Ms. Maura is Managing Director of Entrepreneurial Services - Division II at the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) here in Illinois. The WBDC is a nationally recognized nonprofit in the field of women’s economic development.

It was an honor to attend our in-person meeting of the Illinois District Export Council (IDEC). District Export Councils (DECs) members are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and represents organizations of leaders from the local business community, whose knowledge of international business provides a source of professional advice for local firms.

Conversations and presentations by Donnie Smith, Former CEO Tyson Foods and Founder Africa Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)

Definition: Suc· cess | \ sək-ˈses \ - (source www.merriam-webster.com) 1: the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame 2: the correct or desired result of an attempt 3: someone or something that is successful : a person or thing that succeeds

Success is Essentially Your Ability to Get what you want out of Life!

Successful people know how to set goals and achieve those goals and they will not let anything stop them from the progressive pursuit of their desires. Unsuccessful people however, suffer from limiting beliefs, mindsets challenges, negative internal dialogue. The stories they continue to construct in their minds keep them bond in their realities.

Successful people are fierce in their pursuit. Unsuccessful people cave at the smallest challenges they encounter - they give excuses and they blame others.

"Passion is never a substitute for Skills, Knowledge, Expertise and Experience"

If we were to conduct an autopsy on every single business that failed, what would we find? Was it bad leadership? A lack of market intelligence? Poor skills or a combination of many things that went bad very quickly? Here is the real issue - we will not find many entrepreneurs ready to admit why they think they failed and also willing to confront the fact that maybe their own failure could have been averted and was self-inflicted.

"As an Entrepreneur the Marketplace does not care about what you need, It cares about what you can produce! Entrepreneurship is a Value Exchange. You have to first create value to get value in return!" Toyin Umesiri

Over years, the top three things that I have heard entrepreneurs say that they "need" are: Investors, Buyers & Partners and I continue to educate my community that nobody cares about the needs that you may have - maybe those who love you do, but the marketplace responds to value creation. The money and freedom that every entrepreneur seek comes only after several things are done well. These are the principles, mindsets, strategies and tactics that I now teach in my private practice. In this week's Mindset of an Entrepreneur Clubhouse-Podcast, I dive into deep conversations with audience on the topic of Consumers versus Producer: Which one are you? and also the mistakes that many entrepreneurs make in bringing their consumer mentality into a producer conversations.

This was how it all started...

"...it was a quest to increase Africa's exports into the U.S. Market... And today it has become so much more!"

As I have expanded my services beyond advancing regional and global trade with Africa to supporting Entrepreneurs here in the U.S., I still continue to develop services and training programs to serve that community - i.e. the community that tugged my heart so strongly and enough that I left everything to focus on solving for them.

I led global sourcing and supplier management process implementation for the world's largest retailer; Walmart and brought all that knowledge and expertise together to not only lead trade and investment high-level engagements but also put together training programs for Africa's exporters, government and trade and investment facilitators who wish to advance regional and global trade with Africa.

Strategy is Everything! The power of social media is felt all over the world. Yesterday in particular showed the world how much influence and power social media platforms have not only in business but also on how we stay connected. If you are still in the camp of those wondering how massive digital disruption is on modern civilization just imagine what would happen if the FB, WhatsApp & Instagram outage lasted say for more than a week. Digital will continue to increasingly affect the future of the world. We are only at the beginning stages so fasten your seatbelt because digital is here to stay! Do you have a solid business strategy around your use of Social media?

What does success mean to you? I am making an assumption that by reading today's newsletter you already know what success means to you... if not take a moment to reflect on that before you continue reading. The principles I will share with you below are what I believe will lead you closer to achieving your definition of success. They are universal in nature and applies to everyone. Unfortunately, if you do not know where you are going a guide or a map is of little use to you. I have found that those who are already on a journey to success and searching for a guide or coach generally appreciate my content better and are more motivated and inclined to reflect on or act on the principles I share. Others I believe usually dismiss them.

If you don't know who you are people would tell you who to be... I believe that there are not enough spaces and platforms on the global stage where the strengths, accomplishments, tenacity, resilience, creativity and ingenuity of people of African heritage are showcased and celebrated. Since I am on a mission of advancing business, trade and investments in and with Africa and I usually share with people that 'trade with Africa' is actually 'trade with Africans'! There is truly no 'Africa rising' without the rising of Africans.

