On 15 September 2016, around 85 of Johannesburg’s women entrepreneurs representing all sectors of business and industry, and at all stages of their business journeys, gathered for a morning of inspirational startup story sharing and great networking at the latest in the highly successful series of Lioness Lean In Breakfast events. As always in this popular Lioness Lean In destination, the event took place in the city’s Rosebank district at the Standard Bank Business Incubator where the surroundings create a great entrepreneurial vibe for all those attending.
Read moreEssential Read: Dear Female Founder: 66 Letters of Advice from Women Entrepreneurs Who Have Made $1 Billion in Revenue by Lu Li
Lu Li, author and entrepreneur
“Dear Female Founder” by author and entrepreneur Lu Li is a unique book based on one simple question: If successful female entrepreneurs and investors wrote a letter of advice to the next generation of female entrepreneurs – what would they write about? The book provides some invaluable insights from 66 inspirational women sharing the business advice they wished someone had told them when they started out.
Read moreManyara Chigunduru, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur with a never give up attitude to business, and a great brand builder
Manyara Chigunduru, Founder & Managing Partner Marianhill Capital (Pvt) Ltd & Marianhill Chartered Accountants (Zimbabwe)
Integrity is everything in the fields of financial advisory services, auditing and accounting, and for the founder of Marianhill Capital (Pvt) Ltd & Marianhill Chartered Accountants, Manyara Chigunduru, she was driven by the desire to build a company with integrity at its foundation.
Read moreMthuthukile Msibi, a South African entrepreneur transforming PVC into weather resistant trendy apparel and accessories
Mthuthukile Msibi (L), founder of Rain Dear (South Africa)
How many times looking back in history have great companies and brands been created as a result of necessity. In the case of Mthuthukile Msibi and her company Rain Dear, she saw opportunity in Cape Town’s bad weather, creating a range of rainproof clothing and accessories that is winning fans at home and abroad.
Read moreCharmaine Ngobeni, a South African entrepreneur with a passion for branding and supporting creatives in the industry
Charmaine Ngobeni, co-founder of Conté Creatives (South Africa)
In the world of branding and design, standing out from the crowd is always a good thing, and Conté Creatives the Agency, the brainchild of South African entrepreneur Charmaine Ngobeni and her business partner Amanda Sibiya, is certainly doing that. Their unique differentiator in the marketplace is not only a great service offering, but also a wonderful creative portfolio magazine showcasing some great work by highly talented designers.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Lana de Klerk: Persevere!
Lana de Klerk, founder of Prestige Marketing (South Africa)
Perseverance is essential....
"See every challenge and hurdle along the way as an opportunity. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will cheer you on. Always remember the 4 P's: Persevere! Persevere! Persevere! Persevere!"
- Lana de Klerk is the founder of Prestige Marketing in South Africa, a company specialising in corporate gifts and clothing. Lana's passion has always been in marketing, and she's always loved stationery, gifts and clothing, so it seemed the perfect industry for her to launch her business in.Today, she is building a successful business and brand and with great ambitions for the future.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Magatte Wade
Magatte Wade, founder of Tiossan (Senegal)
"I’d like to think that I’m instead part of a new wave of conscious entrepreneurs, committed to social and environmental responsibility as we do business in Africa."
- Magatte Wade is the Senegalese-born founder of Tiossan, an all-natural, artisan skin care brand inspired by the traditional Sufi healers of Senegal. At the heart of this growing global brand are the proud tradition of ancient Senegalese recipes from which Tiossan draws inspiration. Magatte is a passionate champion of entrepreneurial education in Senegal and 50% of Tiossan profits are dedicated to the creation of innovative schools.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Julie Cassidy: The rewards far outweigh the efforts
Julie Cassidy, co-founder of ProFlex People (South Africa)
The rewards will far outweigh your efforts....
"Don't give up! As hard as the struggle seems to get your business off the ground and become your own boss, the rewards far outweigh the efforts."
- Julie Cassidy is the co-founder of ProFlex People in South Africa, a company that provides a flexible solution to small businesses by allowing them to choose and buy-in the skills they need, for as long as they need, with no additional overheads, employment challenges or excessive rates - all via an online platform. Julie worked in the corporate world for over 20 years building a strong foundation of business knowledge and skills in the transformation and change management fields before launching her own entrepreneurial journey.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Ally Angula
Ally Angula, co-founder of Leap Holdings (Namibia)
"People must understand that only hard work brings desired results. Work ethic is something that we must really cultivate in this country, but I am sure we will get there."
- Ally Angula is a qualified charted accountant and co-founder of Leap Holdings, a group of companies involved in the growing of fresh produce, garment manufacturing and retail in Namibia. She is also the founder of My Republik Brand, Namibia’s first locally designed, manufactured and retailed clothing brand with a flagship store situated in the Grove Mall in Windhoek's Kleine Kuppe suburb. She currently serves as non-executive director for Old Mutual Life Assurance (Namibia) and Rio Tinto's Rossing Uranium mine in Namibia. Ally was chosen as a Desmond Tutu Fellowship programme Associate in April 2013 and was one of two Namibian entrepreneurs selected to attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by US President Barack Obama in Kenya.
