Women In Business Archives

Janifer Wheeler: An Influential Womanpreneur, Creating A Success Path For Other Aspiring Entrepreneurs

The Proud Entrepreneur and Productivity & E-Learning Consultant, Janifer Wheeler, Founder, JOYFully BadAss Business Academy™ is an influential business figure. Apart from being a Time Management Junkie and Growth Mindset Enthusiast, Janifer is renowned as an International, Best-Selling Author, and Award-Winning Speaker.

She has a Masters in Education – Integrating Technology in Grades 3-12 from Walden University and a Bachelors in Education, Field Of Study Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University.

JOYFully BadAss and Its Unique Solutions

The JOYFully BadAss Business Academy™ provides training courses and consulting as follows:

Custom Curriculum and Workshop Design
Productivity Courses and Consulting
Keynote Speaker or Workshop Facilitator
E-Learning Consulting and Design

While searching for an innovative way to swizzle from in-person to completely online, she discovered an exciting new method for delivering courses and content via TEXT messages.

NO ZOOM!
No logging in!
No weekly calls!
Just short, easy to access, easy to implement e-learning delivered right to your phone!

The primary goal of the JOYFully BadAss Business Academy™ is to help other small business owners, coaches, consultants, and entrepreneurs’ burnout prove their business with JOYFull Productivity!

Janifer’s clientele includes busy, badass female business owners and entrepreneurs who are overwhelmed and overworked. They are struggling to stay organized and work efficiently. Their To-Do Lists are endless. They may be constantly stressed, exhausted, and irritable. Many are headed for burnout. Most don’t have employees or any assistance. Or, if they do, they aren’t utilizing them.

Janifer Wheeler works closely with Virtual Assistant Agencies. Although their clients may be delegating to a VA already, many are still underutilizing their contracted hours. New clients may not know where to start and feel overwhelmed by weeding through their task lists to figure out what to delegate.

The Source of Inspiration

In May 2011, Janifer Wheeler realized that after nearly 20 years of working for schools and small businesses, she was burned out…not just on work, but on the goals and expectations she was trying to achieve. She felt trapped by her own choices and decided to take a risk and quit teaching so she could get to know herself better and forge a new path. It wasn’t easy, but she learned so much about her work style, work attitude, the type of work she wanted to do, and her values. Her highest value is freedom … no wonder it was so hard to work for other people! All of this information helped her confirm that she was born to be an entrepreneur.

Major Hurdles on the Way & The Driving Force

Before Covid, Janifer Wheeler was presenting workshops, training, and consulting in person. Although she can do it, she is not a fan of teaching via Zoom and wanted to find another way to deliver her courses that did not include a lot of virtual presentations. This was a huge challenge and it took her several months to find a Learning Management System that would meet her needs. This led to a total rebranding and redesign of offers, programs, etc., so she has spent most of the last year reinventing herself.

This is Janifer’s confidence and her self-belief that keep her growing. Some of it she was born with but so much of it came from the amazing people who encouraged her, validated her, and gave her suggestions for growth over the years.

From the Founder’s Desk

When I’m not helping you crush your goals and level up your productivity, you can find me in my little RV… by the water, communing with nature. It’s what I do to drop my stress and re-focus. I’m also a super big reading nerd (yes, I’ve been known to read on the treadmill #likeaboss).

I’ve built my life on the idea that efficiency and productivity have the power to make life spacious enough to hold your dreams. If you snuck a peek at my resume, you’d see that I’m a Certified Teacher & Curriculum Designer, Certified Diversity Professional®, and I have over a decade of experience as both an adult educator and business operations expert. Did I mention I take getting things done seriously? I can’t give you more hours in the day, but I can help you get so much more juice and life out of the hours you have.

Have you ever found yourself thinking…?

…how in the heck can I do it all?

…oh snap – did I forget something seriously important?

…I’d accomplish so many goals if I just had a little more time.

…nobody understands how many plates I’m juggling right now.

…building my own business wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

YOU’RE AMBITIOUS, CONFIDENT, AND FULL OF VISION. BUT TIME KEEPS SLIPPING OUT OF YOUR HANDS.

I’ll come alongside you, create a clear path for success, and put my proven productivity and organization strategies to work for you. Because I know how much amazing stuff you can accomplish with the right systems and perspective—and I want to share my know-how with you.

A Day in Janifer’s Life

She does not have a strict daily schedule or routine. She generally begins her day with coffee and some journaling. Then, she does household chores and appointments in the morning when possible and works on business tasks throughout the afternoon. She tries to finish working by 4:30 or 5. From there, she has dinner, watches movies, or sees live music. Bedtime is usually around 10:30 and she ends her day with a book.

Favorite Books & Favourite Quote

STRONG and FREE! This collection features stories of women from around the globe who broke up with society’s expectations and lived life on their terms. The Values Factor by John DeMartini is the second favorite. This book showed her that freedom was her most important value.

“Beautiful girl, you can do hard things.” – Sloane Ketchum

This is a go-to quote for Janifer Wheeler. It reminds her to believe in herself and not let “what ifs” get in the way of what she wishes to achieve.

Future Roadmap

While talking about her future goals, the leading lady apprised, “I hired a new marketing agency in November. I am thrilled with our strategy for 2022 and SUPER excited about the launch of two new JOYFully BadAss Business Academy™ courses in January 2022, along with the paperback copy of STRONG and FREE.”

She continued, “Our strategy also includes adding an affiliate program, a membership model, and more speaking opportunities. I get ideas for new courses all the time so there will certainly be more learning offers in 2022. I am considering a JOYFully BadAss Business Academy App and/or another book!”

Jewels in the Crown

Here is the list of awards won by the business lady:

Certified Diversity Professional Designation 2020
2021 Brainz CREA Global Award
2019 Women’s Economic Forum Exceptional Woman of Excellence
2021 Netwomen.co Ambassador
2018-2021 Polka Dot Powerhouse Board Member
2021 Amazon Author: Strong and Free

A Piece of Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

Learn enough to make wise decisions, but don’t try to learn it all. Ask for help! And remember, if it’s not JOYFull, why do it?

Guiding and Transforming your Team with TyAnn “Ty” Osborn

It can be undoubtedly stated that women are changing the paradigm of business throughout various industries. Although gender discrimination still lurks in organizations, female business personalities are working to attain a successful stature in their respective stream. It has been witnessed that gender neutralization is a must in business as it allows an adaptation of cumulative approach for success as a team. To assist such entities, TyAnn Osborn offers authentic and innovative business coaching and training programs so that these companies can establish their employees to become a perfect blend of skilled individuals (a team) that then seamlessly help enterprises achieve their milestones.

Meet TyAnn “Ty” Osborn, an exemplary entrepreneur helping Fortune 500 companies through innovative reforms. She founded Osborn Consulting Group LLC in 2012, a transformational strengths-based coaching and training company that empowers employees to discover the value of their unique abilities so they can learn how to engage with their fellow team members, be more productive, build stronger relationships, and authentically show up in their daily lives. Ty has spent her career enabling business leaders, managers, and employees to improve their performance and effectiveness through innovative professional development and strategic talent solutions. Prior to launching the business, she served as the Global Director of Human Resources for the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, an organization with a $2 billion endowment dedicated to improving the lives of children in urban poverty. The foundation is the family philanthropic foundation started by the founder of Dell Technologies.

Being an entrepreneur, Ty has faced various obstacles while building a name in the industry. There were some difficult times which she refers to as a bottleneck and then the sticking point where her business stagnated instead of growing. “I had said yes to too many things and had too little help to make it happen,” she admits. “That was a recipe for burnout and I actually ended up with a health scare and a trip to the emergency room.” This gave her the urgency and drive to make drastic changes in the business. “Then I started asking for help, which was so hard! But that was a game changer,” she adds.

A peek in Osborn Consulting Group

Her venture can be defined as a speaking, training, and coaching company that focuses on strengths-based performance, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. She was among one of the first groups of Gallup certified Strengths^© coaches and trainers in the world, and the strengths methodology forms the foundation of all of the work that she and her team do. Simply stated, this enables employees to understand their unique gifts and then apply those gifts to their roles. Research shows that people who know and use their strengths are more engaged at work, are more productive in their roles, and are happier and healthier. The global pandemic brought about unexpected benefits to her business. “I am delighted that we can offer our services in dynamic in-person events as well as engaging virtual formats,” she highlights.

Her clients range from small-scale non-profits to Fortune 500 companies. Her services span functions and industries, so they are useful regardless of what an organization’s industry definition is. “If they have employees and are interested in accelerating human potential, then they are a client for us,” Ty says. She feels fortunate to have been able to work with amazing companies over the years such as Dow Chemical, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, PayPal, EA Sports, Indeed, EY, Abbvie, Qualcomm, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Realtor.com, the University of Texas, and many more. Her company ensures continued business by delivering on its promises, being easy to work with, and customizing each solution. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ product in a box that we offer – each client deserves a solution tailor-made for their unique environment,” she highlights.

Osborn Consulting is also certified as a HUB – a Historically Underutilized Business- by the state of Texas. It is very important for Ty to provide growth and business opportunities to other women and minorities. She feels delighted that her team is comprised of amazingly talented people who are specialists in their fields, from administration to operations, social media to coaching. One of Ty’s Top 5 personal strengths is futuristic. People equipped with this gift often energize others with their visions of the future. Being a visionary, she is always planning to keep one step ahead by looking at future possibilities.

Advice from the Expert

Ty takes pride that in 2022 she is celebrating her tenth year in the business. “It has absolutely flown by! Each year has been more successful than the previous,” she asserts. She envisions continuing to impact clients by helping them discover their potential and shine at every point. She looks forward to expanding her business by recruiting more skilled professionals in her team.

Currently, among other clients, she and her team are working on an innovative full-scale strengths rollout with a large, distributed campus school district from the superintendent down to the students, and they are looking forward to the opening of many more possibilities in the future. “Clients often ask “what’s next” so I’m excited about building custom solutions for them,” she mentions.

She values bringing a tangible and meaningful difference in their lives through a speaking, training and coaching company. “What keeps me going is seeing my clients light up from within,” she says. Her clients have always been the inspiration for her continued success. She recommends that every individual be open and stay curious in learning new things about themselves through the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment. “If you want to be successful then study success. Hang out with successful people. Read about success. Be careful with what you ingest – if you only take in negative things then that is what you will become,” she offers.

Leian Harosky: Building Life-long Relationships

Every individual deserves to build wealth and financial freedom through real estate, either by investing in a house or buying a home to retire in. Many realtors in the industry offer to make this dream into reality, but few have earned a name in the market through remarkable strategies blended with kindness.

Leian Harosky—the principal broker and Owner of Harosky Homes LLC—is one such compassionate business leader who has remarkably contributed in bringing her decades of experience to the local real estate landscape. Through her venture, she and her team have dedicatedly worked to help current and prospective homeowners make their dreams come true. It is a full-service real estate office conducting various real estates seminars such as home buying, home selling, 1031 exchange, luxury transactions, shortfall and lender sale. Her team holds expertise in home buying and selling, 1031 exchanges, short sales, and Veterans Affairs (V.A.) home purchases.

Moreover, her company arranges buying seminars to talk about all the details involved with the process so prospective clients are ready when looking to buy and sell properties, as well as learn about rental property strategies, and Oahu market trends. It also assists a lot of military families stationed in Hawaii.

Into the Shoes of Leian

At the age of 28, Leian worked at a U.S. Embassy in an Islamic country where she had coveted security clearance and received vital training. This experience helped her to build relationships with multiple countries and an array of people, as she kept up with foreign affairs and helped employees of the embassy with housing needs. She recalls, “I grew up on a farm, so that helps me remain grounded and down to earth, we treat the business and our clients like a family. Through my business, I believe in giving back so I give to organisations and feel to promote goodness to others to create a better world.” She is one of the VA educators for veterans, active military and their dependents and teaches two times a month at VA centers and once a week inside a military base. As Harosky Homes LLC includes four retired military officers on its team, Leian explains the diversity within the company shines through as everyone can speak different languages. The staff can speak Tagalog, Mandarin, Malay, Indonesian, Spanish, Italian, Thai, and Korean to further assist clients.

Leian cherishes every day of her life; she feels blessed to have an exemplary team through which she can help many people to have their dream home. “The balance in work life is a big factor was the reason why I choose to pursue a career in real estate,” Leian adds. But the work is not as simple as it seems. She states that the primary challenge that she faces is establishing everything from scratch, and later finding good vendors to work together as a team, as it is crucial. There is a need for good vendors that work as hard for the company as the company works for their clients. Fortunately, Harosky’s Homes has a diverse group of realtors who vary in age, ethnicity, and culture but work together to create a promising experience for their clients.

Building lifelong Relationships

Leian has completed almost 18 years in the business, since then she has developed various abilities including being multilinguistic. Growing up with a diverse family and being exposed to various cultures helped her learn and adapt quickly, be respectful and think differently while helping people. Her diverse background also helped her in connecting with a distinctive range of people. Most of her clients whom she has assisted have been able to resell their properties and make money because of her strategies and brainstorming sessions. Firstly, she prefers to educate everyone on the significance of a true team effort, and later provide them with the crucial education to equip clients with achieving their real estate goals; be it a home to retire in or an investment. Her clients can benefit from the energy, creativity, and technology reach that Harosky Homes LLC brings to the industry. It has directed thier attention on building local relationships and immersing itself in the community by focusing on leveraging their professional sphere to expand the local network.

Leian has been awarded Hawaii Women Means Business 2019 along with the listing in AREAA A-list 2022; number 1 closed transaction in Hawaii; and number 3 in sales & volume. She has also earned the Soaring Eagle Award and Fallen Warrior Award. Moreover, Leian is also a real estate investor with experience working internationally, as well as with the U.S. State Department, US Embassy in Asia assigning houses for Military Diplomats and Foreign Service Officers. “So, with that government and corporate background, I learned how to be discreet and diplomatic,” she asserts.

A Glimpse into the Future

Leian Harosky is planning to establish a non-profit organization called Helping O’Hana and Untraffick. She envisions expanding to other branches to share their experience in helping others find a home and contribute to orphanages and their non-profit organizations. She looks forward to getting more involved in the local community and giving back. She believes that a woman should not fear and embrace their womanhood and not let themselves get pushed aside because they are female. “You can think like a man and act like a lady. You are more powerful than you think.” she states.

To conclude, we can state that Leian Harosky is instilled with the importance of homeownership, equity, and property maintenance, and believes in running an ethical and honest business. “If there is no space for you in whatever you intend to do, then create space and invite them to your space,” she adds.

From Special Education Teacher And Doctoral Level Professor To “Inspiring Coachpreneur”: Dr. Shellie Hipsky’s Journey Of Empowering & Inspiring Women Leaders

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou

Dr. Shellie Hipsky, CEO, Inspiring Lives International personifies this quote which is also one of her favourites, as her motivational media company continues to bring the unique personality, voice, and presence into the media spotlight.

Dr. Shellie Hipsky a charismatic leader with a never to say die attitude, an excellent guide & mentor, an inspiring coach, a great author and an influential business leader who initiated a journey to reach her mission of uplifting other inspiring and empowering women so they can make their greatest dreams a reality and impact others around the world with their stories and knowledge. Known as the “Global Empowerment Coach”, Shellie’s other titles include CEO of Inspiring Lives International, Executive Director of the Global Sisterhood, and the Editor in Chief of Inspiring Lives Magazine. She is educating, entertaining, and inspiring globally.

Her career span includes teaching students from kindergarten to the doctoral level in the United States as well as in Rome, Italy. In academics, Shellie is alumnus of Duquesne University where she completed the IDPEL doctoral program in educational leadership and has presented at an international conference on educational leadership at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The research methodology she created, called the “Pre-Conceptual Map,” was taught in a Harvard University Research Methodology course.

Inspiring Lives International

Inspiring Lives International is a motivational media and education company that has offered the television show Inspiring Lives with Dr. Shellie, Empowering Women Radio, and 13 books including the international bestseller Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants: Entrepreneurial Secrets to Success for Your Dream Business and Brand. Her coaching is highly sought after by women internationally.

Further the inspiring lady apprised, “My coaching includes my EmpowerU Master Class which is enrolling now which has a seven-week proven curriculum for women to garner inspiration, empowerment, balance, and abundance. Many women have learned through my Exert Level video series how to do branding and marketing. Select elite ladies who are leaders in their field and are ready to rise to the top of their game while maintaining life balance, have engaged in World Class VIP Coaching with me wherein we travel to a fabulous resort and spa to work one-on-one with me on making their business and life dreams a reality. Inspiring Lives International combines empowerment, entertainment, and empowerment for women’s ultimate success.”

The ILI’s clientele include women leaders who desire transformation in their lives and careers. She recently spoke at the Ultimate Wealth Camp in Vegas. When she looks at the clients who joined her there for that experience, more than half of them are women whom she has known for over a decade. They trust her because they can clearly see how she led them from a transitional tipping point in their lives to success and they are growing ever higher towards their biggest goals.

The Inspiration Behind The Initiation

Dr. Shellie was a tenured professor and the decision to become an entrepreneur was based on creating her highest quality of life with her two beautiful children and her passion for inspiring women internationally. She needed to go beyond the four walls of the classroom and make the world her classroom!

“During my 20+ years of teaching and mentoring, I realized that there are so many beautiful, intelligent, and amazing women out there with stories that the world needs to hear. But these women leaders don’t know how to get themselves in front of the crowd, or be noticed enough to get their voices to a higher platform. This is where my completely individualized mentoring methods came into the picture”, Dr. Shellie proudly shared. In fact, her method is so unique for teaching adult learners that she holds a U.S. Patent for her instructional style with Dr. Jeanine Blackburn, who personally benefited from the teachings as a doctoral student of Dr. Shellie Hipsky’s and she is also a proud EmpowerU Alumni.

Major Hurdles & The Driving Force On The Way

The primary challenge during pivots have been looking at the situation from a new perspective. When a shift happens (and it always does), leaders must regroup and remain flexible.

Dr. Shellie said that she has been blessed to have had amazing mentors throughout her life journey. Currently, she is leaning into America’s Small Business Expert Bill Walsh’s teachings and mentorship. Throughout the years, she has had reciprocal mentoring connections from other brilliant business coaches such as Anita Brattina, Wendy O’Brien Lydon, and Marta Sauret-Greca.

Creating A More Balanced And Equal Industry

Dr. Shellie deeply believes in an equitable and inclusive workforce that pays genders equally and respects all on the team while celebrating differences and diversity.

A Day In The Leading Lady’s Life & Hobbies

“If I am not traveling for international speaking engagements, I begin my day early with my morning routine including mediation and exercise, I get the kids to school after a healthy breakfast, and then it really depends on the day what I will be doing. Whether it entails editing Inspiring Lives Magazine or delivering content through multiple online or in-person speaking gigs, podcasts, or TV shows – my calendar is always full. Some of my greatest days include my coaching days when I can help the women, I lead get closer to their fulfilled destinies”, asserted Dr. Shellie.

She loves performing in musical theater productions, singing, (She has vocal singles out on Spotify and iTunes). She also loves exercises such as Pilates, Aerial Yoga, or other fun workouts and she was even certified to teach Kickboxing. She adores hanging out with her kids and doing family-based activities as well.

Favourite Book

Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles is a classic self-empowerment book that this business leader loves to read and highly recommends.

Expansion Goals For Inspiring Lives International

The future of Inspiring Lives International will include touching the hearts and lives of millions of women around the world. She is excited to fill the latest cohort of her EmpowerU Master Class. Her keynote speaking calendar is booking up quickly and she looks forward to connecting with more audiences with messages of inspiration. Her signature talk is currently available on Amazon Prime to Speak Up and it has the same title as her 13^th book Ball Gowns to Yoga Pants. She looks forward to releasing her first vocal album Dr. Shellie and All That Jazz. Now, she is eagerly waiting for her next big red carpet gala fundraiser for her non-profit the Global Sisterhood, because the women who attend and the performances are always amazing. Dr. Shellie’s goal is worldwide inspiration!

Jewels In The Crown

Dr Shellie has a number of accolades and awards, here is a list of the latest awards and recognition won by the leading lady:

2021 “One of the “Top 20 Business Coaches” worldwide – VIP Global Magazine
2021 “Top 10 Inspiring Women to Look out for in 2021” – New York Weekly
2021 “Outstanding Professional Character Award” from Media – The Creative Agency
2021 “Forbes Contributor and Official Member” from the Forbes Coaching Council
2021 “Featured Founding Cover Coach” from Six-Figure Women Coaches Magazine
2021 “Official Member & Founder” from the Global Sisterhood
2021 “Global Ambassador” from the World Heritage Cultural Center
2021 “Featured Selection in the World’s Best Business Book Club” from C-Suite Book Club
2021 “Executive Leader” from the C-Suite Network
2020 “The Author Zone Award in Business” from TAZ
2020 “Five Star Author & Official Selection” from Bedside Reading
2020 “Impact Maker” from Ruchi Singh Talks
2019 “Social Legend” award from Real Beauty Real Women
2019 “Business Choice” award for Inspiring Lives Magazine from The Pittsburgh Business Show
2017 “Women of Achievement” award from Cribs for Kids
2015 “Entrepreneur of the Year in Inspiration and Empowerment” from VIP Events Concierge
2015 “VIP Woman of the Year Circle” award from the National Association Professional Women
2015 “Tenured Associate Professor” from Robert Morris University
2014 “Exceptional Artist Award” Pittsburgh Fashion Week – Fashion Hall of Fame
2013 “Super Professor” from the Faculty Row
2013 “Best Business Woman in Pittsburgh” from the Women’s Small Business Association

Advice For Young Women

Dr. Shellie exclaimed, “Be your fabulous self and show the world who you truly are!”

