Creativity (or is success an accident?)

Many a great idea crash and burn not long after they have been introduced to the market. Why do some ideas succeed and other, seemingly unique and novel, ideas fail? Could it be that there is a recipe for success that some entrepreneurs follow and others disregard, to their own demise?

City Yange’s Geoffrey Ekongot spoke on the four most important, or should we say hats, that the entrepreneur must don in order to present a well thought out idea/ product to the market.




City Yange’s Geoffrey Ekongot speaks to the WoV ladies on Creativity

Hat 1: The Explorer: Every budding entrepreneur will need to don this hat every time they start to develop an idea. This is the stage when you seek for inspiration from different sources such as publications, events or conversations.

Hat 2: The Artist: All the inspiration collected in the Explorer stage need to be arranged into a coherent idea. Several ideas may arise from this stage.

Hat 3: The Judge: Any idea that isn’t evaluated is doomed for failure. At this stage everything and anything that will be important and necessary to the success of an idea in the market place needs to be addressed. This will involve everything from suppliers to specific market demography to the timing of the product release. For every arising issue you will need to don the two previous hats.

Hat 4: The Warrior: This stage is broken down into two parts.

The Foot Soldier requires you to actively be a part of of the production, marketing and selling processes of your idea. You might need to don this hat for a while as your idea finds its footing in the market place.

The General is when you take up the position as leader and foresee both the long and short term planning for your idea. You are not as actively involved as the foot soldier but you are not also completely removed from it.

If during the development of an idea, one of these steps is overlooked it might lead to the failure of it. Be sure to write down every stage you are addressing for your idea and you are sure to bring a great product into the world.

Training By Isaac Ruuci of City Yange on Satarday 21st July 2012

As Usual the team from City Yange gave us a mind blowing training session on Saturday the 21st of July. This Time Mr. Ruuci Isaac one of the Directors taught the women of Valor about change and how embracing it is vital for us if we want to become triumphant!

Isaac Rucci Director City Yange During the Women of Valor training Sat 21st July

Empowering Leaders Impacting Nations


Embracing Change


You Cannot Walk Into Your Destiny While Remaining Where You Are!


Four Characteristics of Change 


Unfamiliar


Uncertain


Uncomfortable


Unsafe


Change ALWAYS Calls For More Than What You Are Willing To Give!


Successful Change = GROWTH!


Five Roadblocks To Change


Fear


Tradition


Ignorance


Doubt


Safety


Four Steps To Change


Face Yourself


Examine Yourself


Judge Yourself


Encourage Yourself


You Will Either Face The Pain of Change Or The Pain of REGRET!


Embracing Change



Visit www.cityyange.com


Thank you our Sponsors, Pepsi Cola Uganda, Gatto Matto and Jamboree et Rendezvous!



Women of Valor, We believe in our selves, We are true to our purpose and we are triumphant! 



www.womenofvalorfoundations.org
www.jamboreerendezvous.com
womenofvalorfoundationblog.wordpress.com

If you watch Susan's Video and dont drop a tear then you are made of rock! Let us go for our dreams ladies!

Susan Boyle

A write up by Lydia Nabayunga project coordinator Women of  Valor Foundation


When Susan Boyle walked out and stood on that stage in 2009 for her audition for Britain's Got Talent, everyone in the audience, on the judges' panel and all who were watching around the world snickered and rolled their eyes at her. No one believed she would ever realize her dream of becoming a major vocal star of our era. She was 47years old and frumpy looking!!!!


Not a minute into her performance the audience was getting up on their feet cheering her on, shock written across their faces, eyes widened in disbelief. Hers was dubbed the biggest and most pleasant surprise performance by any contestant in the history of the show. Today Susan sells out arenas and performs in the choicest of venues to vast numbers of applauding fans. She realized her dream!


Many times when we dare to dream we are met with disbelief, shock, discouragement and all manner of negativity that we start to doubt ourselves. We are told that we are too old, too ugly, too foolish, too poor, too uneducated, too unconnected to the right people, too unintelligent to pursue and realize our dreams. And if we heed these whispers, and sometimes shouts, of discouragement we cease to dream and leave our hopes laying forgotten and tattered in the ashes of our broken spirit.


