor's note
2017 has been a tough year in that our
Jason Njoku as our cover boy was only apt
objective to put together a quarterly
because for such a young man, his business
educating and visually appealing editions did
journey is incredible and an inspiration to us
not quite materialise. In this respect, I was
all. His experience teaches us that no matter
searching for a suitable way to put in words
what, resolve to never give up, to never quit
my feelings and this quote by American golfer
and to try try harder one more time.
Jack Nicklaus suitably summed it up..."resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter the
With every story we post here, with every issue,
situation"
with every day, we’re committed to inspire and to provide a place where our readers could
With this December issue, we’re unveiling an
escape and dream positively.
edition with a business perspective; with stories from different backgrounds to inspire
Thank you all for the incredible support, the
our readers at whatever decision stage they
encouragement and the following thus far.
may be in their lives to go after that business idea they have been toying with.
Cynthia Tabe
EDITOR IN CHIEF Twitter/Instagram: @brownschuga
VAULT OUR QUARTERLY FASHION & BEAUTY MAGAZINE FOR THE FASHION FORWARD TRENDSETTERSÂ STYLE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
CONTENTS
13 GOAL SETTING MADE EASY Smash your goals this 2018 with tips from Dee Burrowes.
ON THE COVER: JASON NJOKU An insight into his business mind & Iroko venture.
INTERVIEW: RONKE LAWAL A look into the public relations business through Ronke's eyes.
EXCLUSIVE: HOW TO MAKE MONEY? 7 tips to a financially healthier 2018 by an investment consultant.
15 A BRAND INFLUENCER IN AFRICA South African Phil Mphela takes us through his business journey.
23 THE BUSINESS OF FASHION DESIGN The challenges and perceptions of building a fashion business brand in Africa.
I’M AN EXTREMELY SELF MOTIVATED PERSON, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO CHANNEL ALL OF MY ENERGY INTO WHAT I WANTED TO DO. THIS MAY BE A CORE STRENGTH, OR IT MAY JUST BE A SLIGHT ELEMENT OF CRAZINESS. PERHAPS BOTH. JASON NJOKU FOUNDER & CEO, IROKO
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 5
Jason Njoku Failure happens, every minute of every day to all types of businesses.
Jason Njoku is Founder and CEO of IROKO, the home of Nollywood content. He has pioneered the African digital content market by bringing Nollywood (Nigerian
1. What would be the most important information or knowledge you wished you had before launching your first ever business idea?
cinema) to a global audience, and That failure happens, every minute
in investment from international
of every day to all types of
VCs, including Tiger Global,
businesses. No-one really talks
Kinnevik, RISE Capital and Canal+.
about failure in business, so there’s a real stigma about it.
Launched in 2010, iROKO has
online Nollywood content catalogue and is one of Africa’s largest internet TV providers, with a dedicated mobile app, irokotv, as well as ROK TV channels on Sky in the UK and DStv across Africa.
In 2013, Njoku was crowned as the CNBC Africa West Africa Young
may just be a slight element of craziness. Perhaps both. Did I know that I was going to ‘make it’? No but I was always optimistic and I always worked harder than anyone
in the process has raised over $40m
aggregated the world's largest
This may be a core strength, or it
2. It is stated on an article that you had 10 failed business ventures before eventually making it successfully with IrokoTV: A) How did you pick yourself up 11 times to give another venture a shot? B) Does this reveal a core strength in the personality of a successful entrepreneur?
Business Leader and in 2014, he was
else I knew.
3. How important and easy was securing finance and collating Nollywood statistics in the success of IrokoTV? We attracted our initial investment from Tiger Global because they were impressed with our metrics. In the early days, as a company, we were lean, in that our overheads were relatively low, and we had built an online community of Nollywood fans around the world from nothing. There was no real online community of Nollywood fans
recognised as one of Fast
I literally was unable to work for
before us. That, and we were the
Company's Top 1000 most Creative
anyone, or any other company. I
first to market and we were
People in Business.
don’t think I ever lasted more than a
profitable as well. So these were all
few months in any role. I’m an
key markers that determined our
extremely self motivated person, so
investment journey.
Here is his business story...
have always been able to channel all of my energy into what I wanted to do.
THE PROFILE SECTION
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 6
We have never stopped listening to our customers...
4. To become a successful African entrepreneur, what 5 things are most important?
It will no doubt be easier for them than it was for me of that I’m certain. However, the country will present them with a lot of challenges, in terms of overall safety, job opportunities and day-to-day Nigerian life.
Willingness to forget about a social life, a girlfriend and disposable income. Self belief. Determination.
5. What role did your University education play in your entrepreneurship journey?
7. Finally, some of your competitors have either stopped operating or have been bought out, what is the secret to IrokoTV’s success and longevity? We’ve been able to secure considerable funding for
I don’t think University itself made me entrepreneurial, although it did expose me to a lot of people from different classes and cultures that I had never come across previously. So, it most definitely helped me broaden my horizons. It also allowed me the time to be entrepreneurial outside of my studies. I started out on a lot of music and club nights, and also started a magazine towards the end of University, which I then moved into full time upon completion of University.
6. As a father of 3, what are your personal projections on the state of Nigeria and Africa during your children’s time?
IROKO, which has allowed us to invest in building out a strong team and great infrastructure. We’ve also pivoted as a business and diversified our revenue streams. In particular, ROK Studios, which my wife launched and is now building to become an impressive global entertainment entity. So, we’ve seen relative success and longevity by staying nimble, being innovative and ensuring we keep up with our fans. They found streaming content too data-heavy, so we built a product that allows for downloads and we also have kiosks across Lagos and Accra that allows for data-free downloads. We have never stopped listening to our customers, and we make sure their requirements at the heart of all of our decision making processes. This, I believe, is a key to our success.
THE PROFILE SECTION
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 7
MUSIC. FASHION. BEAUTY. BUSINESS. MONEY. TRAVEL. RELATIONSHIPS
Every Tuesday 8pm-10pm UK | www.urbanjazzradio.net
#GISTWITHCYNTHIA
- FEATURED STORY -
Ronke Lawal is the founder of London based Ariatu PR with a background in International Business (Economics) from Lancaster University and the University of Richmond. Here is her business story...
1. How did you start in business?
I had to constantly coach myself to
Steps you took.
believe in myself and in all honesty I think that there have been stages in my
I became self-employed in 2004, I
business life that I have actually
whilst I was in a standard 9 to 5
sabotaged my own success. I got in my
management role, a role in which many
own way because I felt like a fraud
people my age would have been happy
when I started to become successful in
to have stayed in for many years. It
business. Perhaps other women can
was an interesting position with lots of
relate to that feeling of constant self-
responsibility, however I became a
doubt and uncertainty. It can be the
robot, unhappy with what my job was
most detrimental of all obstacles,
turning me into, I was stressed and
everything else can be overcome
would often take that stress home with
through practice but it takes a lot to
me. My life lacked dynamism and to
silence that voice that tries to convince
some extent purpose.
you that you're a fraud with your own
My life lacked dynamism and to some extent purpose. I felt strongly that I was not following my true life's purpose and so I made a choice to start my own business. Many people thought I was crazy, I was after all only 23 years old and my only
success and that you don’t deserve great things. It may not always be silent but I recognise it now and know what to say when it starts up again...."I am worthy".
starting capital was my savings, I was taking a big risk although thankfully
3. How did you deal with the
back then I still lived at home so that
financing side of your business
helped. I wanted to create a life that I
before you started?
Edited by ModeMaison PR
5. Where are you presently in your
loved and by starting my own business I felt that I was able to do that.
Photographed by Nuraan Ackers
Personal savings and for the first few
business story?
years of being in business I still lived at
2. What were some of the challenges you faced before starting and how did you overcome them?
home with my mother so my costs were relatively low.
