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1 Could There be a Link? Dying For Your Passion Vs Dying By Naomi Sesay There is something about spring that makes us all feel like our lives are definitely worth living. Maybe it is the smell of the new buds that we momentarily catch in the air or perhaps it is the reassurance that the days are getting longer giving us that breathing space that we psychologically feel we need. The main thing is the notion that life is being reborn, yet again, and we get another chance to make ourselves anew. Could we call that passion? The knowing that there is something within us which is dying to be revealed, but for a great many of us we push that yearning to the side of our mins convincing ourselves that our dreams, talents, skills and passions are not worthy for the world to see, feel and hear. Just the other day I met a man who shocked me with his appearance. I literally had to look twice and the second time around I stared! He looked so different to how I remembered him just 3 years ago. Back then he was fat and bloated. his skin was ashen and swollen and he walked with a gait of a man far older than his 44 years. Back to the future and this man was utterly and completely changed. He was slim and athletic, he had a bouncy youthful agility to him. what happened? He told me that he started to dislike himself because he wasn’t playing the music he knew would make him happy and make him a living. he was stuck in a job he loathed and his inner music passion was banging at his head which made him even more depressed because he didn’t feel people would like his compositions. Then the switch in his head turned on. He could either die being happy and manifesting his passion, or he could die performing the actions that were required of him at work and never realised the potential that was his God- Given gift. -continue page 8 - THE BILLIONAIRE The Monthly Journal for the 21st Centurywoman Belief Leadearship and Choice ISSUE 05 April 2010 Ladies Club

BLC April Newsletter 2010

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Official newsletter of the Billionaire Ladies Club. Inspiring women in the form of news from around the world, supporting women in creating and sustaining wealth in order to create massive impact and positive global transformation. Please get in touch if you have a story for the BLC news that you want to bring to the attention of the world.

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Page 1: BLC April Newsletter 2010

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Could There be a Link?Dying For Your Passion Vs DyingBy Naomi Sesay

There is something about spring that makes us all feel like our lives are definitely worth living.

Maybe it is the smell of the new buds that we momentarily catch in the air or perhaps it is the reassurance that the days are getting longer giving us that breathing space that we psychologically feel we need.

The main thing is the notion that life is being reborn, yet again, and we get another chance to make ourselves anew. Could we call that passion? The knowing that there is something within us which is dying to be revealed, but for a great many of us we push that yearning to the side of our mins convincing ourselves that our dreams,

talents, skills and passions are not worthy for the world to see, feel and hear.

Just the other day I met a man who shocked me with his appearance. I literally had to look twice and the second time around I stared!

He looked so different to how I remembered him just 3 years ago. Back then he was fat and bloated. his skin was ashen and swollen and he walked with a gait of a man far older than his 44 years.

Back to the future and this man was utterly and completely changed. He was slim and athletic, he had a bouncy

youthful agility to him. what happened?

He told me that he started to dislike himself because he wasn’t playing the music he knew would make him happy and make him a living. he was stuck in a job he loathed and his inner music passion was banging at his head which made him even more depressed because he didn’t feel people would like his compositions. Then the switch in his head turned on.

He could either die being happy and manifesting his passion, or he could die performing the actions that were required of him at work and never realised the potential that was his God-Given gift. -continue page 8 -

THE BILLIONAIRE

The Monthly Journal for the 21st Centurywoman Belief Leadearship and Choice

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With the fallout of the latest global economic recession resulting in the unprecedented loss of jobs worldwide, African countries are establishing further initiatives to promote and support economic enterprises by women. Margaret Owuadey investigates.By Margaret Owuadey

Independence

On the 6th March 1957, Ghana was the first African country to gain independence. Under the leadership of its first Prime Minister and then President of the modern Ghanaian state, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana ceased to be a British colony and in his first speech to the country he declared, “Ghana, your beloved country is free forever!”

LocationSituated in West Africa, Ghana is bordered on the north by Burkina Faso, on the west by Côte d’Ivoire, on the east by Togo and on the south by the Gulf of Guinea.!Accra is its capital and it is situated on the beautiful southern coast.

ResourcesThe second largest producer of gold in Africa, Ghana is blessed with other rich mineral resources, such as silver,

diamonds, manganese, limestone, bauxite, iron ore, various clays and granite deposits.

But what really makes Ghana special is its diverse and culturally warm atmosphere which touches and embraces everyone who visits. If you have never been to Ghana before, Akwaaba: Ghana welcomes you!

Women's Entrepreneurship in Ghana

Women in Ghana are naturally entrepreneurial and many share the responsibility of providing for their families with their husbands. A number of women carry this entrepreneurial spirit in the poor rural areas, as government benefits do not exist for

them to rely on to survive. They tend to operate more traditional businesses, such as those which require relatively little start-up capital and offer limited business risk. Examples include food processing, handicrafts, dressmaking, beer-brewing and the retail trade.

Close to 90% of businesses are started up with personal or susu savings, rather than with loans. Susu collectors are one of the oldest financial groups in Africa. Based largely in Ghana but adapted across Africa and the West Indies, for a small fee, they provide an informal means for people to securely save and access their own money, gaining access to micro-finance.

Examples of Women-Owned

Women in Business

A majority of these enterprises are one-person businesses owned and operated by women, 95% of whom are illiterate. Impressively, the resourcefulness of women is demonstrated by the fact that over 70% of their enterprises start up with a capital of less than £70 and 45% with less than £15!

Margaret Owuadey

In mi Proin accumsanPurus, in consectetuer Proin in sapien. Donec feugiat tempor libero. Fusce urna magna,neque eget lacus. Maecenas felis nunc, aliquam ac, consequat vitae.

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FoodMany food companies are part-

time or seasonal (occurring during slack periods in agriculture). Women run dry-season vegetable farming, fish-smoking, cassava-processing and pitoh-brewing businesses. In addition to these are enterprises that process oil from coconut, palm, shea nuts and groundnuts. Others exist which process cassava and wild fruits, such as those from the locust tree, into a spice called dawa dawa.

“It has been a very long journey,” says Leticia Osafo-Addo while making her regular morning inspection of her factory. “I thought about giving up several times and going back to nursing.” She is the Chief Executive of the Processed Foods and Spices Company, a medium-scale business in Tema that will soon be set to produce nearly £60,000 worth of food per month.

Leticia is now one of thousands of

women business owners in Ghana. Her journey to success began some years ago, when she started her business in her kitchen by making just 10 jars of black pepper sauce for friends. The chilli sauce, popular in Ghana, is known as shito and the success of Leticia’s product continues to grow. In the early days, Leticia sought and found additional training, including an integrated capacity-building programme initiated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for promoting sustainable small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

Textiles and CraftsOther common businesses are

batik-printing, basket and mat-making and soap-making. In certain areas, women design various forms pottery. In some parts, such as the north, shea butter extraction is a common activity for the formation of shea butter – a popular natural additive to skincare products.

FarmingIn northern Ghana, poorer women in rural areas tend to raise livestock such as goats and poultry, which sometimes

serve as family food as well as a provision of income.

According to World Bank estimates, the majority of businesses in Ghana, which employ 70% of the population, fall within the categories of micro businesses and SMEs. Of these, approximately two-thirds are located in rural areas. A majority of these enterprises are one-person businesses owned and operated by women, 95% of whom are illiterate. Impressively, the resourcefulness of women is demonstrated by the fact that over 70% of their enterprises start up with a capital of less than £70 and 45% with less than £15!

A recent survey by the Ministry of Trade and Industry has revealed that few women-owned businesses in Ghana are able to experience significant growth due to the lack of access to new technologies that would no doubt enable business expansion.

Lucia Quachey, President of the Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs (GAWE) and General Secretary of the African Federation of Women Entrepreneurs explains, “You need technology, long-term loans to invest in equipment and working capital that will enable you to use machines, make money and then be able to pay back loans.”

Several attempts have been made by the government and its development partners to promote SMEs. Most initiatives have, however, been general and do not specifically target women-owned businesses. Where the programmes do focus on women, the attention has often been focused at the subsistence and micro business levels, in the context of other developmental concerns.In an effort to address this issue, the government has launched the Venture Capital Trust Fund to help invest in the country’s SMEs. Additionally, the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs has for the last five years implemented the Women Business Support Programme aimed at selecting women-owned manufacturing businesses for receipt of long-term support.

GAWE advocates programmes specifically aimed at helping women-owned businesses to grow, with at least 40% of resources specifically targeted towards firms owned by women. Such an approach could help create a shift from subsistence to micro businesses; from small to medium enterprises and from medium to large global businesses. This would in turn provide many opportunities for women-owned businesses to grow and flourish. The Eagle Women Empowerment Club (EWEC) a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to empower women in Ghana, in collaboration with the African Business Women's Network recently organised an international business women's summit in Accra. Headed by Juliet Asante, EWEC is a leading women's network accelerating economic growth and the general empowerment of women to improve the quality of life in Ghana. The summit was created to awaken women to see the current world situation as an opportunity to fine tune and emerge from the world crisis as better business people, through best practices and advocacy, aimed at ensuring a better future for all people.

The impact of women on Ghanaian society cannot be overemphasised. As mothers, traders and farmers, their socioeconomic wellbeing cannot and should not be taken for granted. Further growth and development of their businesses from SMEs to large and established global businesses is the next step required in the empowerment of not only the women of Ghana, but the society as a whole.

