IWB Immigrant Women in Business

As a founding member of IWB, I combine 15+ years in finance with $2M+ raised to guide high-achieving professionals and immigrants in building scalable, fundable, and freedom-driven businesses.

Founding Member

The Money Mint

My focus is on providing comprehensive financial solutions to individuals and businesses. 

With over 15 years of industry experience, I leverage funding strategies and structure deals to help you achieve your financial goals and secure the best options available. 

At The Money Mint, our mission is to support individuals and businesses through various financial services. These include mortgages, small business loans, commercial real estate financing, equipment purchase loans, working capital loans, invoice financing, and more. 

A team of former banking executives, realtors, and investment specialists collaborate to deliver tailored financial advice and support. This ensures clients navigate the complexities of securing funding with ease, helping Canadians obtain the necessary funding for growth, stability, and building wealth.

Financial Strategist

Owndra Digital

You’ve spent your best years building someone else’s dream.

It’s time to OWN yours.

Owndra is a movement helping high-achieving women turn their expertise into digital income so they can live on their OWN terms.

I believe wealth, independence, and impact are possible for every woman. That’s why I help them Pivot. Profit. Thrive.

Through The OWN Accelerator™, I guide ambitious professionals to launch scalable offers, grow visibility, and create freedom beyond their 9-5.

What you’ll get inside the 90-Day Roadmap:

A proven system to turn your expertise into a digital income stream

Strategic support to launch or scale with clarity and confidence

Accountability from someone who’s built, pivoted, and helped others do the same

This is for women ready to take ownership of their careers, their voice, and their income.

My clients have pivoted careers, launched $20K+ businesses, and tripled their income because they stopped waiting for permission and started OWNING their next chapter.

If this sounds like you, here’s what to do next:

📍 Book a free discovery call in the Featured section.

I’ll see you on the inside.

Founder & Head Business Coach

SHALOM MICROFINANCE BANK LIMITED

As the pioneer CEO of the bank, I spearheaded the overall Strategy formulation, Operations management, Risk Management, Talent Management, Product Design Management, and Business Development Initiatives.

Key Highlights:

- Achieved an exponential growth of the loan portfolio by over 80% MoM within 6 months of the banks inception demonstrating robust business scalability and market penetration.

- Successfully launched new revenue streams through focusing on micro lending and loans to small and medium businesses. This led to astounding growth of the micro loan portfolio by over 800% MoM within 3 months.

- Innovatively established interactive, Tech and Service-Led channels, resulting in a significant 60% reduction in complaints and improved Turnaround Time (TAT) for credit disbursement.

- Implement robust risk controls, keeping special accounts within regulatory thresholds, and ensuring collections above 90% MoM.

- Strengthened investor confidence and stakeholder trust through successful recapitalization of the organization in line with regulatory guidelines in 2022 increasing the bank’s assets by 76%.

-Mentor and empower an exceptional team of professionals and peers, catalyzing their individual journeys towards entrepreneurial success within the financial services industry..

Co-Founder

Zenith Bank Plc

-Managed the USAID/Nigeria $10m loan portfolio guarantee to provide long-term mortgages for qualifying individuals based on risk acceptance criteria. Achieved disbursement of over 80%.

Head, Product Team - Corporate/Commercial Banking Group

REAL ESTATE 
PROJECT NAME:7B Alexander Avenue, Ikoyi.- 20 apartments located in the prime real estate area of Ikoyi, Lagos.
- Project Cost: USD $20,000,000 I Project Duration: 18 months I Architects: Great Earth Architects, Beijing China I Contractor: Shenyang The North Construction Group - Shenyang, China

-Provided comprehensive project details and rationale to key stakeholders.
-Spearheaded the management of the development and portfolio marketing plan in coordination with sales and marketing leadership, ensuring cohesive execution and maximum market impact.
-Achieved a measurable increase in sales revenue by 80% within the first six months of implementing pricing strategies and targeted marketing campaigns.

PROJECT NAME: Twin Towers - 6/8 Ozumba Mbadiwe, Lagos I DESCRIPTION: Two 15-storey towers with state-of-the-art facilities
-Conducted project appraisals resulting in a 25% increase in projected ROI.
-Managed funds disbursement with a 95% accuracy rate for project milestones, optimizing resource allocation and minimizing financial discrepancies.
-Successfully delivered the project within budget and ahead of schedule, exceeding client expectations and earning commendation for exceptional project management.

CONSUMER CREDIT 
-Collaborated in loan underwriting and pre-qualification for customers and businesses
-Appraised all request to the disbursement team and prepared files for final disbursement
-Appraised credit request in line with the banks risk acceptance criteria 
-Grew the banks portfolio by over 80% in loan assets.

Program Manager- Real Estate Development, Mortgages, Consumer Lending Credit Group

Business Funding Strategist I I help Entrepreneurs secure funding for business purchase/expansion | Co-Founder in Financial Services | 100+ successful clients | “DM me”

In 2016, I took a bold leap.

I pitched a vision, raised over $2 million in funding, and built a microfinance bank from scratch, one that has helped over 500 entrepreneurs access the capital, clarity, and structure needed to grow.

But even before that, I spent nearly a decade in corporate finance watching brilliant professionals stay stuck in systems that limited their income, creativity, and power.

I knew there had to be another way.

Today, I coach high-achieving women ready to make that same leap from employee to empowered founder.

These are women who already have extensive professional experience.

What they need is a roadmap to monetize their expertise, show up with confidence online, and build digital income streams, without quitting their 9-5.

Clients I work with have:
* Launched their first digital offer in under 6 weeks
* Landed $3K+ clients from LinkedIn without ads or funnels
* Rebuilt confidence after years of playing small in the corporate world
* Transitioned from finance roles to owning purpose-driven businesses

My coaching helps you:
* Turn your professional expertise into a scalable offer
* Build visibility on LinkedIn and grow your audience
* Create sustainable income without burnout
* Transition from career to on your terms

You don’t need another degree.

You need a system, a strategy, and someone who’s walked the path.

Let’s build your OWN platform.

DM me “OWN” to start your transition from employee to empowered founder.

Erhi Ojoboh MBA, PMP®, SAFe®

People think confidence means being fearless.
It doesn’t.

Confidence is saying,
“I’m terrified… but I’ll still go.”

For years, I tried to fix my fear before starting.

But fear doesn’t go away.
It just learns to sit quietly.

These days, I treat it like a passenger. It can ride along.

But it doesn’t get to touch the wheel.

Every time I move anyway,
fear shrinks and trust grows.
That’s the real bet.

Not that it’ll be easy.
Not that you won’t stumble.

But that you’ll keep driving even with trembling hands

because deep down, you finally trust the driver. 

And that’s where confidence begins.

♻️ Repost this for everyone who’s scared, but moving anyway.

Erhi Ojoboh MBA, PMP®

I help high-achieving women turn their expertise into high-ticket digital businesses they OWN | $2M+ raised in Series A | Financial Services Co-Founder | Speaker | DM “OWN”

This week humbled me.
Can I be real with you for a second?

I had a moment on Wednesday where I stared at my laptop and thought, “Am I even cut out for this?”

You know those weeks where nothing goes viral…

your inbox is quieter than usual…

and that voice in your head whispers, “Maybe you should just go back”?

Yeah. That was me.

But then yesterday, something shifted.

A woman I’ve never met sent me a DM:

“I’ve been following you for 3 months. I finally left my toxic job. Your posts gave me the courage. Thank you.”

And just like that… I remembered why I do this.

Not for the algorithm.
Not for the vanity metrics.
Not even for the money (though let’s be honest, that part is nice 😂).

I do this because someone out there is watching…

waiting for permission to believe in themselves.

And if my messy, imperfect journey can be that permission slip…

Then every quiet week, every doubt, every “failure” is worth it.

📌 Here’s What I Want You to Remember This Weekend:

Your impact is bigger than you think.

The post you almost didn’t publish?
Someone screenshotted it.

The story you thought was “too vulnerable”? Someone saw themselves in it and finally felt less alone.

The advice you think is “too obvious”? It’s exactly what someone needed to hear today.

You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re planting seeds you can’t see yet.

So this weekend, I need you to do something for me:

Stop comparing your Chapter 3 to someone else’s Chapter 20.

Stop shrinking your voice because it doesn’t sound perfect.

Your story matters.
Your expertise matters.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS.

(And if no one told you this week, I’m proud of you. For showing up. For trying. For not giving up.)

Now go rest. You’ve earned it🙌🏾

Have an amazing weekend ❤️

What’s one thing you’re proud of this week: big or small?

♻️ Repost for someone who needs to hear they’re doing better than they think.

No alternative text description for this image

The “good girl” conditioning that made you likable is the same conditioning that’s keeping you poor.

Here are 7 ways we’ve been wired to play small (and why it’s costing you everything):

1.	“Be nice; don’t make waves.”
↳ Reality: Nice gets you overlooked, not promoted.
↳ Directness gets you respect.

2.	“Don’t be too ambitious; it’s not attractive.”
↳ Reality: Your ambition isn’t something to apologize for.
↳ It’s your competitive advantage.

3.	“Wait your turn; good things come to those who wait.”
↳ Reality: While you’re waiting, someone less qualified is asking.
↳ Permission is a trap. Take the seat.

4.	“Don’t talk about money; it’s impolite.”
↳ Reality: Silence about salary keeps the pay gap alive.
↳ Negotiation is how you close it.

5.	“Downplay your achievements; let the work speak.”
↳ Reality: Your work is silent. You need to be more visible.
↳ Advocacy isn’t arrogance, it’s strategy💯.

6.	“Be the helper; support everyone else first.”
↳ Reality: Endless supporting roles don’t lead to the spotlight.
↳ Supporting yourself isn’t selfish, it’s survival.

7.	“Fit in; don’t be too much.”
↳ Reality: “Too much” is exactly what makes you unforgettable.
↳ Your difference is your super power.

The world taught us to shrink.
To smile more. Apologize faster. Take up less space.

But here’s what I know now:

The boxes we’ve been taught to fit into weren’t designed for our success, they were designed for our compliance.

You weren’t born to be small.
You were born to be seen, heard, and impossible to ignore. 

Stop editing yourself down.
Stop waiting for permission.
Stop making yourself digestible for people who can’t handle your full flavor.

The version of you that’s “too much” for some rooms?

That’s the version that builds empires.

Be bold. 
Be loud. 
Be unapologetically you.

The world doesn’t need another woman playing small.

It needs YOU at full volume.

🔁 Know a woman who needs to read this? Share it with her.

Post inspired by my friend David🙏🏽

She had 9 years of supply chain experience.

An MBA.

Certifications most people can’t pronounce.

And she was Googling “how to start a side hustle” at 11pm on a Tuesday.

When we got on a call, I asked her:
“What do companies pay you $120K/year to do?”

Her answer: “Optimize procurement processes, reduce vendor costs, negotiate contracts…”

Me: “And you don’t think someone would pay you $8K to do that for their company in 6 weeks?”

She laughed. “Who would hire me? I’m not a consultant.”

3 months later, she closed $27K in contracts.

Same skills. Same expertise.
Different packaging.

Here’s the truth most corporate professionals miss:

You don’t need a new skill set to build a consulting business.

You need to stop thinking like an employee.

Employees trade time for money and wait for approval.

Consultants trade expertise for premium fees and create their own opportunities.

The companies hiring you already paying consultants.

Just not you. Yet.

Because you’re still showing up as the person who does great work.

Not the expert who solves $100K problems.

I’ve worked with clients who thought they needed:
❌ A bigger platform
❌ A perfect website
❌ More credentials

What they actually needed:
✅ Clarity on their high-value offer
✅ Confidence to name their price
✅ A simple system to find their first clients

If you’ve been the smartest person in the room but you’re still waiting for someone to notice…

It’s not an expertise problem.

It’s a positioning problem. 

♻️ Share this with a high-performer who’s been undervalued too long.

📩 DM me “OWN” if you’re ready to turn corporate skills into a consulting offer people actually pay for.

Most people don’t pivot because they’re stuck.

They stay stuck because they never pivot.

For years, I checked all the boxes:

📌 Pharmacy degree  
📌 Successful finance career  
📌 Stability, structure, status

But something still felt off.

Not because I wasn’t good at it…

But because I knew I was made for more.

The hardest part of a pivot isn’t starting over.

It’s unlearning the life you built on autopilot.

Here’s what I realized after pivoting three times:

1. Success can be a stronger trap than failure.

It’s easy to leave what’s not working. Harder to walk away from what is.

2. People will praise the version of you that serves them most.

Not necessarily the one that’s most true to you.

3. You don’t find your purpose. You choose it.

Then build the courage to pursue it before it makes sense.

4. Every pivot is a vote for your future.

And you never run out of chances to choose again.

5. The longer you wait, the louder the fear gets.

But momentum quiets doubt. Start.

You’re more ready than you feel.

You don’t owe the world a version of yourself that’s well-packaged but deeply unfulfilled.

If something’s stirring in you, trust it.

Your pivot might look messy.

