Biz Builder Mike

You can't sail Today's boat on Yesterdays wind - Michael Noel

A Day in the Life of Entrepreneur Jacqueline Ngo Mpii, Founder and CEO of Little Africa in Paris

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Running your own business is no easy feat. It takes a healthy dose of passion, discipline, and commitment. Ever wondered what a day in the life of a small business owner and founder is like? We’re here to give you a glimpse!

This week, we’re featuring Jacqueline Ngo Mpii, the owner and driving force behind Little Africa in Paris. Jacqueline is an Afro-French entrepreneur dedicated to elevating all things Afro and African in Paris and beyond.

For the past five years, Jacqueline and her Little Africa Travel has devoted themselves to changing the narrative of what it means to be a person of African descent in the world’s most visited city: Paris.

This has resulted in their widely-read tourist favorite Africa In Paris City Guide book, which compiles over 200 must-see Afro-Parisian boutiques, restaurants, businesses, events, and artists in Paris.

Now Jacqueline and her team want to take their mission to the next level! Her Indiegogo campaign, Little Africa 2.0: A Parisian Village, centers around building a concept store and cultural event space in La Goutte d’Or, a bustling, culturally rich African neighborhood in Paris’s 18th arrondissement near Montmartre. It’s a home for showcasing their gorgeous publishing line, highlighting African cultural heritage, a gathering point for their guided Paris tours, and a hub to connect with locals and tourists from around the world to learn about and participate in African culture abroad.

Jacqueline is a powerhouse who feels Little Africa is more than a business — it’s a calling. Read on to discover how Jacqueline she spends a typical day in her life, running Little Africa’s day-to-day operations, followed by an exclusive interview to get to know her more!

5 A.M.  I wouldn’t survive waking up at this hour.

6 A.M. Sometimes, I have one eye open.

7 A.M. Often I’m up. But I’m still in the bed scrolling on you know what!

8 A.M. I read a book, or some articles on the web.

9 A.M. I climb out of bed, and get ready for work. I am often up late the night prior because it’s the time when I am most creative.  Before a certain hour, I am good for nothing.

10 A.M. I arrive at my office, and have a cup of tea or orange juice. I sometimes grab something at the bakery nearby — not a croissant. Then, I meet with my team, catch up on some emails, take calls, and prepare orders for shipping.

12 P.M. I am still at my desk, working. It’s about this time that I realize I won’t be able to follow my schedule because I need to be available for my team. I have many interns and freelancers in my office, and they need time and attention from me to better perform in their tasks. This is something I learned last year. Since I don’t have a personal assistant or a director to lead the team, I have to wear multiple hats for the good of the company. 

2 P.M. I start to get hungry, so I go out to find food. I rarely bring cooked food from home as getting out of the office has become a ritual. I like to do this to get some air, and take a short walk. It helps me feel refreshed and find inspiration, as well as gather my ideas.

3 P.M. I review the work of my team. We talk about it, and I explain my decision for accepting or rejecting a direction. Sometimes, I leave the office to lead a walking tour. Yes! 

4 P.M. This is usually the time I take to brainstorm with the team on a new idea or project.

6 P.M. The team leaves. From this time onward, I can really delve into my emails, make necessary phone calls, order some materials, pay the bills, check the bank account, and prepare the orders list for tomorrow’s shipments. 

9 P.M. We prepare our commercial proposals into a visual document. We take our time with these, because we have a lot of information to present: client and prospect history, company history, stats, and press coverage. Sometimes, we include a demo of what we offer. These proposals take a lot of effort to prepare.

11 P.M. I leave the office. I try to work as much as possible in the office to avoid bringing work home. Sometimes, I keep working from bed, but it’s usually because I have something urgent to finish in the next 48 hours or some graphic design to work on.

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse of what her day is like, get more inspiration in our exclusive Q&A with her below!

INDIEGOGO: How and why did you become an entrepreneur? Was it something you always intended for yourself? 

JACQUELINE NGO MPII: I wanted to create the opportunity to share with others what I wanted to see in the society I live. It wasn’t my original plan for my life. I was raised to think a diploma defines your profession, and that getting a high-paying job should be one’s main goal in life. If I had been raised in a different environment, I would have become an entrepreneur even earlier. Although many would probably consider age 24 young, I could have started earlier.

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INDIEGOGO: What makes your Indiegogo project unique? 

JACQUELINE: We made a conscious decision to not just showcase one project. Instead, we’ve shown our entire company vision. We’ve showcased our company road map for the next 3 years, and we think our contributors get that, as we have an average participation of $136! It’s huge.

IGG: What’s your biggest piece of advice for women who want to start their own business?

JACQUELINE: Your own intuition is your best asset. We grew up in a world that is primarily controlled by men, I’m sad to say. So as women, we often question our intuition. Men’s approach to business sometimes differs from how we would lead and grow our businesses. I think we tend to be more democratic and inclusive in our leadership style. My final words of advice: you shouldn’t shrink yourself to make others feel more comfortable, and you should try to develop yourself and your business in a way that feels authentic to you. This circles back around to trusting your own feminine intuition.

IGG: What tools would you recommend to anyone starting their own business, crowdfunding campaign, or project? 

JACQUELINE: Social media and crowdfunding platforms are key. You can learn many things by following a crowdfunding campaign and the platform providing those experiences. 

I don’t know if it is a coincidence, but I am reading Michelle Obama’s book Becoming. She describes, in detail, the way a presidential campaign is run. Some things she describes inspired me on our crowdfunding campaign! After all, it’s a campaign too!

To support Little Africa, check out their Indiegogo campaign page.

You can also visit their website, or follow them on Instagram.

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A Day in the Life of Entrepreneur Lenja Doms, Creator of Lazlo Sunglasses and Partner at Yuma Labs

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Running your own business is no easy feat. It takes a healthy dose of passion, discipline, and commitment. Ever wondered what a day in the life of a small business owner and founder is like? We’re here to give you a glimpse!

This week, we’re featuring entrepreneur Lenja Doms, co-creator of Lazlo, a new line of premium, polarized sunglasses that are made from recycled plastic. Read on to see how she spends her day as a partner at Yuma Labs, the Belgium-based team responsible for creating Lazlo and running their current crowdfunding campaign. Then scroll down for a brief Q&A to get to know her better and get inspired!

“When I sketch my day, I have to be completely honest right away. I’m very bad at time management, and structure is a work in progress. Every day looks mostly different,” Lenja shares. “Since we’re a small startup, it’s possible that our day can change in a minute. Sometimes that’s good, but I could appreciate some structure from time to time. I would like to give an overview of one single day, during the early preparation period of our campaign.”

5 A.M. My alarm goes off at 5:30, I’m an early riser, thanks to my boyfriend who works in construction. First task in the morning: take a shower.

6 A.M. I have breakfast with my boyfriend and then I meditate for 15 minutes. To be completely honest, when I’m stressed, I might skip these important minutes, unfortunately. Depending on the location where I work, I take the train and hurry to the office. about an hour-and-a-half commute. Or I work from home and put myself at the desk. I work half-time at home, alone, and the other half I work together with the team at the office. 

7 A.M. I love it when my first emails get out before 6:30, but I can’t do this every day. When I need to take the train to the office, I listen to podcasts or read a book. From my home to the train station, and from the train station to our office, I use my e-step. 

8 A.M. Mostly my day starts with my to-do list from the day before. I plan from day to day, so I’ll decide in the morning which tasks I’m going to do and when.

9 A.M. Social media hour – I try to block off one hour in the morning for our social media channels to interact intensively with our community. 

10 A.M. Sprint call with our growth agency. For our campaign, we decided to work together with an agency. Certainly, for the technical aspect of ad management we can use their help well. Two times a week we plan a sprint call to plan our actions for the week and evaluate what works well.

11 A.M. Follow up sprint call. During our sprint calls there are sometimes twenty small things I need to follow up on and it’s important to do those things immediately. 

12 P.M. Since I eat breakfast around six, I’m hungry at exactly 12 PM. I eat lunch with the team. Usually we don’t have a very elaborate lunch. Luckily, we can still find a jar of jam and some crackers somewhere at the office, and this is our meal. It has become a real joke at the office that when we become rich we can afford a real lunch

1 P.M. E-mailing

3 P.M. Reading grant call from the city. The city of Antwerp decided to give grants to startups who had suggestions for new kinds of economic models post-COVID-19. We at Yuma Labs believe that the circular economy will be the future and is even more relevant after the corona crisis. 

4 P.M. Brainstorm with my colleague about a project for the city. 

5 P.M. Writing proposal for the city 

8 P.M. I come back home and eat something. It’s important to be able to discuss and vent about my day a bit, luckily my boyfriend (mostly) wants to listen.

9 P.M. I prepare myself to sleep, I try to be asleep at 10 P.M.

10 P.M. Zzz

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse of what her day is like, get more inspiration in our exclusive Q&A with her below!

INDIEGOGO: How did you become an entrepreneur? 

LENJA DOMS: My parents are entrepreneurs and on my 18th birthday (when it’s legal in Belgium to do business) my father thought it was high time for me to start my own business. First I had an events agency, and then I became a freelancer, so it was pretty clear. But when I discovered that you can do business and change the world with that, I was completely hooked.

IGG: What makes your Indiegogo project unique? 

LENJA: Yuma Labs launched a pair of sunglasses called Lazlo. Our sunglasses are fully circular, which means three things: we start from waste; we design them in such a way that they never become waste again (made for disassembly); and we recycle them again into new sunglasses by asking you to send them back with our special case, and rewarding you with a discount code for the next purchase. 

IGG: What’s your biggest piece of advice for women who want to start their own business?

LENJA: Surround yourself with good people. I have the best friend in the world. Not only are they the perfect distraction on Friday nights after a difficult week, but they’re also my sounding board. I’m lucky that in my close circle there are also many entrepreneurs, so I can share a lot. If you don’t have that, go and look for it. Before you know it, you’ll discover great like-minded people close by.

IGG: What tools would you recommend to anyone starting their own business, crowdfunding campaign, or project? 

LENJA: It’s important to know that entrepreneurship can be a bumpy road. And I believe that you can only be on top of your game as an entrepreneur if you are also as a person on top of your game. So, my main ‘tool’ to be the best version of myself as an entrepreneur and a person is to take enough time to take care of myself. Meditation is my important ritual (I’m a big fan of Headspace and my Muse headband), and, of course, sports: yoga and fitness (always with my Apple watch to track my progress). Oh, and I try to read on a daily basis but I’ve been losing that habit for the last few months.

IGG: What’s your favorite Indiegogo campaign, or a campaign you’ve recently supported?

LENJA: I’m a big fan of wearables and since a few day’s I received my FOCI to track my focus. I’m not completely there yet, but I think I will figure it out and use it day to day. I like to measure my body and challenge myself on that data.

To support LAZLO, check out their Indiegogo campaign page.

To learn more about YUMA LABS, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

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How to assess a crowdfunding campaign

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One of the best parts of crowdfunding is pitching in and helping ideas that you care about come to life. These ideas need people like you to bring them to life. After all, the word “crowd” is right there in the name. 

When you contribute to a crowdfunding campaign, you are donating money to the Campaign Owner for the purpose they state on the campaign page. Someone who contributes to a crowdfunding campaign is called a “backer,” and not a “customer,” even if they are getting a physical product as a perk for their donation. That’s because crowdfunding isn’t shopping. In fact, that physical product probably doesn’t exist yet. A Campaign Owner usually runs a crowdfunding campaign to get donations and help their idea become an eventual reality. 

Thanks to people like you, lots of great ideas have become full-fledged products that the entire world can enjoy. And those early backers? They get to shape that product’s journey with their feedback, and more often than not, receive the product at a steep discount for believing in it at such an early stage. 

And just like anyone else getting in on an early-stage project, there are risks. Your campaigner might see changes, delays, and unforeseen challenges. It’s also possible that the product might not come to fruition at all. It’s your responsibility to use your own judgement about what campaigns you want to back. Indiegogo doesn’t screen any campaigns or endorse any user content, nor does Indiegogo investigate or guarantee the truthfulness of any claims made by the Campaign Owners. When you choose to make a donation, you do so at your own risk. 

There are some key things to consider when making a decision. Luckily, most crowdfunders use their campaign page to give you information to get to know them and the reasons they are crowdfunding. Here are some ways to assess the next crowdfunding campaign you support. 

Who are the people behind the campaign?

One of the best things about crowdfunding is that it affords you an opportunity to get to know the people who make these products. The Campaign Owner and other team members are listed in the Campaigner Profile Cards, located below the Campaigner’s name. Click on “About” below their name to see more information.

Beyond the information on the Profile Cards, you can also look at their campaign page to see what information they’ve shared about themselves. Some questions to answer:

  • Who are they?
  • Why are they raising money?
  • What is their background and experience?
  • Have they run a crowdfunding campaign before and, if so, what does the comments section on their previous campaign page look like?
  • Why are they passionate?
  • Are photos of the team members included?
  • Does the campaigner appear in the campaign’s video?
  • Are external links included (websites, news/media coverage, etc.)?

What is the campaign raising money for?

Crowdfunders are a diverse bunch, and as such, they have a diverse set of reasons for running a crowdfunding campaign. Some campaigners are raising money to put their product into production. Other campaigners are running a campaign to help them get feedback on a product that’s already in production. And occasionally, crowdfunders are only a few months from shipping. You should be able to figure this out from the campaign page: the pitch should be clear, transparent, and reflect the team’s passion and hard work.

  • Is the pitch transparent and personal?
  • Check out what their product stage is and read the correlating section in their pitch. Did they include clear images of the production stage they’re in and provide context around it?
  • How about the perk info? Any images of the perks? Descriptions?
  • Does the pitch text provide any perk fulfillment information?
  • When would you get your perk?
  • Is the campaign in InDemand?

Has the campaigner added content to their “updates” tab?

The “updates” tab is where campaign owners provide updates about their project. Campaign owners are supposed to keep their backers updated at least once a month on how their campaign is going: How is production progressing? Will they be offering new perks soon? Checking their updates can help you understand.

  • Is the campaign owner maintaining a commitment to transparency?
  • Are they upholding Indiegogo’s requirement to keep backers informed?
  • Have they been treating backers with respect?
  • When you look through the comments section on their campaign page, do you see that the campaigner is giving substantial and thorough replies to any questions?

Where else can you find information about the project?

If you want more information on a campaigner’s background and motivation, you can search the web to learn about their professional experience and how it may relate to the project. Do a quick web search to find out who they are and whether you’d want to do business with them.

  • What websites do they list on their Campaigner Profile Page?
  • What’s the campaigner’s prior experience?
  • How have the campaigner’s past business ventures panned out?
  • Have they run a crowdfunding campaign before, and did they deliver their perks?
  • Has the campaign received any press, and if so, what’s the tone?

How Indiegogo helps.

We conduct manual and automated reviews of campaigns and investigate negative feedback. We work hard to ensure that you will have a positive experience on Indiegogo. We want you to find a campaign that you can be proud to participate in, and to back an idea for a product that you’ll truly love and that wouldn’t exist without you.

When a campaign is delayed, it’s almost always because a campaigner is new to making a product and misjudged how long it would take to come to fruition. It can be frustrating, but patience is important when it comes to crowdfunding. After all, you’re taking a chance on a someone who is probably new to entrepreneurship.

Pitching in and making a new idea come to life is the best part of crowdfunding.

Any journey worth taking is going to have some bumps along the way. That’s what makes crowdfunding so special — you get to be a part of that journey and form a connection with the campaign. So many wonderful things have come out of Indiegogo over the years. Indiegogo backers like you have helped more people get around on electronic bikes, have made it easier to curb single-use plastics, and have allowed Black filmmakers to create meaningful art. So let’s get started.

Ready to explore some campaigns? Check out our current favorites.

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