4. What skills/knowledge did you need before starting your business?
The most obvious would be financial challenges of starting a business but when I look back at my own professional and business career I would have to say that I have often been my own biggest career obstacle or more accurately my lack of selfbelief has been a burden
Things are going in exactly the right direction. Aside from traditional retainer offerings Ariatu PR also has a range of one off packages that offers small business clients a way of taping into PR without necessarily assigning our services
All the standard admin skills, ability to use for a set period of time. This means more technology, networking skills and an flexibility for the client and more business understanding of money management. diversity for us. Even though I have an accountant it was still important to understand cash flow etc.
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 9
- FEATURED STORY -
6. From thinking about the business idea to your present day, what are some of the things you have learned / experienced which you did not know?
Don’t worry about other people’s perceptions of you and don’t look to others for validation. Just
11. How do you market your business and get clients and/or customers?
strive for excellence, even if you are not perfect (nobody is) you can still be great.
Networking, public speaking, my Youtube videos have really helped to attract new clients and social
Whilst I understood most business principles sometimes it is not until you get started in business that the greatest lessons come to light. One of the
9. What would be the most important information or knowledge you wished you had before launching your first ever business idea?
most obvious being charging what you’re worth
media has helped to promote my business. Also building a reputation has been a powerful way of raising awareness, word of mouth referrals as well as great media coverage for the brand itself
and knowing your value to ensure that you are
I think financial mindset education would have
works.
confident when you share your pricing. In the early
been ideal – knowing where to go to get funding if
But ultimately having clients who are excellent to
stages of my business career I undersold myself in
necessary but most importantly pricing confidently.
work with allows the brand to speak for itself.
10. How do you run your business? Do you have a particular style? Team members?
12. What is your vision for your business and how will you achieve this?
My style is very much about a flow of authenticity –
I want more international clients, preferably across
If (and possibly when) I decide to open an office I
Africa and I want the agency to be a recognised
would want my team to work in the same way. Be
brand in the PR Comms space particularly within
bold, dynamic and brave, the world is so fixated
the African and Caribbean Diaspora. There is
At the moment I am blessed to say I am not facing
with fitting into boxes but we can operate
potential to do more work in the USA too. What is
too many challenges of significance. I have been
successful businesses in a creative and dynamic
so exciting about the future is that there are
considering expanding the business with staff etc
way and achieve great results by doing so.
endless opportunities, endless chances to start
terms of price and yet over offered in terms of service. This meant that growth was stifled/minimal and it also left room open for some clients not paying on time, overdue invoices are a serious issues for small business owners.
7. What challenges/issues are you facing now?
which I am capable of doing but if I am very honest
afresh. I am at a stage in my business career where
I really enjoy my lifestyle at present and want to
I am excited about the future. I have some
continue enjoy the structure of my business as it is until I am ready to move in a new direction.
8. What can other would-be business runners learn from your story? To have confidence and not to give up. Not to worry when it feels like some of your peers seem not see you or give you credit, in all honesty the best credit is your own knowledge that you have done a great job and that your invoices are getting paid on time and in full!
Building a reputation has been a powerful way of raising awareness
interesting choices ahead of me and may choose to change direction which is fine because I know that whatever path I choose will be one filled with intentional purpose.
13. Do you have a long-term business plan? To some extent yes but I have also learnt to be flexible – a plan is a way to formulate goals and set a vision but it should never be cast in stone.
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 10
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14. What do you envisage/fear future challenges to your business will be? I no longer wish to be bound by fears so I would just like to be excited by the possibilities of the future. There’s so much to look forward to!
Contact Ronkelawal.com Social media: @ronkelawal Ariatu PR – www.ariatupr.com
VAULT MAGAZINE
I am at a stage in my business career where I am excited about the future.
SMASH YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEXT 365 DAYS WITH 3 EASY PEASY TIPS!
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ‘’
Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Isn’t it incredible how quickly time swiftly flies by! There’s a vivid memory of yesterday it seems, as I was setting my goals for 2017 and I’ve already started putting pen to paper and thoughts in full throttle setting them again for 2018. What a year it has been? More good persist than the challenges admittedly.
