That is what Texas-based entrepreneur Maya Ford constantly emphasizes when asked about her company, FordMomentum!, and she said she’s particularly excited to learn how Nigerian values can influence her work.
Ford and her team are transforming the very way we understand the systems around us. In 2016, she founded FordMomentum!, a communications firm that fuses data science, cultural inclusion, and visual creativity to deliver results that bring communities to a more authentically healed place. From redesigning neighbourhoods to influencing how a museum was created to include local artists, Ford and the FordMomentum! the team are creating positive change throughout the world
Now, Ford is attending the Lagos Business School, giving her a rare opportunity to see inside the Nigerian business culture and recreate international relationships, transforming the way we identify and control our assets, how we value them, and how we profit.
“I’d like to focus on how discrimination has no place in a society that values its natural assets. STOLO supports the ability for ALL assets and resources to be integrated into a successful equation for regional health and wellness,” she remarks. “That means ensuring Nigerians have a direct say in the health of their environment and economy, providing the ability to steer it in the direction they want to go.”
So, How is This Goal Achieved?
FordMomentum! relies on a scientific method called the Standard of Love (STOLO). This MIT-informed system allows Maya and her team to speak directly to residents, understanding any issues the community faces and what solutions they believe can help.
She created STOLO while dealing with tremendous loss due to cultural, natural, and economic disasters. Trayvon Martin, a young Black student in Florida, was unjustly murdered, and his assailant was released. She was a victim of Hurricane Harvey, where she incurred economic losses, causing her almost to lose her car and home. She nearly lost everything and struggled for basic food and shelter.
Through this hardship, she realized that many of her assets weren’t accounted for or used to their fullest. She became determined to use her skills to create real solutions for the issues faced by Black and Brown people like herself. The housing crisis exacerbated by natural disasters highlighted how they are often left out of housing, employment, and neighbourhood design.
Using the STOLO method, Maya hires people local to the area she is working. This ensures that the people being served receive services specifically designed for them and with them. Throughout the process, follow-up sessions are held to ensure accuracy and successful results.
Written by Fisile Mabuza