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Lionesses of Africa

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Lessons from Burnout into Lockdown

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Kathy Mann, Author & Speaker

A few years ago, I experienced a burnout. I developed a stress-induced autoimmune disease and suffered from chronic fatigue for three years. It had a significant effect on my life. Lately, with South Africa being in lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I have noticed a few similarities and differences between that period of my life and now.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Kathy Mann, BU Wellbeing & Mental Health
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It makes good business sense to invest in women

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Dr. Linda Zuze, founder and director, Chimango Research

As a researcher, I get to wake up every day and to ask questions for a living. One of the most consistent findings that I’ve encountered over the years is that women’s success benefits a lot of people around them. Children have a better chance of attending school, being fed and living in a safe environment. It is true that there is far greater recognition about the importance of the gender angle when discussing inequality than there has been in the past.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Linda Zuze, BU Capital & Fundraising
Comment

Harness the power of your positive aggression journey

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Mbalenhle Ndaba

A positive aggression journey is to breathe your way into a peaceful state. Aside from spiritual paradigms about peace and harmony, which I am convinced are the only lasting way to sustain peace, there are several things we can do to enter a more relaxed state. In the journey of positive aggression, every individual should know how to master their emotional equilibrium. Winners do not dwell on what is wrong, they work on what is next.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Mbalenhle Ndaba, Mindful Entrepreneur
Comment

5 tough things to talk about with your future co-founder

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Claire Keet Pollock and Sinal Govender, Co-Founders of pop.law

Like choosing the person you marry or have babies with, choosing a business partner is not a decision to be taken lightly. The romance of any honeymoon period wears off, but none so quickly as the business partnership honeymoon. If you’re a fast moving entrepreneur, then you’ll know that seizing opportunities and getting some skin in the game fast is extremely important. This means that your relationship with your co-founder/s will need to evolve quickly. Moving out of the fun ideation phase of a business into difficult startup territory puts massive pressure on people who are in business together. The foundations of your partnership will become really important and it helps to have at least spoken about some of the following things.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Sinal Govender & Claire Keet, Founders, Getting Started
Comment

Effective invoicing is critical for your cash flow management

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Ronel Jooste

Many business owners find the invoicing process quite tedious and this is also a process that many businesses neglect. Invoicing is, however, a critical process for your cash flow management.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Ronel Jooste, Financial Management, BU Cash Flow
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What is the Pandemic offering you? 

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Kathy Mann, Author & Speaker

In the first week of 2020, I drove from my home in Johannesburg to Durban to spend a week interviewing my grandmother about her life for a book. It was fascinating to hear about how life was as a teenager for my grandmother during the Second World War in England.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Kathy Mann, Resilience
Comment

Emotional Contagion 

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Dr Ashika Pillay

It’s not just the virus that’s contagious…

With the advent of COVID-19, most people have become familiar with concepts related to infectious disease, how viruses are spread and transmitted. However, beneath the real threat of the virus and its impact on our health and wellbeing, lurks another infectious disease. Anxiety and fear are real threats that pose a massive risk to us.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Ashika Pillay, BU Wellbeing & Mental Health
Comment

Coronavirus Anxiety 

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Julia Ranzani

Every now and then when I check the CORONAVIRUS WORLDOMETER or hear NEWS ABOUT COVID-19. I get this ice cold fear running down my spine. I can’t help it, my mind jumps to horrific images inspired by silly doomsday action movies. So for a moment I’m overwhelmed with CORONAVIRUS ANXIETY.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Julia Ranzani, BU Wellbeing & Mental Health
Comment

Ignore the NO, focus on the YES

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

Two weeks ago I submitted my writing to an organization that is looking for content writers. I was referred by a friend. After 2 weeks I was about to ask if they had received my work for the opportunity but I received the reply first. And it was a NO. I will admit, I feared that it was a no before I opened the email; I tried to reprimand myself. Why am I expecting the worst? Well I did receive the worst.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Brigette Mashile, Perseverance
Comment

Top 10 Keyword Research Tools To Boost Your Organic Traffic

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Wuraola Ademola-Shanu

If people can’t find your site on search results, you are missing out on traffic, leads, and most importantly, sales!

