Where are they now? Update on the Undeterred women
We’ve kept in touch with many of the women from around the world featured in UNDETERRED: The Six Success Habits of Women in Emerging Economies, released in early 2015. I thought you’d enjoy hearing from a few of them and seeing how they, their businesses, and careers have evolved!
Job Creation & Revenue Growth
In Argentina, Denise Abulafia has grown her business at an incredible rate, and in 2015, generated more than 300 new jobs for professors around the world. Her company, Educatina, is in final stages of preparing to expand into Columbia. Denise generated over a 100% increase in her revenue stream in the last year.
Strategy & Networking
In Ghana, Regina Agyare Honu, CEO of Soronko Solutions, has learned to strategize with her team. “As a team we do more brainstorming and outline clearly where we are going. We actually have it up on a board so that we all understand the task ahead.” Recognizing the importance of it as a business leader, Regina is also working hard to build a stronger and wider network. She surrounds herself with other amazing entrepreneurs that inspire, encourage her vision, and they have become dear friends.
Intrapreneurship & Focus
In Saudi Arabia, Reem Assad, Senior Investment Advisor at Saudi Fransi Capital, branched out to work on an entrepreneurial startup while still in her corporate role. The experience allowed her to better define the kind of work she wanted for herself. When the company she worked for started growing and realized the value of thinking outside the box, a manager approached her with an offer to move into a new role that better fit her skill set.
Reem has found that focusing in on her own plan and ignoring the noise of people’s opinions and perspectives around her has helped her be even more successful. Being willing to jump in and start in early in the game with small steps enabled her to reach her goals at the right time.
Reem says that she stays practical and pragmatic. She knows that nothing is as easy or perfect as it seems. She encourages others to “get inspired, but not be illusioned.”
Perspective & Decision Making
In Kenya, Chebet Ng’ok, Lean-In partner and Financial Consultant, attributes much of her recent success to the attitudes she’s developed, which she describes as: “A positive, consistent, can-do attitude.” She also makes it a habit to “ask for what I need or what I would like regardless of that niggling feeling of rejection” to help her maintain constant and persistent self-care.
She’s become strong in “learning how to say no to what does not serve me anymore….[and] learning to say yes to help” have enabled her to reach new career and professional levels.
Chebet explains that she’s reached her version of success by “taking rest, listening to my body and trusting my intuition.”
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
We want to know about YOU and your progress! Email us at [email protected] with updates about your career or business. What steps, strategies, or resources have been crucial to your current success?
