Quote of the Day by Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana

August 16, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Words of wisdom for African women: "We are very proactive. We are strong women. We are great managers. We are great policy makers. We can be a great force for Africa.”

- Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana, co-founded Gahaya Links Cooperatives shortly after the Rwandan genocide ended in 1994. These inspiring sisters had a vision to turn ancient basket weaving skills into a source of livelihood for thousands of rural women. Many of the women, like Janet and Joy themselves, were returning refugees or survivors of the genocide. The women started weaving baskets in exchange for food. Initially bringing together about twenty women, the sisters taught them how to weave and how to enhance their weaving skills with new design techniques. Today, Gahaya Links manages a network of over 5,000 weavers across the country, organised into around 52 cooperatives that help provide much needed income and stability. The sisters have successfully opened the business to international markets, partnering with the likes of Macy’s, Walmart, Oprah Magazine, and Kate Spade. Today, Gahaya Links "Peace Baskets” are sold and admired the world over.

Entrepreneur Advice from Sarah Collins: Have the courage to believe in yourself

August 16, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Sarah Collins, founder of Wonderbag — **Sarah Collins**, founder of Wonderbag

Have the courage to believe in yourself....

"The Wonderbag journey has not been without its fair share of hurdles. Having the courage to believe in myself, even when the chips are down; facing the naysayers who predicted failure from day one and hiring too quickly and firing too slowly have all been hurdles that I have had to overcome. Also thinking people with smart degrees and foreign accents have the solutions to scaling the business has proven just not true on more than one occasion! I learned this the hard way. You need dogged determination, a very high pain threshold, and incredibly close friends to hold the safety net as you’re definitely going to need it when you fall, and you will fall - you have to - because it's a part of the journey."

- Sarah Collins is the founder and CEO of Wonderbag, a simple non electric slow cooker which works in mud huts in Africa to Manhattan apartments, possibly one of the only cooking devices that is globally relevant! Sarah is a South African adventurer, entrepreneur, and lifelong social activist. She thrives on challenges and has worked tirelessly over the past two decades to inspire change in the realms of gender-equality and environmental sustainability.

Entrepreneur Advice from Thato Kgatlhanye - Women entrepreneurs must take themselves seriously as business leaders

August 15, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Thato Kgatlhanye, founder of Rethaka (South Africa) — **Thato Kgatlhanye**, founder of Rethaka (South Africa)

As women entrepreneurs we must take ourselves more seriously....

"Women don’t take themselves seriously enough, so when we start talking about startup companies that women today are leading, we tend to talk about the types of businesses that people expect women to be involved with. Often, the talk is not around crunching the numbers - we need to be talking more about the net asset values of our businesses; let’s talk more about what our balance sheets look like and actually start taking our businesses seriously."

- Thato Kgatlhanye is founder of Rethaka, a woman-owned South African business that is focused on improving the world around them. Through their green innovations such as the Repurpose Schoolbags, they redefine societal problems into solutions. Thato makes it her business to uncover sustainable opportunities that create a far-reaching impact for low-income communities, with a particular focus on children and women.

EVENT REPORT: Women’s Month in South Africa kickstarted with a Lioness Lean In Breakfast event in Durban

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Every year in the month of August, South Africa celebrates National Women’s Month, and to support this commemorative initiative, Lionesses of Africa headed to Durban on 1 August to host one of its popular Lioness Lean In Breakfast Events. As always, the event was powered by Standard Bank and hosted at its Kingsway conference centre in the heart of Durban. At the event, women entrepreneurs representing all sectors of business and industry, gathered for a morning of inspirational startup story sharing and great networking.

Essential Read: Get over your damn self - The no BS blueprint to building a life-changing business by Romi Neustadt

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Building a successful niche business is something that entrepreneur and author, Romi Neustadt, is passionate about. Today with her direct approach and humorous writing style, she is helping others build lucrative niche businesses and create lives with more freedom and flexibility, greater purpose and a lot more fun.

Own your Habits

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

It is said your habits are the foundation on which success is built. I was again reminded of this by an article I came across on Forbes.com that beautifully illustrates that no matter how much technology has changed our lives, some things will fundamentally never change.

Claudia Castellanos Roques, a passionate foodpreneur based in Swaziland creating a taste sensation with her gourmet chilli brand

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Claudia Castellanos Roques, co-founder Black Mamba (Swaziland) — **Claudia Castellanos Roques**, co-founder Black Mamba (Swaziland)

For all those who love the taste of chillis and want to buy products that are organic, fair trade produced in Swaziland, and supporting local farmers and producers, then Black Mamba is a gourmet chilli product brand to watch.

Kristi Kyle, an entrepreneur based in South Africa making a clothing range specifically to cater for tall women

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Kristi Kyle, founder of Love Long Length Clothing (South Africa) — **Kristi Kyle**, founder of Love Long Length Clothing (South Africa)

For all those women out there who are tall and struggle to find great clothes that actually fit, then help is at hand from a great new South African brand, Love Long Length Clothing.

Why entrepreneurs and business owners must have a will

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

As a firm of attorneys, we are known for advocating the importance of having a legally valid will drafted, regardless of your age or financial standing. In my career, I have often come across hugely successful entrepreneurs who didn’t have a will in place, or if they did it was seriously outdated.

Why You Need to Prioritize Efficiency Before Taking a Vacation

August 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Can you unplug completely and do it with confidence? Will your business run without you? There’s only one way to find out.

Entrepreneur Advice from Divine Ndhlukula: Start your venture with an end in mind

August 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Divine Ndhlukula founder of SECURICO Security Services (Zimbabwe) — Divine Ndhlukula founder of SECURICO Security Services (Zimbabwe)

Start with an end in mind....

"My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is start with an end in mind, know exactly what you want to achieve and start to work systematically towards the goal, exercising some patience."

- 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 Margaret Hirsch

August 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Margaret Hirsch, co-founder of Hirsch's Homestores (South Africa) — Margaret Hirsch, co-founder of Hirsch's Homestores (South Africa)

"You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great!"

Margaret Hirsch is one half of a dynamic husband and wife duo that founded Hirsch's Homestores. Back in 1979, as a secretary, together with her husband Allan, then an appliance repair man, they unwittingly became entrepreneurs who went on to build an appliance, electronics and furnishing retail empire. Today, Hirsch's Homestores is the largest independently owned appliance and electronics business in Southern Africa, with 18 Hirsch stores and four Samsung concept stores.

Entrepreneur Advice from Rapelang Rabana: Self-understanding allows you to tap into your drivers and motivation

August 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Rapelang Rabana, founder of Rekindle Learning — **Rapelang Rabana**, founder of Rekindle Learning

Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is essential....

"Because of how entrepreneurship and the world of business is portrayed in our society, we are misled to believe that success in business rests in things like being good at numbers, or being an aggressive sales person and deal maker, or bossy enough to manage a lot of people. These are not the deciding factors. What makes business hard is not the business itself, but the personal journey you must undertake in order to be able to lead yourself and then others. And the capacity to do that has nothing to do with business. It stems from self-understanding of strengths and weakness, continuous self-reflection and assessment and self-regulation."

- Rapelang Rabana is a South African technology entrepreneur and founder of Rekindle Learning, a company looking to improve education in Africa by turning people’s compulsion to check their phones into an opportunity to learn. Rapelang is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum, was chosen by Forbes as one of Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs, and listed on the ‘O Power List’ by The Oprah Magazine.

Entrepreneur Advice from Abai Schulze: Done is better than perfect

August 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Abai Schulze, founder of ZAAF, Ethiopia — **Abai Schulze**, founder of ZAAF, Ethiopia

It was social media expert and author Scott Allen who quipped: “Done is better than perfect”....

"This was my first learning curve. Being a perfectionist is well regarded in many creative industry work environments. It shows you are dedicated and passionate about your work. I tend to be this way. However, I came to understand that in the context of decision-making, this quality could be a disadvantage for an entrepreneur. Getting wrapped up in minute details of my work can mean I miss the big picture."

- 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.

Quote of the Day by Tabitha Karanja

August 8, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“There are no shortcuts in life and to be successful you need to go the extra mile. There is also no time, so don’t waste it and whatever you do, be it as a student, parent, employer or employee, always strive to be the best”

- 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 Penny Mpanza: Find your sense of purpose

August 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Find your sense of purpose and pursue it....

"We all come to this world with a PURPOSE for our lives; look within yourself first of all and then look around you; you will find what it is that you were brought into this world to do. Then, pursue it with every fibre of your BEING!"

- Penny Mpanza is the founder of Let’s Build Our Country Fund NPC (LBOC Fund) in South Africa. This innovative Non-Profit Company addresses the issue of inequality in South Africa by creating 1,000 educational and career opportunities for South African youth every year. The fund is underpinned by a cutting edge Holistic Learner Development Programme that focuses on academic excellence, as well as critical care areas outside of the class room.

Quote of the Day by Teta Isibo

August 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Teta Isibo, founder of Inzuki Designs, Rwanda

“It’s really rewarding when you can manage to turn a passion into a profitable business, and inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs along the way.”

- Teta Isibo is the creative mind behind Inzuki a dynamic young Rwandan brand specializing in jewellery, accessories and interior decor hand-made from local materials by local crafters. With no background in fashion or business, Teta quit her job as an urban planner with the city of Kigali to start her own business. Today Inzuki (bees in the local language) is part of a wider Rwandan cultural Renaissance.

Celebrating 15 of Ghana’s inspirational women entrepreneurs who are putting the country on the global business map

August 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

This month Lionesses of Africa is heading to Accra, Ghana, to host the latest in our series of Lioness Lean In events across the African continent, in partnership with Stanbic Bank. To coincide with our visit, we will be launching a series of special feature articles which focus on leading women entrepreneurs building great businesses and brands in this great city. Ghana is a country which is seeing some real women entrepreneur game-changers who are making their mark with their business ventures and innovative products and services, not just at home, but across the African continent and the world.

Jess Binns, a creative entrepreneur in South Africa designing spaces that make people, companies and brands feel good

August 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Jess Binns, founder of Hector & Bailey (South Africa) — **Jess Binns**, founder of Hector & Bailey (South Africa)

The environments we spend time in are critical when it comes to influencing the way we feel, interact with others, and experience life and work. For interior designer Jess Binns, founder of Hector & Bailey, this represents a wonderful creative challenge. To design interior spaces that connect with those who use them, and beautiful exterior spaces for those that view them.

How to be Unstoppable and achieve more in Business and Life by Cindy Norcott

August 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

In celebration of her business, Pro Appointment’s 20th Anniversary, owner Cindy Norcott launched her book: How to be Unstoppable and achieve more in Business and Life – an account of the lessons she learned during her twenty-year business journey.