the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Emma Maame Efua Tandoh, founder of Love Ankara (Ghana)
African print has been finding its way into mainstream fashion for a long time, but it is always good to see a brand emerging from the continent that innovatively celebrates its diversity. Love Ankara is a fabulous retail, footwear and accessory brand, proudly made in Ghana but loved by the continent.
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Sage Lavine
Author Sage Lavine asks: “Can a woman like me, with just the spark of an idea, actually start a business and make money? Can I have a meaningful career that fits into my life, instead of fitting my life into the cracks of my work schedule?” If you're asking these types of questions, then her new book Women Rocking Business will give you the help and advice you need.
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Developing your entire marketing strategy, including your brand, messaging, copy, social media, and PR, can feel overwhelming and prohibitively expensive. In the early days of Little Pim, I know that when faced with the marketing dollars I could spend, I wanted the Italian leather boots and all I could afford were the discounted canvas Keds! But there are ways to ramp up your marketing without ramping up your spend.
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I started going to a gym when I was 13; I am now almost 36. I think this gives me my 10,000 hours of mastery according to Malcolm Gladwell. Here are some unexpected lessons I’ve learnt at the gym that can be applied to the real world.
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When I started my business, everyone kept telling me, "Your network is everything! Work on building it up." And to be honest, at the time, I didn't understand it. I'm not a people-person and I am definitely not energised by being around people. In fact, it drains me! Give me a good book, a good cuppa coffee, and leave me alone. I will be the happiest little bookworm in the whole wide world.
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Fatima Babakura, founder of Timabee (Nigeria)
People will say no to you....
- Fatima Babakura, founder of Timabee, an up and coming luxury women's handbag brand in Nigeria. Back in 2014 Fatima decided to bring to reality, one of the sketches that she couldn't forget about after she had drawn it. It was special and different from the others in her sketchbook. That sketch turned out to be Timabee's very first design, 'The Classic'. The response from people was just amazing and that was when Fatima decided to turn her hobby into a business.
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Rafiat Kasumu, founder of Kente Master (Ghana/USA)
Make sure you are passionate....
- Rafiat Kasumu is a Nigerian-American who developed a love for kente while working with kente weavers in Kumasi, Ghana. Rafiat took this love to the next level by co-founding Kente Master which seeks to expand the international reach of Ghanaian kente weavers. Kente Master is a fabric artisan startup committed to promoting African entrepreneurship by internationally servicing a unique blend of premium, finished Kente graduation stoles.
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Olubukola Asafa, founder of Oba Couture (Nigeria)
You need to have a sense of purpose....
- Olubukola Asafa is the founder of Oba Couture in Nigeria, a company that manufactures handmade handbags, sandals, shoes and other leather goods with a culture of fine craftsmanship, design and innovation. After obtaining her MBA degree, Olubukola started a business selling shoes and handbags of different brands. But, she had a vision and passion to create a proudly ‘Made in Nigeria’ luxury accessory brand, and so Oba Couture was born.
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Kofo Akinkugbe, founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd (Nigeria)
- Kofo Akinkugbe is recognised globally for her entrepreneurial success story and strong business track record. She is founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd a market leader in smart card technology and digital security in Africa. SecureID is a world-class manufacturing facility with the only smart card production plant in West Africa and one of only six on the continent. In January 2015 the company commissioned a new state-of-the-art EMV-certified smartcard manufacturing plant – the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company serves 16 countries across Africa and is fully certified by VISA, Verve and MasterCard. In 2012, Kofo won the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship Mature Business Award.
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Lorna Scott, founder of Inverroche Distillery (South Africa)
There is something special about passionate people who create products that celebrate the natural indigenous ingredients that come from one place, making them truly unique. Lorna Scott, the entreprenurial inspirational behind the fabulous Inverroche gin brand, is one such passionate creator and brand builder, inspired by the natural botanicals that grow in the world’s smallest yet richest floral kingdom.
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Dr. Ola Orekunrin, founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria
- Dr. Ola Orekunrin is a medical doctor, helicopter pilot and the healthcare entrepreneur founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service. She's dedicated to bringing trauma care to the most remote parts of Western Africa and her company, an air ambulance service based in Lagos, is doing just that. She was motivated to start the company after her younger sister tragically died whilst traveling in Nigeria as a consequence of there being no medical air service available to transport her to hospital. Ola graduated as a medical doctor from the University Of York in the UK and is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine.
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Margaret & Allan Hirsch, founders of Hirsch's Homestores (South Africa)
Persistence will get you there....
- 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 seventeen branches and concept stores spread throughout South Africa.
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Bev Missing, founder and ceo of Rain
- Bev Missing is the founder of South African body and bath product brand RAIN. Back in 1999 Bev saw a gap in the market to start making soap as it was labour intensive and all the lovely soaps at that stage were imported. Bev started the project in her garage hoping to help solve unemployment in her hometown of Ladybrand, and to make a difference in the lives of the poor and jobless. Today, RAIN has 14 stores across South Africa, two unique wellness spa's, two stores in New York and one in California. RAIN is the only beauty product company that is fully Fair Trade and Beauty Without Cruelty accredited, meaning the whole company and every ingredient it uses is regulated by the international Fair Trade body, not just some ingredients.
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Jenny Blake
If you've got the perfect career or business, congratulations. But if you are even a little bit uncertain that your current gig is the right one, it is time to start thinking about your next move. In the new world of work and business, it's the only move that matters, according to Jenny Blake, author of Pivot.
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Women dominated the Zimbabwe Institute of Management 2017 Leadership Excellence awards that were presented in Harare this month, with Securico Security Services founder, Divine Ndhlukula, picking up the prestigious Private Sector Leader of the Year award. She received the award for her ongoing contribution to management excellence in the country in the preceding year and for being an example and inspiration for others to emulate.
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Chika Madubuko, founder of Greymate Care (Nigeria)
Getting access to qualified, experienced and fully vetted care for those elderly family members who wish to stay at home can be extremely challenging, but Greymate Care is one company looking to provide a solution. It’s online platform connects specialist carers to those in need of care, giving both patients and families the peace of mind they are looking for.
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Sine Ndlela, founder of YoCoco (South Africa)
There is no question that your ability to communicate confidently and authoritatively is critical to your career success. Presentations are amongst your most important opportunities to make an impression, to stand out and enhance your personal brand. It’s not simply another boring meeting. Get over thinking of presentations as burdens. Just by thinking about them differently, you can shift your level of confidence, and that, as you know, is the first step to improving the overall way you are perceived. Here are some tips from ‘Own Your Space’ to make your presentations more effective.
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Do you ever feel like you could be making more progress in your business, or like you sometimes get off track and then have trouble remembering the main things you should be focused on as you climb the entrepreneurial mountain? Do you ever wish you had someone with whom you could celebrate the big wins and who would be there to cheer you on when you hit the deep potholes?
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Joanne Mwangi, founder and CEO, PMS Group (Kenya)
- 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.
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