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Lionesses of Africa

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the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs

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Lionesses set to ‘lean in’ for greater business success in Johannesburg

May 16, 2016 Melanie Hawken

The latest in the series of inspirational monthly Lioness Lean In Breakfast events is set to take place this week on Thursday 19th May, once again powered by Standard Bank and hosted at their inspirational SB Business Incubator in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The Lioness Lean In Breakfast events are proving to be a huge hit with women entrepreneurs who come from across the country to listen to successful women business brand builders share their stories, to inspire one another, and to network and connect for business success. 

 

"Put 60 to 70 women entrepreneurs in a room together, the networking starts immediately, the noise level rises as interesting conversations take place, and great things happen on the business front - its inspirational!”

- Melanie Hawken, founder & CEO of Lionesses of Africa

This week’s event promises to be a great one, with four successful South African women entrepreneurs coming along to share their entrepreneurial stories, to network with a capacity audience, and to talk about how they have achieved success and overcome the challenges along the way. These include best-selling author and entrepreneur Lori Milner (check out our review of her current book written with fellow entrepreneur and media personality Nadia Bilchuk - Own Your Space), who will be talking about the power of maximising your personal brand as an entrepreneur; and Karen Wessels, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of two successful companies VA Connect and SnapSales, who will be talking about how she manages multiple companies and brands in different locations. As part of this month’s Focus on Africa’s leading Fashionpreneurs, also speaking will be Jacqueline Rogers, founder of Label of Love, a unique maternity fashion brand that is winning over legions of new fans and mums-to-be; and Lilian Muhammed, founder of luxury fashion accessory brand Londre Tan, who will be sharing her experiences of launching a proudly African luxury brand.

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Lionesses of Africa founder and ceo, Melanie Hawken, says of the Lioness Lean In Breakfast series: “There is a real energy at our Lioness Lean In events, as women entrepreneurs at all stages of their business journeys get the opportunity to network and connect with one another, share stories, swop ideas, and of course, do business with one another. Put 50 to 70 women entrepreneurs in a room together, the networking starts immediately, the noise level rises as interesting conversations take place, and great things happen on the business front - its inspirational!”

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The events are based on a successful breakfast networking and speaker presentation format that is highly popular with women entrepreneurs in Africa. The format of each Lioness Lean In is a three hour event, commencing with breakfast and networking, followed by inspirational guest speakers sharing their own entrepreneurial journeys and experiences; often a guest woman artisan entrepreneur is invited to speak and share their brand building story, presenting their unique handcrafted products to the audience; a presentation from the Head of the SB Business Incubator, Jayshree Naidoo, follows; and the event is rounded-off with more networking over coffee and cake.

Get into the Lioness Lean In spirit by watching the video highlights of our monthly events, or book your place at one of our forthcoming events, by clicking on http://www.lionessesofafrica.com/events/ 

In Events Tags Lioness Lean In
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Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy
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Teboho Seretlo, a passion-driven entrepreneur helping SMEs to grow

IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

Image of the Day / Reform Studio

Sustainable fashion accessories…We love showcasing women business innovators, so this morning we are featuring the work of sustainable lifestyle brand, Reform Studio, an inspirational eco-focused manufacturing
Image of the Day /Femi Handbags

Full Bloom Style…Add a touch of summer florals to your wardrobe with one of the beautiful new Bloom handbags from Femi Handbags in Nigeria, founded by Femi Olayebi. With their eclectic pops of colour, there&rsq
Image of the Day / Melvins Teas

Time for tea…If you love tea, then this Cool Chamomile tea from the Melvins Tea brand, founded by Flora Mutahi in Kenya is just what you need. The brand is part of Melvin Marsh International, the Kenyan-based f
Image of the Day / Afropian

Storytelling through accessories…Afropian, the Pan-african lifestyle brand founded by Ethiopean entrepreneur Hortense Mbea, is a rare, fully hand-made in Africa brand. It uses traditional know-how in a modern way t
Image of the Day / AAKS

Vibrant Ghanaian craftsmanship,…We just have to share one of our favourite accessories of the year, this beautiful hand-woven bag created by award-winning designer Akosua Afriyie-Kumi and her AAKS brand in Ghana. We lo
Image of the Day / Ledikana

