Natalie Pugliese

Glen Rock High School
Class of 2027

Collaborated with business and development experts to improve the infrastructure and marketing strategy of a business in the developing world.

Created a proposal with viable solutions to address my business partner’s most pressing problems.

Received a grant reviewed by leaders in the fields of business and development to implement solutions for my business partner.

Learn more about Natalie here.

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Read more about Natalie’s achievements here.

My Business Consultant Training

Collaborated With A Business In The Developing World

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Our team reviewed the economic, social, political, and environmental factors that impact our partner business to design a launch plan and identify how to bridge the gap between our business partner’s current and desired conditions.

Earned a Development Grant to Enact Solutions

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In order to fund the proposed business, our team composed a detailed plan and pitched our proposal to request seed funding from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee.

Collaborated With Business Development Experts

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After researching the socio-economic conditions facing our business partners, our team worked with the Nigerian development staff to create effective solutions to the challenges our business partner was facing.

Auwal Muhammad

About Auwal

Auwal believes that every successful venture starts with a dream. He saw ample opportunity to fulfill his dreams in the auto repair business, so he sought out and secured an apprenticeship with a well-respected repairman in his area. Auwal has now been an apprentice for seven years. During his apprenticeship, Auwal carried out countless vehicle repairs under the guidance and close supervision of his mentor. This, along with Auwal's persistent curiosity, has allowed him to master the repair services of Japanese cars, which the majority of his community uses.

Though Auwal struggles with the constantly fluctuating nature of the raw materials needed to repair or maintain cars, he remains steadfast in his desire to work in the auto repair business. He believes that this work not only allows him to improve his life but the lives of others.

Auwal Muhammad

Business Goals

Though Auwal is fully certified as an auto repair mechanic and has close to a decade of experience in the field, he is still working under his original mentor. He believes his inability to secure a physical shop location is hindering his career from reaching its full potential. Auwal's main priority is owning a shop so he can fully dedicate himself to working towards his own goals, rather than working for somebody else.

In addition to a lack of storefront, Auwal struggles with insufficient funds. This poses a problem because the tools of his trade are costly. At the moment, Auwal only owns a car jack and a few worn-out spanners. He struggles with the high cost of raw materials to repair and maintain cars. These prices often turn away potential customers because they are not able to properly reimburse Auwal for these parts.

Auwal Muhammad

Obstacles

One day, Auwal hopes that his business will allow him to transform the economic turmoil that many people in his community face. In addition to offering high-quality services to maintain the cars that are essential to many people's livelihoods, Auwal plans to train others to do the same. By producing more auto repair mechanics, Auwal wants to break the cycle of poverty among the people in his community.

As his business grows, Auwal wants to continue offering affordable and high-quality services. He hopes that he can continue expanding his customer base and that he remains accessible to his community members. Through this, Auwal aims to better the lives of his family, who depend on his support. He is excited to achieve these dreams with the help of Leadership Initiatives and their interns.

Auwal Muhammad

Family & Home

Auwal is a single, 26-year-old man living in Bauchi with his family. His mother and father have been sharecroppers his entire life. As Auwal and his siblings grow older, his parents have found it increasingly difficult to provide for their entire family. As the eldest son, the responsibility to help support his parents and eight siblings falls to Auwal. He takes this responsibility very seriously and spends the majority of his income on his family and reinvesting in his business.

Day to day, Auwal prioritizes earning enough money to bring food home for his family. Even when days are hard, this motivates him to go to the auto repair shop every day.

Auwal Muhammad

Our Partnership

Auwal bears the responsibility of caring for his siblings. They depend on him for their school, health, and sustenance. Continual economic hardship makes it difficult for Auwal to provide for his family, but he has never given up the pursuit of his dreams. He is very honored and excited to partner with Leadership Initiatives because he believes that it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to advance his career and completely transform the lives of his family.

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Auwal says "I have never received such an ample opportunity in my lifetime, and this is what I need to achieve my breakthrough in the auto repair business, I lack the words to express my gratitude to the amazing interns and Leadership Initiatives for making this possible in my life. I really appreciate it."

My Grant
Proposal

Auwal Muhammed has 7 years of experience working as an apprentice. With help from us, Auwal will be able to expand his micro-business and help those in his community and provide for his family. In terms of location, Auwal’s repair shop is located in the center of Bauchi, next to one of the largest shopping malls in the city, expanding consumer attraction. Being around many more shops helps with the customers.

With a new and improved financial tracking plan, it will help Auwal organize his expenses and revenue, helping with cost and budget. This will lead him into a successful business with no debt.

With new tools and equipment, Auwal will be able to work more effectively which will improve productivity during business hours. Working quickly with new tools will attract more customers, leading Auwal to a financially stable business.

My Grant Proposal
Presentation

Leadership Initiatives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating future leaders across the globe through experiential learning. In the International Leadership and Business Internship, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading developmental experts in order to build my partners business and brand.

At the conclusion of this internship, our team pitched the final proposal to a panel of esteemed judges from the Leadership Initiatives Nigerian Development Team and the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee. This formal pitch allowed our team to practice our skills and utilize our entrepreneurial toolkit, all while showcasing our efforts to transform the business we partnered with.

At the end of the pitch, we were able to receive feedback on our proposal for our business partner. Over the next year, our business partner’s venture will be made into reality and monitored for sustained success and growth.

Internship Highlights

Our team began the business development process by having a one-on-one Zoom call directly with our business partner, Auwal , and Nigerian project coordinator to ensure productive collaboration.

We learned more about their life, family, and desires for the proposed business venture, as well as the challenges they were facing. By discussing first-hand the challenges our partner faced, our team successfully and efficiently began to brainstorm solutions to launch her business.

Each morning we held constructive discussions about our ideas, the advice we received the day before, and the timeline necessary to begin implementing our ideas in real-time.

The on-staff project coordinators and business development experts helped facilitate the ideation process and ensured our team asked the right questions to produce tangible results.

I had the unique opportunity to visit the Swedish Embassy, where I learned about diplomatic relations between Sweden and the United States.

While touring the embassy, I learned about the wide range of policy issues and gained a better understanding of the embassy’s role in international development through sustainable and inclusive initiatives.

The embassy serves as a hub for collaboration with partner countries and international organizations, which facilitates the creation of solutions to address global issues, such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change.

Swedish diplomats and officials work closely with local communities to identify needs and design programs that empower individuals and enhance overall societal well-being. This community-centered problem-solving is something my team and I aspired towards while crafting our business proposal.

I also visited the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which plays a crucial role in promoting financial stability throughout the world, facilitating trade, and providing financial support to member countries during economic hardship.

For over 50 years, the IMF has provided capacity development programs that drive effective economic management and policy implementation through technical assistance and training.

The IMF’s research-driven policymaking and dedication to sustainable economic management has established it as a key power in addressing global economic issues.

My visit to the IMF was not only educational, but inspiring. It allowed me to see the institution’s pivotal role in advancing international development and how I can implement their ideals into my own work.

Our team met with leading experts in the fields of business and economic development from Johns Hopkins University, the State Department, and GlobalGiving.

One such expert was Carla Brooks, Business and Development Officer at Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Program. She provided us with a crash course in advertising and marketing, in which we learned essential components of an effective marketing campaign.

Our work with Ms. Brooks was essential in preparing us for our culminating pitch deck presentation. With her and other expert guidance, we streamlined our initial ideas to further our efforts in launching the venture our business partner envisioned.

By the end of the week, we had incorporated the advice of leading experts from across the globe for our business proposal to empower and transform the life of our business partner.