Charlene-Chizell Ankumah, Currently a Student at the University of Buckingham. But what she does when she is not in university, is what is bringing all the Headlines. A former employee of Stansted Airport, Financial LTD, Charlene is now the founder of an online jewellery Boutique, Matris Estus. Ok enough of the Sweet talks;

Char, how you doing? Thanks for been with us on YHP

Thanks, for asking me to come down for YHP

Can you give us some briefly background information about yourself?

I’m only 21, my mum is from Ghana, i was raised by a single parent, and I’ve always lived in Essex, “that’s it really”, i go to uni, i work very hard, “that’s like the personal sell yourself kind of thing”, you know, that’s it!

The name of your business, how did that come about?

Matris Estus is basically Latin, because I’ve been raised in a catholic church and the catholic language is Latin so i wanted to have something because I’m a really spiritual person so i wanted something that was related to my religious spirituality and at the same time sort of represented my business, So Matris Estus basically means “mother’s core” and obviously you know real metal, solid jewels and things like that comes from the earth so i kind of took that idea and my love of the Latin language and came up with Matris Estus and that’s incorporated with the logo because the logo is actually of a elephant and they say the elephant is kind of like a maternal animal so that why i decided to have something that was associated with an elephant, not like a big diamond or something like that, so it’s all to do with my love for Latin, you know what my brand represents and what it will always represent.

So what role do you actually perform in the business?

I’m actually a relaxed laid back, calm person, you know I’m just cool about things, i don’t like to be referred to as the creative director or CEO or things like that, i just prefer the go-to girl.

Ok, I guess i will start calling the go-to girl now (Laughter)

So how did you raise funds to start your business?

I built my own pilot website from scratch, at the time, i did not have the money to get a professional website done, as i knew i wanted to build an online jewellery boutique, i built the website to basically get the word out there, how people felt about it and the response i got was really really overwhelming, it was from the sales i got from that i was able to fund the brand new website/online jewellery boutique that we have at the moment.

You dint mention how you got the money to buy the first supply/products?

That actually came from savings that i had.

You went on work experience for a year, how did that influence/inspire you to start your own business?

I hated waking up early in the morning, being swashed on the jubilee line, Victoria line, i hated the responsibility because i was almost 19 and was no longer seen as the little kid or a student but an employee.
My placement was a huge learning opportunity for me, with what i learnt there, and i was like you know the guy/woman that sits in the big office, i actually want to be that person.

It was through my year of working that i realised that i wanted to work for myself, i thank God that i made the decision to go on placement.

Would you advice students to take a year out for work/placement?

I definitely would recommend it, you not only learn more about your field but a lot more about life and how things work, especially discipline and how businesses make their money .

Coming back to M.E, which is what I’m going to call it? Who are your target markets?

My target market is anybody that loves jewellery, i think jewellery is universal, can be worn by men, women, children, it can be accessorised in so many different ways, you see dogs wearing like dog collars blinged out, we carter for everybody that likes unique, affordable one-off piece jewellery.

So what makes it unique because it sounds so general, what makes me as a customer feel special or exclusive buying from Matris Estus?

It is always, always to supply the best quality, unique one – off pieces at affordable prices to our customer, so as our customer not only do you get jewellery for a great price but we also make sure it is of the highest quality.

What ways are you looking to market your products?

Basically reaching out to Sugar magazine and looking to reach other male magazines as well because we do sell men jewellery pieces on the boutique website and by wearing my jewelleries, Word of mouth as friends and family are always wearing the jewelleries.

How have you managed to balance your time with university work and business?

I don’t know, i really do not know, But i sometimes find it hard because i have so much love and passion for my business and sometimes get tempted using university time for business but really it is hard, i don’t even have the right term to use, lets me put it this way, it is hard to work hard.

On that Note, what do you think it takes to become a successful entrepreneur?

I know this is such a boring, repeated, cliché answer, everyone says it, but as someone up and coming i understand where people say it, you need to be dedicated, determined and work hard, i know that’s such a boring answer and i wish i had something hot and fresh to say but that’s the ingredients, you want to make that recipe, that’s the ingredients.

Apart from your company, Is there any other company out there that you admire the most?

