US speaker inspires Windhoek

NDAMA NAKASHOLE



Cuellar, who is an international business strategist and author, gave an inspirational talk on women as leaders in entrepreneurship.

She described 12 leadership skills needed to succeed in business.

She emphasised that balance, as one of the 12 skill sets, is important because women, especially leaders and entrepreneurs, can easily ignore it.

“What I do myself is I will go away for five days and just unplug. Don't call me. Don't email me. I don't want to hear anything,” she said.

During the talk which was organised by the US embassy in partnership with the Namibia Business School at the University of Namibia, the American speaker highlighted the importance of having confidence.

According to her, when people believe in themselves, they will likely have the self-esteem to move forward whenever they fail in their entrepreneurship journey.

She said despite often being told they belong in certain places in society, women need to believe that they can be anything that they want to.

“We (women) can be homemakers but we can also be bosses… we can be leaders,” she said.

Cuellar also spoke of courage as one of the skills that women in entrepreneurship need.

“The opposite of courage is discouraged,” she said, adding that one must never allow oneself to be discouraged.

“When you have courage it means you are going to be bold and face whatever challenges that may come your way as a woman,” she added.

She said it is difficult to start a business if one lacks courage.



Determination

Cuellar said she was born in a small city in the United States and her mother raised four children as a single parent.

Her mother never stopped her from doing anything and was determined to have her children succeed.

“She told me that the sky is the limit and I believed her.”

Her mother's determination saw her and her siblings taking advantage of every opportunity that came their way, such as attending science fairs and music competitions.

Cuellar encouraged women entrepreneurs to be forever willing to learn.

“I am always teachable. I am always learning things,” she said.

She encouraged participants to follow their passion and not to allow the lack of a business degree or funding to divert their plans to become entrepreneurs and job creators.

The participants were reminded that it is not always necessary to resign a corporate job to start a business; it is often recommended to take some time before transitioning from jobseeker to job creator.



About Tamiko Cuellar

Tamiko Cuellar is a US author, CEO and founder of Pursue your Purpose, and member of the Forbes Coaches Council.

She is a proven leader in the marketplace among small-business owners in the United States and internationally, according to the US embassy.

Recognised for her leadership abilities, she has been invited to speak at Microsoft, the City of St Louis, the Center for the Acceleration of African American Business (CAAAB), churches, conferences, and on several radio programmes.

She has been featured on Forbes.com, in The Huffington Post, the St Louis Business Journal, on ABC, STL TV and on the cover of the UK-based Small Business Owner Magazine for her work with entrepreneurs.

She was nominated for the 2013 Business Influencer Award and in 2016 she was recognised by The Women's Business Journal as a 'woman on the move'.

She also served as adjunct professor of entrepreneurship/small business management at City Vision University. In 2016, she was appointed as a mentor to emerging entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda as part of billionaire Tony Elumelu's Entrepreneurship Programme, which funds and develops new enterprises throughout Africa.

She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW).