The modern-day renaissance woman comes to mind when you think of Tinú Peña-Akinyinka. She is the
CEO of Motre Co. LLC, a project management and engineering support consulting firm; the President of
TOAP Consulting Agency, Inc., a business consulting firm and the Founder & President of Banwo
Foundation, Inc, a women empowerment focused non-profit promoting wealth generation,
entrepreneurship, advocacy and health and wellness among women ages 18 – 30. She is the Founder of
A2IO Imprint, the publishing arm of TOAP Consulting Agency and the Editor of Banwo Magazine. She is the epitome of a Woman on the Move!

What are the most impactful life lessons that you’ve learned to date, in relation to the woman you’ve become?

Life lessons are steppingstones in my opinion, the
good and bad experiences have equally been
impactful lessons I would say. As a woman, I
believe I am still evolving but honestly being true
to myself and embracing who I am, glory & flaws –
makes me TINU.
We, as women tend to cater to others, bending to
fill in the inadequacies of others while
compromising ourselves. I have learned that
putting myself first is not selfish, but self-care and
I accept that now.
It is my opinion, that the cycle of catering has to
be broken. We as ladies, mothers, sisters, and
daughters must speak up and share with others in
our circle and families that its “okay to not be
okay”. If you as mom, cannot do the laundry for
the household or cook dinner, it is okay. If you as
a woman has setbacks in your career or personal
life, it is okay. If you as a sister is disappointed by your family because of a decision in your best
interest, it is okay. We, as women, must recognize our individuality within the collective and know how to be okay within that space. The worst thing you can do to yourself and the person you are, is to live a pretentious life. So, it is
best to be who you are and grow from your steppingstones, while refining and elevating yourself at
the same time. Know that it is okay to evolve and improve on yourself.
That is what I do for myself daily and I am okay with the woman I have become.

How do you personally feel that YOU empower women?  

Empowering women comes in different forms, be it through one-on-one mentoring, to be as an ear to listen to another when they need a sounding board. As for me, I empower through my actions, sharing my insights, lending a helping hand and being candid with those that seek my opinion.
So, I was on the elevator at work with another lady, we exchange greetings and we introduced ourselves. The lady was so excited and surprised to be meeting me in person because she had saw my political campaign sign when she first moved to Florida. I came to find out later that at time she had just relocated to Florida, that seeing my sign, running for a state seat inspired her and since that time, she had wanted to meet me. That itself was mind-blowing for me. I would later develop a friendship with the young lady, and she is doing well in her space as a young professional.
Not only was I surprised by the revelation, but I was also humbled that my journey inspired and empowered another woman. So, when you ask me what that means to me, words alone cannot express the sense strength and pride I get from knowing that others see themselves in me. That makes me continue to rise to the highest height for myself. Frankly, these women inspire me as well. In their stories, I find strength to keep doing what I am doing.

How important has mentorship been to your success?  

To be quite honest, I have not had a mentor throughout my career thus far, I have had a person taken
interest and “bam” the leave the firm. Even though I have not had a mentor, I certainly know that it is
good to have someone and even better to have a sponsor – someone that would be a champion for you
when you are not there and secure opportunities in your interest.

While there is still an opportunity to have mentorship, I have, however, had impactful moments along
the way that has helped me as a professional – this is what I call “period mentors”. These individuals
have shaped the way I move as a leader and share in my insights.
I realize now that developing my social and professional network early would have had a more impactful
result overall, but the journey thus far is not regrettable at all, it has shaped the success I enjoyed along
the way and has helped me regroup in the cases where I have stumbled.

What are the 5 things that have helped you have success in business that every entrepreneur must do to grow?

My top 5 things for success in business that I would advise are 1. Consistency 2. Drive 3. Resiliency 4. Quality Delivery 5. Failure.
So, consistency has to do with being true to form. As an entrepreneur or young professional knowing and what your brand is about and pivoting when needed but staying on point at all times is consistency. Having the drive to see it through will keep you going when you want to give up. It will keep your eyes on the goal when you have to regroup and take a detour. Being resilient will keep you from feeling rejected when you get a “No” from presenting your pitch. Delivering quality results in form of service or products is essential to branding yourself or company and last but not least accepting failure for what it is and learning from it to grow and become better. That is my recipe.

What is one thing that you would have done differently at the beginning or height of your career?

That’s a great question! Like many zealous young professional and entrepreneurs, we leap without consideration for all aspects of the business and industry we are entering; so, I would say, understand the industry/business norms and build a network of human capital that will support you along the way. The reason why this is important is because people see you, they are watching. In fact, I was once offered a job based on my leadership skills and personality rather than technical skills – believe me, this is not back thing. As a leader, you must be cognizant that you do not know everything but be willing to surround yourself with knowledgeable people, that’s how you make better decisions.

When in your career have you found it most necessary to collaborate?

I think collaboration is essential at all phases in one career – be it when you are starting or growing. In the engineering industry it just happens that collaboration cannot be avoided because a firm that does not have all the services will have to team up with others. The beautiful thing about collaboration is that, with the right people around the table you get great results.
It also depends on the type of project you are doing. It may or may not require collaboration but if the opportunity presents itself, I say go for it and collaborate. You will be surprised how much you learn.
Keep in mind that dealing with people isn’t an easy task but being “clear”, “concise” and “consistent” in communicating your needs for the project or event can make the process better.

What tools or people were necessary for you to build or scale your business?

Tools? People? Let me see, for my consulting firms while I initially practiced as an engineering firm with my business associate who was an engineer. When we decided on different paths, I had to shift focus and rebrand the company, which was okay.

Now, we are focusing on providing services on engineering projects from project management perspective. So, while you need people to be able to get things done, sometimes it crucial that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. When that basket breaks, you can lose all your eggs.  Repurposing my brand by using what I had and was good at, helped keep me going. So, yes! We need people but it also okay to start with you and find the right fit and your business grows. 

The aim here is steady pace and gradual growth. That’s how I am moving now – at my own pace. c

When it comes to tools, it is important to research and know what is happening in your industry and go from there. One of the tools that I have yet to maximize is my network. That is an essential tool to have if you are in business, letting the people you know, know what you are doing so they can be your champion and share with others what you are doing.

How have you used real estate, land ownership and trusts to create generational wealth for you and your family?

That is a great question! The prospect of creating generational wealth in my immediate family is still an
ongoing process as it should be based on the opportunities that present itself. For our family, owning real
estate, having life insurance both whole and term life were the first steps taken to create generational
wealth. The consulting firms are another avenue in which generational wealth can be created and the
way the company is planned out allows the professional interests of my children to be captured in the
company’s services in the future.
Further steps to be taken to secure wealth will be to establish a trust that will have fiduciary duties. I am
also ensuring that my children invest in their own life insurance and start investing in general. Ensuring
that your children understand finances as well as how to differentiate between wants and needs goes a
long way in getting the right mindset to start creating the type of wealth that can be established for
generations to come. I would also say, even if your children act like you are being bothersome with all
this information, don’t stop sharing because they are listening, keep engaging and working with them.

What are some daily, weekly or monthly practices that help you protect your mental health?

I love, love, love! taking picture of myself – I always have as a young girl been fond of my picture being taken so to me it is a relaxation thing that helps with my mental health. Another thing that I do for myself and wish I did more of is exercising, you would thinking having been in the US Army, that it would be second nature to exercise but it is not; I have to consciously put effort into getting my dose of exercise in.
Also, I find it very therapeutic doing home improvement projects be it weekly or monthly. I wind down with a good K-Drama on other days and sometimes just listening to my body and sleeping, I am slowly incorporating quiet time into my routine to listen to my thoughts and opening my mind.
Therapy isn’t a shameful thing either, when I find myself at a fork in the road and I need an objective perspective, I schedule a meeting with my therapist. Oh, last thing, I do this religiously every morning, I look in the mirror and appreciate myself and say out loud you are beautiful, you are phenomenal, you are smart. Whatever positive affirmation comes to mind; I say to myself.

What books have helped you grow personally or professionally?

Books, books, books! I am always reading a book for something, more so for professional development rather than leisure. I honestly cannot remember the last time I read a book for leisure – Professionally, I am studying for my real estate license exam so that is what I am reading right now. However, I have read the “Nice girls don’t get the corner office”, I have queued to read “GirlBoss” and other readings for leisure and enlightenment are “The Fire Next Time” James Baldwin, “The Girls” Elaine Kagan and “The Mother of Black Hollywood” Jennifer Lewis.

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Tinu holds a Master of Science degree in Project Management, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a minor in Business Administration and two associate degrees in Computer Science and Architecture and other professional certifications. She was recently honored as one of South Florida’s Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business and Industry and has received recognitions from other organizations such as the Women Chambers of Palm Beach County, Executive Women of the Palm Beach to name a few.

A mother of two young adults attending local college & university in Palm Beach County – one of her greatest achievements in life. She finds her inspiration from national and local influencers and has continued to inspire many by being unapologetic as an astute woman of color and businesswoman. A speaker and aspiring author, Tinu shares in her insights, be it business-wise or personal branding-wise encouraging others to see the value in themselves and building on that to get to where they want to be. A Veteran of the US Army, Tinu believes in not just being “strong” but resilient and through her passion for having women share in their stories especially women of African descent to help others, this passion has sparked her interest in writing as well as self-publishing. She has teamed up to publish under her company its first book Engineher – a collaborative book of four African American Women and soon after a self-affirming journal, Finding Self Love through Challenges.

To follow up on more of this phenomenal woman visit www.tinupena.co

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