That’s a really good question, I would say probably the Rocawear Brand, I like that brand, i really admire them, i think it was established in 1999 and for it to be where it is now, that’s really really cool, I’m not going to go into details of what they’ve done, a company like that is what i like, obviously i prayed for success and i don’t want overnight success.

Do you have any books or audios you read that you would like to suggest to our readers?

The most inspiring is the Bible, it really his, everything you want to know, and everything you need to know is in there. If you’re a Muslim, take the Quran, those spiritual books really help.

What’s the best advice that you’ve been given so far?

The best was to be patient because I’m such an eager person, I’m always like click click bang bang, everything to be done quick quick.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?

In the next 5-10 years, i would have graduated, i would be a chartered marketer, bought myself a house, MATRIS ESTUS will be a recognised jewellery store, and I would have a food chain, those five things I’m cool with them.

Do you have any tips for upcoming entrepreneurs as yourself?

To definitely have some form of spirituality in yourself because it goes a long way and don’t let little things get to you to fall back, i know its easier said than done but if you have something in your head, tell someone, someone you trust of course to help you tweak it and make it better.

I hope to see a lot more female entrepreneurs because its so typical to see a lot of guys doing their thing, so would love to see a lot of ladies coming out with their stuff.

Finally before we finish what should we be expecting from you and M.E in the nearest future?

You should be expecting a watch; we’re going to be branching out into watches, water resistant watches, right now we specialise in rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

SO yeah, brand exposure and recognition internationally and expansion

Thank you char for your time.

Thanks for having me

Check out their new website: http://www.MatrisEstus.com
Follow them on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/MatrisEstus

Hi Guys, I’m here with Another interview, Today My guest is Erin Blaskie, A young Entrepreneur that started her company at the age of 21, I wanted to ask her how she started her company, what inspired her, her involvement in blogging and social media, and also tips on why and how we should all be collaborating online.

Enjoy the interview.

Hey Erin, how you doing? Thanks for sharing some of your time with me on YHP

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I started my first company in August of 2004. I started this company after I had finished college and was working as an instructor at a private college. While I loved the daily interaction, I had this entrepreneurial spirit and passion inside of me that I couldn’t ignore. The company grew quickly and I was able to quit my job and leap into self-employment full-time.

So how did you get in blogging and social media?

I am an experimenter at heart. Experimenting with new tools, new ideas and geeky gadgets is my life. Blogging has been something I’ve been doing since before the popular platforms came into existence like WordPress and TypePad. I was doing blogging on the first series of journal style websites that hit the market.

As for social media, I registered with Facebook and Twitter when they were both in beta and have been using them ever since. For me, it was never a conscious decision of, “I have to do this for my business” but more a question of, “What is this neat and interesting tool?”

What do you like the most about the internet, blogging and social media?

It’s openness. It shares who we are with the world and creates a new sense of transparency and authenticity. I love also that it’s an open format. You can use these mediums however you wish and really, there are no “wrong” methods of using the tools.

I also love that these mediums promote creativity and expression. Never before did we have such an instantaneous medium for our messages and such open communication. I can post a blog post now and be engaged in a conversation through comments in minutes.

Tell us about BSTEC Your outsourcing company? What do you guys do?

BSETC was started as a virtual assistance firm which provided administrative and Internet marketing support to entrepreneurs. Now, we are a creative, professional outsourcing firm that supports entrepreneurs around the world in the building, growing and management of their online businesses. We do everything from graphic design to web design to administrative support to social media support to in-depth strategy and consultation.

What inspired you to start BSTEC?

I actually had the idea when I was 16 years old. I didn’t want the “regular” summer job so instead, I had this idea that I would pass out flyers to local businesses in which I would offer to do small administrative jobs. Organize offices, type up documents, etc. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out at that time – I was offered a job in an ice cream factory instead and that was much more appealing to my 16-year old self

Fast forward to 21 and the idea popped back into my head but this time it included a website and a global audience as opposed to flyers and my local business sector.

What does your company do different from other companies in the Virtual assistant industry?

I wrote an e-book called, “From Puppet to Puppeteer” which talks about the difference between a firm like ours and other virtual assistance companies. The e-book mostly focuses on engagement. We provide our clients with services that engage and inspire them to create amazing projects and we take the guesswork out of the process. Where other firms may only provide services on an as requested basis, we’re thinking for our clients to guide them through the process of running an online business.

