Capital Moments, in collaboration with Barclays’ Black Professionals Forum, hosted another Smart Money event. This time, the theme was ‘Up Your Price’. I don’t know about you but I am about my bag and in my bag, so events like this are fantastic to keep me on track and gain some practical tips to help me further refine my strategy. We heard from entrepreneurs: Tor Abrams, Demi Ariyo, Mariam Jimoh and Tony Dara, all of whom gave us an insight into their various journeys and pitfalls.

Tor Abrams, ex-Google marketing strategist and current founder of digital growth agency Sinfluence, shared five principles that he believes aids the transition from full-time work to full-time entrepreneurship: Have a chief, definitive aim (defining your aim will provide clarity and keep you going when things get difficult!), action > planning (We can often become consumed with planning and remain in the planning stage for years and years and years, rather, have a goal and work towards it), ignore your current reality (lead with your business and do not get disheartened when judgment from others arises - which it will), no fear of failure (failure will promote growth provided your perspective is right, embrace it!) accountability (having accountability partners is essential - have someone to keep you in check when you say you are going to do something, stick to your to-do lists, and most importantly, find time where others don’t!).

Founder of Lendoe and co-founder of Capital Moments, the amazing Demi Ariyo, shared his journey into entrepreneurship and how he drew on the knowledge and experience gained from his part-time job at the time, to build his business. If you have not heard of Lendoe, where have you been?! Lendoe is a social lender that focuses on small businesses run by underrepresented entrepreneurs - they have helped the likes of Slider Cuts, Mixtape Madness and Naturally U, to name but a few. Demi shared how building (plan, network, find a team, build your confidence), research (primary and secondary) and preparation (mental, financial, physical), were all pivotal in his journey and encouraged others to do the same. Validation was a keyword that appeared time and time again during Demi’s talk. It is essential to validate your idea and ensure that your idea and business can run well and gain the necessary traction once you decide to go full-time with it. There is often a discussion about ‘9-5’ vs. Full-time entrepreneurship’, whilst I do not think you can necessarily argue in favour of one against the other, Demi’s story is a prime example of how utilising your time and resources can allow you to do both and ease the transition into full-time entrepreneurship (if that is your goal, of course!)

Mariam Jimoh is an ex-M&A Investment Banker, founder of WCAN (a social enterprise dedicated to the personal and professional development of black women), co-founder of Onwe Press (an independent publishing house aiming to disrupt the industry as we know it) and Oja (a groceries delivery service that seeks to make ethnic foods readily available by connecting local multi-cultural store) – simply put, a powerhouse. Mariam shared, quite candidly, how she has found managing her various business, remaining resilient in the face of adversity as well as practical resources that have helped her effectively allocate time and resources necessary for various businesses. Mariam highlighted the fact that perfection was not efficient. For many budding entrepreneurs and sometimes even professionals, we tirelessly pursue the perfection of an idea or concept and fail to actually produce an output. Do not chase perfection, rather endeavor to produce consistent and effective content, as more often than not, time is the greatest refiner.

Uncle Tony Dara’s talk was a personal favourite. The media entrepreneur and CEO of Pan-African television channel News Central shared his journey as an entrepreneur from an African perspective which was refreshing. It is important to think about what problem your business aims to solve. As many of the delegates were indeed young Diasporans, Tony stressed that it was important for us to know that we can indeed take our knowledge, experiences and networks back to Africa to help, particularly in rural areas. There is no textbook guide to entrepreneurship and it does have a lot to do with self-leadership - you cannot be afraid to talk to people and you are only as good as the chances you take. Tony left us with some timely food for thought - how do you lead yourself from idea to fruition to growth?

I am a bit of a fiend for networking events and panel discussion and would encourage young professionals and entrepreneurs to attend at least one a month – not only is it a good opportunity to network and meet like-minded individuals, but gain understanding on different perspectives from keynote speakers and delegates in attendance. ’Up Your Price’ was an insightful evening and hearing from entrepreneurs in different spaces definitely gave me some necessary motivation. With that being said, I am so ready to up my price - Q4, let’s go!

In an age where around 40% of the workers in the UK have side-hustles, it is important to hear from those that actually have some skin in the game to help you avoid some of the pitfalls they may have encountered. The speakers and CM team are all very professional and approachable, so feel free to message them personally to pick their brains (with sense, of course!)

This was my first CM event and I am sure it will not be my last. Every young professional and entrepreneur needs to tap into some of the aforementioned insight. Special thanks to the CM Team and Barclays Black Professionals Forum team for a Friday evening well spent! If you know me, you will know how much I rant and rave about Capital Moments – the simple nature of their content makes complex commercial issues easily digestible for the young professional. Be sure to follow Capital Moments for all things commercial awareness; Tor Abrams (Sinfluence), Mariam Jimoh (WCAN, Oja and Onwe Press), Demi Ariyo (Lendoe) and finally, Tony Dara (News Central TV).

CM SMART MONEY, UP YOUR PRICE

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