Expert equips youths with entrepreneurial, leadership skills
N Ofewer than 300 persons have been empowered with branding, entrepreneurial and leadership skills, to enhance job creation and wealth generation.
Branding expert and coach, Mrs. Ayodotun Akinfewa, in her presentation on the theme, “You too are a brand”, organised by Union Bank Plc, described “Branding as the word about you (personality) in the street. Everybody is a star and a brand; every brand needs a mission, vision, essence, voice value and personality to project its statues and organisations.”
The workshop, an interactive and on-hand training and learning from welleducated and highly sought young entrepreneurs, to motivate young youth to gain knowledge on how to harness the power that lies within them for global impact.
Akinfewa urged individuals to invest more on themselves as a tool for economic empowerment and societal development, by engaging, educating and empowering them to live a life of purpose, significance and relevance.
According to her, training the youth on branding and entrepreneurship skill is a passion and a call to service, and stressed the need to discover true self and harness the self-discovery into valuable venture.
Akinwewa listed four qualities that make a personal brand stand out - appearance, behaviour, communication, and platform. However, appearance goes with personal style, while grooming, creativity, and communications involve videos and pictures and events, and behaviour is influencing with positive attitude.
She advised participants to create their brands, promote themselves, speak and interact on the social media, share knowledge and expertise with others in the industry, use other platforms and volunteer by mentoring others from a group.
In addition, she suggested they should accept speaking engagements, contribute to a relevant column in newspapers or a blog, create your platform, create events as brand, host your own You – tube channel and set up your own consultancy.
Akinfewa also emphasized that the forum has assisted youths to take their positions in nation building, improve their mind-sets, and add value to the society, while also grooming, packaging and fortifying them to meet modern challenges. She maintained that the training will help them to wake up to their responsibilities, socially, economically, and improve leadership skills; using the platform for them to unleash their dreams and potential to build a better society.