the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
I have been thinking for almost 6 months about a lot of the processes and events I have had in business; obviously wondering what I have done right and wrong. This is due to the fact that after 5 years I woke up one day and felt like I was depleted. Physically, mentally and emotionally depleted; the kind that needs a holiday with my mom on a quiet island, untapped without WIFI. I’m exaggerating…ok, ok, but I’m not lying.
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by Saajidah Esat
Being productive is key to our success as entrepreneurs, yet somehow, amidst the endless list of tasks that we tackle daily, we still end up with that nagging feeling that we need to be doing more. Whether it’s finding new clients, setting up your online pages, managing them and then some, you appear to be one of the busiest women around, the one that’s always doing something.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
As the world has gotten more complex and technology more advanced, instant 24/7 communication is rampant. As a consequence, most people take little if any time for introspection. How many times have you heard yourself or others say ‘I wish I had time to think’. For me, journaling is the invitation to sit inside my mind and actually figure out what’s going on. It’s a space of safety; a means to trap my thoughts on paper so I can get out of my own way. Sometimes I don’t really know what I’m thinking until I write it down.
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by Phindile Dhlamini-Motshegwa
If you consider it realistically, falling out of balance doesn’t really matter. In fact, I’ll argue that it’s inevitable, bearing in mind the different phases of life we find ourselves in. What I think is more important is how we choose to find our way back to centre – moment-by-moment, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month.
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by Kulani Shiluvane, Founder and Chief Consultant at Shiluvah
Be an entrepreneur they said, it will be fun they said – said no one EVER!!!
And that is because entrepreneurship is hard and guess what, it’s meant to be hard and that is exactly why only a few that start actually ‘finish.’
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by Nereyda Ah-Hoy
Since I decided to live my spirituality more fully and share it with the world, the most recurrent question I have received has been: "But what does it mean to be Spiritual? And how can you reconcile this with the material part of Life?"
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South Africa is home to a number of innovators, creators and entrepreneurs. We boast the likes of Charlize Theron, Elon Musk, Nelson Mandela, Lebo Gunguluza, Raymond Ackerman, the Oppenheimers – the list goes on. Recently, the country has also seen a significant uptick in technology entrepreneurs. The ecosystem has evolved and although the fraternity requires more support, the efforts by particular parties such as Knife Capital, Kalon Ventures, alongside supportive corporate programmes such as Alpha Code, Standard Bank Incubator, Startupbootcamp, to mention only a few, has been commendable.
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by Nthabiseng Mokone, CA (SA), Tax Practitioner, Wealth Manager & Entrepreneur Owner: MMCP Wealth and MMCP Business Advisory Services
The freedom and flexibility of being self employed comes with its own challenges and risks. These can however be mitigated and when that is taken care of, as an entrepreneur you can say you are truly free. Most entrepreneurs are the business and any chance that they are unable to work, will drastically affect their business. As a self-employed professional, I have first-hand experience in the effects of an illness and trauma on my business.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
There is magic in a morning routine. If you can train yourself to wake up even 30 minutes earlier, you open up a quiet space for yourself when the family are asleep. We find ourselves saying, ‘I don’t have time to think’. This time doesn’t open up for us out of nowhere (unless a meeting suddenly cancels) so we have to carve out a dedicated time in our calendar for the things we want to take ownership of and that truly matters to us. For me, mornings are the best place to do this. Exercise is part of my world and has been for over 25 years. The only time I can get this done is 5:30 before I take my kids to school.
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by Seno Namwandi
Names enable us to identify different people, places, countries and things. Birth certificates, title deeds or other legal arrangements often legitimatize these names. Similarly, business names enable us to identify one enterprise from another. Business names are legitimized through the intellectual property system called trademarks.
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by Thandekile Moloko, Wealth Coach & Wealth Manager
Scaling, which is also synonymous with economies of scale, is a business term which in its truest form means expansion. It is being able to be profitable when demand has increased for your services or goods. It is the ability to increase supply and still maintain or reduce costs. In scaling your business, you need to make sure that your expenses work for you and produce the ultimate profits.
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by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman
Stuck in a financial rut? Maybe too much debt, too much retail therapy, too much of a people pleaser, too little money, or just not sure how to take control of it all? Financial freedom is within your grasp. By changing your outlook, you can change your life.
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by Laura Camacho
Working in the professional development and communication coaching world for over 20 years, it’s apparent that there are patterns of communication, and patterns of business success. I venture to say to there is more variety in the type of businesses that stay profitable, but they all manage to find and serve clients.
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by Yolanda Ndhlovu, founder of Essy Sandisiwe
“Noise is good if it's energising and supporting you doing your thing — if the market is cheering you on, and your voice is being heard, that's great noise. If it's music that sings it's way to your thing, that's noise you need.” — Lucy Loves Business
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko (South Africa)
Last year I decided to make my sister a long lasting birthday gift, something I believed she could keep for a long time. So I decided to get her a 100% leather bag set. I got this idea after seeing some leather items at a market one Saturday afternoon (done by a supplier from Bloemfontein with a long track record and equipment to produce and engrave). Their quality was amazing and I took their contact details. I had an idea to make her a weekend bag, a hand bag and a wallet. Then I would find a way to personalize it so she always knows it’s from her big sister.
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by Deborah Hartung founder of Pivot PeopleTech (South Africa)
I recently read an article about the increased levels of stress and anxiety being experienced by Millennials, especially, due to the fact that we are always ’on’ and always connected to absolutely everything that is happening in the world and at work.
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
A month ago I decided it was probably time to look for help again. This was driven by the fact that I had been off work for a few weeks due to personal struggles and was more than just behind on everything. Plus this, I had a wedding coming up. So the panic and anxiety and my friends made me do it! Well, great advice from them, though I was in no space to be my 100% self. I needed help, as any other human being does on this earth. I needed to hire.
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by Phindile Ndlovu, Founder and Director of Bhekizenzo Foundation
Confession time. What is it that you do that stops you from being the best version of yourself? Let’s cut out the buzzwords and be real - what are doing to stop you from living the life you want?
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by Claudia Castellanos, ceo, Black Mamba Chilli
Being an entrepreneur is very hard (I usually use a stronger word to describe how hard it is, but for decorum’s sake I will revert to the word “very” this once!). It is so hard, and in so many ways, that you must have a great reason to become one, or a great motivation to keep pushing when things get tough. Finding that reason, that deep purpose, is crucial to succeed.
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by Marjón Meyer
Over the past few months I have been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness and generosity from the various "tribes" I belong to - family, my book (and wine) club, fellow trail runners, friends living far and wide across the globe, fellow students, clients and colleagues. Because sometimes we are in a season of giving and later again in the season of receiving.
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