the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect and co-founder SnappSales
I had the good fortune of attending the Lioness Lean In event last week in Johannesburg. Very inspirational to be in a room of business women who are buzzing with excitement with new product launches and celebrating business growth! As you can imagine, when surrounded by this calibre of women, you instinctively think, “Wow, these women can do it all” and yes more than likely they can. But should they?
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
Each time I speak to someone who renders a service I need for the business but know nothing about, I let them blab on with a straight face and say, ‘ok cool, I heard nothing but proceed’. They laugh; and attempt to explain again. And I start venturing into my happy places filled with waterfalls, meat, whisky and music… then return for the expected ‘uhhmm’. This goes for the accountant, the digital marketing ‘what what’, the furniture creator guy, etc. I tell them you have no clue what ‘arm scye’ means and is needed for in garment construction…wait what is garment construction?
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
People tell me they see I have made it. And I used to respond and say no, not really - I’m still working on it. They don’t believe it. They have their own measurements of success for me of course, and based on them, I have made it. Well, thank God, because if they used my measurements I would be nowhere near success. I have learned to say thank you and receive the compliments; and see them as a small reminder from God that I am doing okay and on the right track.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
In the world of work, we learn to equate silence with doing nothing, and doing nothing is rarely valued as an effective application of professional skill. Since silence is not widely valued, it’s not widely developed. Worse, it’s sometimes knocked out of those to whom it comes naturally. Throughout my career though, I’ve seen that what the very best trainers and coaches have in common is the ability to sit back, observe carefully, and listen intently. Whether applied to yourself or to others, the rare skill of creating and holding silence is worth developing.
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by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect
In the old days, if we were looking for a shoe repairman or a new fridge, the first place we would turn to would be the classifieds or the yellow pages. Remember those times? Nowadays you bring the world to you by means of your mobile phone. Isn’t great how we can search for a curry restaurant, a new stove, a boating holiday, and a friend’s contact details all in one place, on one device?
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by Eldari Visser, Managing Director of Picketfence.Life
If you ask me to join a gym I get a very uneasy feeling. The mere idea of putting myself through pain does not sit well with me. I prefer to go for the sexier options such as dancing or Zumba; or the calmer options like yoga or Pilates. I program my brain that these type of exercises will not hurt as much as going to the gym. Who exactly am I kidding? My body is going to complain, that is a fact. Don’t even mention all the good reasons that I can come up with for not getting started or not going each week.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
They used to say that your co-workers assessed your competence, likability and trustworthiness in about seven seconds, but the latest research conducted by Harvard Medical School suggests that all that happens now in just 250 milliseconds! And that’s all based simply on your appearance – so you really have to ensure you have it all worked out! Here are some tips on how to maximise your physical presence when it comes to meetings and interviews.
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by Mignionette Fair, founder of Edita Services
Authenticity is a word that gets thrown around a lot in leadership, business and life. As with most things in life, we all define authenticity and authentic leadership differently.
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by Tatenda Rungisa, Human Resources Practitioner and co-founder of Twin Connect Solutions
Before I gained experience in my profession from the various sectors I had worked in, I frequently wondered why they were only a few successful women leaders and entrepreneurs. After working in different sectors I realized a few but huge hurdles have led to the demise of women leadership skills in the workplace. Women face challenges daily in their lives and for career women, the main one is that of penetrating into a male dominated sector or taking up roles that are societally termed “for men”.
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Over the last few years we’ve seen the theme of Social Entrepreneurship grow exponentially. From the 23 to 26 January, two awesome female social entrepreneurs from Cape Town returned from the World Economic Forum. They joined many other social entrepreneurs from around the world, ready to open the eyes of traditional business to new ways of using business principles to tackle major issues in our world, such as poverty, marginalization and climate change.
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
There are many things I do that seem selfish to many people; probably because they look like that; and also because behind them, these things are mine only. I have learned all these things are essential for me to stay alive, sane and motivated to complete all the great dreams our clients have. Running a custom-made business is seriously a mind boggler. You have over 300 clients; and have to remember each and every name; each design; each finish; each personality; each account, etc. It can drive you insane, especially at peak business time.
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I have wondered many times, if I am ever in the position to choose an expedition guide for a trip, who would it be? The likes of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Vin Diesel, Bear Grylls, or the steady hand of a game ranger? The most obvious question is ultimately who will die for me? Yes, it is that serious?
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by Leigh Ann Gowland, founder of Employee Driven Change
Have you ever considered the gifts you’ve gained while following your dreams? Despite the sometimes difficult journey as an entrepreneur we remain focused and inspired on creating successful businesses. Lessons from our journey provide personal growth to tackle the challenges of developing a business but also recognition of milestones achieved along the way.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
Forget what the glossy adverts are saying. Your number one essential is not whatever the media decides is this season’s must-have. Your number one essential is something deep within you. Your number one essential is your confidence.
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by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect
There’s an age old expression that goes “Laughter is the best medicine”. You’ve probably heard this expression a hundred times, if not more, in your lifetime. I enjoy a mischievous sense of humour and I get a great kick out of laughing. If you know me or have been in my company for more than 5 minutes, you’ll experience exactly what I mean.
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Every now and then, one lucky, deserving entrepreneur gets their ‘big break’ and with it, the opportunity to go into business with a major corporate. Unfortunately, some are so blinded by their ‘success’ that they don’t properly consider what this new venture may actually entail.
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by Eldari Visser, managing director of Picketfence.Life
We all get excited about any journey be it a holiday, a trip to family or that big jump into the entrepreneurial space. We have established the journey and the destination, we feel motivated. So what must we still sort out? Your head!
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by Leigh Ann Gowland, founder of Employee Driven Change
As a change manager a question I am frequently asked is: “How do you manage strong change resistors?” Resistors are often perceived as negative, avoided and excluded from the change process. They are expected to adapt to the change over time as a consequence of peer pressure, policy or instruction. When the resistor doesn’t have any other choice they will change. As a change manager, I welcome the opportunity to engage with resistors because they care enough about the change to voice their concerns at the risk of being ostracized. They have the potential to become advocates for the change. Understanding and embracing resistors to change can be valuable to you and your business.
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
I hate finishing. The process. But the aftermath is wonderful. I am talking about finishing in fashion design sense. Finishing is a process of … literally ‘finishing the garment’. And it is a lot of work. It includes putting in zips, embellishments which could be 100 little beads, ironing (my pass time hate), putting in buttons, cutting off threads, making sure all stitches are in place; ironing again, putting labels on…etc. So almost like quality control but slowly. It doesn’t matter how fast you are in life, you can never ever hurry finishing. Little things take forever to finish.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece?
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