Tag: female entrepreneur

International Women’s Day Tribute: Got Core Values!

by standinlovejen, posted in Female Entrepreneurship, People, Purpose

“I want a positive, healthy learning environment for my child, and I will do anything to make that happen.  I believe every child deserves the right to thrive.” – Sandi Herrera, CEO Got Core Values!

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day tomorrow under the banner #BeBoldForChange, I am honored to celebrate the passion and vision of one relentless Las Vegas corporate-culture coach turned public school education advocate, Sandi Herrera.  Sandi is the CEO and founder of Got Core Values!, an innovative nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of children in the public school system through the development and implementation of core values and culture coaching for school administrators, teachers, and leaders.

Sandi shared her bold vision with me this week during a conversation over green smoothies at a neighborhood Starbucks.

Delivering Happiness Inspiration.

Sandi’s chance encounter with  Delivering Happiness  founder Tony Hsieh earned her the position of COO in 2009, heading internal culture and training for the organization.  Her skills in organizational and relationship systems coaching would reach new heights as she engaged C-level executives of businesses across the nation with the heart of Delivering Happiness: to inspire passion and purpose in the workplace for a happier world.  Through rigorous study of positive psychology and neuroscience research, Sandi and her team inspired the hearts and souls of workers around the world.   The world took notice, and so did the local Las Vegas community where Delivering Happiness runs its international operation.  Desiring happiness and positivity in their work environments, local schools began requesting this hybrid of consulting and coaching.

Internal Reckoning.

At the time Sandi was delivering happiness to executives in top corporations, she was pained by the challenges her own son faced in the local school system.  “School culture affects kids perceptions.  I’m not going to have my child feel like he’s a bad person just because he is not in a conducive learning environment.”   Sandi quickly found herself internalizing the core values of Delivering Happiness, whose number one core value is  “Be true to yourself. Live with passion and purpose.”  Could one mother impact the learning environment for her child and create a domino effect resulting in thriving educational environments for all children?

The answer… YES.

Leveraging her expertise and success in talent dynamics, culture coaching, and leadership  development, Sandi has worked fastidiously over the past four years introducing  Got Core Values! into six Clark County district high schools including Title 1 schools, like Mohave High School in North Las Vegas and magnet schools like West Career and Technical Academy in Summerlin.   Through rigorous piloting, testing, and measuring results, Sandi is ready to expand her culture coaching team and take on the valley’s vast network of public schools, with the goal of 30 implementing partners before the start of the school year this fall.

Ambitious Solutions.

Her passion and pursuit of transforming the public school system is not limited to coaching and introducing culture into the school climate.   It is extended to engaging local businesses to partner with schools in the district.

“Companies want to help so much, but often times they don’t know what to help with or how to help.”  Sandi’s mission is largely relationship driven: to break down barriers between schools and businesses with a focus on collaboration.  “Organizational culture is organizational culture.  There are nuances, but at the base of it all, we are all human beings.  And when we realize that we are both in the people business, that is how we will make progress and have momentum forward. ” 

Sandi believes there is tremendous power in the business community, and by partnering with a local public school, educators and business leaders will learn from each other, develop a new common language that will help them implement strategies for effective communication, leadership, culture, and relationship building from the top.  All of this will flow to the students, the future leaders and members of our communities. Sandi’s dream of core values and comprehensive positive sustainable cultures in our schools does not stop in Las Vegas.  Her sights are set on replicating this coaching methodology nationally and globally.

I have witnessed Sandi’s compelling work first hand.  Her determination and pointed focus on the goal of delivering core values to schools for the benefit of the team, students, and neighboring communities is nothing shy of remarkable.  She is living the #BeBoldForChange motto and serves as an inspiration to us all as we celebrate International Women’s Day 2017.

LEARN MORE

If you are an educator, administrator, business leader, or concerned community member inspired by Sandi’s story, please contact Got Core Values! to learn how to contribute your time and talent in the local community.

