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Cape Town’s women entrepreneurs lean in for inspiration and great business networking

November 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken
L-R: Kgotso Masekwameng, Simone Musgrave, Melanie Hawken, Jesslyn Schlamm, Vicki Bain

L-R: Kgotso Masekwameng, Simone Musgrave, Melanie Hawken, Jesslyn Schlamm, Vicki Bain

On a beautiful sunshine filled day on 10th November, in the shadow of Table Mountain, 100 women entrepreneurs from across the Western Cape gathered together for the last Lioness Lean In Breakfast event of the year in the city. The venue was once again Workshop 17 in Cape Town’s bustling V&A Waterfront area. In prospect was a morning filled with inspirational startup story sharing from successful women business owners, and great business networking.

 

As with every Lioness Lean In event across the African continent, the aim of this latest  event in Cape Town was to bring women entrepreneurs together from all business sectors and backgrounds to share their personal startup stories, to hear inspirational women entrepreneurs speaking about their personal business journeys to success, to connect with each other for future business and collaboration, and to do some serious networking. And, given the incredible energy and noise levels of women deep in conversation from the minute they arrived, the whole concept of ‘leaning in’ to share ideas, swop stories, and do business, was absolutely understood by everyone.

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The event kicked off with a great buffet breakfast, immediate networking, and lots of entrepreneurial story and business card swopping. The main programme got underway with a welcome from Melanie Hawken, Lionesses of Africa founder and ceo, who spoke about the critical role women entrepreneurs are playing in shaping a new and dynamic business environment in the country and on the African continent as a whole. She said: “At every Lioness Lean In event we host across Africa, we see women who are building truly game changing businesses in their countries. They are creating great products that celebrate the continent’s raw materials and resources, they are generating employment for the people in their communities, and they are helping to put Africa on the global map as they take their world class product and service offerings to the world.”

The theme for the morning was on brand building, and the first guest speaker to share her story was Jesslyn Schlamm, founder of the growing natural skincare brand, Lulu and Marula. She talked about the journey of building her brand organically for the first three years, to the point where it could take off and expand nationally and globally. Next up was Simone Musgrave, the inspirational founder of Musgrave Gin, a fast growing, hugely popular brand and the home of a unique pink gin that is exciting the world’s tastebuds right now. She shared her experiences of what it takes to build a new brand in a highly competitive marketplace and how to stand out in it. The last speaker

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Vicki Bain, founder of Chocoloza, not only shared her wonderful story of creating her unique brand of lovingly handcrafted, African flavour infused chocolates, but also gave everyone attending the opportunity to sample them for themselves. This was one sure fire way of winning over new friends and customers on the morning. Finally, to talk banking and financial support offerings to women entrepreneurs, was Kgotso Masekwameng, manager, small enterprise, Standard Bank Western Cape, and her team of women banking specialists. 

The morning’s formal proceedings ended with lots more networking, business connecting, and of course, sharing of entrepreneurial experiences. It was another great event in a vibrant city that celebrates entrepreneurship.

To find out more about the Lioness Lean In events, go to our website www.lionessesofafria.com/events

Event Photo Gallery - view and download hi-res photos

Lioness Lean In Breakfast Event - Cape Town Fri 10 November 2017

Event Twitter Moments

Thank you Cape Town for a great #LionessLeanIn on 10 November 2017
In Events Tags Lioness Lean In
← ESSENTIAL READ: Clay Water Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most with the Least by Jessica JackleyQuote of the Day by Johanna Mukoki →

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


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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 / Eki Silk

Silk Serenity…Nothing is quite as luxurious as silk, that’s why we love the ‘Africa on Silk’ collections from Eki, founded by Hazel Eki Osunde. Her latest Deep Dive Collection is inspired by the p Image of the Day / The Nanjala Company

Pot plants delivered… Give gifts that will last, such as these stunning plants in individual pots from The Nanjala Company in Kenya, founded by Teresa Nanjala Lubano. This online store creates customized Image of the Day / Sari for Change

Sustainable Sari Glamour - If you want to wear a robe that makes you feel and look glamorous, then Rayana Edwards, founder of Harem in South Africa, has a range of fabulous robes all made from sari fabrics. She has Image of the Day / MonChoco

Pure chocolate heaven…If you are a chocolate lover, then you need to experience raw chocolate at its finest, and Dana Mroueh, founder of MonChoco an artisan chocolatier in Côte d’Ivoire, has just what y Image of the Day / Mulandi Brindes

Say it with flowers…If you want to make someone feel special, then there is no better way than with the gift of fresh flowers, and Mulandi Brindes in Mozambique, founded by Vanessa Guilherme Nhabete, creates Image of the Day / Mariée Eventos

The Wedding Planner…Every big celebration day needs great organization, and that’s where Iris Lezi Munguambe, founder of Mariée Eventos in Mozambique, is your go-to person. She launched he Image of the Day / Dounia Home

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