Mariam Jimoh has made it her mission to find creative solutions for the challenges that affect minority groups in the UK, and will not stop until she sees a change. In 2018, she founded WCAN – a social enterprise that facilitates the professional development of Black women and enables their transition into the corporate world through networking. Jimoh is the co-founder of Onwe Press, a platform that publishes the stories of writers from diverse backgrounds. The tech entrepreneur’s latest start-up, Oja, aims to fill the multicultural gap in the online grocery apps market in order to diversify the industry. Jimoh talks to AMAKA about the importance of entrepreneurship, networking, mentorship and sponsorship, and the role of technology in advancing Black women in the corporate world.
Mariam Jimoh initially went to University College London to study medicine. However, she also knew from a young age she didn’t want to become a doctor. “I wrote in my yearbook that I was going to get a Dr. in front of my name and BMBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) at the end, and then become an investment banker. After studying medicine for a year, I realised I didn’t need to go that far, so I changed my degree.” Jimoh explains she started looking for internships soon after she changed her course and completed several internships at some of the biggest global banks before joining Rothschild & Co as an investment banker after graduating.
The multi-faceted entrepreneur, who was named on the Forbes’ 30 under 30 Technology 2021 list, tells AMAKA that the idea for Women in the City Afro-Caribbean Network (WCAN) stemmed from her own struggles while at UCL. It was an experience that impressed upon her the highs and lows of the job market and entrepreneurship grind. One of the motivating factors why she believes more women should become innovators, creating their own path to get out of the 9-to-5 career mindset and position themselves for success.
AMAKA: What was the spark behind WCAN and how did you know it was the best platform to help Black women get a leg up?
Mariam Jimoh: As I was going through the internship process while at university, I realised quickly that there weren't a lot of Black women in these industries, and if they were, I couldn’t find them. That was the catalyst for WCAN. In a way I created the network, so I could engage with other Black women and build a support system for myself, both professionally and personally. The essence of WCAN is to become a hub for Black women who seek to enter the corporate world or any sector within the job market. We want to support women on any career path to get into spaces and take up jobs, but it’s not as straightforward as simply networking; there are a few different remits to it. We hold events, workshops, training programmes to get internships or graduate jobs, application support and mentoring. And through this platform we created a community that will change the experiences of Black women in the world of work. We help young girls from age 15, at GCSE level, right up to when they become professionals and there’s no age limit. The end goal is to improve how Black women interact with firms, which makes it easier for them to attract hiring companies, get head-hunted, hired, and most importantly retained. On the professional development side, the training ensures they have the necessary skills to thrive in such environments and at a particular level.
Why is your mission to unlock the game-changing value in underrepresented communities through tech important to you, and how have you achieved this and hope to continue doing so?
The main thing is the community is being empowered, enabled and facilitated by tech. Black women have the opportunity to give to others in the community, so there is space to connect with those who came before you. You can also network with people who have the expertise and experience in the industries you want to get into. We do this by fostering an ecosystem using social media platforms, including Facebook, Slack and WhatsApp groups – this makes it easier to share jobs, tips on interviews and general networking. While WCAN facilitates this, the women work hard to keep it going, which makes it easier for us to cater to women at different stages in their careers across several sectors and areas in the country. The corporate world can be a lonely place for women in general, especially for Black women and it’s easy to forget. However, it’s important to remember that you are not the only Black woman in a space, even if it seems that way initially. So, look for support. I’m driven by the way WCAN has empowered and enabled Black women and will continue to do so. My proudest moments are when I get messages about how WCAN has pushed women to go for something and they end up getting it.
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Why Networking Matters
What is the value of networking, mentorship and sponsorship for young Black women who are still building and developing their careers, and how should they utilise their contacts to ascend?
It’s super important to engage in networking, find mentors and sponsors across the spectrum; not just those who are like us but also those who are different to us. My advice for women and young Black women is to be hungry to learn and get as much advice as possible – people will want to help you if you show them how passionate, curious, and ambitious you are. Do the leg work. You need to put yourself out there and speak to as many people as possible. Research and write down a list of people you want to learn from and find ways to connect with them. I have used several platforms, including social media to connect and create a network. Some of the advisers for Oja for instance, I sent them a LinkedIn message, explained what I’m building and said I think you can play such a big role in this; I would love to have you involved. They responded and got involved.
What are some of the challenges you have faced on your entrepreneurship journey and how do you balance this with your day-to-day life?
There have been difficulties at different stages in my career, but at every point it’s important to have some form of support. It's one of the things that I always try to search for. The most difficult thing is not having a community or network. That’s why I built WCAN, to make it easier for myself and others. Other challenges have been more inwards; you must be comfortable with your trajectory, be self-aware and learn as much as you can about yourself, and I think this can be a difficult process sometimes. Equally, it’s important to create opportunities that allow you to grow and and don’t be afraid to evolve. I often use this process to recognise my strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how to improve on my strengths and mitigate the results of my weaknesses. I don’t believe in working on your weaknesses, it’s better to work on your strengths and give yourself grace to be good and bad at things. I’ve also struggled with learning to let things go and being of the 80-20% mindset in the way I work. I’m the kind of person who likes to put in 100% or trying to get to that level, but that’s not necessary for you to succeed in life. It’s important to be efficient in the way you work. I always refer to Pareto’s Principle, which says that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the cause. So, you need to be smart enough to focus your energy on that key 20% to get 80% of the results of what you want to get in life. This has allowed me to juggle so many things at a time. It’s not about being perfect, it's about being effective. Sometimes as Black women we get into a cycle where we think everything needs to be perfect, but it just needs to be efficient and done. We need to stop being so hard on ourselves and work as smart as we can. Someone told me you can either have fear or faith and they are both things you can’t see. So, you need to believe in something whether this is a higher power or something else, and always choose faith over fear because in the end it’s always the same outcome, but the difference is your experience. I would advise anyone to choose to have faith that something is going to work out versus being afraid that it won’t.
Tech and innovation are the game-changers we need
What gap did you recognise in the market for an online grocery shopping app that motivated you to create Oja and what role has tech played?
Oja, which means marketplace in Yoruba, was born after I struggled to find certain cultural foods while working long hours as an investment banker. I’m British-born but my parents immigrated from Nigeria. When you are a first-generation or second-generation immigrant, food is the closest thing you have to your culture and home. My frustration was an enlightening moment for me and enabled me to find a solution. It made me think about how to extract true value to benefit these incredibly loyal but historically underserved communities, especially on digital platforms, who are very passionate and have an emotional connection to their culture through food. The app is a digital supermarket and one-stop-shops for cultural groceries and ethnic foods. It’s like an Ocado for cultural food and sells thousands of products from green plantain to ata rodo from several countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Currently Oja is focussing on food from Afro-Caribbean cultures, and we’ll see how many other cultures spur from that.
What is your view on technology being a great equaliser for women and how can Black women maximise the digital revolution to build successful businesses, careers, and get what they want?
I think tech is a leveller, it levels the playing field a little bit in a world of privilege. Oja would be difficult to do without tech enabling it. Our mission to transform the way people access cultural foods would be hard to accomplish in a scalable way if there wasn’t a tech solution. While it helps us serve the underserved, it’s important to think about the impact tech can make. There is a lot of scope for people who come from STEM backgrounds to make a huge impact today, and women especially can create solutions. They certainly have ideas and the ability to manage different pots, you must learn to believe in your ideas and trust in yourself and go the distance.
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At present, you are fundraising for Oja. What approach have you taken and how has this served your business, and what is your advice to women looking to fundraise?
We are currently raising a seed round from venture capitalists and angel investors for Oja to launch our service fully after the pilot. Fundraising can be stressful, especially if you have never done it before. It’s important to remember that you are the opportunity, I cannot stress this enough. You really need to believe in yourself before you can convince others to do so. Be confident, know your worth and what you are offering and never forget that you are doing them a favour. You will also need allies, a sponsor, mentor, or someone who will vouch for you and mention your name in rooms you’re not in. I would advise anyone looking to fundraise to do their due diligence and know exactly what they need, how much they need and from whom they need it. Know your business and the different ways to raise funds, for instance fundraising for WCAN is different to Oja.
What is next for you, WCAN and Oja?
In terms of myself I want to continue to unlock value in these markets where people are being underestimated and underserved and continue to do that across the board in any way, shape, or form from business to business. I’m less hands-on with WCAN, but I have a team that runs it, and I will continue to support the development of professional Black women across every industry. With Oja, it’s about becoming the go-to place for cultural communities to shop for what they are passionate about. In the same sense that we want to alleviate the cultural shock from several different communities, and I think that starts with food, but the limits are endless. That’s my vision for Oja, I see us being global and becoming a multicultural community.
