the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Sonya Skipp
Sapien Labs Mental State of the World report scored South Africa as the lowest in terms of mental well-being in 2022. Unaddressed mental health conditions among the workforce were noted as being the most concerning. Mental health issues in the workplace cost the South African economy more than R160 billion annually.
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by Lori Milner
Perfectionism is often worn as a badge of honour, something to strive for. The intention is that it makes you better, but the impact is devastating. In the words of Ann Wilson Schaef, "Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order”. Perfection is an illusion and stops you from your best work because behind the façade of being a perfectionist are the deepest fears of being judged, failing or not being enough.
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by Phillipa Geard
If you find it challenging to find good talent, you are not alone. In my dealings with other CEOs and business owners, I often hear this statement: “There is no good talent out there”. Similarly, this Future of Jobs 2023 World Economic Forum report states that, on a scale from 1 to 7, the ease of finding skilled employees in South Africa is only 3.89. Despite the doomsayers there are ways to find and attract good talent.
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by Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
As technology evolves, so does the way we communicate and conduct business. In today's digital age, emojis have become integral to our daily conversations. These little pictographs have played a significant role in modern communication, from expressing emotions to conveying complex messages. Surprisingly, emojis have even found their way into legal matters, with some jurisdictions recognising them as a form of contractual agreement.
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by Sonya Skipp
A lifestyle audit is a check that looks at the way that someone lives and compares that to their known revenue stream. These checks look at elements like home ownership, cars and vehicles, visible luxury items owned by the person in question, and more to determine whether that person is living within their means.
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by Lori Milner
Why do some people always appear to have it together? They are calm in the chaos and take life in their stride. They dance with life's challenges rather than go to war with them; it's not to say they don't feel stress, but how they navigate their days sets them up for success.
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by Sonya Skipp
In today's rapidly evolving landscape, organisations face a multitude of security challenges, one of which is the insider threat. The insider threat refers to the risk posed by individuals within an organisation who have authorised physical or cyber access to an organisation but intentionally or unintentionally misuse or compromise them. No company, regardless of size, is immune to this security concern.
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by Thembe Khumalo
The truth is, being good at what you do is just the beginning — it’s like the minimum entry requirement. Many talented individuals like yourself often find themselves wondering why they aren’t getting the opportunities they truly desire, despite their skills and expertise. The answer lies in the importance of personal branding. Here’s why this might be happening and what you can do to unlock the opportunities you deserve.
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by Margaret Hirsch
As you know I am a huge advocate for family businesses. Where do they start? Well with a couple getting married and one or both deciding that they want out of the usual routine of working for someone else and making a living, they decide they want to work for themselves and make a fortune.
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by Lori Milner
Questions are a conduit to unlocking the resources within you. They are an essential coaching tool because they are a permission device between what someone already knows and what they want to acknowledge. Change happens when a client reaches a new insight, a perspective they never considered previously. However, the insight can only reveal itself when the person is completely honest with themselves.
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by Thembe Khumalo
In Africa, we talk a lot about the unbanked. In certain circles, this group is considered evidence of the opportunities for innovation that abound on the continent, and in others, they are considered a problem that we need to solve. What interests me most though, is looking at some of the reasons why these people are not choosing banks as their preferred financial partner.
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by Refilwe Sebothoma
Starting and growing businesses without many resources is very scary to say the least, and through my start-up years I learned the power of being vulnerable to the right people. Start-up businesses often carry the pressure of looking, talking and behaving like big businesses because they are worried that their weaknesses may disqualify them from opportunities. While this is true, I have experienced that there are corporates which are not looking for perfect suppliers and are willing to invest and support SMEs grow and become sustainable.
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by Lori Milner
Your thoughts are the turbines that generate the energy of happiness. Affirmations and positive thinking are 'part of the furniture' of personal growth. You can tell yourself you're terrific, but if you don't inherently believe it, there's always an inner critic inside whispering to you – what a load of rubbish, no you're not. If you can't always rely on positive thinking when you need it most, what if you experimented with creative thinking instead?
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by Rochelle Roos
Ten important tips for women in business
Rochelle’s advice for other women looking to find their niche in the tech and business world can be summarised in these ten simple points:
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by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
In May, I had the honour to speak at the 1st Annual Corporate Governance Triangle Annual Colloquium with the theme “Diversity and Inclusion; Adopting A Multi-Stake holder approach in the promotion of good governance”. I spoke on a panel with the focus on Breaking Barriers: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership Roles, which is a topic that is close to my heart both as a woman and as an advocate for equity and overall good corporate governance.
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by Thembe Khumalo
“Who me?” You might ask. Yes, you!
You’re stealing the future from the next generation of young women professionals by refusing to make yourself visible. Here’s the thing — you can’t be what you don’t see. So if we want our young women to become leaders in business, in entrepreneurship, in politics, or in the community, we need to give them the opportunity to see such people in action — people like you and me. We need to provide them with visible, accessible role models.
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by Kathryn Main
A few years back, I remember listening to a female business owner share her success story. She said something that has stuck with me for over 10 years. She said “People do business with people, not businesses. Build and maintain your relationships with your customers, suppliers and teams, these are the people who will help you succeed.” At that moment my sales strategy for my own business changed drastically. I was so over cold calling and decided to build a real network and team for my business. I changed my approach and started going to more networking events. Its pretty daunting walking into a room full of people and you don’t know anyone, but this is a great way to meet people. You are forced to talk to strangers, so you don’t look like the outcast in the corner.
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by Lori Milner
If you're honest with yourself, how much time do you spend scrolling social media? Your intention is to do an innocent 'quick' check-in, but before you know it, you're well over the thirty-minute mark despite having more urgent tasks. This insight has come up repeatedly when I ask my clients to do a time audit of a typical day. These are not fresh-out-of-college graduates but professionals across all levels and industries.
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by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
In the age of digital transformation, the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have revolutionised industries across the globe. For me there is one remarkable branch of AI that stands out — Generative AI — it holds tremendous potential for organisations seeking to optimise processes, unlock new opportunities, and create personalised experiences.
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by Thembe Khumalo
“When women come together with a collective intention, magic happens. We shape our world, we make things happen. That’s what I believe in.” — Graca Machel
We hear often enough about how lonely it can be at the top, but what we don't hear as often is what one should do when one gets there, and finds so many other things to think about. In the realm of leadership, African women are rising to the forefront, breaking barriers, and reshaping the narrative. While they possess inherent strength, resilience, and an unwavering determination to make a difference, African women leaders face unique challenges and obstacles. This is why it’s useful to be part of a community of women in similar positions.
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