It's Time to Scale!

Super excited about the new business opportunities to scale our work.

New spaces in new malls, partnerships with the government, greater grants coming our way, learning new things through online courses.....

This year it's going to be lit!

Helping 10,000 women earn is not a dream anymore.


Stay blessed.

Lila

Christmas for us is about being grateful

                        (a sample of the bracelet we gifted our donors at The Pollination Project)

Christmas for us is a time to be thankful. Thankful for everything that has happened to us, the good and bad because even the bible says in everything give thanks.

Here goes our gratitude list:

1. Jesus. Thank you for looking out for Mdada even when we don't know it.
2. The rejection by a couple of outlets to retail our merchandise.
3. The space we got to sell our bracelets at Yaya.
4. The new girls we helped earn money. Nicole, one of our girls made Ksh 9650/- after we trained her!BOOM #winning #power. Our student here warms our heart with her testimonial.
5. Our new and returning customers. We 💗 our customers.
6. The markets we participated in. The flops like NFM and the successes like The Hub's Christmas Fair.
7. Our new cool office space.
8. Our partnerships with major companies (not saying the names because I want to surprise our fans, big things coming in 2017)
9. The support of The Pollination Project. We were delighted to give gifts to the people who believed in us when we started.
10. The rejection for support from accelerators we've been a part of.
11. Our friends and family who've been a beacon of strength. (special s/o to my sisters Aina & Mainda, bro AK4Saba and my friends Willie and Linda who are part of the Mdada team.)
12. The jam by Nyashinski 'Mungu Pekee'. It literally sums up our attitude this entire year. Please listen to it here

What are you grateful for this Christmas?

Have a merry one.

Bless,

Lila

Mdada Founder

Mdada Entrepreneurship Training: Impact Video

Hello there,

This will be one of my favorite posts because, you get to hear and see one of Mdada's students share her experience.

This is HUGE for us. Looking forward to training more students. Simply sign up here.

This training is open to both boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 24 by simply signing up here

Bless!
Lila

15 years ago, this is what I'd rather have been doing

Now, 15 years ago I was in high school maybe in form 2 or 3. Honestly, I wasn't big on school. Wasn't a bad student either. I think my dreams were so big and I couldn't quite link them to my current circumstances like how was my school work going to get me to New York fashion week in like a month or the next year. Why was I broke and how could I make a difference in someone's life in an exciting way that made me feel alive. Not cliche like things like going to volunteer in a children's home or clean up the environment somewhere nasty. I needed something that incorporated most of my interests like fashion, music, social justice, making money, travel etc all together. 

                                                Throw Back 10-15 years ago

I created this (Mdada) 13 years later.I hope someone out there in their teens will create a dope life in their teens because of us and because it's possible. It's the 21st century, anything is possible. Javelin record holder Julius Yego learnt his skill from watching videos on YouTube! I think it's about time we had more young people doing cool things like setting up businesses that express their interests, solving community problems and achieving amazing things, living a life so dope it's exciting and fulfilling. Lemme just say that young people have one asset called TIME that could totally make their lives rock especially if we're talking about money and compound interest! These are the gems I wish I knew about when I was in high school, maybe I could have sacrificed those buns and invested in my dreams /o\. It's all good though.  I'm excited about helping young people achieve amazing things and change the world. I'm living vicariously through them ;p

Join the Mdada boss class today- Call 0706276622/31or 0717832311

Email: lila@mdadaforgirls.com  

Love & Light
Lxxx

Corporate gifts should be personal and special

Corporate gifts are gifts given by a company to another party to show appreciation for the relationship that exists between them. For example, companies give gifts to their employees to show appreciation for their services to the company. They also commonly give gifts to clients especially those that have brought a lot of revenue into the company. Gifts can also be given to suppliers, shareholders and charities. Some common gifts given include calendars, branded caps, umbrellas, kikoys, notebooks, pens, mugs, clocks etc.

Most times, corporate gifts are given to the company’s clients. It’s important because they ensure that you stay in your clients’ mind and thus solidify your business relationship. They also show your clients that you think about them and if you choose the right gift, you show them that you know them well. All gifts should be personal whether they are given to friends or colleagues. Companies need to do the same because business is about establishing relationships and the same rules that apply in our day to day inter personal relationships should transcend into the business sector .As a business person what personal information do you know about your client. For example do you know your clients’ children? Why not then give a gift for the children. After all these are potentially your future clients. Add a handwritten note from the C.E.O. Your clients want to feel like they know you, that they have access. Give it to them. Nothing is personal like a bracelet with a child’s name and a handwritten note from the C.E.O. 

Mdada, a social enterprise that teaches practical entrepreneurship to young girls and enables them to earn as they learn brands bracelets for companies, organizations and individuals. The bracelets are handmade by young entrepreneurs giving them an opportunity to make money for their school fees or other projects. A company that partners with Mdada also satisfies their corporate social responsibility while at the same time gifting its partners. It’s that simple and amazing.

For more details on how to order the bracelets, simply contact lila@mdadaforgirls.com

Have a productive week ahead!

