She Talks: Babou Olengha-Aaby

She Talks er en rekke korte videosnutter hvor vi har bedt spennende Shes dele noen gode råd de har plukket opp på sin vei. Under kan du også lese intervjuet vi gjorde med denne utrolige inspirasjonsbomben av en kvinne!

What is leadership to you?

"For me, I think that leadership is really synonymous with inspiration. A leader is someone who inspires people to be better and do better. A leader who just manages is adding value in a different way but in the longs term I believe that if you want longevity in your company and you want the best out of the people who surround you and work for you - you need to inspire them to believe they can be the best that they can be."

How did you start your career?

"My background is in marketing and advertising so I started my career in London in an advertising agency. I quickly moved from there cus I realised I really wanted to do something different. Something that would help me give back."

What made you decide to go into the field that you're in?

"I founded ”The Next Billion” cus I truly believe in women. I believe that we have much more to give and contribute to and I also believe that we actually have been contributing signficantly to our families, local communities and to our economies and how do we continue doing that?"

What is your biggest goal?

"My biggest goal is to through the company that we´re building enable the next billion. And by that, I mean, enable the growth of one billion female led entreprises in the next 10 years. That´s my big fat goal."

What´s your best advice to young women?

"Know your worth. Know your value. That is actually the seed of our culture within the company. I that if you enable women and young girls and mothers to believe that they actually have the power to make a difference in their own lives and support them on that journey, you can achieve great things."

Is there anything else you would like to say?

"I have some really amazing quotes that I love: ”why work for someone building their dreams when you can build yours?”. And one that really drives me - The ambition behind the next billion: ”if women aren't asking and receiving funding, half the worlds population isn´t contributing what they can to economic growth and prosperity.” There´s so many great points just in that one quote. Women need to ask. If we don´t show up and ask, why would anybody want to help us in the first place? It´s about everybody understanding and investing in women that is a win win for all. Us stepping up and starting businesses is super important. We need to stop viewing ourselves as victims and take on a more practical approach and be a contributor."