Masterminds Podcast

How to Build a Brand People Trust: Claudia Lumor || Masterminds Podcast EP81

• Richie Mensah • Episode 81

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She left banking to start a magazine everyone said would fail. Fifteen years later, Glitz Africa is one of the most trusted brands on the continent — and the money followed the trust, never the other way around.

In this episode of the Masterminds Podcast, Richie Mensah sits down with Claudia Kwarteng Lumor — founder of Glitz Africa, UN Goodwill Ambassador, and one of the most influential platform builders in Ghana. Claudia breaks down exactly how she turned a magazine into an ecosystem spanning Glitz Africa Fashion Week, the Ghana Women of the Year Honours, and the Female CEOs Summit. She explains why she has refused paid features for fifteen years, why she stands at the back of every event she hosts, why mentorship does not require a single one-on-one meeting, and why chasing money guarantees you will never build wealth. This is a masterclass in integrity, patience, and building something people believe in.

In this episode, you'll learn:

  • How growing up in Kumasi as a child of the whole community shaped Claudia's sense of purpose
  • Why she spent two years researching before leaving her banking career to launch Glitz
  • The difference between building a business and building a platform people trust
  • Why she has refused paid covers and paid features for fifteen years — and how that built her brand
  • How every Glitz initiative was created to fill a real gap, never to copy what others were doing
  • Why mentorship from afar can be more powerful than a one-on-one relationship
  • Why excellence is a daily decision — and how preparation opens doors that talent alone cannot
  • Her honest position on feminism: equity, the right women in the right rooms, and results above gender
  • Why chasing money guarantees you stay broke — and what to chase instead

Chapters

00:00 – Intro
 03:36 – Growing Up in Kumasi: A Child of the Whole Community
 07:07 – From Banking in London to Stanbic to a Leap of Faith
 11:50 – Identifying the Gap: Why Ghana Needed Glitz
 15:47 – Building a Brand People Trust, Not Just a Magazine
 19:35 – The Copycat Problem: Doing Things With No Intention
 22:14 – How to Serve People and Still Stay Profitable
 24:27 – When You Chase Money, You Never Get It
 29:46 – Global Recognition Comes From Continuous Excellence
 33:21 – Mentorship From Afar: You Don't Need a One-on-One
 40:38 – Excellence Is a Daily Decision
 44:33 – Why Claudia Went Into Politics
 50:35 – Feminism, Equity and Putting the Right Women in the Room
 01:02:16 – Daily Actions for Every Creative Entrepreneur
 01:06:46 – How to Find Your Gap and Fill It
 01:13:41 – Final Mindset: Never Be in a Rush

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SPEAKER_06

What led from you doing banking, London, Stamp Big in Ghana, and then boom to a fashion magazine?

SPEAKER_02

Banking in the UK, I knew it wasn't going to be my long term. Um, because it took me over two years when I decided I wanted to set up the magazine. That's nice. The focus was not just to build uh a magazine, it was to build a brand that people trusted.

SPEAKER_06

Okay. For a creative entrepreneur out there, that young person who's trying to start something, what kind of daily actions do you think they need to take to set themselves on that path?

SPEAKER_02

I want to believe that if you're a creative entrepreneur, you've already identified a problem and you're providing solutions. I will not favor you because you're a woman. I don't do things like that. I will encourage you and push you to if I see you putting in the work. Yeah, and all you need is somebody to help you jump over. Of course, I'll be the bridge to help you to jump over. This is hundred women in leadership. And the room was so powerful. Even the ambassadors was like, it's only you, Claudia, that can pull a room like this together.

SPEAKER_06

So let me ask, what's the long-term goal? Are we looking at Claudia Luma, the first female president of Ghana? Before we jump into the conversation, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting and deciding to watch this episode. But now I have a favor subscribe to the channel. Subscribing to the channel helps me and an entire mastermind team to continue bringing you wonderful conversations and episodes that bring you closer to being the mastermind you deserve to be. So join the community. Welcome back to the Masterminds podcast. It is your ever-charming, ever-glorious guide on this exciting journey to sharpen your most powerful tool, your mind. This episode is going to be exciting. Take out your pens, take out your pads, because the person I'm talking to has so much insight, it's going to pour out so much knowledge that you need to walk out of this episode feeling empowered and stronger. Because she's a founder, she's a builder, an entrepreneur, a fashion advocate, a UN goodwill ambassador. Look, she's done so much in the short time that I've known her that I keep wondering how one person is able to keep pouring so much out from her mind and into other people. Most people start their journeys and it's all about themselves. But as soon as she had success, she started to pour into other people, especially other women. My guest today is the amazing Claudia Lomo. How are you feeling today?

SPEAKER_02

I feel very blessed. Yes. When you wake up and you're healthy, you're strong, your family, there's no bad news anywhere. I feel very happy and blessed. And I'm here with you as well now.

SPEAKER_06

Welcome, welcome to Master.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you.

SPEAKER_06

The goal here every day is just to share our mindsets and the kind of things that helped us succeed so that those who are watching can also be on that same journey. You know, I started this hoping that people can learn how to be to get to where they want to get to, you know. So I'm glad having you here so that I know so many people want to understand how you think to be able to get on that a similar path like you. Let's let's jump right into it. Let's talk about how you grew up that helped build the mind that you have. Now you grew up in Kumase, right? So, what was childhood like for you that started you on this journey?

SPEAKER_02

Um, I think um, or I believe my childhood or growing up as a child in Kumase, what it gave me is a sense of family, a sense of community. Okay. Um, because um I always say that, and people that grew up or had a childhood in Kumase, I'm sure would agree with me that you are not only the child of your mother and your father, you are the child for the whole family. Yeah, and to be honest with you, the extended family, the church, the market women, you know, you are a child for everybody. People, somebody can see you and um like caution you and call your parents and say, I've just cautioned your child about this. So you grow up with an awareness of wanting to do well, not just for yourself, you know, but for their community, for your family, because you're like um people, a lot of people you want to do well to make not just your family or your your parents proud, but you want to make where you come from because that's the sense of how we grow up, right? You want your you you want your aunties to be, and your uncles, your cousins, your niece, you know, everybody to be proud of you.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I think that kind of mindset shaped me. And even when I moved outside the country, I was always aware of that because I cannot mess up, you know, because messing up is not just messing up Claudia, it's not just messing up my siblings and my parents, but it's also messing up in front of the people that love you. Yeah, and you know, and I know what, you know, I go to church in Kumasi and my pastors and you know, people that we went to Sunday school with will say, Claudia, like they see you on TV or they see you doing something, and they'll call their whole family people. Do you remember Claudia? So it's like a joy for everybody. Yeah, so when you have that essence, you know, you where you're you're mindful and you're intentional with what you do for yourself.

SPEAKER_06

Interesting. This seems to be like a recurring theme for most successful people I talk to, yeah. Where it seems like being born into a community and growing up wanting to serve the community is one of the biggest things that led to their success.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. You know, you're always mindful of that. And I I know maybe we get towards the conversation, we'll get there, but I stood for member of parliament in my constituency where I grew up as well. Um, and it all comes from that, you know, people seeing what you're doing and the community coming together and calling me, you know, for so long and saying, you know, you know, Claudia, we see what you do, we want you to represent, we're proud to say you're from here, you were born here, and um we want to see you know you come in and serve the constituency. That's what even led to me standing for member of parliament in the constituency. So, yeah, it's a big part of who I am and what I represent.

