#FifthGems: Meet Oreoluwa Olukorode, A Medical Student & Digital Marketer
1. Thank you for the time to chat with you. You do have a nice name. Do you mind telling us what the meaning is? Thank you for having me. Olukorode? It means that the Lord brings wealth. It’s an uncommon last name & I love it. I just wish people would stop misspelling it as “Olukorede”. You can call me Ore. 2. Interesting, but not to drift off cause, why did you branch out of medicine to go into marketing and how do you shuffle both? Well, I did not particularly branch out as I’m still studying medicine lol. But I’d say my love for public relations influenced my interest in marketing. I had a lot of free time during the first pandemic year and I needed to get busy. Fortunately for me, a company I love was hiring interns so I applied and got in. I work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and marketing which balances everything out for me. It’s not either this or that but everything, together, all at once. It’s a dream come true for me. 3. Amazing. How did you strategically position yourself as a digital marketer? I need more people to talk about how much working with the right people could be vital to pivoting your career. I’ve only had to interview for one role since I actively started working and that was because my employer was based in the US. It’s been one recommendation or the other for me. Of course, the quality of my work and my attitude towards learning played a huge role but I guess I’m also lucky. 4. In your digital marketing journey so far, what would you say has been the most intriguing lesson learned? Consistency pays. When you do something repeatedly, you automatically get better at it. The same applies to digital marketing for me and as a result, I’ve learned to work smart over the years. There’s this principle that says you actually get 80% of your results from 20% of your work. You can’t necessarily tell where this 80% will come from so you just have to keep putting in good work. 5. Now, what has been the toughest part of your marketing journey? Hmm. It’s hard to think of anything serious right now but I’d say walking away from situations that are no longer paying me. As a creative, it’s important to know when to shut the door, especially for clients who think digital marketing is a piece of cake. I’d also say my growth. Combining digital marketing with studying medicine is not easy. If I were doing this full-time, I definitely would’ve grown at a faster pace. 6. What has been your most successful idea so far in digital marketing? What I consider my most successful idea is in-house, I’m not sure I should be talking about it here, haha. Oh yeah, I started a trend on Instagram with Asake & Fireboy Bandana video. If you didn’t see it, you can check @pharmarun on Instagram. 7. Let’s not make digital marketers sound boring, what do you do for fun? I try to keep up with a number of hobbies. I enjoy watching and participating in sports a lot. I also love traveling and reading books–mostly fiction. My newest passion lately has been creating content, so you’d see me on Instagram posting videos from restaurant hopping or french classes. Oui, je parle francais. 8. No brand/business can do without digital marketing even in the pharmaceutical industry, what are the most effective strategies you advise small businesses to adopt to get started? Hire the right people. As a small business owner, you might want to do everything (logistics, social media management, etc) to save cost but in the grand scheme of things, having like-minded people on your team spurs your growth. Also, it’s important to be flexible during the early stages. The market is constantly changing and you should learn to adapt and change with it till you figure out what works best. 9. What is one thing you need all brands to understand about digital marketing? Results take time. Relaxx. 10. For young adults interested in digital marketing, how can they begin? Speaking from personal experience, the best way to start is by building the required skills using online resources. The internet is an infinite well of information, use it. Learn about each marketing channel, and choose the ones you want to build on because frankly, digital marketing is broad and you can’t possibly do everything. Apply for internships, or even reach out to digital marketers around you and tell them you’d love to assist them. Another thing you can do is reach out to brands and tell them you want to work with them for free. The initial stages might not be financially rewarding but prioritize knowledge and experience first, money will come later. Thanks for having me on the series! ALSO READ: #FifthGems: Meet Feranmi Okafor, A Growth Marketer & Founder of Tech Marketers Hub _______________________________ Connect with Oreoluwa Olukorode on Twitter
#FifthGems: Meet Feranmi Okafor, A Growth Marketer & Founder of Tech Marketers Hub.