Lila

Founder

Mdada

+254717832311

No to sponsors yes to boss babes

So many times I talk about the likes of Beyonce, Wangari Maathai, Michelle Obama, Oprah who inspire me so much in the way they speak, work and what they've done for women and the world at large through their gifts, talents and status in society. Today I want to talk about the inspiration that comes from within my business. It's about the girls/young women I work with to help them achieve their dreams whatever it could be either to get back to school, stay in school, pay for your upkeep etc. I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to push people into doing something instead I prefer to inspire them to take action because really what one does is for their own good and development. 

This month I have been inspired by how my girls have taken initiative to get the Mdada kit, make bracelets which now are already selling at the Inside the Baobab shop at Yaya Centre. What they earn basically goes into their education and infact when you go to the shop and look at their bracelets which have a word that inspires them sewn onto them, you will see a short handwritten note from the girl on the tag. I thought this was a great idea for customers to connect with the girls and support their dreams by buying their bracelets. So anyway back to how inspired I am by these ladies.  They're willing to take a step towards making money for their school fees. Some of them have been out here looking for people to sponsor their education and instead they've met with opportunists looking to use their bodies for sexual favors in exchange for school fees. I tell my girls they don't need to get "sponsors". You have a brain and can work to earn money and my work is to show you how. This market is large enough for all of us women to thrive financially. I just can't wait to see what happens with my girls. I'm so proud of them and my prayer is that we pay those bills faster than we expected and reach our dreams.

Do you feel touched to pay their school fees or buy their merchandise? Please visit Inside the Baobab shop at Yaya centre and look out for Mdada bracelets or contact me Lila -0717832311

Blessings,
xx

Making progress

Just completed another  entrepreneur's class. 4 young, talented Kenyan ladies had the great opportunity to be a part of this. We had FUN! Isn't it amazing that we can learn and have fun simultaneously especially when we find inspiration frrom people we admire like Beyonce? I think she's a great example of a female entrepreneur. She's super hardworking,  humble and beautiful. I like the way she creates music that is empowering to women, music that makes you feel that you can be, do, have anything you want in life. Her single 'Run the World'  is just one of the many that I appreciate. It's always fun to learn from such and this is a key part in our class.

The next part is even better. Everyone needs to dream about what their life could be. It's even better when your doing it together with others. The energy is amazing! I ask each student  to have a list of: 

• 30 things they want to do
• 30 things they want to have
• 30 things they want to be

Side note: For some students their list doesn't  make it to 30 things in some aspects and it's fine.

Personally, I got excited when I was doing my list for example when I think about standing in a stadium with 10,000 plus women who I have helped achieve their dreams or that feeling of meeting Oprah and Beyonce because I already got to see (not meet) Michelle Obama last year ;) and that made my year. I think about travelling to New York for something related to my work or to concerts of my fave artists or fashion week or to work with top fashion designers like Victoria Beckham or wear a Roberto Cavalli dress. Even as I type this right now i'm getting more and more excited. Funny thing is I had written down in my journal and also twitted about meeting Michelle Obama last year and somehow I got to see her speak at a conference I attended. I have not met her but one of these fine days God willing we will have lunch together ;) I am so inspired by her, I absolutely love everything about her especially the fact that we share the same interest in empowering girls with her Let Girls Learn initiative which helps reduce the barriers that keep girls from going and staying in school.

The next part of the class we talk about current news that is relevant to entrepreneurship. In this class it was about the 'Photoshop queen' Seve Gats who made international news by photo shopping herself at China's great wall, with Barrack Obama's family, in Dubai among other places. She made news because her photos clearly looked photo shopped and also because she actually got sponsored by Kenyan businessman Sam Gichuru to travel to China all expenses paid! Amazing huh? We took a lesson from this whole situation. This girl was bold enough in putting her dreams out there in social media and somehow she achieved what she desired. This girl wanted to go to these places soo bad she put her image in all of them. For me the lesson is you need to put your dreams out there, they shouldn't just be in your mind and it may not necessarily be on social media, it could be in your journal by simply writing down a list of what you want or even going further to find images that represent what you want. It's important.

We then got creative and I showed the students how to make something that has and is still making me money and that is branded bracelets a.k.a name bracelets. One of my students actually made Ksh 9,650/- in less than 3 weeks after receiving a Mdada kit. The kit contains everything needed to make branded/name bracelets. It's not just about making money but also about learning how to create a product from start to finish and then selling it. The approach taken here can be applied in the student's entrepreneurship endeavors in whatever field they aspire to work in. I have great students, look at what they created

 Last but not least, we checked out Wangari Maathai's Humming bird story which is another inspiring video that shows us that you should never look down on yourself or your talents and that it doesn't matter what people say that you can or cannot do. You only need to do your part which is the best you can do. In life a little goes a long way. Haba na haba hujaza kibaba (swahili proverb meaning a little goes a long way). It's a great feeling to see someone achieve their dream because of your support and guidance. This is all I want to do and I look forward to training more students. I have limited spots available for my next class in August. Each student get's personal coaching from me and therefore I can only have a few students in my class every quarter. Next quarter being Aug -Nov.If this is something you feel will benefit your child, you can book a spot by contacting Mdada on 0717832311 or email lila@mdadaforgirls.com. 

Targeted age group 12-26.

Stay on your Grind!

Lila