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the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs

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Graced By Grit: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide To Starting A Business With Power, Passion & Purpose by Kimberley Caccavo and Kate Nowlan

December 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken
Kimberly Caccavo &  Kate Nowlan

Kimberly Caccavo & Kate Nowlan

Book Review

Are you afraid that you will fail? Do you really want to start your own company; you are women, it will be difficult. These were comments entrepreneurs Kimberly Caccavo and Kate Nowlan heard when they decided to stop talking about creating a company and buckled down and went for it. In their new book, Graced By Grit, The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide To Starting A Business With Power, Passion & Purpose, two ambitious (and gritty) entrepreneurial women share their experiences and tools so that you can realize your dream and start your own business. 

This is a fun, inspirational and engaging tool that will guide you to start your business.Graced By Grit is a quick, fun read that will walk you through the steps you need to get your business or non-profit started from gathering your courage, helping you find ways to fit it in your schedule and developing a plan to make your dream a reality. Graced By Grit provides you with the tools to build your business and shares stories of the incredible and inspirational women the authors met while successfully starting, building and selling their company.

Author quotes

For an enterprise of any kind to survive beyond those critical first three years, it’s essential to have perseverance.

Your dream is a block of marble. You need the tenacity to chip away at it every single day to turn it into a beautiful monument to your soul.

Having guts is about accepting failure, learning from it and continuing to try. Sometimes being gutsy is about fighting against yourself or naysayers to achieve what you know in your heart to be right.

About the authors

Kimberley Caccavo brought technology and business experience to Graced By Grit. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA from UCLA. She has had a rich and varied career during which she designed metals used in the space shuttle; did research on ceramic heat engines; ran a telephone directory business; helped privatize a Latin American phone company; started a cable company; worked in Hollywood; and had her own consultancy helping launch businesses. Kimberley is married and has two teenage children.

Kate Nowlan Kate received her BA in Sociology and Psychology from UMass Amherst. As an entrepreneur, she owned her own company, Absolutely Organized, that organized small businesses and homes. She launched, coached, and grew a youth and masters swim program at a private health club in Plymouth, MA. Upon moving to Southern California in 2008, Kate was a youth and masters swim coach and an executive for The Boys and Girls Club in which she planned and ran events, coordinated fundraisers, ran the day to day office operations, and launched new revenue-driving community programs. In addition, she privately coached women and women's running groups. Kate and her business partner, Kimberly, were inspired to start GRACEDBYGRIT while training for a triathlon. They realized there was a lack of high-performance athletic apparel for 30-60-year-old women that made them feel safe, look great and protect them from the sun. They started GRACEDBYGRIT in 2013 and sold the company to HYLETE in 2018. Kate was hired as the VP of Brand Experience for HYLETE. She brings a female voice and narrative to the HYLETE brand focusing on expanding the women's product offering at HYLETE and elevating the emotive, relatability and relevance to the brand voice. Kate takes the first female seat at the executive table at HYLETE. Kate lives in Encinitas, California with her fiance and two teenage daughters.

www.gracedbygrit.com


Why LoA loves it….

Every woman entrepreneur knows all too well how tough it is to start and grow a business, and one of the characteristics often found in successful women business builders is grit. In their new book, Kimberley Caccavo and Kate Nowlan share their very personal journey and demonstrate just how important having real grit has been to their business and brand building success story. The book aims to share the secret of how to cultivate and harness grit in order to reach our entrepreneurial goals, using the inspirational stories of women who done just that. This is a great read for any women entrepreneurs who are passionate about their businesses, but just need the inspiration and tenacity to take them to the next level. - Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa

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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


LATEST PODCASTS

Lioness Radio Show Interview: Listen to Mr Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of the African Guarantee Fund, discussing the journey from Bias to Bankable - AGF’s Case for Financing Women Entrepreneurs.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

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Luxury statement 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
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An elegant floral gifting idea… Mariana Agness Francisco Eria is a creative force in contemporary floral design. Her business, The House of Agness, is a luxury florist and gifting boutique nestled in Map
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Minimalism x artisan craftsmanship…If you are looking for a contemporary women’s ready-to-wear and bespoke fashion brand interweaving minimalism with artisan craftsmanship, then look no further than Abi
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Chilli Heaven…Spice up your life and your favourite foods by cooking up some great chilli-based recipes using some of the finest chilli sauces and new Hot Honey from Black Mamba Foods in Eswatini. The comp
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Image of the Day / Rokus London

Sculpted statement jewellery…If you want to make a statement with your accessories, then these uniquely crafted pieces by Rokus London, a fine jewellery brand founded by Marie-Paule Tano, are just for you. Roku Image of the Day / Eva Sonaike

Vibrant interior design…The striking new interior designs by Eva Sonaike caught our eye this morning. Like the rest of the world, we love the African aesthetic which is increasingly finding its way into global i Image of the Day / Kunjina

Statement designer fashion…We are big fans of Kunjina in Ethiopia, the fashion brand founded by the talented Kunjina Tesfaye in 2017. She launched the brand while she was a university student studying construction t Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis Image of the Day / FiveStars Africa

African Cycling Style…Who says cycling and style don’t go together? If you are a cycling enthusiast and you want to look and feel good whilst you are are on the road, then take a look at the seriously Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement 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 Image of the Day / The House of Agness

An elegant floral gifting idea… Mariana Agness Francisco Eria is a creative force in contemporary floral design. Her business, The House of Agness, is a luxury florist and gifting boutique nestled in Map Image of the Day / Abiola Olusola

Minimalism x artisan craftsmanship…If you are looking for a contemporary women’s ready-to-wear and bespoke fashion brand interweaving minimalism with artisan craftsmanship, then look no further than Abi Image of the Day / Black Mamba Foods

Chilli Heaven…Spice up your life and your favourite foods by cooking up some great chilli-based recipes using some of the finest chilli sauces and new Hot Honey from Black Mamba Foods in Eswatini. The comp Image of the Day / AAKS / Luxury accessories…We just have to share one of our favourite accessories of the year so far, this beautiful hand-woven bag created by award-winning designer Akosua Afriyie-Kumi and her AAKS brand in Ghana. We love se

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