The Evolving Woman Conference 2016

So 30^th July was another Saturday well spent, though the rain tried to hinder plans, but thank God I made it to The Evolving Woman Conference maiden edition hosted by Oladoyin Taiwo and which held at Four Points by Sheraton Lagos.

So here’s the low-down…

Oladoyin welcomed everyone to the event and each attendee introduced themselves. The compere for the event, Dolamu Badejo, who is the founder of Stronger vessels network  (more than a woman TV), author and image consultant (Blond dolly image consultants), introduced the first speaker.

The first speaker, Niyi Adesanya, the CEO of Fifthgear Plus Limited, spoke on “How to profit from your passion.”

Key learning points-

• The individual competitive formular is “What you know” plus“How you express it” multiplied by “who you know and who knows you”
• Do not work hard on your job, work hard on yourself because the limitation of your knowledge puts a limit on your output and the quality of  work delivery.
• In a world where many people do the same thing, how things are expressed is very crucial to one’s success. So Confidence, Creativity and Communication are necessary ingredients to a differentiating output.
• A strong aspect of the individual competitive formular is who knows you and who you know. He had these to say about this point;.

1. Build a strong network
2. Develop your social skills
3. Invest in people- Emotional Bank Account

Next, Dolamu, the compere, read the profile of the next speaker Shade Ladipo, CEO Avienti and ED Weconnect International, who spoke on “Positioning for profit and building brand visibility for career and business”

Shade shared her experiences as she delivered, her session too was enlightening.

Key learning points:

• Your personal brand always reflects on your business brand, so develop the product called you.
• It’s either you define your brand or people will defined it for you. If you do not tell your story yourself, people will tell it their own way.
• “Are you findable? Visibility helps you to be on the minds of people.
• What are your entity’s values? They should not differ from your personal values. Integrity is a core value for business and keeping clients. Also be consistent at what you do.
• “What sets you apart?” that is your unique sparkle, your differential. So be you, the best you
• What is your message? Master your message and tell it.

After the first two sessions, there was tea break –  it was time to eat, mingle and talk.

Soon after that, it was time for the panel talk. We had 4 panelists- Francesca Uriri, Funto Ibuoye, Steph Obi and Dami Owolabi. Each of them had 5 minutes to talk on topics and then questions were asked.

Panelist 1– Funto Ibuoye: Excellence in building you personal brand- “How to attract your tribe”

Funto is the Convener of Becoming conference, which held on 16^th July 2016 at the Muson centre (click here to read more about the conference) and founder of the Beautified Network, she has a strong online presence and is known for her authenticity which makes people especially young ladies able to identify with her.

Key talking points:

1. Be your authentic self
2. Be open
3. Network all the time. Do not network because of what you want to get, but for what value you can give
4. Find your allies. People who endorse you
5. Be visible, let people see you
6. Stay true to yourself, have a strong value system

Panelist 2– Francesca Uriri: 21^st century leading woman and basic brand management skills for beginners

Francesca is the lady behind Leading Ladies Africa and she started by reading Proverbs 31 from the New living translation (NLT) and she made the audience understand that the Proverbs 31 woman had help (network) so as women we must be able to get help and have a strong network or support system.

Key talking points:

1. Do not be under pressure- focus on your own journey.
2. Actively build your community
3. Do not be afraid to fail
4. Do not be afraid of your dream, do not look for perfect conditions
5. Have a relationship with God

Panelist 3– Dami Owolabi– Positioning yourself in a saturated industry

The 25 year old CEO of Dreg Waters Petroleum & Logistics Ltd, shared her story.

Key talking points:

1. Never be afraid to start
2. Find yourself an find your sweet spot
3. Make sure you use your gift
4. Surround yourself with people who believe in you
5. Believe in yourself, never say never, push yourself

Panelist 4– Steph Obi–Leveraging the internet in building a bankable brand

Steph is the online business guru! She teaches people how to profit by building thriving online businesses.

Key talking points:

1. Believe you can and make money from the Internet
2. Know your unique message (connect the dots)
3. Find what you can monetise, as you cannot monetise all your gifts

Ladies asked the panelists questions and Oladoyin wrapped up the maiden edition of the Evolving woman, thanking everyone for making it a success.

Time for pictures!

It was a very joyful time seeing the reality of what was a dream! See you at “The Evolving Woman 2017”

Cheers

-His Handmaiden

*images are the official images of the Evolving Woman Conference 2016.