SPEAKER_06

That's interesting. Okay, let's talk. You mentioned when you traveled, yeah. So you were in London, you were in banking.

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_06

Then you came back to Ghana, you worked at Stambik. So, what led from you doing banking, London, Stambik in Ghana, and then boom, to a fashion magazine? What was how did that switch happen?

SPEAKER_02

Huh? Okay, so um banking in the UK, I knew it wasn't going to be my long term. For me, it was a bridge for me. Um, because I studied in London. Um, from K and USD, I went to do my master's in in London at the University of Westminster, and um I wanted to gain as much experience as possible before I moved back to Ghana. So for me, um London was a bridge, right? And then when I came to Ghana, because I'm in banking, obviously, I actually never thought I'd work for myself. You know, I always thought that I was going to be in corporate, I was gonna build, you know, a really good career and climb up to like you know, a very big, you know, good position in corporate. So I wanted as much experience as possible to be able to come to Ghana and use that as a break to be able to do what I want to do in Ghana. And when I came in, yeah, started really well, got a good job. I could see you know me doing well there. Um, but I think I got my aha moment because also for you to be able to create every something, you need to find maybe a gap or you need to find a problem or something. And I think moving to Ghana, there were things that I was missing in the UK. You know, I love bowling a lot, um, even though I don't get to do it that much now in Ghana. But I used to do that a lot, and then I loved um grabbing quick sandwiches as well. I'm a sandwich person as well, and then well, I love going to the gym, and then I love magazines. Okay, so I was, you know, and I was kind of I was starting family as well. I wanted to start having my children, and I was looking for something that would give me that freedom, you know. So it was um an aha moment, and maybe like, you know, God giving you dropping something into my thinking or my soul that okay, what could I do here? Okay, bowling, no, maybe not. Um sandwich shop at like a subway-ish thing set up in the crack. But then the magazine drop on because also I love I'm somebody that loves to see people do doing what do well. Okay, you know, when people are doing well, generally makes me really happy. And I realized that we didn't have platforms that were really telling great stories, okay, as or in a very tasteful way, as people will love their stories to be told. You know, I saw South Africa doing it, Nigeria in their own way was doing it as well, but there wasn't a magazine, you know, because I couldn't find them. You know, I I I am the person that grabbed my coffee. I've that's my lifestyle. Grab my coffee and grab my magazine, but I couldn't find some in Ghana. I used to tell people to bring me magazines from the UK or from the US, and I felt, you know, maybe there was one or two around, but it was more like an event magazine. It wasn't a lifestyle. Why would I want to relax as after a hard day work with somebody's funeral pictures or somebody wedding pictures that I don't even know them?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I wanted to reel magazine lifestyle magazine, and we didn't have any. So I think that's what brought on the idea of schooling myself. It took me over two years when I decided I wanted to set up the magazine to school myself. I wasn't in a rush. I'm never in a rush. I'm very relaxed with my purpose and my mission because I feel like if this is meant to be, you know, you'll find a way to make it happen. So I'm very relaxed in my purpose and my vision and everything.

SPEAKER_06

So those two years were you still working at Stambik or did you stop everything?

SPEAKER_02

No, I was working at Stambek and I was doing my research, you know, in the evenings and things like that, even how to put a team together. Um, so it was when I was ready to launch that I spoke to my bosses, and somehow they they sort of knew that I would leave because they're like, you know, the energy with which I work and I carry, you know, I'm a 150% person in it or nothing. Okay, you know, so if you give me a job, you give me one, I'll do one plus two, and even give you suggestions for three. And in certain places, some people are not ready for characters like that. You know, I move very fast with the way I think, with my execution, because I think through every possible way, every possible thing, every question before I move. So I'm very tactical with what I want to do. Okay, and once I execute, there should be no question around it. So some of my bosses actually told me that we knew you start something on your own. I was like, ah, okay. They knew you couldn't be tamed. Yeah, there they there I go. Um, but then it did very well when we launched. Um, yeah, and the rest they say is history.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, so let's let's look at this. So you have the idea there's a gap, there are no um lifestyle magazines, so glitz is born. Yeah, but you see, it's one thing identifying a gap, and it's another thing being able to fill it. Yeah, so I want to can you walk me through the process that you were actually able to fill that gap properly? Because you could have started the magazine and nobody would have cared, and I won't be interviewing you because nobody will know Kwa Luma. So how did you succeed with it?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think um I actually, I mean, people very close to me even told me that it won't work because Ghanaians don't love magazines, and nobody had done it successfully, yeah. So yeah, so um, but I'm I'm quite stubborn when I want to do something because I do a lot of research, and I and I I I tell I told myself that even in the UK, people will tell you that people don't love magazines, you know, and nobody or people don't read magazines. People who sit down and read a whole magazine, it's not a book, you know. People look at it, go back, that's why it's a coffee table. You know, people look at it, two, three stories, go back. People keep magazines for months, for years, and they still go back and read them. So the focus is not for people, like say Ghanaians don't love reading. Um, so I'm quite stubborn with that. But I think that I believe that the gap that I saw was how we're telling our stories, which I felt like it wasn't being told in a tasteful way, in an impactful way. There was a big gap around that. There are great people doing things in our country, both men and women, young people, but who is documenting them in a way that's very tasteful? In a way that you want to put it, you want to read it, you want to put it in your living room, and office want to put it, hotels want to put it in your room, who is telling our stories and also putting it in such a way that the world wants to see what is happening in the in our country. Yeah, so I think I believe that's the gap that I saw. And once you are solving, you find a problem or um a gap and you're solving that solution, it always does work. You know, when you put in the right mindset, the right energy, the right people around it, it always works. And we were not just like we wanted to just be another magazine. It's we understood or understood what we're trying to build. We're trying to build a platform, we're trying to build something or bring impact, we're trying to build something that I wanted to tell stories that my kids will grow up and still be proud to read them. It wasn't about fame, it wasn't about who is the most popular, popular person, it wasn't about that. Everything was about the story. So people used to ask me that, oh, well, how the how how can somebody make it to a great cover? I said it's about the story, it's about an impactful story. I don't really, I don't care whether you have one million followers, it's not about that. It's about who has a story that will inspire people that years down the line, I will still be so proud that we celebrated these people in our magazine. That's what we wanted to do.

SPEAKER_06

That's powerful, and this goes right back to the community because this shows me that from starting Glitz, it wasn't just about selling magazines, it wasn't just about lifestyle. You were thinking about how you can impact absolutely, absolutely. So, this shows the difference between building a business and building a platform. So, when did you feel confident that Glitz was not just a magazine? It was now a platform that could showcase the right people. Everyone's biggest aim is to build wealth. Now, anyone who knows what they are about will tell you the one true way to build wealth is to have a system that gains that wealth over time. Now, most people are suffering to what system or what tool can they use? How do they get to invest easily? How do they get to invest over time? Small amounts, compound interest, and build their wealth. Well, that tool is achieved by Petra. Download Achieve by Petra now and let's build wealth together.