1. Would you mind sharing briefly your experience with Marketing? I’ve worked in marketing for three years. During that time I’ve worked at the intersection of growth and communications across a number of products. Now, I currently work within the digital technology space. I’m also the founder of Tech Marketers Hub. 2. It must be fun and challenging being in 2 trending spaces in the economy. Marketing and Tech (As per “women in tech” *laughs*) – What has that been like? Working in tech has been an eye-opener, especially in a no-code role. I have grown a lot and learned a lot. I’ve never really been conscious of the role “women-in-tech” thing. I want to be the best I can be and I think I’m doing a great job so far. 3. What are you most proud of about yourself in your career journey? How resilient I am. I like that I go after what I want unapologetically. I’m very dogged when it comes to my career growth. Some highlights would be working with international tech products and setting up a community for tech marketers. 4. We understand you have a community you’re managing, you want to shed more light on what it’s about & what the goal is? We’re building something really important for marketers within the digital technology space. I decided to create a community for budding and experienced marketers to network, and get access to mentorship, job opportunities, and resources to grow. In less than six months, we’re close to 900 members across 10 time zones. The goal is to grow 10x, to make this the point place for hiring tech marketers and the first resource for that marketer that’s just starting out. We’re fully registered as a Non-Profit, It’s called the Tech Marketers Hub. It’s my passion project and I’m so proud of how we’re growing. 5. Outside of Marketing- I mean when you’re not talking about marketing, influencing marketing, or growth in business, what other things interest you? I write and perform poetry, growing up that’s what people knew me for. At 16, I had my own show called “Moonlight Tales”. I also love to travel, I love driving, reading African literature, and listening to music. I like doing things that spark joy, I laugh a lot. 6. What tips will you give small businesses/startups/entrepreneurs to implement for growth in their business? Storytelling is so important for your products. People already know the “how” but the why is so much more important. Users want to see themselves in your product. Customer experience is everyone’s job. Always try a multi-channel approach to marketing as an early-stage company. ALSO READ: #FifthGems: Meet Ibukun Joyce, Marketing Coordinator at Burger King Nigeria Connect with Feranmi Okafor on Twitter
#FifthGems: Meet Nthanda Manduwi, Serial Entrepreneur & Media Icon
I like to think of myself as a storyteller. I love to tell stories in the most exciting and creative way.
Blessing Abeng: How Disha is Empowering an Ecosystem of Creators
We had the pleasure of interviewing Blessing Abeng, CMO & Co-founder of Disha, a platform that helps creators build a one-page site in minutes from their smartphones. She is a branding and communications expert dedicated to helping creators identify their value, and unique point of view. Blessing helps brands communicate with their team, target audience, partners, and investors. She creates unforgettable experiences that reflect the personality of brands and convert strangers to loyal customers and community members. TFA: What was the concept or idea behind Disha? BA: As creators in careers and business, we recognized the needs and challenges our fellow creators were facing especially when it came to – showcasing their work. We decided to put together a platform that delivered on form and function by creating beautiful and excellent tools for creators, that did not require technical expertise. We started with a signature platform and then went on to create a link-in-bio platform. Our users experimented with the platform and created – resume pages, websites, link aggregators, bio pages, and so many dynamic one-page sites and we decided to enable them by birthing our golden child – Disha Pages, a platform that helps creators build one-page sites in less than 15 minutes for free, to showcase their work. It worked because – We know and understand creators, they are us. Check out amazing platforms created by Dishans here. TFA: What products/services does Disha offer? BA: The main product is Disha Pages. The first tool we created was a signature platform. TFA: Tell us about the unique features on Disha and why creators need to get on board. BA: Oh my! Where do I begin? Apart from the fact that you can build a beautiful, customizable one-page site in 15 minutes and use it for free for life, you can link to multiple pages, embed your YouTube video, showcase images, get analytics, access a great community of creators and resources. The best part is, if you decided to go PRO. You can enjoy unlimited carousels, unlock unlimited elements, get even more comprehensive analytics, integrate google pixel, add unlimited videos and the holy grail – connect custom domains and SSL. TFA: How would you describe Disha to a potential client? BA: Disha is a platform that helps creators create a one-page site in minutes from the comfort of their smartphones. Our users have described it as the best, dynamic and the only link-in-bio platform for creators, the Canva for one-page sites, Wix for dummies, so many interesting descriptions. We are curious to hear you describe Disha when you use it. TFA: Where do you see Disha in the next 5-10 years? BA: Creating for Creators and empowering them with tools to ensure that they can create platforms to enable their dreams in even shorter time frames. We are catalysts for creators and in years to come, that’s all we’ll be doing – catalyzing the creators’ ecosystem. Check Disha on Social Media: Website: disha.ng Twitter: @getdisha Instagram: @getdisha Facebook: Disha HQ LinkedIn: Disha HQ ________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Blessing Abeng: Twitter: @ms_einsteinette Instagram: @ms_einsteinette Facebook: Blessing Abeng LinkedIn: Blessing Abeng
Brand Communications Strategist, Sophie Mokah, Talks About the Impact of Social Media in Canadas Fashion Industry
