Entrepreneur Advice from Priscilla Makundi - JUST DO IT because with every time that passes, it will never come back!

August 12, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Daniela Barajas (L) and Priscilla Makundi (R), co-founders of Sote Tunaweza — **Daniela Barajas (L) and Priscilla Makundi (R)**, co-founders of Sote Tunaweza

Don't fall into the trap of putting things off until 'Tomorrow'. Tomorrow never comes!....

"It is time to change. It is time to walk down another street. The first step that you have to take is to believe in yourself. Just decide who you are, who you want to be and go ahead and do it. Start with the resources that you have and do not make any excuses or wait any longer, no matter what challenges are against you. Whenever I used to make excuses not to do something, my father used to say, "Tomorrow? Tomorrow never comes." He meant that if there is anything that you can do today, just DO IT, because tomorrow will come and you will make another excuse not to do what you know you are meant to do. So go ahead and JUST DO IT because with every time that passes, it will never come back. Question is, what are you going to do with your time?"

- Priscilla Makundi is the co-founder of Sote Tunaweza (formerly known as the Pamoja Tunaweza Initiative) a Tanzanian social enterprise she co-founded with Daniela Barajas in 2014, with the support of Middlebury College and the Clinton Global Initiative University. Priscilla has been a member of CGIU for two consecutive years and has committed herself to helping to prevent poverty and promote women’s innovation in emerging markets by empowering them through entrepreneurship and leadership training institutes.

Entrepreneur Advice from Nozuko Teto - Find out what fulfils your soul

August 4, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Nozuko Teto, opera singer and founder of Adesso Enterprises (South Africa) — Nozuko Teto, opera singer and founder of Adesso Enterprises (South Africa)

It's about finding your purpose and working hard to fulfil it....

"Life has no guarantees, find out what fulfils your soul, have a steadfast source of strength, and work hard to achieve what you feel is your purpose here on earth."

- Nozuko Teto is a gifted South African opera singer who is showing the world’s connoisseurs that she is a musical and entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with. Nozuko has founded Adesso Enterprises through which she markets and manages her performances and concerts. Born in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Nozuko obtained her BMUS (Mus.ED.) degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, graduated with a PGDIP (Opera Performance) from the University of Cape Town, and then moved to Italy in 2011 to perfect her performance skills at the Center for Belcanto in Modena.

Entrepreneur Advice from Tetsi Bugaari, Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin - Starting a business can be very challenging

July 31, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Tetsi & Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin, founders of Buqisi-Ruux (Kenya) — **Tetsi & Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin**, founders of Buqisi-Ruux (Kenya)

Starting your own business can be a bumpy road....

"As it is said and written everywhere, starting a business can be very challenging. You can have the best morning, and yet by the next hour, you might not know where you went wrong. My first piece of advice would be to never give up, always remember your end goal, and despite what challenges come your way, always remember why you started this business in the first place and push through it."

- Tetsi & Lynn Bugaari and Nuba Elamin are the co-founders of Buqisi-Ruux, a shoe brand from Kenya that designs and produces high-heeled shoes covered in bold and colourful African print material. The Buqisi-Ruux brand also celebrates the success of the African continent and its women, as each shoe is named after an inspirational African woman and her story is shared with the world.

Entrepreneur Advice from Tiisetso Skosana - You need to make the right connections

July 30, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Tiisetso Skosana, founder of Lotjhani Branding (South Africa) — **Tiisetso Skosana**, founder of Lotjhani Branding (South Africa)

Strategic networking and making the right connections is essential....

"One thing we have learned so far is that is necessary to be highly strategic in our approach, doing our homework on the people, companies and organisations we wish to contact, attending the right events, and then using every platform and avenue available to us to make the right connections."

- Tiisetso Skosana is the founder of Lotjhani Investments, a South African company specialising in brand strategy, copywriting and design. Tiisetso achieved her degree in Communications Management specialising in Creative Brand Communications and a postgrad in Business Administration. She has experience in a variety of creative disciplines: as a copywriter and brand strategist in advertising agencies to magazine and online writing as well as digital and public relations management.

