This Chic: Inspiring Women

 

📺 I was really honoured to be featured on Inooro TV for the Itugi section. Itugi, when lightly translated means- columns, ama nguzo, which hold a building together 😅 . The show features women who are inspiring others .

🎬 The crew visited me at the salon, Lock Avenue, where I work as a natural hair and locks consultant. We talked about my history as a business feature writer, my journey to setting up a hair and ProMake Up Business.
I talked about my efforts to train girls and women in Natural, African Hair care. ✂
I used to train for free, then the girls would work as my assistants, but I was approched by Topsy Beauty College at the beginning of 2024 to be their in -house Locks and Make-Up Trainer. Students go through six weeks of intensive training, and four weeks of attachment, after that they receive their certificates and can either start their own business, or be placed at a High end Salon.
The interview was short and sweet, it came during the 9 o'clock news which is prime time, so I hope I inspired a good audience. 📈

The take home point was, do all you can, but don't forget your dreams and goals. 🎯
My goal was to become an author. I could not have done it if I didn't get into the Salon business. Now I am an author, but since my writing needs fire, I keep on doing other things which give me content for my stories.
I will share the link to the video as soon as they post it.

Thank you Citizen Digital.

The Difference between Marketing and Sales

Selling involves pushing your product to every potential customer . It means making noise about your product until someone says

Sawa basi tutanunua.

Marketing; on the other hand, is about giving some and taking some.

It is inclusive.

It presents a good balance of talking about your product, but not too much that people become blind to it, And teaching people about the value of your product, entertaining people as well as giving freebies.

If Sales is Advertising, Marketing is Public Relations.

Sales takes the form of copywriting while Marketing embraces both Content writing with a bit of copy.

That is the reason some hospitals will have free clinics from time to time.

In recent times, marketing is the the drive behind many Organizations using content creators to push their products.

Think about the stories you read on Kenyan Dictionary only to realise it was a Kenchic Adverts.

Or how many times Terence creative, pretending to be a mbabaz will be holding an Odi bets cup. Okay, that’s part of product placement but you get my point.

Before I decided to take a Make Up class, I had watched numerous free videos by MUAs giving tips on contouring, choosing the right lipstick colour and even where to get genuine make-up products.

It’s the reason I post a story every week on my status, even as I continue to sell my book.

Get a copy here https://shorturl.at/tzMZ4

Free your calendars for the last weekend of April.

Book Launch Confirmed

27/ 04 /24

Marketing My Book: Going to buy a plot in Maaī Mahiū

 How do you sell your book?

This is a question I get in my inbox from writers or just curious people.

The answer is always, I do most of the marketing myself.

I am a trained marketer, with a Diploma in Digital Media Management.

I also studied Business Administration in my younger days, and the Marketing class was my favourite.

We had a teacher who knew his stuff. His lessons were interesting because we didn’t write notes. He gave us practical examples of what happens out there.

And he really really defined the difference between being a marketer, and a Salesman.

I’ll get more into that in another post.

But one example I remember from about 16 years ago was.

You have two weddings,

In one wedding they buy Coca cola products.

In another wedding they decide ah, soda ni soda, and they buy Pepsi, babito and Mirinda. (I don’t remember the other name, but there was a funny soft drinks company that had Soda that tasted like the then,Super dip (now we have Juice Cola) Softa- I heard this on Ngoni wa Thuita and Gathaiya's program.

So at the end the day the guests that were served Coca-Cola are happy and go home excited.

The other party didn’t even finish their sodas. So you have to pick up half finished bottles, and also many many crates of Soda still untouched.

I don’t remember the point exactly. But it was something about.

Yes, it’s good to sell and use low prices as customer bait, but the product also has to meet the customer’s desire.

While quantity may be good, quality also matters.

I’m not saying Mirinda is a bad soda. In fact, drinking the Tanzanian Mirinda and Fanta Passion is like sipping straight from a fresh spring. It’s balanced right and hits the spot like a Savanna would on a hot day in Nanyuki.

He is also the lecturer that taught me that just because a muindi has priced Buy three get one free geisha soaps at 299 shillings doesn’t mean it’s 200 bob.

He told us that when you buy shoes at Bata for Kes 1999, you should always ask for your balance.

I also studied Journalism, digital film and tv at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.

So yes, apart from the book knowledge, I have listened and attended many many marketing symposiums.

When I got into business, my friend bought me a course by the famous what’s his name. Simon Sinek.

She also got me the book :

The Bootstrap Entrepreneur . I highly recommend it.

I have done short courses on Copy Writing, digital marketing. I watch Ted videos and marketing tutorials.

I read about Jack Ma, Ali Baba’s founder, and read Seth’s blog everyday

But I also listen to people. I go to the market and listen, I listen in the matatu, when I come on Facebook I listen to discussions, and read the financial pages.

I also observe.

I observe how hawkers interact with their customers, how supermarkets merchandise their stock and when I’m at the salon. I watch how seasoned salon owners manage to keep clients for five, 10, 15,20 years.

And I come and test these with my books.

9/10 times, marketing, rather than selling works every time.

Watch this video that talks about Marketing vs Advertising.

Death of Boyish Feminity

 I came to age in the era of Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, and EVE, and solidified my womanhood with Avril Lavigne guiding my style, my walk, and the company I kept. 

We were coached on how to sit by Save the Last Dance

It was a time when you could be hood and pretty

You could be dressed like whatever and still have both girls and boys crushing on you, like when Alicia sang Falling. We all fell.

And rose again to sing to -Gangsta Lovin, rapping all of EVE's parts, not having a clue what she was saying but feeling real gangsta dropping those English words like motorbike exhalations

We were cool

Until it was no longer okay to bounce, as a girl

No longer okay to wear a tie with a tee

No longer okay to wear your cargo pants and just be, without someone asking if you preferred women to men.

We learned to cross our legs when we sat,

cover our mouths when we laughed

and hang out with other women.