For many of us, we have quite a bit of turning
Forget about the past and why you were never
December is here, not to stay and before you
over of a new leaf, almost a fresh start to make
incline to set goals as now it’s the best time to
know it, we will be ringing in the New Year for
another attempt to recommit to our goals that
start setting them to fuel and improve how
2018. Inevitably, thinking about your plans for
stand alone gathering dust upon dust.
complete you feel and making the most of your existence.
next year is not considered out of the norm as one would want to take advantage of
What legacy you want to leave behind? What
opportunities in the New Year.
kind of experiences do you want to
Goals are not a quick fix to the gates of
accomplish? What memories do you want to
richness instantaneously however it is
boost?
alignment to give clarity to your purpose
I don’t know about you but I am very
steering you in the right direction of exactly
optimistic already thinking about how 2018 is going to be.
It is the best time of year to reflect on your growth and to set new goals for the coming
Are you in full gear for the New Year 2018?
year before reality has dawn on you. How you
As the year comes to a close and the other
approach goal setting is dependent on your
approaches, you may be pondering with
life experiences that tests your resilience,
varied emotions of your present situation and
innate skill and environment that will bring
possibly feeling you’re not well prepared to
about greater contentment in effectively
tackle another year. Especially with this
prioritising and achieving your goals.
year’s goals somehow still trying to find its way to you let alone to be accomplished.
Goal setting is one of the most effective tools
Self-control can be a deterrent for many of
as it provides focus in shaping our dreams,
us when it comes to goal setting even when
purpose and vision. It provides us with the
everyone around appears to be ticking their
capacity to directly hone in on the process we
goals list ‘achieve’ when you haven’t even
need to implement to actualise our innermost
started.
aspirations in every area of our lives. By setting
goals, they allow us to jump right out of our
Is there anything that can be done to make it
comfort zone and challenge ourselves,
a reality that we stay focus to our resolve?
stretches and expand on our journey that we never saw happening.
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 13
what you want to achieve.
Similarly, do not set goals that are way too easy as you need to raise the bar yet exercise some balance in doing so.
Realistic: Goals are meant to be in line with your path and purpose therefore having some reasonable authenticity to the process. Your realistic goals should excite you to take actions immediately but not be deprived of the motivation to achieve it.
Time-bound: As it suggest, your goals should have a timeframe working towards or a deadline if you will as this powerful part of setting goals is that there will be a completion. By When? What can be done four weeks from now? Clearly this means achieving your goals in a certain time period giving rise to a sense of urgency which increases the prospects of actually completing the goals.
2. Have accountability
A goal is not very powerful if you don’t have someone who can hold you accountable to your accomplishment. By giving an update of
3 EASY PEASY TIPS TO MASTERING
where you are or help you need in the process really gives it more oomph and responsibility. If you struggle securing an accountability partner, you can connect with a life coach who will ensure that you have a winning strategy ensuring your success. Easily you can get distracted by getting off course. A life coach will keep you going until you’ve arrived at the finish line of your milestones.
GOAL SETTING 3. Celebrate yourself for any accomplishment 1. How S.M.A.R.T. can your goals be. Congratulations, let’s raise a glass to you! Likewise, you must
The objective of the acronym S.M.A.R.T. symbolises Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. S.M.A.R.T goal setting directly linked to structure and accountability with your plan of actions instead of unclear intentions. This ultimately creates traceable channels towards clear objectives and attaining important milestones.
celebrate you! Go on, it’s ok to do so! Are you aware that celebrating even the smallest of achievements is one of the most essential steps to setting goals? Celebrate in whatever fashion suits you doing such that you’re inspired to tackle new set of goals and having the pride in what you have done. You must seriously feel good about the work you’ve done, acknowledge your accomplishments and self-efficacy which is paramount.
Specific: When setting goals they must be clear in the first place. Goals must not be vague or ambiguous or else the results will reflect the same. Goals should be simplistic incorporating the What, Why and How.
Measurable: Your goals must be specifically measurable, precise and having tangible evidence in accomplishing your goals. In the quest in measuring your level of success, it can be divided into steps for example amounts and dates, short term and long term.