I am currently writing a post on online collaboration and wanted to get your thoughts? Why do you think it is essential in today’s world? What value does it add to one’s work?

I totally agree in the collective as opposed to the individual. There is something much more powerful about collaboration and crowd-sourcing things in today’s marketplace. The power of course lies in the uniqueness in each person’s thought and in their ability to see the project different from his/her colleagues.

We use Basecamp as our method of communicating out as a group to our clients. We brainstorm, banter and create through this medium so we can create best practices and provide the best opportunities for our clients.

What do you think anyone interested in collaborating online should do or start doing?

Get out there and provide value to others. It’s only through providing value that others will see your value and invite you to participate with them. Companies now call on me to provide feedback and get really, really involved in their work because they know that when I love something I’ll get invested and engaged. Engaged collaboration creates a really powerful force.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

I’ve become involved in the processes. Too many entrepreneurs are building and starting new things all of the time without ever honing in and fine tuning what they have. I concentrate as much of my effort on fine tuning what I do now as I do on the new projects. That begins to create a business that you work on instead of a business you work in.

How do you promote/advertise your work, especially for someone trying to start their business and looking to get some presence online, what advices can you give them?

Just get out there in every way you can. Think about all of the different mediums available to us – audio, video, blog, social media, traditional media, joint ventures, etc. and make sure you’re taking advantage of it all.

I like to think of a new business as being stranded in the middle of a corn field that is filled with really, really tall husks of corn. Every time you create a new avenue (ie: setup a blog, setup an account on Twitter, etc.) you are creating a road of visibility to your business. The more you do that, the more opportunities you have to be seen and noticed and therefore hired.

As an entrepreneur, what qualities do you think aspiring entrepreneurs should have to be successful?

Be fearless. Ditch the perfectionism. Be original.

What is your favourite online tool?

I have many! I can’t live without Gmail, Basecamp, Freshbooks and right now, Threadsy.

If the internet never existed, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be living a life devoted to learning and yoga.

What is the most valuable skill you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Authenticity.

Thanks for your time Erin

If you enjoyed the interview, Stop over at her site to say her or follow her on twitter.

“It’s so easy to get caught up wanting to save the world, run a successful business, be in great shape, have immense wealth… success, no wonder we runs ourselves ragged.

When all is said and done, what we really want is to be happy, feel loved… for life to flow; and when that’s your aim is life everything else falls in to place; well, that’s what I’ve found.”

© Cheryl Hopkins, 15th Feb 2010 Change it live it http://www.bit.ly/blosG0

running

From your feedbacks, I will try and write my topics as concise as possible.

• Most of the things I tried to get across to you in the last post were that, we all have this inner yearning for succeed, achievement, but we lack the initiative to maximize the true potential that lies within us, Because of situations that holds us back.

• Those things that varies from childhood’s experiences, relationships, friendships, failures, misconceptions, self-realisation and others but I do believe we can get pass the stage.

• One of the ways I believe to move from that stage is to talk with GREAT-minded people, you know the people that can really motivate and inspire you in taking on that situation head strong.

• Also, It is better to go with your gut, now think about it, what if Thomas Edison has let other situation weigh him downinstead, he used situations like this to bring out the best in him, drawing out his inner motivation, using words of inspiration to inspire himself also” I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”, although think it through, don’t fight it, go with it. Even if you don’t know exactly how it is going to work out embrace the idea and try to see it through to its full potential.

• During the last five years,so much ideas come my way, some which I have ignored totally, ideas that could be booming now, but oh well, we all have to move on, but also I have ideas in the past two years where I have had that ‘gut feeling’, followed it and it turned out to be a dead-end, but by going with that idea it led me to have another idea which was better. I guess it bring sense to the quote saying “There is light at the end of the tunnel”.

• Don’t be afraid to drop your old ideas for a new better one. Sometimes each new idea is just a stepping stone to that ultimate idea. Drop the average for the best.

• Remember to continue reading “Think and Grow rich” by “Napoleon Hill“ or get yourself the audio version , if you want a copy of the either, do not hesitate to contact me or any questions relating to the post.