Leah Kay: An Woman Entrepreneur striking a chord to the Millennial

Let us hear an inspiring tale of this young talented girl who transformed herself into a leading businesswoman by setting a real-time example and inspiring other women along the way. Meet Leah Kay- Founder and CEO of Soulvation, who discovered the business world and stumbled into entrepreneurship in college.

While pursuing her master’s and running around the campus in a messy bun like most other girls, Leah wanted to find a way for her hair to look composed yet chic. The generic headbands during that time were unattractive, uncomfortable, and too sporty. Leah wanted a headband that made her look cute and feel comfortable.

However, she was not able to find any headbands that she wanted. So, she decided to take this matter into her hands and find an ideal solution. She borrowed her mom’s sewing machine, went to the local fabric store, and started hand-sewing her headbands. Leah soon started wearing her headbands that grabbed the attention of her friends, who asked her for the same. This hobby led her to start a side hustle during college. After finishing college, she worked full-time into her side-hustle and built her brand.

The Journey to the Forefront

With zero experience in business and entrepreneurship, Leah decided to put in the work and learn everything with her action-driven approach. In January 2019, she quit her education to follow her dreams. She started hand-sewing headbands around the clock, created her website, started posting on social platforms, and shipped orders alone.

Initially, she started with $300 and dreamt of establishing a multi-million dollar brand. As the profits started swinging in, she rolled it over into buying more inventory. With her go-getter mindset, she built a 6-figure brand in the first year of her business. In 2020, it grew to over $1,800,000 in sales, and in 2021, she envisions closing the year with $5-6 million in sales and project $15 million in sales in 2022.

Today, Soulvation has expanded beyond headbands into other hair accessories and new apparel this year. The brand won the Top 50 Colorado Companies to Watch in 2021 award.

Meeting the Customer Standards

Most hair accessory brands provide mass-produced products that compromise quality for quantity by using sportswear-type fabric and a worn-out design. On the contrary, Soulvation provides high-quality hair accessories for everyday wear, not just at the gym.

It uses butter-soft fabric for products made up of bamboo fibers. This fabric has natural benefits like it is stretchy, super soft, hypoallergenic, moisture absorbing, antibacterial, UV protectant, insulating, and doesn’t absorb stink as cotton-based material does.

Instead of marketing towards a specific target audience like the fitness industry, she developed the brand to pivot into more of a hair and lifestyle brand that is stylish and comfortable for everyday wear. The hair ties are also a game-changer. “We improved the basic black elastic to look like more of a bracelet design. They look like bracelets but work just like an elastic hair tie! These are so popular that we have trouble keeping them in stock. We are always developing new, limited edition colors for all of our hair accessories”, states Leah.

Acing the Challenges with Ease

Every day monotonous work gets in the way and becomes a measure of losing interest in our passion. By working at an organization, one can grow in so many ways. Leah loves building a brand because every day is a new challenge to learn from and grow. These challenges are the growth drivers of a successful future. The challenging scenarios make you think outside the box and adapt to change. Few days like these will be hard, however, taking risks and overcoming challenges is the way forward.

Times of Setbacks

Mistakes are bound to happen as an entrepreneur. However, these mistakes are a way to learn new lessons. Leah’s biggest mistake in building a brand from the beginning was trusting others to take tasks off her plate. Being a perfectionist, she wanted to do it all. However, she changed her mindset and delegated the roles to the right person.

Triumphs to Cherish

Leah’s greatest achievement is creating opportunities and providing jobs to women on the team. The Soulvation employees are hard-working and motivated women; who are growing personally and professionally in all kinds. It has been an exciting experience showing them the ropes and behind-the-scenes action when building a brand.

Leah’s secret passion is teaching; she loves teaching others the power and rewards of entrepreneurship. She loves to invest her time and knowledge into those that want to learn and progress in their lives.

Some of our employees are working on getting their brands off the ground and following in my footsteps or even one day outgrow me. I want them to do big things and to follow their dreams. It’s one of the perks of working on our team – I’ll push you outside your comfort zone if you want to grow.

Leadership Principles the lead the Pack

Every leader is known for their unique leadership style and skill. Here’s how Leah walks her talks:

She recognizes the team members’ strengthens and helps them grow to their maximum potential. The team is skilled in setting goals and creating a positive, empowering, impactful, and motivating work environment. She provides them with regular feedback on challenging projects to promote holistic development.
Keep the team lean and let them reap the rewards for going above and beyond. The employees get rewarded for their performance and hard work with gifts and bonuses for accomplishing their goals.
Cut the cancerous employees who are not able to meet the company standards. On the contrary to hard-working employees, the opposite type of employee inevitably presents themselves on the team. One should hire and fire accordingly. Positivity, hard work ethic, and willingness to grow personally and professionally are must-haves for a team.
Make time for team bonding and always have an open door. Celebrate special days and occasions with the team and enjoy the fun times.

The Enlightening Success Mantra

As an entrepreneur, once you reach the top of the mountain- it becomes easy to make money, and most people define that as success. On the contrary, providing an opportunity and experience to those willing to grow is how Leah defines her success.

Her mantra in life is to keep growing and vouching towards personal growth. She will continue to pursue things out of her comfort zone and help people follow their dreams and turn them into realities.

A Sheer-Leader

Leah is a holistic leader; who aims towards the utmost growth of her team. She works with an easy-going approach, where she assigns and teaches employees the task and gives them their space to work on it. She refuses to micromanage and let the employees learn on their own.

She has got their back at all times; however, if an issue arises, Leah is confident that the employees should figure out a solution before coming to her. This way, the employees feel a sense of independence and courage.

The Next Steps

Soulvation is a 100% women-owned and operated brand completely bootstrapped with zero investors and zero debt. It encourages all women to look and feel their best without sacrificing comfort.

Earlier this year, we donated thousands of our headbands to Sanford Health nurses as a thank-you for all their hard work during the pandemic. The organization has also donated headbands to cancer unit patients and staff. Soulvation aims to give back to many industries and continue supporting female founders to build their empires. Changing people’s lives for the better – that is true success to me.

A Combination Of Inspiration, Innovation, And Expertise: Meet The Accomplished Legal Practitioner, Henzie Healley

Responding to the pressing need for a platform where lawyers can join and serve their clients, without taking the stress of running a sole business, an accomplished and skilled lawyer, Henzie Healley has launched Mezzle in the Middle East with her esteemed business partners Mel Kang and Raj Sumal, who also launched Mezzle in the UK. Henzie is a common law qualified lawyer living in Dubai but servicing clients from all around the world.

She studied Business Management in Canada, before going on to study law in New Zealand. She qualified with an LLB with Honors in New Zealand and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2014. She then moved to Dubai in 2014 after being offered a permanent role at an international law firm she interned for during her school vacations.

In 2019 Henzie founded her own legal consultancy and simultaneously, started an organic paint company both of which have been hugely successful and have grown very quickly. In 2021 she merged the Abu Dhabi legal consultancy with a UK firm, rebranded, and is now a partner in, and Managing Director of, Mezzle Middle East.

