Entrepreneur Advice from Messaynesh Geberesilassie: Follow your dreams

October 20, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Messaynesh Geberesilassie, founder of Mela — **Messaynesh Geberesilassie**, founder of Mela

Follow your dreams...

"... follow your dreams. It can be hard and it takes time and energy. If you have faith and believe in yourself you will find a way. Talk to people, share your idea, you never know what happens next."

- Messaynesh Geberesilassie is the founder of Mela, a small scale, family-owned enterprise providing employment to a handful of artisans who produce beautiful traditionally hand woven 100% Ethiopian cotton scarfs and leather products. She is passionate about creating viable markets for artisan crafted goods in order to preserve the ancient traditions of craftsmanship.

Quote of the Day by Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

October 20, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder and Managing Director of soleRebels (Ethiopia) — **Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu**, founder and Managing Director of soleRebels (Ethiopia)

“It took me a decade to employ 400 people but it shouldn’t have taken that long — and it wouldn’t have either if I’d had access to the right partners.”

- Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.

Quote of the Day by Divine Ndhlukula

October 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"My advice to women all the time is: If you want a certain future, go out and create it. Conquer your fears as that is what enslaves most women. Opportunities are now galore. We just need to roll up our sleeves, lift our feet, and walk through the door as no one will carry us."

- 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.

Entrepreneur Advice from Lucy Worsley: Do it! No one else will do it for you

October 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Lucy Worsley, founder of Empire Experiential Marketing (South Africa) — **Lucy Worsley**, founder of Empire Experiential Marketing (South Africa)

Do it! No one else will do it for you....

"If you are really serious and passionate about something - do it! no one else will do it for you. Remember these wise words: “IN ORDER TO BE IRREPLACEABLE, ONE MUST ALWAYS BE DIFFERENT”. ― Coco Chanel"

- Lucy Worsley is the founder of Empire Experiential Marketing in South Africa, a female driven experiential agency that prides itself in creating unforgettable and flawless experiences that resonate with women of all ages and races. They achieve this through specially curated events that start the conversation between brands and the female market. Lucy is a 26 year-old creative, a lover of food, an under cover nerd , a fashion fundi, and an experiential extraordinaire.

Entrepreneur Advice from Tariro Makina: Savour the process

October 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tariro Makina, founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant (Zimbabwe) — **Tariro Makina,** founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant (Zimbabwe)

Savour the process....

"Savour the process. There are going to be a lot of flavours you are going to taste from working on your startup. Bitter, sweet and everything else in between. It is this process where you draw your lessons and experiences. Regardless of how you finish, always live to fight another day. It could be in the same venture or a completely new one. Whatever it turns out to be, remember it is the process that takes you where you desire to be. Live it. Savour it. Enjoy it."

- Tariro Makina is the founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant in Zimbabwe, a company that specialises in providing flexible business support solutions to small and medium sized businesses across the world. Tariro's experience comes from years of working in event, internet service and finance industries and she held several roles including management in the Information Technology space.

Quote of the Day by Adèle Dejak

October 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"Passion is the driving engine for anything you want to achieve in life."

- Adèle Dejak is founder of the Adèle Dejak brand which creates handmade fashion accessories for the modern, sophisticated and multidimensional woman. Adèle cut her teeth in the world of typographic design in England and Italy before moving to Nairobi, Kenya in 2005 and turning her attention to accessories design. She found herself intrigued by the natural beauty of horn and begun to experiment with techniques of creating unique shapes and fashioned pieces. Her flair was noticed and spurred on by an admirer of one of her creations who encouraged Adèle to set up shop creating unique shapes to wear. Dejak’s Nigerian roots begun to merge perfectly with European influences and she set out on her never-ending quest for that essential artefact that allows you to express your own style.

Quote of the Day by Lydie Hakizimana

October 17, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Lydie Hakizimana, co-founder of Drakkar Limited (Rwanda) — Lydie Hakizimana, co-founder of Drakkar Limited (Rwanda)

"When you have the interests of people at heart, you can do anything."

- Lydie Hakizimana is co-founder and Managing Director of Drakkar Limited, a specialist reseller and distributor of educational textbooks. It all started back in 2006 when this avid bookworm decided to follow her passion and opened a small bookshop. Before long, her entrepreneurial instincts had her developing relationships with numerous publishing companies. Today, Lydie manages 45 employees and thirty part-time distributors covering the five provinces of Rwanda, with exclusive distributor deals with Longman, Heinemann, Penguin and Pearson.

Entrepreneur Advice from Gérsia Sequeira: Passion, Confidence & Patience

October 17, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Gérsia Sequeira, co-founder of Instituto de Tecnologias, Inovação e Serviços - ITIS (Mozambique) — **Gérsia Sequeira**, co-founder of Instituto de Tecnologias, Inovação e Serviços - ITIS (Mozambique)

Essential advice....

"Wherever you go never forget to take with you the 3 faithful friends: Passion, Confidence and Patience"

- Gércia Sequeira is the founder and Executive Director of ITIS, the Institute of Technology Innovation and Services. The company is a real innovator in Mozambique and has won an SME Innovation Award for its products and business solutions, which run in 8 higher education institutions in the country and which have graduated more than 15 000 students.