One of the best ways to solve the problem of low traffic is with keyword research tools. Google uses keyword as an important SEO ranking factor. This is because searches only find content that Google thinks is relevant to what they are searching for.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Wuraola Ademola-Shanu, Digital Marketing
Comment

Why is criticism bad for a relationship?

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Paula Quinsee

You might’ve heard of Maslow’s hierarchy and having to meet our basic needs of food and shelter being key for our survival. Well, as human beings one of our other basic needs is to be loved and accepted for who we are – especially when it comes to our relationships.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Paula Quinsee, Personal Development, Communication Skills
Comment

Confinement and the mind

July 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Zilia Ximenes

Knowing the difficulties that everyone is going through because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this article is not to speak specifically of the pandemic, but of the effects on the mind of each individual impacted by it.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Zilia Ximenes, BU Wellbeing & Mental Health
Comment

Opportunities Knock despite Covid-19 Crisis

July 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Ronel Jooste

Despite the financial stress, uncertainty and knock-on impact the covid-19 crisis is causing for the economy, businesses and households, there are also multiple opportunities for people to create wealth for themselves amid the crisis. Looking at history various companies that have grown into massive multi-national companies were in fact born during a time of recession – Microsoft, General Electric, General Motors, Disney, IBM and the Hyatt Hotel Group to mention a few.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Ronel Jooste, BU Inspiration & Motivation
Comment

Post-Pandemic Growth 

July 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Kathy Mann, Author and Speaker

I recently wrote the story of my grandparents’ love and their life together that spanned seven decades. I travelled to the coast early January and interviewed my 94-year-old grandmother about her life and how they fell in love. My husband stayed behind to feed the cats and to work, so the week was an opportunity to soak up the female company of my grandmother, mother, aunt and my two little girls. We laughed, we shared and we bonded. There is something special about being in the presence of multiple generations of women.

Read more
In Guest Blog, Business Unusual Tags Kathy Mann, BU Inspiration & Motivation
Comment

7 Reasons Why Content Marketing Is Queen 

July 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Wuraola Ademola-Shanu

If you run a business in today’s day and age, one simple fact remains - you cannot turn away from digital marketing to survive and thrive. One of the best ways to grow in the online world is Content Marketing.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Wuraola Ademola-Shanu, Marketing
Comment

What entity is best for running my business

July 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Claire Keet Pollock and Sinal Govender, Co-Founders of pop.law

Deciding which entity to use to run your business is a lot like buying a car. There are quite a few options and it can be a bit overwhelming working out if you need the Range Rover or if a good old bakkie will do. There are many things to consider depending on if you run a business on your own or with partners, what your appetite is for personal liability, and what tax implications you may be in for.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Sinal Govender & Claire Keet, Getting Started
Comment

In the darkest nights, the stars still shine

July 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Eldari Visser

I am sure if anybody writes another article about COVID-19 you will surely swipe on and away. Seriously we’ve had enough constant reminders of a thief amongst us. What if we were so deeply affected that we are still reeling and trying to grasp for air? What if we still don’t have an idea of how our business is going to survive or even where to start again? What if you have lost more than you could ever imagine? What if all you can see right now is the darkness and the stark reality of you can’t “see” where to turn to next?

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Eldari Visser, Entrepreneurial Mindset
Comment

Protecting your Intellectual Property as an entrepreneur

July 16, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Seno Namwandi

Intellectual Property (IP) is widely spoken of but not always well understood. The IP ecosystem is complex, broad and has to balance varying interests from creators to financiers to consumers. It is relevant to the songwriter, medical technician, architect, software coder, business owner etc. IP is loosely defined as a legal right granted to a property that arises as a result of intellectual activity or creative input. It is inherently a legal right granted by a government body to exclude unauthorized third party use. Enforcement varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction which can be complicated. However, through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), there are a set of uniform legislations and regulations to govern IP.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Seno Namwandi, Legal
Comment

