The days of women bottling up their entrepreneurial spirit, patiently putting aside their hopes and dreams of setting up their own businesses appear to be thankfully, slowly dwindling away.

No longer willing to put their passions or skilled hobbies on the back burner in favour of dependable employment, increasingly, women, who are often regarded as the more innovative and resourceful of the sexes, are looking to turn their passions into profits. However, with the stubborn gender pay gap still equating to women in the UK earning on average £300,000 less than men during their working lives in 2016, this simple sum can often seem like the hardest one to calculate;

PASSIONS > WORK = PROFIT

 

Melan Mag speaks to three women who have all approached this calculation slightly differently but with the same positive result.

 

Natalie Leonna

Founder of NL PR, an Event Management company and Creative Agency.

Natalie Leonna

Natalie bucked the stereotype of a typical teenage mother, going above and beyond and working hard to build a solid foundation for her child, seeing her work with other up and coming creative mums, helping them excel in their chosen fields.

Confidence, a key ingredient for great leaders in any field was something that Natalie admittedly struggled with. Let’s face facts, rejection and obstacles occur in all businesses and you have to have staying power to overcome challenges as an entrepreneur, and for someone who is naturally shy, was conscious about prejudices as a single teenage mum, and experienced depression first hand, Natalie had to search deep within to draw real courage and push herself out of her comfort zone, owning her identity and proving that she was serious about providing for her daughter.

Returning to work when her daughter was just four months old, Natalie continued to work on projects in addition to her 9-5, and after seven years, moved into more focused work in Public Relations work spending three years of learning on-the-job, but achieving successful partnerships with notable brands like Caffe Concerto, Luton Arts Festival and Toni & Guy.

Making the decision to go freelance can be scary for anyone, let alone a mother of now three children, who is planning her own wedding. Yet Natalie values the freedom to work flexibly around her family. Her responsibilities add to her motivation and she turns obstacles into stepping stones and regards set-backs as lessons instead of failures. Have you heard the saying ‘Time is Money’? Well Natalie’s advice to anyone thinking of starting a business is;

“Now is as good a time as any to pursue your passions. You have the power and the abilities to achieve anything you want so go for it, be patient with the process and don’t give up.”

But what is the reality of her success? Natalie said “I completely encourage pursuing your dreams and trusting in your business, but you must also remain realistic. Stay in the moment and be responsible. You have to be able to survive and pay the electric bill!” Natalie emphasized that she had to transition slowly to remain financially secure and retain stability for her family.

She views herself as a work in progress but just looking at how much her business, NL PR, has grown and her exciting future projects including writing a regular column in Inspire-LS magazine, an award winning online resource for career women, involvement in the Relief For Dominica charity, a speed networking event starting early next year as well as an up and coming Windrush documentary, it’s clear that there are no limits to her business growth. If Natalie can find the time, so can you!

Get connected to Natalie Leonna via info@nlpr-online.com

 

Dentaa Amoateng MBE

CEO and Founder of the GUBA Enterprises; (GUBA Awards, GUBA Foundation, GUBA Expo and GUBA Careers), an enterprise that focuses on enriching, empowering and establishing the African community as forerunners in the UK.

Dentaa Amoateng

Prior to GUBA Dentaa’s childhood dream of becoming an actress and TV presenter came to reality when she decided to make it happen! In 2006 she launched ‘The Dentaa Show’ an entertainment program filled with exclusive interviews from celebrities in Ghana and the UK. Dentaa was inspired to showcase the talent of other successful Ghanaians in the UK who were not so visible in mainstream media.

Dentaa had transitioned from employer too employee, almost like a fairy tale. But hold up! Did you really think that she was going to get away with simply wanting to be on the telly in her strict African household?! No, Dentaa is also a qualified AND practising Paediatric Nurse hence her motivation to build businesses that serve the community. An enterprising lady, she has always worked on projects alongside my permanent jobs/careers.

Recently, Dentaa has finally taken the leap of faith immersing herself in GUBA Enterprises full time, following her passion and love of Ghana, utilising her networks and building a brand that is emblazoned on the minds of not just Africans in the UK but the UK monarchy too, she recently received an accolade from Her Majesty the Queen as Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)!

With GUBA Awards being a not for profit business, generating funding and sponsorships has brought an additional dynamic to the concept of #PassionToProfit but Dentaa has managed to find a solution.

Market your unique talent and skills, which will in effect pay you.

In addition to this advice Dentaa, the successful business woman, wife and mother of three says, “Business is like any journey or difficulty in life – it seems impossible until it is done.”

Dentaa’s passion to profit tips are;

  • Persistence – regardless of the hurdles
  • Thorough planning and research which helps to eliminate possible setbacks and
  • Delegation – knowing which tasks to take on and which to share with your team.

To find out more about her #PassionToProfit work, follow Dentaa’s Page on Facebook.

 

Coach Lyds

Award winning business success coach, mentor and inspirational speaker

Coach Lyds

Coach Lyds’s passion for sports and media coupled with her exceptional networking skills turned her passion into profit by literally helping others and coaching them to “turn their passion into profit”. Throughout her long media career, she has been the ‘go to woman’ for organisations such as the BBC, Channel 4, Sports England and the NFL who choose her to develop their business strategies and up their profits, and with successes like raising £2 million pounds in over four years for the Media Trust, she has proven that she knows exactly what it takes to make profit, all while doing the things that she loves.

Providing bespoke programmes like #PassionToProfit, Coach Lyds works with other coaches and entrepreneurs who know their worth and are ready to get the remuneration they deserve.

Find out more about Coach Lyds: www.coachlyds.com

 

Now that you’ve read the story of these three inspirational women who are turning their passion into profit, the only question we have for you is: “Are you ready to do the same?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.