100 Lionesses - Tabitha Karanja and Julian Adyeri Omalla, two game-changing women entrepreneurs recognized for their trailblazing drinks industry businesses in Africa

June 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tabitha Karanja (L) and Julian Adyeri Omalla (R)

The Africa Report has just published its list of the 50 women Star Dealmakers, the trendsetters, trailblazers and game-changing business brand-builders, who are shaking up the world of business on the African continent. Two of the women making the list and who have definitely made their significant mark in the drinks industries are Tabitha Karanja, CEO Keroche Breweries; and Julian Adyeri Omalla, Managing Director of Delight Uganda.

Essential Read: Dare to Become a Success - Lessons from Ants by Mulenga C Kasoma

June 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Do you want to succeed in life and business? Are you tired of simply being a spectator and want in on the action? Have you been toiling with the idea of taking your life and your business to the next level? Are you stuck in a rut? Would you like to start seeing things fall into place in your life and business instead of it being a constant struggle? If so, then this easy to read book by author, editor and entrepreneur, Mulenga Kasoma, could be for you.

Meet 9 African women chocolatiers feeding the world’s love of fine chocolate

June 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Africa has a wealth of natural resources that are the envy of the world, one of them being cacao beans, so why is it that the continent is not known for producing the finest chocolate when it sits on the finest raw ingredients? Well that's now changing, thanks to a new generation of African women chocolatiers who are turning their passion for chocolate into exciting new proudly African artisan chocolate brands.

Miyoba Buumba, a Zambian entrepreneur taking her passion for African design and turning it into a distinctive homeware and accessories brand

June 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Miyoba Buumba, founder of Mwabonwa Designs (Zambia) — **Miyoba Buumba**, founder of Mwabonwa Designs (Zambia)

Often a business idea stems from a personal passion, and in the case of Miyoba Buumba, founder of Mwabonwa Designs in Zambia, that passion came from her interest in proudly African design. Today, her brand is a reflection of her own design inspiration and her love of African style and culture.

Rianke Chapman, a South African edupreneur on a mission to help young people realize their educational goals in life

June 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Rianke Chapman, founder of Tutor For The Future (South Africa) — **Rianke Chapman**, founder of Tutor For The Future (South Africa)

Acquiring maths learning at an early age equips young people with the critical thinking and problem solving skills that will help them in all aspects of their lives. For edupreneur Rianke Chapman, founder of Tutor For The Future, this educational need on the part of South Africa’s young people provided the inspiration to start a business providing the specialist educational support needed to fill a real gap.

Setting the record straight: You can’t just have a business brand

June 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

A business brand without a personal brand is like an empty vessel drifting at sea, without a captain to give it purpose.

Understanding the power of preparation

June 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

I have a confession to make… The truth is...nothing in my life has just happened. Every opportunity, job interview, meeting or connection has happened because of preparation. I have a true story to share with you that demonstrates this.

Quote of the Day by Tabitha Karanja

June 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“I knew what I wanted in life and I worked day and night to achieve it, and here I am.”

- Tabitha Karanja is founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries. She is one of Kenya's leading entrepreneurs, a remarkable trailblazer and an example of a woman made good against all the odds. Tabitha chose to venture where none before her had dared. She took on an 87-year-old business monopoly and entered an industry with a deeply entrenched male gender stereotype. Tabitha broke the mould to become Kenya’s first home-grown beer and alcoholic drink manufacturer. Today, her company's state-of-the-art factory produces 10,000 bottles of gin and ready-to-drink vodka, as well as 15,000 bottles of beer per hour.

Entrepreneur Advice from Tara Fela-Durotoye: How do you handle competition?

June 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

How do you handle competition? ....

"For House of Tara, our drive has never been to be number one out of a thousand, we never aspired to be better than anyone else, we have always aspired to be us and stay true to who we are. I believe that as long as we are tied to our overall purpose, it will determine how successful we have become and how successful we are."

- Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian-born lawyer turned Africa's leading beauty and makeup entrepreneur. She started House of Tara at the age of 20, from her living room, whilst an undergraduate at university back in 1998. She's since gone on to launch Nigeria's first ever bridal directory in 1999, and in 2004 she opened the country's leading beauty academy. Today, Tara has over 5,000 representatives spread across Nigeria and 14 makeup schools to her name and she is steadfastly dedicated to realising her vision of building a globally respected beauty company of African origin. Tara remains an inspirational role-model and mentor to make-up artists and aspiring beauty business owners across Africa.

Quote of the Day by Dr. Jennifer Riria

June 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Jennifer Riria, group chief executive of Kenya Women Holding — **Dr. Jennifer Riria**, group chief executive of Kenya Women Holding

“I think one of the things that women suffer from is talking about themselves... We grow up to serve and never to think about ourselves. Women are the last to admit their accomplishments.”

- 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 2013, and subsequently, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2014, at which point she was admitted to EY’s Global Hall of Fame.

Entrepreneur Advice from Michelle Ntalami: Filter the noise

June 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Michelle Ntalami, founder of Marini Naturals (Kenya) — Michelle Ntalami, founder of Marini Naturals (Kenya)

Filter the noise....

"Do not second guess your capabilities. Believe in yourself and do not listen to background noise. Fear of the unknown is never from you, but those around you. Filter the noise, brush the dirt off your shoulders, and move on."

