As entrepreneurs we talk a lot about the need to be fearless in business, but it’s easier said than done. Often, we talk ourselves into being afraid to take the leap, to try something new, to push the boundaries of our comfort zones. But this tentative approach because of fear could be holding us back. However, the solution could be easier than we think. I was reading a great article by Huffington Post founder, Ariana Huffington, who had some interesting insights on the subject. She said, "Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it, the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” It sounds simple but it’s a good way of conquering this sense of fear and the unknown in business. So, why not take Ariana’s advice, just look fear in the face and push through anyway. 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

I often hear this from women entrepreneurs in our network: “Had I known then what I know today I probably wouldn’t have started!” We have probably all felt like that sometime during the course of our entrepreneurial journeys. Yet there is something to be said for the power of naive optimism in those early days of building our businesses. It’s all too easy to get bogged down by people around you who question your business ideas or new product concepts; or to feel overwhelmed by the masses of information available to the newbie entrepreneur about how to build the perfect business model. There can often seem to be far more reasons not to start a business than to take the plunge. But ask any seasoned entrepreneur how they got going all those years ago, and chances are they will tell you they didn’t overthink things, they blocked out all the naysayers, and armed with a good dose of naive, some might say blind optimism, they just went out and did it! 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

Success means different things to different people. Whether it’s building a substantial business or product that has gone global, or a business that has scaled into multiple locations, or a business that is making an impact in its chosen field, success comes in many forms. So in the world of entrepreneurship, why do we find ourselves sometimes trying to measure up to other people’s ideas of what success looks like? Perhaps it’s time to think about what success really means to each of us individually, and to create our own, very personal definitions that we can work towards, instead of trying to emulate other entrepreneurs’ notions of success. We each have our own entrepreneurial path to follow, and part of the journey is understanding what success means to us. It’s not about chasing a life that is unattainable. It’s about creating a vision and a path for ourselves to follow that means something very personal to us as individuals. And each step we take towards achieving our goals, and each milestone we reach, brings us closer to the success we have defined for ourselves.

As many of you know, I am passionate about the power of community when it comes to supporting the growth and development of Africa’s women entrepreneurs - and, it seems like I’m not alone in my thinking. A fascinating research report by Facebook has found that female founders who are part of a business community are twice as likely to forecast growth compared to those who are not. Despite this, half of female founders say they are not part of such a network. The research revealed that women are aware of the benefits of tapping into business communities, with 49 per cent of those interviewed for the report believing the opportunity to connect with other like-minded people would greatly benefit their business. 31 per cent of the women surveyed said the current business environment is better set up for male business leaders. Reading these research findings reminds me once again of why we started the Lionesses of Africa community - welcome to the Pride!

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

So here’s an interesting fact! Did you know that the artisan sector is the second largest employer in the developing world, behind agriculture, worth around $32 billion every year? Millions of people, particularly women, in developing countries around the globe are key drivers of the artisan economy - and that’s certainly the case on the African continent. They are producing handcrafted goods often utilizing traditional skills of all types to build businesses that can sustain themselves, their families and their communities. The artisan sector is significant and growing - international trade in artisan goods more than doubled between 2002 and 2012. Yet ironically, these very same artisan businesses are seldom recognized as drivers of real economic growth. But it’s important to remember that countries in the developing world have a competitive advantage in the artisan sector because of their rich cultural traditions, diverse artisanal skills, and unique raw materials. And that is certainly the case on the African continent. So it’s perhaps time to start acknowledging the truly important role played by women artisan entrepreneurs in driving Africa’s future economic growth, and at the same time, ensuring that traditional craftsmanship skills are both preserved and taken to the next level.

Being in business can sometimes seem like we are continually climbing a mountain, seeing the summit in the distance, but never quite reaching the top. It can often feel exhausting, and more than a little dispiriting at times. As human beings, we are pre-conditioned to set big goals for ourselves, and it’s natural to want to achieve those goals as quickly as possible, but often we give up when the going get’s tough and that mountain simply seems too big to climb. So how do we get over this hurdle? Well, often it starts with acknowledging that our big goals are not going to be achieved overnight, it’s a journey - and often a long one!. The trick is to celebrate all the small wins along the way, to keep us going. With each small win, our confidence builds, our energy levels rise, our feel-good-factor returns, and we are then much better equipped to keep going, to keep motivated, to keep the big end goal in sight. So if you feel that your own big goals are like that mountain, just too daunting, then remind yourself to keep going by  celebrating all the small wins along the journey. It will keep you on track.

