762: What You Can Learn from 33,000+ Women Entrepreneurs in East Africa Who Started Their Businesses to Overcome Extreme Poverty

In this episode of Support is Sexy, Isabella Lengopito from The BOMA Project, an organization empowering women entrepreneurs in Kenya to end extreme poverty in Africa, joins Elayne to share how diversification, setting goals, and community helped BOMA women grow their businesses. Tune in to this episode of Support is Sexy to hear how you can apply these fundamentals to strengthen your own business.

Elayne Fluker

Elayne Fluker is author of the new book, “Get Over ‘I Got It’: How to Stop Playing Superwoman, Get Support and Remember that Having It All Doesn’t Mean Doing It All Alone.” As host of the SUPPORT IS SEXY podcast, she interviews more than 500 successful women entrepreneurs around the world, who share inspiring, true stories of the ups and the downs of their entrepreneurial journeys. Elayne is also founder of SiS.Academy, an online learning platform for women entrepreneurs. For more information about Elayne Fluker, please visit elaynefluker.com. Thank you for listening!

About our Guest:

Isabella Lengopito is a BOMA Project field officer out of the Samburu Office in Kenya. The BOMA Project is a non-profit focused on ending extreme poverty in Africa by investing in women entrepreneurs. The organization is systematically changing the lives of African women and their families through empowerment and teaching life and business skills with dignity in their two-year poverty graduation program to create sustainable futures.

Insight from this episode:

• The inspiration and impetus behind The BOMA Project and how Isabella got involved with their programs. 
• How to walk with others and support them in empowering and dignified ways.
• Tips to weather any economic “storm” in your business and the stories of BOMA women entrepreneurs who have done it!
• Reasons why no one, especially women, should be their own worst enemy.

Quotes from the show:

• “There was something shocking about how [a woman in the market is] now doing business, how she can now calculate her profits, how she can go by herself and buy stock. These things were thrilling for me because before women didn’t have this knowledge… Now this woman could confidently speak about business.” –Isabella Lengopito Support is Sexy Ep. #762
• “During COVID-19… BOMA’s women entrepreneurs showed a 3% jump in profits and a 7% increase in sales from April to June 2020.” –Elayne Fluker Support is Sexy Ep. #762
• “Staying focused regardless of the challenges you go through keeps you going in a business and will make you realize your goal.” –Isabella Lengopito Support is Sexy Ep. #762
• “Everyone needs support. Everyone needs someone to talk to. All of us, even if we live in different parts of the world, we go through the same challenges– in different ways, but we go through the same challenges… when we come together, when we help each other, it helps us get through these challenges stronger.” –Isabella Lengopito Support is Sexy Ep. #762
• “Wherever you go, ensure that you change the life of another woman.” –Isabella Lengopito quoting her mother Support is Sexy Ep. #762

Stay Connected:

Elayne Fluker

Website: elaynefluker.com

Twitter: @elaynefluker 

Facebook: Elayne Fluker

Instagram: @elaynefluker

LinkedIn: Elayne Fluker

Youtube: Elayne Fluker

The BOMA Project

Website: https://bomaproject.org/ 

Twitter: @BOMAProject

Facebook: @thebomaproject

Instagram: @thebomaproject

LinkedIn: The BOMA Project

Youtube: The BOMA Project

Support is Sexy

Website: Support is Sexy Podcast

Facebook: Support is Sexy

Instagram: @supportissexy

Youtube: Support is Sexy Podcast Playlist 

Post-production for this episode was provided by Podcast Laundry.

[Music: “Stomp and Clap” by Scott Holmes from Free Music Archive]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices