Bootstrapping – the often “unsung hero” of funding your business

May 17, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Teboho Seretlo

It is no secret that there is a huge challenge in access to funding generally and specifically for women-owned businesses. In fact, I recently read somewhere that the funding gap globally is $300 billion for funding women-owned businesses. Access to traditional funding remains skewed, with women entrepreneurs receiving a fraction of available capital globally. We therefore need to look at other means, where possible, of funding, especially our start-ups, on our way to building our businesses.

Six important pieces of learning and educating yourself as an entrepreneur

May 17, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Helena Naitsuwe Amadhila

Lifelong learning is the New Paradigm of Education (NPE). This paradigm breaks the paradigms of an outdated educational system. The journey of learning never genuinely ends for committed, and impactful entrepreneurs. Engaging in ongoing education helps entrepreneurs stay unlimited and relevant in a rapidly changing and growing business terrain. Entrepreneurs are required to understand market trends, technological advancements, and paradigm shifts in consumer behaviour. By educating yourself as an entrepreneur, you can pivot your strategies effectively and protect your business from potential challenges and economic loss.

Zanele Njapha, a transformational business leadership coach

May 17, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

The UnLearners, a South African personal and professional development company that helps individuals and organizations thrive through change.

Zanele Njapha is the CEO of The UnLearners and a leading voice on transformation, unlearning, and future-fit leadership. Known as The UnLearning Lady, she helps individuals and organizations navigate change with courage and clarity. A former teacher turned global keynote speaker and coach, Zanele equips people to let go of limiting beliefs and step boldly into what’s next. Her work is a rallying call to learn, change and grow, fearlessly.

What we're loving this week

May 11, 2025 Melanie Hawken

What we’re loving this week

In this week’s spotlight on all things Woman Made In Africa, we are showcasing Africa’s talented and innovative women entrepreneurs who are creating sustainable, quality products that discerning and impact-driven customers want to buy. Catching our attention this week are: 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 continues to catch our attention; Kebe Home, founded by Manuela Kamadjou, an interior architecture and design entrepreneur who transforms homes and spaces in Cameroon through her business; Rio Largo Olive Oil in South Africa, owned by Brenda Wilkinson and husband Nick, the multi-award-winning olive oil brand that makes you think about sunny days and beautiful olives ripening on trees; Zashadu, a leading British/Nigerian luxury brand that specializes in hand-crafted leather pieces using local sustainably sourced leathers, founded by Zainab Ashadu; and Mariée Eventos, a leading specialist wedding event planning and special occasion floral business in Mozambique.

Lioness Launch / South African advanced ingestible skincare brand, Lumelastin, launches new anti-ageing elastin supplement to help women reclaim skin elasticity

May 11, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Maritha Broschk, founder, Lumelastin (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Lumelastin, founded by Maritha Broschk, and based in South Africa, has developed a range of advanced ingestible skincare products rooted in science and designed to restore skin health from within. It’s flagship product, Lumelastin Skin Reverse, is an anti-ageing elastin powder supplement designed to help women reclaim skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and support joints, hair, and vascular health. This first-of-its-kind ingestible elastin supplement, is clinically proven to deliver significant anti-ageing effects such as smoother, firmer, and younger-looking skin. By adding one scoop a day of Lumelastin Skin Reverse to your coffee, smoothie, fruit juice or any other beverage of choice, hot or cold, you should start seeing results within a month.

Aasiyah Adams, a visionary South African tech founder helping individuals and organisations to thrive in the digital economy

May 11, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Aasiyah Adams, founder, Abaguquli4IR (South Africa)

Startup Story

Aasiyah Adams is the founder of Abaguquli4IR in South Africa, a business focused on empowering individuals and organisations to thrive in the digital economy by equipping them with cutting-edge technology skills and practical digital tools. The business’s mission is to unlock economic opportunities for those traditionally left behind—closing the gap by providing future-ready skills, access, and support. Launched in 2020, the business has created jobs for 6 people.

Komeshni Patrick, a tech legal consultancy founder empowering forward-thinking tech businesses to grow

May 11, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Komeshni Patrick, founder and director, ZellaTech Law (South Africa)

Startup Story

Komeshni Patrick is the founder and director of ZellaTech Law, a tech legal consultancy in South Africa founded in 2022 and focused on empowering tech businesses across Africa. An admitted attorney with over 20 years of experience, she’s worked with multinational corporates, public sector and international tech clients across Africa and the Middle East. Passionate about innovation, championing women in tech and advising on regulatory compliance, emerging innovation, digital policy, privacy and data protection. She participates on several boards and fora driving inclusive digital development. Komeshni mentors tech entrepreneurs, contributes to local and international incubation programs and women in tech initiatives, internet governance and digital transformation. Her business has created jobs for 5 people to date.

Mekdes Mesfin, a proudly Ethiopian fashion designer and manufacturer

May 11, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Demii Design, an Ethiopian clothing design and manufacturing business creating beautiful, high quality cotton garments

Mekdes Mesfin's story begins in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was born and raised. Today, she stands as the founder and ceo of Demii Design, a clothing line that represents a significant chapter on her entrepreneurial journey, which also includes her involvement in two other ventures within the fashion sector. While her academic background is rooted in civil engineering and business management, disciplines she pursued at university, Ms. Mesfin's professional path diverged from the conventional corporate trajectory those degrees might suggest. She launched the business during the Covid pandemic in 2019.

SOS – A Navigation Guide for Women at Work by Lidewij Wiersma, Chantal Korteweg, Tessel van Willigen and Marijn Wiersma

May 10, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

SOS – A Navigation Guide for Women at Work, written by Lidewij Wiersma, Chantal Korteweg, Tessel van Willigen and Marijn Wiersma, is a transformative handbook that tackles the common challenges faced by women in the workplace. Combining a delightful blend of wit and wisdom, the book explores 18 themes such as health, bias, conflict, humor, language, guilt and leadership. This lighthearted yet practical guide is designed for women and their allies. Featuring extensive research and insights from four intergenerational authors, SOS reshapes the definition of success, challenges outdated norms, and advocates for workplaces where every voice is valued.

Dumpster diving for data: Are you an easy target?

May 10, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Jenny Reid

In today's digital age, where personal security and privacy are more critical than ever, safeguarding your identity extends beyond online practices. In South Africa, the contents of your rubbish bin can easily become a source of vulnerability, exposing sensitive information to identity thieves without you ever realising it.

Performance Management: Team Engagement: Processes That Empower Individuals and Co-workers

May 10, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Dr Michélle Booysen

“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” – Simon Sinek

Engaged teams are the engine behind successful customer experiences and business growth. When processes are designed to empower individuals and foster collaboration, teams become more motivated, productive, and accountable. Empowerment through process means giving teams clarity, autonomy, and the tools to succeed.

On Forging Character

May 10, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Dr. Memuna Williams, DBA

I have been really fortunate in my life. Today, my siblings and my mum from the family I grew up in are among the closest people to me. We regularly celebrate the life of my father, who was a huge influence on me, showering me with his unique brand of love. I couldn’t have been luckier in finding a life partner in my husband, Victor. Together, we have three amazing young men who are finding their way in the world. Through the careers of my father and husband, as well as some of my own experiences in education and work, I have had the opportunity to enjoy many wonderful experiences around the world. It has been truly great.

Why Curiosity Will Take You Further Than Certainty

May 10, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Margaret Hirsch

If there’s one quality that has kept me moving forward, through decades of business, changing economies, and personal growth, it’s curiosity. Not certainty. Not having all the answers. Not even a flawless plan. Just the simple willingness to ask, “What if?”

What we're loving this week

May 4, 2025 Melanie Hawken

What we’re loving this week

In this week’s spotlight on all things Woman Made In Africa, we are showcasing Africa’s talented and innovative women entrepreneurs who are creating sustainable, quality products that discerning and impact-driven customers want to buy. Catching our attention this week are: Mash T Design, founded by Thabisa Mjo, whose dramatic lighting pendants make any room unique; Mariee Eventos, the special event management company from Mozambique, founded by Iris Lezi Munguambe, whose floral artistry and venue decor makes memorable eventing moments for her clients; Adèle Dejak, founder of the Kenyan handmade luxury brand that carries her name and creates beautifully crafted and designed jewellery and accessories for the modern, sophisticated and multi-dimensional woman; Amorambique in Mozambique, designed by founder Patricia Vasco, a proudly Mozambican brand of accessories and footwear made entirely by hand by local artisans and using capulana as the favourite raw material; and Glo Creations in Rwanda, founded by Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera, a unique textile design and printing company specializing in creating African inspired quality textiles for garments and home interiors.

