She’s very unassuming and focus oriented. Her motto is persistence if you would say. Years ago, she started a glossy petite female magazine and today, it has not only blossomed but has yielded fruit with the start up of ELOY.
In this interview with Daily Sun, this exquisite woman spoke about a lot of things and why she’s gingered to taking bold steps.
Tell us a bit about yourself, advancing the cause of women and personal experience as a publisher of Exquisite magazines?
I am Tewa Onasanya, I am an entrepreneur and a mind set stylist. As an entrepreneur, I am the founder of Exquisite Magazine, a fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazine that inspires confidence and style in women. I am also the founder of the prestigious ELOY Awards Foundation.
My experience as a publisher has been and still a very interesting journey. Been in the publishing world for 18 years, go through the ups and downs of running a business and being an entrepreneur in Nigeria, I would say its been a great learning experience for me and I’m glad I’m on this journey.
What impact has this award created in the society and why do you solely concentrate on women?
The impact so far has been phenomenal. The ELOY has been awarded to 205 women to date, who have gone on to be better at what they do. We have been able to enrol 40 women in MSME’s onto the ELOY Foundation Sustainable Empowerment Programme (SEP) that started in 2020, these small business owners were mentored for a period of six months and they had access to entrepreneurial trainings every month. Ten of them were awarded a grant.
Also, ELOY has increased motivation in all women as everyone wants to be nominated for an ELOY at one point during their career or business. The platform that has helped identify excellence in the creative and business sectors that have gone on to become household names (Eno Essien, Sisi Yemmie, Tiwa Savage, Seyi Shay, Olamide, Korede Bello to mention a few) ELOY recognises categories and identifies industries where people think women are not active or striving in.
It is pertinent to note that ELOYs has become a permanent fixture on people’s calendars, as everyone in Nigeria looks forward to these prestigious awards every year with great expectations and trust.
What prompted this yearly women awards and conference, and what are we expecting at this unique event?
The ELOY started in 2009 because we wanted a platform where women are celebrated for their roles in their different sectors and also being empowered and inspired to become better versions of themselves and inspire others.
For the past 13 years, this has been our mission and to date, we have awarded over 200 women in different fields and empowered thousands.
This year, we are planning a great conference and awards for all on November 26, 2021, which is just around the corner. The theme for this year is Collaboration For Sustainable Empowerment- When She Wins You Win and this theme was selected because we want people to understand the fact that collaboration is key to sustaining women empowerment.
We should be collaborating with one another because we are not competitors. We are also highlighting the fact that women winning in whatever they do, be it in business or their careers, shows that it is possible and it serves as an inspiration to others.
When women win, it improves the chances of other women winning.
What are some of the other things that occupy your time?
(Smile). Apart from my time with my family and friends, I am a cervical cancer prevention advocate, an author and also a Mindset Stylist. As a Mindset Stylist, I help people transform their lives by renewing their minds using the law of attraction. So I’m a mind coach. Although, I prefer to use the word Stylist. Personally, I love doing things that puts me in a relaxed mode.
What are some of the changes that you will like to see in the sector?
First. Action. I want us to go beyond talking about women empowerment and actually taking action that benefits a lot of people not just a small percentage. Yes, it will take time, but we are heading in the right direction, we just need to keep our word and continue to take action.
Second. Easier access to resources. I know a number of institutions are taking steps to making things like access to finance, training and more accessible, but we need to highlight how these resources can be accessed and utilised by people. More information needs to get out there, especially to places that are remote. We should endeavour to take everyone along. This won’t be easy, but it is doable. We are discussing this at the ELOY conference this year on November 26.
Tell us about your role models, people you admire in the society?
I admire my parents, I am inspired by how they raised my sisters and I to be women who strongly believe in themselves with the ‘never give up’ spirit.
In the society, I admire a few people, but I’ll mention Ibukun Awosika, how she turned her company into the success it is today and her drive to throw the ladder down to support other women. I admire and inspired by Tony Elumelu for his drive to support entrepreneurship in Africa and I believe he is not gender biased, as long as the job gets done, it doesn’t matter if you are a woman or man.
I also admire Mark Zuckerberg, it’s phenomenal how the whole world is fixated on one person’s idea. Still find it unbelievable when we all lost access to Instagram and Facebook for a day and a lot of people didn’t know what else to do. I find this to be ‘powerful’.
I do admire and inspired by people who stand up for what they believe in and make things happen regardless of what people say, how scary it might seem or what challenges they face. I am one of those people actually, so, yes, I also admire myself and I am inspired by the things I’ve done that I once thought were impossible.
What are some of the principles that guide what you do?
I’ll list some of them but there are quite a few. A ‘no’ doesn’t mean my idea is bad or impossible, it just means I am either speaking to the wrong person or I need to articulate the value properly. So, I take the lesson, learn and do better.
Quitting is not an option. There is always a way, if I really want something. I just continue to be persistent and dedicated to what I believe in because my vision is God’s words for me and it is valid.
I find the good in everything. I intentionally do this every moment I am aware. I look for something good in a situation and if I can’t at that moment, I distract myself with better feeling thoughts. When I feel good, I attract more life experiences to feel good about.
Lastly, I believe people treat you the way they see themselves and it’s usually nothing to do with you and sometimes it’s because of the way you see yourself. So, I try not to over think it and be nicer to yourself and others, they might be going through stuff they can’t talk about and don’t take how they treat you personally, instead, adjust the way you also see yourself. I always choose to respond with love and see the brighter side of everything. Call me a dreamer but hey. I have my limits though.