Source: Talks at Google | Published on Apr 3, 2017
Mo Abudu is the founder of EbonyLife TV. She has achieved success in various fields - as an Executive in ExxonMobil for nearly a decade, as the promoter behind the Protea Hotel Oakwood Park, as well as the Founder of Vic Lawrence & Associates, one of Nigeria’s leading Outsourcing firms. Then she entered the world of media as the Creator and Hostess of “MOMENTS WITH MO”, earning the accolade of ‘Africa’s ‘first lady of chat’. The show was the first of its kind to be syndicated across Africa, with an impressive guest list that includes Hillary Rodham-Clinton, President Muhammadu Buhari, and Christine Lagarde, amongst others.
Read moreBeing a Creative Female Entrepreneur by Caitlin Johnson is designed to encourage, and inspire all the creative entrepreneurs out there. It's a short guide with practical advice for navigating the waters of creative entrepreneurship. Caitlin is passionate about bringing women together and helping them grow their business dreams into a reality!
Read moreI hear many people and companies say that soft skills training is a warm and fuzzy exercise. I believe in most cases this is a lack of knowledge or egos getting in the way of acknowledging the key role and benefits that these skills play in both individual and organizational growth.
Read moreWe’ve all experienced this as entrepreneurs - that moment when everything feels like it’s falling apart, nothing seems to be going right, almost as if the world is conspiring against you. But do not fear, ask any seasoned entrepreneur and they’ll admit that they too have been through turmoil in their business and earned their t-shirt.
Read moreMy top advice based on what I have learned in business....
"It’s crucial to listen to your customers. Deliver on time and don’t over-promise or under-promise or over-promise and under-deliver. I learnt to run my business very efficiently. It’s also important that you communicate and be responsive. Always remember that you are running a business and not a charity. Remember that you have family, friends and associates but always know that you are running a business."
- 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 moreBuilding a fashion brand with a unique personality, great style appeal, and a social conscience can be a tall order for many. But for the talented designer and entrepreneur, Lilly Alfonso, a leading light on the Malawian fashion and businessscene, this is the nature of the business and brand she is building.
Read more"Be prepared to work hard, and then some."
- Tinky Ogle is the founder of SMME News in South Africa, a free bilingual educational newspaper providing information and advice to Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMME) sector. A passionate social change-maker, Tinky graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in Social Science and today is making a difference by empowering other small businesses in local communities, giving them much needed access to information and a powerful platform to showcase their services.
Read moreIf there is something that small businesses can never get enough of, it’s access to great, relevant and timeous advice and information, and that’s where South African publishing entrepreneur Tinky Ogle comes in. Her publication, SMME News, is playing a key role in bringing news and information right into the heart of the entrepreneurial community in which she lives and works.
Read moreChocolate lovers who are on the look out for high quality chocolates that are produced using the finest ingredients and that are also gluten free, have found a champion in Sanja Hanekom, the founder of Noir Chocolates SA. She is creating delicious chocolate gifting ideas for individuals and corporates alike.
Read moreI have 3 pieces (of advice)....
1. Doubt is your biggest enemy! Keep positive by surrounding yourself with positive and encouraging people that believe in you, you are going to need to lean on them a lot!
2. Just start! Small steps every day lead up to your bigger end goals. Remember: "The man on top of the mountain didn't just fall there" - Vince Lombardi
3. Celebrate every little victory. There are going to be a lot of difficult and tough steps to climb along the way but when you do accomplish something, however small, be sure to celebrate it! This carries you through the tough times and brings joy into your entrepreneurial journey.
- Mary-Jean Treloar is the founder of MΛRY JEΛN JEWELLERY in South Africa, a designer and manufacturer of fine handmade jewellery that is inspired by patterns and symbols found across the African continent. Mary-Jean unearthed a spark for jewellery design and manufacture at a young age, but it remained a hobby she dabbled in while she completed a BSc degree in Interior Architecture at Pretoria University and worked in the Corporate Architecture industry. Eventually, in 2014 Mary-Jean decided to follow her true passion, completing a short beginners’ course in jewellery design, before embarking on a self-taught journey of design and manufacture that affords her the opportunity to learn, design and create truly handcrafted jewellery everyday.
Read moreOdd Mom Entrepreneur Out is a guide for mom entrepreneurs who want to eliminate guilt, grow their businesses and elevate their lives. This collaborative book, produced by Rachel Olsen and Flesche Hesch, brings together 11 experts who built up to 7 figure incomes while being present for their families and primarily working from home. They share business and parenting tips on how to manage both, without sacrificing either.
Read moreBy Marang Marekimane, founder of Business in Theory
Learn how to pitch so you aren’t afraid to pitch – that was the advice I was given. The irony is I’ve given similar advice to other people, and like most people, I didn’t listen to my own advice.
Read moreSome people are born creative, and others are born entrepreneurial, and if you are lucky, you get to be a combination of the two! South African entrepreneur and talented jewellery designer, Mary-Jean Treloar, displays both of these traits in huge quantities. Her highly personal brand, MΛRY JEΛN JEWELLERY, is inspired by the continent she loves and the stories that are woven into the very fabric of society. Her unique work is winning fans of great jewellery design both at home and abroad.
Read more"There’s a lot of innovation happening in Africa. But it’s not necessarily sexy in sort of the globally expected way. Much of the innovation is around solving problems and meeting real human needs."
- Khanyi Dhlomo is the Managing Director of Ndalo Media, which she founded in 2007. She is also the founder of DestinyConnect and the founding editor of Destiny Magazine. Before starting her own media company, Khanyi was editor of True Love magazine for eight years. In 2013, Khanyi ventured in retail and launched Luminance, a high-end fashion and lifestyle department store. Khanyi was named most influential woman in South African Media by The Media Magazine in 2003 and made the 2011 Forbes list of 20 Young Power Women in Africa.
Read morePut a little spark in your business....
"My advice: It’s time to put a little spark to that business and make it shine. If you have a goal to succeed at what you are doing, then you must be committed 100 % to that business, put in your very best, and be very happy to talk about your business."
- Helen Asimegbe is the founder of Stylemark Mall Enterprises in Nigeria, a company retailing high quality children's clothing and accessories, in sizes to suit all ages, from Infants to Teens. Helen is a graduate with a B.SC in Business Administration and gained 5years working experience in the Banking Sector before launching her company. She serves as a business mentor at the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Foundation and the Cherie Blaire Foundation for Women in Business. Helen is also a member of Toast Masters International Club.
Read moreIt’s not always easy, making the transition from corporate to entrepreneur, but for Helen Asimegbe, founder of Stylemark Mall Enterprises in Nigeria, it was a personal dream and a promise to herself. Today, she is doing what she loves, building a highly customer-centric retail business, whilst at the same time playing her part in helping other entrepreneurs to realize their dreams too.
Read moreWith her entrepreneurial spirit, the renowned wildlife conservationist and social entrepreneur, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, was determined to find a solution that could help coffee farmers on the slopes of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, while improving their attitudes towards conservation. The result: Gorilla Conservation Coffee—a social enterprise created through a partnership between Conservation Through Public Health and Worldwide Fund for Nature Switzerland.
Read more“With the new wind of air blowing throughout the continent and organisations connecting female entrepreneurs across the continent with networks, sources of capital, operational know-how, female entrepreneurs have no excuse than to take advantage of the new windows of opportunities...."
– Winnifred Selby was just 17 when she co-founded Afrocentric Bamboo, a company that manufactures and markets bicycles made from bamboo. Today, she is heading what has become a growing brand that is struggling to keep up with demand. Designed in-house, Afrocentric Bamboo bikes are sturdy, affordable – US$100 for the local market – and made for the high terrain and rough roads of rural Ghana. The frames are built in one piece, making them stronger and more economically viable.
Read moreFor all true chocolate lovers out there who are constantly on the search for the purest of taste sensations and the highest quality ingredients, there is a new, proudly African brand that is getting people talking. Chocoloza, the brainchild of entrepreneur and passionate chocolatier, Vicki Bain, combines the best Belgian chocolate with the finest local, fresh African ingredients. The result is a taste sensation unlike anything else you will taste in the chocolate world.
Read more“... the woman is the core. She holds us up. In Africa, you just have to deal with the issues that affect the productivity of women. They bring food to the table. They bring education to the household. They bring medical care in the household... It is essential to support women, if we want to make a difference, if we want to transform the way the world works, for them and their families.”
- Dr. Jennifer Riria is the Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding and one of Africa's leading women entrepreneurs who has always been on a mission to transform the lives of women and their families in her native Kenya. She is distinguished as a microfinance banker and practitioner, researcher and gender specialist. She has served in many leadership roles for which she has been recognized locally and internationally. In 2013 she was awarded the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the year, East Africa, and subsequently, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2014, at which point she was admitted to EY’s Global Hall of Fame.
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