Caring about your customer’s experience

I was sitting in one of my favourite cafes recently, enjoying a cup of tea and working on my laptop, watching the world go by. I noticed the cafe owner doing something she does very regularly - sitting down at one of the tables in the courtyard, experiencing customer service at first hand. In a relaxed way, she was able to observe how her fellow customers experienced her cafe’s service, their comfort levels, the way the food and drinks were served, the interaction between staff and customers, the overall ambience she was creating. It was her way of putting herself into her customer’s shoes, giving her the insights she needed to find ways of improving the overall customer experience in her cafe. It is precisely this attention to detail and this care for the customer that separates out the good businesses from the great businesses.

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Let’s build sustainable businesses that tread lightly on the planet

I was chatting last week with a wonderful woman entrepreneur, Hazel Aggrey-Orleans, founder of Eki Orleans, who is passionate about building an eco-conscious luxury fashion business, one that treads lightly on the world we live in, whilst at the same time making a profit. She is a great example of what is becoming a growing attitude and approach in the world of entrepreneurship - businesses that combine passion with profit,   together with an ethical and eco-friendly way of producing the products they sell. As the world is battling major environmental challenges, more and more businesses are realizing that they need to be part of the eco-solution, not the problem. It’s great to see progressive, passionate women entrepreneurs from across the African continent looking to build businesses that are focused on ethical production methods, natural materials, waste reduction, and recycled packaging. We can all make a contribution in our own way to building more sustainable businesses.

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We are far more powerful when we genuinely support one another

I don’t know about you, but personally I love hearing about women entrepreneurs from across the African continent and the Diaspora who are successful. Those women who are building strong businesses, game-changing brands, world class products, and differentiated service offerings that win them fans both at home and globally. We all need inspiration and let’s face it, there is nothing quite as motivational than seeing our fellow women entrepreneurs making it in the world of business - it spurs us on to greater heights on our own journeys and shows us that it’s possible. I often speak about how important it is to acknowledge and recognize each other, to celebrate our successes together, to congratulate each other when we launch new innovations, products and services into the marketplace. As a growing community of women entrepreneurs in Africa, we are far more powerful when we genuinely support one another - after all, celebrating others’ success is good for everyone. 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

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Here’s to the women entrepreneurs creating fantastic Valentine’s Day gifts

Happy Valentine’s Day Lionesses! I hope that wherever you are in the world today, you are receiving expressions of love from those special people in your life. It’s always that day of the year when you see red hearts and roses in every retail shop window and on every online store, to mark the day. So today we are celebrating all those women entrepreneurs across the African continent who create special treats for this special day.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

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A good early morning routine sets the right tone for the day

I don’t know about you, but I find comfort in certain routines, both in my personal and my business life. I like knowing that my early morning routine is the same, no matter where I am travelling in the world. It sets the right tone and gives order for my day ahead. That sense of routine is like an anchor that keeps me grounded, no matter how busy or chaotic my life might get. And trust me, when I am travelling across different time zones and keeping up with a ridiculously busy schedule in different cities and countries, knowing I have a routine to stick to makes life so much easier to manage. I’m not on my own in this respect - my love of a good early morning routine is shared by such well known entrepreneurs as Jessica Dilullo Herrin, founder of online fashion merchandise store Stella & Dot, who gets her day started by caring for her mind, body and soul with meditation and exercise; or Huffington Post founder, Ariana Huffington who sets her intentions for the day with yoga, meditation, and Bulletproof coffee before starting work. The bottom line is that whatever works for you, it’s good to have a routine.

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There will always be challenges, it’s part of the journey.

There is a great quote from the inspirational soleRebels founder, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, who said, “You’re not in a dynamic business if you’re not experiencing challenges.” How true! This quote came back to me as I was chatting to two wonderful women entrepreneurs in my network, both in the retail sector, but one a start-up and the other the creator of a mature, market leading company. Both were in the midst of taking their businesses to the next level, expanding their product offerings and trying to break into new markets. And, both were experiencing significant challenges along the way, notably in the access to funding and access to global markets environments. Often we may be tempted to think that the longer you have been around as an entrepreneur, and the more businesses you have built, the easier it gets and the fewer challenges there are to be overcome. These conversations were a great reminder that when we build dynamic businesses there will always be challenges, it’s part of the journey.

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Fall in love with selling and not just creating

I have to say, I love nothing more than seeing women entrepreneurs in action, passionately pitching their businesses to potential investors, selling their products to interested customers, or nailing that all important, life-changing deal. It’s great to see! After all, business is about selling, in all its forms, and some people are naturally better at selling and feel more comfortable with it than others. I was chatting to an amazing young woman entrepreneur recently at her studio and she was talking about how she loves the creative process in her business, developing the products and getting them launch ready, but literally dreads the sales process. Yet in business, especially when you are a startup, it’s a skill that’s essential to develop, and importantly, to perfect. So the bottom line is, we need to find a way to fall in love with the art of selling and not just creating, as sales are the lifeblood of our businesses.

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Kindness should be a daily part of entrepreneurial life

Have you stopped to think about how powerful the act of kindness is in our lives? We know how it makes us feel on a personal level when someone is kind and thoughtful. We feel good, our mood changes, we see the world and other people in a more positive light. It is perhaps the most underrated “super power” that we have as human beings. And I think it’s time to see more kindness shown to each other in our business lives. It costs nothing to say thank you to someone who has provided a great service, or has referred a potential customer, or has just been there when you needed advice or information. There is a great saying that goes, “People always remember how you make them feel. And when you make them feel appreciated they remember.” So let’s start seeing kindness as an essential part of our daily entrepreneurial and personal lives, and really acknowledge it as the superpower it is.

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Ideas are worth nothing unless executed

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you are with a group of people talking about a particular uber successful product that has been launched to market and someone says, “Oh I thought about something similar to that years ago but never did anything about it.” I hear it often and it always brings about a wry smile, because in that sentence is the difference between entrepreneurs and everybody else. Entrepreneurs have an idea, but then importantly they test that idea, they develop a business model around it, they run with it, and they execute it. Ideas are easy, but it’s the implementation that is sometimes difficult to achieve. As Apple founder, Steve Jobs, once famously said, “To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.”

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Collaborate in order to survive

Women are natural collaborators. You only have to look at successful entrepreneurial communities around the world and through recent history to see that some of the most interesting and sustainable businesses are the result of like-minded women entrepreneurs pooling their resources and expertise. I am a great believer in the power of women collaborating to get things done. In fact, if I look back at why we launched Lionesses of Africa, it was inspired by the realization that, just as for the prides of lionesses that live and hunt on the plains of Africa, life is often a daily battle for survival for women entrepreneurs. We can learn a lot from lionesses in the wild and their pride dynamics. How they hunt as a group to bring down the biggest prey; how they raise and coach their young; how they protect the group; and how they collaborate in order to survive even the harshest environments. It is these lessons that have shaped Lionesses of Africa's belief in the power of community. And, our belief that Africa's women entrepreneurs can achieve more and go 'Further, Together.’

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Women entrepreneurs are driven to build legacy businesses

So here’s an interesting piece of research information to think about as you start your day. It appears that the number of male and female entrepreneurs who say they are interested in growing their businesses over the next five years is almost identical, at 82% and 83% respectively. However, the similarity ends when asking both men and women about they type of business growth they envision. Research suggests that women entrepreneurs are more likely to take the long-term view of achieving that growth, by typically reinvesting business profits back into the business in order to generate steady and profitable growth. They are also driven to build legacy businesses that can be passed through the generations, supporting both family and communities for the long-term. Their male counterparts on the other hand are more likely to aim for a faster growth trajectory, exploring ideas and opportunities for equity investment, but ultimately a quicker exit and less of a focus on leaving a legacy.

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Finding creative ways to do more with less

Pick up any newspaper and magazine, or read your daily online news, and chances are you will see stories of some economies globally and on the African continent really flying, and others taking some considerable strain. Big companies and start-up businesses alike have to constantly take the time to re-evaluate their strategies and goals to manage these often severe economic fluctuations and replan where necessary. During such times, a creative approach to business is often needed, particularly when banks and other financial institutions become much more conservative around access to finance, just when you need it most. Women entrepreneurs, in fact women in general, have always traditionally been better at mastering the art of doing more with less, finding creative ways to stay afloat and thrive even through the most uncertain economic times. And it’s interesting to see that those women entrepreneurs who focus on profit over revenue and frugality over ostentatious consumption, typically build more sustainable businesses and create more jobs in the long term. In these uncertain and often wildly fluctuating economic times, it’s a sensible approach to take.

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Learn how to ride the crazy ups and downs without giving up

Life as an entrepreneur has its ups and downs, and there’s a reason why we often refer to it as a roller-coaster. There are times when you experience real “highs”, when everything seems to be going right and everything seems possible, and then there are those inevitable low times that inevitably knock your confidence. One day you sign a big contract you have been working on getting for months, you read a great article about your company in a leading magazine, and life seems great. The very next day your new prospective investor backs away from the deal, and you lose your biggest client to a competitor. But the test of a successful entrepreneur is how to ride these crazy ups and downs without giving up. The path to success is never a straight line. The trick is to enjoy the highs when they happen, but keep your eyes on the end goal and find your inner resolve when life throws you that curve ball and you are back on that rollercoaster again.

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It’s impossible to please everyone all the time

This past weekend, I was reading an article about the life of author Paulo Coehlo, and he said something that might resonate with many women reading this article. He said, “When you say yes to others, make sure you aren’t saying no to yourself.” I was thinking about this in the context of a conversation that comes up often when speaking to women entrepreneurs. Women have often been raised to be “people pleasers”, which can lead to seeking the approval of others, and as a result, they often have a harder time saying “no.” This can lead to them under-charging for their products or services in the marketplace, or being too giving of their time and help in general at the expense of their own needs, business or otherwise. It’s important to remember that it’s impossible to please everyone all the time, and in business trying to be everything to everybody is a potential recipe for failure. So, cut yourself some slack and stop trying to please everyone, instead please yourself! 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

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Gearing up for that big order

Every entrepreneur dreams of landing that big, game-changing business order from a new customer, one that can really change gears for the company. And, it’s a great feeling when it happens. But then reality sets in - how do you fulfill that order on time and on budget when your existing capacity is not geared up for something so big? Your machinery may not be big enough or fast enough to cope with such a big order and you need to scale up in order to meet the demand; you may have to bring in additional people resources and they need specific training in order to create the products you are selling. It’s a good problem to have, but it still needs a solution, and usually the extra finance to inject into the business to scale. And there tends to be the problem. Banks are not always the most understanding or supportive in these circumstances. One solution is to ask the customer to pay a percentage of the order up front with the balance on delivery. The other is to look at financial organisations that offer purchase order funding to bridge the gap between order and payment. Either way, more solutions are needed to support entrepreneurs at those times when they have opportunities to scale, but need innovative funding mechanisms to make it happen.

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Starting a business takes courage. Keeping it going takes persistence.

I have had several conversations this week with women entrepreneurs in the Lionesses of Africa community who are going through a range of challenges right now, and one word kept coming up repeatedly - persistence. And listening to their stories and experiences, those challenges will be familiar to so many others as each day they fight to keep their businesses going, or to take their businesses to the next growth level and into unknown new territory. Starting a business in the first place takes courage, but keeping it going, keeping it relevant and ensuring it grows, takes persistence. So this morning I would like to celebrate all those women entrepreneurs who are chasing their dreams, pushing through the inevitable difficulties, and getting creative in the face of adversity. Let’s learn from each other and never underestimate the power of persistence, it is an essential trait to develop as an entrepreneur.

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Keep going, keep believing

We all have those days when we need to summon up the courage to keep trying, keep going, keep believing in the businesses we are building and the products and services we are creating, even when it’s really challenging. And that courage can take many forms. At the weekend, I was doing some reading on just this subject, hearing what other well known career women and entrepreneurs alike had to share on how they found their own sources of courage during tough times. I came across a fabulous quote that really resonated with me and which I feel compelled to share.  It’s by the author, artist and inspirational speaker, Mary Anne Radmacher, whose books Lean Forward Into Your Life, Live With Intention, and Life Begins When You Do, are wonderfully uplifting. She says, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” Wise words indeed!

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Women need more role models around them

I was reading an interesting article this week about how women around the world are less likely than their male counterparts to become entrepreneurs because they simply don’t have enough role models around them. And it’s not a case of being able to see superstar women role models to look up to, but instead ‘everyday women role models’ that they can really feel a connection with and aspire to be like. It’s why we share the inspirational start-up stories of ordinary women entrepreneurs doing extraordinary things from our Lionesses of Africa community each and every day - to show what’s possible. The NY Times article went on to suggest that women need to see on a regular basis people just like themselves successfully building businesses and brands, creating great products and services, and become fulfilled entrepreneurs, as it shapes their view of what is possible. The bottom line is that we need more everyday, successful women entrepreneur role-models in our lives to encourage us on our own journeys.

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Africa needs more women in the manufacturing sector

Read any business magazine or watch any business documentary on the African continent, and chances are you will hear about manufacturing being at the heart of the desired Africa Renaissance. And it’s true that if the continent could see greater local value add, with products being created at home both for local and export markets, the economy could grow to the levels it needs to. A vibrant manufacturing sector in Africa would help countries to weather the inevitable economic storms. And, there are signs that it is moving in the right direction. Between 2005 and 2014, manufacturing production within Africa more than doubled from $73 billion to $157 billion, growing 3.5% annually in real terms. But challenges remain, and African manufacturing costs are high. A lack of reliable and efficient transport and energy infrastructure leads to even higher costs, exacerbated by regulatory and policy challenges. There is no doubt that there are still many barriers to overcome, but an African manufacturing Renaissance is within reach and it needs to be led by more women entrepreneurs who have the vision and the skills to make real change happen.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

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Hire people who buy into your business’s mission

I love that feeling when I walk into the store, workshop or office of a fellow woman entrepreneur and every one of their employees I encounter is a real brand ambassador, someone who really believes in the business and importantly the founder’s vision for it. It’s a special feeling and one that really reinforces how critical it is to hire believers in your business. We all know that as founders, we are our own best brand ambassadors, but we can’t be there 24/7 at the front of the business, selling our brand and products to everyone personally. If we are to grow our businesses, then it’s essential to hire team members who buy into the business’s mission just as much as we do, and empower them to be genuine ambassadors. This will provide them with a sense of ownership, in addition to being employees. After all, our people are our best asset in our businesses, so it makes sense to hire those who share our sense of belief in its potential, and who are as passionate as we are.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

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