Women Thriving in Business International
Let's Connect!
  • Home
  • About WTBI
    • About Oma Edoja, Founder
    • Speaker Sheet
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • My Private Consultation
  • Hidden Sales Blockers
  • Events

IWD 2018: Pressing for Progress

3/3/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
The theme for this year's International Women's Day (IWD) is Pressing for Progress. It is about taking action to make gender equality become a worldwide reality.

What is gender equality?

Gender equality is equal access to resources and opportunities, without regard to gender. Sadly, this is not the reality of many women around the world today who find themselves shut out from participation on various levels of human endeavour by repressive beliefs, customs, institutions and practices.


​According to UNICEF, gender equality "means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities and protections. It does not require that girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike.  In fact, gender equality cannot be achieved, for the most part, by providing everyone the same services, opportunities and protections, delivered in the same ways. Levelling the playing field requires working directly with girls and women to address historical and present inequalities (affirmative action), as well as efforts to ensure that girls and women, and boys and men, define and benefit from mainstream development efforts (gender mainstreaming). (1) 


Why should gender equality concern you?

Gender equality is one of the seventeen sustainable development goals of the United Nations, to be achieved by 2030 (2) and a fundamental human right. (3) It is not a feminist fancy or a "nice to have" for elite societies. Being a human right, it is the law.

Taking Action for Progress towards Gender Equality


The 2018 International Women's Day focus is on making a commitment, for individuals, groups and organisations, to take specific action towards achieving gender equality. We at Women Thriving in Business International are challenging you to join us and identify at least one of IWD's five steps that YOU can take over the next 365 days towards gender equality.

What Can YOU Do?

These five steps, outlined on the International Women's Day website for 2018 are:

1. To maintain a gender parity mindset;
2. To challenge stereotypes and bias;
3. To forge positive visibility of women;
4. To influence others' beliefs and actions and
5. To celebrate women's achievements

Little Drops of Water Make a Mighty Ocean

If we each take sustained action over the course of the next 365 days, in any or all of these areas, our combined efforts will move the world closer to achieving gender equality.  


While we at WTBI commit to all five of these actions, we have chosen the main focus of challenging stereotypes and bias. This is because we are well aware that change and progress begin in the mind. As we work to support female entrepreneurs around the globe through our outreaches and services, we will therefore continue to place emphasis on coaching and mentoring that imparts empowering mindsets and the skills for self-advocacy.  

Envisioning a Fair Future

We urge you to join us in this press for progress.  We strongly agree with the United Nations that empowering women and girls through gender equality will fuel sustainable economies, benefiting societies and humanity at large. (3)

What is your ONE of Five?
Share it with us in the comments below.



​
​
References


(1) LeMoyne, Roger (2011). "Promoting Gender Equality: An Equity-based Approach to Programming" (PDF). Operational Guidance Overview in Brief. UNICEF. p1 Accessed 2018-03-03
(2) United Nations (nd) http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ Accessed 2018-03-03
(3) United Nations (nd) http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/  Accessed 2018-03-03

0 Comments

Celebrate Womanhood with Us!

1/3/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture





​It's the month of March
And we are Celebrating Womanhood! 

In line with the  2018 International Women's Day theme, Press for Progress, we will be challenging stereotypes and bias against women. 

* Have you encountered stereotypes and biases as a woman in the worlds of work, business and in general? 

* Have you been "lumped together with others" under negative assumptions about women?

* What do you have to say in response?
​

Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. It's time to deconstruct these mindsets and empower the women who have been held back by them. Join us on this blog from March 5th - 9th to Celebrate Womanhood!

0 Comments

Value Your Creations

30/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
I've just read the story about Joanne Siegel's fight to restore her husband's authorship copyright in the Superman character. It's quite sad that after selling the copyright to Detective Comics for $130, the Siegels lived in poverty for many years. Joanne, who was her husband's model for Lois Lane, spent years fighting for the copyright and eventually got back her husband's share in it.

This is a poignant lesson on the importance of:

(1) Valuing what you create and

(2) Protecting what you create.

Take an inventory of your creations and make sure they are protected. Think, What is the life time value of each of my creations? Am I creating them to sell or would I be better off keeping them?

I'll never forget my annoyance at having to buy back a domain name I created and got too busy to renew the registration.
I was informed that I had to buy it back. And the longer I delayed, the more I'd have to pay. Imagine the audacity!
If I hadn't created it in the first place, it wouldn't be there to sell. So I argued with my domain reg company that I created it and shouldn't have to buy it back. But that's the way of the business world. Some people's whole business is about buying and making money off the creations of others.  If you can't see the value in what you generate, there will be many others who do. Why do you think there are people going through your refuse and recycling what you throw away? You see it as worthless trash; they see it as valuable treasure. 

And just in case you are thinking, Well, I don't create anything, let me point out that you do! For starters, the more obvious: your domain names, blog posts, web sites and branding.
Then, the less obvious: your design systems (the steps you take to design, create and deliver your products and services); your proprietary customer service processes (the specific steps you take in your business to serve and delight your customers); the formula you follow to produce your bestselling books or works of art; the formula for your skin and hair care products; the patterns for your clothing designs... we could go on. If you are in business, you are no doubt creating intellectual property. And your IP has a market value. You just may not know it. It is alright to create IP with the intention to sell it, just as people buy landed property to sell. Just be sure to sell it for its true worth and that you are not short-changed.

Don't disregard the intellectual property you generate as a business owner. You don't want to spend years and money chasing smart people in court after you see what they've done with your creation. You be the first to see the life time value of your ideas and handwork. And it's not just for your life time; it could become your legacy, as Superman did for Laura Siegel Larson, daughter of co-creator Jerry Siegel.

Moral: Don't let someone else get rich off your sweat while you watch them smiling to the bank. You have assets that you aren't yet valuing. 

0 Comments

A Better Way to Attract New Business

14/2/2015

0 Comments

 
Who do you serve in your business and what do you do for them? How do you make life better for others? It is much more effective to SHOW how great your services are than to keep on TELLing about them. A great way to show is through publishing and sharing helpful information with your target audience. I have attracted many new clients, repeat business and referrals this way.  Plus, your publications keep on working for you long after you have forgotten about them.

So exactly how can you put your helpful information out there and attract more interest? You can get interviewed or interview others and share it, publish articles, podcasts, educational videos, write helpful guides, create and give away free time- and effort-saving templates and even run free workshops in your community. A client of mine tripled her income with big business this way. You do not have to be an expert speaker or writer to tap into information marketing. Just be prepared and professional. And you can get a sponsor or two to cover your costs and even make a profit while you are at it.

So, the next time you think about posting a promotional message, consider SHOWING what your business does and how you make a difference using helpful information instead. One of my free educational videos includes a link to a free guide. This has attracted over a thousand views, partnership and speaking opportunities and new business. And it continues to attract interest, years later. Your audience will watch, listen to and read your helpful info, share it and even go back to it and it will keep on attracting new interest. Much unlike the same-old boring invitations to buy, sign up, like and whatever, that get ignored, deleted or flagged as spam. Try it and let me know how it goes. And if information marketing has worked for you, please share your story in the comments box below.

0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Archives

    April 2018
    March 2018
    June 2017
    February 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    Business Strategy
    Make More Money
    Mindset
    Sales
    Selling
    Women's Day

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.