You may also follow Got Core Values! on Facebook for updates.

Happy International Women’s Day to all my beloved friends around the world inspiring change everyday!   #StandinLove #IWD2017 

Bulogo’s Banana Business Superstar

by standinlovejen, posted in Beadforlife, People, Purpose

We pulled up the long rural driveway with Julius, our driver, coach Ritah- one of the compassionate and dedicated street business school trainers in Bulogo, and my BeadforLife colleague- coach Phoebe- to our final on-site business visit for the day in Bulogo village, about 45 minutes drive north of Kamuli town. What a wonderful surprise to end the long day of field interviews! Monica Mwesigwa was seated on a small wooden bench outside of her free standing outdoor brick kitchen with a thatched roof,  rolling out carefully prepared and mixed dough for her newly launched and thriving small business selling banana pancakes. These are not the traditional pancakes to which we are accustomed, light and fluffy golden colored cakes topped with melted butter and dripping with maple syrup, but rather a dense sort of croquette– a mixture of locally sourced and hand processed cassava flour, smashed bananas and a pinch of baking soda. Rolled out and cut into small circles with her multi purpose plastic cup and empty recycled glass bottle, she handed them to her daughter – 1 of 6 children ranging in age from 17 to 1 and 1/2 yrs- who was tending the indoor charcoal fire over which rest a pot of boiling hot oil to deep fry these sweet little snacks! As we talked with Monica, age 33, we could just sense her incredible entrepreneurial spirit! Waves of smoke escaped from the small outdoor kitchen, encircling our senses as we snapped photographs and filmed quick feature videos, highlighting her amazing success!

Bulogo Women’s Group.

Monica enrolled in November 2014 with the first class of Bulogo Women’s Group, consisting of 20 members.  Bulogo Women’s Group is one of the first partner organizations to replicate the business training curriculum and mentoring developed and introduced by BeadforLife’s Street Business School program- currently under expansion with the goal of  providing entrepreneurial training for 1 million women living in extreme poverty worldwide.  By December, only a couple short weeks after her first few business building training sessions, Monica had already launched her pancake selling business! She sold 1 chicken at the rate of 11,000 UGS (approx $3.25) to obtain the capital she needed to get her small business off the ground.  Monica shared with us that she used to eat chicken she raised until she learned in one of the trainings  she had the choice and opportunity to sell one instead- giving her financial means to save and invest for a business.

Sparked by these fundamental business lessons, one of which encourages women to “start  small” and understand the temporary nature of their present difficulties, Monica applied herself in earnest.   This takes wholehearted belief and trust, and Monica decided to embrace change and take that risk.  Investing the profits from her pancake business, Monica launched her second business – selling a homemade secret recipe banana juice. She sells these by the 400 or 500 ml cup in town. She shared with us that she earns about 2,500-3,000 UGS profit daily from her juice (approx .75-.80) as well as a profit of 3,000 UGS from her pancake business daily. She is now earning close to $2 a day and is continuing to expand. She has more than doubled her income and her graduation date is set for next month in Bulogo village! Like all entrepreneurs, Monica faces challenges. Currently, she told us she is challenged by lack of access to the specific variety of ripe bananas to meet her growing demand for the juice. Tending to her 6 children in addition to running her businesses proves challenging, but Monica is so passionate and driven we are unequivocally convinced she will have continued success!
I asked Monica what she is most proud of in her business and she replied,

” Now, I am able to afford things I couldn’t before- without the help of my husband- whom she called “boss” with a smile and laughed! …. ” if I would like a piece of meat, I can buy it… If I want to have my hair done or buy a special lotion for myself, I am able to do so and am not depending on my husband.”

As we left her bustling home workshop, we thanked her profusely for her time,  as well as her earnest efforts in English to help us film a short video of her tremendous accomplishments.  What a courageous and brave woman- so incredibly wise for her young 33 years.