By:

Joseph Ajilore

• The Mindset is your preparation into the world of entrepreneurship, I can say this enough; it all starts in the mind.If your mind is not prepared, then it needs developing, start reading books, or listening to audios or exposing your mind to different things, but be careful not to take others opinions as your facts.
  Challenge your mind, challenge yourself
• Your mindset is what gives you a different approach to life, it makes you understand that you can be great rather than settle to be okay. It enables you to constantly try to better yourself.
  we something underestimate the power of our minds, when you have your mind set on something, you are unstoppable, the only person that can stop you is “you”.
• Think outside the Box, not just within the Box, open your mind and look at things from different angles and directions.
  I understand why a lot of people don’t question things, they just do, because it’s easier, don’t do things because it is easier but because it is the best option.

• Do let someone think for you, or create your mindset,don’t be enslaved within others thoughts or opinions.
  Don’t be afraid to be outside the so-called safety zone. To succeed in any business undertaking, one must not be afraid of these risks. Let that be your mentality, your mindset.
  However, don’t take risks blindly; you must be able to calculate them. By properly calculating the risks, you can determine if the risks are worth taking or not.

• The pace of economic change is accelerating, driven by inventions, process improvements, and our perpetual quest for better, faster, cheaper GOODS AND SERVICES.
  Which means you need to start, right now, and begin to develop your mind.

• “The entrepreneurial mind-set transcends the confines of family and tradition, opening individuals up to modern styles of consciousness and securing them a place in modern industrial society” (Brigitte Berger in Spinosa, Flores, Dreyfus, 1997, p.57)
  In this world of uncertainty, your mindset should be:
  Take control.

• If nobody knows the future and what it holds, then the future might has well belong to you.
• You can change the future; you can change your future. Your vision of how to navigate it is as good as anyone’s.

• And don’t forget that you’re still young, at least kind of young I guess most of us,

• You need to start to develop yourself, work on yourself, none of that CRAP YOU BEEN DOING LATELY LIEING TO YOURSELF, THAT YOU’RE LEARNING.
• Take advantage of your youth. Being young, you can come up with lots of new, unexplored ideas to start a successful business.

• If you look back, most of the biggest companies right now, began when there was nothing else like it. That’s why they are untouchable e.g. the Bill gates and Rupert Murdock’s; they beat the competition to it!
• Find your perfect niche, the possibilities for growths, and advancement, are endless.

Further, even when competition comes knocking, you will already have the experience that they don’t, and a solid customer base, whose trust you have earned.

• Get yourself into the right frame of Mind, your Mindset is powerful.

I hope this word of encouragement on the mindset of the aspiring entrepreneurs inspires us.
I am going to change the book which I have told you to read for these couple of weeks, now I want us to turn our focus to nothing less than the great book by Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich”, As I always say if you need it in the pdf format or the audio, do not hesitate to contact me, or if you have any questions in relations to the book or the topic in general.

Also, I hope the video below gives you some kind of strength and motivation to keep pushing harder.

By:

Joseph Ajilore

• Studies show that children whose parents are involved show greater social and emotional development (Allen & Daly, 2002), including more resilience to stress, greater life satisfaction, greater self-direction and self-control, greater social adjustment, greater mental health, more supportive relationships, greater social competence, more positive peer relations, more tolerance, more successful marriages, and less delinquent behaviours (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003).

• Powerful stuff, if you ask me and we should never take for granted the impact our parental upbringing has on us. It is important that parents and carers are aware of the significant contribution they can make to their children’s learning by providing a stimulating environment. I have an aunt who recently started a new business, because of this business she found herself spending less time with her family, in the end her son dropped two grades down!

• Families, parents and guardians in particular, play a significant role in the occupational aspirations and career goal development of children. Without parental approval or support, a student is often reluctant to pursue, let alone explore diverse career possibilities even now I find it difficult to shake of some off the oddities “train up your child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it”.

• My Point: If you are a parent, young, old or even new to the world of parenting, spending time to develop your child’s mental should be your paramount objective. If you’re young and are thinking of having children, don’t rush into it, better to wait and get it right than to rush and make damaging mistakes while bringing up your children.