Recruiting in Femicide South Africa

July 16, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Kulani Shiluvane, Founder and Chief Consultant, Shiluvah

One of the services that we offer at Shiluvah is recruiting the best talent for our clients, a majority of which are SMMEs. SMMEs that do not have the budget for offices in high rise buildings in well known locations; SMMEs that are still trying to make a name from themselves and grow into the well known organisations people have come to know and trust, and whose authenticity is unquestionable. And while such facts shouldn’t be a problem when it comes to sourcing talent – in Femicide South Africa, it is and here’s why.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Kulani Shiluvane, Opinion
Comment

Rest is more than just sleep

July 16, 2020 Melanie Hawken
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by Dr Ashika Pillay

There’s no doubt that many of our minds are on hyper-alert. The stress response of feeling vigilant, worrying , planning, working, and dealing with immediate day-to-day chores can be overwhelming. At this time of lockdown when we supposedly have “more time”, we can actually feel burnt out, because so much is changing, uncertainty pervades and the balance of the “known” is thrown off. Expectations of “being more productive”, having more family time, exercise etc can actually deplete us by making us feel like we are not “making the most” of the time that we have? A spectrum of emotions like guilt, shame, anger, anxiety, frustration are part of what we experience through the day.

Read more
In Guest Blog Tags Ashika Pillay, Health & Wellbeing
Comment
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Tech FoundHER AFRICA CHALLENGE

Five female founders win over $100,000 in TechFoundHER Africa Challenge. Read more


CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


LATEST PODCASTS

Lioness Radio Show Interview: Listen to Mr Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of the African Guarantee Fund, discussing the journey from Bias to Bankable - AGF’s Case for Financing Women Entrepreneurs.

Lioness Radio Show: Five Mozambican women entrepreneurs share their experiences of building successful green businesses and creating green jobs for local people. From an environmentally-friendly, high-impact skincare brand, to an innovative green transportation business transforming marine waste into bicycles, these Lionesses are making waves in Mozambique. Listen to their stories, learn from their experiences, and be inspired by their tenacity.


LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORIES

LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Vanessa Mhlom, a South African wellness brand builder
Vanessa Mhlom, a South African wellness brand builder
Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, two social impact entrepreneurs building a high-growth, premium sustainable homeware business
Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, two social impact entrepreneurs building a high-growth, premium sustainable homeware business
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi, an agripreneur focused on climate-smart solutions
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi, an agripreneur focused on climate-smart solutions
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy

IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

Image of the Day / Eloli

African luxury couture…For those who want to stand out from the crowd, Dibo Ndumbe Eyoh, co-founder and co-creative Director of Eloli, an award-winning luxury African fashion brand in Cameroon, has just what you need.
Image of the Day / The Joinery

Sustainable Tote Bags…We have always been big fans of The Joinery, the sustainable and ethical product design brand based in South Africa founded by Natalie and Kim Ellis, and their exciting Future Tex™ fa
Image of the Day / Barbara McKenzie

Classic meets contemporary…If you are in the market for classic-inspired yet modern clothing which is both stylish and ultra-feminine and trans-seasonal to wear throughout the year, then Kendi Sapepa, found
Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The
Image of the Day / Lunar

Stylish sustainable clothing…We have always been big fans of Lunar in South Africa, the sustainable clothing brand created by owner Nicola Luther and her talented team. Lunar has firmly established itself as one of th
Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis
Image of the Day / Dounia Home

Statement lighting… from Dounia Home, the home of innovative, handcrafted and ethically made Moroccan lighting and home decor founded by Dounia Tamri-Loeper. Her company designs, produces and brings to market hi
Image of the Day / Mash. T Design Studio

Award-winning furniture design…We are big fans of talented South African designer Thabisa Mjo, founder of Mash. T Design Studio in Johannesburg, and these fabulous side tables are firm customer favouri
Image of the Day / Quazi Design

Sustainable Home Decor…If you want to make a statement with your interior design and home decor, and at the same make a contribution to supporting eco-friendly enterprise, then these unique decor pieces from Qu
Image of the Day / Eki

