SORAYA COFIE: AFRICA’S FINEST CELEBRITY MONTESSORIAN SHARES HER SECRETS TO EXCELLENCE

Soraya Cofie

A visionary is a big dreamer who dares to see the big picture far beyond what may be, before many will. The visionary as an entrepreneur does not venture into business, believing it will fail. We do not initially even see the limitations because we are usually self-starters with oodles of enthusiasm and passion, with either a call to serve or to respond to or fill a need!  – Soraya Cofie

A few weeks ago, our founder interviewed Soraya Cofie; a kindred spirit – trailblazer and icon in children’s development, early learning and mindfulness.

She considers herself a luxury lifestyle entrepreneur. A budding lifestyle pursuant, but definitely an entrepreneur by all standards.  Soraya has been an education entrepreneur for the past 15 years, with 12 of those years structured on Montessori and early years education.

At 23 years, Soraya singlehandedly founded MCG (Montessori Center Ghana) and effortlessly carved a niche for this professional development college through her acute sense for excellence, perfectionism, and organisation. Our Muse is the 2022 International Montessori Award Winner!

This interview with Soraya has birthed a narrative that can become a powerful toolkit for mindful leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs.

Dear Reader, we hope you unearth the gems in this piece, enjoy!

 

Building Courage and Supporting Personal Development

During Covid- 19, Soraya’s labour of love and educational centre took a huge hit, affecting a couple of  years worth of investment. Soraya had been faced with challenges such as financing the purchase of Montessori materials, finding a venue for training, the lack of nurseries in the country to observe and undertake Montessori teaching practice etc. Her financial constraints at the time could not afford her the initial capital of setting up a nursery. Just when she had started buddding and blooming by recreating the early childhood scene in Ghana( that has inspired and upskilled many to start Montessori nurseries, and many have started teaching careers in Montessori), the pandemic started. The celebrity montessorian was confronted with a test of faith/fitness, would she break, lose sight of the vision or surrender to failure? The odds were many and the challenges increasingly tough, as she found ways to navigate through keeping a team, despite earning nothing, the mindful leader in her shone to innovating during trying times to build online learning platform.

 

Lesson #1 – Asset Management

Do you value your team, do you show them appreciation? Your greatest asset as a visionary/ business owner according to Soraya, is your people – find time in cultivating a resilient team. Identify people who are committed to your vision. Embrace this truth: in employing people you are committing to not just one person but a tribe of people who are all connected to this one source.

What’s most important, is a loyal group of people who can share in your vision, who can believe in your mission.

When employing people, follow criteria, due diligence and processes but never ever leave INTUITION behind. If you are female employer, embrace your added advantage as you can delve into feminine power which picks up energy from a mile away and improves dynamism.

Starting from the job interview, if there is interest and abilities present, they will show up in the candidate. If you are a mindful entrepreneur, you will feel a connection. Chances are they might not have all the requisite skills immediately. But you can tell that with a bit of time and patience, the right people will have potential that’s waiting to be matched.

Let’s not teach our children prejudice and gender expectation, even if that was what was taught to us. Let’s not teach them they have to fit into a color code created by fashion and big business.Let’s give them a chance to become complete, good and competent beings in themselves. Then they at least stand a chance of being able to walk side by side with a life partner one day, if that’s what they want. An adult who knows who they are, who knows they are capable and competent with or without a partner, is the most attractive person out there. Don’t you want that for your child? – Soraya Cofie

Lesson #2 The Female Charm and Its Effect on Creative Businesses

Over the years, multiple streams of research have yielded outcomes that point to data that show women been more productive than men. Sadly, this is yet to translate to income or opportunities for many women across the globe

However, Soraya is a firm believer in women and their capabilities and this influences her recruitment processes. She does not take the female charm lightly and believes that women are born nurturers.

Besides, in the fields of her work which mainly involves families and children – both male and female clients often prefer dealing with a woman in caregiving and teaching roles. Employing mainly females, had not always been intentional but organically due to how passionate they had been about the industry and the way they took their roles to heart.

Female qualities aside, Soraya believes that in building great teams – we must look at people for who they are, what they are capable of and the values that they bring to the table.

If you have a skill and got some knowledge, you need to pass it on or find ways to keep growing and honing those skills. Be so good, that you forget the competition! Legacy can be built by our interconnectedness, forming a web of sustainability and continuity.

Lesson #3   Forming the connection between Disruption and Entrepreneurship

Some may call it coincidence, others may call it luck – Soraya’s story shows us that for most great ideas, they hit rock bottom, fall flat to provoke a disruption that once survived like a butterfly yields great many beautiful outcomes. Montessori Center Ghana, forms a perfect example, during Covid-19, in person trainings and seminars were abruptly halted to birth a growing and evolving online platform that has far more reach, impact and influence.

Imagine, what could have been the fate of many people who got to know about Montessori Center Ghana, if Soraya had accepted the defeat of not being operational during the pandemic?

Soraya’s installed habits, routine and most importantly positive lifestyle was the bedrock of support in channeling the pain of possibly of losing her business into the gain of another viable service/ product – her online platform. Are you grounded in routines that promote resilience and courage? Do you have mentors and circles of trusted people who you run to for advice and growth techniques?

 

Access Soraya’s wealth of resources and learning opportunities here :https://sorayacofie.com/

To book Soraya for speaking engagements contact via email: hello@sorayacofie.com

Written by: arianadiaries

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