Why We Need To Prioritise with Deborah Ajaja
After struggling to find milestone cards that were representative of her son and the celebrations they celebrated, Deborah Ajaja started a luxury gifting company ‘Colour Celebrations’, that provides milestone photo cards for babies of colour. Not only does Deborah run this business but she is also the Head of Change at KPMG. We spoke to her recently on our Female Founders Instagram Live, all about how she balances these roles whilst being a wife and mother of two.
Plan, plan, plan
Balancing all of life’s demands is something Deborah knows all too well, whether that’s being the Head of Change at KPMG, owning Colour Celebrations or balancing family life. To ensure she is meeting all she needs to in these roles, planning is crucial. ‘We don’t want to jeopardise our day jobs, so prioritising your time and sticking to it is key’. That may mean that we have to sacrifice certain things in our schedule - like our lunch break - to ensure that the right amount of time is being spent on each venture. The same can be said for resting. Schedule that time and be intentional about spending it resting and resetting.
Asking friends and potential customers
Our friends (honest!) advice and opinions can be crucial in helping us decide if our business plans and ideas are viable or not. However we do need to remember that our friends are our friends for a reason and so may have a somewhat biased view on how great our idea is! Therefore we should try to get opinions from those we may not know - particularly those who could be potential customers, to find out if our ideas are viable. For Deborah this meant forwarding a survey to her friends, to forward to their friends, to then forward to their friends.
Remembering your why
In those moments when we can lose motivation and become overwhelmed, it's important to remember why we started and the desire we have to see it come to life. It's crucial to remember this, as it will help bring joy which will translate to the products or services we are offering. We need to remember that what we are doing is not just about us but is also about impacting another person's life.
“If I stop, who’s going to make this?”
Standing out from the crowd
We all have fantastic ideas but for the customer to decide if they will purchase it, we need to be bringing something to the table that is different to what is currently offered. To do this, research is key. Talk to trusted advisors, network and seek advice from other professionals, this can help develop and identify areas of innovation. Once we’ve discovered this, just get into it, even if it fails. Don’t be afraid of this, because even when we fail, we have the opportunity to see what didn’t work and to move forward accordingly.
Funding your vision
Finding the finances to fund our projects is a hugely critical step to go through, in order to bring our visions to life. It is important before we decide which avenue to take, that we research into the costs that will come up. For some it may be that self-funding is the way to go. Whereas for others schemes, grants and other ways of support may be a better way to fund their projects. Just remember that there is no right or wrong way as long as we are comfortable with the final decision we make.
“I deserve a seat at the table and if not this table, I will build my own”
Remembering we belong
Imposter syndrome unfortunately is something many of us suffer or have suffered from. This feeling is something we need to take a hold of and combat. We need to remind ourselves that what we are doing isn’t an accident and is something we have been given for a reason and a purpose. Something as simple as speaking positive affirmations onto yourselves, can dramatically shift our thinking and help us recognise that we do have it. Who we surround ourselves with is incredibly important, go to those who speak life onto you and not those who try to rob you of your passion.
WORDS BY
Priya Raheja
