Many entrepreneurs are so focused on the day to day pressures and challenges of running their businesses that they don’t realize how much their companies could benefit from external help in ensuring their business processes are optimized for success. Well, help is at hand - Excolo is the brainchild company of South African entrepreneur Raheel Muhammad and it’s on a mission to bring operational excellence to any company.
Read moreKenya is a country renowned for its agriculture and the quality of its produce, but for many small-holder farmers, the challenge is improving both yields and livelihoods. For Evylin Munyi and her co-founder at KOFAR Kenya Ltd, the solution was to create a business that would help farms to repair the soil using organic materials to boost crops and farm efficiency.
Read moreAs an entrepreneur, you need to be a Jack of all trades. In addition to being a subject matter specialist in your area of expertise, you’re also running a business which demands that you maintain involvement in everything from administration and accounts through to marketing and client relationship management.
Read moreThe venture capital world is often intimidating and hard to navigate, even for the most seasoned entrepreneurs. But it doesn’t have to be. Entrepreneurs who run effective fundraising processes don’t do it by accident. With this book, you’ll learn what it takes to successfully raise a round of funding for your company.
Read moreSmart companies and organizations understand the power of developing their employees’ full potential, and The Human Element is one company on a mission to make learning and development both impactful and fun for its clients.
Read moreThe accomplishments of the small business community in South Africa was in the spotlight as winners of the 2016 South African Small Business Awards were announced on 10 November at Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg. In its eighth year, the South African Small Business Awards acknowledge the country’s most outstanding businesses and the remarkable people behind them. The awards are hosted by the National Small Business Chamber (NSBC).
Read moreAdèle Dejak is one of an emerging group of entrepreneurs who are adding value to Kenya's arts and fashion industry. Speaking to Nikiwe Bikitsha for the Africa Connected series, the jewellery designer said that she aims to create a platform that shares information with women that will empower them in business. Adele is part of a group called "Lionesses of Africa" which aims to recognise all those women entrepreneurs in Africa who are an inspiration to us all, those who have made it to the top of their fields and who are shaking up their industries and business sectors.
Read moreChase your dreams....
"Don’t listen to logic. If you know that there is more to you than your 9-5, more to you than just being a mommy or a wife, then abandon logic and chase your dreams with all you have. Don’t let the naysayers kill your dreams!"
- Rozanne Collings is the founder of Chillalas in South Africa, a company that produces fresh, home-made and healthy chilli paste. Rozanne is a passionate and talented home cook who took her love of spice and turned it into a business that is inspiring other cooks who appreciate the culinary power of the chilli. Her new chilli paste brand Chillalas is livening up kitchens and meals across South Africa.
Read more"If it's your passion - DO IT!"
- Deborah Nicholls is the founder of Ageless Grace in South Africa, a company that provides Anti-Aging Exercise and fitness programmes. Deborah is an educator and teacher of Anti-Aging Exercises – Timeless Fitness for longevity of your body and mind. Deborah resides in Cape Town and offers Ageless Grace group classes to fitness centres, gyms, community centres, wellness centres, schools and retirement villages.
Read moreNever ever doubt yourself....
"Start as soon as possible - work on that dream. Never ever doubt yourself or listen to negative people. Don't let a bad economy stop you, but always keep your heart open for your customer. Without them you have nothing."
- Eldari Visser is the founder of Picketfence Life in South Africa, a one stop place for the consumer to find expert advice from financial coaches, lawyers, accountants and tax practitioners, life and business coaches, and even psychologists. Following a long and successful corporate career in training, lecturing and finance, Eldari decided to launch her company to support people by providing them with an avenue to easily reach expert advice.
Read more"In the next fifteen years, I believe technology and finance will change the lives of millions of girls across the world, like it changed mine and that of my friends Barbara in Uganda, Ndeye Awa in Senegal and Lorene in Kinshasa - women who today are also helping to educate girls by teaching them to code."
- Mariéme Jamme is a Senegalese born-British businesswoman, who runs a technology consultancy business. She is best known for her role in promoting technology, good governance, transparency and a better education standard in Africa. She was recently named as one of the 100 most influential Africans of 2014 by the Africa Business Magazine and Forbes Magazine.
Read moreAt this year’s SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards, Shona MacDonald, founder of Shonaquip in South Africa, was announced as the winner of the inaugural Disability Empowerment Award at an official awards ceremony on 27 October 2016. The award was established in recognition of the increase in the number of innovations providing solutions for people with disabilities. As a means of recognizing the critical work carried out in this under-served sector, the SAB Foundation established the Disability Empowerment Awards, which carries an additional total prize money of R1.5-million. In judging this award, the innovation’s business potential, innovation, life change potential and scalability was reviewed.
Read moreAnyone who loves cooking understands how crucial it is to get great ingredients for the pantry, particularly when it comes to spicing up favourite dishes. Passionate and talented home cook Rozanne Collings took her love of spice and turned it into a business that is inspiring other cooks who appreciate the culinary power of the chilli. Her new chilli paste brand Chillalas is livening up kitchens and meals across South Africa.
Read moreOne of the greatest challenges in Africa is recruiting the unskilled labour force that makes up the majority of unemployed people. Where we've seen exponential growth in the number of new businesses, in spite of the challenges in accessing markets and funding, skills pose a limitation on the growth of these businesses.
Read moreHelping clients to achieve ‘ageless grace’ is the vision that entrepreneur Deborah Nicholls has for her company and she has developed an innovative exercise and wellness programme called Ageless Grace - Anti-Ageing Exercises for Body & Brain, which provides the solution.
Read moreFlight Club is a call to rebel, reinvent, and thrive! The book shares the journey of women who "leaned out" of the corporate world to launch their dream businesses. Author Felena Hanson, founder of Hera Hub, shares her personal story and rise to entrepreneurship.
Read moreBeing an entrepreneur automatically means that you keep learning. You keep developing your skills-sets, understanding new ways of doing business and applying new methods to make your business better. The same principles are applied to sales. If you want to be a better salesperson, with the understanding that all entrepreneurs are salespeople, then you need to keep honing your skills and developing your mindset to have a winning attitude in sales.
Read moreHave you ever wondered what it would be like to have a professional expert in a particular field walking your life journey with you and providing support and advice along the way? Well, entrepreneur Eldari Visser knows the value of having such experts at hand, and her unique company, Picketfence Life, is providing access to information, advice and a powerful network of such experts.
Read moreFind your purpose and passion....
"Life is a journey. Once you understand that some of the most important things are purpose and passion driven, combined with a deeper need to make a difference beyond self as well as contribute in some way to what is happening around you, it certainly makes waking up daily an easier task for me. When you earn a living this way, it is certainly more fulfilling."
- Omoyemi Akerele founded the Lagos Fashion and Design Week in 2011 and is also founder and artistic director of Style House Files, the organising body behind the annual four-day fashion showcase. Style House Files is a Creative Development Agency that primarily focuses on the advancement of the Nigerian and African Fashion Industry. Omoyemi is widely regarded as a driving force behind the burgeoning Nigerian fashion industry. She helps brands gain essential international exposure through presenting showcases at Pitti Immagine in Italy, and through Lagos Fashion and Design Week.
Read more"Enter no existing mould, do what you love, and dream, because everything begins with a dream!"
- Tigui Traoré is the founder of the fashion and creative events label, Cocostyle in Guinea. Her companies organize thematic fashion events with a cultural character that represent the current Afropolitan trend. Tigui's Cocostyle universe is so much more than just a label, it is a unifying concept that breaks all the clichés and represents the more quirky and colourful side of fashion.
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