When I speak to women entrepreneurs each day, one of the things they feedback probably more than anything else is how valuable they find it to hear the inspirational startup stories of other women entrepreneurs - told in their own voices and often with great honesty and frankness. These stories remind them that they are not alone, and the challenges they are facing are not unique, but shared amongst all those women who bravely go out there each day and build their businesses. There is something really powerful about finding your voice and using it to engage others on your entrepreneurial journey. I often talk about the fact that as business founders, we are our own best salespeople, and our voices count when we are trying to get our businesses and brands seen and heard above the noise in the marketplace. Increasingly, customers want to know the backstory of the products they buy and the brands they give their loyalty to, so every woman entrepreneur’s voice and story counts. Finding your voice and writing your startup story is part of the journey to becoming the author of your own successful life.

For me, there is nothing quite as gratifying as seeing great women business builders succeed, it sends a clear message to the world that we’ve got this, that we are creating impact driven businesses that matter. But it’s even better when we see those women, and so many other women entrepreneurs, paying it forward and making a real difference in the lives of others. If there is one thing that everyone realizes, it’s that being an entrepreneur is tough enough without having to compete with each other, as is so often the case in the corporate world. Instead, by paying it forward and helping other women entrepreneurs on their journeys, these women gain mutual respect and propel their own businesses forward and others too. So today, why not take the same approach? Help another woman entrepreneur out by referring a business opportunity, or offering to pool resources and collaborate, or offering mentoring advice to deal with a particular challenge being experienced. It will make you feel good, but importantly, it will make a big difference to the life of a fellow entrepreneur.

If there’s one topic of conversation that keeps coming up time and again at our Lioness Lean In events, particularly when I’m chatting to the women entrepreneurs who are our guest speakers and pitchers, it’s that they are not confident public speakers. In fact, I will go so far as to say that the word used most often by many of them is that they are nervous about taking to the stage and speaking in public to an audience. Yet, it’s a skill that is worth learning as it’s good for business. Chances are at some point you will have to talk to a group of investors, or perhaps do a live television or radio interview, or speak at an industry conference on your specialist subject, or address your employees. Public speaking is part of the journey for entrepreneurs, and remember there is no one better than you, as the founder of your business, to speak on its behalf. Fortunately, effective public speaking is a communication skill that can be learned. And, as I have seen many times before at our Lionesses of Africa events, often the most reticent public speaker can turn into a star on stage. 

You know that feeling, when you walk into a coffee shop, store or restaurant, and you are greeted by the owner or staff as friends, made to feel welcome and at home immediately, and then given a great customer experience? It’s what keeps you going back, time and again. I was reminded of this yet again when returning from one of my frequent business trips. My first port of call is always my favourite local coffee shop (although ironically I am a tea drinker, not a coffee lover!). I am always greeted by the amazing staff on arrival, who know my order (a pot of Earl Grey tea) and have it waiting for me at my favourite seat in the window. They happily chat and fill me in with what has been happening in the neighbourhood whilst I have been away, and generally make me feel like family. It’s a truly great customer experience, and as a result, I go back time and again, recommending it to everyone I know. As entrepreneurs, creating a memorable customer experience is a powerful sales tool - and it’s all starts with your people!

These days, what’s the first thing people do when trying to find out more about you and your business? They check out your digital presence, of course! So, when was the last time you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and checked out your own digital presence to get that first external experience of you and your brand? We live in a 24/7 digitally connected world, so it’s important to have a strong, authentic digital presence, both personally and for your business, that works for you; that people can connect with and feel like they can trust. It should also be the first place that people can get to learn more about you and your business before they make that all important face to face connection. So if you haven’t checked out your own social media pages or your personal or corporate websites recently, then now could be a good time. After all, you never know if that next potential big client is evaluating your digital presence right now!

We all know it takes hard work and many hours of effort to open up new business leads and get new business relationships started. But it seems that many of us entrepreneurs also battle to make those potential new leads count by not following-up promptly after that lead has been opened. Now it could be for lots of reasons. A follow-up could get lost along the way as we get caught up in our busy lives. We may have every intention of calling our prospect but we get caught up in our business operations, and because we didn’t systematically schedule a follow-up in the diary, it doesn’t get done. Others may simply not want to appear pushy by following-up the next day, and several times over thereafter. Often when we don’t receive an immediate response to a follow-up, we assume disinterest and walk away, forgetting that these people are just as busy as we are and can forget to follow-up too. The bottom line is that you can differentiate yourself from your competition by proactively making the effort to diligently follow-up with your prospects and customers and being much more methodical about the process.

Have you noticed that when it comes to looking after our health, we don’t think twice about visiting our doctors or wellness clinics and getting our regular health checks, just to make sure that everything is in good shape. So why don’t we take the same approach when it comes to looking after the health of our businesses on a regular basis? A good regular business health check means you can stay on top of what is and isn’t working, what the biggest challenges are, where the majority of income streams are coming from, and what is working best with your marketing and communications activity. It all helps to ensure you are getting the most from the business. The other benefit from this approach is that you can also have a ‘fun’ check, seeing where you got the most enjoyment from the business in any given month - after all, we all embark on this crazy entrepreneurial life not just to make money and make a difference, but also to enjoy the lifestyle and freedom that comes with it.