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Margaret Owuadey

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"MAKE SURE YOU SCHEDULE IN YOUR CHAMPAGNE DAYS!!

Mike Clare

“You don't have to do anything by yourself. You don't have to struggle. There are so many people around for help and advice and once you have inspirat ion, nothing is as hard anymore”.

Kate McGurk

I was walking along the high street the other day, head down, late, rushing to get somewhere and my attention was taken by a puppy on a lead ahead of me.

He was an Alsatian puppy - the cutest you can imagine, but what struck me, as he was passing people on the street, was that he was totally in awe of everything, as puppies are. He couldn't stop turning around, still looking at the men he'd just passed, almost tripping over his own paws as the lead was still pulling him forward. Then he passed another person and the same thing happened - he forgot about the previous men he was captivated by a second ago and now couldn't take his eyes of this new human who'd appeared. Yes it was cute and funny to watch - I was grinning and laughing following him up the street - but it was also really beautiful.!

He was so in the moment and so full of that childlike curiosity, taking joy in everything - even the smallest things - and it served as a good reminder for me to be like that and like a mirror in front of me, in that moment made me see

that I had slipped away from that freshness. OK the dog was making me laugh, but prior to that I had been in the hunched up shoulders position, not able to walk quickly enough to get to my destination half an hour ago. And my body didn't feel joyful. My head didn't feel light. It all felt quite heavy. I had got to a point where I could feel my whole body was stressed. And the thing is, I like to think I'm quite aware - I know it's always a choice - and it still crept up on me. You always have that moment where you have the power to choose: a situation comes up - you can allow stress or you can let it bounce off you, smile and work with it. The situation will still be there either way. !

It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own head space and internalise everything, going deeper into our own situations - what we're doing, where we're going, constant lists going on in our minds, until we feel like our head is so full it might burst. I have been totally in this category lately: trying to do everything at once, diving fully into my own stress and embodying it totally - digestion failing, face lines deepening

Puppies And ChampagneHave one on us and relax By Kate McGurk

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and not finding time for fresh air and exercise. Seeing that puppy was such a clear message to me: take a step back, look at the bigger picture and recapture that playfulness - be in the moment, look up while you're walking, take in the trees and the people around you. Make eye contact. Breathe slowly and fully. Be glad to be where you are - in that moment. Don't let it pass without appreciating it. There will never be another one the same.

On that day when I saw the puppy - (honestly - so cute - I should have taken a picture, or at least given him my number) - I was actually on my way to the BLC My Wealth My Way in London over the weekend. And I believe whatever you need will appear in front of you at just the right time. Again, that room of ladies reminded me to pull focus and see who I am and what I can give and reminded me what it means to be a billionaire lady. In this instance the word is support. You don't have to do anything by yourself. You don't have to struggle. There are so many people around for help and advice and once you have inspiration, nothing is as hard anymore. Their words of encouragement and support made me immediately stronger. I am still sorting things out and ironing out creases, but in hearing some of the other members speak about their journey and their challenges gave me so much clarity and courage - we all have challenges, but everything that happens is part of our unique journey. You're in a situation - for better or worse - you're in it. So it's ultimately down to you in the moment when it arises, how you choose to receive it. If you see life as a type of game, how you choose to play it.

So the point to this is to remember the puppy inside you, or, in most cases reading this I suspect, the child inside you… She is still amazed and in awe of new things and the expression of new experiences - you just have to give yourself the permission to be fully present. I have also learned that not giving yourself any time off doesn't serve anyone in the end - least of all you and in turn that will reflect on the energy you can give to your businesses, your clients, your friends and your family. You're a billionaire lady - life's gonna make demands on you and you need to be ready for them -and you can only respond to these when you're in peak condition. Your mind and body need to be clear for meditation and decisions will come clearer too. Make time, take an honest look at your big picture and make improvements so that you're not the one that loses out when you find yourself being spread thinly between business, family and what you feel you 'have to do’

I'm going to close with this quote from entrepreneur Mike Clare: self-made millionaire who started the bed company Dreams. I love this quote and am behind it 100%:!

"MAKE SURE YOU SCHEDULE IN YOUR CHAMPAGNE DAYS!!"

Meaning don't let your efforts go unrewarded - the tendency is to wait for the end result of something you've

been working on to congratulate yourself - but these often take longer coming than you first imagined - and you can go on for weeks, months, without giving yourself any recognition, (particularly if you're working by yourself), for how far you've come. It's important to honour your achievements along the way. Make a regular date for celebration and put it in the diary and stick to it wherever you are. Schedule in rewards so you don't cheat yourself out of them - no one's going to come along and stick a gold star on your work anymore, you have to be serious about doing it yourself. And make sure you celebrate with people who are genuinely proud and happy for you. So for example in the BLC, your genesis inner circle is ideal because you are all going through the same trials and everyone appreciates first hand the hurdles you're jumping over. It's such a special bond and I feel really privileged and grateful to have mine.!