Mezzle, all set to Disrupt the Provision of Legal Services

Mezzle Middle East is a legal consultancy that is seeking to disrupt the provision of legal services and the way that lawyers conduct their business. Providing a platform through which lawyers can join and continue to service their clients, without having to worry about the endless non-billable hours taken up by admin and running a business solo.

Mezzle allows lawyers to join a global brand, have the support that they need to provide the highest level of service efficiently and effectively to their clients while having the freedom to enjoy life and be their own boss.

Clients & Corporate Ethos

Mezzle Middle East services clients from all over the world, having started predominantly with a focus on start-ups and high-growth companies, it has since grown to include many SMEs, large international companies, and family offices in the UAE.

Mezzle is a technology-focused law firm that provides clients with the best possible service. Here is a team of legal experts who strive hard to ensure each project gets done right, fast, and efficiently. The team is always looking for new ways to improve their services, whether it be through technological advancements or process improvements.

The Driving Force

God played a huge role in getting Henzie Healley to where she is today. From the beginning, when she started the company, they never had any problems getting clients. Big names wanted to work with them, and they would receive calls out of the blue from people they had never heard of, that wanted to help them grow their brand, promote them and use their services.

Further the leading lady apprised, “We have many people to thank for our success including Yann Mrazek and the team at MH/Q, Greg Shippee/David Linklater and the team at Re/Think, Pratik and the team at Sanctuary, Tasawar Ul Haq, Preston McIntyre (one-man army), Sherif El Hennawy and the team at Plug & Play, Zille Rehman and the team at Astrolabs, Rosheen Ngorima (founder of Neeps Consulting), Maxime Casinelli (owner of MCG), Leo Garcia (Women’s Investment Empowerment Forum), and a mystery Mr X (who would like to remain anonymous, but knows who he is) and all of our clients that have supported us along the way.”

The Phenomenal Team

When asked about her team Henzie shared, “One is also only as strong as one’s team and we have been blessed with a phenomenal team at Mezzle. Everyone that is a part of the Mezzle team, is genuinely committed, pitches in, and works hard as a team. A special shout out to Shameeg who has helped me significantly along the way, my family, who invested in me and all pitched in when things got really busy (my mom, my dad, and my stepmom – literally, I would not have been able to do this without you), my friends who were always happy for me and stayed friends with me even though I was too busy to see them (and still helped me with all kinds of things which needed to be in the media when I could – Kohl & Rouge), and Khader who pushed me to start the business and supported me all the way.”

Creating a more Balanced & Equal Industry

The legal system is changing. COVID has shown people that so much more can be done remotely, and money is no longer the most important thing to work for. Traditional law firms are becoming a thing of the past. There’s never been a better time to join the movement and help create something new: one that works for you, not against you.

Henzie stated, “Everyone loves money, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of people are seeing that freedom from a desk is way more valuable. In my opinion, companies need to be more flexible, understanding what is important to people and realising that not everyone’s the same. They should embrace technology and be open-minded to new ways of doing things”.

Favourite Book

The Efficientpreneur by AK.

Future Roadmap

Henzie Healley is most excited about the possibilities that Mezzle provides and how it can change people’s lives. It gives lawyers freedom, freedom to work for themselves, earn a good living, but also make more time for the important things in life and loved ones. Mezzle is the way of the future. It’s what every lawyer should strive for. Life is short and time is precious. Time spent is time that one will never get back… it should be rationed and used wisely. Mezzle is for people who are tired of the old ways.

A Piece of Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

“You can do it! We live in a society that tells people they can do anything and achieve anything. Some think that’s wrong and breads entitlement or too much emotional sensitivity, but I truly believe the sky is the limit. If you put your mind to it and have God supporting it, you can do anything”, advised Henzie.

“While many women have found it challenging to enter the workplace and have encountered various obstacles, I don’t want to offend anyone, but I have never felt that my gender has been a hindrance to my success in the workplace or in the legal sector. Quite the opposite actually. I believe both men and women in this industry can achieve equal success”, she further added.

Favourite Quote

“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more days to do the things you wanted. Do it now”.

Farah Emara, Young Inspiring Entrepreneur Focused Towards Disrupting the Agri-value Chain with FreshSource

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

Quote that describes the mindset of the inspiring young entrepreneur Farah Emara, CEO, FreshSource, a great initiative to streamline the fresh food value chain through the use of data and technology. The 30-year old leading lady, Farah is passionate about entrepreneurship, value chains, and getting rid of unnecessary inefficiencies. With her co-founder, Omar Emara, they are the brains behind FreshSource Global, they launched the firm in January 2019.

The inception that happened just three years ago, grew into a strong innovative platform. FreshSource is currently disrupting the Egyptian agriculture industry by streamlining the value chain through technology. It is the region’s first platform for fresh produce, transforming the lives of producers, businesses, and consumers. As of now, the firm is working with many established businesses in the country with a belief that the level of service it provides is what makes them loyal to FreshSource. Because of their outstanding contributions and innovative solutions, Farah and her venture were honoured with the Digital Agriculture Award of the year by the World Bank and the IFC. They were also awarded the Mashrou3 Amal award by MBC.

Further, the leading lady apprised, “An idea, no matter how unique or great it is, is just an idea. Determination, perseverance, and transforming your setbacks into comebacks is what will build a truly successful enterprise. We work hard to prepare our team and our company for exponential growth and always make data-driven decisions for our strategies. We are building a strong team with a solid foundation and processes in place that will enable us to transform the Egyptian agriculture industry.”

The Inspiration behind the Initiative

Omar and Farah grew up in the agriculture industry and it was always a passion for them. At the time she was working in P&G and Omar was in London. Farah had a background in FMCG and Omar in Finance and Technology in Goldman Sachs London. They always knew that they wanted to start something that will have an impact on their country. They started researching the industry and uncovered immense inefficiencies that exist in the value chain. Through their research, they found that an average of 45% of crops are lost before hitting store shelves due to poor harvesting, transportation, and storage. With an exponentially growing population, greater stress is being placed on food security. Producers are not getting their fair cut due to middlemen and businesses are overpaying for their crops making prices extremely high for the end-consumer.. So, they launched FreshSource to revolutionize agriculture in Egypt and transform it through technology.

Major Hiccups & Support on the Way

The agriculture industry is always very risky and dynamic, so challenges are how to withstand some of the changes that were caused by the global pandemic and how to build a foundation that can strive.

While talking about her support system, Farah happily said, “My co-founder, Omar, is the number one reason I am where I am today. He provides unparalleled support and a great direction for FreshSource that has made it possible for us to achieve what we have.”

“To create a More Balanced and Equal Industry, Always focus on the female representation in the workforce, if you are not tracking it then odds are you have an extremely low number of females in your team. Without this diversity, companies are missing out on so much, from Sales to Operations”, she further added.

A Day in Farah’s Life

She wakes up at 7 every day as the fruit and vegetable industry is one that is most active in the mornings. She begins her day by checking the communication channels with the team. After that, she gets up and walks her two beautiful dogs, Mocha and Yogi. Then she goes to the gym at Gezira Club to get some morning endorphins and grabs a coffee. After that, she either goes to the office, meets with investors, farms, or cold storage facilities depending on the situation.

Favourite Source of Inspiration & Education

A podcast- Startup Theory.

“I love Startup Theory and I recommend all entrepreneurs listen to it. Being an entrepreneur can sometimes be a lonely journey. I am lucky enough to have my brother with me, but other sole founders don’t. They need to get the message that obstacles will always arise and sometimes doubting yourself can be more detrimental than the actual issue you are facing. We usually only see the tip of the iceberg on media platforms of startups raising millions and it usually looks so easy. However, each startup is going through its own pains, and keeping your headset in the right direction is what will make you sink or swim”, Farah apprised.

The Future

The young woman believes that blockchain will have an immense impact on the value chain of food. This has already started happening and will only continue to transform the industry. Agriculture accounts for 40% of the global workforce and represents 6.4% of the entire world’s economic production. Getting food from farm to table is an extremely complicated process with a lot of intermediaries. People are oblivious to what has been sprayed on the food they are eating or how it has been handled. Using blockchain to promote the traceability of food will have a transformative impact.

Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

You must be aggressive, while it may be uncomfortable for some people to be assertive and it might not come naturally, unfortunately, it is seen as a sign of weakness by investors and other stakeholders. So, if you want to get far, you must be determined and assertive.

Trust Capital TC – Enriching lives, creating Reliability!

Businesses come and go, what stays is the presence, the impact, and the name of the enterprise. Business is more about creating a relationship between the company and the customers than selling something to someone.

A company is always on the search and hunt for the next big innovation, which could carve their name in the hall of fame, but, what about the existing products/services they offer?

There are a lot of companies offering similar products/services but only a few prevail and take the top spot. What makes the customers follow these names only, and overlook any other, despite discounts, extra benefits, etc.?

The answer is Trust and Reliability.

Farah Hawilo is one of the leading and eccentric businesswomen of 2021. She is not only an effervescent leader but also a great persona, inspiring budding entrepreneurs and exiting businessmen/businesswomen.

Farah is the Executive Director of Trust Capital TC. Trust Capital TC provides a secure, reliable, and transparent environment to trade CFDs on Forex, Metals, Commodities, Indices, and Cryptocurrencies.

Offering direct access to the financial markets with the benefits of competitive pricing, tight spreads, low commission, and negative balance protection.

Since Brokers do not share a good image in the market, Farah and her company aim to eradicate that by providing services that are unmatched, top-notch, and completely transparent. Trust Capital TC revolutionizes the traditional image and perception of Brokers.

Farah, and her will to create something extraordinary and change the face of trading and the air around it, makes her one of the most dynamic businesswomen to watch in 2021

“To achieve something that you’ve never achieved, you have to do something that you’ve never done”

The Company, the Journey

Trust Capital TC started a revolution in the securities market. Licensed in 2018, with a mission to provide an environment where traders have transparency and reliability. Their base of operations is set up in Cyprus, with the representative office in Dubai UAE.

They offer a trading platform for clients to invest, whether they are retail or professional clients. They offer a lot of instrument support, such as Forex, Metals, indices, energies, Commodities, and now cryptocurrencies.

To cater to clients of all kinds and offer different account types suited for all kinds of investors, professional or starting out, Trust Capital TC offers a one-stop solution.

Being a broker, a company faces many claims, which are on the negative side. But Trust Capital TC rises as the knight in shining armor for all those cheated, mistreated, or conned by traditional brokers. The defining characteristic feature of Trust Capital TC is the education they offer, and that too free of cost! They conduct webinars, seminars, and provide online education. They also have a program called the Forex Mentor, providing one-on-one training.

Trust Capital TC and its team know trading into Indices, Forex, etc. is a risky job. They offer education so people and their clients can learn. They impart education, not to get accounts, but to establish trust and eradicate improper knowledge which stains the occupation of trading as a whole. They are the change, by being the change!

They also offer practice accounts, so people can practice trading with virtual money. This does not stop here as Trust Capital TC monitors the account with them, and tries to give them some tips, etc. on how to trade and how to get better, and much more.

One of the most challenging tasks for Trust Capital TC and its team was to get their license. As they moved and chose Cyprus as the base of operation, CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) had introduced regulatory changes, implied stringent rules, and regulations. As the leverages were reduced to 1:30 from 1:100, making it less risky for traders, brought in a lot of compliance work, etc. to get a license.

Moreover, to get the license they had to plan and regulate policies, in adherence to the regulations, keeping it completely transparent at all times. With dedication, hard work, and luck on their side, they were one of the last companies to get a CySEC license!

After the license, next was the task of setting up the company, but that was something they were already prepared for, making it easy for them to establish their firm.

What pushes Trust Capital TC to grow and succeed?

A lot happened during the pandemic, and for Trust Capital TC it was a make-or-break situation. There were many changes going on in the markets and people’s mindsets too. The shuffle in employment opportunities pushed people to become more aware of what trading can offer, especially as a second income source.

To tap this space, Trust Capital TC conducted online webinars, a lot of them. Projected towards educating and creating awareness about trading online, what it means to invest online, and it is not as difficult as it seems. This not only led to more clients, but traders who are educated, aware, and understand trading, which Trust Capital TC strives to achieve.

People of different fields also became more interested in trading, because Trust Capital TC broke many myths along its journey for its clients and students.

‘You can only trade if you know finance’.
“This is not true; you can learn anything that you’re interested in. All it takes is time, effort, and education. This is why we are here to help”. – Farah Hawilo, Executive Director, Trust Capital TC

Trust Capital’s roots for its long-standing success

What makes Trust Capital TC successful and the first choice of traders is its reputation with its clients. As there are hundreds of brokers, spread across different instruments, regulated, and not regulated, etc. The unregulated ones, unfortunately, have made a bad reputation. There are many cases where clients face difficulty receiving their profits, customer service was bad after they opened an account, and so on.

Trust Capital’s ethics is to have great customer service and to make sure client is aware of every stage of their account. Even after they closed the account, they make sure they’re doing okay. They keep a check and make sure their clients receive anything they need, along with the surety of debiting/crediting funds on time. They do frequent follow-ups, making sure the client has received profits, is up to date, etc.

Another factor making Trust Capital TC sought-after and acclaimed is the transparency with cost. Their pricing is everywhere, on the website, and on terms and conditions, etc. They make sure the client doesn’t miss anything because it is the money that they’re investing. So, they make sure to take care of that very much and be transparent with the client!

Services offered by Trust Capital TC, and what sets them apart

Trust Capital TC offers a variety of instruments to trade in, right from Forex, Metals, Gold, Silver, Commodities, Indices, and now offering Cryptocurrency. They offer CFDs (Contract for Differences) on these instruments. CFDs are more based on speculation, thus allowing one to trade without purchasing an instrument. This means one can trade with a higher quantity, with a lower amount. CFDs on crypto are being offered by very few, but with reliability and trust on Trust Capital TC, there is no better option out there!

As mentioned earlier they provide education too. They have created a mobile app that helps the client track their trades, making their trading simple and easy, thus, saving their on-screen time. Clients also get pop-up notifications showing trade information, etc. They also receive other benefits right from the calendar of news to calculators that they might need, and much more.

They also offer affiliated partnerships. If someone wants to refer clients, they have a program for them. Also, liquidity offering is also provided. If it’s a corporate account and they want to open an account, get liquidity, etc. Trust Capital TC also provides that.

There are a lot of factors that set Trust Capital TC and its services apart. They make sure that pricing is competitive. They offer different account types with different pricing and different commission. So, clients can choose accounts, pricing, etc. to their needs.

They also provide as many payment methods as possible. They have PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, credit card debit card, and bank transfer, so no one feels restricted with one payment method.