Dee Burrowes is a Certified Professional Coach and NLP Practitioner, Speaker, who can help you gain more confidence and become more effective at bringing happiness into your life.
Connect with Dee and schedule a
complimentary 20-minute
strategy session to talk about your goals and how she can help you attain them. Email Call
✉ coachdeeburrowes@gmail.com
✆ 07487761474
LinkedIn, and all social platforms: @DeeBurrowes
Achievable: Your goals must be achievable in terms of they must stretch you a bit taking out of your comfy corner however not so high that they become unattainable
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 14
PHIL MPHELA
THE MAIN THING IS; IT IS OK TO SAY NO.
- FEATURED STORY -
PHIL MPHELA, JO'BURG, SOUTH AFRICA BASED ENTERTAINMENT BLOGGER, BRAND INFLUENCER & CONSULTANT. HERE IS HIS STORY...
1. How did you start in business? Steps you took. Started off as a blogger. Gained prominence as an entertainment blogger and was able to start working with brands. From that I evolved to become a brand influencer and consultant.
2. What were some of the challenges you faced before starting and how did you overcome them? Getting brands to pay for my services was a huge challenge, Many brands still want to pay for services with free products.
3. How did you deal with the financing side of your business before you started? It was hard. People think running a blog doesn’t cost money but it does. I had to pay for my internet service and getting to events and interviews cost money. Financing that came from doing other gigs like copywriting for campaigns and submitting articles for publication in mainstream media.
4. What skills/knowledge did you need before starting your business? I am an entertainment commentator and started off my career and blog by finding a niche within that space. For that I had to learn about the business side of the entertainment industry and the social side. It was imperative for me to educate myself about all aspects of the industry so that when I give my commentary it comes from an informed point of view.
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 16
All photographys provided by Phil Mphela.
- FEATURED STORY -
Getting brands to pay for my services was a huge challenge
7. What challenges/issues are you facing now? Getting black owned companies to pay for services over just offering me “exposure”
8. What can other would-be business runners learn from your story? Run your own race. Know what your goal is and just do your own thing. Competition and inspiration is good but do not allow yourself to set goals for yourself based on somebody else’s career, success or growth.
9. What would be the most important information or knowledge you wished you had before launching your first ever business idea? Companies with money will want you to do work for them for free.
10. How do you run your business? Do you have a particular style? Team members? I pitch for work. Though I work mainly from home, I have a disciplined schedule I keep for
Many brands still want to pay for
work at home.
services with free products.
11. How do you market your business and get clients and/or customers?
5. Where are you presently in your business story?
I pitch to potential clients but I also try and be professional with the clients I already have. Word of mouth is very important in my
I am now one of the most prominent bloggers and entertainment commentators in South Africa. I have also become a sort of brand
line of work and I have gotten plenty of worth through recommendations.
consultant and infuencer.
6. From thinking about the business idea to your present day, what are some of the things you have learned / experienced which you did not know?
12. What is your vision for your business and how will you achieve this? The vision is to eventually bring other people into my company and have them do what I do
The main thing is; it is ok to say NO. Often in the entertainment industry we are made to think we should be grateful for every opportunity extended to us and should never dare say NO. Learning to do projects I am comfortable with over what everybody else thinks I should be doing has afforded me a chance to have control over my brand and business.
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 17
and grow as an individual brand influencer. As to how I plan to achieve that, that’s for me to know … ((laughs))
13. Do you have a long-term business plan?
14 What do you envisage/fear future challenges to your business will be?
Contact
Oh definitely. I have been in this industry for
Anybody can call themselves a brand
Twitter: @PhilMphela
over 10 years. The reason why I am still here
something these days and some have huge
Email: philmphela@gmail.com
and I’m able to pay my bills is because I have
followers but do not have the
always had a plan for my career/business
professionalism or influence to deliver on the promises they make. That will erode the trust companies have in the value of influencers.Â
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 18
MONEY MONEY MONEY! 7 TIPS TO A FINANCIALLY HEALTHIER 2018! 2018 is only just a few days away and many of us as per tradition result
4. Learn to differentiate needs versus wants
to making New Year resolutions we can’t keep and then beat ourselves up at the end of the year when we realise we were all too eager to
For every purchase you would like to make, think survival rather than
make unrealistic demands on ourselves.
desire.
