Quote of the Day

December 15, 2014 Melanie Hawken

Chetna Vijay Sinha, founder of Mann Deshi Foundation, India — **Chetna Vijay Sinha**, founder of Mann Deshi Foundation, India

"The best way to create a woman entrepreneur is to help her stay in education, through high school and beyond. She receives an education and she delays getting married and having a family, giving her greater control over her life."

- Chetna Vijay Sinha is founder of Mann Deshi Foundation of India and Mann Deshi Mahila Bank which is India's first rural cooperative bank she founded in 1997. Its client base and membership is 100 per cent composed of semi-literate or illiterate poor rural women with an average annual income of less than USD 1.5 per day. The number of direct beneficiaries stands at 209,000. Chetna was recognised by the Schwab Foundation as a Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014.

Quote of the Day

December 12, 2014 Melanie Hawken

Sue Liang, founder of Asulia Foods — **Sue Liang**, founder of Asulia Foods

"Empower, celebrate, and support women in business and build a strong network for change worldwide. By empowering a woman you're supporting her, her family and her community. Working as a team, we can make this world a better place for women every where!"

- Sue Liang is the founder of Asulia Foods. With Asulia, she combines her love of vegetables and food with her commitment to helping girls around the world. When she’s not creating new recipes, you can find her on her yoga mat or putting hot sauce on almost everything she eats! She lives in Boston, USA.

Quote of the Day

December 6, 2014 Melanie Hawken

Nelia Annandale, founder of Keedo Kids, South Africa — **Nelia Annandale**, founder of Keedo Kids, South Africa

"To empower the women of South Africa has always been a very important passion for me. In my company I have often seen women grow from shy and uneducated, into confident individuals that take responsibility of their own lives and jobs. These women are often the main breadwinners of their immediate and extended families."

- Nelia Annandale is founder of Keedo Kids a company she launched in 1993 to manufacture designer children’s clothing in a socially responsible and ethical manner. Nelia blends imagination, comfort and style with vibrant colour and exceptional quality, and the brand has grown to be one of the leading children’s clothing manufacturers in South Africa and now exports to 16 countries across the globe. It took a life-threatening skiing accident for South African born Nelia Annandale to overcome her fear of starting a business. Although she had a happy life and was set in a good routine with her husband and two year old twins, the near fatal accident forced her to take stock of her life - Keedo Kids emerged from that new focus.

Quote of the Day

December 5, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"Female entrepreneurs are critical to building a stronger economy and a healthier global society. They will spend more of the money they've earned on their families and education, and they are a force for good in society, whether it is in the U.S. or around the world."

- Penny Pritzker has been serving in Washington as the United States Secretary of Commerce since 2013. She is, however, probably best known as one of America's leading women entrepreneurs, a Chicago billionaire who's founded five companies that have created thousands of jobs. These include PSP Capital Partners and Pritzker Realty Group. She is also heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.

Quote of the Day

November 29, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"You have to remember that even if you have a good idea, people could still say no 100 times."

- Susan Coelius Keplinger, is is a San Francisco entrepreneur and the co-founder of Triggit, an online advertising technology company building technologies around ad buying on the real time display advertising exchanges.

Quote of the Day

November 25, 2014 Melanie Hawken

Ethel Cofie, founder of Edel Technologies, Ghana — **Ethel Cofie**, founder of Edel Technologies, Ghana

“Don’t be afraid of criticism, research shows that in cases of men and women with the same type ‘A’ personalities, a man will always be seen as a go-getter and ambitious and the woman will be seen as bitchy and loud; understand it and move on.”

- Ethel Cofie, is a Ghanaian-born entrepreneur and founder of Edel Technologies. This techpreneur is passionate about technology, female leadership and empowering women entrepreneurs. She runs the women in tech group in Ghana and is a founder of the Women in Tech Africa Alliance. In 2014, Ethel was selected to be a President Obama Washington Fellow.

Quote of the Day

November 23, 2014 Melanie Hawken

“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

- Madeleine Albright, is a Czech-born American politician and diplomat. In 1993, Albright became a U.S. representative of the United Nations, and three years later she was appointed as the United States secretary of the state, the first ever female to hold the position, under the Clinton administration. She held the distinguished position for several years before leaving in 2001 to pursue other projects.

Quote of the Day

November 22, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"... women just make it work. We juggle a crazy amount of things and we make it work. So much of launching your own startup is dealing with all the things that come at you from all these angles and you have to make it work. Women already do that every day. I don’t think women should be intimated by it, I think they should think they are at an advantage."

- Cynthia Breazeal is an inspirational American entrepreneur, MIT Professor, and founder and CEO of Jibo Inc., the maker of the world’s first family robot. Jibo is a new personal robot to be sold commercially in 2015. Cynthia is best known for her work in robotics where she is recognized as a pioneer of Social Robotics and Human Robot Interaction.