As someone who managed Apparel Merchandising PMO for the world's largest retailer; Walmart, I know exactly the economic accelerant that the Apparel industry represent for any region of the world that gets it right. From Bangladesh to Vietnam to China to India these are regions of the world that continue to benefit economically from the commercial opportunities that the global Apparel value chain presents.

Ride the Wave! With ongoing shifts in the marketplace due to global disruptions, everyone should be asking themselves if they are in a dying, growing or new field/sector. This would ensure that each person is taking personal responsibility with where they may end up say 2, 5 or 10 years from now. Depending on how you answer that question should also determine what types of personal or career development plans you'll need to have in place.

Today is Day 9 of my daily #live series and I covered Advancing the Agriculture Value Chain in Africa. Tomorrow, for the final session, I will discuss how to effectively work with government stakeholders to advance trade and investments. For today's session you can watch the replay and see highlights below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH5d1B4SC-k

This was one of the key questions a Journalist representing a major African Government News Agency asked me yesterday during a media interview. As I responded to his questions, I also felt I needed to pen my thoughts for my community about this very important moment in history. If you have not already heard the big news you are living under the rock - The World Trade Organization (WTO) has appointed its next Director General (DG) who happens to be African and a Female – both of these descriptive words carry so much meaning for Women all over the world and for the African continent; a region home to over 1 billion people.

Last week I was pulled yet into another conversation to offer my "commercialization perspective". This time it lasted 2 hours and the topic was with leadership of a certain African country's (not naming) ongoing exploration to advance Sports and Tourism exchange with a certain Latin American nation (not naming). The idea had been presented to top officials and there was already buy-in and what they were now challenged with and needed our help on was securing sponsorships, partnerships and making sure that they could extract maximum commercial value from such engagement.

In the year 2000, a bipartisan U.S. policy called The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was passed into law. AGOA was created to provide goods originating from eligible African countries the opportunity to receive duty free preferential treatment without quota, when entering the U.S. market. This policy was expanded during President Bush’s era and was also extended to expire in September, 2025 by President Obama. AGOA was touted to transform U.S. – Africa trade relations and also to ignite mutually beneficial economic growth through good governance and free market access. Among experts, it is agreed that this policy has not lived up to its hype and here are 5 reasons why I believe AGOA has remained gravely underutilized.

When I left Corporate to launch a global conversation on advancing trade with Africa I was on a mission to ignite a movement. People often ask me how long I have been at it and when I answer that question they are usually shocked and surprised - they see the impact and rapid growth and can not truly believe the progress that I continue to make....One of the secrets to my rapid growth and success is how I structure strategic partnerships.

In my line of work I encounter people everyday who commend my work while wondering if they also have the capacity to launch out on their own. If you are thinking of quitting your corporate career to become an entrepreneur you need to watch this video that I put together for you where I share 7 powerful things to know before you leave your job for entrepreneurship. I list them out and in the video below I explain in full detail.

I have heard it all:- "I need an investor" "I need a buyer" "I need a distributor" "I seek bankable projects" "I need trade financing" "I seeking a trusted trade partner" "I need you to introduce me to xyz government official..."

On and on and on... Everyone seems to be able to articulate what they want.... they show up demanding what they want but what they are yet to realize is that developing and implementing an effective long term strategy is key to attracting what they actually desire and achieving their trade and investment goals.

Trade and Investment activities occurring daily across the African Continent are not immediately visible to external players... so they assume that nothing is happening!😮 On the other hand, Trade and Investment stakeholders in both the private and public sectors on the continent must also prioritize Investment & Trade promotional activities regionally and globally to showcase such opportunities, educate players around the world and attract investors looking to engage.

Africa is not a monolithic Society! The West likes to think that it is but they are wrong.... If you live in a western society like I do you will be made to believe, through years of systematic brainwash via western media, that the entirety of the African continent is poor, corrupt, and always fighting war and famine. It is an over generalized, over simplified view of a region that is home to more than 1 billion people.

"The African population is projected to double to 2.2 billion by 2050."

"The World Knows What it wants from Africa but Does Africa Know What It Wants from the rest of the World...?" Toyin Umesiri

You may not agree with me but in the world of FDI and Investment Promotion - just having a desire does not mean you will achieve your goals. Largely speaking, African nations have yet to put their money where their mouth is... For all the talk about attracting investments and bringing in FDI, I have yet to see the level of seriousness required to actually pull this off.

"People do not buy the UNKNOWN or from the UNKNOWN!" Toyin Umesiri

That statement summarizes what I want to talk about today...

A solid career in retail, in a way, prepared me for the work that I do today in advancing trade and investments as I continue to apply "retail-type" principles in building my business, platforms and brands. Unfortunately, I find that I have to spend time convincing others to invest time in promoting or marketing their products, services, countries or region - THEY DO NOT GET IT YET - In Retail we do because we know that businesses survive or die based on the type and level of marketing they invest in. Marketing is NOT an afterthought - it is the engine of business growth!

It has never been easier to go global! So what then could be holding you back?

The World is FLAT with the power of the internet. Globalization is also REAL however, many around the world continue to be excluded from global and international trade opportunities. Are the problems systemic, conditional or economic? I would say a bit of all but those who choose to pursue such opportunities need not be discouraged.

I am excited about the future of the world!

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Yes, the entire world has been completely disrupted with entire industries turned up side down! No doubt millions around the world have lost jobs - many still uncertain whether theirs would soon be replaced by machines and robots. Entire markets have been strained and valuation of currencies at a free fall. But still there is so much to be excited about....

What if the opportunities you seek cannot be found in your city?

...it turns out the work I have been carrying forward since exiting Walmart to start Nazaru LLC. is not only relevant for African countries but also for cities around the world! With Covid-19 disruptions there has been a huge shift and more cities around the world must now act "global" to attract new and dynamic trade and investment opportunities...

... Lights, Camera, Action! Chicago; the city that brought you Oprah, President Obama and countless many global leaders is looking to expand trade with Africa!!!! Ok - I know that I am being dramatic - smiles - but Yes! The ground work has been put in place through strategic business alliances to serve as a bridge that connects Africa's trade and investment stakeholder to this international city.

I had the great honor and opportunity during my recent #Live Show to engage with my good friend John Rosenberg, Partner & Founder at the Rossyln Group, a Washington D.C. Lobbyist firm specialized in African Affairs. John was also one of my Executive speaker last August at the 3rd edition of the Trade with Africa Business Summit where he had predicted that Biden would become President Elect and his pick Kamala Harris. He was right and spot on with his predictions and it was great to catch up with him this week to better understand and explore what this means for U.S. Africa Trade and Diplomatic relations.

On January 1st, 2021, trading under the newly formed African Continental Free Trade Area began. This event marks the actualization of the vision of the One African Market. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) has the ability to unlock and unleash Africa’s vast Economic Potential - *if effective implementation plans are put in place by each beneficiary Nation. Watch video below as I share more with Al Jazeera on what AfCFTA means for MSMEs, Women, Youth and Economic Growth.

As the New Year draws closer I wanted to share with you ways to position yourself, your brand and business to win in the coming year. Covid-19 impacted global markets in various ways and the global supply chain is being reset which creates new and dynamic opportunities for those who step forward to reap the benefits. Here are four ways to Win in the coming year:

No doubt Covid-19 has devastated many commercial enterprises around the world, which incredibly has also now created huge service delivery gaps that would need to be filled. For those only focused on the past and what they have lost they will miss opportunities of the future - the new ones being created through global shifts in supply chains.

For years now I have hosted the Trade with Africa Business Summit - bringing together trade experts, investors, government representatives, diaspora and innovators to advance trade and investment dialogue. I am happy to share more with you today on how our digital platform, that houses the Trade with Africa® Network, is helping our members to achieve their trade and investment goals.

Beginning on January 1st, 2021, trading under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will begin. Are you ready to win and drive trade and investment leveraging the opportunities it offers?

In October of 2020, I had the opportunity, in partnership with the African Union - Department of Trade and Industry, to create and deliver the AfCFTA Trade and Investment Facilitation Masterclass to Economic Officers of African Countries to help them prepare to leverage this policy.

“By creating one African market, we are transforming the African landscape by creating a large market of 1.27 billion people (expected to be 1.7 billion in the next eleven years) with a growing middle class of 350 million (which is projected to reach 600 million by 2030). This provides an opportunity for economies of scale, large scale and long term investments. Arising from this, the basic incentive for businesses operating in the AfCFTA is that they will face huge and attractive opportunities”. H.E. Ambassador Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industries at the African Union (AU). Speaking at TWA Summit