I left home early July with a particular definition and understanding of the words  “courage” and “bravery”, and enjoy experiencing the evolution of this definition with each passing day shared with some of the most enterprising, and tenacious women I will have ever met in my life.  I am truly blessed for these encounters and for the lessons they have continued to teach me along this unimaginably profound journey.

xxx

rolling out Cassava flour, bananas, and baking soda to prepare her pancakes for sale.
rolling out Cassava flour, bananas, and baking soda to prepare her pancakes for sale.

Female Micro-Entrepreneur Spotlight: Regina Nakalanzi 

by standinlovejen, posted in Connection, Female Entrepreneurship, People

On the road again Monday morning by 7:30 am heading towards Kamuli, Uganda in the east.  About 45 miles north of the town of Jinja- the source of the Nile River!  I’ve come to anticipate an adventure each time I embark on field work.  Travel, traffic, and the sights on the ground mix around me like an unfamiliar collection of spices from a foreign land.   Traveling east on Jinja road, we passed through a bustling meat market town called Najjembe, where hoards of workers dressed in blue uniforms wave sticks of street meat – mostly chicken- trying to get your attention!  As you slow down to pass through this food refill town, your vehicle is essentially overtaken with people pressed against all 4 windows trying to sell you sticks of meat, bags of bananas- over 5 varieties-  avocados, tomatoes, as well as cold bottled beverages like water or orange soda pop!

Our driver picked up a bag of sweet bananas, and my colleague selected a sack of roasted plantains to be enjoyed on the ride to our destination.   Shortly after that smoke filled meat rest stop, we passed through the lush valley of the Mabire Forest.

Our work today centered on field interviews with current members of the Bulogo Women’s group- the first partner organization here in Uganda to replicate and test the Street Business School 6 month entrepreneurial training methodology for the poorest women in the rural village of Bulogo.    Led by the warm and nurturing mama Esther and coach Ritah, we were introduced to a quarter of the group due to graduate next month!

Each and every visit to the women’s homes and places of business was exhilarating and encouraging!  We were seeing first hand the impact that BeadforLife’s Street Business School expansion project was having in rural villages in Uganda!

Meet Regina.

Our first encounter was with the loveliest woman named Regina Nakalanzi.  Regina is 49 years old, married, and has four children.  Inspired by the content of her very first training session at the street business school (held under a large mango tree with the trunk of the tree posing as an easel for white paper held up by two members), she managed to string a couple of independent thoughts together and sold a small basket woven of palm branches for a mere 15,000 UGS- a bit less than $5USD.  After the sale of a second basket, she invested the proceeds in order to buy a piglet!  Embracing the notion of “starting small” with her business, she continued to put lessons to practice at home and begin to save and eventually have her own male pig which would help her financially!

When she’s not busy running her most profitable business, the piggery, she works as the village hairdresser!  An old passion of hers that went by the way side due to life’s daily struggles with farming and subsisting- she decided to rekindle  her love with this business as well!  Honing her skills, and dedicating more energy than usual on this, she has become one busy beautician- especially in December around the holidays!  She weaves baskets on the side, and also grows and sells small harvests of sim-sim- sesame seeds- for additional profits.   Regina was raised by her uncle after her father passed away at a young age.  She never made it through secondary school, and while she had a later opportunity in life to attend a nursing program, she failed to complete it due to lack of school fees to fund her studies.  She found herself in a stagnant place – feeling restless, tired, defeated, an complacent for a number of years.

Thanks to BeadforLife’s partnering with Bulogo Women’s group, Regina’s dreams to be independent and successful in life came true!   She rose up from her lowest point- having lived in a mud hut with a tin roof when she arrived to Bulogo village and not able to send her children to school.   Selling small bags of maize which she harvested by herself, she was able to purchase 7 iron sheets to begin to provide a better shelter for herself.

