Michelle Smith, a South African entrepreneur creating the perfect gifting service for all occasions

November 4, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Michelle Smith, founder of Woven Bark Studios (South Africa) — **Michelle Smith**, founder of Woven Bark Studios (South Africa)

If you have ever struggled to find the perfect, personalized gift for your corporate clients or loved ones, then help is at hand. Michelle Smith, founder of Woven Bark Studios, is creating beautiful, thoughtfully curated gift boxes and gifting experiences that leave lasting feel-good memories. The added bonus is that each of the gift products is sourced from local artisans in South Africa, creating business opportunities that really make a difference to other entrepreneurs’ lives.

Victorine SARR, a tenacious entrepreneur building an organic beauty brand for women of colour in Senegal

October 28, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Victorine Sarr, founder of Lyvv Cosmetics (Senegal)

For many women, putting a splash of colour onto their lips gives an instant feeling of confidence and glamour. In Senegal, one woman entrepreneur is building a proudly African beauty brand that is creating beautiful organic lipsticks specially designed for women of colour. Victorine Sarr, founder of Lyvv Cosmetics, is making women feel and look good, whilst also being kind to the environment.

Thembe Khumalo, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur helping small businesses to grow their brands through great communication.

October 27, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Thembe Khumalo, founder of Brandbuilder (Zimbabwe)

Behind every successful business is a great brand that connects products and services to those all important customers. But building a great brand takes hard work and specialist expertise, and in Zimbabwe, that’s where Thembe Khumalo and her company Brandbuilder come in. They bring 20 years of specialist expertise to any client brief and make the process of brand building a whole lot easier.

Ntsoaki Kortjass, a South African entrepreneur putting the security of others at the heart of her business

October 21, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Ntsoaki Kortjass, founder of Tsoabelo Security Solutions (South Africa)

For many companies and individuals alike, security is a key concern and one that needs addressing by experienced professionals. In South Africa, one woman entrepreneur is building a business that brings peace of mind together with a highly experienced approach to risk management. Ntsoaki Kortjass, founder of Tsoabelo Security Solutions, is putting people and property first, and building a reputation for great service at the same time.

African City Guide, the story of three friends, Megan Bowren, Eva Shuman, and Frances van Hasselt, whose love of travel led them to create the African City Guide

October 21, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Megan Bowren, Eva Shuman, and Frances van Hasselt, co-founders of African City Guide

It can be daunting for even the most experienced traveller to visit a new city on the African continent without practical knowledge or experience of what to expect on the ground. That’s where the African City Guide comes in. The brainchild of three enterprising entrepreneurs and passionate travellers, Megan Bowren, Eva Shuman, and Frances van Hasselt, their website is packed with information and recommendations provided by travelers who have been there and done it!

Adedoyin Jaiyesimi, a Nigerian entrepreneur helping a new generation of writers to turn their passion for words into profits

October 16, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Adedoyin Jaiyesimi, founder of The Sparkle Writer's Hub (Nigeria)

Many people have a natural talent for words, but turning that talent into a business is not always so easy. One woman entrepreneur, Adedoyin Jaiyesimi, founder of The Sparkle Writer's Hub in Nigeria, is providing a supporting learning environment for aspirant writers to develop that talent and pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams.

Charlene Van Riet-Lowe, an entrepreneur bringing a new approach to dispute resolution to Botswana

October 14, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Charlene Van Riet-Lowe, founder of Mediation Mechanics (Botswana) — **Charlene Van Riet-Lowe**, founder of Mediation Mechanics (Botswana)

Resolving disputes between communities, individuals and businesses can be a difficult process, and one that requires specialist advice and skills. In Botswana, Mediation Mechanics, founded by entrepreneur Charlene Van Riet-Lowe, is one company bringing its wealth of experience and expertise to help its clients to find solutions to their disputes.

Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, a Zambian agripreneur turning her passion for strawberry growing into a thriving business in the country

October 8, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, founder of Farm23 Strawberry (Zambia) — **Bupe Chipili Mulapesi**, founder of Farm23 Strawberry (Zambia)

Inspiration to start a business comes in many forms, and for successful agripreneur Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, founder of Farm23 Strawberry in Zambia, her inspiration came from a fellow woman farmer across the other side of the world.

Marta Mulungo, a Mozambican entrepreneur helping her business clients transform their ideas into results

October 6, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Marta Mulongo, founder of MMCoaching (Mozambique) — **Marta Mulongo**, founder of MMCoaching (Mozambique)

Many people have great ideas, but very few develop them into actual businesses or products. What is often needed is a great business coach to advise on how to create the right business habits from the start. That is where MMCoaching comes in, a niche coaching business in Mozambique created by founder Marta Mulongo who is on a mission to help her clients to succeed.

Bame Mabuse, a South African entrepreneur taking away the administrative burden for her clients

September 30, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Bame Mabuse, founder of Amara Consulting Solutions (South Africa) — **Bame Mabuse**, founder of Amara Consulting Solutions (South Africa)

Many small businesses struggle with administration, and often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks that need to be done. In South Africa, one company is providing an efficient answer for its clients. Amara Consulting Solutions, founded by Bame Mabuse, is providing a range of Virtual Administrative Support to take away the stress and the hassle of routine admin.

Shantelle Booysen, a pioneer of the spa product industry in South Africa

September 30, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Shantelle Booysen, founder of Elim Spa Products (South Africa) — **Shantelle Booysen**, founder of Elim Spa Products (South Africa)

For all those who love the experience of visiting a spa for some much needed pampering, you know how important it is to have the best quality, specialist products and treatments. For one entrepreneur in South Africa, Shantelle Booysen, founder of Elim Spa Products, she saw this as an opportunity to build a successful global business creating world class products for the spa industry.

Mignionette Fair, a talented wordsmith growing a world-class language shop in Africa

September 22, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Mignionette Fair, founder of Edita Services (South Africa)

Every company and organisation needs specialist help to ensure their content development and language translation needs are met to the highest standards. One South African company, Edita Services, is rapidly building a reputation for itself as a leader in this field, providing a world-class service and creative written content to make any company stand-out in the marketplace.

Thabiso Mahlape, a publishing entrepreneur giving voice to South Africa’s exciting new black authors

September 16, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Thabiso Mahlape, founder of Blackbird Books (South Africa) — **Thabiso Mahlape**, founder of Blackbird Books (South Africa)

To change the literary landscape of a country and a continent takes passionate and pioneering publishing champions, and South Africa has found one such champion in Thabiso Mahlape, founder of Blackbird Books. She is establishing a new and exciting framework for South African narratives and is winning author and readers fans alike with her business.

Kehinde Falade, a Nigerian entrepreneur creating a natural solution to hair growth and scalp problems

September 16, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Kehinde Falade, founder of Osteena Range of Cosmetics (Nigeria) — **Kehinde Falade**, founder of Osteena Range of Cosmetics (Nigeria)

For many people, maintaining healthy hair and scalps can be a challenge, particularly for those trying to avoid products that use harsh chemicals. And that’s where Kehinde Falade and her company, Osteena Range of Cosmetics, come to the rescue, using organic natural ingredients to encourage new and healthy hair growth for clients.

Maneo Mapharisa, an entrepreneur on a mission to get Lesotho girls coding to bridge the STEM gender gap

September 9, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Maneo Mapharisa, Co-founder of Girls Coding Academy (Lesotho) — **Maneo Mapharisa**, Co-founder of Girls Coding Academy (Lesotho)

Giving young women and girls access to opportunities and stimulating careers in the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), is the mission of Girls Coding Academy. By doing so, the organisation’s 7 co-founders are making a tangible and lasting contribution to the reduction of the gender gap in Lesotho.

Mbali Masike, a young South African wine brand builder creating highly personal, story driven wines

September 9, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Mbali Masike, founder of ngiyiMbali Brands (South Africa) — **Mbali Masike**, founder of ngiyiMbali Brands (South Africa)

Behind every great wine is a great story, and that is certainly the case with the exciting South African wines being created by ngiyiMbali Brands. Founder Mbali Masike brings her own personality and taste profiles into each individual wine she creates, sharing stories and creating memories for her customers.

Mellisa Mazingi, a global brand builder revolutionizing the world view of traditional Swaziland handicrafts

September 1, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Mellisa Mazingi, Managing Director of Gone Rural Swaziland — **Mellisa Mazingi**, Managing Director of Gone Rural Swaziland

Africa has a long tradition of producing handcrafted goods that are lovingly produced by each country’s rural communities. But for one company, Gone Rural in eSwatini, headed by entrepreneur Mellisa Mazingi, the mission is to create world class, handcrafted products that the world can fall in love with.

Abai Schulze, founder of a new generation artisan enterprise taking Ethiopia's luxury leather craft heritage to the world

September 1, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Abai Schulze, founder of ZAAF (Ethiopia) — **Abai Schulze**, founder of ZAAF (Ethiopia)

The world’s fashion conscious buyers are increasingly interested in knowing where the luxury goods they purchase are made, and by whom. For entrepreneur Abai Schulze, founder of growing brand ZAAF, her company’s strong backstory and ethos is resonating with these buyers, who are rapidly becoming fans and brand ambassadors with each purchase they make.

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