SPEAKER_02

With the magazine, we the focus was not just to build uh a magazine, it was to build a brand that people trusted. And um with working working on the magazine, I engaged with very impactful women, very impactful men, very great designers, very great, you know, industry people. Because when I did I started the magazine over 15 years ago, so imagine over 15 years ago trying to get a designer, trying to get hair, makeup, all of these people, it wasn't easy. So some of them I had to really work with them to create something to use for the magazine, and in doing that, I built a really great relationship, even great relationship with even brands that were advertising it because this was all new to them, and they were used to the traditional way of advertising. So, in doing something like that, you build relationships, trusted relationship with people, and also in my mission on working on the stories, I realized that all these stories that we are telling, you know, who is celebrating them outside the magazine as well. So we started building initiatives around the magazine. The first one was the Great Africa Fashion Week, because in working with designers, I started actually taking designers out of Ghana to South Africa Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, all of that, and models as well. But how long was I going to be able to do that and to have used personal funding to be taking models and designers outside the country? So then because I was working with them, you know, and and if I want to sustain it, I want to be able to create a stronger platform for them. And that's what we got the Great Africa Fashion Week, where I feel like let's bring let's create our own fashion platform and get the world to come and see what we are doing. And then from starting the Great Africa Fashion Week, which was bringing about 50 designers all to the Ghana, media, global media, all of that 15 years ago. Now we created the Ghana Female Studio Summit, and then the Ghana Women of India on it because every quarter I was engaging with all of these women in business, in leadership, in governance, in diplomacy, and there wasn't any platform that was connecting them. You know, these are all great people, you know. So I started as a breakfast to connect all these women in one room, and then it grew from breakfast into a whole day conference, and then it became, you know, yeah, we are connected here. But if we bring people together, let's celebrate some of them, let's tell stories, let's pull out like a documentary story to celebrate them among themselves. Yeah, so then it becomes something that people, you know, how should I say is that you're giving them visibility, but also it's visibility that people can learn from, that can give people hope, you know. And I always I've said this statement so many times that you know it's bringing your own kind of operas together, right? So people can now know that we have our own operas, and this is their story, and that's what all the other brand is tension, and when a brand starts doing that, that's when you move from just a business or you move from just you know, being maybe just a magazine, you can now be you build a whole ecosystem around what you've created, and now it's not also to build more trust and more impact. So everything that I've created around the magazine is something that we just didn't, you know, something like, oh, let's do this, you know. Everything has to be something that is feeding, is um is responding to a need that we saw out of what we do and based on that. So if you watch what we do, everything we do is connected, it's not just you know, we sit down and say, Ah, let's go and do this. That's the reason why you not see me say, ah, let's go and do music. No, that's not, you know, what our magazines represent.

SPEAKER_06

Let me convince you.

SPEAKER_02

You know, I I always struggle with people that do things for the sake of doing things, yeah. And um, it's a shame, actually, Richie. And if some of us are, you know, you know, I've known you for years, and you're a great human being. And some of us we need to say some of these things because I sometimes get embarrassed with the number of awards everywhere. You know, sometimes some of them even come to me and I say, Who is on your board? The number of emails that you're doing. Yes, what is your selection process? And the person that even founded the platform, yeah, don't even understand what you mean by your selection process. Yeah, you can say, I'm like, why are you doing it? It's it's so tacky. We've become we've as we are accepting things for the fact that we just want to dress up and go to a place. Yeah, no, what is the essence of it? What is the impact of what are we trying to achieve with the platform, with the initiative? And those are the things that we need to look at. It's becoming so tacky, it's becoming sad to look at them. And um, I mean, people think that oh, Richie's doing it, oh, Claudia is doing it, so let's catch another woman platform, let's get another woman, and you go and it's so tacky that even the theme that they are talking, it just doesn't even make sense, you know. So those are the things that people start, need to start and researching into why they're doing things and also be mindful. Like, is this really your calling, or you just think that I just want to do it to be popular, or I just really want to do it because Claudia is doing or which or somebody's doing it, so let me do it as well. It will not, it always ends in shame anyway.

SPEAKER_06

It's the copycat problem. There's no authenticity, yeah. You know, somebody is sitting there watching you successful and saying, Oh, I want to be like Claudia. But instead of watching your principles, your discipline, your hard work, yeah, and copying that, they rather say, Oh, let me take what she's doing. Oh, she has an award show, let me do an award show. She has a magazine, let me do a magazine, and then maybe that thing is not meant for them. Yeah, so then they just put something in the world which has no intentionality, yeah, and they don't understand when it fails. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06

Like one of the things that everybody says is show me the way, show me the way, show me the way. But yeah, no one can show you the way because the way I made it may not be your way. Okay, wow, it's it's really raining. Ideally, we should stop. But I'm enjoying the conversation so that it's better with us in the rain small. There's a thunderstorm here, but we'll keep it going. It's dangering me some more, okay? You know, after. I'm listening to you. I am seeing it more and more that people who do things to serve others are the ones that actually have success come on to them absolutely because your mindset is more of taking care of people.

SPEAKER_05

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06

So I want to see the weirdest part about what you've done is most people don't build their businesses about raising people. It's like okay, I have my business and then I have some philanthropy thin on the side that does things for people, but your businesses are all built to raise people up. How do you manage to balance that and still stay profitable?

SPEAKER_02

So, um, what I will say is um when I started this whole thing, um, glitz and building initiatives, um, my focus was more on my journey, on my calling, on my purpose and creating impact. Because I was refusing adverts, you know, and I still do. People that want to advertise in the magazine, people that want to give us money to be featured, and we never do that. So I've stayed true to why I started this. Okay. And for me, once your vision and your, you know, what you're trying to do is very clear for people, that's when you start seeing the money.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because now there's no question about who Claudia is. Okay, there's no question about what Great Africa represents. There's a reason why I will pick a phone and call anybody from top governance to corporate to entrepreneurship to diplomas to anything, and everybody wants to associate themselves to our brand. Yeah, that's when you start making the money. Because now you spend the years of the hard work to build integrity, you spend years of hard work to build something that people can actually see the impact of what you've done, the consistency of the work that you put in. There, you know, and when you are when you're trying to force yourself to do something, people see it, people feel it. And for 15 years, we've been running with the same message, we've been running with the same created platforms, and we've stayed, you know, make it better and learn and make it better and you know, progress with what we've done. So people have been on a journey with us, they've seen it. I I am a firm believer that when you chase money, you never get money. So stay focused on what you do. When money starts chasing you, that's when you start creating wealth. Because, but sometimes young people are more about, oh, the money first, the money first. It doesn't build integrity. You know, well, that's why they will still be doing hand to mouth. Yeah, do you get what I mean? You will not create wealth from with a behavior like that. It's more putting in the work, more putting in um building something that people can respect you for what you do. Do you understand? In Ghana now, if anybody attach Richie's name to music and anything connected to music, nobody will question that. You understand? You build that integrity, you build that respect. Your voice matters when it comes to music, when it comes to entertainment. You get what I mean? But it took you years. You know, if you were being the person that, like, oh, if you don't give me this money, I'll walk you out of my situation, you think people you'd have lost a sense of something, you understand? But now your voice, even just sitting around the table and talking, can create you money because now you've built that integrity, and that's when you find that's when the money comes in. So for me, it wasn't about because even when we didn't have advert, I will still produce the magazine. Even when we don't have sponsors, I will still produce the event. Yeah, you know, I'll still put in, you know, whatever I have to put in. And also you build good relationships. There are people that Great Africa and the platforms and things that we do will not be the same if they were every year they were not supporting us. Even technical people, you know, there are people um like the sound people, all of these people that we've worked with. I have so much respect for them that they see the work that we are doing and they come in to support you, give them what you're supposed to you you do. We all do events. Sometimes we have to put people on a payment plan, yeah. But then they know you have you have that integrity, they know it will come and they work through with you, then forcing yourself, and also for me, even the brands that we partner with has to be brands that align with what we want to do. So I am not, if you look at any of our events, I'm not one of these platforms that you go and you see logos everywhere. Sebbi sebi AMIT time sometimes some of the logos fake. But I for me, it's not about that for me at all. Yeah, I've had events that I have solely produced, and in fact, 2024, was it 2024 or something? Ghana female CEO summit that we did at Kampinsky, there was no logo on it. Okay, there was no logo, so it's not about that for me, it's about who we are partnering with that makes sense that you know we both align on what we are creating together, they believe in what we are trying to do. And I have rejected a lot of partnership for even bigger brands, and they come back, they respect you even more. You get what I mean? Because I need you to respect what we are trying to do. If not, then what are you coming to the platform to do? So it's about people understanding what they want to do, people understanding their vision, their purpose, and staying consistent with what you do. That's when the profits start coming, that's when the money starts coming, and that's what consistent profits you know start coming in every year for you.