I am however confident that it shouldn't matter what the world says about you when you dare to reach for your star. If you know and do have what it takes to achieve your goal; if with determination and passion, with knowledge and skill, you will chase after it; if with courage and diligence you reach out and take a hold of what it is you most want, your dream is within your reach. I urge you to take your place front and center on the stage of life and then let your passion loose.


Let the world see that when you believed in yourself it was because you knew there was something within you that could drag itself out into the light of reality from the mucky waters of your thoughts and make itself real. Show us you are better than what we thought you to be or to ever be. Show all those who dared to not believe in you that you are more than empty fanciful dreams. Make the world stop and take notice of your passion, make it notice your outstanding success because you dared to dream. You dared to dream and are now making your dream a reality.


With tears running down I was as equally wowed as the judges must have been that day!
Please take a look at the You-tube video below!
One of the best inspirational videos ever - Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009
www.youtube.com
How to sing better instantly: http://tinyurl.com/cwjnspb Get a FREE iPad2: http://

Women of Valor Training Saturday 14th July 2012 by Doreen Kanyesigye

Trainer/ Motivational Speaker- Doreen Kanyesigye!

Go For It!

 LIVE YOUR DREAM 

Randy Pausch, an American Professor, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and given a 3 to 6 month terminal diagnosis. A month after he was given this diagnosis, he was invited by Carnegie Mellon University where he gave such a captivating lecture titled, ‘The Last Lecture, Living Your Childhood Dreams.’ His Key advice: live your dream!

At his commencement speech in 2005 at Stanford University, Steve Jobs, who was the CEO of Apple gave another startling speech; and his emphasis was not go out and make lots of money or be the best at what u have studied, but rather, go out and live your dream; do what makes you happy.

When I completed my masters last year from University of Warwick, I started working with a financial institution as their legal advisor, the money was okay, great team…BUT, something was amiss!! What was it? There I was, doing exactly what I was educated to do, doing exactly what society required me to do; practice as a lawyer since I was educated to be one.

I resigned three months after to live my dream; motivational speaking! Was it an easy decision? Absolutely not! At the time I resigned, I had only two hundred thousand shillings to my name, my family was going through such a difficult time, so much so that leaving at that particular time seemed to be like such a crazy decision to make. But in spite of the pressure not to resign, I still chose to follow my intuition…and that’s one of the most profound pieces of advice that Oprah Winfrey gave to the Stanford University students in 2008; have the courage to follow your intuition. And so I did!

The long and short of the story is that a few days after I left the bank, I miraculously got a job with a motivational speaking firm, which was looking for someone at that particular time…and there I was, right on time. Here’s what I learnt from that experience; it is extremely pertinent that you treat the fulfillment of your dreams as a matter of urgency; if that inner nudging from within tells you that it is the right time, act on it! If you delay, you might miss the right opportunity.

The ramifications of pursuing my dream? Joy, satisfaction and the renewed sense of purpose; isn’t that what we’re all looking for? All that we do is simply a quest for fulfillment.

But, where did I get the strength to pursue my passion against all odds? What gave me the strength to defy societal dogma? The Great Book says that the truth will set us free! What are some of the truths that I was aware of that helped me make such a difficult but fulfilling decision?

1. HAVE AN ABUNDANCE MENTALITY AS OPPOSED TO SCARCITY MENTALITY. Someone once said that live as if the world is conspiring to bring good into your life, because it is. People with an abundance mentality believe there are enough resources available to accomplish their goals. They believe that if they need people to attain their goals, the people will show up, if its money, it will show up. So that’s what I believed; I believed that all the resources I needed would show up, and they did!

2. BEING AWARE OF YOUR MORTALITY. At Stanford University, Steve Jobs said that one of the most liberating truths is remembering that we will all die, there’s no two ways about it. You see, remembering that gives you the boldness to take the risks to realize your dream. Les Brown said that fighting for your joy may entail taking risks. And that’s what I did; took the risk!

3. HAVE THE COURAGE TO PURSUE YOUR DREAMS; AVOID CONFORMITY. One of my parents’ concerns was really what they would tell their friends!! They were more comfortable telling their friends that am a lawyer and not a motivational speaker! But, is that a way to live your life? Are you going to let societal dogma rob you of your happiness?! A farmer once popped a tiny pumpkin in an empty jag; the pumpkin grew until it completely filled the jag and could grow no more. When the farmer broke the glass jag, out came a pumpkin that was exactly the same size and shape of the jag. Earl Nightingale said that one of the most profound problems in society is conformity, conformity to certain dogma without even knowing why, without questioning it. Hence, don’t allow the jags of societal dogma to limit your growth.

4. REALISE THAT YOUR ACRES OF DIAMOND ARE IN YOU. A story is told of an African farmer who heard stories of people who were discovering diamonds from far off lands. Excited, he sold off his own farm and went looking for the diamonds. However, years went by without any traces of diamond. In a fit of despondency, tired and discouraged, the farmer drowned himself in a river. The man who bought his farm at such a low price later found a rare stone in the spring that ran through the farm. He later found out that that stone was diamond; that farm later became one of the largest diamond mines in Africa! The farmer who sold the land literally had acres of diamond on his farm! Doesn’t that story reflect how we think? We more often than not believe that someone else’s grass is greener than ours; we complain about our family backgrounds and argue that if only we were born in different families, we would be a whole lot happier. All of that is just rubbish! When God created us, He placed within us such amazing gifts, which if discovered and explored, potentially have the ability to usher fulfillment into our lives. So quit complaining, find out where your passion is and pursue it; the creator has given us the power to design the phenomenal lives that we deserve. GO FOR IT!!

By Doreen Kanyesigye

Women Of Valor Foundation Training by Serrainne Nyamori From City Yange Foundation on Sat 14th July 2012

Trainer/Coach/Mentor-  Serrainne Nyamori

Knowing the team at City Yange through their reputation as great minds was one thing but sitting down to be trained by them was an out of this world experience all together. The wealth of knowledge that all the women of valor received that day will definitely change their entrepreneurial lives.

 A simple review of the training slides! 

PERSONAL BRANDING  "Investing in yourself as CEO of your own career  Serrainne Nyamori"

The key areas sighted were  

• Branding as an Investment
• What is a Personal Brand?
• The Internal & External Brand
• Ten Brand Building Strategies

What is an Investment?

• The purchase of an item of value with expectation of future return or benefit
• A devoting of time, talent, or emotional energy for a purpose or to achieve something
• Investment could be financial, spiritual, physical, social or reputational (brand)

 What is Personal Brand Equity?

The INTANGIBLE VALUE individuals bring to the business by:

•Influencing others through their experience, expertise & reputation

•Relationships built & maintained,

•Contribution to revenues & growth.

The Personal Brand "Internal and External" 

The internal brand is the values and principles that guide your life and choices.

  The external brand is how you project yourself to the world. It influences what others think of you and the value they place on you. 

"Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves .... Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of YOU when they think of your field."
Accelepoint Webzine

A Biblical Example of Branding and Reputation

Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”  1 Samuel 16:18

Ten Personal Brand Building Strategies

1. Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

• Personal Mission Statement
• Brand Communication Statement
• Your skills and interests. 
• Elevator Pitch (30-seconds)

A Sample USP

"I am a seasoned HR practitioner and a published author with a deep understanding of the entire banking value-chain.

I seek to contribute my unique skills and abilities in building a world-class financial institution."

2. A Career Plan

Long-term dream and important milestones

3. Differentiation Strategy

• Area of Specialisation
• Positioning Strategy

 "If you can, be first. If you can't be first, create a new category  in which you can be first."  Al Ries & Jack Trout, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

4. World-Class Communication Skills

• Written Language/Proposals
• Presentation/Speaking Skills
• Interviewing Skills.

5. Value Enhancers

• Learn to Drive (License)
• Valid Passport
• Foreign Language
• Computer Fluency
• Peak Performance Skills

6. Boundaryless Knowledge "Ultimate model for wealth creation"

 Read, Read, Read and Read! Just keep feed your brain by reading more and more.