When asked what advice she would give to other women who may be considering joining a business training program, she said ” you must be patient in marriage, and in business.  Save, be creative, and always remember to take a portion of your profits and reinvest them to expand you businesses!”   Spoken like a true entrepreneur!

I asked which business she liked most, and she replied with a chuckle, ” the piggery, because it’s the most profitable!”

I was blessed to have the village hairdresser demonstrate her hair braiding talent on my muzungu hair and that was fun for us both!  She has never braided a white person’s hair and I have never experienced the fast paced, super tight small rows placed nearly on my scalp!  It was great fun and a shared blessing indeed!  I was incredibly inspired by her hard work, and enterprising spirit!

To learn more about how you can help light the spark in a woman’s life living in extreme poverty, please visit :

Vegas.ignite1million.org

Or to learn more about all of BeadforLife’s programs, please visit:

http://www.beadforlife.org

Meet Gertrude 

by standinlovejen, posted in People

Today I woke with the anticipation of meeting with a small group of women called the “special group”.  This group is comprised of a mix of previous Beads to Business members.  Some graduated as early as a two years ago, some pros go back to 2011.  This group of woman have gained tremendous business skills, and all have at least one other business in addition to Bead making!  Some have two and three small ventures due to the engaged mentoring model at BeadforLife.    This group specializes in rapid production and intricate designs.

The morning began with a few women arriving early to the monthly sale event, bags in their hands… Extra pre rolled beads, wire, thread, needles, and candles in the event quality control check is unable to accept the uniformity of the beads they have created.   The women travel from long distances, and often spend a minimum of one hour crammed like sardines inside of an overcrowded (22 person meant for only 14 ) non -air conditioned matatu.   The traffic in Kampala is an entirely separate post, which I will share with you a little while later.

The women are given trays to sort there wares for sale and hope eagerly that their products meet the production sample and measurements given to them ahead of time.  As this is an advanced group of beader makers, the overall acceptance rate of pieces is very high.   Each woman waits in line for her items to be meticulously inspected one by one by a minimum of two staff members- this is done to ensure the highest quality products for purchasers in the U.S. markets.    I had no idea how much work went into the sale of the beads at the office, as well as the length of time it takes to complete a sale.   I had the pleasure of sitting with each woman today and talking to them about their families, children, and how they are so appreciative of BeadforLife.

Two women in particular left an indelible  mark on my heart.  One was named Beifa, and she had the warmest spirit.  Her energy was calm, sweet, and had such an innocence that drew me to her like a magnet.  When you don’t speak the same language, body language is so incredibly reliable for starting conversations and determining who is willing to open up and share with you.  Beifa shared that she has four children and is able to pay for school fees for each one of  them! She kept her head down when she spoke, and even maintained a lower than usual gaze.  Partially shy, and a bit amazed that I wanted to hear about her success coming from extreme poverty to running a small business selling a few pillowcases, bed sheets, and a few assorted articles of clothing.  She buys supplies in local market and sells them at her business stand near where she lives.  Most of the “new clothing” purchased at small business stands in local neighborhoods actually comes from donations in America – various aid organizations.  These are sold as new items and are a luxury here for many.  She is one of the amazing success stories and proof that BeadforLife’s holistic model of poverty eradication is effective and sustainable.

Gertrude, is  another beauty.  While most members grabbed a small chair to sit and wait, Gertrude took a seat on the ground under a mango tree and rolled extra beads and perfected each of her designs prior to presenting them to the quality control staff.  Noticing her alone and off to the side, I engaged her and asked her to share her voice with you all on camera.

If you would like to know what a truly BRAVE woman looks like- it is Gertrude.  She speaks very little English, but didn’t hesitate to try to communicate with me.  I ask a LOT of questions ( I love to understand people and believe we learn best by asking questions and listening intently) – . Gertrude’s other business is collecting scrap aluminum, discarded copper wires, discarded plastic and other scap.  She buys the scap and re sells it for a profit to buyers in need of materials.  She is a model of bravery and success and I am honored to share her with you!