Entrepreneur Advice from Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass: If you have an idea and dream then just realise it

October 16, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass, founders of DUBARUBA — **Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass**, founders of DUBARUBA

If you have an idea and dream then just realise it....

"Do not be afraid to fail. You will learn many things on the go. Only calculate your risks - it pays off to lose time and money in order to realise your dreams. Do not start a business only for the money, because you will lose your motivation easily if you experience failure."

- Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass are the co-founders of DUBARUBA, an eCommerce platform based in Austria showcasing the work of some of Africa’s most talented designers and brands to a discerning European marketplace. The name DUBARUBA comes from a village located a few miles south of the Eritrean capital of Asmera and the company is a celebration of the vast and diverse universe of African designers, artists, and brands. It pays tribute to the creativity of young talented designers and artists, most of whom are undiscovered by the world at large. The products presented on DUBARUBA are carefully selected by the team and most are unique handmade items that come from small producers.

Lesotho’s leading women entrepreneurs come together for the launch of Lionesses of Africa in the country

October 15, 2017 Melanie Hawken

On a glorious, sunshine filled morning, over 100 leading women entrepreneurs representing a wide variety of business and industry sectors gathered together for a morning of inspiration and celebration at the launch of Lionesses of Africa in Maseru, Lesotho. Cohosted by Standard Lesotho Bank, this unique event aimed to acknowledge the game-changing women entrepreneurs who have built some of the country’s most successful businesses, and to inspire a new generation of young women entrepreneurs who aspire to follow in their footsteps.

Essential Read: She’s On Her Toes - How I Started a Business, Expanded It, Almost Lost It, and Got Back On My Toes by Carolyn Hern

October 15, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Entrepreneur Carolyn Hern owns and operates two fitness studios, and these businesses have given her plenty of insight into the mistakes many entrepreneurs make when starting their own operations. In her new book, She’s On Her Toes, Carolyn uses her own personal story of success to inspire and guide you on your journey, steering you away from the pitfalls that ensnare many new business owners.

100 LIONESSES: Featuring Dorcas Muthoni, a passionate techpreneur transforming lives

October 15, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Dorcas Muthoni is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Openworld Ltd, a specialist computer software company she established in Kenya when she was just 24 years old. Today, Openworld is a leading e-Government and business software services firm involved in the delivery of some of the most widely used Web and Cloud applications in Africa, such as ARIS, an African Union reporting application used by all 54 member states; and the Performance Management System for the Government of Kenya, automating performance contracting in the public sector.

Benji Coetzee, a South African entrepreneur on a mission to make cargo transportation more eco and cost efficient

October 15, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Benji Coetzee, founder of Empty Trips (South Africa) — **Benji Coetzee**, founder of Empty Trips (South Africa)

How many times a day whilst we are travelling on the highways, railways and flightpaths of countries across the African continent do we see underutilized freight carriers. This results in more expense and a bigger environmental impact. But that is about to change with the entry into the marketplace of EmptyTrips. This innovative, digital company is a game-changer in the logistics and freight transportation business.

Outsourcing 102 – The best ways to outsource your admin

October 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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The moment you learn to embrace the beauty of outsourcing, is the moment your world will change. And for the better, believe me! You only have so many hours in the day and a myriad of tasks to deal with besides being an example to your team, the strategic hub for growth, the face of the company and the decision maker on all things. So, after reading all of that and being reminded what a super human you are, let’s breathe and really take in how outsourcing your admin makes sound business sense.

Own your attitude

October 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Your attitude is the way you view the world. What attitude did you choose to bring with you today? We all have a choice. We can choose an inner dialogue of self-encouragement and self-motivation, or we can choose one of self-defeat and self-pity. It’s a power each of us has. We all go through times of hardship; it can’t always be smooth sailing. The key is to realise it’s not what happens to you that matters; but as we’re sure you’ve heard before, it’s how you choose to respond.

Quote of the Day by Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo

October 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

“We are done teaching women how to fish,... We want to give them the whole lake.”

- Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo is an award-winning Nigerian architect, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, as well as a speaker, radio host, and author. She is the founder and Principal Partner of AD Consulting, a leading architecture and interior design company based in Lagos. Olajumoke Adenowo has received numerous Architecture awards and has been called the “Face of Architecture” in Nigeria. She was featured on CNN African Voices, and profiled on CNN as Africa’s 'Starchitect', and has been featured in the world’s leading Architectural Publications such as America’s Architectural Record Magazine.

Entrepreneur Advice from Shola Ade-Okafor: Talk to as many people as possible

October 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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

Talk to as many people as possible....

"Just do it! Be sure you are passionate about the business you intend to start, and talk to as many people as possible within your target market to get an idea of how viable your business idea is."

- Shola Ade-Okafor is the founder of BlushinGirl Tools in Kenya, a cosmetic company that provides top quality makeup and professional makeup tools primarily for the African woman. After completing her MBA at the University of Sunderland in the UK, Shola knew she wanted to work in the beauty industry and worked at House of Tara in Nigeria for one year where she gained valuable industry experience. Shola then moved to Nairobi with her spouse and set up her own makeup business providing professional makeup classes and producing a line of makeup specifically formulated for African women.