This article originally appeared on Mogul Millennial. It is republished with permission.
Being selfish is super important.
And for a lot of Mogul Millennials, we look at selfishness like it's this bad thing.
That's why we were so excited when we got access to some of the ladies presenting at The Bridging Beauty and Wellness Conference (#BBWCon) this year, including this selfish empire builder, OlanikeeOsi.
OlanikeeOsi is the host of Selfish Talk Podcast, the founder of the Selfish Babe App, and the CEO of Goddess Detox.
She shares her definition of what being a CEO/founder means, her top tips to becoming a more selfish business leader, and the strategies that she used to grow her business.
How I Got Started
The first business I started was Goddess Detox. It's a feminine, holistic wellness company for women. I started it when I was about 24, or 25. I did because I'm really focused on helping women detox spiritually and emotionally, not only physically.
I went through several ups and downs in my entrepreneurial journey, i.e. not knowing if I should pursue my business or stick to my plan of eventually getting into a Ph.D. program and becoming a professor of Psychology. I decided to pursue my business full time. I had to learn how to ship my items, how to advertise my items, how to build my website lol. I remember staying up late one day working on my website while still in my Master's Program at FAMU. I'm so grateful now that I learned those things because those steps have now helped me to work on forthcoming businesses.
We spend so much time thinking we need to do the more practical (masculine-associated) 'things' in our business, like pitching or hustling hard when in fact, it comes down to committing to having a balanced life, knowing yourself or history (I love Queen Afua for this!) and redefinition of what being a Mogul Millennial means to you.
Once I was able to incorporate all of these things, the profits toward my business grew. I now have a podcast I love and a loyal customer base.
My Tips for Guilt-Free Selfishness
Mogul Millennial: It seems that selfishness is a big aspect of who you are and what's brought you success. How can Mogul Millennial executives and founders incorporate more of that while removing the guilt that comes with it?
Here's what she had to say.
Number 1: Know what you want and be honest about it.
I know that sounds very cliche or overly said, but knowing what you want is key to your success.
If you want to call in a five-figure revenue month, you need to ask for it (and take the steps necessary to plan for it.)
I believe money and success are all energies we can play with. It's important for us to consider using the universe to assist as you think about your big goals and then do what's necessary to make them happen. Also, I notice that a lot of people feel guilty about their goals. [Many feel] it needs to be attached to something charitable when that isn't the case or even necessary.
For example, if one of your goals is to buy a Porsche eventually, that's okay. You don't need mankind to be helped by your goals. Your goals are your own.
Ask for the things you want and plan to get them. I recommend using journaling and affirmative prayer for this.
Number 2: Bring back play.
I think there will always be a time in your business for you to hustle hard, but it's not sustainable. At some point, you'll need to allow yourself to relax, depend on the team, and delegate.
Set working hours for yourself and no matter what's happening, stick to them.
I like to call this bringing back the feminine energy into your business/work environment.
For example, when I was growing Goddess Detox I stopped getting manicures, taking care of myself, etc., and would just work all day. And if I'm being honest, it's still easy for me to do that! It's harder to allow myself to rest.
But I realized that now it's important for me to do just that. Going outside, taking sun breaks [is better than] waking up and working ALL day, then crashing on the couch with Netflix and never getting a chance to see the sun.
It's important to not let life pass you by while you're on this journey. Success isn't only monetary wins. You're going to get there anyway, but there will always be a new goal or win you'll work towards to it's important for you to enjoy the journey while it's happening.
I hope Mogul Millennials take that in.
Number 3: Bring in spiritual practice.
Getting ahead at work is hard and so is entrepreneurship. One way I've been able to let this journey go so much easier (for me) was to go deeper into my Ancestor Veneration practice as well as to lean in on my practice of African Spirituality, such as honoring the Orisha, known as forces of nature, different aspects of the Creator. This has helped me to see that this life is more than just this physical reality but we have a whole spiritual world.
Our thoughts, our ideas, and desires all are living in this unseen world ready to bloom here. This provides me peace. This is why affirmative prayer and writing is so important to me and my business. If I want something for my business it's important I write it down, affirm it into my life and speak to my Ancestors and Orisha about it so that they can help me co-create it and manifest it into this physical reality.
It doesn't have to be within an organized religion (it can be!) but either way, it helps to envision something helping you on the backend, especially if you don't have a huge support system during the early stages.
My Secret for Business Growth
Mogul Millennial: I know we were curious about the different companies you have, as well as their profits. Can you share more about what you recommend Mogul Millennials do to create the same success for themselves?
Absolutely! Goddess Detox was the first business I launched. And again, everything was always inspired by self-love.
The next launch was the Selfish Babe App.
I really needed a place to house all the self-love information I was accumulating, plus I found that a lot of the old positive/success psychology gurus were using outdated language.
It felt like, c'mon girl! We could do better. We needed a millennial/Gen Z update to this space so people like me could relate!
In terms of profitability, Goddess Detox is well on its way to 2 million this year. Women are now seeing the importance of how herbs can help them release, manifest, and reconnect with themselves. Many more women are purchasing our Goddess Detox Pearls and our Queens Vaginal Steam and Throne in-home vaginal steaming set. I am so grateful for this.
My secret for business growth has been advertising with Instagram influencers by paying them to post on their timeline or in their IG stories and seeing customers follow and purchase thereafter. However, when you do this, do the work on the backend. Make sure all of your links (in your bio, online store, etc.) work well.
And put the transformation your customers will get first on your sales page. People want to know what this is good for. How will this transform their life? You need to put the transformation first.
WHAT BEING A MOGUL MILLENNIAL MEANS TO ME
[It's] having the ability to work from home, or in my pajamas, or watching anime when I want to, going to the park.
It's not having a huge office, with a big ass table, having people stare at me. I think it's cool to do all of those things, but for me, I'd rather be at the park and not dressed in a pencil skirt.
I love that my team is dispersed. I have a lot of contract workers. I've never wanted an office or to manage people too much. Even with shipping, I never wanted a building, etc. That's not fun for me. That feels like another job!
I love being able to just text an employee, being on Facetime or Zoom, and delegating work.
Even when we think of the Black girl that started Boss Babe, Alex Wolf. Alex talks about millennials and technology. We've gone through so much of tech—Myspace, different styles of phones—and we're so adaptable. We don't need to embody the old paradigm of success.
So, when I think about a Mogul Millennial, I think of a person that creates a life that works for them.
And for me, that would be the freedom to do what I want each day.