And there will be a lot of tests if you want to progress. Because that's how life is. It seems you only progress to the next level once you've proven you can make it work where you are and that you've harnessed the skills and capabilities to cope with and succeed at the next level. We were brought up like this through the school system - literally taking tests - all of them hard at the time, but once you move up a level you can look back and say, "Wow, that was eeeaaaasy back then, you should see what i'm doing now!" and then you're at the stage where you can mentor others and shine your light and guidance on them. !

So to summarise!..:Take Wonder in Each Moment, Make Time for You,

Drink Champagne with Friends and GO ROLLERSKATING!!

(OK this last one's a cheeky addition as Ang has cajoled us all into going rollerskating, which I personally haven't done since the '80s …) !

PLEASE JOIN US - (see events page for details)!We'd love to meet you and it will be a total giggle.!

Make a regular date for celebration and put it in the diary and stick to it wherever you are.

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RIGHT! There are some times in life we just have to ask and then get on and learn!

From the time we are born, we move through higher and higher levels in our lives and when we look back we realise that the times where we really excelled, was when someone else took us by the hand and said , “Don’t worry, I’ve done all that, seen all of this and I have written a blog online about it and made some money to boot!”

Information is indeed all around us and it is very tempting to just stay at home with your computer and learn online all day until you get what you wanted sorted. I’ve been absolutely loving all the high learning curves that I have been going through, yep even all the frustrated challenges of figuring it all out by myself.

Now, according to some disciplines in the world of personal development, I am not suppose to be tinkering on the computer and learning techie stuff. I am a ‘star’ profile, they proclaim. “You should be doing what you do best and just speak, or present or” ... or what? Yes, I am all for people living their passion and doing what they do best in order to create a phenomenal lifestyle... but that certainly does not mean that you have to stop learning new things.

Our world is moving far too fast for us to sit on our laurels and declare that we “don’t do tech stuff ”. So get learning the new ways of interactions and communication and enter a new world of connection.

Mentors are great when it comes to pushing you a little in the right direction but don’t be fooled that all mentors have to be of the Human kind. Mix and match your mentors with e learning online with your favourite course, audio books and discussions, in shop help, elder folks who know a few things or two the list is endless.

I believe that if we start acquiring our resources in as many different modalities as possible, one will begin to see the highlighted road which leads to a grand lifestyle which yes... makes money to boot! for example, learning how to make your own videos and then teaching others is another income stream to your bow. So this month, be expansive and go on a quest to learn different and complimentary things that will not only add flavour to your life but will also create you in to a phenomenal mentor!

“Don’t worry, I’ve done all that, seen all of this and I have written a blog online about it and made some money to boot! Do you want me to show how? No problem”

Blog To GoEverybody needs a mentor, Right?By Naomi Sesay

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MentorsMentors can come in all shapes of colours and sizes. so choose your mentors as though you are choosing your clothes.

Page 7: BLC April Newsletter 2010

That thought of dying for someone else was was the final straw that tipped the hay wagon.

You see, The gifts that we were born with have a special meaning and purpose in our lives. To ignore them is to deny the mind, body and spirit of it’s universal right to express itself in a way that the world can enjoy.

If the truth be known, we are in fact slowly killing ourselves by this blatant disregard of who we really are and what we can really achieve. Can you imagine that? We literally allow ourselves to die because we refuse to be nourished by our passion and the knowing that all we work out as it should in this lifetime.

The friend I met the other day saw his death sentence just in a nick of time! His blood pressure was high and his sugar levels were wildly fluctuating at dangerous levels. He told me that the moment he started making music again AND held a concert that he never thought he would do, his whole life became focused. AND, he looks fabulous; much younger than his years. What a turn around.

So, here is the question. Have you dared to be you? Are you willing to dare yourself to live the life you were meant to live?

We always get another chance, after all, it is spring.

It is in our moments of silence where we hear the calling of our passions.

Naomi Sesay

BLCMONTHLYEVENTS

APRIL

7th April 2010Launch of the BLC Blog Spot Radio - Hosted by Kate McGurk

10th April 2010 The Help For Heroes Ball. Black Tie Celebrity Event event. Orsette Hall, Essex Price £35.

16th April 2010 Disco Rollerskating - 47 St Thomas Street, SE1 3QX. 8pm-1am. Price £8 on guest list £10 on thhe door.

30th April 2010 Launch of The BLC NEWS Channel

For more information on these events, please go to : [email protected]

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