the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Tapiwa Matsinde, founder of atelier 55
In times of crisis, we seek to connect to those who have been through or are going through what we are facing. Their stories are comforting, helping us to see that we are not alone, and give us a thread of hope that we too will make it through. And that is why sharing your story matters now more than ever because there is someone out there who is waiting to hear it and form that connection with you.
Read more
by Marlese Wallis, founder of MIES body products
My company, MIES body products, manufactures natural bath and body products made from plant based ingredients, which are not tested on animals or bad for the environment. My heart has been devastated by this hard blow on all of us due to COVID-19. As you, I think of my family who depend on me; I think of my employees who depend on me for their families; and it is just plainly stressful! Although I feel I am not ready to write an article, I feel it is also important for others like me to see that there are others like you in business, taking this massive blow.
Read more
by Paula Quinsee
If you're anything like me, then perhaps you are already starting to feel the impact of being in lock-down. Most days I wake up enthusiastic and ready to tackle my day and task list, but it does seem to be getting harder and harder each day as we head further into our extended lock down.
Read more
by Phindile Tapula, Founder and Director of Bhekizenzo Foundation
As women we love clothes, we want our hair and skins to always look refreshed and healthy. I recently had an event themed around the frustrations and blessings of being a woman. The ladies shared that weight really influences their confidence. Skin problems was a topic where the ladies wanted to have more information on skincare as pimples and uneven skin really influences their confidences.
Read more
by Yolanda Ndhlovu, founder of Essy Sandisiwe
When I was in university, 2 years ago, I wondered how my life would end up. I was worried. My academics were bad as I was involved with student activism and part-time jobs. I was a full-time student that studied part-time.
Read more
by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
In this time where most of us are ‘stuck’ at home, there are a lot of things we suddenly have to do ourselves. I have seen many many posts about how tedious it is to have to cook every day and more than once a day. A lot of us were at work, in an office for most of the day; we either packed lunch to work or just grabbed a sandwich from the tuck shop. Well, suddenly we have to cook breakfast, lunch and supper. For some, it is for an entire family vs you living alone for most of the year.
Read more
by Adv. Lufuno Khorommbi, Cyber Law Consultant and MD: Orizur Consulting Enterprise
Did you know that using public WiFi increases your online vulnerability? Public WiFi comes as a great relief to many internet users since it relieves them from the burden of having to pay for data to access the much-needed internet services. These free services are conveniently available in public places like airports, restaurants, hotels, malls, etc in that promoting amongst others users’ productivity and mobility.
Read more
by Natasha Singh-Ally
Together we are conceiving of the complexity and fragility of the living ecosystem we have always been a part of, but perhaps never before so harshly experienced.
Read more
by Ronel Jooste CA(SA), Financial Consultant, Speaker and Author of ‘Financially Fit and Wealthy’
Covid-19 certainly calls for extreme measures. The financial impact on individuals and businesses is extreme. The impact on the economy is extreme. Individuals and businesses are desperately looking for solutions to carry them through the lockdown period as well as the recovery phase thereafter. Most banks and other credit providers have offered payment holidays. Payment holidays are a welcome relief and definitely one solution to consider. It is however important to fully understand what a payment holiday entails and what the impact is over the longer-term.
Read more
by Ronel Jooste CA(SA), Financial Consultant, Speaker and Author of ‘Financially Fit and Wealthy’
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has announced an interest rate cut of 1% (100 basis points) effective from March 2020. The interest rate cut brings the repo rate down to 5,25% and the prime lending rate to 8,75%. This follows the previous cut of 0,25% that was announced three months ago in January 2020 bringing the repo rate to 6,25%. The cut in the interest rate is in response to a South African economy struggling for quite some time now.
Read more
by Natasha Singh-Ally, Founder: Business Ecology
Together we are conceiving of the complexity and fragility of the living ecosystem we have always been a part of, but perhaps never before so harshly experienced.
Read more
by Karen van Zyl, Founder & CEO, VA Connect and SnappSales
If you Googled “always be closing” the first page will bring up results of Alec Baldwin’s monologue in a dated movie called Glengarry Glen Ross. There was a lot of hype back then regarding this ABC monologue. And if you ask around today they’ll tell you this mind-set dead.
Read more
by Catia Mondlane
The new Coronavirus pandemic has forced most of us to stay indoors, and having to work from our homes seems to be the only way out to survive the current situation. As bad as things seem to get, I truly believe that there is a bright side out of the bad news we have been seeing and hearing about what is going on around the world.
Read more
by Mandisa Makubalo, founder and managing director, Unlimited Experiences SA (Pty) Ltd
Pandemics may take months, sometimes years, to reach their full destructive potential. Let us look at how small businesses can re-structure themselves in a restructured marketplace. It would be rather risky and naïve to neglect the fact that COVID-19 has resulted in a restructuring across the globe from an economic, social and political perspective.
Read more
by Lori Milner
We all wear many hats – the parent hat, friend hat, work hat, child hat, etc. most of us identify strongest with our work hat because this takes up most of the day to day actions. We spend most of our time at work and therefore this shapes us greatly. If I ask you to tell me about yourself, you will probably answer ‘I’m a marketing manager, I’m an Executive, a PA, Sales Manager, etc. but what happens when this has been taken away from you or the role has shifted dramatically. Some people have completely lost their jobs during this time or their roles have been shifted to online and made them feel obsolete. For some people, like coaches or trainers, the transition is pretty smooth. But if your job was face to face or required you to be in a physical location to operate, your whole world has been rocked upside down.
Read more
by Eldari Visser founder of Picketfence Life
For the longest time I have been playing with the idea to write this blog. Then time and Covid-19 got hold of me.
Read more
by Tania Reid
The world has been caught up with a new challenge in the form of COVID-19, which has brought about a disruption in the way we do things. The old way of doing things has changed forever, and new things like social distancing, self-isolation, business unusual, church unusual, ‘everything’ unusual, have become the norm. The old saying, ‘The only constant is change’ has become so relevant in these ever-changing, uncertain times, and we have all realized that there is no room for anything as usual anymore.
Read more
by Gabrielle von Ille, Founder and Managing Director of Lifa Communications
In the world we used to know we measured a country’s wellness simply by its GDP; mother nature cried out for help giving us various signs we ignored; we worshiped the wrong heroes; mental issues and pills were on the rise; our food consisted of E numbers; we created only with the intent to monetize or go viral; we were materialistic beyond measure; and most importantly, our values seemed to be completely out of whack. Surely, we were connected through technology and social media but actually we were more disconnected than ever.
Read more
by Thato Mokhothu-Ramohlanka
The Corona Virus outbreak has quickly introduced a new way of living that most of us never imagined possible. While some people are better prepared for unknown eventualities such as the Covid-19 pandemic more than others, many others will find that they have not prepared adequately for the weeks ahead. Unfortunately, the playing field is not always level. In some instances life does not provide us with the tools to help us prepare for tough times. Unemployment is one of those brutally unfair conditions that deny people the opportunity to provide security for times such as these.
Read more
by Ronel Jooste
The year 2020 was earmarked to be the ’20-plenty’ year. A year filled with great expectations, abundance, growth, achievement and joy. The outbreak of covid-19 brought those expectations to a sudden halt. It almost feels unreal that a virus can have this significant impact on the entire world. The world is in ‘shut-down’ mode. No more travelling, schools and multiple businesses are closed, many employees work from home, big events are cancelled etc. The impact of covid-19 on the economy, businesses and individuals will be phenomenal.
Read more