- Michelle Ntalami is the founder of Marini Naturals Kenya, a company that produces 100% natural and organic quality hair-care products, afro wigs and accessories for all natural-haired beauties. Michelle called her company "Marini Naturals" as it is a Swahili word for "Naturally Beautiful" or "Naturally Charming," just like a natural-haired woman, and just like her products. She is naturally a creative and artistic person and has a background in creative design, previously having worked with companies such as Safaricom, Coca Cola , and ScanGroup.

Entrepreneur Advice from Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese: It's a journey of a lifetime

June 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese, founders of Sorele Media (South Africa) — **Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese**, founders of Sorele Media (South Africa)

It's a journey of a lifetime....

"Be prepared to go on a roller coaster ride if you are looking to start up. It's one of the best journeys you will take in your life because you will learn things you never even knew you needed to know and you will meet the most amazing people while you are at it. You will find strength you never knew you had. So, DO IT!"

- Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese are the founders of Sorele Media, a TV and Film Production company that uses video to tell stories. They launched their online TV station in 2015, called AzaTV, which means Powerful in Swahili. The TV station is available online as well as on android and iOS app stores. These business partners are both media naturals, having grown up working on kid's TV as presenters and actresses.

Quote of the Day by Uche Pedro

June 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Uche Pedro, founder of BellaNaija.com (Nigeria) — Uche Pedro, founder of BellaNaija.com (Nigeria)

"We need to build our own national social networks and not be dependent on those coming from mainly the USA. We need to build home grown social media networks."

- Uche Pedro is founder of BellaNaija.com, a company that develops and delivers exciting online content aimed at Nigerian and Pan-African audiences. Uche’s savvy grasp of media trends has led to BellaNaija.com becoming the go-to lifestyle, entertainment and fashion portal in Africa. Her website has established a loyal following amongst the young, cosmopolitan, upwardly mobile set in Nigeria, with over 1 million unique visitors and 9 million page views each month.

Entrepreneur Advice from Divine Ndhlukula: Never stop learning

June 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Always keep on learning....

"I believe in learning all the time, I’m a life-long learner… I also believe in re-learning, because there are always new things coming out. My kids are teaching me things today.”

– Divine Ndhlukula founded SECURICO Security Services from humble beginnings in Zimbabwe in 1998. Divine identified a need in the market for a quality oriented security company and she has driven SECURICO to become the market leader in Zimbabwe. She has tackled a previously male-dominated industry head on and her business success story is nothing short of remarkable - marking her as one of Africa's most tenacious and inspiring women entrepreneurs.

Quote of the Day by Melanie Finch Keshwar and Ann Finch

June 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Melanie Finch Keshwar and Ann Finch, co-founders of The Chocolatiers (South Africa) — **Melanie Finch Keshwar and Ann Finch**, co-founders of The Chocolatiers (South Africa)

"Make friends with your competitors, there's enough space for everyone; its wonderful to be able to sit and discuss the industry as a whole with people who are in it."

- Melanie Finch Keshwar and Ann Finch are the co-founders of The Chocolatiers, an artisanal chocolatier company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. This mother and daughter team are passionate champions of slow food, and their approach is steeped in tradition, taking their time to hand make every chocolate with love and to perfection. The Chocolatiers ethos lies in our value of both people and planet and they believe in delivering to their customers chocolate for connoisseurs.

Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese, two South African media entrepreneurs telling Africa’s stories through the power of film and tv

June 4, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Getting the world to see Africa from a different perspective requires the ability to harness the power of storytelling through the visual media, and that is where South African tv and film production company, Sorele Media, comes in. Talented and highly experienced founders, Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese, are on a mission to not only produce great content, but also to create a powerful online tv platform to get the right messages across to audiences.

Melanie Finch Keshwar and Ann Finch, a South African mother and daughter team creating artisanal, handcrafted chocolates with a conscience

June 4, 2017 Melanie Hawken

For many consumers today, understanding and appreciating the provenance of the food we eat is increasingly important and part of the buying decision-making process. Therefore, for lovers of artisanal chocolate with a farm to table story, the team behind The Chocolatiers has a great story to tell.

Playing small in your business doesn’t benefit anyone

June 3, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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After taking the courageous leap of faith to walk away from stability and a guaranteed monthly salary to become an entrepreneur, why would you play small?

Essential Read: Mompreneur: Managing Partnerships, Parenthood and Presentations by Colette Glover-Hannah

June 3, 2017 Melanie Hawken

There is an art to attempting to balance the challenging demands of motherhood and career, and it only gets more strenuous for those mothers who decide to take the risk and bank on their business idea. The pressure and daily demands of that lifestyle are extremely difficult to understand without actually experiencing them first hand. Author Colette Glover-Hannah shares stories of mompreneurs who are managing both aspects of their lives successfully.

Nigerian ecopreneur, Bilikiss Adebiyi and her company WeCyclers, wins the Smart Cities Innovation Awards Grand Prize Le Monde 2017

June 3, 2017 Melanie Hawken

For the second edition of the Smart Cities Innovation Awards held this past week, the French newspaper Le Monde thought big. Nigerian startup WeCyclers, co-founded by Bilikiss Adebiyi, the innovative startup that brings domestic waste collection and treatment to Nigeria through a fleet of cargo-bikes and a waste sorting hub, was awarded with the prestigious International Grand Prize at the awards event held in Singapore.