Silk Sensation…Nothing is quite as luxurious as silk, that’s why we love the ‘Africa on Silk’ collections from Eki, founded by Hazel Eki Osunde. Eki is known for its signature soft silks and ethereal c
Image of the Day / Eloli

African luxury couture…For those who want to stand out from the crowd, Dibo Ndumbe Eyoh, co-founder and co-creative Director of Eloli, an award-winning luxury African fashion brand in Cameroon, has just what you need. Image of the Day / The Joinery

Sustainable Tote Bags…We have always been big fans of The Joinery, the sustainable and ethical product design brand based in South Africa founded by Natalie and Kim Ellis, and their exciting Future Tex™ fa Image of the Day / Barbara McKenzie

Classic meets contemporary…If you are in the market for classic-inspired yet modern clothing which is both stylish and ultra-feminine and trans-seasonal to wear throughout the year, then Kendi Sapepa, found Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The Image of the Day / Lunar

Stylish sustainable clothing…We have always been big fans of Lunar in South Africa, the sustainable clothing brand created by owner Nicola Luther and her talented team. Lunar has firmly established itself as one of th Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis Image of the Day / Dounia Home

Statement lighting… from Dounia Home, the home of innovative, handcrafted and ethically made Moroccan lighting and home decor founded by Dounia Tamri-Loeper. Her company designs, produces and brings to market hi Image of the Day / Mash. T Design Studio

Award-winning furniture design…We are big fans of talented South African designer Thabisa Mjo, founder of Mash. T Design Studio in Johannesburg, and these fabulous side tables are firm customer favouri Image of the Day / Quazi Design

Sustainable Home Decor…If you want to make a statement with your interior design and home decor, and at the same make a contribution to supporting eco-friendly enterprise, then these unique decor pieces from Qu Image of the Day / Eki

Silk Sensation…Nothing is quite as luxurious as silk, that’s why we love the ‘Africa on Silk’ collections from Eki, founded by Hazel Eki Osunde. Eki is known for its signature soft silks and ethereal c

STARTUP STORIES. MEET THE WOMEN WHO’VE LAUNCHED.

Featured
Júlia Silota, a Mozambican green business builder, focused on environmental waste management
Júlia Silota, a Mozambican green business builder, focused on environmental waste management
Claudia Machaieie, a Mozambican green business innovator transforming marine waste into reading glasses
Claudia Machaieie, a Mozambican green business innovator transforming marine waste into reading glasses
Matilde Mawelele Rungo, a Mozambican tech-preneur helping to drive digital transformation in the country
Matilde Mawelele Rungo, a Mozambican tech-preneur helping to drive digital transformation in the country
Yanara Tavares Viana, a Mozambican entrepreneur developing a smart urban housing solution in the country
Yanara Tavares Viana, a Mozambican entrepreneur developing a smart urban housing solution in the country
Isabel Mandofa, a Mozambican woman entrepreneur building a successful, high-impact agri-food business
Isabel Mandofa, a Mozambican woman entrepreneur building a successful, high-impact agri-food business

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LIONESS BOOK REVIEWS

Featured
Built on Purpose: Discover Your Deep Inner Why and Manifest the Business of Your Dreams by Betsy Fore
Built on Purpose: Discover Your Deep Inner Why and Manifest the Business of Your Dreams by Betsy Fore
The Magnetic Female Entrepreneur: The Art of Empowered Presence, Rising to New Levels of Impact and Influence, and Financial Success on Your Own Terms  by Mary Grant
The Magnetic Female Entrepreneur: The Art of Empowered Presence, Rising to New Levels of Impact and Influence, and Financial Success on Your Own Terms by Mary Grant
Women Entrepreneurs Rewired To Rise: Powerful Habits that Break Through Burnout, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Build a Thriving Business from the Inside Out  by Fiona Soutter
Women Entrepreneurs Rewired To Rise: Powerful Habits that Break Through Burnout, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Build a Thriving Business from the Inside Out by Fiona Soutter
Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business by Liz Elting
Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business by Liz Elting
After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup by Julia Austin
After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup by Julia Austin

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