Read moreJohannesburg Furniture Designer Lizl Naude pushes the boundaries by transforming rubbish into beautiful furniture
Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa (South Africa)
Johannesburg Furniture Designer and Entrepreneur, Lizl Naude, has recently launched her new “Rubbish Range” of furniture made with discarded, waste material. Lizl Naude, owner of Lilly Loompa, a Johannesburg based Furniture Company, is a self taught Designer. She started designing and making furniture roughly six years ago, mostly because she couldn’t afford to buy new pieces to furnish her home. She started to scout and source for budget material and quickly realised that most people discard of very usable materials. This led to her building and designing beautiful furniture items that she used in her home.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Adenah Bayoh
Adenah Bayoh, serial entrepreneur (United States)
“Adversity puts you at a crossroads — you can allow it to victimize you or propel you. Escaping the war made me hungry for opportunity. I figured out that there was no problem for which I could not find a solution if I dedicated all of my efforts and smarts to it. So, I bring that tenacity, work ethic and commitment to everything I do.”
- Adenah Bayoh is a very successful real estate entrepreneur in the United States. She embodies the American dream. At age 13, she escaped the civil war in her native country of Liberia, immigrated to the United States and is now one of the most successful entrepreneurs in her home state of New Jersey. Adenah is the founder and CEO of Adenah Bayoh and Companies, which is the parent corporation that owns IHOP franchises in Paterson and Irvington, New Jersey and a real estate development portfolio with over $225 million in urban redevelopment projects. Because of the success of her flagship IHOP in Irvington, she is the second largest employer in the area. Next year, Adenah will launch Cornbread, her signature line of fast casual, farm-to-table, soul food restaurants.
Read moreJennifer Riria set to address the 4th Athens Democracy Forum on September 14-18
Jennifer Riria, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding Company
Is democracy good for business? Is liberal democracy compatible with religion? Should the major institutions of global governance be reformed, or scrapped? Do terrorist attacks justify giving greater powers to security forces? These and many more questions will be raised and discussed during the 4th Athens Democracy Forum, which will be held in the Greek capital on September 14-18. Organized by The New York Times this illustrious gathering is set to bring together individuals leading the way in their respective fields, including Jennifer Riria, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding Company.
Read moreEssential Read: A Woman With No Country by Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri
Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, author and entrepreneur
A Woman With No Country is a quirky, innovative, storytelling Coffee Table Book that explores historical, cultural and social themes using fashion as a medium. The book is adorned with engaging thought provoking imagery in which the author becomes the subject of concepts. As a multi award-winning handbag designer, Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri who is originally from Zimbabwe, but now living and working around the world, writes about her life experiences in conversational essays and commentary.
Read moreSouth African techpreneur Stephanie Cowper wins Innovator Recognition Award
Stephanie Cowper, co-founder and CEO of BeSpecular
In August of this year, the game-changing South African techpreneur, Stephanie Cowper, co-founder and CEO of BeSpecular was nominated as a finalist for the MTN & Kagiso Media Women in ICT - Partnering for Change Awards under the Innovator Recognition category. Even more exciting is the fact that she won the award. The team of adjudicators selected Stephanie as the winner of the award and honoured her achievements inintroducing new methods and ideas that are contributing in to the delivery of a bold, new, digital world.
Read moreLana de Klerk, a South African entrepreneur turning her passion for marketing into a specialist corporate gifting business
Lana de Klerk, founder of Prestige Marketing (South Africa)
Most entrepreneurs know from experience that the journey to building a business can be tough, with many hurdles to overcome along the way - determination and self-belief are key. In the case of Lana de Klerk and her business, Prestige Marketing, she knows only too well how important these two traits are. She has displayed both over the years to get to where she is today, building a successful business and brand and with great ambitions for the future.
Read moreTariro Makina, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur providing virtual assistant solutions to clients across the world
Tariro Makina, founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant (Zimbabwe)
For many small to medium sized businesses, getting ahead can be challenging when you don’t have the resources in-house at your disposal. Recognising this challenge, Zimbabwean entrepreneur Tariro Makina, was keen to find a solution, and her business today, Twenty47 Virtual Assistant, is helping clients to streamline their business processes by providing a range of virtual business solutions.
Read moreJulie Cassidy, a South African entrepreneur with a passion for creating high quality HR and accounting solutions for small businesses
Julie Cassidy, co-founder of ProFlex People (South Africa)
They say that a business is only as good as its people, and for South African entrepreneur Julie Cassidy and her company ProFlex People, those words were the inspiration needed to create an innovative and highly flexible resourcing solution tailor-made for small businesses.
Read moreMumbi Muturi-Muli, a Kenyan entrepreneur harvesting Africa’s natural ingredients to create a new hair and body product range
Mumbi Muturi-Muli, founder of Harvest of Sunshine (Kenya)
The world is becoming much more attuned to the health and wellbeing benefits of natural ingredients that are harnessed from the local environment and transformed into world-class products. With her proudly African brand, Harvest of Sunshine, Kenyan entrepreneur Mumbi Muturi-Muli is embracing the best of the continent’s raw materials and creating a company that puts local and natural at the heart of its ethos.
Read moreFatuma Abdullah, a Kenyan born entrepreneur and passionate advocate of entrenching a positive image of the African child amongst children
Fatuma Abdullah, founder of Akiki Dolls (South Africa)
Many companies are inspired by a dream or a vision to make a difference in some way. For company founder, Fatuma Abdullah, the visionary behind Akiki Distributors, aka Akiki Dolls, that dream came in the form of storytelling and creating dolls that embodied her vision of a new normal in Africa.
Read moreENTREPRENEUR SMARTS: Don't Be the Squirrel!
Many startups become isolated and insular, focusing on their product to the exclusion of all else - like the squirrel in Ice Age, who is so preoccupied with his nut that he never really interacts with any of the other animals. This is not good, or healthy. These startups are cut off from the support, camaraderie, flow of ideas, and connections that can prove so vital to a product’s success, and from a vital source of ideas for new offerings.
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