Quote of the Day

November 16, 2014 Melanie Hawken

“If it doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not dreaming big enough.”

- Tory Burch is an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. In addition to being the CEO behind an internationally-renowned clothing line bearing her name, she is also the philanthropic driving force of the Tory Burch Foundation which aims to support women business owners and their families.

Quote of the Day

November 13, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"You need to trust your gut – you have to be hard-headed and have selective hearing in regards to the negativity that come from other people. This is not something you'll learn in school."

- Bobbi Brown is a professional makeup artist and the founder and CCO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. She became a name in the cosmetics business by pushing moderation. In the 1980s, when look-at-me colors, stark contours, and shiny red lips were in fashion, Bobbi designed cosmetics to highlight a woman's natural look. She had moved to New York City in 1980 with a degree in theatrical makeup and a beginner's portfolio. Before the decade was done, she'd hustled her way from freelance makeup artist at magazine shoots to product designer with her name behind a global brand.

Quote of the Day

November 7, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"I used to watch my mother negotiate at the market. People may not look at their mothers’ as a leader, but they truly have all the skills that demonstrate leadership."

- Sibongile Sambo is a pioneering woman of South African aviation. She is founder and Chief Executive Officer of SRS Aviation Ltd., the first 100 percent black, female-owned aviation services company in South Africa. Launched in 2004, SRS is an integrated provider of private aviation services offering South African and international clients professional and personalized flight options including VIP Charter, tourist charter and helicopter services, to destinations around the world. Today, the company also provides maintenance, sales and fleet management services to private jet owners.

Quote of the Day

October 30, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"I swore never to lead a poor life .... While growing up, we were poor. We had to dig and brew alcohol to raise school fees. I saw the problems my father faced raising us on a primary school teachers salary. I decided not to have many children. I have a few, but I support many others."

- Julian Adyeri Omalla is one of Uganda's top female entrepreneurs. She is founder, chairperson and managing director of Delight Uganda Limited, producing the country's most popular fruit drink sold under the brand name 'Cheers'. Julian has diversified into a range of other business activities, including egg and poultry farming, maize-feed production, a flour mill and bakery, a student hostel for 400, as well as coordinating women’s farmer cooperatives that provide food aid into Sudan. Today, Julian employs over 1,000 Ugandans and exports to countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and Zaire.

Quote of the Day

October 29, 2014 Melanie Hawken

“We cannot tackle our problems alone, as shown by issues such a climate change and biodiversity. This is why it is so important for us to empower women as actors in the global world, to have networks, and to exchange experience on practical problems and potential solutions.”

- Angela Merkel is the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. She is best known for being elected the first female chancellor of Germany and for being one of the lead architects of the European Union. Ms Merkel is former research scientist, who has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000.

Quote of the Day

October 24, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"The mobile market will continue to grow in Africa. We are already the second largest market after Asia. The use of mobiles games could help people to move from a place of apathy to a place of hope. My belief is that there is a huge potential that these games can and are already helping young people to learn critical skills and knowledge."

- Anne Githuku-Shongwe is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Afroes Transformational Games - a company that builds mobile game-based learning platforms out of South Africa and Kenya. Anne's vision is to revolutionise learning in Africa with a focus on delivering positive Africa-focused mobile phone entertainment to the youth market across the continent.

Quote of the Day

October 23, 2014 Melanie Hawken

“Money makes you more of who you already are. If you are a jerk, it will make you a bigger jerk; if you are insecure, you become even more insecure; if you are generous, you become even more generous; if you are nice, you become even nicer. Making money is like holding up a magnifying glass to who you are, personally and professionally. It creates a lot of power, and it’s up to you to use that in a really good way."

- Sara Blakely, is an American businesswoman and founder of Spanx, a multi-million-dollar undergarment company. She is the world's youngest self-made female billionaire. It all started back in 2000 - whilst she was getting ready for a party, Sara realized she didn’t have the right undergarment to provide a blemish-free look under white pants. Armed with scissors and sheer genius, she cut the feet off her control top pantyhose and the Spanx revolution began! The Spanx brand now houses over 200 products ranging from slimming apparel and swimsuits, to bras, activewear and men’s undershirts.

Quote of the Day

October 18, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"When you teach a woman how to apply her make-up, you also help repair her self-esteem or re-assure her of her beauty and relevance."

- Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian-born lawyer turned Africa's leading beauty and makeup entrepreneur. She started House of Tara at the age of 20, from her living room, whilst an undergraduate at university back in 1998. She's since gone on to launch Nigeria's first ever bridal directory in 1999, and in 2004 she opened the country's leading beauty academy. Today, Tara has over 3,000 reps spread across Nigeria and 14 stores to her name and she is steadfastly dedicated to realising her vision of building a globally respected beauty company of African origin. Tara remains an inspirational role-model and mentor to make-up artists and aspiring beauty business owners across Africa.

