A memorable and impactful one month innovative experience.

My mother always thought I would make a fine actress...

My grit was tested but I endured to the end.

I learned fortitude and what it meant to be determined and I can say I can conquer whatever may be...

Training is the method of improving an individual's talents, abilities and expertise to perform which enhances the thought process.

"Learning experiences are like journeys; the journey starts in the present and ends where the learner is more successful. The end of a journey isn't knowing more, it's doing more". Julie Dirksen

I have had my fair share of training sessions in my not so long life as a professional. While some of those trainings left me bored, for the most part, Innovative for Readiness training organized by Novustack were interesting enough to hold my attention which I still speak of till date.

I have always been passionate about Business and marketing as a child, although my father always thought I would make a fine lawyer because I was so inquisitive about how business was run and would often debate him as we had different views on a lot of things including football especially when my team was topping the league. My mother on the other hand thought I would make a fine actress because I was a natural in mimicking Tv characters and I took lead cast in all drama roles organized by my church.

As the year goes by, I realize even more that I have passion for solving problems for people, whether it is a friend in need, volunteering in NGOs and assisting them in reaching their goals or help start ups gain brand awareness, I wanted to be involved and it made me feel so fulfilled.

As a future entrepreneur, I kept my sight on my environs to see what solutions I could come up with. I had tons of ideas that I couldn't wait for the world to see. Before I enrolled in innovative for Africa, I had always thought solutions were all an entrepreneur needed. I have later come to believe otherwise.

During my training, we did a class on the five stages of design thinking and till now I can hear my coach's voice shouting, "Focus on the problem first before the solution". While we were still at the problem stage, some of us had already profred solutions which is the mistake many entrepreneurs make till date. I remember we had to work on the problem for days till we got it right before moving to the solution.

As a January 2022 Innovative Aretes, A name we gave our cohort meaning invention and excellence, I would be enlightening you more about IFA.

IFA- Innovative For Africa comprises a team of professionals who train aspiring talents and innovative entrepreneurs and then provide them with the opportunity to work at a start up with continuous support and they have helped over 30+. IFA believes in creativity and innovation, growth mindset, inclusivity and diversity, etc.

Before I signed the agreement to become an IFA fellow, I went through the document and I realized I would have to put in about 20 hours a week for classes and 14 hours a week completing assignments. I said to myself, "This must be a mistake, maybe they meant 20 hours a month, Haha, because none of the training I have ever attended was this lengthy and just in a week!" Then I joined the training and I realized it was accurate. The training was so intensive yet so interesting and amazing especially how they got everything mapped out, so organized and collaborative. Honestly, everyday just leaves you yearning for more. My grit was tested but I endured to the end. I even took a place in attendance.

Synchronous and asynchronous sessions were virtual and it was so amazing how everything was clearly mapped out without any technical glitch. I got to meet a lot of CEOs who were invited as guest speakers and they shared in their wealth of knowledge. I’ll never forget what Dr. Neto, CEO wella health, said "if you experience a problem, chances are many others are experiencing the same problem and need a solution to it. Build something so valuable that people are willing to pay for it, as future entrepreneurs its important to learn how companies build cultures and value systems and there will come a time you will have to let every one go if they are not productive while building a startup, finally, be sensitive to timing i.e. the readiness of the market and hype your product until it gets noticed". At that moment I realized we must make people be aware of the problem and sell them the solution.

I was in the Digital Marketing track and I got to meet a lot of brilliant minds in other tracks such as Product management and Data analytics. It was four weeks of sleepless nights, working on clients projects that needed to meet each week's deliverables.

There’s so much to share from what I learned but one thing that will always stand out for me is how I now approach solving problems. It was a time I had to go back to my drawing board to look more into the problems than I was in trying to come up with solutions. I have also become more confident and more social as I have always been on the quiet end. I learned collaboration which got the job done easier and quicker, I learned grit and just what it meant to be determined and I can say I can conquer whatever may be.

Personal branding

We have all worked really hard to build our personal brands so that others can view us the way we want and this shapes our lives as well as our career.

I have always wanted to separate myself from the masses. During the Innovative Readiness training, I learnt how to brand myself using specific keywords that gave me a competitive advantage. I knew how important my portfolio was as a Digital marketer and the important strategies that I needed to revamp my LinkedIn and CV.

To prove its success, I had companies contacting me for opportunities in their establishment and this was another level for me.

Design thinking

All great innovators in science, engineering, business, etc have practiced it. Some of the world's leading brands such as Apple, google, etc, have rapidly adopted the design thinking approach. This was one of the most beneficial classes for me as I learned that Design thinking helps you to understand the users, challenges, assumptions and re-define problems in an attempt to identify solutions that might not be instantly apparent with the initial level of understanding. If you understand this, solving a problem will not be difficult.

Projects

I had to work with some of my colleagues on a hackathon project where we brainstormed, defined problem statements and prototyped.

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HARD SKILLS LAB

I was so excited working on a strategy document with my partner for a start up company.

During my asynchronous training, I learnt how to conduct in-depth competitors analysis, explored the SOSTAS model to come up with a strategy document that left our clients in awe and they couldn’t wait to hire us to execute the plan.

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This really opened my eyes how strategic analysis was conducted, thanks to my coach and mentor assigned to me during the training, it became so easy to work on it. I carefully digested the materials provided on SEO, social media marketing, etc and it was such a refresher. It was very intense but we delivered.

In conclusion, January 2022 was the most rigorous yet the best thing that ever happened to me. My team and I in the hackathon project are already working towards making our ideas a reality. I am so excited and I can’t wait for the world to see. This personal branding has been exceptional, I am more confident in just how much I can take the world by storm.