We recently caught up with the super smart Sophie Mokah, Brand Communications and Fashion Enthusiast. She is the Chief Creative Officer of Pinq Communications a Brand Communications and Creative Agency. She is a fashion connoisseur and a lover of all things creative. A Christian, a wife and a mom of two children. She is currently living with intention and navigating being a business owner and motherhood all at once. TFA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself SM: My name is Sophie Mokah, I am a Brand Communications Expert and a Fashionista. In 2019 I founded Pinq Communications a Brand Communications and Creative Agency. My agency has different sides to it, it touches every creative part of Marketing – Ibrand.ca. I have always loved creative arts as a little girl, I grew up with fashion, arts and music. My mom has always been my biggest fashion inspiration. She ran her own fashion and creative agency too, and that inspired me a lot. Three years ago, I stumbled on digital marketing while working as a Creative Director for a Fashion Company. I immediately fit into it, it was like I found the missing piece of the puzzle, and it was easier to merge both knowledge and experience to create masterpieces for my clients. One of my goals in life is to change lives and transform brands using people focused strategies that genuinely help people and solve everyday problems. This would make me happy. I am a happily married mom of two gorgeous children. I am family oriented but also an advocate for self-care – I mean you have to be mentally strong to care for your family. So a little me time is highly recommended. TFA: How do you describe your personal style? Who would you say are your inspirations? SM: I am an all fashion, trendy and chic kind of girl. My fashion is a mix of variety ranging from casual to semi-formal, formal, old school, luxurious, girly, sporty and clean- cut professional. I can wear it all, it all depends on the event, place and time. I love to accessorize a lot to compliment my outfits, I use belts, scarves, hats and jewelries. Most times I seem a bit over dressed at functions but I also love being conspicuous so I do not mind the attention Lol. My mom is my biggest fashion inspiration. Everything I know now about fashion, I learnt from her. I watched her dress up, we played dress up, I watched her design things and I just fell in love. I currently do not have any other fashion inspiration but I pick a little from everyone. I love to watch runway shows, because that tells you the latest trends and what to look out for the coming year. TFA: How is the fashion industry in Canada? Does social media and tech have a huge impact in the industry? SM: Before I moved to Canada, a friend that grew up here told me that once I get to Canada my fashion sense would evaporate Lol. It was funny at that time and I didn’t believe her, but now I see the reasons why. First of all, Canada is 100% different from Nigeria where I grew up. It is one of the coldest countries in the world. Sometimes fashion literally goes out the window when you are only thinking about staying warm, layering up and not getting the flu. It is hard to keep up with fashion here, but doing it with intention is the only way to keep up. When I first moved here, I started researching Canadian fashion. I found out that three provinces Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are like the fashion hubs of Canada. So I figured I just moved to a non-fashion hub. I started attending fashion shows (there are like two fashion shows in Calgary where I live) to have a feel of what fashion looks like here and it sort of informed my own creativity. I would say the fashion industry is improving in Canada. Social media and tech has really upped the fashion game in Canada. Social media is merging the fashion world and designers are springing up in Canada every day. The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards is a huge impact on the industry. It is putting Canadian fashion on the map and it has nurtured the love for fashion in more young people. Retailing aspect is still a bit dicey, because shopping for fashion is really expensive in Canada, so brands find it hard to make profit. I figured it has to do with taxing goods being imported into Canada (a little bit high), but yeah once that is sorted, fashion will make a huge impact to the Canadian economy. TFA: What are your favorite social media apps for lifestyle and fashion contents? SM: Instagram and Pinterest are two of my favorite social media apps when it comes to fashion and lifestyle content. They both cover every bit of fashion and lifestyle content either in motion or still pictures. These two social media platforms have been evolving and changing with the times. You can literally search for anything on Instagram and it gives you a sort of direct connection to your favorite brands. They carry you on a journey from sketching to actual finished designs which we didn’t have years back. I also like this new app called Like to Know It – it is a fashion app that links Instagram photos to an app that links the shopping website so you can directly shop any outfit in real time. TFA: What would be the notable trend for fashion in 2020? SM: Old school is coming back with a bang. I know we saw a little bit of old school in 2019 but it is coming in with a bang this year. I mean just look back at the last fashion shows in 2019, you sort of have an idea where the trend is heading. We
Canadian Ecologist, John Lieber, talks about sustainability and environmental change.
We had the opportunity and pleasure to interview the highly knowledgeable and delightful John Lieber. In addition to being an ecologist and urban planner, John is a LEED AP (BD+C) and ISA Certified Arborist. He has participated in wide range of environmental planning project across all sectors. He is currently working with the City of Toronto but also consults. TFA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself? JL: I’m an ecologist, urban planner, and sustainability advocate. I work with the City of Toronto but also consult with my firm Jungle Capital. TFA: What inspired you to become an ecologist? JL: The source of so much heartache in the world comes from the mismanagement of natural resources. I want to reduce that heartache and change the narrative of human beings from a destroyer of nature to a creator of it. TFA: What do you think a person can do to help the environment? JL: Fill every space they command with plants. Vote for environmental leaders. Donate to non profits. Be optimistic. TFA: What are some of the environmental projects you have taken up? JL: I have wrote Op-Ed’s such as my piece “Urban Ecology: A Bright Future for Sustainable Cities” in Revelator News, participated in high profile urban planning projects such as Toronto’s Parkland Strategy, and was invited to the United Nations Climate Action Summit by the Secretary General for my Natural Based Solution contribution titled “Ecology Positive Cities Framework” which incentivizes plants on and within buildings. TFA: In one statement, what message do you have to the coming generation? “Do what you can where you can. Care for life and create new life. Sacrifice consumption for discipline. Dream bigger. Out work those with bad intentions. Embrace positivity and self love. Learn how things around you operate. Get rich, Get powerful and then change what needs to be changed” – jOHn lieber Connect with John: Twitter: @jungle_capital LinkedIn: John Lieber Facebook Group: Environmental Professionals Instagram: @jungle_capital Podcast: Jungle Capital YouTube: Jungle Capital Tik Toc: Jungle_Capital