If one healthy habit you have to add on your New Year’s list, let it be the money one – be financially healthy this 2018!
5. Build and maintain an emergency fund
Here are some tips...
Put aside small amounts of money for when dilemma or disaster strikes to avoid dipping your hands into your savings. Maintain an emergency
1. Purge, purge, purge
fund of between 3 - 6 months
Before you start a diet, cleansing is one of the first initial steps in the
6. Increase your 401k/retirement savings contribution
process. This is because to be successful in your undertaking, you need to be able to run, unhindered. Toning your financial health is no
Challenge yourself to add a little bit more to prepae for a better future
different. Purge out every habit that causes you to over spend. Purge out any psychological hindrances to your having a better relationship
7. Invest in the Stock Market
with money. If you are a beginner, take your time to read & gather knowledge
2. Track your spending habits
before deciding on what to invest in on the longterm in the stock market.
Cultivate a habit of knowing where and what every penny of your money is being spent on. Write it down.
Phebe E. is an investment consultant who can help you with all your investment and money needs.
3. Budget Contact The word Budget is currently one of the most used yet under-utilised
Facebook: @phrugalpheebs
concepts in personal finance. Whether you have millions of dollars or a
Email: phebeetchu@gmail.com
few thousands, you need a budget. After tracking your expenses, a budget sets the direction and tone of your spending.
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 19
PERSONAL BRANDING IS THE WORK YOU PUT IN, THE DAILY CHOICES YOU MAKE, THE STEPS YOU TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THE IMPRESSION ABOUT YOURSELF IS POSITIVE & AUTHENTIC. PERSONAL BRANDING IS STRATEGIC. CYNTHIA TABE MODEMAISON PR
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THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL BRANDING & IMAGE MANAGEMENT Personal appearance is often a disregarded part of communication. We forget that when we are in the public space, we may be representing either our organisation or ourselves... it is us (YOU) in the front line.
When you are in the front line, it is YOU that other people or an audience sees. Before you have time to open your mouth to give an account of yourself, certain assumptions, both consciously and subconsciously, would have already been made. This. Is. The. Reality.
First impressions are very important - they say it is usually made within 7 to 20 seconds of meeting someone - these impressions can be about one's attitude but largely about one's dressing. What does your say?
Note!! Visual impact is as important as verbal impact. People will very quickly make assumptions based on your expressions, the clothes you wear, how well you are groomed and of course your body language.
1.
PERSONAL BRANDING is the work YOU put in, the daily choices
YOU make, the steps YOU take to ensure that the impression about YOUrself is positive & authentic. Personal branding is strategic.
With the growth of social media, personal branding has become very important for anyone looking to grow their influence or their business.Â
Without a powerful and/or visible personal brand, you are potentially putting yourself at a disadvantage in almost every aspect of your professional and business life
With a powerful personal brand, your name or reputation will reveberate, creating a positive impact thus enabling you to get new clients or followers. Think about some of the business owners you look up to...what image(s) spring up in your head/mind?
Building your personal brand is imperative and here below are some tips
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 21
Create a mission statement and align your personal brand topics with it. 1.
- what is your purpose? - what do you want to do for your audience?
2.
Identify your USP
- what makes you unique? - what can you offer? - why should people work with you?
Select a platform
3.
- which online platform is suitable? - share your voice - be visible, be your own PR
4.
Share your knowledge
- create your own style - craft your tone - how can it benefit others - tips / tutorials - in which form - video/audio/written - be credible
Be authentic
5.
- be you everyone else is taken - authencity builds trust
Let's throw away the rule book out of the window shall we...are there any questions so far before we continue?
2.
IMAGE MANAGEMENT is "the ongoing, pro-active process of
evaluating and controlling the impact of your appearance on yourself, on others, and the achievement of your goals."