SPEAKER_06

So you you chase the value, and the value attracts the money. Absolutely, whereas these days everybody is chasing the money.

SPEAKER_02

It's such a shame. You know, you hire people, young people these days, and the first thing they want to ask you is how much I'm going to earn every month. Yeah, it's not about the value I'm going to add to the work that you're doing, exactly. Which is a shame. You know, people are, but also well, I don't know whether we can blame them. I mean, they are chasing you know, the good stuff without the Gucci bag at 22. Wow. Without realizing that, you know, you have to do the work. You have to. I have a heart of service, Richie. And anybody that works around me will tell you this. Like, you can come to my setup and I'll be there sitting eating Kenke with the guys who are doing the live. They're my people. Yeah. You understand? Because I know what I want to create. I'm not the person that go and sleep. I send my whole team away and 2 a.m. I'm there with the carpenters, and I send them, they should go and rest. Do you hear what I mean? And people tell me that go to Madame Claudia's platform, she will be the last person that lives there. You know, not you that you do one platform and the second year the madam, you arrive the next morning. I don't do things like that. I understand everything that is happening on my stage. I know what is happening. I have to approve everything. And when you come to my event, actually, you will never see me seated. It's only last year in 10 years. I've never sat down at my own event before. I'm always the person at the back with the technical people because everything is going on the screen. It's a journey, it's an experience we are creating for people. So the people in the room, I'm watching how they're experiencing this, what is going on the screen, what is that? I want people to go back with an experience with some with something. And that's where my head is. It's not about, and I never ask people, I always ask people, what are we getting wrong? Everybody that's been on my set will tell you. I'm always asking, what are we getting wrong? Well, it's because I want us to make sure that we're giving people the right experience. It's not about what I'm wearing or my team will tell you most of the time it's that week. So I'm like, everybody that works with me know that Madame Codia is a last-minute person. Because what I want to wear, what I is the last thing on my mind. You know, I can wake up in a day and just pick anything and wear. It's not my priority. My priority is the work that we are doing and the experience we're giving to people, whether it's a magazine or it's an event.

SPEAKER_06

Nice. Okay, so speaking of building value, right? You've been named in business of fashion 500 and top 100 most impactful Africans, right? So I have to ask this question. I'm not the answer, but let me ask. Did you set out to achieve global recognition or did it come as a result of continuous excellence?

SPEAKER_02

I think it came out of continuous excellence, Rishi, I'll tell you that for sure. Because as I told you, leaving the bank to set up Great Africa, I didn't even think about what this will look like in year two or year three or year five. Okay, I just wanted to start something and to start telling stories in a very tasteful way and to create impact. And it's just by doing the work, other things just started coming on board. Even with the UN, I never people ask me all the time that how do you become a UN goodwill ambassador? I don't even know because they reach out to me. I don't know. And this was HQ themselves, New York H this wasn't even Ghana that reached out to me.

SPEAKER_06

That means they're watching, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, so it's just you staying, you know, true to you who you are and what you're doing. And you know, these things have a way of attracting, and um, and I'll tell you something. Just last week I was in London and I sat with a couple of ladies that because I do my conference in London as well. And a couple of ladies, they are members of parliament, mayors and things are in the UK, black women. So we're having lunch, and I said, and you know, of course, because I've also stood for member of parliament, we were talking about women in politics and all of that. And I said, you know what? I'm really, you know, I called you and you all came to have lunch with me. And sometimes I sit back and I'm asking God, it's it's so effortless, you know. Like you call people and they're busy, you know, but they come out. And she said, Claudia, why won't we come out? There's something about what you do and what you represent that it's not forced, you know, it's not forced. And when you call and you talk, people can feel that's behind what you're trying to do and want to be part of it, you know. And I think some of all of these things come with when you are being original about true to what your calling is and what your purpose is. And people see that for me, whether you come or you don't come, it will happen because you are not the reason. You know, it's God doing his own thing. This is this is a falling. Do you understand? It will happen. I I hosted breakfast beginning of the year at the Italian ambassador's residence, and um, I hosted 100 women for breakfast. And I had from all past chief of staff, current chief of staff, you know, people in the judiciary. This is 100 women in leadership. And the room was so powerful. Even the ambassadors was like, it's only you, Claudia, that can pull a room like this together. And it's very humbling because and I stood at the back, and even the ambassador and ministers were calling me to come and sit with them. And I never sat down and I stood at the back. I was standing at the back throughout the whole breakfast, and you never see me eating or pull a coffee or anything like that. And they were like, Why were you why do you keep standing at the back? You should come, you bring all these great women together. You have to because and I was like, I understand my calling. I didn't bring them together for me. You know, I brought them together for you. So for me, I'm I'm here watching the room and you know, allowing whatever this is meant to do to happen, you know, because it wasn't about me, it's about bringing the platform together for you to be together. So I'm just watching how the room is working, and that's why I always stay at the back. So it's some it's just understanding what your purpose is, understanding what your calling is, and just going with that, and with that comes every other thing.

SPEAKER_06

That brings me to something, the Xi Summit. Yeah. So the Xi Summit is created for mentorship, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Um, I always say a lot of people underestimate the importance of mentorship. Yeah, well, what are your thoughts on mentorship that led you to starting the Xi Summit?

SPEAKER_02

Um, I you know, when it comes to mentorship, I always have like two um views on it. Um I believe that it's it's a great way if we can, those of us who create platforms, if you can create platforms that um allow mentorship, it's a great way because meaningful conversations, you know, what can come out of those things is you can't even measure that. Yeah, and also I feel responsible for a reason because we've created this platform that brings very high-valued women together, very powerful women, very powerful leaders together, from the female CEOs to she boss to all of these things that bring very powerful women together. But the room is not for everybody. You know, you cannot just enter a Great Africa event, yeah, you know, because the room is for certain kinds of women to be in the room. But then what do we do outside the room was very important for me. So that's what that for me as an um a founder, it was I felt the need for us to the whole what we're trying to do wasn't going to be complete for me if we don't have a way to take what is happening in this powerful room to the younger people, yeah, to the younger women. So what we did was all the women that have been honored on Women of the Year, the women that come and speak on CEO's platform or just even attend the platform, we bring some of them together and we go into tertiary institutions and we try to share stories, we try to you know to get these stories and inspiration for them because good examples are great. Because once they start seeing that, we can learn from these women. These are women who maybe their story or their journey, they created this you know from nothing. They and sometimes we bring people connected to wherever we are going. So if we're going to Kumasi, K N USD, I would bring people that maybe went to KNUSD as well, or maybe grew up in Kumase. So they can connect with them, they can connect their journey with what they hopefully want to do. So for me, mentorship, it wasn't like um we are matching people, you have to match people to people that they have to see every week, every month, or anything like that. For me, it was about let's get the stories out there, let's get these people that they will never be able to be in a room with them, bring them closer to them, bring them closer, let their journey be closer, their stories be closer to them, right in front of them. So they can use that as an inspiration and hopefully they can learn from that and it will impact what they also want to do. So I I believe in platforms, I believe in mentorship, and it's not always that you need to find somebody that you sit one-on-one with. You know, most of these platforms gives you know gives great mentorship because of what is happening, there, the stories that you're going to hear, the people that you interact with is a great way to find mentorship for what you want to do.

SPEAKER_06

So yeah, you know, I tell people that all the time. I think when people think about mentorship, they are waiting too much for it to be, oh, I got a one-on-one meeting with Claudia, so she's going to show me everything. But you can actually take Claudia as your mentor from far away. Absolutely. Watch every interview she's done, read her biography, go and learn about her business. If you can shape your life around somebody as your mentor without ever even meeting the person, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, I don't have one person I can say was my mentor. I don't. It's not like I don't believe in it, but I pull energies from the different people. Yeah, I pull my mentorship from afar. There are people that I just love their energy, I just love how they you know they approach their business, you know. So I pull from the different people and I get an opportunity. If I get an opportunity to meet them, I'll just ask them one thing. You know, I saw you doing this, it was really impactful. How did you come about that? I've got my mentorship out of it already. That's all I needed to know. So I don't need there's not one person that I can say that this person has mentored me. Yeah, nobody did that. And you know, if when I wanted to go into politics, the different people that I'll go and maybe I like somebody for the fact that they are a member of parliament for a big constituency. My constituency was huge as well. So I want to see how they maneuver the whole thing. So I'll go to you and ask you the question, or I'll find, or I'll just watch what they've done in the past and just build from there. But um, people and also even the ones that are saying, mentor me, mentor me, mentor me, they're the people who are not even serious. Not all. I tell you that. Because why are you going to buy God alumin for me to what to watch what you're to look at? I don't have the time for that. You see. So, and when they come closer to you, they got an opportunity to get closer to you or any other business, you know, leader, they either ask the wrong question or you give them an answer they are not even ready for, they are not even prepared to be close to you. So you before you are even thinking of mentorship, you need to work on yourself, you need to be ready to be in front of the people that you want them to mentor you. It's like somebody coming to you and saying, Oh, Rich, I want to do music. There's a thousand people over thousands of people who want to do music. But if you've come to this man and you say, Oh, I saw you doing this for A, B, C, and this is what based on that, this is what I have also built. Now the person is saying, Oh, you actually, if you've studied what I've done with other people, and you can see that that would be useful to you. And you are even on top of that now telling me from that what you have built. Now I want to pay attention to you. Now I want to listen to you. By just coming and saying, I want to do music, I want you to mentor me, oh my god, I want you to mentor, I want me to mentor you for what?

SPEAKER_06

Because if somebody only got five minutes with you, yeah, the question they ask in those five minutes determines what happens next. Absolutely. It could be a very intelligent question based on the fact that they've studied you, they've studied what you've done, and now they just need some extra information. Yeah, and you will take that conversation seriously. Absolutely. When somebody comes and oh hi, Miss Claudia, please, I want to mentor me.

SPEAKER_02

And it's like, and sometimes you can't even pronounce your the brand even well. I find that very annoying. Yeah, I have worked out media people from my office because you cannot come and say you want to do an interview representing a media company. You sit in front of me and you don't even, you can't even pronounce, you know, they're coming and they're confused. Like great woman of the is Ghana female CEO satanic. Yeah, you know. So if you if you're coming to me, give me that even respect of even doing a good research about why you're coming.

SPEAKER_06

I think that then is a very big problem here. Yeah, because a lot of people don't pay attention to excellence. Yeah, you know, I I like excellent people, but people don't realize excellence is a is a daily decision.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_06

So everything that you are going to do, you need to do the research, you need to prepare for it.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06

You need to over-prepare for it. Sometimes I'm going to do a very small task, and I can prepare like it's going to change my life, but it's really just a small task.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. But it also shows how far that's that mindset and how far it's brought you because it's that attitude and that mindset that is brought you where you are now. Because you are prepared and you're ready for everything. You're not just going because you know, and I always tell even women, young women that come to me, every room that I walked in to pitch or to present, they always tell you that oh, um, you walk in and you want to live, you want them to remember you, but you don't want them to remember you for what you're wearing or anything like that. You want them to remember you for how good you were. So you need to prepare, you need to go in there and create the what is it, right? Um create the impact or create um the experience. Yes, that yeah, that once you walk out, people have experienced this person that they will always remember. And you have that respect. And it's taken me over 15 years to build this person, and the name it comes from a pure heart, a heart of service. People see the humility that comes with the power that you have and the influence that you have. That when you are coming walking into boardrooms, people are actually looking forward to meeting for their in the in the room, and they always say, Oh my god, your name precedes you, you know. So um, that's the work that young people need to be able to do on themselves and be ready for it, and not just you know, because I they're thinking more about how their hair and makeup and dress look like than what they're going to see and do in the room.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, people care about how they look and even not just physical appearances, but how they appear to people and what they are actually bringing to the table.

SPEAKER_02

Combine the two, and you're very powerful. Yeah, because for me, if you walk into a room and you actually smell great, not happy that you smell really well, you can be coming out of a childhood, you feel like or you smell like you came out from a big luxury car. Yeah, so be mindful of what you what you represent because people also want people to trust people from what they are seeing as well, and from what when they start hearing what you also have to say, that combination everybody will forget about you.

SPEAKER_06

You need to pay attention to all of it.

SPEAKER_02

Because you know, the worst thing is to look and smell good, which raises someone's expectation, and then no value comes out of you at such a level, and there's so many of those actually now, but then you know, the people that work in right and they open their mouth and like wow.

SPEAKER_06

But I think it's because they are only making decisions based on what they see. So somebody is watching you, they are seeing you look good, your hair is nice, your makeup is nice, your demeanor is nice. So they think, oh, that's how she succeeded by looking nice. But they are not looking at the hard work, the diligence, the excellence, the taking care of other people. Yeah, you have to add all those elements.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, and and that's what is. That's more powerful.

SPEAKER_06

Speaking of taking care of other people, I want to understand what led you into politics.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I believe you know, from even from what when we started our conversation, you've been mentioning that the magazine and everything brings back the conversation to community.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I think oh, I believe that in my journey, um everything came full circle for me when I decided to go into politics. Because at some point I I will keep asking, God, um, why all of this? Why do I and Richie, I do have good assets.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So sometimes I'm like, why I why why all this assets? Why do I even walk into this room? Why I'm even be am I being called into these rooms? Um, but it's happening because there's a bigger calling on my life, and that's the reason why God is putting me in those rooms. So I needed to find out what was the purpose behind all of that. And it brought me, for me, unless people who don't understand, people have different reasons of doing different things. But for me, serving, I've always had a heart serve. And I'm at my best when I'm doing something that's impacting more people, that's impacting a lot of people. And politics is about people, it's about being a voice, it's about influencing. And if God has helped you to bring you on a journey that you build enough maturity, you build enough wisdom to be able to do that and to serve, why wouldn't you do that? And when the people in my community, as I said, when people that are you went to primary school with, people that you grew up with in their community, they see the work that you're doing. You know, there's so much joy when you know, when they see you, when they see my mother in my community, you know, everybody knows Claudia's mom. Like, you know, sometimes she's even more popular. She says people come around her car and say, Claudia, mommy. And she loves that, you know, all of that. And for the people in my community to say, we want you to um represent us, I think it was very humbling for me um to be able to do that. And um, and also I felt um we want to see more women in leadership. That has always been the voice, what I've been pushing, right? We want to see more, and not just women, we want to see um women who um I'm trying to choose my words with you, you know. We just don't want to see. You want to see the right women, the right women, you know, people, not just any women, you know, we want to see right women um in government, you know, that represents something that young people want to look up to. And young women, men, all of that, they want to look up to. And we don't have, we do have, you know, really great women out there, um, out there, but we don't have a lot. And I felt like with a lot of advice coming from people and within the party that I was serving, I decided to to go for it. And um, it was very inspiring for me that um a lot of young people that said um people started, they they felt like they can now they can connect with politics because um Claudia is lifestyle, yeah, and now she's doing lifestyle business and politics, and she's been able to do all of that. And for me, it was important for me because I understand what I represent in the country to young people and to women and to people. And I wanted to be able to, if I'm going to do this, I need to be able to do it so graceful that it will bring, it will excite more young people to be part of it. Yeah, so I knew why God was moving me to that space, and and I followed it, and I have not regretted it.

SPEAKER_06

One of the biggest lessons I've learned in life and in business is that not everything deserves access to you. Your attention is valuable, your focus is valuable, and in this world full of noise and distraction, the ability to control your world is your true power. Lynx Reverb was designed for premium sound, complete silence, and amazing clarity. So head to any Compute Ghana shop or to our website, linkseelectronics.com, down in the description, and grab yourself a headset now. Lynx Reverb, now that's clarity. So let me ask, what's the long-term goal? Are we looking at Claudia Luma, the first female president of Ghana?

SPEAKER_02

Really? Never thought about that.

SPEAKER_06

This is what causes it to happen.

SPEAKER_02

KB has a story like that as well. Interestingly, that he he asked me on his show years ago about politics if I'll ever stand for member of parliament. So when I when I was when I was doing my parliamentary campaign, he played a video back to me.

SPEAKER_06

So I'm also playing this back when you're going for president.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my god. I I think for me um it's the opportunity and and the humility and the joy that you know that you can serve. And people actually look up to you and trusting you to represent them, trusting you to serve because they've seen your work, they've seen your journey. Richie, it makes all the over 15 years of work that we put in make me, it's like everything has come full circle. It makes now I look at God and say, ah, now I understand why you're doing this. Now I understand all of it. Because I didn't, I just felt like maybe I'm just supposed to be the one who creates platforms because that's that's something that comes very easy for me. So, and anything that you're doing that you're not struggling to do, I feel that that's when the real calling is. And it came very easy for me. So I felt maybe that's what I'm supposed to do. So my focus was just there. But in doing what I felt that it was my calling, other things was coming in. So I would just say that um I just want to be able to serve when people when I've been asked and and I know I can do it. And um that's where my my you know, I'll just focus on that and just take one day at a time.

SPEAKER_06

Nice. Okay. Let me let me let me not push you too much in the practice. Let's talk about feminism. You know, you've you've been someone who's advocated for women a lot. Yeah, um, we live in a current world where feminism isn't what it used to be. I want to know what your idea of a feminist actually is.

SPEAKER_02

Um, I am a feminist, and it's not just women who are feminist, or there are men who are feminist.

SPEAKER_06

Me, I'm the biggest feminist.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. There are people who genuinely want to see women do well. Yeah. Um, but for me, I'm a tough feminist as well. Okay. Because I'm not about just pushing or just putting any woman there. I'm not about let's just add women to make it look cool or make it make sense. I'm about putting the right people there. Um and also making sure that women who have the opportunity to do it, do it well so that you keep the door open for other people to come. Because if you are given an opportunity to be on a board, we are all fighting for all of these things that management needs to have a certain, you know, Ghana now has signed and we've made affirmative action into a law now. So we have all these percentages that companies need to make sure that there's women, a quota of this should be women in all of the management, in the boards and all of that. But then where are we supposed to get them from? Just drag them from different places. Exactly. You know, we need to make sure that women is what we are preparing ourselves and we're ready. You know, what will make somebody want to pick you to be on their board? So if that is where you want to be, we are preparing ourselves towards that. So when you are selected or when opportunity comes, there's no question around that. Nobody can suspect you by just using the female card on you, but you're just there because you you you should be there. Um, so I'm a big, you know, um, I'm a big um advocate for when it comes to um talking about women doing well, um, but I want things to be done and done well.

SPEAKER_06

So you want the right woman to get the opportunity, not just that opportunity should be given to any woman.

SPEAKER_02

No, it's actually scary when you give the opportunity to the wrong women.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, it's because then it brings down all the efforts, it's really very it's very worrying.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, because if you pull a woman MD somewhere and go and mess up, and you know, because one thing that women we need to be careful is there are certain things that man can do and may get away with it, but we cannot get away with it. There's certain things, so you have to be very cautious about that, you have to be very aware of things like that. And I am you know, I'm very aware of what we represent as women in leadership and making sure that you know there are places that even Richie, you can sit and have lunch or have drinks with your, but if Claudia go to the same place, it will not be seen as the same thing, you know. So it's unfortunate, but it is what it is. Yeah, you just need to be aware more of what you're doing, what you're wearing, where you're going, what you're saying, the people that you surround yourself with, they're all important, and it's not a boring life or anything like that. You can have, I have somebody who was like somebody sat in my car once actually, and I was playing some music. It's like, hey, Miss Cody, I listen to this kind of music. I'm saying you feel like what I only listen to what I know all the music. The fact that you may not see me falling out in ace nightclub doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun. You know, everybody has the way of you know enjoying themselves and having fun, but it also show you or tell it was you know to inform you that you know how people also see how you put yourself together, yeah, you know, to the extent that they don't even think that you're listening to you know, like uh club music. Yeah, but I do with the same mind. You think it's only classical honestly, like I play about 60% of my music in a car is gospel, to be honest with you. But I play all sorts of music, yeah, and I listen to all sorts of um things, but it's just that I am very aware of myself and where I go and what I do and everything, yeah.

SPEAKER_06

So, what do you think of okay? So, when feminism began, the concept was pro-women, but somewhere along the line, there started a feminist movement which seems to be more anti-men. Do you get me? Yeah, you see like people like yourself who say they are feminist and they are speaking for women, and then you see other people who come and they say they are feminist, but it looks like the movement is more of bringing men down. And one thing I feel, okay. I mean, I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist, right? So I always believe that a lot of the time people are trying to separate us. So they separate us by religion, separate us by nationality, separate us by tribes. And the thing which I feel is growing more and more these days is separation by gender. Well, like, how do we put a stop to something like that?

SPEAKER_02

But for me, I I don't believe that when somebody is a feminist, or I mean, as you said, there are people who are all about, oh, let's get the women into the room. I don't think that is the fight. It's more about it's not just um let's get them into the room. It's equity. You know, we want to be part of what is happening. We don't want to be left behind. So it's not a matter of let's pull the men away or drag the men out of the room and fill it with women. Where do we go with that? What the conversation is more about let's do it together, you know, for me. And I am not one of these women that will say, oh, it's all about women or no. For me, it's about the quality of it, is the um is the good work. I am a results-driven person. So if the results, we need five people and it's all five men that will make it work and we'll achieve the results, let's work. If we bring five women and we'll work, let's bring them. Or if we bring them together and work, let's bring them. It's not for me, it's not so much about the he or the she, the gender aspect of it. It's about what are we trying to achieve and who do we want to put together? But what we are saying is let's be more aware of the people and not just, you know, in a state where we are only sort of encouraging the more the men more and not encouraging, let's encourage the women along the way as well. Yeah, and let's see what happens. You know, let's give them the same table. Let's, you know, if it's training, let's make sure that there's training opportunity for everybody. Yeah, you know, so it's just equal opportunity that we are talking more about pushing more that agenda. And it's not why would you want to bring because there's things that we have to be clear, men can do them, men women cannot do them. Yeah, you know, and there are things that women too we will do that men cannot do it. God just made it that way. But when it comes to certain um work and things like that, all we are saying is let's have equal opportunity or let's make sure that we're encouraging more women to be part of it. So I'm not, you know, if anything, I you know, I I champion everything, you know, get the men in and get more women, get get encourage more women as well. Yeah. Come in and let's see who can get the seat.

SPEAKER_06

I always believe that, especially when it comes to the workforce, yeah. Before technology advanced, yeah, most work was based on physical strength. Yeah, and men have more physical strength than women, yeah, which is part of why the workforce was always male dominated. Yeah, and it also came from a place of protecting women, yeah. Because you don't want your woman going to stand in the sun and carry blocks and all that kind of stuff. But when technology started to change things and life wasn't based on brute force as much, yeah, but now intelligence plays a role, you know, emotional intelligence plays a role. There are certain things that a woman can do much better than a man. You know, as somebody who hires a lot of people, there are certain jobs that will never send a guy because when the person gets there, there are certain biological traits that a woman has that a man doesn't have. I always say um men are very macro, women are micro. You know, a man only cares about the end result, which makes him miss all the small steps leading to the end result. Whereas a woman pays attention to every single detail. So when you actually put a man and a woman together on a job, the man focuses on hey, let's win, and the woman focuses on how we win. So you actually get a great result.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06

But I feel like these days, let's say the men are trash movement has taken over, you know. Like you watch all these podcasts and all these things, and it's very oh, men are useless. You actually hear um some feminists say things like the world will be better without and how are we going to well, how are we gonna make make children big problem, you know, and I I don't like it when a good cause is hijacked to push bad narratives, yeah. Because I've also seen that because of that, I've seen men who are against feminism, and I'm like, that's not the solution either, because that's not what feminism is. So you you shouldn't take the few people who have twisted it into something bad and use that to say the entire thing is bad.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. I think you see you've you've said it really well. Um, and you know, we need each other to make what we do even better, yeah. You know, we need each other, and I I just believe in people. For me, I'm a people person, it's not about the gender for me, to be honest with you. Exactly. I just believe in because as I said, I need the results, and I I I would not put in the work if I feel like we cannot achieve maximum results. Yeah, so for me, it's who are we taking to make sure that we are achieving the results? So it's not about a woman thing or a man thing for me, it's about who can do the work. So if it's 10 women that can achieve it, we go with only 10 women. Exactly. If it's 10 men, we go with that. If it's a mixture of that, that will give me that, it's a mixture of that. Are you ready for it or you are not? If you are not, madam, sit down. I'm getting a guy to do it. Having got time to for all of that. For me, it's about achieving results. So, and there's no, I will not favor you because you're a woman. I don't do things like that. I will encourage you and push you to if I see you putting in the work, yeah, and all you need is somebody to help you jump over. Of course, I'll be the bridge to help you to jump over with assurance that I know that when you get in there, you are not going to embarrass me and you're not going to block other opportunities for other people to walk it. True. So I'm very intense and I'm very serious with what I do in life. I haven't got time for people who are just who are not deep, who are not, you know, they're just running around with no purpose or no direction. I don't have time for that. And it's not about gender for me, it's about people.

SPEAKER_06

I like that. People and results.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. That's it.

SPEAKER_06

Let's let's go into how to get the results.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_06

I'm I'm a strong believer that all great results come from the daily actions that you take.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

So for a creative entrepreneur out there, that young person who's trying to start something, what kind of daily actions do you think they need to take to set themselves on that path?

SPEAKER_02

Um, I would say that um number one, I want to believe that if you're a creative entrepreneur, you've already identified a problem and you're providing solution for it. Because if what you're trying to do is not providing solution or solving any problem, you need to look at that again. Um, are you just doing it for doing his sake or you're just doing it because you've seen Glaudio Ricci or I'm our okay doing it? That's the reason why you're doing it. You need to make sure that you clear that first. Yeah, and once that is clear for you, now you're going somewhere because you don't want to do something. I don't understand why people waste years and energy. Do you understand? And you don't want to do something for five years only to realize that, oh, actually, it's this that I actually like better. Yeah, it's because you're thinking, actually, I was telling some designers that everybody now is trying to do bridal wear because brides will pay any amount to have a wedding dress, and they've seen pistons and all of these people doing this. So now, did you come into the fashion industry because you want to do bridal wear? That's not if that's not you. Why are you doing that? You know, because then you will do it, and at some point you realize that, oh, actually, I really wanted to do this. Yeah, you know, so it's a matter of finding what you have to then. Once you clear that, the rest is consistent, sending tax setting tax for yourself, being consistent with what you're doing. For me, I feel that Richie, anything that you're doing, when your purpose and why you're doing it is clear, and you work on that to make it clear for people, you don't struggle, you don't need validation because it's so clear what Christy Brown is doing, it's so clear what Jabasewa does. They found themselves in years, you know, you see their goal, you see what they do, and it's clear that's what they do. Now you don't need to question anything about that. That's where you want to get to. That you build something that there's no questions around it. It's very clear, but it takes years of hard work. So every day, making sure that what whatever the goal is, you set up whether it's the right funding for it, who are the right people for us to talk to, if it's the um branding around it, who are the right people for us to bring to make sure we're doing the who are the right people to collaborate with, who are the right research that we have to do, put in the work, put in the energy, cut down on some of the unnecessary things that you have to do that are not important and focus on what you want to do and not be in a rush. Sometimes do we set up very straight targets for ourselves and it frustrates us, you know, and creative people don't need that. So, who said that you have to do this in six months? Who is pushing you that you must do this in a year? Yeah, yeah, by force. You get what I mean? It's your journey, it's your creativity, it's your business, it's what you want to create. So, because you want to be quick in two years' time to buy a car, that's why you're putting pressure on yourself. So, who told you? You get what I mean? So work at a pace that is is acceptable or allows you to look after you, allows you to um to work in a way that is um helps your creativity, helps your journey, but not looking around. There's so many distractions. And you know, sometimes I worry for this new age with everything digital, but you need to be able to bring scrolling. You get what I you need to be able to build strength to be able to cut off certain distractions. Because me, maybe I don't know, but which me b yeah, nothing excites me. Do you get what I mean? I am so focused on what I do, yeah, that I will watch certain things, but it will never change what Claudia wants to do. I will, I'm just very tunnel vision, you know. This is where we're going. We will look, I will look around for inspiration, but it Never want me, I would never want to do what somebody else is doing. It's just focus on what you're doing, build inspirations around that. You know, read about what other people are doing, be inspired by that, get the experience of what they're doing, but don't jump into something. You don't have the you have another year or two to go and copy something else. Why don't you focus on what you're doing and put the energy into that? Yeah. And write your own, you know, have your own um, you know, stamp on something that people then start to know and respect you for it. So that's what I will say. That we, you know, you creative enterprise.

SPEAKER_06

Are you guys hearing the practical solutions she's giving you? Okay, let's go more into practical solutions. Yeah, so you became Claudia Loma because you identified a gap and then you fill that gap for somebody out there right now who's trying to find a gap. How do they do those two things? Like, first of all, identify the gap that they are meant for, and then secondly, fill that gap successfully.

SPEAKER_02

I I believe that you need to look within yourself. Okay, you need to do a lot of self-researching. And what are you good at? What gives you peace? What do you enjoy doing? Um if there's no real joy in what you do, um, then you need to find it mean it means that there's something missing somewhere. Um, and when you are maybe in your teens or twenties, you know, it's a good time for you to explore different things. But at a certain stage, you need to now bring in, you know, coming to the conclusion of what you really want to be able to do. Um so it's not just about finding the gap. I am I am wired in such a way that everywhere, even driving here, I can tell you an opportunity that I'll see along the way. I'm always I'm so good at sporting things that I can turn around and make and create something out of it. But it's not everything that I will create because that's not what I gives me joy. That's not what I will put in my 150% to do. Yeah, I can see an opportunity in music, I can see an opportunity how I can create maybe rebrand people to make them look this way. But that's not where my head is. Do you see? But people, the moment they can think it, they feel they can do it. Yeah, and that's where the problem comes in. So there's so many opportunities, there's so many gaps to be to be filled if you're creative and you're very aware of your community and aware of your environment and everything. And I'm sure as an entrepreneur, you spot things all the time. But it's what of them aligns with your purpose and your strength. That is when now you've got something. So that's what you you need to do. You know, you can see all these gaps, and I get people that comes to me and say, Oh, Miss Claudia, I can do hair, I can do makeup, I can also do you know different things.

SPEAKER_06

I can cook, you know, you know, I can paint, I can, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And I'm like, you know what? God is God. God never gave each one of us like one talent. Yeah, He gave all of us, we are beings that you know, we have so many things that can come out of that. You need to be able to self-assess yourself and now figure out which one of these do I want to develop that will bring will be the one that in the long run will be a business that will bring me profit. Which one of these will just be a hobby? Which one of these will just, you know, will be the one maybe that I do that doesn't take that much out of me but gives me joy? Those are the charity, you know, things that people do. Because those ones are not things that's bringing you money or anything like that, but it gives you purpose, it gives you um um, it adds something to what you represent. So you need all of those things, and then you have the ones that you do and it gives you, you know, it's just a hobby thing, but you like doing them. And what are the ones which one or whatever um that you spot that you'll be able to build that into a business that will pay your bills? So once you're able to clarify that, and if you are you know very, very young, there are some people who are blessed from a very young age, they are able to spot those things, even from and there's people that I know who are even in their 40s like me and still are still figuring out which one, you know, everybody has their own gender. I mean, you they figured it out a long time, but only 15 years ago, as I told you, you know, I'm 46 now, but as I told you, meaning that I started great after after 30s, okay. True, meaning that in my 20s, as I said, I was in banking, and I never thought I would work for myself. So it means you know, I wanted to just come to them.

SPEAKER_06

First of all, I had no idea you're 46, you look much younger.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you, thank you very much. Yeah, I think for my birthday when I posted and I said, you know, this is 46, not you mean 43, you mean 36. Can you kick off the four? And also doing that with three children, they're like uh-uh-uh uh, kick that one off. But yeah, I'm very grateful to God for that. You've done very well. Yeah, thank you very much. Um, but I believe when people are able to do that, um, and not be in a hurry to be another rich in the music industry, another play and publishing or event, another, you know, a Christie Brown, another whatever, pull inspiration from them, but be your own original self because that's what is going to sustain you and let you, but anyway, why do you want to be a copy of somebody? You know, you never because we all have our own path, yeah. See, so once you figure out those things, which of the gaps that will turn into a business, which of um you know is a hobby, which one is just keeping neutral?

SPEAKER_06

You'll be able to um and I think it's perfectly okay to have phases in life, absolutely, you know, you can do you can be one thing, like maybe a multi-talented, so you can concentrate on one thing in your 20s, a different thing in your 30s, be something. I mean, look at me, who would have ever thought that Richie would be sitting here doing a podcast?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but I love it. You you see, yeah. So you know, you find your coin, you have find different things that excite you as you are, you know. I have a lady actually who was like a stylist, and then even an act actress as well. And I was telling them that you see, she's I was like, it doesn't excite me, you know, you are an actor or actress as they call them, and even when they wake you up from your sleep, you can act. So, what is so special about it? The moment you start now turning that talent into impact, yeah, that's when you start creating wealth. So now people have watched you on screens for years, you're just another actor that everybody can act, you know, in the and now, how do you now become somebody that has impact in that industry? Yeah, so I said now if you create what you've done into let's say an academy, then you're showing young people that doesn't have what to do this, now you're creating impact, and that's now is going to be different. Yeah, you know, even the makeup people that come to me all the time. I'm like, for the next five years, are you always going to be going to homes to be doing makeup?

SPEAKER_06

Is that the whole plan?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you understand? So there are people who that would be their whole plan, and that will be their journey for the rest of their lives. That's fine. But with what you represent, you can start even with a pencil line that is you, you know, and in five years' time, it could be you could be the person that started this, that everybody now knows you for it. Yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Clara, do this for me. This is my favorite part of the show.

SPEAKER_02

I want you to imagine.

SPEAKER_06

Oh no, no, no, simple. I mean, my show is very friendly at night. I want you to imagine you have the power to pass your hand through that camera over there and drop a mindset into the mind of the person who's watching that can help them become a mastermind and achieve success.

SPEAKER_02

What would it be? Never be in a rush. Um, not be in a rush as you be lazy or anything like that, but um working on, you know, work intensely on what you're doing. Okay, you know, research and build it in such a way that once you unveil it or once you bring it out, or once you start, there's no question about how great that that will be. And do all the work to make sure that it's great enough when you bring it out. That's what I mean by don't be in a rush. Yeah, you know, you not be in a rush can be a month, you figuring everything out, it can be a year, but it's your own timeline to make sure that whatever you're creating, whatever you're doing, is something that is solving a solution, but it's good enough to solve that solution, that there's so much, there's not a lot of questions around it. Um, so that's what I would say.

SPEAKER_06

Thank you. Thank you so much. And even before I thank you for coming here, thank you for everything that you've done for the community, for the industry. Thank you so much. Before I met you, I was already in awe of you. And then when I saw everything that you kept doing more and more, I feel proud to say that I know Claudia Lomo. And please, when you become president, make me presidential advisor.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my god, Richie, you're very naughty.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, just a little. Thank you. Thank you. And I hope you watching have become one step closer to being the mastermind I know you deserve to be. Thank you for watching this episode. Now, the mastermind's dream is about building a community of people who have the right mindset and are ready to take their success into their own hands. So do me this wonderful favor, subscribe and share with anybody out there who you believe you want to see have the right mindset to succeed so that together we can all become the masterminds we deserve to be.