It might not make sense to others.

But it could be the most powerful thing you ever do.

You weren’t just made to fit in a system.

You were made to design a life you’re wildly proud of.

What’s one pivot you know you need to make but haven’t yet?

♻️ Repost for someone who’s been waiting for a sign. This is it.🔥

They say “believe in yourself.”
But nobody talks about what to do when your mind won’t listen.

Because the real truth is this:

Self-doubt doesn’t show up when you’re weak.

It shows up when you’re growing.

It shows up when you’re stepping into rooms your past wasn’t prepared for.

It shows up when the future version of you is louder than the familiar version you’re trying to outgrow.

And the more you rise, the more that old voice tries to pull you back.

Not because you’re unqualified…
but because you’re becoming someone your old identity doesn’t recognize.

This weekend, I noticed something:

Every time I felt doubt creeping in, it wasn’t a sign to stop.

It was a sign that I had stepped into a bigger version of myself.

A version that required new courage, new language, new confidence.

So I shifted my perspective:
Self-doubt isn’t the enemy.
Self-doubt is evidence.
Evidence that you are moving.
Evidence that you are expanding.
Evidence that you are standing in unfamiliar territory, because you have outgrown the old one.

If you feel doubt, it means you’re already becoming the person you used to pray to be.

Don’t stop now.

♻️ Repost to remind someone: Doubt isn’t a setback, it’s a signal that growth is happening.

I quit a job I loved because of something my boss never said out loud:

“I don’t trust you.”

They hired me for my experience, my ideas, my leadership.

Then second-guessed every decision, rewrote my work, and showed up to meetings I was running.

So I stopped trying to lead.

Not because I couldn’t.

Because I knew whatever I built would be undone.

And my team saw it all.

They stopped giving their best too. 

They knew there was no point.

Eventually, they started leaving.

That’s when I learned the hardest lesson about leadership:

Control is not leadership.

Trust is.

Being a good boss means hiring talented people and getting out of their way.

If you’re building a team, start with trust.

It’s not just the foundation for great culture.

It’s how you keep your best people.

What’s your experience? Have you worked for a leader who trusted you, or one who didn’t?

♻️ Repost if this resonated
🔔 Follow Erhi Ojoboh MBA, PMP®  
for insights on leadership

I watched my friend spiral for six months over a deal that fell through.

“I had it. It was mine. They took it away.”

But it was never hers.

Because until the contract is signed, the money is wired, and the work begins, it’s just a possibility.

Not a promise.

The truth?

Whether you’re building a business or searching for your next role:

You’re going to lose things you thought were guaranteed.

The client who “verbally committed” but never returned your email.

The final-round interview that felt perfect, until they went with an internal candidate.

The partnership that seemed like destiny until they ghosted.

The job offer that was “almost yours” before the hiring freeze hit.

And you’ll grieve it like a breakup. That’s real. Feel it.

But here’s the shift that changes everything:

Don’t let what never materialized steal what’s still possible.

Because while you’re stuck replaying the “almost,” someone else is already on the next train.

The fastest way to stay stuck is obsessing over the one that got away.

The fastest way to win is showing up for the one that’s coming.

Let go of the “almost.” 

Your real opportunity is already on its way.

♻️ Repost for someone still waiting on the platform.

My client texted me yesterday:

I only signed one client last month. I feel like I’m failing.

One client = $11,000.

She made more in 30 days than most people make in two months at a job.

And she felt like she was failing.

I sat with that for a minute.

Because I’ve been there too.

You know why she felt that way?

Because she was measuring her beginning against someone else’s middle.

Scrolling LinkedIn seeing people post about their “best month ever.”

Watching consultants who are “fully booked.”

Comparing her ONE to someone else’s MANY.

And completely missing the miracle of what she’d actually done.

So here’s what I told her (and what I need you to hear):

Stop measuring your wins by someone else’s highlight reel.

That person posting about their 7-figure launch? You didn’t see the 3 years of silence before that.

The consultant booked out for months? They started with one client too.

Your progress is real even if it’s not viral.

Your growth counts even if no one’s applauding.

Your one client, your first sale, your quiet consistency, that’s not “just” anything.

That’s the foundation everything else is built on.

📌 Acknowledge what you HAVE accomplished.

Not what you didn’t.

Not what someone else did.

What YOU did.

Because I guarantee it’s more than you’re giving yourself credit for.

You’re not behind.

You’re building.

And that’s enough.