It’s official - not getting enough sleep impacts on your productivity, which means your business as well as your life could suffer if you are not getting the hours of sleep your body needs. According to the Mayo Clinic, adults need on average between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I had that much sleep, I think I was a small child! However, it appears that my approach to sleeping could be impacting on my productivity - and possibly yours too if this story resonates with you. I am one of those people who has never been good at sleeping, and being an entrepreneur means I tend to work long hours. Lots of travelling across different time zones also interrupts normal sleep patterns, making it difficult to settle into a good sleep routine. So on a recent plane journey, I  decided to revisit the wonderful book by Ariana Huffington - The Sleep Revolution. She has some great insights to share, saying: “We sacrifice sleep in the name of productivity, but, ironically, our loss of sleep, despite the extra hours we put in at work, adds up to more than eleven days of lost productivity per year.” That’s a big cost to our businesses and our health. So, pass me the pillow please!

I was having tea with two of the women entrepreneurs in our Lionesses community last week in Maputo and the conversation turned to the subject of sales. One of the women is a natural salesperson and gets a huge thrill from meeting lots of people, selling her products and pitching her business. The other woman entrepreneur hates the sales aspect of her business and says she is not good at it, but as a startup entrepreneur she knows she has to make those sales in order to be successful. The reality is that a business is only viable if it successfully sells its products and services every day. In the early days of launching a business, as founders we are our own best salespeople. No-one can sell our business idea and our products like we can. No-one is as passionate as we are about our brands. So, learn to love sales and the art of selling. Your business will thank you for it.

Whilst winding down from a long day last evening, I was watching Sky World News and a really attention-grabbing feature on their Sky Ocean Rescue Campaign came up on screen. Did you know that 8 million metric tons of plastic turns up in our oceans each year? That’s enough plastic waste to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic every year. Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental threats facing the world right now. In Africa, a new wave of environmentally conscious women entrepreneurs is emerging to create innovative solutions to this challenge. They are building sustainable businesses that turn plastic waste into great new products, tackling not only a major environmental problem, but also creating jobs in the process. Read the story of these entrepreneurial eco-warriors here and be inspired to make an environmental difference in your own lives too.

If there is a flip-side to achieving success with the launch of a great new idea or product, it’s that your competitors will start to copy you. It’s a constant race, and one that you have keep winning to stay relevant in the market. I was talking about this challenge with an amazing woman entrepreneur in Mozambique recently who is experiencing just this situation. She was first to market with her highly creative product range, but is now seeing other businesses copy her idea. So how does she deal with the competition? She keeps differentiating her brand by constantly innovating. As soon as she launches one new product concept or variant, she is busy working on the next. By taking this approach, she ensures her brand is always the first choice of her customers. So if you want to keep the competitors at bay, keep differentiating.

I am a big fan of blogging, as many of you know. I passionately believe it is a great way for women entrepreneurs to make their voices heard, and to get their businesses and products noticed in a crowded marketplace. It’s also great for building their customer and fan bases. It has been wonderful to see so many of our Lionesses of Africa regular guest bloggers building their personal profiles and their businesses through their articles over the past year. They have shared their insights, their personal experiences, and their expertise regularly over the weeks and months, building up their followers and getting good business exposure. So we want to encourage more of you to follow their lead. If you would like to get your voice heard and your brand seen by our 730,000+ audience, then join us as one of our contributors in 2019. If you are interested, send us your details and our editorial team will contact you to talk next steps. Happy blogging!

I was watching a news programme last evening which reported on the demise of traditional retail shopping centres. How things have changed, and in a relatively short time. Digital disruption in the retail sector is now a reality, with consumers taking their shopping habits online instead of into big retail stores. The same thing happened with the global travel and tourism sector. It was radically disrupted by the arrival of Airbnb and Uber. Today we book around 100 million room nights per year and 40 million rides per month using these two apps. As digital consumers we want to do things differently, and that changes industry sectors. This digital revolution is great for women entrepreneurs because it means it’s possible to compete in the marketplace. An innovative startup business can get a product to market quickly online. It can build a huge social media following, and sell products directly to consumers, without the cost of an expensive retail store. So come on Lionesses, let’s harness the power of the digital consumer and make the most of this digital business revolution.

If you are anything like me, you are probably in reflective mood right now. It’s the last month of the year and the perfect time to revisit the goals we set for ourselves and our businesses. It’s wonderful to celebrate what has been achieved. But at the same time it’s important to look at what still remains to be done this year with the time that is left. So I intend to squeeze every last bit of productivity out of each day to ensure that this last month of the business year counts. It’s also exciting to plan for the year ahead, to explore new ideas, to get into creative thinking mode, and to set even bigger goals. In doing this, I will be keeping in mind the well-known saying, “if your goals don’t scare you, they are not big enough”. Here’s to pushing boundaries and achieving big goals next year! 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie