#WCW: Meet Tiyani Majoko, A Woman Of Many Parts Whose Life Is All Shades Of Inspiring

The date was 7th of July 2018 on a wet Saturday and I was all set to meet lawyer and serial entrepreneur, Tiyani Majoko.

Tiyani, a Zimbabwean born lawyer based in South Africa was in Nigeria for the first time to attend the Flourish Africa conference and in line with her ‘Cheat The Hustle‘ vision, wanted to meet an entrepreneur for Brunch at Southern Sun, Ikoyi.

She called for interested individuals to send their pitches via Instagram and luckily for me, I was selected as the winner( I never win freebies so you can imagine how exhilarated I was when she sent me a message).

I remember looking forward to our brunch with so much excitement and even though I was already scheduled to attend another event, this was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss it for anything in the world.

Wore my FBI hat as I checked on her profile to get some details about her but a part of it struck right through my heart. Her mother and two brothers were brutally murdered by her uncle while she was away in boarding school and I couldn’t fathom what she must have gone through over the years.

As I finally meet Tiyani, I am fascinated by her warm welcome, ‘infectious’ personality and her energy. So down to earth and full of life, you can’t help but love her, trust me on this(coming from an equally energetic person).

We smoothly dived into the agenda of the day and a few hours later, the brunch with her left me feeling larger than life. She is an embodiment of inspiration with a combination of beauty and brains.

She is our #WCW for this week so kindly go along this journey with me as I share her story.

1.) Your first time in Nigeria? What was the experience like? (good and bad)

I have been curious about Nigeria for a long time! I’ve loved the culture, fashion, and confidence of Nigerians and I wanted to see the origins! I loved every moment in Lagos and I can’t wait to come back- the energy of the people, their friendliness and I met so many women who are powerhouses! I was so inspired! The humidity also knocked me out, lol, and the food was very different- super spicy! (but I am a lover of plantain and jollof rice). I am very keen to come back and work with entrepreneurs in Nigeria and I will be launching a podcast called Cheat The Hustle on Africa Business Radio to stay in touch and keep sharing ideas!

2. Can you shed some light on your Education, Work Experience and Achievements?

I have an LLB (Bachelor in Law)  from the University of Pretoria, a Commercial Law and Advanced Commercial Law certificate by the Black Lawyers Association, a Crisis Management diploma from Harvard Manage Mentor, a Business and Entrepreneurship certificate from University of Notre Dame and a certificate from the Gordon School of Business Science (“GIBS”).

I am also an alumnus of the Mandela-Washington Fellowship (2017). I spent my time at the University of Notre Dame.

 Since 2011,  I have made it a point to study and obtain a new qualification or short certificate every year- so I have a quite a few.

Read:This Is The Inspiring Message Serena Williams Has For Struggling Mothers

3. The big leap into entrepreneurship and why?

My parents ran their own business- and both practiced law! It was the influence of seeing my parents, especially my mother working hard, making decisions, providing for the family and leading a team that has stayed in my mind. When I started my career I was in a big law firm and although I enjoyed the work- the culture wasn’t great. I believed there had to be a better way to practice law to give lawyers a high quality of life and also, on the other hand, providing clients with a great service at a reasonable price.

I started Lawgistics Legal Consultants, a legal consulting firm in 2014 and it has been growing steadily since its inception. I also run a  blog, www.thelegalwerk.com.

I am very passionate about innovation and technology as well, so since 2015, I have been looking at various applications and online services that I can create.  I think I am close to doing something really cool now.

4. Challenges you face regularly as a female entrepreneur?

My challenge was around mindset! I am still learning new and better habits especially with managing my finances. I am also learning to get the imposter voice out of my head- because I have interests in other fields outside of law-  I often feel like I am “doing the most”.

5.The incident that changed your life forever and how it made you stronger

In 2001 my mother, 2 brothers and our nanny were murdered by my uncle in Botswana. This was 2 days after the devastation in New York, so each September is very special and much bigger than just my grief. My father raised me alone and we have a great relationship. My faith in God, community in boarding school and family really pulled me through the time. I am currently working on a book to share my story to help people overcome and heal from what seems insurmountable.

6. Favourite book, music, perfume, food, holiday destination, hobbies?

I don’t have a favorite book per se- I have authors and influencers that I like Tim Ferriss, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Chimamanda Ngozi, Paulo Coelho, Isaac Walterson, Oprah Winfrey and DeVon Franklin.

Perfume: Tom Ford-Black Orchid (for winter) and Gucci – Flora/ Versace – Yellow Diamond for Summer

Singer: Beyonce

Food: Anything with chocolate and plantain chips. I am currently trying to overcome an addiction to sugar.

Holiday destination: Mexico- I went to Cancun a few years ago and it was beautiful! I am curious about Tokyo, Dakar, and Mykonos.

I like places that are culturally rich, a great, busy city and on the other hand a place that is close to a body of water.

I am currently committed to conditioning my mind to live my best life physically, financially and spiritually. I want to be the best person that God created me to be! In 5 years I want to be in a place where I exceed my wildest dreams.

7. Qualities your ideal man should have?

Great qualities in a man are honesty, God-fearing, security, open-mindedness, financially responsible, loving to his family and friends, respected by his family and friends, good with maths ( J), rational and is tall! You heard right!!!!! She likes them tall.

8. How do you stay inspired and motivated on a regular basis?

By learning! If I keep learning I stay inspired to improve myself. I listen to podcasts, youtube and even certain Instagram posts.

9.Your definition of self-love and why every woman needs to have it.

There is a lot of content going on about self-care and self-love. I think the first step is accepting reality. And accepting yourself as you really are- this can involve getting rid of people who make you feel lesser than great!

Self-love isn’t just spoiling yourself – and manicures, spas, bubble baths and new clothes.  It is about getting your finances in order- clearing debt and saving, it’s about getting that additional qualification, writing that GMAT so you can get into a Masters program. It’s going to therapy to work through your emotional baggage and get emotionally healthy. it’s getting an accountability partner to help you be honest with yourself and your goals to stop being wishes. The best way to love yourself is to intentionally move towards the best version of yourself!

10.Any piece of advice/last words for women out there and women hoping to start their own businesses?

Just start! And listen to my show Cheat The Hustle to discover the principles if correctly applied, will give you the leverage to succeed.

You can catch up with Tiyani on Instagram (@tey_carter)and Twitter (@teyani)