Entrepreneur Advice from Sonia Mugabo: Find that one thing that you are really passionate about and go for it

April 1, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Sonia Mugabo, founder of Sonia Mugabo (SM), Rwanda — **Sonia Mugabo**, founder of Sonia Mugabo (SM), Rwanda

Find that one thing that you are really passionate about....

"My advice would be to find that one thing that you are really passionate about and go for it, it won’t be easy and even when you succeed, stay humble and remember to use your talents to serve others. At the end of the day it is not about you, but what you are doing for your people and your community. For me it is about creating jobs, and building a successful Rwandan Brand."

- Sonia Mugabo is the founder of Sonia Mugabo (SM), Rwanda , a fashion brand established in 2013. It was born out of Sonia’s strong interest in design; and the desire to tap into the existing local artisan talent to make high quality men and womenswear. Sonia Mugabo develops 2 collections each year, and all year round makes bespoke items for its clientele. A pioneer of Rwanda’s fashion industry; Sonia is setting the standard for Rwandan fashion in global and local markets.

April is Focus on Women Fashionpreneurs Month

April 1, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Africa’s creative women fashionpreneurs are putting the continent on the global map through their unique designs and approach to entrepreneurship and all this month Lionesses of Africa is celebrating the continent’s leading women in the business of fashion.

Bernadette Umunyana - The startup story of a Rwandan leather fashion accessories company committed to Fair Trade principles and the training of young people

March 30, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Bernadette Umunyana, founder of Dokmai Rwanda — **Bernadette Umunyana**, founder of Dokmai Rwanda

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 and a brand that would celebrate the skills and raw materials of Rwanda. Today, her company is producing a range of high quality leather fashion accessories that are proudly made and designed in Rwanda, and custom tailored to meet the needs of the brand’s discerning customers.

Essential Read: 'The Accidental Entrepreneur - The Juicy Bits' by Janine Allis

March 30, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Janine Allis, entrepreneur and author — **Janine Allis**, entrepreneur and author

The Accidental Entrepreneur tells the incredible and inspiring story of Janine Allis' journey from adventurous backpacker to becoming one of the world's foremost global businesswomen. In chronicling the challenges and triumphs of her story, Janine reveals step-by-step the essential tips for budding entrepreneurs wishing to change their life and turn their business dream into a highly-successful reality.

Sonia Mugabo - The startup story of a fashion entrepreneur in Rwanda, building a strong men and womenswear brand that celebrates local artisan craftsmanship

March 30, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Recognising the high potential of the Rwandan fashion scene, and having a passion for mainstream and bespoke clothing design, was the inspiration for Sonia Mugabo to make the move and establish a new and exciting fashion company in the country. Her label, Sonia Mugabo (SM) is winning legions of new fashion conscious fans along the way.

Quote of the Day by Dr. Jennifer Riria

March 29, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Jennifer Riria, CEO Kenya Women Holding — **Dr. Jennifer Riria**, CEO Kenya Women Holding

“You need to believe that tripping is not falling. You trip, you get up and you move on. Sometimes you break a toe, you wrap it and you move on.”

- Dr. Jennifer Riria is the Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding and one of Africa's leading women entrepreneurs who has always been on a mission to transform the lives of women and their families in her native Kenya. She is distinguished as a microfinance banker and practitioner, researcher and gender specialist. She has served in many leadership roles for which she has been recognized locally and internationally. In 2013 she was awarded the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the year, East Africa 2013, and subsequently, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2014, at which point she was admitted to EY’s Global Hall of Fame.

Video: Tabitha Karanja - If women are empowered they will go places and can play an important role in growing the economy of their country

March 27, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Tabitha Karanja, founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries in Kenya, talks about the importance of empowering women and allowing them to play a key role in growing the economy in their country.

Quote of the Day by Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe

March 23, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe, co-founders of Uzuri K&Y (Rwanda) — Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe, co-founders of Uzuri K&Y (Rwanda)

"Don't have fear - no matter who you are and where you are from, your dreams are real and you should make it your business to achieve them."

- Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe are co-founders of U zuri K&Y in Rwanda, a company creating beautiful handcrafted shoes with a unique Rwandan aesthetic. These two former college classmates shared a passion for fashion and a desire to start a business venture that would create much needed jobs for their community. Despite little means, they decided to kickstart their business whilst still studying, launching Uzuri K&Y back in 2013.

Quote of the Day by Tabitha Karanja

March 22, 2016 Melanie Hawken

“We have fought countless battles and we seemed to have sunk at times, but true to the word we believed we could make it, we rose above the barricades and the story is now told of how we made it and won the war.”

- Tabitha Karanja is founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries. She is one of Kenya's leading entrepreneurs, a remarkable trailblazer and an example of a woman made good against all the odds. Tabitha chose to venture where none before her had dared. She took on an 87-year-old business monopoly and entered an industry with a deeply entrenched male gender stereotype. Tabitha broke the mould to become Kenya’s first home-grown beer and alcoholic drink manufacturer. Today, her company's state-of-the-art factory produces 10,000 bottles of gin and ready-to-drink vodka, as well as 15,000 bottles of beer per hour.

Quote of the Day from Lindiwe Zulu

March 21, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Lindiwe Zulu, Small Business Development Minister, South Africa — **Lindiwe Zulu**, Small Business Development Minister, South Africa

"Small and Medium enterprises have got an important role to play in the economic transformation of our economy and in particular for women because once women have economic independence then they are able to take the right decisions even more for their families and for society in general,”

- Lindiwe Zulu is the Small Business Development Minister in South Africa. She is Member of the ANC Women's League NEC. Zulu returned from exile in 1992 having lived in Tanzania, Uganda and Angola. She did military training in Angola while with the Pan Africanist Women's Organisation. She holds a Master of Arts degree.

PODCAST: Shingai Nyagweta, founder of KuNa Kids, talks about her children’s clothing company in South Africa celebrating local textiles

March 20, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Listen to LoA’s interview with Shingai Nyagweta, founder of KuNa Kids, recorded at the Lioness Lean In Breakfast event in Johannesburg on 17 March where she was sharing her startup story with the audience.

Essential Read: 'Count Me In!: Connection, Collaboration and Community in Business Networking & Female Entrepreneurship' by Shari Reinhart

March 20, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Count Me In! is a great read for the wannabe, emerging, steady-on-her-feet female entrepreneur doing something to turn her dreams into reality. It is filled with practical advice and wisdom, with exercises to help readers to develop their networking skills, at the same time as developing their personal and social brands, their websites and their infomercials.

Uche Pedro wins the award for ‘Best Blogger – Africa’ at the 2016 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards

March 20, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Bella Naija founder, Uche Pedro won the award for ‘Best Blogger – Africa’ at the 2016 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, 12 March at The Forum in Inglewood, California. This talented Nigerian blogger and online media entrepreneur won the award ahead of other African bloggers including, Sylvia Kamau (Kenya), Aisha Baker (South Africa), and Theodora Lee(South Africa).

Leading Ugandan entrepreneur Alice Karugaba wins CEO of the Year Award at the MTN Uganda Women in Business Awards

March 19, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Alice Karugaba, founder of Nina Interiors receives her award

On 18th March, MTN Uganda announced the winners of the 2016 edition of the annual MTN Women In Business Awards which were established to honour outstanding women who are leveraging the power of technology to better manage their businesses. This year, MTN gave women in business an opportunity to not only profile their businesses on a grand platform but also to showcase innovative ICT solutions working in businesses in Uganda.

REVISITED - Thokozile Mangwiro - The startup story of a South African skin care entrepreneur, launching a new natural hair care company

March 19, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Thokozile Mangwiro, founder of Nyla Naturals (South Africa) — **Thokozile Mangwiro**, founder of Nyla Naturals (South Africa)

In 2015, Lionesses of Africa featured a wonderful young startup company, Nyla Naturals, the brainchild of creative entrepreneur Thokozile Mangwiro. Today, one year on, so much has happened in the life of this great young company and entrepreneur, and a new natural hair care product line, Nilotiqua, has been launched which is just as exciting.

Jozi’s top tech-preneurs to win R5 million in startup support for great ideas

March 18, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Potential tech-preneurs who come up with technology solutions to everyday Jozi problems stand the chance of turning their digital ideas into viable business opportunities.

How to remain motivated when the going gets tough

March 18, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Business can be tough – maybe you’re having a rough day, things aren’t going your way, a client is giving you a hard time, a staff member didn’t pitch for work again, deadlines are looming and projects aren’t being signed off.

Quote of the Day by Deola Sagoe

March 18, 2016 Melanie Hawken

"We don't need aid, we need partnerships. We cannot continue to be a beggar nation. I have always believed you shouldn't give the man the fish, but teach the man how to fish and he will be able to take care of himself and others."

- Deola Sagoe, leading lady of African fashion, is a haute couture fashion designer from Ondo State in Nigeria. Deola has been at the cutting edge of high fashion since 1989 and became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week, back in 2004. Her "globally appealing" style has earned her an enviable clientèle that ranges from Africa's first ladies, to society girls like Lydia Hearst, top model Alek Wek, and famous personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.