BecomingGolden

Written by Adv. Brownie Ebal

“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are probably in the wrong room.”

This adage really spoke to me and it propelled me and a group of my friends to attend the Uganda Law Society Female Lawyers Fire Side Monthly Convo. As a young female Lawyer and a business owner, I was particularly excited by this initiative. This was a networking opportunity for me to meet like-minded individuals from whom to learn ways to better myself and my business ventures.

Thus, Saturday 29^th January, 2022, was a day to remember as I interacted with a diverse group of ladies comprised of business owners, Managing Partners in law firms and in-house lawyers. This group of eager women convened at AdvoJoyce Nalungo’s home for a knowledge sharing session where she encouraged us to diversify our incomes so as to become wealthy. She shared personal experiences on her business journey to elucidate some of the key points on establishing and maintaining multiple streams of income. Advocate Joyce Nalungo was very hospitable and only radiated positive vibes.

Below are the few take aways from this interactive session that I would like to share with all of us:

“A rich woman is an empowered woman!” was Advocate Joyce’s mantra that day.

1. As ladies, we should not be afraid to start, everyone starts somewhere. Success is doing what failures cannot do. Starting a venture, is something most people even fail to accomplish, they spend most of their time thinking of all the negative things that can happen and even fail to set off. When you start something, you are motivated to think of ways in which you can propel yourself forward. Procrastination robs a lot of us from reaching our full potential. The rich are always thinking of ways in which to grow and improve their business. They do not fall into the comfort zone and neither should you. No one breaks the glass ceiling by being docile. So, as ladies, let’s all start by putting our ideas into action.
2. To get a head in life, you have to build networks. These are the people that will propel you to the next stage of your life. To be able to be ahead of the game, you need to be in the game. Networks will help you earn a seat at the table and tap into areas that you did not know existed. So ladies, go to those events, attend conferences, attend meetings, listen in on webinars and let your voices be heard.
3. For anyone to succeed in life, one must dream big and have timelines in which to achieve your goals. Ensure that you check your progress every month so that you keep focused to your goal. Have a vision board and have accountability partners to remind you of your commitments.
4. Harness the power of social media. Use the influence you have both online and offline to attract an audience. This will help in self branding. Your brand online is as good as your brand offline, ensure what you post is relevant.
5. We are in the business to make money therefore we should think with our heads not with our hearts. Business money is not your personal money. All business transactions should be well thought through so that you can reap profits from your business ventures. Your salary should be used to acquire a salary loan that will be used for investment purposes. She urges the ladies that when getting a loan, you should use it to acquire an asset and not a liability.
6. In conclusion, Advocate Joyce urged all members to:

“Be too much and keep striving to improve yourself daily. This will definitely lead to progress in all our lives as we are all inspiring each other day by day.”

Hon. Joyce Nalunga

Special thanks goes to the Female Lawyers Committee of Uganda Law Society for organizing this.