• Still on the topic of parental influence on our mind, to really become aware of how much impact our upbringing has on you, what you need to do is begin to draw parallels between your parents and yourself. From this moment on start paying attention to the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour of your parents, especially the things that you don’t like and those things that “annoy” you the most about them. Write them down and look to see if they are evident in yourself, you might not see them at first but in most cases we are a reflection of our upbringing.

Regards

Emmanuel Ajilore

This is the Best time in Human history to be alive! Those who went through the renaissance period didn’t realise they were going through such an influential and important time in history, it’s only now that we can look at that it retrospectively that we acknowledge it’s importance.

In this age (the age of the mind) you can start off with absolutely nothing and with the application of your mind, make something in fact anything!(subject to terms and conditions).

“As a man Thinketh so is he” your outer world is a true reflection of your inner world. In fact the most important decision you can make right now is a commitment to developing your mind, in fact make up your mind right now that you will change and develop yourself internally and nothing else. Forget the money, the cars etc and focus on you “the person”.

There is an untapped power in human thought “I think therefore I am”. Your Hidden potential will always remain hidden until it wakes up in your mind first! Your entire life is an expression of your thoughts and beliefs. Your relationship right now is a reflection of your thinking and your beliefs.

Your job right now gives us an insight into who you are, some people hate their job and still drag themselves in daily, some people know they are under paid yet they carry on, feeding themselves the opium that “any job is better than no job”.

If you’re fine with being average and living a mediocre life then “developing your hidden potential” is not for you, no hard feelings we can part as gentlemen. If, on the other hand, you want more out of your life, are tired of being who you are right now, a commitment to development is what you need.

And that change starts in your mind, take a pen and paper at the end of today and write down what you’ve thought about today, and then do the same at the end of tomorow, do it for a week and at the end of the week you’ll see on paper who you are, with a little insight you will form an understanding of why your life is the way it is. “an unexamined life is a life not worth living”.

Regards

Emmanuel Ajilore

• Being young is a gateway of experimentation; I’m not saying you should plan to fail or fail to plan or just dive into it just like that, even though, that sometimes could be a good thing.

• Why not make the most of your youth, don’t let them thoughts and ideas go to waste, come on now, not like when you finish university you’re not going to be stuck with your 9-5 constantly coming home with your face screwed, telling your friends and family how much you hate your job, occasionally taking your anger of being just average on your wife and kids.

• Good news you have hit the jackpot!!! in the sense that you have more time and less responsibilities to endure at this time, yes yes, you don’t have to tell me, I know, you spend most of your time of one of the following social networking sites for no particular reasons e.g. facebook, MySpace, twitter and LinkedIn. So why not put that energy into something productive, take the next step into the world of productivity.

• Most of us know what to do while we are young, but we are just too ashamed to do anything or should I say scared of being viewed in a different way, but the point is that you are different, you know what, screw them, because they will be the first ones to open up their mouth if you turn out to be waste tomorrow.

• Now, some much young entrepreneurs between the ages of 16-21 are engaging themselves in the profitable market industry, showing energy and persistence. You could say our minds are developing faster than ever, so why should you rob ourselves of that knowledge, energy and persistence because you are just used to things the way they are.

• Breaking news…. Things are not going to stay the same, so it’s either you move on, or should I say move faster, or be left alone. A teenager earns as much as £100 a day without living their house, just because they are able to embrace new ideas, and adapt to the speed of the economy, Are you listening?

• Teenagers with inquiring minds make the majority of our population today, why not start businesses that can capture the minds of youths like you.

• Most of us worry what people will think when you start something different, but fail to realise that any new thing, business, products etc, will always be critised.

• People/customers/consumers will always find it hard to integrate new things with their major way of life, let me put it this way, people hate change, and I hope that makes you feel better.

• Wasn’t everyone against the fact that computers will take over television, but why that is everyone needs a computer today to excel in this world, and I emphasize on the point that we need it, let’s not get even
  started on the internet, or how crucial it is to our everyday life?

• Why settle for the basics, when the extra-ordinary is there to be created, and the funniest thing is that you can see it, why don’t you act, awake your entrepreneurial mind, invent.

• Find a substitute for teenage narrow-minded lifestyle. Engage yourself with what you’re made of. Don’t be satisfied settling for ok. Discover your passion, live your dream.

By:

Joseph Ajilore