Also, the free education is a huge plus, because almost all the Brokers have great offerings but only a few offer education, and that too on a condition if you’re a funded client with them.

Trust Capital TC also offers immersive and proactive customer service. It’s 24 hours, 24×7, all days a week, even when the markets are closed, making sure clients receive regular updates about everything, are always in the light!

New additions to Trust Capital’s service arsenal

They are in the works of offering equities, which would make Trust Capital TC a one-stop-shop for the client. Clients will be able to open a trading account with them and trade Apple, Amazon, and other equities. The best part being, one account with Trust Capital TC enables you to trade a variety of instruments, right from crypto to gold, crude oil, currency, and much more!

What makes it interesting as now equity CFDs will be available to trade along with education, making Trust Capital TC a complete solution for traders and investors.

How Trust Capital TC goes ahead with changing times and trends

Trust Capital TC offers various instruments to trade and invest. They are integrating new instruments, such as cryptocurrency, which is being offered by very few in the market. Also, the regular additions and updates to the mobile app, making the whole experience seamless. Moreover, the team is always looking for changing trends, new technology, etc. which can be integrated to make sure their services are unrivaled and always the best the industry has to offer!

The Leading Lady, Farah Hawilo

Farah started her education in finance, got her bachelor’s degree in banking and Finance in Lebanon. Right off the bat she started working and initiated her journey to get some experience in the Forex industry.

She started from customer support, to learn all the ins and outs of the Forex world, right from client account opening, back office, etc. She also pursued and accumulated few certificates including risk and investment compliance by Reuters, Bloomberg terminal, etc. that fetched her more knowledge, skills, helping her get up the ladder.

All this prepared her and provided her the knowledge she needed to start her company. Followed the start of Trust Capital TC, where she was handling different roles and departments, such as operations, HR department, Compliance department, dealing with sales, etc.

Farah feels the highlight of her professional journey is getting the CySEC license, owing to stringent norms, compliance, regulations, etc., and nurturing her company to become a successful and respectable name in the market.

From there to open up a new office in Dubai, dedicating herself to bring more awareness and education amongst traders, eradicating the bad image around Brokers, and expanding the business is one of the major highlights of her career!

What Farah thinks are the responsibilities of an entrepreneur

Number one is to be true to what you are doing. If you’re working on something and comparing yourself all the time to similar businesses, you won’t ever be ahead of the competition. Your work should keep you more into a tunnel vision, towards the goal, in the end, to have other people look at you, copy you, and not the other way around!

Be true to yourself, true to what you are doing, and at the same time don’t only look at it as a profit-making making business. It will get there as long as you have your ethics and the company. You have to make sure about the way you treat your employees, make sure to relay the message that the employees are not working for you, they’re working with you. To build a culture where works towards the same goal.

Always keep learning. No One Ever Knows enough. Keep trying to develop yourself, make sure you’re up to date with whatever new is going on in the markets and technology because times are changing very fast.

“They say you have to do what you love but to be honest to get to that goal you want; you have to go through phases, where you are not enjoying the process so much. I was doing compliance work, working in different departments that were not my initial passion. But in the end, this is what led me to the goal. You’re going through phases that you don’t love and you don’t enjoy at that point. You have to get through them. And you will reach your end goal!” Farah adds.

Team of Trust Capital TC

Every member of Trust Capital TC goes to work with the goal of personal development, which is something that they love in the company.

They don’t go for a nine-to-five shift, they focus on their personal development in the company, and how to best provide their clients. Trust Capital TC and its environment promotes learning and pushes its team to pursue certifications, seminars, and education.

So, this approach helps the team grow and motivates them to apply their knowledge and skills, bringing out the best of Trust Capital TC!

This culture inspires the team to branch out, and do even more than their job description. Inspiring a feeling of oneness towards the company, providing clients with 110% dedication and focus, and innovating along the way, make the team of Trust Capital TC exceptional and one of the best there is!

Farah’s views on constant vigilance- as a need or strategy

You cannot be naïve about what you’re doing, the company, etc. thus. You have to be aware, and keep up with the changes. So, definitely, it’s a need and a strategy!

You need to see what’s going on around you, need to see what market is offering, so you can offer better.

“Whether it comes to marketing your products, you always have to be listening”

You have to be doing your research, see the trends, etc. Then comes the part of keeping up with the trends around practices, this is where your strategy kicks in!

Farah’s take on the competition in the market, and how she deals with it

On a personal level, one has to get some balance in the personal life. As the work doesn’t stop after 5 or 6 p.m. and keeps going. So, you have to have that balance, for your mental health, for your well-being, etc. you need to balance.

Also, spending time with oneself is important. Give your thoughts space and time, moreover, give yourself the time you deserve!

On a professional level, always read the news. Stay in tune with what’s happening, so you can keep up. “If you get drowned in your work only and you’re not aware of what’s going on the outside, you won’t be able to reach the daily tasks that you want to reach.” – Farah adds.

A Combination Of Innovation, Passion, And Expertise: Meet The Influential Leader, Meti Ketner

Incepted in 2008, an Excellent Legal Consulting Firm offering a comprehensive and strategic approach to the Intellectual Property Challenges of modern times, both for corporations as well as individuals is KETNER, the brainchild of dynamic leader, a businesswoman, Founder and CEO of KETNER® Ltd, Meti Ketner.

Meti, is a well-known name in the legal field due to her work on key issues. The firm has established a reputation for delivery of quality legal advisory services in different fields with a special focus on industrial property protection (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, etc.) It is constantly progressing and expanding and following the key trends of Intellectual Property Protection to which clients can rely on. Strategic and progressive advocacy is the hallmark of KETNER!

Law is a profession like any other profession, but it is used to be a male-dominated turf. That was past tense. In the last few years, there has been a shift as more female power have made the choice to lead rather than to follow. A lot of strong-willed women have come blazing through and have made their mark in the legal landscape. And Meti Ketner is the perfect reflection of the influence of female leadership in the legal sector.

The passionate and innovative lawyer, Meti Ketner is creating her unique mark with her talent and inspiring countless young women. She possesses over 21 years of rich professional work experience as a legal practitioner. With her venture, Meti tackles everyday tasks ambitiously. Her goal is to raise awareness of the importance of intellectual property and its protection and encourage the development of copyright, industrial property rights, and other rights arising from human creative activity.

KETNER– CUTTING OUT LEGAL NOISE WITH EXPERIENCE AND VISION

With foundation stones of knowledge, faith, integrity, and trust, KETNER® has grown from advising its first client on industrial property to becoming with a notable service portfolio with a comprehensive approach to the Intellectual Property Challenges of modern times. Meti Ketner is aware that the Intellectual Property Protection sector is constantly evolving. Ideas of the future are already changing the present moment. She is very proud to show the world the intellectual capacity of Slovenia – the rising star of this world.

KETNER®’s professional field extends from the personal touch of in-depth analysis of the idea itself focused on problem-solving inventions and related patent technical documentation, supported by legal advice, expert reports, IP searches, and monitoring, evaluating, to the other specialist support in the field of industrial property rights and beyond.

To maintain a strong market position KETNER® company represents their clients in Intellectual Property Proceedings at the national, European, and international levels. Operating with vision and optimism, KETNER® ‘s protected Intellectual Property is manifested through brilliant industrial property rights reflecting the originality of its owners. The KETNER®’s coverage ranges from representation in the process of acquisition, registration, maintenance, to enforcement of industrial property rights in Slovenia and worldwide.

WHAT MAKES KETNER STANDS OUT?

KETNER is a Slovenian law office specializing in the field of intellectual property with an emphasis on industrial property ( trademarks, models, patents …).

The firm focuses on providing commercially sound and pragmatic legal advice while cutting while ensuring regulatory and statutory compliance. The endeavour focuses on providing the most effective and efficient delivery of quality legal services for all sectors.

Backed with all-rounded experience covering the entire spectrum of matters in the corporate commercial arena and expansive career experience, Meti propels KETNER to fulfill the legal advisory role as a legal partner in the industrial property protection strategy being at the heart of achieving pragmatic legal solutions.

The team of experienced professionals is ingrained to have a client-centric approach and in-depth understanding of practical legal issues faced by the clients focusing on efficient and effective service delivery.

They offer legal advice and expert opinions, perform inquiries, perform tracking and provide other professional support regarding industrial property rights and other areas with the most effective solutions.

They represent clients in the procedures of acquiring, registering, maintaining, and enforcing industrial property rights (patents, trademarks, models …). We are an official patent attorney entered in the Register of Patent Attorneys at the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Intellectual Property (No. 258) and at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (EU) (No. 46191).

BEING A LEGAL LEADER

Meti Ketner has had an exciting journey since the inception of her career as she held various leadership roles in her career. What motivates her? Well, the strong leader believes, her work is her passion and whether working for the larger Slovenian professional legal offices or as for institutions of public importance and in the frame of international projects of great importance for Slovenia, she continues to deliver the best. Meti Ketner strives for success working together with a team of highly qualified experts by doing the best for their clients.

Here is the timeline of Ketner’s emergence in the legal industry prior to practicing law in her own company:

2006-2009: AGENCIJA VEBO, družba za invencije, pravno svetovanje in nove medije, d.o.o. – Director
2005-2006: HIGHER COURT IN MARIBOR – Judicial intern
2004-2005: INSTITUTE OF SHAREHOLDERSHIP – Legal consultant and project manager
2003: MIRO SENICA – ODVETNIK – Attorney, lawyer intern
2001-2002: SCHOENHERR, d.o.o. – Head of Legal Department
2000-2001: STATISTICAL OFFICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA – Lawyer intern

In academics, Meti has done her Law from University of Ljubljana and different other training course from reputed institutions. During her studies, she worked as an Assistant in the framework of two international PHARE projects; “Further Alignment of Slovene Statistical Methodology with EC Requirements and Reinforcement of the Institutional Capacity of Slovene Statistical Office in View of Accession to the EU” (SORS) and “Approximation of Legislation and Enforcement Programme” (Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for legislation).

Farrah Smith: A Renowned Fundraising Professional Dedicated to Ocean Conservation & Animal welfare

Creative, Compassionate, Result-driven, and Risk-taker executive fundraising professional with entrepreneurial Passion, Drive, and Vision, Farrah Smith, Director of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has navigated through 20 years of journey in generating revenue and increasing support bases for nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

She joined SSCS in 2011 and has spent a decade working here. She is also a proud member of Former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps. Farrah is a regular contributor to Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global and she is one of her Thrive Stars (Wellness Ambassador). As part of her commitment to empowering teens and young adults in leading happier, more intentional, productive, and purposeful lives she founded Farrah Smith Coaching.

An alumna of Brendon Burchard’s world-renowned High-Performance Coaching Academy is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Bruin Professionals (BP) member. Because of her outstanding work, the inspiring woman was named one of the Top 10 Life Coaches Who Will Elevate Your Life in 2021 by Yahoo Finance. She is also a proud TEDx speaker and TED member.

More about the Initiative

Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) from the Liberian Ministry of Defense. The order is the highest military award given by the ministry.

The New Beginning

In 2008, Farrah was working as the Director of VIP Sales at City Center Residential, the biggest real estate project in North America, when she read this quote by Winston Churchill- “To each, there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for what could have been their finest hour.”

She was disappointed because she thought she was not “preparing for her moment” to make a difference in the world. Her passion had always been kids and animals, and she had lost sight of that while successfully climbing the corporate ladder. She knew it was time to put service over stature.

She determined the best way to do that was to transition to the nonprofit sector. At first, she was focused on helping land animals, but then she saw the show Whale Wars on Animal Planet. She loved how Captain Watson and the brave Sea Shepherd crew put their lives on the line to save whales. She thought, now these were people living a life of purpose and passion.

Having a background in sales and VIP relations made her the perfect candidate for the position they had open. Her years working with wealthy and high-profile clientele and hosting events for the entertainment industry were all preparing Farrah to be the right person, with the right skillset and the right connections to make a difference at her favorite charity. All the relationships she had made over the previous ten years in Los Angeles and Las Vegas came to be invaluable in her new role.

Here, she is responsible for major donors and she manages VIP Relations, which includes the Advisory Board members, celebrities, and their entertainment industry contacts for Sea Shepherd Productions.. She also organizes all the US-based high-profile fundraising events.

“Last month marked my 10th anniversary at Sea Shepherd. Over the past decade, I have had the incredible opportunity to raise millions of dollars to help protect the ocean and save marine wildlife. I feel honored to be a Sea Shepherd and surrounded by such devoted and passionate individuals all of whom I consider heroes. I am grateful to finally be living a life of purpose, making an impact on two of the causes that matter to me most, ocean conservation and animal welfare”, Farrah Smith proudly shared.

‘As our founder says, “If the oceans die, we die” so I have devoted my life to protecting all beings, human and animal’, she further added.

Hurdles on the Way

When asked about the primary challenges on the way, Farrah said, “Sea Shepherd has grown and evolved quite a bit over the last few years. For a long time, people thought of Sea Shepherd as an anti-whaling organization due to the popularity of Whale Wars, but we have always been an anti-poaching organization. It has taken people a little time to see that stopping illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is where we can have the greatest impact on protecting all marine wildlife, including the whales people love so much. Millions of sharks and over 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises die each year from entanglement in fishing gear. I think people finally understand we are saving a lot more lives with our new approach of partnering with governments to stop IUU fishing.”

Daily Routine & Favourite Books

Farrah Smith begins her days at 5:30 am during the week. Then, she does meditation before shifting to her workday around 7:30 am or 8:00 am. Before she finishes, Farrah always takes time to reflect on the current day’s progress and determine where there is room for improvement. Often, she reads or takes courses in the evening. During weekends, the leading lady spends a majority of her time working as a life coach for teens and motivational speaker.

She loves reading How to Win Friends and Influence People, but her recent favorites include High-Performance Habits and Atomic Habits.

From the Director’s Desk

It can be seen that the model of cooperating with government bodies worldwide is showing increasingly good results. For example, just in Africa alone, Sea Shepherd’s work with eight coastal states has resulted in the arrest of over 70 vessels for illegal fishing and other fisheries crimes.

Cooperation, awareness, and education are the way forward to tackle the most critical issues we face today, whether it be climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution, or social justice.

A Piece of Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

There should be no “male-dominated industry” in the 21st century. We must all do our part in changing that for the younger generation of female leaders.

Favourite Quote

“Your goals should scare you a little and excite you a lot!” – Joe Vitale