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Journal

Journal Podcast

Introducing Behind The Design Podcast

I have started a podcast! This is something that has been on my mind for a long while now, and I’ve finally decided to do something about it. Having worked behind the scenes to put everything place I am delighted to introduce Behind The Design podcast where I will be interviewing some of Africa’s and the diaspora’s established and emerging creatives. Getting them to share their entrepreneurial journeys and inspirations to inspire and motivate you as you build and nurture your own business.

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Entrepreneurship Journal Leadership Productivity

Successful Goal Planning For The Entrepreneur Who Wants To Achieve Their Goals

It is a scientific fact that repetition helps to reinforce things in our minds, in turn influencing our habits and actions. So imagine what you could achieve by regularly writing down your goals and having them to hand as you go about your workday. By constantly having to write out your goals and having them in front of you every day you will start to affirm, and truly believe in them because they will become embedded into your subconsciousness. But in order for goals to work, you need to set the right ones. So how do you set goals that […]

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Business Development Entrepreneurship Journal Leadership Productivity

Hitting the reset button on missed goals to get you back on track

Goals help us bring our dreams to life, but sometimes we can miss the goal deadlines we have set for ourselves. If things have been a bit of a struggle and you have slipped and fallen behind don’t be too hard on yourself. It happens. In life, not everything goes to plan. But it is how you deal with the changes and setbacks that determines how successfully you pick yourself up to have another go. Simply take a deep breath, press pause to reflect on why you missed the achieving goal, then hit the reset button to start from where […]

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Entrepreneurship Journal Leadership Productivity

Creating A Daily / Weekly / Monthly Work Schedule That Works For You

As an entrepreneur, you are in charge of your time and have a responsibility to make sure that you get the most out of your working days. Being your own boss means juggling a lot of hats as you find yourself dealing with lots of different things that demand your attention. Having a daily / weekly / monthly work schedule that works for you will help keep you on track of what you need to get done as you work towards growing your business and achieving your goals.

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Business Development Content Creation Entrepreneurship Journal

How To Make Money Blogging

Thinking of monetising your blog? You are not alone. How to make money blogging is a popular search engine topic, as bloggers (and other social media platform owners) from all walks of life seek to leave the 9-5 behind and make a full-time living online. Successful bloggers and social platform owners make it look easy, and graphics popping up in your feed telling you to follow such and such method to earn 5 / 6 figures a month further fuel the dream. But if it was as easy as it is made out to be then every blogger and social […]

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Designer and Architect Tosin Oshinowo Talks Building Creative Businesses

Bold, vibrant striped fabrics covering minimalist furniture designs announced the arrival of Ilé Ilà onto the contemporary African design scene. Handmade in Lagos, Nigeria the furniture designs echo the architectural designs of the company’s founder Tosin Oshinowo, who also runs her own practice, CM Design Atelier. Tosin chats with me about the inspirations behind her work, building two creative businesses and the lessons she’s learned.

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Content Creation Journal

How Much Do Bloggers/Platform Owners Charge On Average Per Post?

There comes a time when you have been blogging for a while that thoughts turn to making some money from your efforts. You’ve seen and heard of other bloggers and platform owners doing it so why can’t you? People turn to monetising their blogs and platforms for different reasons including earning a bit of extra income each month to supplement the one from the day job, whilst others dream of turning their platforms into their full-time job and being paid to do what they love. 

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Business Development Content Creation Entrepreneurship Journal

How do blogs make money?

Who would have thought when the first blog was created in 1994 that blogs would go on to disrupt the way we work and enable millions of people who may never have had the opportunity to do so in a traditional job, earn the types of income that transforms lives. Well they did and two decades later there are still people wondering how do blogs make money, and whenever I mention that I am a blogger one of the first questions I get asked is ‘so how do you make money?’ 

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Meet the Egyptian Designers Using Design To Create A Better Quality Of Life

Dealing with plastic waste has become a matter of global urgency as the world can no longer afford to ignore the harm the material is having on our world and on our lives. In Egypt, Reform an award-winning product design studio is pioneering the use of discarded plastic bags and upcycling them into sustainable fabrics for interior and lifestyle products. I caught up with the founders to chat about using design to create a better quality of life.

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Journal Well-being

Mental Health – Depression and the Creative Industries

Research points to a higher incidence of depression in the creative industries. As a creative entrepreneur it is important to look after your well-being. I was watching a segment on CNN where Christiane Amanpour was interviewing Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber about his distinguished career in musical theatre. In it Sir Lloyd referred to his struggle with depression, making the statement that every creative gets depression at some point or other. This made me pause. I have heard it said that those in the creative industries are three times more likely to get depressed* (*stats relate to the UK). So why […]

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Branding Journal

Tips to Prepare for Your Branding Photoshoot

Creating on-brand images is one of the most fun-filled aspects of building a brand. It can also be one of the most stressful tasks. Having been through a brand refresh that included a branding photoshoot for on-brand images, I thought I would share my experiences of how to prepare and ensure you get the images you want.

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Architect and Furniture Designer Moran Munyuthe on Design, Inspiration and Working for Yourself

Architect and furniture designer Moran Munyuthe is the founder of the Saba Studios, a studio, workshop and retail outlet based on the island of Lamu where he works in partnership with local craftsmen to create heirloom-quality furniture inspired by local design and motifs. We caught up with him to get an insight into furniture design, running a workshop and shop and the journey of working for yourself.

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Cameroonian-American Fashion Designer Nyorh Agwe Talks Identity And Building a Fashion Brand

1. Please introduce yourself, tell us a bit about your background, where you are based, and what led you to a career in fashion design? My name is Nyorh Awum Agwe and I am a Cameroonian-American Fashion Designer. I was born in Cameroon but moved to Italy with my mum when I was 3 weeks old. My first language as a Cameroonian was Italian. After I was 4, we moved back to Cameroon only to move to the United States just 2 years later. Our family had a very nomadic lifestyle. Because of it, I always found myself having to […]

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Kilubukila on Building A Business Whilst Working the 9-5

Last December whilst showcasing our books at the Africa Centre Christmas Market Pop Up we found ourselves neighbours with a furniture design business called Kilubukila, and subsequently got chatting to the founder Jess Kilubu. Jess is among an ever-increasing number of people following their dreams by starting a business whilst working the 9-5 and we invited him to share his motivations and experiences of his creative entrepreneurial journey so far.

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Native Decor Founder, Vusani Ravele On Building A Sustainable Creative Business

South African product designer and managing craftsman, Vusani Ravele won the hearts of  TV viewers following his appearance on Shark Tank South Africa. Vusani shares with us the impact securing investment has had on developing his business Native Decor, the challenges and rewards of growing a sustainable creative business, the importance of preparedness, having passion and believing in yourself.

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Product Designer Thabisa Mjo Talks Competitions, Design And Business

Thabisa Mjo the founder of Mash T. Design Studio in Johannesburg was a winner of the Nandos Young Hot Designer in 2016, wowing the judges with her show-stopping Tutu 2.0 pendant light, inspired by the Xibelani skirt worn by Tsonga women. Thabisa’s work is a mix of modern design and a celebration of culture referenced in the shapes, patterns, and textures she uses. Winning the competition gave her the confidence to go out and enter more and also showcase her work locally and internationally. She speaks to us about her journey to building a successful design studio.

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Creative Careers Interviews Journal

Q&A With Pop Up Africa Founder Jessica Laditan

Global interest in all things Africa continues to grow thanks in part to dedicated exhibitions and events that help to introduce the continent’s diverse offerings to new audiences. In the UK Pop Up Africa is one such series of events, usually comprising a mix of a vibrant market and delectable food stalls, and where we had the opportunity to showcase ou sister brand Shoko Press books at one of their events over the summer. Events like these take a lot of behind the scenes planning, hard work, and passion. And to find out more we caught up with Pop Up Africa founder […]

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Content Creation Creative Careers Journal

Tips For Creating A Winning Book Proposal And Submitting To Publishers

Whenever I mention I have written and published a book, some of the questions that tend to follow include ‘I want to write a book, how do go about it’, and how do I get my book published?’. It is said that everyone has a book within them, and for first-timers taking your book proposal from idea to published can be a daunting challenge, the prospect of which prevents many from doing so.

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Entrepreneurship Journal Leadership

Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?

I was taking part in an event and had a stand showcasing some of the books I publish. I had roped in my niece to help me out on the day, and when I had finished explaining my work to some of the first visitors to my stand, she turned to me and asked with a quizzical look on her face “Where do you get your ideas from?”

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