Stay humble, never give up in business

Lyimo Miranda Naiman is an organisational development practitioner and motivational speaker with management consultancy and HR experience gained in Tanzania and the UK.

With an academic background in Theatre for Development and Drama Education she has transferred her skills to the private sector and founded Empower Limited. The aim is empower individuals and organisations.

Business Week Reporter Seif Kabelele interviewed her

QUESTION:What prompted you to set up Empower Limited?

ANSWER: Empower was born as a result of my obsession with inspiring people to realise their full potential. We are fully focused on people’s growth and development, which in turn impact organisations and Tanzania at large.

The services we provide fund our projects such as Empower Academy [a series of events for youth that connect them to new ideas and people] and Empower Interns as we place young people on internships with our corporate clients.

To what do you attribute your success?

As the first-born daughter of a teacher and a businessman I owe my success to the upbringing I had. They had incredibly high standards; exposed me to life’s truth – the good, the bad – taught me to be humble and value education. But most importantly, we must learn to stand on our own feet.

If someone asks you to implement a policy, which you think will be detrimental to the company in the long run. How do you handle the situation?

Where decisions are made from within, we are very picky about who we work with. If a potential customer is not aligned to the values of our organisation we steer clear.

Which three adjectives describe your strengths: authentic, nurturing and tenacious? How does your business “give back” to society?

Simon Sinek talks about ‘starting with why,’ and what we love most about Empower is that all the work we do has a positive impact on people and society. When you find someone a job, you improve his or her standard of living. It’s a ripple effect. When you teach someone new skills or unleash their potential; they go on to live more fulfilling and productive lives.

Empower Academy is something we proudly fund to upskill our youth; we also run pro bono sessions at universities and professional associations and are the official learning partner for AIESEC in Tanzania. The beauty of our work is that everything we do, ‘gives back’ in one way or another.

What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?

We are slightly unhinged and addicted growth! Entrepreneurs are risk-takers; we aren’t afraid to fail. We are natural problem-solvers and love to ‘fix things.’ In my view there is a unique energy that entrepreneurs resonate – it draws people to them, and carries them forward on their mission.

There are intrapreneurs (people that work for organisations) who successfully harness this mindset and as such, are incredibly powerful individuals.

How do you go about marketing your business and what has been your most successful form of marketing?

We are a B2B company so word-of-mouth is, without a doubt, the most powerful way to market ourselves. We focus on delivering maximum impact rather than making money – this is the true secret to business success in my humble opinion.

What is your organisation’s culture? How did you establish this culture and why did you institute this particular type of culture?

Empower is a place that fosters authentic growth – our team members have the unique opportunity to gain exposure to our clients, learn new skills and realise their potential. We share our focus for the day; a yogi who visits the office on Tuesday; we eat lunch together provided by a company caterer; we subsidise gym membership – healthy body = healthy mind! When I set up Empower I knew that I wanted to treat the team the way I wanted to be treated when I was employed.

Is there a situation where you had serious challenges in doing your job efficiently? What did you do about the challenges?

Life is always challenging, and roadblocks are often a state of mind.

The biggest life challenges I have faced, that have impacted my business have been personal.

Losing my mother to cancer and going through a difficult divorce have been my deepest tests to date. Once you accept that life will throw curveballs your way and that as humans we will inevitably face such struggles, you will find peace.

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Run your own race. Simply put, if you waste energy looking left and right – comparing yourself to others – you will lose traction.

Have unwavering focus, invest every ounce of yourself (blood, sweat and tears) into your life purpose [your business] and you will be surprised by what you can achieve. Stay humble and never ever give up.