Bamitale Alimi is an entrepreneur, business coach, motivational speaker and radio host. The CEO of Tale Alimi Global and founder of the five star woman speaks with TAYO GESINDE. on businesses women and young people can do to survive recession.
Growing up
Family wise, I was born into a military family. My dad was an Airforce officer. I grew up with a lot of discipline and structure which has stayed with me till today. Education wise, I have a first degree in Accounting, an MBA and numerous certificates in business and technology, including a certificate in personal coaching from the Coaching Academy, United Kingdom. Career wise, I have worked in multiple sectors of the economy especially in consulting and technology which equipped me for the work I do as a business coach.
Foray into entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship for me is something I was exposed to growing up from my mum who was always involved in one business or the other. She is still actively business oriented. It was never strange for me to sell something because that is what I grew up seeing. However, as I have gotten older, I have gotten more clarity on my own path in life and I see my work as a calling.
Challenges faced
My earlier challenge was convincing my family that entrepreneurship was my own path in life. It was not easy for them to absorb, especially because a lot had been invested in my education, so, I didn’t really get support and I was afraid to fail because I knew I would be told; I told you so, now they have more or less accepted it. Another challenge was finding my own path in life as an entrepreneur.
I have done a lot of businesses, especially in the creative space, as I was modelling after my mum and the inspiring women I considered mentors because I did not see a lot of women operating in the intellectual business coaching and consulting space. Now that I have found my path, it is much easier and the usual challenges like building a brand and getting buy-in from clients are part of the business territory and I am in it for the long haul so I have embraced it.
Driving force
My number one driving force in life is to make an impact on the lives of millions of people through my multiple platforms. My vision is to empower 10 million aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs in the next five years to create authentically successful businesses. Everything I do is driven by the vision which I believe is God-
given and I will keep leveraging multiple platforms to see it happen.
Most defining moment
As a mission driven person, every new season has been defining for me. From the first client that signed up to one of my programmes to hitting revenue milestones, to impacting thousands of people. I dare say my most defining moment will be the next one and the next one.
Businesses women and young people can do to survive recession
I have read several articles about businesses to do during the recession and I will rather take a different approach and say the question should not be what business to do, but how do you meet needs in this economy. Recession or not, there are so many needs that still need to be met.
Aspiring business owners should look around them and find a need they can meet that they have the requisite skill and ability to offer a solution to. People will always pay for real solutions to their needs. They should also find a way to start small so that capital will not be a hindrance.
Role models
I have had so many role models in my life and they mostly have one characteristic, strong women who have created something laudable in their lives and are using their gift to impact the wold.
Lessons life has taught me
I have learned that no matter what challenges you face, you can still win if you don’t quit. I have also learned that I am the captain of my own ship and I can determine the course that my life will take by my decisions and actions so I am proactive in creating the life I desire by the inspiration of God.
How I have been able to combine my career with the home front
I am mission minded and I have decided what is important to me so all the areas of my life are well integrated and I focus on the things and people that are important to me and I keep a small and close inner circle.
My prized possession
My most prized possession is not a ‘possession’ per say. I appreciate material things, but they don’t take top place in my life. So, my most prized possession is my relationship with God. My life has more meaning and direction because of it. Of course, I also appreciate my family and close friends. I also believe more in investing in experiences than in things.
My strength and weaknesses
For strengths, I have a very analytical mind and I can connect the dots very easily which helps me in my work as a business coach. I am also very compassionate and I care about people. As per weakness, I am work in progress and I am learning to be more patient with people who are different from me. I am learning to embrace differences in opinions and beliefs which will make me less judgemental.
The legacy I want to leave behind
My life legacy is quite audacious. I will like to impact one billion people by giving them permission to live without limits and creating platforms to enable them do it.
and then