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POSITIVE VIBES: Hayley Mulenda is on a mission to help youth

HAYLEY MULENDA is not your typical entrepreneur. First of all, she is just 19 years of age. But secondly, her main aim is to actually help others achieve their dreams.

She has founded her own motivational speaking platform Inside A Dream, working to inspire positive self-development among young people. Born to Ugandan and Congolese parents, Mulenda was raised in east London.

After a bad experience working at a fast food restaurant at age 16, she left and realised she wanted to become an entrepreneur.

“I started researching into entrepreneurship and became fascinated with the idea of working for yourself, not just because of the income but the flexibility. From a young age I realised that time is the most expensive currency in the world, once you spend time – you can never get it back,” she says.

“Being an entrepreneur doesn’t guarantee you more money, but it does give you more time – that’s what I’m after.”

Founding Inside A Dream at the age of 18, gifted Mulenda created this platform "for the youth and by the youth." When asked about her driving motivation, the entrepreneur responded:

“I’ve always been labelled as the ‘go to’ person among friends for advice.

“I was also confident enough to speak to large groups of young people and received amazing feedback. Inside A Dream trains up young people to become public speakers, and we then go out motivating more young people."

INSPIRATIONAL: Haley Mulenda

Having held events and performed speeches nationally, such as at The House of Commons, in Uganda and in New York City, Mulenda says:

“Having the opportunity to deliver talks internationally has been a blessing,” she says.

“Sometimes I look back on the journey and think this is crazy, because this time last year I didn’t even see myself here – but where there’s a God, there’s a way.”

In the early years of secondary school, Mulenda experienced bullying to the point where she wanted to leave. However, this experience shaped her outlook on life.

“Everything works out in the end and if it doesn’t, it’s not the end,” she says.

“It has just allowed me to keep going. I am a diligent worker. Yes, I face adversities and trials – however, I just push through and I guess my willingness to keep going even when all hell breaks loose has allowed me to reap rewards, success, and recognition for the work I do, which I thank God for.”

Mulenda is also a published author of the book The ABCs to Student Success. The book is available on Amazon and has been featured on London Live and the BBC.

When asked how she felt after having her book published, she responds:

“I’m not sure I can describe the feeling. I guess the one thing I would say is that I felt was relieved, because I felt I poured a lot into that book while writing it, but it was worth it. I received such amazing feedback.

“It’s really humbling knowing my book has inspired oth- er young people to step into success.”

When asked what steps she took in her journey to become an entrepreneur, she replies:

“If I’m being honest, the most important step I’ve had to take is learning to trust God.

“I’ve had a lot of people who told me that I couldn’t do it – I’ve encountered betrayal, illness and all sorts, but because my belief in God was bigger than my trials, I kept pushing on.

“My whole life journey has been down to his grace. Two other steps that helped were research, which allowed me to go into my field with knowledge, and mentorship, which helped me to learn from other people’s mistakes.”

MOTIVATIONAL: Hayley Mulenda

Mulenda says it’s her ‘why’ that encourages her to stay positive.

“Every day I think about why I do what I do and it’s for my family. I’ve seen them sacrifice so much just so I can succeed, so the least I can do for them is to actually succeed,” she says.

“What also keeps me motivated is the thousands of young people who are battling personal issues and need someone to speak life into them. One person once told me, ‘Hayley, If I didn’t hear you talk today, I probably would’ve killed myself this week, but the fact you were able to push on has given me hope to push on, too’. It was in that moment I realised that what I do isn’t a job, but a mission to help young people’s lives.”

Hayley’s top tips to any young, budding entrepreneurs are:

1. Believe in yourself

Learn to love what’s special about you – this is what makes you stand out, and it’s also your unique selling point (USP)!

2. Keep going

Entrepreneurship is not an easy road. There will be a lot of hiccups, but the beauty in that is you can learn from your mistakes. Every building starts from the bottom floor, so enjoy the pro- cess and remember this is a marathon, not a sprint.

3. Document everything and celebrate yourself

We can sometimes spend so much time being hard on our- selves rather than celebrating. A lot happens in a year, and it’s beautiful to document your growth as well as celebrate it!

You can find Hayley Mulenda on her social media platforms:

Twitter: @HaylsMulenda
Facebook: Hayley Mulenda
Instagram: HaylsMule
Snapchat: HaylsMule

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