Stress can be likened to a coin which we all know has two sides – heads or tails, positive or negative, beneficial or detrimental. With discernment, and a level-headed approach, it is possible to determine how best to handle stress, including daily stressors. Contrary to popular belief, not all stress is negative, or even detrimental. To expand, I would like to share the following aspects for introspection of the stress in your life.
Read moreWhat are the characteristics of a good brand?
"What makes a great brand?” - As the co-owner of a vibrant creative studio specialising in design, branding and marketing called SummerTime, I probably get asked that question every single work day, at least… And while branding and marketing is both a science and an art, often entailing complex analysis and sophisticated insights, the answer to this question is pretty simple and straight forward.
Read moreEssential Read: Power in the Paddock - A journey of healing and transformation by Yolanda Sing
Yolanda Sing, founder of Chloe Consultants
When an illness as serious as a malignant brain tumor rudely interrupted the author’s life and successful corporate career, she realized that the illness had a message – not just for her but for the many others in our world also suffering with illness or caught up in careers that are demanding, stressful or no longer inspirational. In her quest to overcome the illness and live an abundant, successful, purposeful and healthy life, she made a choice to ‘hear and listen’ to the voices of hope. She also became an entrepreneur on a mission, through her company Chloe Consultants.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Sebenzile Matsebula: Avoid negativity and self pity
Sebenzile Matsebula, founder of Motswako Office Solutions, South Africa
Stay positive and avoid self pity....
“In the entrepreneurial space there is no charity and there are no handouts; it’s all about the bottom line and profits. Avoid negativity and self pity - no one is interested in that!”
Sebenzile Matsebula is the founder and Executive Director of Motswako Office Solutions, one of South Africa’s leading office automation and document management solution providers. Sebenzile is also an internationally recognized disability rights activist. She previously worked as the Director of the Office on the Status of Disabled People (OSDP) in the Presidency of Thabo Mbeki for 8 years. In 2009, she was appointed to the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Advisory Council, which is mandated to advise the government on Black Economic Empowerment in order to remedy the economic legacy of Apartheid.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Daniela Wingate - Don’t underestimate yourself
Daniela Wingate, founder of Heirloom Treasury (South Africa)
Don’t underestimate yourself....
".... and don’t let other people who tell you that you can’t do something entrepreneurial get to you. I read a wonderful Chinese proverb that says “The person who thinks it can’t be done, can’t interrupt the person who is doing it”. I think this is a really important message because everyone operates from their own personal level of fear of the unknown, but remember that it is their fear not yours, so just be strong and know what you want, and keep focusing on that end goal."
- Daniela Wingate is the founder of The Heirloom Treasury in Johannesburg, South Africa. Daniela produces a range of lovingly hand-made, carefully selected and beautifully displayed stationery and gift items that reflect the art of fine craftsmanship in Africa. The Heirloom Treasury sets out to create gifts that people would like to keep for a lifetime and to then pass them on to others.
Read moreQuote of the Day from Joanne Mwangi
Joanne Mwangi, founder and CEO, PMS Group
"The future is in the young people. Everyone today who is 30 and under; those are the people who own Africa. It is their collective efforts that are going to change this world. These people succeeding, each one at a time, is what is going to change Africa. "
- Joanne Mwangi founded PMS Group in Kenya in 1996. Today her company has five subsidiaries and a presence across East Africa. Joanne has steered the PMS Group from a small agency to a leading full service marketing and communications group and in 2010 her company was voted number one in the Top 100 SME competition in Kenya. Joanne is also the chairperson of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations (FEWA), an organisation that seeks to create an enabling business environment for women.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Nkemdilim Begho
"…. we need to reshape the way we teach technology to be engaging to a broader set of people. We need to dispel the idea that programming is too hard to learn. While there are clearly things that are necessary to understand, the perception is that only select individuals can succeed. We need a breadth of backgrounds entering the technology field to adequately address the breadth of solutions needed."
- Nkemdilim Begho is founder and Managing Director of Future Software Resources Limited, an IT solutions provider focused on online solutions, e-learning and IT security. As one of a few Nigerian women in the industry, her success is founded on a passion for driving innovative thinking, building a globally recognized technology brand and setting trends in the Nigerian Technology space.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Tashmeen Authar: Keep your focus
Tashmeen Authar, co-founder of Rollasole Africa
Keep your focus....
"No matter how many deterrents there are, keep your focus. You will fail your way to success, and your next breakthrough will always be right on the edge of what you deem a failure. Everyone will try to give you advice (generally the ones who do not have a business, will have the most to say), and heed this advice with a pinch of salt and again keep your focus!"
- Tashmeen Authar is the co-founder of Rollasole Africa, a company that manufactures and sells a range of ‘fashionable rollable shoes’ rolled in a compact form with a high heel carry bag, designed to fit into most handbags as an instant solution to high heel pain. Tashmeen and her husband started the business in 2013, a year after getting married, and they used their savings to develop their website and create the first 1000 pairs of shoes.
Read more100 Lionesses: Transitions and new beginnings for AkiraChix co-founder Judith Owigar
Following almost seven years’ of innovative and transformational work, December saw the inspirational co-founder of AkiraChix, Judith Owigar, announcing thecommencement of her transition out of AkiraChix. This means she will not be actively involved in the day-to-day activities in AkiraChix, instead using this time to explore opportunities at the intersection of women, youth, governance and technology.
Read more2016 - What a year it was!
It’s that time of year when we like to look back at all the highlights of the last 12 months, and reflect on what an amazing year it has been. So many inspirational women entrepreneurs met and startup stories told; so many unforgettable events held and new business relationships forged; so many business ideas and challenges shared; and importantly, so many lifelong friends made. We would like to take this moment to say a huge thank you to all those who have been part of the Lionesses of Africa journey so far - the women entrepreneurs across the African continent who inspire us every day, the impact partners who work with us to make great things possible, and the entrepreneurial eco-system that continues to connect us like-minded people, amazing partners and supporters from around the world.
Read moreENTREPRENEUR SMARTS: Mastering Trifocal Execution
Successful entrepreneurs are usually working on three horizons at once: 1. the now - their current products for the current market; 2. the next - products for emerging markets; and 3. the nascent - thinking and working towards the far future.
Read moreFentse Mokale, a South African creative accessory design entrepreneur with an eye for combining a traditional African aesthetic with a contemporary twist
Fentse Mokale, founder of Marabou Essentials (South africa)
Globally, there is a growing interest in contemporary African design, particularly in the fashion space, and Fentse Mokale, founder and lead creative at Marabou Essentials, is tapping into that interest. Her accessory brand is capturing the hearts and imagination of a whole new customer base as she creates a really unique range of products that capture a continent through its fabrics.
Read moreTashmeen Authar, a South African entrepreneur with a solution to the perennial high heel shoe problems for women on the move
Tashmeen Authar, co-founder of Rollasole Africa
Any fashion conscious woman who has ever had to take off her high heel shoesduring an evening out due to aching feet, will understand what an incredible invention portable, rollable shoes are. Tashmeen Authar, co-founder of Rollasole Africa, is bringing this wonderful concept in footwear comfort to the African continent.
Read moreAncha Salvador, a Mozambique-based entrepreneur bringing a world of specialist food solutions to those with gluten intolerance
Ancha Salvador, founder of Anchaa's Gluten Free (Mozambique)
For all those who struggle with issues around food intolerance, entrepreneur Ancha Salvador, founder of Anchaa's Gluten Free, has not only a great personal understanding, but also a range of exciting food products to match.
Read moreEssential Read: In My Shoes: What it's really like to start your own business by Carol Haffke
Carol Haffke, author and entrepreneur
When Carol Haffke opened her own longer sized, women’s shoe shop in April 2012, she had no idea what she was doing. None. She walked away from more than two decades working in journalism, public relations and fundraising, and within a few months opened the doors of her beloved shop, The Shoe Garden, in Brisbane, Australia.
Read more12 Tips to Reduce Entrepreneurial Stress
Being an entrepreneur can be exciting, gratifying, challenging and of course, stressful too. The freedom of having your own business, being your own boss, making decisions maybe rewarding but the responsibility is stressful. More especially when there is more month than money, staff, suppliers and bills to pay with little left over for your needs. Entrepreneurs are renowned for juggling multiple roles, pushing the envelope, and squeezing the most out of any resource.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Jesslynn Schlamm: Don’t overthink it, just do it!
Jesslynn Schlamm, founder of Lulu & Marula, South Africa
Don’t overthink it, just do it!....
"If you are sitting there, mulling over the idea of starting up a new business, and you are stressing about all the small details, you are probably never going to do it because you are hindered by fear. The best thing you can do is to say to yourself, “If I fail I fail, if I succeed I succeed, recognising that even if you fail, there are so many lessons to be learned for next time. So, just go and do it and don’t over think it."
- Jesslynn Schlamm is the founder of Lulu & Marula, a South African company that produces a handcrafted, 100% all natural skincare range, created to balance both body & mind. Jesslynn's startup journey is testimony to the power of passion and dedication required to get one ahead. Frustrated by not being able to find skincare products that ticked all the boxes in terms of health, wellbeing, sustainability and eco-friendly production, with a minimal impact on the environment she was inspired to create her own from her small kitchen. Today, her product range is still blended and packaged by hand in small batches in Johannesburg. This means that each product is unique and of the highest quality, something very close to Jesslynn's heart.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu
"As I entered college, it became clear to me that poverty alleviation is a myth and that prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create prosperity you have to create something world class."
- 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 Victoria Kisyombe
Victoria Kisyombe, founder of SELFINA, Tanzania
"This is the era for Africa to move forward, and if Africa is moving forward, the women can move forward with it."
- Victoria Kisyombe founded SELFINA in 2002 and pioneered micro-credit in Tanzania through micro-leasing with a focus on widows and young girls. Victoria helped women overcome many of the traditional stumbling blocks that made it difficult for them to own land and assets. SELFINA has gone on to economically empower more than 25,000 women with a total credit worth 25 billion Tanzanian Shillings (approximately $16 million US dollars). Over 200,000 lives have been impacted through the benefits accrued.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Ally Angula
Ally Angula, co-founder of Leap Holdings (Namibia)
"I believe we have to seriously start creating job opportunities. We have to become active doers and entrepreneurs and not rely so much on social support from government, like social grants."
- 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.
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