Quote of the Day

October 16, 2014 Melanie Hawken

“Most of us will fear to start an income-generating activity because we think that for one to start a business they need a lot of money. That’s why many young people are looking for non-existent white collar jobs.”

- Lydie Hakizimana is co-founder and Managing Director of Drakkar Limited, a specialist reseller and distributor of educational textbooks. It all started back in 2006 when this avid bookworm decided to follow her passion and opened a small bookshop. Before long, her entrepreneurial instincts had her developing relationships with numerous publishing companies. Eventually, she struck a deal that was to be the making of her company with UK publisher, Pearson Education. Drakkar rapidly evolved into a leading educational textbooks reseller in Rwanda, becoming an important enabler of her country's vision for building a knowledge-based economy. Today, Lydie manages 45 employees and thirty part-time distributors covering the five provinces of Rwanda. Lydie has also added exclusive distributor deals with Longman, Heinemann and Penguin to her Pearson contract.

Quote of the Day

October 13, 2014 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Ola Orekunrin, founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria — **Dr. Ola Orekunrin**, founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria

"Eighty percent of the world trauma occurs in low-middle income countries just like Nigeria...I feel there should be more focus on the trauma epidemic that Africa currently faces."

- Dr. Ola Orekunrin is a medical doctor, helicopter pilot and the healthcare entrepreneur founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service. She's dedicated to bringing trauma care to the most remote parts of Western Africa and her company, an air ambulance service based in Lagos, is doing just that. She was motivated to start the company after her younger sister tragically died whilst traveling in Nigeria as a consequence of their being no medical air service available to transport her to hospital. Ola graduated as a medical doctor from the University Of York in the UK and is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine.

Quote of the Day

October 2, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"In our weaving groups we have women who survived genocide, we have women who have husbands in prison, we have girls who lost everyone who are heading households. Through weaving we manage to have everyone under one roof sharing and working together."

- Janet Nkubana, co-founded Gahaya Links Cooperatives with her sister Joy Ndungutse shortly after the Rwandan genocide ended in 1994. These inspiring sisters had a vision to turn ancient basket weaving skills into a source of livelihood for thousands of rural women. Many of the women, like Janet and Joy themselves, were returning refugees or survivors of the genocide. The women started weaving baskets in exchange for food. Initially bringing together about twenty women, the sisters taught them how to weave and how to enhance their weaving skills with new design techniques. Today, Gahaya Links manages a network of over 4,000 weavers across the country, organised into around 52 cooperatives that help provide much needed income and stability. The sisters have successfully opened the business to international markets, partnering with the likes of Macy’s, Walmart, Oprah Magazine, and Kate Spade. Today, Gahaya Links "Peace Baskets” are sold and admired the world over.

Quote of the Day

September 30, 2014 Melanie Hawken

"The best way to create a woman entrepreneur is to help her stay in education, through high school and beyond. She receives an education and she delays getting married and having a family, giving her greater control over her life."

"Empower, celebrate, and support women in business and build a strong network for change worldwide. By empowering a woman you're supporting her, her family and her community. Working as a team, we can make this world a better place for women every where!"

"Female entrepreneurs are critical to building a stronger economy and a healthier global society. They will spend more of the money they've earned on their families and education, and they are a force for good in society, whether it is in the U.S. or around the world."

"You have to remember that even if you have a good idea, people could still say no 100 times."

“Don’t be afraid of criticism, research shows that in cases of men and women with the same type ‘A’ personalities, a man will always be seen as a go-getter and ambitious and the woman will be seen as bitchy and loud; understand it and move on.”

“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

“If it doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not dreaming big enough.”

"You need to trust your gut – you have to be hard-headed and have selective hearing in regards to the negativity that come from other people. This is not something you'll learn in school."

"I used to watch my mother negotiate at the market. People may not look at their mothers’ as a leader, but they truly have all the skills that demonstrate leadership."

"I swore never to lead a poor life .... While growing up, we were poor. We had to dig and brew alcohol to raise school fees. I saw the problems my father faced raising us on a primary school teachers salary. I decided not to have many children. I have a few, but I support many others."

“We cannot tackle our problems alone, as shown by issues such a climate change and biodiversity. This is why it is so important for us to empower women as actors in the global world, to have networks, and to exchange experience on practical problems and potential solutions.”

"When you teach a woman how to apply her make-up, you also help repair her self-esteem or re-assure her of her beauty and relevance."

“Most of us will fear to start an income-generating activity because we think that for one to start a business they need a lot of money. That’s why many young people are looking for non-existent white collar jobs.”

"Eighty percent of the world trauma occurs in low-middle income countries just like Nigeria...I feel there should be more focus on the trauma epidemic that Africa currently faces."

"In our weaving groups we have women who survived genocide, we have women who have husbands in prison, we have girls who lost everyone who are heading households. Through weaving we manage to have everyone under one roof sharing and working together."

"The biggest problem in Uganda is unemployment, .... I know what to do—we can create more employment.”

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