Essential Wisdom for Working Women, with Otegha Uwagbav


“I think I’ve just always been interested in feminism, and was always really career driven, so this felt like a really natural marriage of the two”

My guest this week is someone I’ve considered a role model in business and branding since I first discovered her work via her book for working women, The Little Black Book. Otegha Uwagba is a bestselling writer, brand consultant and podcaster, and founder of Women Who, a community for creative working women. I called her up to find out how her business began, how she developed her admirable confidence and self-possession, and much much more.

Otegha’s Twitter | Instagram | Podcast | Book | Newsletter | Women Who

Things we talk about in this episode:

  • Why Otegha left her career in advertising for freelance life
  • Starting a business by following interests and opportunities, instead of by intent
  • When your personal brand is your real self, and how this can help weed out inappropriate clients
  • Not worrying about being liked by everyone – and not putting everyone else’s needs above your own
  • Reclaiming words like ‘marketing’ and ‘entrepreneur’, and the different ways to build a business that balance personal and commercial imperatives.
  • The changing metrics of businesses, and the things small business owners are nailing over bigger businesses.
  • How small businesses and entrepreneurs benefit from being more nimble and agile – an essential skill for the digital world.
  • How Otegha self-published her first book as a special project, through a Squarespace website, promoting it entirely by herself.
  • How the book got picked up by a publisher, and the transition from self-published to being represented by a bigger publishing house.
  • Otegha’s upcoming book, a money memoir, and what we all need to talk about money.
  • Why we’re all scared of talking about money, and the shame, guilt and baggage we all secretly carry.

Links mentioned in this episode: