the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Regular readers of this column will recognise that it is highly unusual for us to review books here. We quote to illustrate points we wish to make and then draw people to where they can buy such books to support the authors, but review? Never. That is until now, so pour yourself a Coffee or cup of Tea, and enjoy!
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
We saw the other day a fabulous post on LinkedIn highlighting a recent Lioness Lean In event (here), by one of our extraordinary Lionesses. A total inspiration to us all, Sarah Collins of Wonderbag, has built a global company now on every investors’ wish list, yet the bottom of her post we saw the hashtag, #bootstrap.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Last weekend we looked at our latest South African Women Entrepreneurs Job Creators Survey launched by the Lioness Data Unit (sponsored by ABSA and once more working with New York University to dissect the information), announcing (amongst other things) that of the 1,340 women entrepreneurs surveyed in RSA, they employed a massive 8,503 people, mostly women, and because of this have an incredible impact across their local communities. A clear sign of the multiplier effect of Lionesses (here).
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
We were fortunate enough recently to be invited to listen to various Lionesses as they pitched their fabulous businesses to different Private Equity firms we had introduced. We say ‘fortunate’ because firstly the pitches we heard were absolutely perfect, with the right blend of ‘story’ with detail, and secondly the various PE Firms came back with questions that not only showed their interest, but also their concerns which the Lionesses each answered clearly and with conviction.
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by Teboho Serotlo
Often in my line of business I come across lots and lots of small business owners who are looking for funding for their business. Clearly access to funding is one of the biggest challenges that small businesses are faced with. To begin with, I think the big question is, actually do you really need the funding? Have you looked at other options? What are these other options?
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How to respond when your loan application is turned down and funds are tight....
- Carrol Boyes is an iconic South African designer who has built a global brand. She founded Carrol Boyes (Pty) Ltd in 1991 combining her artistic flair and talent in sculpture with her jewellery experience to create an extensive range of distinctive homeware, giftware, flatware and table top products. Today, her company designs and manufactures a meticulously crafted product range of well over 1000 items and sells over a million items every year. Products are always imbued with Carrol's trademark artistic flair and finesse. The brand is available through her 35 branded shops in South Africa and in over 30 other countries around the world.
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Trust that the funds will always come....
- Kofo Akinkugbe is founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd. She is a highly respected African business leader who has become a market leader in smart card technology and digital security. SecureID is world-class manufacturing company with the only smart card production plant in West Africa and one of only six on the continent. Her company serves 16 countries across Africa and is fully certified by VISA, Verve and MasterCard. In 2012, Kofo won the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Mature Business Award.
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