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Dear Entrepreneur: Start Where You Are by Shemia A Williams

March 12, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Shemia A. Williams

Book Review

In her new step-by-step workbook, Dear Entrepreneur: Start Where You Are, Shemia A Williams is your guide to building a solid foundation for your brand or business, whether you're starting for the first time or catching up. It is a book that combines actionable insights with heartfelt advice—designed to guide entrepreneurs toward success and purpose.


Shemia A Williams, author of Dear Entrepreneur: Start Where You Are, says as an entrepreneur, “You’re not too late. You’re not too old. You’re not too far behind. You’re not too broke. You’re not too shy. You’re not too inexperienced. If you’ve already started and you feel like you need to start over. Do it. Reset. If you’ve started before and it didn’t work out, go to the head of the class. You’re already ahead of the pack. If you’re tired of starting over and you’re ready to make real progress…one step at a time, let’s get to work! If you haven’t started but want to get through the rookie stage more gracefully, this is a great place to start. BUT…If this is going to work, you have to be willing to start. Why not start where you are?

Author Quotes

Perhaps you are the rookie entrepreneur who is just about to start. You want to start strong and learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before you. Or maybe you are what I like to call the experienced rookie. You have entrepreneurial experience and you’ve learned quite a bit along the way. You still, however, need help course correcting, pivoting or rebuilding.

You will be guided through some important considerations that will help you to start where you are, know where you are going, and avoid some of the rookie mistakes that a lot of entrepreneurs make on repeat.

If you are thinking that this will be an easy, overnight process, let me save you some major disappointment in advance. IT WON’T…..Any successful entrepreneur will tell you  that this is part of the journey - especially if you are willing to play the long game.

About the author

Shemia A. Williams is an empowerment enthusiast, entrepreneur, coach and speaker. She is the founder of Borderless Creative Group, headquartered in the Bahamas but serving people worldwide. BCG is an agency that provides brand strategy, design, support and coaching for creatives, experts, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs. She’s most passionate about topics related to personal branding, entrepreneurship, digital skills building, and personal development. Known for her engaging, interactive workshops and practical frameworks, she's collaborated with various government agencies, non-profit organizations, churches, and individuals to provide tools to help millennials and early Gen Z's activate, elevate, and thrive. Shemia is the author of Dear Entrepreneur, a book series that combines actionable insights with heartfelt advice—designed to guide entrepreneurs toward success and purpose—and Arise: Devotions to Embrace Your Season of New Beginnings. When she's not coaching, training, or designing, Shemia enjoys leading worship at her local church in The Bahamas, mentoring budding entrepreneurs in high school, and exploring new ideas in social innovation, education, and collaboration.

www.bigboldborderless.com


Why LoA loves it…

Every successful business is built on a solid foundation, one with the right building blocks in place to ensure it can withstand all the challenges, hurdles and growing pains along the way. But creating that strong foundation takes work, learning, and planning. In her book, Dear Entrepreneur, Shemia A Williams helps guide entrepreneurs to build their businesses and brands by laying firm foundations that are set up for future growth. This is a practical, advice-filled book that is a good read for all those embarking on their entrepreneur journeys. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa

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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


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IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

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Mini Box Tote…We have always been big fans of The Joinery, the sustainable and ethical product design brand based in South Africa founded by Natalie and Kim Ellis, and their exciting Future Tex™ fabric con
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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 / The Joinery

Mini Box Tote…We have always been big fans of The Joinery, the sustainable and ethical product design brand based in South Africa founded by Natalie and Kim Ellis, and their exciting Future Tex™ fabric con Image of the Day / Margaux Wong

Sustainable statement jewellery…We love the strong designs of the hugely talented Margaux Rusita, founder of Margaux Wong in Burundi. This international, multi-cultural jewellery and accessories brand was found

STARTUP STORIES. MEET THE WOMEN WHO’VE LAUNCHED.

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