We can all acknowledge that 2016 has been a phenomenal year, a year graced with fundamental business lessons, sprouting with opportunities and great networking sessions. So what does 2017 have in store for us? Do you have a marketing strategy in place for the New Year?
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Mavis Nduchwa: Start farming!
Mavis Nduchwa, founder of Chabana Farms (Botswana)
Go into agriculture as a business....
"I would say to the youth out there to just go and do it. There are so many new techniques and platforms to use in terms of technology, so you can take advantage of your knowledge in this space and start farming. Go into agriculture as a business. We are trying to make this sector funky for young people to consider as a career path too."
- Mavis Nduchwa is the founder of a family owned enterprise, Chabana Farms, located in Semitwe Village, in the Tutumwe sub-district of Botswana. This intrepid, young farmer practices integrated farming, with a key focus on poultry and eggs. She is passionate about non-GMO products and environmentally friendly production methods.
Read Mavis's startup story here.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Abai Schulze
Abai Schulze, founder of ZAAF, Ethiopia
"Real economic development is about producing top quality products using unique cultural, natural and human resources that can find a place at the highest levels in the global marketplace,"
- Abai Schulze is founder of the creative, new Afro-luxe brand ZAAF who create handcrafted luxury leather handbags and accessories produced by artisans in Ethiopia. Abai, born in a remote village in Ethiopia, has had a truly remarkable life journey. Her journey has taken her from an orphanage in Addis Ababa to the United States where she was raised, and back to Ethiopia. Today, she passionately uses her background in economics and fine arts to create unique and practical expressions of beauty, and to open avenues of opportunity for talented artisans in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa. Her designs draw upon precious cultural relics and allow them renewed expression through fresh, uplifting and modern designs.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Nicci Stewart: Ask for help
Nicci Stewart, founder of The Why Effect (South Africa)
Ask for help....
"Ask for help, it's out there and people are willing to help, but still be prepared to work hard."
- Nicci Stewart is the founder of The Why Effect in South Africa, a company focused on helping entrepreneurs put the right strategies, systems and processes and resources in place to create sustainable, growing businesses. Nicci works with her clients to help them make the most of an entrepreneurial network and examine opportunities such as enterprise or supplier development programmes. Nicci is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10 000 Women programme for female entrepreneurs and is currently enrolled in the Women’s Leadership programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Victoria Verbaan
Victoria Verbaan, founder of Victoria Verbaan & the Smoking Daxi
"I have had to learn that it is important to just get your products and designs out there, regardless if it is 100% perfect or not. It is perhaps one of the hardest lessons to learn for a creative entrepreneur I think."
- Victoria Verbaan, the founder of Victoria Verbaan & the Smoking Daxi, is an established designer, artist and illustrator. She works in a wide variety of artistic disciplines ranging from illustration and painting to the design of bespoke rugs, wallpaper, limited edition fine art prints, fabric and more recently, ceramics. Her commissioned artwork and fabric can be seen in local and international homes as well as restaurants and boutique hotels. Wallpaper Magazine recently named her as 1 of 20 reasons to visit South Africa.
Read moreMegan Richards, a South African entrepreneur taking lifestyle blogging to a whole new level
Megan Richards, founder of The Authentic Girl (South Africa)
Blogging is a great way of connecting with people and sharing information and insights about things that are of interest to key audiences. Megan Richards, founder of the popular blog The Authentic Girl has tapped into an exciting audience of women who share a love of fashion, beauty and great food.
Read moreENTREPRENEUR SMARTS: Evolve or Die
Every month I see startups who are failing because they have not evolved. Every startup ecosystem goes through three distinct stages. Startups that do not evolve to fit each stage will die out. So what are these stages?
Read moreEssential Read: Jo Malone: My Story by Jo Malone
Known around the world for her eponymous brand of fragrances and now her brand-new venture Jo Loves which is soon to debut in the US, Jo Malone tells the remarkable and inspiring story of her rise from humble beginnings to beloved business success.
Read moreNicci Stewart, a South African entrepreneur with a passion for helping other entrepreneurs to grow their businesses
Nicci Stewart, founder of The Why Effect (South Africa)
Making the right strategic and operational decisions are key to running a solid business, but often those strategies and systems are missing in the early days of launching. So, entrepreneurs Nicci Stewart, founder of The Why Effect, has built her business on providing the support and expertise necessary to help entrepreneurs to create effective strategies, systems and processes in place to grow.
Read moreNercia Celeste Mazive, a Mozambican entrepreneur with a passion for human capital development and the realization of human potential
Nercia Celeste Mazive, founder of Premier Human Capital Corporation (Mozambique)
Premier Human Capital Corporation Mozambique Lda is the brainchild of entrepreneur Nercia Celeste Mazive. She realizes that if companies and organizations are to thrive, they need access to a pool of talented and qualified people able to make positive contributions to growth and development. Her company is in prime position to source and develop those people.
Read moreKeroche Breweries founder & CEO Tabitha Karanja receives the 2016 Global Inspirational Women Leadership Award
From Left, Dr. Tariq Ahmed Nizami, CEO – CEO clubs network Worldwide, H.E Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum, Mrs. Tabitha Karanja, CEO- Keroche Breweries
The inspirational Kenyan entrepreneur, Tabitha Karanja, founder of Keroche Breweries, has been recognized for her achievements with the 2016 Global Inspirational Women Leadership Award. This prestigious award was presented by the Centre for Economic and Leadership Development (CELD) an organization in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) and the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women), USA.
Read moreVere Shaba wins the GE Africa Innovation Centre & Lionesses of Africa Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge
As part of sponsorship of this year’s Lionesses of Africa 2016 Annual Conference, GE Africa Innovation Centre, General Electric’s newly launched Innovation Centre, based in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, and serving Sub-Saharan Africa, sponsored an Open Challenge for Women Entrepreneurs. Key qualification criteria for entrants included “a sustainable digital solution to a pressing challenge – or opportunity - ideally focusing on the sectors, and businesses, that GE SSA serves.”
Read moreQuote of the Day by Mireille Karera
Mireille Karera, founder of KORA Associates
"Your victory is already won, when you choose to keep going on your entrepreneurial journey."
- Mireille Karera is the founder of KORA Associates, a consulting and coaching company headquartered in Dubai, U.A.E, with operations in Africa. Mireille is of Rwandan origin and recently opened the company's latest subsidiary in Rwanda. She speaks 7 languages fluently (English, French, German, Rwandan, Swahili, Burundian and Lingala) and in earlier years pursued her passion for languages which earned her a Bachelor Degree in Business & Legal Translation in Cologne, Germany.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Njeri Rionge
Njeri Rionge, co-founder of Wananchi Online, Kenya
“I touched many things before I touched the thing that turned into gold.”
- Njeri Rionge is one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs and one of the very few women pioneers in the ICT sector on the African continent. She has co-founded internet service provider Wananchi Online, Ignite Consulting, Insite Limited, Business Lounge, and Njeri Rionge Business Consulting Inc. These days Njeri describes herself as a global citizen cross-pollinating her business interests in Africa, North America and Europe. She 'telecommutes' and regularly travels between her offices in Nairobi and Toronto.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Puleng Pooe: Roll up your sleeves
Puleng Pooe, founder of Lina Sarah Team (South Africa)
Roll up your sleeves....
"Never entertain the habit of wishing instead of being willing to roll up your sleeves and put in the hours and work. Have FAITH, it is a starting point for achieving your goals, and FAITH is the only known antidote for FAILURE!"
- Puleng Pooe is the founder of Lina Sarah Team in South Africa, a company with the vision and mission of partnering with Clients to assist in alleviating time spent on finding the right candidates for open vacancies. Puleng's goal and objective is to partner with organizations to increase the quality and speed of their recruitment. She supplies quality temporary and permanent placement of staff and related support services, and works closely with organizations on their succession plans, performance management and talent management processes.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder and Managing Director of soleRebels
“If we want to have truly equitable societies, then we need to embrace equity on all levels. And that means women’s economic empowerment and the key to that is women entrepreneurs,”
- Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Samrawit Moges Beyene
Samrawit Moges Beyene, founder of Travel Ethiopia
"Circumstances have made us strong. Carrying water, wood, delivering our own babies in some cases. African women get their strength through a difficult life. One day the African women will reach where they aspire to be."
- Samrawit Moges Beyene is a successful Ethiopian entrepreneur who founded Travel Ethiopia in 1994, a tour company involved in eco-tourism. Travel Ethiopia was the first company to hire women as tour guides. She went on to start Village Ethiopia in 1998, a company that operates a lodge – Bilen Lodge – in Afar providing employment to the local community. Samarawit has also started a floral business that is the first in the sector to hire disabled employees.
Read moreAward winning accessory designer, Pam Samasuwo Nyawiri, recognised at the AWA African Women Awards 2016
Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, founder Vanhu Vamwe
Pam Samasuwo Nyawiri, multi-award winning founder of unique handbag and accessory design company, Vanhu Vamwe, has just been recognized for her groundbreaking work by the AWA African Women Association and their 2016 prestigious African Women Awards, picking up the Creative Visionary Award.
Read more100 Lionesses: Nigeria’s eco-warrior Chinwe Ohajuruka recognised for her game-changing eco-house building initiatives
Award-winning entrepreneur, Chinwe Ohajuruka, founder of CDS (Comprehensive Design Services) in Nigeria and the inspiration behind innovative eco house building initiatives that are positively changing thousands of lives in the country, has just beenrecognised for her work in a new global and powerful documentary series. Her Passive House Prototypes project was featured in Al Gore’s latest environmental documentary series: 24 Hours of Reality.
Read moreNthabiseng Mosia, an entrepreneur finding affordable clean energy solutions for Africa by harnessing the power of solar technology
Nthabiseng Mosia, co-founder of Easy Solar (Sierra Leone)
One of the biggest challenges facing Africa and its citizens is access to clean affordable energy. One young entrepreneur, Nthabiseng Mosia, together with her co-founders in a social enterprise, Easy Solar, is looking to make an impactful contribution to solving this challenge in Sierra Leone, a country particularly hard-hit by access to energy issues.
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