lulu kitololo

3 creative paths to a richer life

3 creative paths to a richer life

I remember a conversation I had, way over a decade ago, with a couple of friends who were a few years older than me. They spoke about how 26 was the point at which both of them decided to get free! They left jobs, careers and lives, that fit the expectations of others, to pursue what was in their hearts.

Last week, a member of my team asked me about the biggest risk I’d ever taken. Leaving my job without a solid plan, while living in a foreign country, was definitely one of them. I did that at 26. 

What’s in a number? I got curious and found this:

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Time management for the person you want to be

Time management is an essential life skill that many of us struggle with, at some point in our lives. 

We may possess all the genius and creativity in the world but, without strong time management skills, the freedom, impact and prosperity we desire, will always remain out of reach. Continue reading “Time management for the person you want to be”

Grow your Instagram (and your bottom-line)

In the past 3 months I’ve grown my Instagram following by almost 1,000 people, to over 8,000 followers. 

This audience has been responsible for the majority of the revenue to my business – via various income streams – during this time. 

Thus, to me, these numbers are more than a vanity metric because I appreciate the measurable contribution this growth has made, to my bottom line.

How did I achieve this?

Very intentionally. 

In this post I’m sharing tried and tested approaches you can explore, to grow your Instagram.

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9 good things from a life-changing quarter of a year

The past 3 months have felt like 30 years! A lot has happened and shifted, for all of us, in incredibly significant ways.

The past quarter has undoubtedly been tough for most – in many different ways – and, for some, much much more than others.

If you know me, you’ll know that it’s in my nature to always look for the silver linings. Despite all the grief we’ve witnessed and experienced, I see these past few months as having been a time of clarification like never before. 

We’ve had to confront where we’ve collectively fallen short as a global society. And we’ve had to look at where we, as individuals, need to grow. 

In this post, I’m sharing 9 things that contributed to my personal and professional growth and wellbeing, in the past quarter. My hope is that you may find something useful or inspiring here too.

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Growing your audience made easy

I know growing your audience is something a lot of creative businesses struggle with. As a creative who’s fascinated with marketing, I’ve done lots of experimenting, over the past 10 years, with growing an audience for my own business.

One simple strategy has brought me results, time and time again. In the beginning, I wasn’t really aware it was a strategy! Since then, I’ve honed it and would love to share it with you.

First things first…

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31 income streams for creatives

With all the changes our world is going through, many more people are now appreciating the value of having multiple income streams. 

I know I am. COVID-19 rendered 3 of my income streams non-viable because they all relied on people coming together physically – Afri-love Fest, Afri-love Connection Club and my graphic recording services. 

Luckily for my business, I had a few others that weren’t dependent on human interactions in real life and recently launched another. It has meant I can continue to support myself and my team.

If you’ve been thinking of pivoting or diversifying your income, there’s no time like the present to take action!

In case you’re feeling stuck, here are plenty of ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Continue reading “31 income streams for creatives”

10 biggest takeaways from 10 years of Afri-love

Today, Afri-love is 10 years old. 

What originally began as a blog has come to be so much more. 

I started Afri-love to celebrate African creativity and remind us how much we have to be proud of. I knew I wanted it to one day be more than just a blog but, at the time, I didn’t realise how much it would be a platform for my own self-discovery as an individual, as a creative and as a business owner.

2 weeks ago, I announced Free to Create – my new online membership to help creatives thrive. When I think about it, it’s the perfect culmination of this 10 year journey so far.

I’m reminded of the 10,000 hours theory, popularised by Malcolm Gladwell, contested as it is. I started my creative business, not long after I started this blog. It appears it’s taken me 10,000 hours – 10 years – to experiment, establish and refine my creative voice and align with my purpose.

Part of that purpose is to share everything I learn! In that spirit, I invite you to look back at the journey with me, as I share

The biggest takeaways from the past 10 years.

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Want to monetise your creativity? Do this first

Monetising your creativity is a struggle I understand well! You love to create, you suspect – or even already know – you can serve people with your creativity but, you don’t know how to make it make economic sense.

You dream of making a living from your creativity but, you don’t know where to start

Or perhaps, you’ve already taken the leap. You’re doing creative work and serving people but, the numbers aren’t adding up. You’re making money but it’s not enough to sustain the way you want to live. You’re getting discouraged, you’re working all sorts of crazy hours and perhaps, you’re even losing the love you once had for your craft. 

The mistake I made

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5 things I wish I knew when I started my creative business

This year marks 10 years of running a creative business and it’s been a ride! I have learned SO MUCH, about business and also about myself. 

There have been many amazing moments but, it’s also been tough – especially financially and in terms of not having much time for anything else. This was not the idea – for me, owning a business is an opportunity to build something that can help you achieve time and financial freedom, while serving others.

I’m still on the journey to realising that dream. And I’m still motivated because I’m so much clearer about what I need to do, than I was in the beginning. Back then, I had no clue about the how!

Looking back, there are so many things I could have done differently in these 10 years – that would have brought me better results sooner. I hope that by sharing some of them, I can help you reach your goals faster.  Continue reading “5 things I wish I knew when I started my creative business”