My moments at Women In Entertainment Wealth Management series

Uffuoma McDermott sent me an invite to attend the Women in Entertainment Wealth Management Series by First Bank. The moment I got the invite, I was lost in thought as to what the event would be about but on seeing the banner; I started putting the pieces together. I saw faces I respected on the banner, faces of the Chairman of First Bank, Ibukun Awosika and the veteran actress Joke Silva. I was not going to miss the event for anything.

 Fast forward to the day, I went with an open heart. Believe me when I say it was worth every bit of my time. It was not about any of the things I had thought it would be. Rather, it was an event, or should I say a conference, put together to impact and educate entertainers. As I write this, I applaud the fact that they organised the event free of charge for the attendees. Though free, it had the very taste of excellence and professionalism. People rarely do things for free for entertainers as it almost always has to be a business deal but this was totally different.

 I cannot tell you how much I was impacted. It was an eye opener. I discovered that there are many things we take for granted that if we were to pay a little more attention to, would make a huge difference in our lives and make us better people.

 All the speakers were amazing. They shared true stories and even went as far as telling us about their personal experiences just so we could see why we must learn to manage our wealth. I especially loved Ibukun Awoshika and Aderemi Banjoko’s sessions.

 I will be generous enough to share some of the lessons I learnt with you.

• It is not about making money. It is about learning to keep some. Learn to save money.

• Do not ever scatter your sand until you have moulded your blocks. When you have moulded your blocks, the sand will be available. In other words, learn to invest in what really matters first.

• Starve your ‘wants’ if you have your ‘needs’.

• Just because money is available does not mean it is spendable.

• Stop spending money like it is going out of fashion.

 *There is no job/money for life, so do something wise with your money now.

• Stop hanging out with the wrong crowd.

• Life is moving fast. The relevance of our decisions are important.

• It is not everything you want to do that you can afford to do.

• Learn not to spend all your cash. If your lifestyle is above your means, cut down on your lifestyle.

• Live within your means.

 I would stop here. The Q&A session was the icing on the cake for me.  The panelists gave real and sincere answers. When the event ended I said to myself, “Juliana, you are going to defy the expectations and odds of your industry. You will be you and you will do you and enjoy every bit of it regardless of the public’s expectations because you are first Juliana before “celebrity”.

Juliana Olayode

Actress, Author, Brand Ambassador