Entrepreneur Advice from Johanette van Niekerk - You have to believe in yourself and what you are doing

July 26, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Johanette van Niekerk, founder of Sew Good Handmade (South Africa) — **Johanette van Niekerk**, founder of Sew Good Handmade (South Africa)

You need to believe in yourself and what you are doing....

"If you are going to be able to achieve success, and sell what you create, you have to believe in yourself and what you are doing. I know and understand what makes people look and feel good when it comes to jewellery and what connects with them emotionally. I love it when someone wears a piece of my jewellery and they get that incredible smile on their face when they put a necklace around their neck, or a bracelet on their wrist. People appreciate creative people who work with their hands to make beautiful things, so if you are a creative entrepreneur you should channel that emotion and that positive feedback into your work and use it as a source of inspiration."

- Johanette van Niekerk is the founder of Sew Good Handmade South Africa a company that designs and produces a unique range of jewellery and accessories. Johanette has worked for herself ever since she finished studying design at the University of Pretoria and has always been involved in the design and fashion industry. The inspiration for the pieces that Sewgood Handmade produces comes from the raw materials Johanette uses, which come from all over the world - whether that material is wood, glass or a semi-precious stone.

Entrepreneur Advice from Faraja Nyalandu - Women need to believe in themselves

July 9, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Faraja Nyalandu, founder Shule Direct (Tanzania) — **Faraja Nyalandu**, founder Shule Direct (Tanzania)

Women need to believe in themselves....

"We have all heard what we are capable of. Now, we just need to own the accolades. I have met women who have all the details figured out, but they are still too scared to take the next step. They just need to take that leap of faith. Believe in yourself and believe in your ideas. So long as they are solving a problem, you are on the right track."

- Faraja Nyalandu is an inspirational edupreneur and the founder of Shule Direct in Tanzania. Her company creates local and accessible digital educational content for Secondary School students designed around the Tanzanian National Curriculum. She has built an adaptable platform to make this content available on a range of devices from the most basic mobiles to full-featured desktop learning portals.

Entrepreneur Advice from Mary-Anne Grobler - Never give up on your dream

July 3, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Mary-Anne Grobler & Kara Furter, co-founders of Matter of Fakt (South Africa) — **Mary-Anne Grobler & Kara Furter**, co-founders of Matter of Fakt (South Africa)

Giving up is not an option....

"Just don’t give up - if you think it is not working, you just have to keep pushing and never give up on your dream."

- Mary-Anne Grobler is the co-founder of Matter of Fakt, an up-and-coming South African jewellery design brand that specialises in crafting raw, semi-precious stone pieces. Mary-Anne originally trained as an art director and worked in the advertising industry for a few years. But, she always knew that she wanted to build her own brand and take control of its destiny.

Entrepreneur Advice from Asma Dukanda - You need to manage your own expectations

July 1, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Asma Dukanda, founder of Mokopu (South Africa) — **Asma Dukanda**, founder of Mokopu (South Africa)

You need to manage your own expectations as a new startup....

"It is not easy - I planned a lot, and saved up my money ready for the day I was to launch. You forget that in the initial stages it is slow, and you have to remember that you are building a new business and a brand. In all the initial excitement and with so much to do, it is easy to forget that you are a new startup and you are often tempted to raise your own expectations to impossible limits, or to look at others that are so much further down the business journey than you are and wish you were there already, so you have to continually remind yourself that you are just starting out on your own journey and that it takes time to become established. One of the key challenges is to manage your own expectations."

- Asma Dukanda is the founder of Mokopu, a South African startup company, launched in December 2014, that designs and produces a range of baby products and clothing, and specialises in locally sourced and created products. The name Mokopu comes from the South-Sotho word for Pumpkin. Asma is a qualified civil engineer who has reinvented herself as an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur Advice from Dr. Jennifer Riria - Find your passion

June 16, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Jennifer Riria, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding — Dr. Jennifer Riria, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding

My message to Africa’s young aspiring business people and entrepreneurs...

