Makuati-Afitu’s baby brother, Liam (of Johnston Associates), stepped in as Lagi-Maama’s accountant, mentor and business advisor, who continues to offer reminders of worth, words of encouragement and advice. He’s encouraged Lagi-Maama to put a real monetary value to what they do – especially as both are proud Moana Oceania women who always give so much ‘more’.
“He gave us this ‘master’ project template and told us to map our process, list each task, and against each task put ‘real time’ - and like magic it spits out ‘real’ costs! He reminded us that we are always advocating for our communities and that we must do the same for ourselves.”
Lagi-Maama encouraged Moana Fresh to do the same practice of using a template to break down real time-space and costs. However, they also shared on a number of applications they have submitted and received feedback around justifying and explaining our costs - so ensuring you can find a balance in the compromise, is key.