7. Solid Network of Relationships

(Mentors, coaches, enforcers, supporters, sponsors, encouragers)

8. World-Class Package

• Well-prepared CV
• Business Proposals
• Testimonials & References
• Social Networking Sites- Facebook, Twitter & Linkedn
• Internet presence - Website, Blog, E-mail, Google+

  9. Appearance

People form an impression about you within the first ten seconds of meeting you. "Personality Management"

10. CONSISTENT REBRANDING

The creation of a new identity for an existing brand with the intention of developing a new position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors

 Why REBRANDING?

• Distance itself from certain negative connotations
• To move the brand upmarket.
• To communicate a new message .. You have evolved

"Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding.

WE ARE CEOS OF OUR OWN COMPANIES: ME INC.

To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You." Tom Peters

Compiled and presented by  Serrainne Nyamori

Special thanx to www.womenofvalorfoundations.org,www.cityyange.com,www.jamboreerendezvous.com,www.pepsi -cola.co.ug, www.ceda-uganda.org,www.lynaconepts.com,www,deloitte.com,www.facebook.com/GattoMatto.Kampala,www.deeinspiration.org,www.eclipse-africa.com

Great story by Tyler Perry!

Tyler Perry/Man of Valor

Tyler Perry 
Why did I put all my money into this? Is this going to work? God, do you hear me? Where are the people? I’m so scared. How will I pay these people? Why did I do this? I can’t pay my rent, they are going to repossess my car…

The year was 1992, July 8th-12th. All these questions were crowding my mind. I was a 22-year old wannabe... but what I wanted to be I didn’t know. All I knew was that I had written this play about adult survivors of child abuse and I wanted the world to see it. I was so sure that it was going to work that I put my own money into the show.

I had worked as a used car salesman and a bill collector and saved my income tax check and my bonuses. I took that money and hired a cast and built a set and rented a very small theater in Atlanta called the 14th Street Playhouse. I had done all the math in my head: I was going to perform 6 shows, 200 people a show, for a total of 1,200 people. The tickets were $12 and I was going to make $14,000 and be rich… LOL. I was going to give my tithe to the church, give my mother some money, pay my rent (that was two months behind), get my car payment caught up and live happily ever after. I knew as sure as I am sitting here that it was all going to be all right. I had prayed that thang out, as they say in the Baptist church… LOL. Looking back on it now I can laugh, but back then it wasn’t so funny. What I quickly realized is that prayer alone will not always get the results you want. As much work as I did, I didn’t do enough to promote the show. More work was needed to go along with my faith.

I was expecting 1,200 people but only 30 showed up. I was devastated. I thought my dreams were dead. Based off this one thing I thought my life was over. Based on this one failure (what I thought was a failure but it clearly wasn’t), I thought that the rest of my life would be ruined. Needless to say, looking back on it, it was all a part of God’s plan and amazing design for my life. And God has a plan for all of our lives.

Today I celebrate my 20th anniversary in show business. It’s been an amazing journey, one that I will detail in my autobiography one day. You would be surprised, inspired, angry and blown away with what I’ve endured to be here, but until then I’d like to share a little inspiration with you. So many times we think that because one thing didn’t go as planned we should give up on it. So many people leave their dreams dying on the floor, gasping for air because it didn’t work out the first time. Be it marriage, business, children, faith, whatever your dream is, you can't give up because it didn’t go as planned. If I had walked away because it didn’t work you wouldn’t be reading this. I had to keep moving. Yes, there were setbacks. Yes, it was difficult, but I got to see my dreams come to pass because I never stopped moving forward, I never stopped praying and most of all I never stopped believing. DON’T STOP BELIEVING!!!! PLEASE DON’T STOP BELIEVING!!! Say this to yourself out loud right now: “DON’T STOP BELIEVING”, and repeat it to yourself whenever you doubt that you can make it.

What you must understand is that everything, all of it, the good the bad and the ugly, it all works together for your good. If you love the Lord you are called according to His purpose. What’s His purpose for you? If you’re not sure, seek it and all your dreams will come true.

To all my dreamers, to all the people who have invested in themselves, to all the people who have the same questions that I did, hear me when I say this: YOU CAN DO IT!!

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS IN SHOW BUSINESS TODAY!!!!

God Bless you, in Jesus' name, AMEN!

At Women of Valor Foundation we are thirsty for more!

Looking at all these youthful ladies sitting across in the Women of Valor Mentorship trainings I knew that we are doing the right thing at the right time! Women are hungry for information on how to get economically independent. You could see the drive, passion and hope in their eyes that this is it! This is the boost I needed to get to the next level! This is what I needed to get my dream off the shelf and into reality! Women in general are just hungry for a way out. One good solution to their economic dilemma. Here we are thrown into the labor market that for generations has been dominated by the men. Now we have to multi-task. Being a corporate woman, business woman, farmer or whatever income generating avenue you choose as a woman does not make you any less of a house wife and mother. By the time we walk into the industry our table is already full! Now the age old question for today's woman is "How do I succeed economically with this table of mine that is already so full?' Its like being pulled in different directions with an equivalent force! That's why today we need to invest in each other as women. There are women who have walked this path before us and made it. Once equipped with this knowledge of how they did it, we can make this puzzle workable. To quench this thirst in the women of valor's eyes we decided to use tools like Mentorship, Executive coaching, Business trainings and Motivational talks! Special thanks go out to our Sponsors, Gatto Matto who gives us the training grounds for free! Pepsi www.pepsi-cola.co.ug whose drinks are used to financially facilitate the trainings, Lyna Concepts, Ugachick and Jamboree et Rendezvous www.jamboreerendezvous.com who are the events management firm behind the project! Not forgetting our trainers City Yange, www.cityyange.com, CEDA International www.ceda-uganda.org, Deloitte Consultants, www.deloitte.com,  IFE Consultants, www.ifeconsultants.biz, The Insipiration by Dee foundation, www.inspirationbydee.org, and most of all all the international organizations that have facilitated the success of this program like Professional Approach from Tanzania, www.pa.co.tz, Doyle Foundation from Australia and most of all the Irex Fellowship in conjunction with the United states department of Education through the Community solutions program, www.irex.org

A Note From The Founder Women of Valor Foundation (Remmie Male)

Remmie Male
Founder/Executive Director
Women of Valor Foundation
www.womenofvalorfoundations.org

There is an indescribable sense of fulfillment and joy that one gets when you give and touch a life or two. Mentorship and executive coaching is what we need today to propel us further in our dreams. At CEDA International we have a saying, when you walk alone you walk fast but when you walk together you walk further. There is a lot of untapped potential in each one of us but if someone recognizes it in us, guides us and mentors us into the best that we can be then the sky is not the limit. As an African Christian woman, it’s my inner desire to see that another woman has managed to better her life as a result of what I had to share or offer. There is an unexplainable satisfaction and joy that I get each time I help another who is in need. The need that I encounter everyday around my society needless to say with even the personal friends, their friends, relatives and my neighbors is my biggest impetus to reach out to all in need. My religious beliefs have also played a great role in grooming my heart into understanding and my mind into having a great revelation on how much within me can be shared with my society to bring harmony, prosperity and the general well being of the individuals in my community. With time I have discovered that all it takes is the will to make a difference transformed into action that gives you huge results and for me that knowledge motivates me to give more and more each day I am given a chance to do so. My Mentor Owek Rehma Kasule loves to say that ‘Mentorship is like lighting another one’s candle, when you share your light with many different candles it can never take away your glow.” What I always like to share with others is that “in this competitive world the best way to look at life is that the sky is large enough for all of us, if you help another fly with you then when your gas is out they can bail you out but when you were flying so high alone when your gas is out you will plummet all the way down and even pass those you neglected on your way down. Women can invest in women to make a difference. Don’t struggle alone ladies, together we can make our situation better.

What is Women of Valor Foundation all about?

Women of Valor is out to inspire, mentor, coach and make a difference to the age long financial dependence grip that has been every woman's plight. Through mentorship and executive coaching women get the chance to become better entrepreneurs, join the labor market or go up the employment ladder at their current jobs.