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The Female Founder Formula: A Real-Life Roadmap to Nailing Entrepreneurship by Helen McGuire

February 9, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Helen McGuire

Book review

Helen McGuire, entrepreneur and author of The Female Founder Formula: A Real-Life Roadmap to Nailing Entrepreneurship, believes that most women start businesses motivated by passion or purpose. She says they are driven to tackle the bigger issues or to provide a better way of life for themselves and their families. However, as most business books are written by men – they don’t take purpose or lifestyle into account. Having been successful as an entrepreneur while raising a young family over the last decade, Helen wanted to write the book she wished she'd had when she started out as a female founder with babies, a busy family life, and just an idea.


The Female Founder Formula: A Real-Life Roadmap to Nailing Entrepreneurship by Helen McGuire is an honest, hand-on-heart roadmap that takes a clear-eyed, no-nonsense view of real-world biz and life challenges. Upbeat, tongue-in-cheek, and frank, it’s filled with advice, successful strategies, and inspiration for the entrepreneur who wants to get ahead, get real, and get going.

Author Quotes

I wrote this book for everyone out there who believes in building a business with true, meaningful impact whilst balancing all that life stuff along the way.

No matter where you are on that journey - at idea stage or looking to scale and sell, consider this your tried and tested roadmap to seeing your purpose make its mark on the world.

I want you to learn through my experience, to enable you to create your own roadmap in an efficient and timely way. You will then be in a position to apply some of the learnings to rocket your own business toward success.

About the author

Helen McGuire is the founder of two award-winning tech companies and among the 0.5% of women to have successfully had their business acquired. Her second co-founded company is now integrated globally, making the recruitment process more equitable for candidates everywhere. Reiki + CBT qualified, she lives in Dubai with her husband, three children and cat and now supports founders to pursue their own success.

www.helenmcguire.co


Why LoA loves it…

Trying to juggle the demands of raising a family with building a business can be tough at the best of times. But having a roadmap to guide you, written by someone who knows from first-hand experience how to successfully navigate the ups and downs of business and family life, can undoubtedly help. Helen McGuire’s book, The Female Founder Formula: A Real-Life Roadmap to Nailing Entrepreneurship, is a really practical read, filled with advice and personal experience, all aimed at helping women entrepreneurs to forge their own path to success. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa

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IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

Image of the Day / Nebü

Pure gold heritage…Helen Viljoen is the founder of Nebü, a transparently priced, pure investment-grade gold jewellery brand inspired by and made in South Africa. Helen creates legacy pieces for clients that w
Image of the Day / Afropian

Statement dressing…If you want to make a fashion statement, then how better to do that than with this dramatic bark-cloth dress by Afropian, the Pan-African lifestyle brand founded by Cameroonian entrepreneur Horte
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Marvellous macrame…We have always been big fans of the uber-talented Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, co-founder of luxury Zimbabwean accessory brand, Vanhu Vamwe, together with husband Simba Nyawiri. This show-stopping co
Image of the Day / Midunu Chocolates

Chocolate love…We are big chocolate lovers at Lionesses of Africa, so we love these beautiful looking and fabulous tasting chocolates from Midunu Chocolates in Ghana, handcrafted by entrepreneur and chocol
Image of the Day / Adele’s Mohair

Mohair magic….Lovers of fine mohair will adore these beautiful, luxury yarns, courtesy of Adele’s Mohair, founded by Adele Cutten in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. She has built a highly succes
Image of the Day / Kwesh

Relaxed style…We love these stylish yet relaxed Kwanza pants and matching tops from Juliana Nasasira, the Ugandan fashion designer and founder of Kwesh. Juliana launched Kwesh in 2012, a fashion brand focused on creat
Image of the Day / Dvyn Treat Batamba’s

Premium Coffee Experience…We love a great cup of coffee in a morning at Lionesses of Africa, and so we are fans of Dvyn Treat Batamba’s great coffee brand in Mozambique, co-founded by Emilia
Image of the Day / Eloli

African luxury couture…For those who want to stand out from the crowd, Dibo Ndumbe Eyoh, co-founder and co-creative Director of Eloli, an award-winning luxury African fashion brand in Cameroon, has just what you need.
Image of the Day / Happy Coffee

Happy Coffee Experiences…If you are a fan of great coffee you will love Happy Coffee, founded by Princess Adeyinka Tekenah in Nigeria. She is a Coffee Entrepreneur and a Mom, and the founder of this growing ind
Image of the Day / Yococo

Vegan ice-cream heaven…If you are ice cream lovers like we are here at Lionesses of Africa, you will love the vegan ice cream from Yococo in South Africa, created by the talented Sinenhlanhla Ndlela. She is proving t
Image of the Day / Nebü

Pure gold heritage…Helen Viljoen is the founder of Nebü, a transparently priced, pure investment-grade gold jewellery brand inspired by and made in South Africa. Helen creates legacy pieces for clients that w Image of the Day / Afropian

Statement dressing…If you want to make a fashion statement, then how better to do that than with this dramatic bark-cloth dress by Afropian, the Pan-African lifestyle brand founded by Cameroonian entrepreneur Horte Image of the Day / Vanhu Vamwe

Marvellous macrame…We have always been big fans of the uber-talented Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, co-founder of luxury Zimbabwean accessory brand, Vanhu Vamwe, together with husband Simba Nyawiri. This show-stopping co Image of the Day / Midunu Chocolates

Chocolate love…We are big chocolate lovers at Lionesses of Africa, so we love these beautiful looking and fabulous tasting chocolates from Midunu Chocolates in Ghana, handcrafted by entrepreneur and chocol Image of the Day / Adele’s Mohair

Mohair magic….Lovers of fine mohair will adore these beautiful, luxury yarns, courtesy of Adele’s Mohair, founded by Adele Cutten in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. She has built a highly succes Image of the Day / Kwesh

Relaxed style…We love these stylish yet relaxed Kwanza pants and matching tops from Juliana Nasasira, the Ugandan fashion designer and founder of Kwesh. Juliana launched Kwesh in 2012, a fashion brand focused on creat Image of the Day / Dvyn Treat Batamba’s

Premium Coffee Experience…We love a great cup of coffee in a morning at Lionesses of Africa, and so we are fans of Dvyn Treat Batamba’s great coffee brand in Mozambique, co-founded by Emilia Image of the Day / Eloli

African luxury couture…For those who want to stand out from the crowd, Dibo Ndumbe Eyoh, co-founder and co-creative Director of Eloli, an award-winning luxury African fashion brand in Cameroon, has just what you need. Image of the Day / Happy Coffee

Happy Coffee Experiences…If you are a fan of great coffee you will love Happy Coffee, founded by Princess Adeyinka Tekenah in Nigeria. She is a Coffee Entrepreneur and a Mom, and the founder of this growing ind Image of the Day / Yococo

Vegan ice-cream heaven…If you are ice cream lovers like we are here at Lionesses of Africa, you will love the vegan ice cream from Yococo in South Africa, created by the talented Sinenhlanhla Ndlela. She is proving t

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