"What are they passionate about? What can you die for? That is the first thing they should find out and go die for it."

- 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.

Entrepreneur Advice from Ashley Heather: Your intuition is a powerful a tool

June 16, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Ashley Heather, founder of Ashley Heather Jewellery — **Ashley Heather**, founder of Ashley Heather Jewellery

Have patience and trust your inutition....

"Have patience. Ask for advice but also be prepared to disregard it - your intuition can be as powerful a tool as all the best business books combined. Be kind to yourself."

- Ashley Heather is the founder and creative force behind Cape Town-based Ashley Heather Jewellery. All her jewellery is handcrafted at her Woodstock work+shop using precious metals reclaimed from circuit boards by a small refinery in South Africa. Ashley takes great care about every aspect of the craft and is constantly striving for the most sustainable studio practices from the manufacturing processes right through to the packaging.

Entrepreneur Advice from Amorie Daubern: When you feel like giving up - Don't!

June 12, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Amorie Daubern, founder of Volhart — **Amorie Daubern**, founder of Volhart

Coping with the many challenges that you will confront as an entrepreneur....

"When you are on your entrepreneurial journey, and you are facing challenges and feel like giving up, don’t - just keep going and remember you are only half-way through your journey. Get through your challenges and then you will see the results and get that satisfaction that no money in the world can buy."

- Amorie Daubern is an interior architect and the founder of Volhart, a company that creates beautiful and unique, handmade and environmentally friendly homeware and stationery items. Armorie's products are inspired by the breath-taking beauty and indigenous character of the country she so loves - South Africa.

Entrepreneur Advice from Amy Sinovich: There is no set formula to follow

June 11, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Amy Sinovich, founder of Resonate by amy — **Amy Sinovich**, founder of Resonate by amy

Trust the process and be prepared to keep learning....

"There is no set formula to starting a business and no two businesses will ever be the same, so my advice is trust your instincts and make decisions based on what feels right for you and your business, not based on what other people are doing."

- Amy Sinovich is an incredibly talented South African jewellery designer and the founder of Resonate by amy, a company that designs and manufactures bespoke jewellery. Amy is a graduate of the University of Johannesburg and the Ruth Prowse School of Art and in 2012 she was selected to exhibit as part of the Emerging Creatives programme at the 2013 Design Indaba.

Entrepreneur Advice from Eunice Cofie: You've got to believe in yourself

May 26, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Eunice Cofie, founder and CEO of Nuekie, Ghana — **Eunice Cofie**, founder and CEO of Nuekie, Ghana

Starting a business is not easy, but you need to believe in yourself....

"Starting a business is not easy. I think the hardest thing for me in the beginning was believing in myself and my abilities. I would tell women who want to start a company to believe in themselves and their business idea. When you believe in yourself you can work wonders."

- Eunice Cofie is the founder, President and Chief Cosmetic Chemist of Nuekie, an innovative health and beauty company that combines traditional African medicine and modern science to develop products and services to meet the unique needs of people of colour. Eunice harnesses her passion for science to make a difference to people’s lives and, at the same, building a new global health and beauty powerhouse. Eunice is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry/molecular biology.

Entrepreneur Advice from Dr. Jennifer Riria - Mentorship, like any good business plan, needs to be structured and done in levels

April 16, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Women need to see that it can be done....

"My definition of mentors is people who will get women to move to the next level. It is not the ones who say ‘be good and be nice,’ no. Whatever it takes to move you to the next level, take it. Mentorship is a slow process, perhaps even slower for women being mentored into leadership roles because they will also be breaking the barriers of culture and the ladders of tradition at the same time."

Entrepreneur Advice from Alison Stewart: Calculate your risks

March 19, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Alison Stewart, co-founder of FEAT. sock, South Africa — **Alison Stewart**, co-founder of FEAT. sock, South Africa

My top advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs....

"Plan properly, take risks but make sure they are calculated risks."

- Alison Stewart is co-founder of FEAT. sock a startup building a new designer sock brand with a global appeal. Her aim: to brighten up people’s daily footwear with beautiful, lovingly made, and ultimately fun socks. She is passionate about supporting local industry, so all her company's socks are proudly made in Cape Town, South Africa.

Entrepreneur Advice from Swaady Martin: Building a brand takes creativity and lots of hard work

January 22, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Swaady Martin-Leke, founder of YSWARA — **Swaady Martin-Leke**, founder of YSWARA

It takes creativity, commitment and hard work to build a successful brand....

"We are aiming at creating a globally recognized luxury brand so there is never a moment of rest. We are and need to constantly push the limits of excellence, creativity and beauty. We are constantly benchmarking ourselves to the global brands and know we still have some work to do."

- Swaady Martin-Leke, an Ivorian entrepreneur, is founder of YSWARA, a growing African luxury brand. YSWARA creates elegant, high-end products using the continent’s natural resources, all produced by African artisans. Products include gourmet tea, chocolates and home and accessories collections such as homeware, spoons, home fragrances and artisan jewellery. Swaady aims to capture a true spirit of African luxury by reviving Africa’s endangered cultural heritage and unique ancestral craftsmanship. YSWARA is present in 4 countries -- South Africa, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and France -- with 15 different direct and indirect retail points.

Entrepreneur Advice from Sibongile Sambo: Being a good communicator improves your chances of success

January 13, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Being a good communicator improves your chances of success as an entrepreneur ....

“Being able to communicate with people at different levels has probably benefited me most in my career.”

- Sibongile Sambo is a pioneering woman of South African aviation. She is founder and Chief Executive Officer of SRS Aviation Ltd., the first 100 percent black, female-owned aviation services company in South Africa. Launched in 2004, SRS is an integrated provider of private aviation services offering South African and international clients professional and personalized flight options including VIP Charter, tourist charter and helicopter services, to destinations around the world. Today, the company also provides maintenance, sales and fleet management services to private jet owners.

Entrepreneur Advice from Pam Golding: Women must trust their special skill .... INTUITION

January 8, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Ladies, trust your female intuition....

“Never doubt we women have a special skill - one that we call intuition … it’s that inner voice that will be your strongest mentor.”

- Pam Golding is one of Africa's most successful women entrepreneurs and an icon of the real estate industry. She founded Pam Golding Properties in South Africa in 1976 with no start-up capital and just a single sales assistant. The company now has over 300 offices in Africa as well as international offices in the UK, Germany, France and Mauritius. It is one of South Africa’s largest independent property trading companies with 2010 turnover of US$1.7 billion. Pam is now retired from active management, but remains the Life President of the company she founded.

Entrepreneur Advice from Anna Savage: Sometimes you need to just roll with it

December 29, 2014 Melanie Hawken

Anna Savage (top left), co-founder of I Heart Market, Durban — **Anna Savage (top left)**, co-founder of I Heart Market, Durban

Sometimes you just need to allow your business to evolve....

"Starting a business is like creating a human life. There is a gestation period, infancy and then at some point the business turns into a teenager and takes on a personality of it’s own. At this point, it is necessary to re-evaluate the direction that the business is taking. Sometimes, it is not the direction that you hoped but it’s what the public is demanding. This is the point at which you have to trust and just roll with it. It’s not an easy thing to allow the business to evolve into it’s own beast!"

- Anna Savage is the owner and co-founder of the popular I Heart Market in Durban. Since its humble beginnings in 2009, this now renowned market has mushroomed in popularity, becoming a favourite with Durban locals and visitors alike. Anna has managed to bring together a colourful celebration of local talent, fresh foods and quirky decor and design and she strongly endorses authenticity, originality and clever craftsmanship.