Powerful Woman of Purpose. Deborah Sawyerr

beautyandpurpose
Apr 19, 2018
6 min read

This week we want to introduce you to Deborah Sawyerr, Money Literacy Educator for Kids. She also helps women who have experienced domestic abuse due to money challenges to create wealth in simple ways. She is the beauty and brains behind the brand and business best known as Sawyerrs' House. She lives by the quote, "take the bull by its horn". She loves this quote because it says so much about how far she has travelled in her journey to success.

What’s your definition of purpose and how did find out yours?

My definition of purpose is that which the Almighty has ordained for me and that which I have agreed to follow. I found my purpose, like many people do, through my personal experiences of domestic violence caused by major financial problems coupled with my work experiences. Having being in a marriage where most of our arguments and fights were about frivolous spending, I was able to come through the other side. I had this burning feeling that I had to do something to change the status quo. The status quo not just for women, but more importantly, young children who would one day become adults and potentially face financial struggles. I believe that if as a couple, who had had some level of financial education from a young age, our marriage would have lasted the test of time. In addition, I worked within the U.K public housing sector for 19 years, supporting low income and vulnerable families some of who were in financial difficulties, despite all the financial assistance they received through benefits, rebates and concessions. I knew that others deserved to have a better chance in their relationships than I had.

You started Sawyers House for Women , what was the inspiration behind this vision?

Thanks for asking this specific question. The inspiration behind my vision was first, my resilience to the abuse and determination to have a better life for myself and my 2 young daughters. Second, as a woman from an African background, I knew that there are many women suffering in silence because of the so-called taboo surrounding speaking openly about the dangers of domestic abuse and the notion that God hates divorce. The vision goes even further to African market women who I know are great entrepreneurs, but lack simple financial literacy skills to enable their businesses thrive. As mentioned earlier and in relationship to my work experiences, despite managing a revenue of approximately £1 million, many families faced unfortunate situations like losing their homes due to mismanagement of their finances. It was heartbreaking.

You are very passionate about educating women and kids about financial literacy, what are some fundamental keys every woman should have regarding finances and how can they transfer those skills to their children to make an impact for the new generation and building wealth?

Some of the fundamental keys every woman(regardless of whether you have experienced abuse or not) is to have something of your own. Never rely on another person(whether that be your spouse or family inheritance) for your sustenance. As women, we MUST - and I emphasise MUST, because we owe it ourselves to get into the habit of thinking about those rainy days. We must store away as the Bible teaches us. This begins with having a source of income to budgeting and then saving. More importantly, is the getting into the habit of investing fearlessly and bravely. We must discard this fear of taking risk. The only risk is not taking a risk in the first instance. As women, if we can get into these habits at a young age, not only does it give us plenty of time to build wealth for ourselves and our families, we can naturally and easily teach our children what we practice. This then becomes a tradition that can be passed down from generation to generation. Subsequently, we can begin to create generational wealth.

Your book Money, the root curse of domestic violence, states saving money can save your life, hence supporting more than one stream of income. What advise can you give to aspiring women entrepreneurs in saving for or finding start up funds to start a business that will help them to have to be able to have more choices especially around safety?

Yes, I mentioned in Phase Two of my book that saving saved my life. Again, I must stress the importance of starting anything we wish to be great at from a young age. This doesn't mean that if we don't start early, that it is too late. NO, NO, NO. Anyway, in answer to your question, aspiring women entrepreneurs must start early. If a woman aspires to own her own business, she must first get their personal finances in order. If your personal finances are in shambles, there is no way such a woman will be able to manage and maintain their business finances. It's a brutal fact. Coupled with this, an aspiring woman entrepreneur who has stored away sufficient money to live on can quite easily invest some of that money into her business - without the need to borrow money from the bank. It will at least go a long way in helping with the initial start-up costs. One other area that is equally important is living way below ones means in order to be able to inject more resources in ones business. I cannot help but speak about the necessity of any aspiring entrepreneur working with a great leader, coach or mentor. Seeking out and surrounding oneself with the right people who help a woman reach the next level is super important. For example, I knew early on in my business that I wanted to become an author. Therefore, I hung out with other established authors and it was from there that I found a great coach and mentor. By the same token, an aspiring woman entrepreneur can seek out a coach or mentor who is knowledgeable in sourcing funds. Without a shadow of doubt and from my personal experiences, being savvy was definitely an enabler in NOT making me come up with excuses as to whether I should remain or leave the toxic relationship I found myself in.

Here at Beauty and Purpose we believe in inspiring women to shine in their beauty while walking in their purpose. What's your definition of beauty and how do you celebrate your individual beauty?

My definition of beauty is what lives within me and permeates outwards. It's not about how pointed my nose is, or how smooth my skin is - all of that is great, but isn't the essence of real beauty. Beauty as they say is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Beauty is when I cook up an idea in my kitchen that helps change the world. Beauty is creativity at its best. I celebrate my definition of beauty in 2 ways. By giving thanks to my maker. It is He who has given me the beauty and I am always grateful for that. The other way I celebrate my beauty is openly showing my appreciation to those who support me in public and in private. My prayer everyday is to remain grounded and humbled. To never let any amount of success get to my head. To never allow pride that goeth before a fall get the best of me.

Women carry many responsibilities and we believe everyone should have a self-care plan. Tell us about afroexercise, how can more women can join your movement, and dance stress away?

Haha, my Afroxercise is another idea I cooked up in my kitchen - lol. You are right, self-care is essential for any woman regardless of whether you are busy or not. The idea behind Afroxercise is another way of teaching money literacy. How? Many of us have been guilty of wanting to keep fit by paying huge sums of gym membership fees that we rarely stick to. I don't enjoy going to the gym - it's just not my thing. Many people enjoy dancing, or at least watching someone else dance. Every now and again, I will drop a few money literacy nuggets in between my Afroxercise sessions. One has to be creative in getting the message of money literacy out there. More women can join Afroxercise by keeping in touch with me on Instagram as that's where I kick off the sessions. They can also keep in touch with me on Facebook as I do a taster session of a few minutes on there. A few minutes of getting our heart rate up every week is all that's needed. Ultimately, I say this, do what works for you - but find a form of self-care that fits in with your lifestyle. There is no harm in trying different self-care practices until you find that one thing that you can't live without. My daughters know that whenever we go out shopping and there's music, you best believe that I'm dancing away. My girls always smile in embarrassment but I will get that heart rate by hook or by crook.

You can find her on Facebook