A well managed image will increase your confidence, credibility, capability and encourage/influence others to see you more favourably and with continued / renewed interest.
Image management is as easy as remembering your A B C D... - Appearance (clothing, grooming) - Behaviour (actions) - Communication (verbal & non verbal) - Digital Footprint (data trail you leave/create online)
Image management is important for creating positive first impressions & for opening doors to opportunities. Here are some tips to get you started. 1.
Reflect on your overall grooming
- are you projecting the right image - everything clean? - makeup? hair cut?
2.
Scrutinise your dressing. You are what you wear
- do you dress the part? - are your clothing appropriate? - colour mixing / blocking done right?
3.
Be selective of what is posted online
- scrutinise your images before posting on social media - Untag yourself if necessary - Differentiate between your personal and professional life
To conclude, image management and personal branding go hand in hand. Dressing right, acting right and speaking right enhances and reinforces the experience other people will have with your personal brand.
#PRChatAfrica Twitter chats every Thursday 6pm UK (Winter) & 7PM UK (Spring)
To learn more, follow the from
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 22
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MANY PEOPLE DON’T VIEW FASHION DESIGNING IN CAMEROON TO BE A SERIOUS CAREER MOVE. Liz Ngwane Founder Margo's Mode
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 24 Business story present - Where am I? I will say 1/3 of the way because I haven’t attained or done even half of what I want to do. I haven’t officially launched my brand but I am satisfied with my products. I can proudly say my dresses can be worn both in Africa and in Europe with great finishing and quality of fabrics used.
- Experiences: From day 1 to where I am today, I have learned a lot such as tolerance; having to deal with a lot of people and knowing that people are different. Another is managing your own emotions. I came to understand that I have to satisfy my clients no matter that I had no idea on sewing, fabric texture but working everyday now, I understand a lot about it.
The major issues I am still facing is finance, getting people to understand my craft and having my family & friends accept me as a designer & not the engineer I was trained to be. Many people don’t view fashion designing in Cameroon to be a serious career move.
- FEATURED STORY -
Liz Ngwane is the 24 year old founder/creative director of Margo’s Mode located in Buea, Cameroon. Margo’s Mode is a clothing & accessories brand with an African print aesthetic. Liz has a B-tech in Environmental Engineering and is a Certified Hygiene, Security Personnel for the oil and gas industry. Her objective with Margo's Mode is to promote the value of prints. Here is her story... Business story past I started Margo’s Mode in 2016 immediately after school during my time at a professional internship at African Petroleum. All I did during lunch was to sketch my designs and then tried to see how to produce them into products. It was challenging because working and trying to design was not easy, but being passionate about clothing, I kept doing it. Even when I was back in school, the walls of my room was full of my sketches.
Other challenges I encountered was a) finance; I had no money to start a business per se b) getting clients and how to convince them to buy from me. So before the end of my internship, I registered myself at the Cameroon Fashion Week where I launched my first collection called “DILEMMA” on December 10th 2016. No matter how challenging it has been and even till now, what keeps me going is the love and passion I have for my work. Financially, I have had no support and to be honest, my giveaway package of 100,000FCFA from the company after 4 months of internship was my start-up capital which still was nothing because, 50,000FCFA went to the registration into the fashion show; then the cost of production.
Knowledge I will never say I went to a fashion and design school. No, no I didn’t. But rather, I’d say it is a gift from God, a calling I say, and again everyone is my school because I learn from people every day.
What people should learn from my story Firstly, believe in yourself. Secondly, time is priceless so no matter the situation, get started, be consistent because it is never easy.
Information/Knowledge I wish I had Tailoring and Digital Marketing.
No matter how challenging it has been and even till now, what keeps me going is the love and passion I have.
- FEATURED STORY How do I run my business? I have no particular style. What I do is launch a collection then try as much as possible to use social media to advertise and sell at pop-up shops. I am one of those who believes in "images" so I invest a lot in good pictures and my collections are always assoiated with stories.
Business story future My vision is to assist in creating a sustainable fashion industry.
I will achieve that by sensitising the public of the environmental impact of our industry. Secondly, my use of 100% cotton fabrics such as Daviva & Vlisco prints is another method of sustainability.
I have a long term business plan for my fashion business.
My fear especially is the production of fabrics. It will really be a challenge in the future but at the same time I see change and success.
Contact Facebook: /@modemargo9 Twitter: @margosmode Instagram: @margosmode77 Email: margomode77@gmail.com
MARGO'S MODE
VAULT MAGAZINE | PAGE 25
INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS BY MODEMAISON PR
Instagram is a community of more than 800M active accounts
#MMPRTIP 2:
worldwide & 500M+ daily users built on the power of visual
Planoly for pre-planning your posts and creating a calendar.
We recommend platforms such as Latermedia or
storytelling. 80% of accounts follow a business on Instagram and 300M+ accounts use Instagram Stories every day. It is by far our most preferred social media platform.
In terms of setting a theme, Instagram is all about the visuals, so you NEED to set out to build a cohesive, recognisable brand identity. How you approach your brand on Instagram will be
Businesses have been part of this platform since day one using it to showcase their products & services in a rich visual context. The same way first impression counts with your appearance as per the rules of personal branding, is the same way what you post will reveal about your company’s personality & appearance.
influenced by the strategy you decide to take so be wise!
Choose a particular filter, photographic style or colour palette, brand your images, create your own hashtag(s) if you wish.
Whether you want to drive brand awareness or clicks to your website
#MMPRTIP 3:
or blog post, start by creating a concept on Instagram that aligns
appearance on Instagram and use them as case studies for your
with a clear brand goal.
own profile. There is no shame in copying
t is important to consider:
Stalk some of the brands with a great visual
Individuality is a great asset on Instagram. Why blend in? Don’t
I
be afraid to stand out.
-Who your audience will be
Instagram is one of the simplest social networks when it comes to
-What your visual style will be
your bio. Keep things straightforward, but not too serious.
-What topic(s) you will be posting
In your content strategy think about the following: -How often you will post -What time of day to post -Create a content calendar
Explain clearly what you do so that people know what to expect from your Instagram profile. Your bio should be light and snappy. It should also include any branded hashtags you want your followers to use.
-Decide your content themes Your username, for discoverability, should match the username of Maintain a regular posting schedule without bombarding your
your other branded social media profiles. Keep it Simple!
followers. Decide what your maximum posts for the day will be. Most
Having your photo match your other social platform profile
businesses post between 1-3 posts a day. As for what time of day to
photos will also help with discoverability, however you can
post, this will largely depend on your followers/audience.
choose.
#MMPRTIP 1: test the waters at different times of the day with your
Post high quality images that meet your brand guidelines.
posts to see which time works best. A content calendar will save you time as well as establish a routine in your posting habit. So it is essential for you to try to keep one.
Instagram is a mobile first platform, consider this aspect when choosing which photos to post.
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INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS CONT'D Whether you want to drive brand awareness or clicks to your website or blog post, start by creating a concept on Instagram that aligns with a clear brand goal.
To boost your engagement level, do your
2. Use Instagram to tell your business /
best to reply to comments from followers
brand story through captivating images,
and also comment on other profiles of
videos and suitable captions.
interest too. Don’t be afraid to follow users who follow you, especially those
3. Instagram Stories can be used to show
who clearly have put work into their own
live behind the scenes actions or host a
Instagram presence.
talk/interview session.
All in all, the success of your Instagram
4. Regramming or reposting is a big thing
account will come down to how much
on Instagram & it has MASSIVE
time you dedicate to getting your
advantage too so ensure your content is
business out there to the Instagram
SHARE WORTHY for your audience and
community.
other interested parties.
Start with these:
5. Collaborate with the right influencers within your niche/field if necessary.
1. Businesses / brands do best on Instagram when they share well-crafted
Contact
content that's on-brand & driven by a
Instagram / Twitter: @modemaisonpr
clear objective.
Facebook: /@ModeMaisonPR
Instagram is a community of more than 800M active accounts worldwide & 500M+ daily users built on the power of visual storytelling.
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