Shola Ade-Okafor, an entrepreneur with a passion for bringing professional make-up tools and products tailor-made for African women

March 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Shola Ade-Okafor, founder of BlushinGirl Tools (Kenya) — **Shola Ade-Okafor**, founder of BlushinGirl Tools (Kenya)

For many women entrepreneurs in Africa, the inspiration for launching a new business, product or brand comes from trying to find a solution to a challenge or addressing the lack of a particular product in the marketplace. For Shola Ade-Okafor, the inspiration for her company, BlushinGirl Tools, came from not being able to find an eyeshadow primer suitable for professional make-up artists.

Entrepreneur Advice from Diana Opoti: Find your niche and passion

March 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Help yourself by finding your niche and passion....

"Find a niche. Turn what you like into a business. Passion fuels business!”

Diana Opoti is founder of leading Kenyan fashion consultancy Diana Opoti PR. This doyenne of African fashion is an avid blogger, the founder and executive producer of the television series Designing Africa, with her hit campaign, 100 Days of African Fashion. Diana is a true champion of the continent’s fashion design market and one of Africa’s most formidable fashion connectors. In 2014 Diana was nominated 'Outstanding Trend Communicator of the Year' by the prestigious Africa Fashion Awards.

BBBEE – how will this impact small businesses in South Africa?

March 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

If you are a small business owner in South Africa and struggling to understand how the new BBBEE codes of good practice could impact your business then read on….

Bhatupe Mhango, a perfumier in Malawi creating unique fragrances for today’s modern woman

March 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bhatupe Mhango, founder of Bha’s Fragrance Boutique (Malawi) — **Bhatupe Mhango**, founder of Bha’s Fragrance Boutique (Malawi)

A passion for creating contemporary fragrances led entrepreneur and perfumier, Bhatupe Mhango to launch her own unique label, Bha’s Fragrance Boutique, creating perfumes that are inspired by Africa but for women of the world.

Quote of the Day by Angela Ajala

March 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Angela Ajala, National President of Business and Professional Women (BPW) in Nigeria — **Angela Ajala**, National President of Business and Professional Women (BPW) in Nigeria

"Women should strive to pull up their fellow women when they are on the top."

- Angela Ajala is the National President of Business and Professional Women (BPW) in Nigeria and Vice President of the African Women Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP). Angela is passionate about children's issues, is a seasoned educationist and the Executive Director, Ladela Schools in Nigeria.

Entrepreneur Advice from Miranda Isaakidis: Always play fair

March 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Miranda Isaakidis, co-founder of Indulgence Spa Products — **Miranda Isaakidis**, co-founder of Indulgence Spa Products

Top advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs....

"Play fair – I have seen many companies fail because they are driven to make a quick buck – they rarely stay in business for long."

- Miranda Isaakidis is co-founder of Indulgence Spa Products, a South African company that wholesales, distributes and manufactures high-end products for the hotel, spa and hospitality industry. Miranda prides herself on identifying the very latest trends from the top spas, hotels and cruise liners internationally. She has been awarded the Outstanding Achievement in International Trade and Investment award by the D Group/British Foreign Office and was recently appointed Chair for WPO Johannesburg, Chapter 2.

Quote of the Day by Basetsana Kumalo

March 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"You have to be street-smart and have suss, which no one can teach you."

- Basetsana 'Bassie' Kumalo is a South African television personality, beauty pageant titleholder, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1990 when she was crowned Miss Soweto and Miss Black South Africa at the age of 16. Since then, Bassie has become a formidable force in the business world and is widely respected as both an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. In 2011 she was honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Is your favorite lipstick fake? Africa's leading beauty entrepreneur Tara Fela-Durotoye launches campaign to tackle counterfeiting

March 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tara Fela-Durotoye, Founder & CEO of House of Tara International — **Tara Fela-Durotoye**, Founder & CEO of House of Tara International

Leading African beauty industry entrepreneur, Tara Fela-Durotoye, together with other leading Nigerian entrepreneurs are raising their voices to stand against counterfeiting, intellectual property theft and piracy in Nigeria. Their powerful new campaign 'United We Stand' aimed at tackling piracy, counterfeiting and intellectual property theft head-on launched on 24th February 2017. The campaign is a call to action against injustice which also implores the Nigerian public to take extra steps to preserve hard work and to ensure consumer safety by buying genuine products and shunning counterfeit products.

Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur's Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit by Pia Silva

March 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

According to author Pia Silva in her new book Badass Your Brand, if you are looking for entrepreneurial success, then forget everything you think you know about branding and starting a business, and throw out your how to write a business plan workbook.

11 Tips for Coping with Stress at Home as an Entrepreneur

March 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

We are all products of our environment. Family and home environment is an important area for developing basic stress management skills. The home is where behaviours, habits and core beliefs are learnt, and stress triggers a myriad of emotions. When parents handle stress well, they’re likely to teach their children to do the same. Conversely parents who are anxious, panic and stress excessively; the probability children will emulate them is high. In his book, Biology of Belief, Dr Bruce Lipton explores the importance an environment plays in shaping beliefs, behaviours and habits.

Why Relationship Building in Sales is so Powerful

March 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

The importance of building relationships in business cannot be stated enough, because people buy from people. You need to be authentic in sales, you need to be yourself. Your prospect will come to trust you and that link that you’ve built is called relationship building.

Entrepreneur Advice from Ndaneh Howard: Step out of your comfort zone

March 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Ndaneh Howard, founder of Ngewormia (Sierra Leone) — **Ndaneh Howard**, founder of Ngewormia (Sierra Leone)

Step out of your comfort zone....

"Be bold enough to pursue your dream. Surround yourself with the right people who will use your weakness to embrace you. Take advantage of all opportunities and step out of your comfort zone."

- Ndaneh Howard is the founder of Ngewormia in Sierra Leone, an online store serving the United States and Europe, carrying a wide assortment of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and clothing. Their original designs are all authentically African and made lovingly by hand. Ndaneh is an artisan and entrepreneur with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and is also a certified leasing specialist. Ndaneh is currently a student at the New York Institute of Art and despite her busy schedule, she has maintained her personal passion for creative jewelry design.

Understanding the Difference between a Business Strategy vs a Marketing Strategy

March 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

To date I’ve had a couple of clients who seem to be confused as to the reason one should have a Business strategy or a Marketing strategy - do you need both or will one or the other suffice?

How to Build a Global Brand like Oprah

March 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Many people have dreams of creating a global empire as successful as Oprah has done, but many fail to realize that her brand was not built overnight, in fact Oprah has been building her brand for the past 40 years and it took many failures and pivotal moves to get her where she is today. Below we will look at 5 Steps Oprah has taken to build a global brand: ready...set...go!

Ndaneh Howard, a Sierra Leonean entrepreneur creating bold African accessories for the world to wear

March 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

African women are proud of their unique style and creativity particularly in the world of fashion and accessory design. And for one Sierra Leonean entrepreneur, Ndaneh Howard, founder of accessory brand Ngewormia, this sense of pride is reflected in her work and her personal mission to get the world talking about the beauty of African accessories.

Lionesses of Africa celebrates the continent’s most inspiring women entrepreneurs in beauty and wellness businesses in March

March 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Every month at Lionesses of Africa, we shine a spotlight on a particular industry sector where Africa’s women entrepreneurs are making a real impact, through their businesses, their innovation, their products, services and craftsmanship, and their passion for what they do. This month (March), we are turning our attention to the women who are changing the face of the beauty and wellness industry in Africa, and creating fabulous new products and brands in the process.

Entrepreneur Advice from Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko: It takes hard work and perseverance

February 28, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko, founder of Abidjan4you (Ivory Coast) — **Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko,** founder of Abidjan4you (Ivory Coast)

It takes hard work and perseverance....

"The most important advice I can give to other women who want to start is that hard work and perseverance is crucial to succeed."

Evelyne Ndabaneze-Masumbuko is the founder of Abidjan4you, a unique city guide for expats in English in Ivory Coast. Evelyne has created the no. 1 website in English in Côte d'Ivoire that answers the need for an easily accessed on-line information resource. Her inspiration for launching came after her husband was relocated to Abidjan by his company and she spotted a need for a resource that help newcomers like herself to the city.

SoleRebels founder Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu demonstrates the power of thinking big with her new Garden of Coffee venture

February 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, the pioneering and enterprising creator of the inspirational SoleRebels ethical footwear brand, and Republic of Leather, her business venture that puts Ethiopia’s handcrafted leatherwear and accessories on the global map, believes the future of a truly sustainable specialty coffee market can be found in coffee’s birthplace, her native Ethiopia. After more than a decade of building SoleRebels into a global footwear and leather goods brand that combines traditional Ethiopian craftsmanship and materials with fresh new designs while also paying top dollar throughout the supply chain, Alemu late last year launched an equally ambitious new coffee venture called Garden of Coffee.

How to Master Solo Start-ups: The Tell All Guide for Solo-preneurs to Help You Manage Like an Expert CEO by Dee Sarwan

February 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Managing a business successfully, means you need to learn how to organize your thoughts, fiercely focus on the best most effective solution to create your unique offering AND bring it to market quickly. PLUS, learn to think, evaluate, delegate and make decisions like an EXPERT CEO. In her book ‘How to Master Solo Start-ups: The Tell All Guide for Solo-preneurs to Help You Manage Like an Expert CEO’, author Dee Sarwan shows you how.

EVENT REPORT: 2017 Lioness Lean In Breakfast event rollout launches in Cape Town and Johannesburg in February

February 26, 2017 Melanie Hawken

It now feels like 2017 has well and truly got underway with the first two Lioness Lean In Breakfast events having taken place. The first in Cape Town on 21st February and the second in Johannesburg on 23rd February. At each event, women entrepreneurs representing all sectors and sizes of business gathered for a morning of inspirational startup story sharing and great networking.