What’s one win from this week, big or small, that you’re claiming right now?

♻️ Repost for someone who’s been too hard on themselves lately.

I once worked with someone who was short-tempered, blunt, and always “too busy.”

At first, I labeled her: difficult.

But one day, I found out she was quietly caring for a special needs child.

Suddenly, her sharpness looked less like rudeness…and more like exhaustion in disguise.

Here’s the thing:

Most people don’t announce the invisible battles they’re fighting.

They just show up:
→ Tired
→ Distracted
→ Irritable

And hope no one notices.

That’s why kindness is not optional.

It’s not a “nice-to-have.”

It’s leadership.

It’s oxygen for humans who are quietly running out of air.

When in doubt, assume the person in front of you is carrying something heavy.

Because 9 times out of 10… they are.

Kindness doesn’t show up in dashboards.

It won’t win you awards.

But years from now, they won’t remember your title.

They’ll remember how you made them feel when they were at their lowest.

Let kindness be your legacy.

♻️ Repost if you believe kindness is most powerful leadership skill there is.

Image credit: Veronique Barrot

Vivian Meraki

Parenting Expert, Award-winning Human Connection Speaker, Bestselling Author

Unshakable Parenting

Founder

PurposeMed

Director of Brand

Head of Content and Community

Field Trip Health

Director of Growth

PUBLIC Inc.

Director / Sr. Director, Engagement

Director, Digital Strategy + Analytics

Vivian Gagliano Consulting

Consultant, Marketing and Digital Strategy

FlipGive

VP, Measurement Strategy

Syncapse

Acting VP, Strategy and Intelligence

Director, Strategy and Intelligence

Director, Measurement Practice

Critical Mass

Sr. Account Manager / Sr. Project Manager

Account Manager

ATCO I-Tek

Communications Advisor

Supporting professionals through the shadow side of life and finding empowerment in what matters to you through somatic coaching. 💜🙏🏼💫| Somatic Transformational Coach | Mind-body practice | Trauma-informed

IF YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE PROBABLY IN IT.

You’re holding a career, a family, and a hundred moving pieces while doing everything you can to keep it together.

But inside, you're barely hanging on.

You’re exhausted. Anxious. Pushing through.
Wondering how much longer you can show up for everyone else, without losing yourself in the process.

No one prepared you for this part.

Everyone talks about balance, boundaries, and burnout recovery.
But what about the deeper toll?

What about leading and parenting when you’re disconnected from you?

But there’s no roadmap for how to parent and lead when:
✔️ You're still healing from how you were raised
✔️ You worry you’re not giving your kids enough
✔️ You hate how reactive you're becoming
✔️ You’re doing it all, but feel like you’ve lost touch with yourself

What if it didn’t have to be this way?

What if you could feel rooted in who you are: steady, present, and confident, even when life is demanding?

I've lived it.
And now I help parents live it too.

▸▸▸
ABOUT ME:

💜 Certified somatic trauma-informed coach
📖 Bestselling author
🎤 Award-winning human connection speaker
👩‍👧‍👦 Mom of two

I'm Vivian Meraki. I help high-performing parents reconnect with their nervous system, rebuild self-trust, and parent from a place of unshakable authenticity. Whether you're moving through daily pressure or a major life transition like divorce, I help you anchor back into who you've always been and who you're becoming.

Before this work, I led global teams in marketing, tech, and public health. On paper, I had it all. Inside, I was unraveling.

My healing didn’t begin in a strategy session. It began in the stillness. After grief. After burnout. After divorce. I realized I didn’t want to perform my life anymore. I wanted to live it with presence and purpose.

Now I help others do the same.

▸▸▸
CLIENTS SAY:
✨ “Working with Vivian didn’t just change my life, but the lives of my children. My kids’ kids will be better adults because of the work I did with her.” ~V.M.
✨ “After divorce and work upheaval, I felt lost. Vivian helped me breathe again, reconnect with myself, and build real emotional resilience.” ~A.C.

▸▸▸
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
💜 1:1 Personal Coaching
💜 Keynotes & workshops on self-trust, emotional labor & leadership
💜 My book: Parenting Through Divorce

You don’t have to break to make a change. DM me. I’m here to help.

Let’s change the legacy, starting with you.

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Erhi Ojoboh MBA, PMP®, SAFe®

✨ Vivian Meraki

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The Battle

Erhi Ojoboh MBA, PMP®, SAFe®

✨ Vivian Meraki

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