They say success comes to those who follow their passion. And Isabella Lydia Masozera did just that. The former radio presenter is now a budding entrepreneur, managing her own Public Relations firm.

She spoke to Women Today’s Sharon Kantengwa about her career switch and why young girls need to think outside the box.

Tell us about yourself

I am a 28-year-old part-time mother. I am also the Managing Director of Legacy Brands, a PR firm that deals with social media marketing, print marketing, editorial services, outdoor advertising services, branding, and imaging. I studied procurement but I loved journalism so I did radio presenting until I discovered that Public Relations was my passion.

What was the inspiration behind Legacy Brand?

Legacy Brand started in December 2015. The inspiration behind it is that we wanted to create East Africa’s leading PR firm. I have been privileged to be the founder of Easy Creations in Uganda which is an all women PR firm, and when I came to Rwanda, I realised that there was space in the market and we wanted to be able to extend all PR services here.

Every company wants to create a household name and be remembered for very many years, so ‘Legacy Brand’ was quite appropriate.

Starting your own company is not easy.

What has the journey been like so far?

The journey hasn’t been easy because Public Relations is not yet ‘accepted’ here in Rwanda and it has been hard to penetrate and get the companies to appreciate the need for PR services. We are however hopeful that we will get more clients. We have been privileged to work with a number of companies like WASAC, Never Again Rwanda, The chamber of Young Entrepreneurs, Magda Café, Rwema Group Of Companies to mention but a few.

What do you hope to achieve?

I hope to create a brand that is reliable that provides simple PR solutions, a lasting brand that will definitely outlive all of us and not just East Africa’s leading PR firm, but a firm that people can rely on depend on and trust to get the best services.

Who inspires you?

The late Maya Angelou because she always dreamt of doing things out of the ordinary and things people thought could only be done by men. She inspired young women to step forward and take on anything that they can do and not hold themselves back because of their gender.

What challenges have you encountered so far?

Having a PR firm in a land where it is not that much appreciated is not easy because you need to have people who appreciate the services and realise the need for it.

What is your philosophy in life?

Aspire to inspire, before you expire; we are all not here forever so if God gives you life do great things and do those things that you think are not easy to achieve and use them to inspire others.

What advice do you have for the girl-child?

We are ‘better than the kitchen’ and there is so much we can do, especially young women. We are privileged to live in a society that has access to information all around, use it! It’s not enough to just go to school and study. We can achieve many things.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw