the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
During the holiday season, I saw a post on social media asking the question ‘What moisturizes your soul’? I really loved the idea of an exfoliation followed by an intensive moisture mask for the soul. So I want to pose that question - what moisturizes your soul? What activities bring you back to yourself and reignite that spark in you - that make you remember what you are passionate about?
Read moreSource: CNN African Voices | 11 January 2019
Building 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 business scene, this is the nature of the business and brand she is building.
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Sophie Devonshire
In today's fast-paced world, leaders need to move at speed. The rate of innovation and change in organizations and the challenges of impatient investors or shareholders mean leadership decisions must be quick, smart and deliver real impact. Sophie Devonshire’s new book, Superfast, Lead at Speed provides cutting edge inspiration and a host of exciting ideas about how to accelerate performance in an agile and thoughtful way, shedding new light on leading in a world which is fluid and uncertain.
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On 16th January 2019, London Stock Exchange Group launched the second edition of its ‘Companies to Inspire Africa’ report, identifying and celebrating some of Africa’s most dynamic growth businesses. Lionesses of Africa Founder and CEO, Melanie Hawken, was a guest speaker at the high profile event in London, invited to showcase some of Africa’s most inspirational women-led growth businesses who were included in this year’s report.
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Patricia Vasco, founder of Amorambique (Mozambique)
A new fashion collection launches this month, designed by the wonderfully creative Patricia Vasco, founder of growing Mozambican fashion brand, Amorambique. A celebration of the world-renowned and loved capulana fabric, this latest collection is going to win over new and loyal fans alike.
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by Phindile Ndlovu, founder and director of Bhekizenzo Foundation
This year I started with a bang and did an interview with one of the leading news channels. I thought this was going to put me on the map. Well, it did for the first two days. Afterwards, I was old news. People were on to the next trend, posting pictures of the #10yearchallenge.
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by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman
New year, new ideas, new goals, blah blah blah! There is always so much hype around each new year and how this year things will be different. It’s interesting, though, that a calendar year is man-made – there is no difference between 31 December and 1 January, except perhaps that it’s a milestone. And this I think is key – for many of us it’s a way of measuring ourselves and the progress we have made in life – a way of benchmarking our situation and comparing where we were and how far we have come.
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Lebitso Ramphore, founder of Ostibel Africa (South Africa)
For all those with skin challenges, help is at hand with a new organic skin and haircare brand from South Africa. Ostibel Africa, founded by serial entrepreneur Lebitso Ramphore, is giving hope to all those who battle dry skin and hair and who are looking for a natural, environmentally friendly solution.
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Aphiwe Madlavu, founder of AP Royalty Events Management (South Africa)
Harnessing your practical experience and a particular skills-set is always a good foundation for a business. At AP Royalty Events Management in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, entrepreneur Aphiwe Madlavu is using her knowledge and expertise in the field of event management to build a business with great potential.
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Sue Barnes, founder of Project Dignity and Subz Pads (South Africa)
Sukha Yogi Retreats will be hosting a special launch event on 20 March 2019 - an all-inclusive Yoga Retreat at Victoria Falls (Session I) Mar 20, 2019 – Mar 24, 2019. Join an exciting, yet relaxing yoga retreat at the breath-taking, all-inclusive Zambezi Sands Resort, an ecotourist destination, which is a part of the Imvelo Safari Lodges in Zimbabwe, Africa.
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Tabitha Karanja, founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries (Kenya)
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 production facility is targeting 20% of the Kenyan market.
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Mandisa Makubalo, founder of Rehoboth Waste Management Services (South Africa)
In South Africa, many companies find it a challenge to manage an efficient business that doesn’t at the same time comprise on customer service. Mandisa Makubalo, founder of Rehoboth Waste Management Services, is building a business that helps companies to address their wasteful cost structures and achieve a competitive advantage in the market place.
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Elsa Chissano, founder of Katike Serviços (Mozambique)
Those special occasions in life and in business deserve special events with which to celebrate, and in Mozambique, Katike Serviços founded by entrepreneur Elsa Chissano is bringing her clients’ event dreams to reality.
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by Thato Mokhothu-Ramohlanka founder of MR Consulting
It’s a new year and what better time to invest in yourself and to become a better leader in business. Here are ten ways to kickstart that process.
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by Brigitte Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
Would you believe I have been creating dusty pink bridesmaids dresses since the inception of Roka Roko? My second group of bridesmaids in 2014 was a chiffon and lace dusty pink dress design; and that experience was terrible. Well, not because of the colour, but you can imagine I have had a few scary attachments to this colour. I have had a love hate relationship with the colour dusty pink for a while now. I think it is because as a creative you come to accept that things change and you expect the world to move with you…well no!
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Jean Case
In her brand new book, Be Fearless, renowned philanthropist, investor, and technology pioneer Jean Case brings to life the five principles common to the people and organizations that change the world. This book is a call to action for those seeking to live extraordinary lives and bring about transformational change.
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Kim Perell
Serial entrepreneur, Kim Perell, author of The Execution Factor, first made headlines for her amazing transformative story of a startup entrepreneur to an internationally renowned CEO and prominent angel investor. From her modest beginnings at her kitchen table, she went from broke to multi-millionaire in just a few short years. Today, she has investments in over 70 startups many of which have been sold to some of the largest Fortune 500 companies. Now, in The Execution Factor, she offers indispensable wisdom as she shares her personal journey and proven program for achieving success.
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Dawn Close, founder of F.R.E.E (the Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment) (Zambia)
Making jewellery and making a difference to women’s lives is the mission behind F.R.E.E (the Foundation for the Realization of Economic Empowerment). Created by entrepreneur Dawn Close in Zambia, the goal is to empower highly skilled craftswomen in the country to create high quality, handcrafted jewellery for sale around the world.
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Larissa Pienaar, co-founder of Elemant Applications (South Africa)
Find a problem and develop a unique solution that will fix it - that’s often the starting point for any business, especially in the tech sector. For the all women team behind South African startup business, Element Applications, their goal in life and in business is to develop smart apps that will solve a range of challenges for other businesses and organisations. Their first foray into the commercial app space sees them creating a much-needed solution for salon owners who need to manage their businesses more efficiently.
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