Emilia Chisango, a multi-faceted business empire builder

May 4, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Emilia Chisango, founder and Chairman, Hempac Group (Zimbabwe)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Hempac Holdings, a business group offering solutions and services needed by local communities, and creating jobs in Zimbabwe

Emilia Chisango, a trail blazing chartered accountant and multi-award winner is the visionary founder and Chairman of Hempac Group. With just over 3 decades of experience in both corporate and entrepreneurship worlds, Emilia has made a mark through the journey travelled. At 27, she broke barriers as the first black female partner at KPMG, also becoming the youngest ever partner at the firm. At the age of 36, she went on to make history as the first female president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe (ICAZ) in its 90 year old history then, and also became its youngest ever president. The Hempac Group comprises a fitness equipment retail outfit, a school (comprising ECD up to high school), clothing manufacturing unit, and the Agrobusiness unit. Having founded Hempac in 2009, Emilia only left the corporate world to concentrate on her businesses in 2021. Today, the business has created jobs for 100 people.

Unstoppable Entrepreneurs: 7 Paths for Unleashing Successful Startups and Creating Value through Innovation by Lori Rosenkopf

May 4, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

In Unstoppable Entrepreneurs, Lori Rosenkopf, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship at The Wharton School, shatters these limiting perceptions, revealing an array of entrepreneurial paths that are open to anyone with the drive to create value through innovation. Drawing from her thirty-year career and interactions with more than 20,000 students, Rosenkopf offers a compelling roadmap for entrepreneurial success.

Lebo Biko, a South African champion of women-led innovation in Africa’s agri-food value chain

May 2, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Lebo Biko, co-founder, Oya Foods (South Africa)

Startup Story

Lebo Biko is the co-founder of Oya Foods, part of Oya Group, which champions women-led innovation in the agri-food value chain. Founded in 2020, Oya Foods produces African-inspired, shelf-stable dried foods using ingredients primarily sourced from women farmers and suppliers. The company’s mission is to reduce food waste and modernize indigenous food systems. With over 25 years of experience in strategy, marketing, and governance, Lebo is passionate about sustainability, inclusive growth, and driving meaningful change. Through Oya Group, she is helping build a future where women thrive, African food culture is celebrated, and innovation transforms food systems.

Hon. Tiguidanké Traoré, a visionary entrepreneur harnessing the power of female leadership to create positive social change

May 2, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Hon. Tiguidanke Traore, founder, ToutesLeaders (Guinea)

Startup Story

Hon. Tiguidanke Traore is the change-making founder of ToutesLeaders in Guinea, a non-partisan citizen movement committed to reinvigorating democracy through the power of female leadership. Its shared values are: social justice and entrepreneurship.She is a graduate of the ISSIC School of Journalism in Dakar, Senegal, specializing in Corporate and Social Communication. After gaining extensive experience in administration as an administrative employee for the municipality of Chaudfontaine in Belgium, she embarked on a business venture in 2010 by creating her own label, "COCOSTYLE," which promotes community living through inclusive fashion inspired by Afro-European cultures. She launched her own e-commerce business and participated in the civic engagement of the African diaspora by leveraging the rich cultural diversity in the Liège region (BELGIUM). She also invested internationally by opening her first showroom in Casablanca, Morocco. She has created jobs for 120 people through her business and organisation.

Are you using a reliable integrity tool for your hiring process?

May 1, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Jenny Reid

In today's competitive job market, having the right tools for employee screening is essential. One tool gaining popularity in South Africa is the integrity test offered by iFacts, the official provider of these assessments from INTEG. These tests focus on reliability, validity, and fairness, ensuring organisations can effectively evaluate potential employees.

The science of influence: How great mentors transform lives

May 1, 2025 Melanie Hawken

by Ntsoaki Sibiya

Have you ever met someone who changed the trajectory of your life with just a few words? Maybe it was a teacher who believed in you when no one else did. Or a leader who saw potential in you that you hadn't yet recognized. These individuals weren’t just advisors; they were influencers in the truest sense. They understood the science of influence—the art of shaping perspectives, nurturing potential, and igniting transformation.

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