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Hustle, routines & the in-betweens: Fiona Kolade

For the first instalment of this blog series I reached out to a friend.

As an entrepreneur, she is someone who I definitely admire and gain inspiration from, and as a person she is pure gold.

Please read, comment and share, and I hope you take something from this. 

With Love,

Mayowa.

 


[Hustle]

    MS: Tell me more about your hustle, I know you to be an Entrepreneur and a Blogger, in your own words, what exactly do you do? What sparked your transition from the finance sector to going out on your own?

    FK: Love it! The question that still has my aunties and uncles saying 'huh!'. In a nutshell, I'm a Social Media Entrepreneur which comprises of being a Social Media Blogger, Freelance Social Media Consultant and Digital Products Creator. When all is said and done everything I do points an arrow back to Social Media.

    "I was raised to only consider a few career paths" Fiona Kolade Mayowa Samuel

    In terms of my transition out of Finance, to be honest at the core Finance was never truly for me, though I'm so unbelievably grateful for my experience whilst in the industry.

    I was raised (as a fellow Nigerian I'm sure you can relate), to only consider a few career paths, and having loved Maths and the concept of making money, the Finance route seemed the natural choice.

    It wasn't until I got my first full time job in Finance, the pay was sweet, I was travelling and clocking the air-miles, that I realised that my fulfilment tank was at an all time low, despite what was considered by family and friends as the ultimate path to career success, I was just so unhappy.

    I stayed in my job at the time for 3.5 years because I didn't want to make any premature and solely emotion based decisions, and then in 2015 I called it a day and decided to give full time blogging a try. 



    [Routines]

      MS: As a Wife, Mother, an Entrepreneur and Woman, in no particular order, how do you balance everything? 

      Being organised is important to you, that's clearly why you designed the ‘smash your goals planner’, do you have any other structures that you’ve placed in your life which help you navigate business and life in general?

      FK: Balance for me now means doing less and achieving more, which boils down to three things, weekly SMART goal setting, priority management, and systems.

      I set 3 SMART business goals every week and tackle them in order of priority, any activity that isn't related to them is put on the back burner, and in terms of systems, this is where doing less yet achieving more comes in.

      Whilst I work harder than I probably ever have, I have systems in place that help me work more efficiently, which means it doesn't take me as long as it did in the earlier days to see the results that I want to see.

      http://www.finallyfiona.com/free-weekly-time-management-schedule-how-i-get-the-most-out-of-each-day/

      I'm a sucker for systems! I have a weekly and monthly goal tracking system for business and family related things, as well as a marketing and promo system and content creation system. My goal tracking system includes financials so that's pretty much everything that's important covered. 

      On the whole I also follow a weekly time management schedule, nothing complex, just a calendar that I use to ensure I'm factoring in time for all of the important things in my life, including time to relax! It's available as a free download on my blog.



      [The In-Betweens]

        MS: You have two babies, your adorable daughter and blossoming business (2.5 if you count hubby). Does this bring you a sense of fulfilment? Do you ever stop and smell the roses?

        FK: I'd say it brings me joy, I personally try not to rely on individuals when it comes to the source and sense of fulfilment. Instead I focus on how I feel about myself as an individual and the impact I'm having.

        That being said I definitely do take time out every day to write down 3 things I'm grateful for which grounds me and reminds me to count my blessings. It's so easy in this digital age to get consumed in the noise, so this helps me step back for a minute and appreciate the blessings.

        MS: What’s life like being married as an Entrepreneur? Being a business owner myself, I know first hand that my mind always finds it’s way back to work, this takes a toll on your mind, body, EVERYTHING. How do you break free from this to remain present in your relationship?

        "I've only just learnt to cherish the evenings" Fiona Kolade Mayowa Samuel

        FK: It's hard!!!! All I want to do is work!!! I've only just learned to cherish the evenings and that most if not all things can wait till the next day. If I'm totally honest I'd chose time with Mr K over work any-day, because I've already learned the hard way how work can affect your relationship if you don't make time for it.

        Besides, time spent with loved ones just can't be matched, it should be valued and cherished at all times. Did I mention I also lose a lot of weight when I work too much because I forget to eat? Yep there's that too, not a good look so I'm strict with my working hours now!

        [Morning Rituals/Nighttime routines]

        MS: One thing I know about you is that you always start with God, tell me more about the significance of this to you. Do you have a self-care routine, also how do you sign off at the end of the day?

        FK: My faith wins my battles, and I'm always being reminded of this. Every breakthrough and major milestone that I hit is wrapped in faith. That's not to say my faith doesn't waiver, but at its core my foundation remains the same and orchestrates every aspect of my life because quite frankly I'm a mess without it!
        "Netflix, chill and chat with hubby" Fiona Kolade Mayowa Samuel

        In terms of self-care this usually looks like an evening shower once the little one is in bed, and some good old Netflix, chill and chat with hubby - I love a good movie or series because I never get to watch tv outside of this, so I really enjoy this. I also like to get my nails done a couple of times a month + treat myself to a few too many caramel and hazelnut lattes - those definitely fall under self care for me! 


        [Parting words]

        MS: I feel like this will be a huge year for you, what's your outlook for 2020? Can you give me one word that represents your mood for the year?

        FK: I claim it!!! I'm aiming for my strongest financial year yet so God willing everything will for the most part go to plan. Business wise my main goal for the year is visibility, so I've got a lot of content in store that I'll be churning out during the course of the year.

        "My word for the year is order" Fiona Kolade Mayowa Samuel

        As for a mood, this is a tough one, my word for the year is order, aka getting my house in order, so a mood I think fits in line with this would have to be determined.

        Fiona Kolade | Digital Content Creator & Social Media Consultant
        'Fearlessly pursuing her purpose'

         

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