Contemporary South African Chic…Knowing exactly how to spot a gap in the marketplace is key to the success of any fashion brand, and Mapholo Ratau, founder of Ledikana in South Africa, has achieved that goal. For h
Image of the Day / The 1964 Brand

Modern relaxed fashion…Olakunmi Oni is the founder of The 1964 Brand in Nigeria, a fashion business that proudly promotes self-care through minimalist clothing for the modern woman. Loyal patrons of The 1964
Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Big bold accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The brand c
Image of the Day / ReelFruit
 
Healthy snack treats…We love showcasing Africa’s women agribusiness builders, and ReelFruit, founded by Affiong Williams, is inspirational - it’s the largest fruit processing, packaging and distributi
Image of the Day / Dokmai Rwanda

Made in Rwanda Handbag…A passion for handcrafted accessories, combined with a sense of pride for ‘Made in Rwanda’ products, inspired Dokmai Rwanda founder, Bernadette Umunyana, to create a company
Image of the Day / Reform Studio

Sustainable fashion accessories…We love showcasing women business innovators, so this morning we are featuring the work of sustainable lifestyle brand, Reform Studio, an inspirational eco-focused manufacturing Image of the Day /Femi Handbags

Full Bloom Style…Add a touch of summer florals to your wardrobe with one of the beautiful new Bloom handbags from Femi Handbags in Nigeria, founded by Femi Olayebi. With their eclectic pops of colour, there&rsq Image of the Day / Melvins Teas

Time for tea…If you love tea, then this Cool Chamomile tea from the Melvins Tea brand, founded by Flora Mutahi in Kenya is just what you need. The brand is part of Melvin Marsh International, the Kenyan-based f Image of the Day / Afropian

Storytelling through accessories…Afropian, the Pan-african lifestyle brand founded by Ethiopean entrepreneur Hortense Mbea, is a rare, fully hand-made in Africa brand. It uses traditional know-how in a modern way t Image of the Day / AAKS

Vibrant Ghanaian craftsmanship,…We just have to share one of our favourite accessories of the year, this beautiful hand-woven bag created by award-winning designer Akosua Afriyie-Kumi and her AAKS brand in Ghana. We lo Image of the Day / Ledikana

Contemporary South African Chic…Knowing exactly how to spot a gap in the marketplace is key to the success of any fashion brand, and Mapholo Ratau, founder of Ledikana in South Africa, has achieved that goal. For h Image of the Day / The 1964 Brand

Modern relaxed fashion…Olakunmi Oni is the founder of The 1964 Brand in Nigeria, a fashion business that proudly promotes self-care through minimalist clothing for the modern woman. Loyal patrons of The 1964 Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Big bold accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The brand c Image of the Day / ReelFruit
 
Healthy snack treats…We love showcasing Africa’s women agribusiness builders, and ReelFruit, founded by Affiong Williams, is inspirational - it’s the largest fruit processing, packaging and distributi Image of the Day / Dokmai Rwanda

Made in Rwanda Handbag…A passion for handcrafted accessories, combined with a sense of pride for ‘Made in Rwanda’ products, inspired Dokmai Rwanda founder, Bernadette Umunyana, to create a company

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Tumelo Tshwagong, a South African agri-entrepreneur contributing to finding sustainable local solutions to addressing food insecurity
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Gloria Sellwane Phala, a South African entrepreneur helping clients benefit from the transformative impact of yoga
Nondumiso Leshaba, a South African business builder providing professional business advisory and accounting services to SMEs
Nondumiso Leshaba, a South African business builder providing professional business advisory and accounting services to SMEs
Anneline Lucinda Lopis, an entrepreneur on a mission to grow small scale miners around the African continent
Anneline Lucinda Lopis, an entrepreneur on a mission to grow small scale miners around the African continent
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Gadifele Moeng, a South African entrepreneur empowering young people to find their voices through public speaking

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Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business by Liz Elting
Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business by Liz Elting
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After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup by Julia Austin
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Feminine Intelligence: How visionary leaders can reshape business for good by Elina Teboul
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Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World by Sheena Yap Chan
Authentic Selling: Be Real to Seal the Deal by Kendrick Shope
Authentic Selling: Be Real to Seal the Deal by Kendrick Shope

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