Creating a marketing strategy that enhances your business

March 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Tatenda Rungisa, Human Resources Practitioner and co-founder of Twin Connect Solutions

For a business to be competitive, what is mainly required is a good strategy, a practical road map, and a sustainable marketing strategy. When trying to penetrate a certain industry sector, it’s essential to make a mark and become sustainable. One way to ensure this is to engage as many clients as possible in the business through effective marketing, by ensuring customer service is top notch, and being able to retain those customers for the long term. So how does one achieve all this? The answer can be found in creating a well defined and aligned marketing strategy.

Quote of the Day by Deborah Hartung

March 21, 2019 Melanie Hawken

“Your self-esteem is the reputation you have with yourself. Make sure it’s a good one!”

Deborah Hartung, founder of Pivot PeopleTech (South Africa)

Quote of the Day by Tabitha Karanja

March 20, 2019 Melanie Hawken

"For me the customer is always king. They are and always will be my number one priority.”

Tabitha Karanja, founder of Keroche Breweries (Kenya)

Eswatini’s women entrepreneurs get ready to experience their first Lioness Lean In event in the country

March 19, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Screen Shot 2019-03-19 at 6.34.21 PM.png

This week, on Thursday 21 March, the hugely popular Lioness Lean In events are heading to Eswatini for the first time, giving women entrepreneurs in the country the opportunity to share their business building stories, inspire one another, and connect for greater business success. The Lioness Lean In Eswatini events are being hosted in partnership with Standard Bank. True to the bank’s Brand Philosophy in the country - “Eswatini is our Home, We Drive Her Growth” - Standard Bank is encouraging the leading women entrepreneurs in its network to connect with fellow women in business from the Lionesses of Africa community at this first Lioness Lean In event to be held at the Royal Villas.

Celebrating Africa’s Women Entrepreneur Changemakers in South Africa to commemorate International Women’s Day

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Screen Shot 2019-03-17 at 2.06.20 PM.jpg

As International Women’s Day celebrations finally came to a close, Lionesses of Africa and Facebook collaborated on a very special Changemakers Breakfast event in Hyde Park, Johannesburg on the morning of 11 March. The event brought together around 100 leading women entrepreneurs from the city to network and to hear from inspirational fellow women business and brand builders. The highlight of the morning was hearing from Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s Vice President of Global Marketing Solutions, who flew into the city as a very special guest speaker for the morning. It was a truly inspirational, change-making morning for everyone there.

Bitania Amare, an entrepreneur in Ethiopia helping her clients to keep their businesses and finances in good order

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Bitania Amare, founder of Orbit Consulting PLC (Ethiopia) — **Bitania Amare**, founder of Orbit Consulting PLC (Ethiopia)

Every successful business needs great advice and support in order to be sustainable and to grow. In Ethiopia, that’s where specialist consulting firm Orbit Consulting PLC, founded by local entrepreneur Bitania Amare, comes in.

Ncheta Dasilva, a Nigerian entrepreneur creating an exciting global activewear brand that is both eye-catching and sustainable

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Ncheta Dasilva, founder of Zola Eve — **Ncheta Dasilva**, founder of Zola Eve

The rapidly growing activewear market is constantly looking for new clothing that is not only practical and beautiful, but also increasingly more sustainable. Zola Eve, an exciting activewear brand inspired by Africa and created by entrepreneur Ncheta Dasilva, harnesses her Nigerian heritage to produce a memorable, eco-driven clothing range.

LIONESS LAUNCH: Star Reflexion launches its new range of bespoke leather boots

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

South African leather accessory manufacturing brand, Star Reflexion, founded by entrepreneur Olaotse Disipi, launches its new range of bespoke leather knee-high boots this month, made to fit the shape and size of any customer’s legs.

Essential Read: Heart and Hustle - Use your passion. Build your brand. Achieve your dreams. By Patricia Bright

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

In her new book, Heart and Hustle, author, vlogger and award winning content creator, Patricia Bright, shows her readers how to hustle in business and in life in order to achieve personal goals and ambitions. And she brings all her personal experience, practical tips, and advice to the table.

No balance? Welcome to the tired mommies club!

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Ndlovu

Last week, I attended the Facebook and Lionesses of Africa International Women’s Day event in Johannesburg on 8 March. I started having small conversations with the ladies attending and quickly realized that around five of the ladies I spoke with had new born babies, just like me. We ended up exchanging nanny tips, we talked abut our hectic schedules, and shared how these days we hardly get time to put on lipstick.

Wake up earlier - you’ll never say ‘I don’t have time to’... ever again

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress

Achievers around the world swear by the motto – ‘success is a sunrise away’.

Not everyone can wake up early. Our gadget-filled world has given us enough distractions to keep us awake even when we are in bed. And some of us do that because, after a hectic day, night is the only ‘me-time’ we get. However, there is an increasing awareness of the benefits of rising at 5am. High achievers all over the world find that waking up before the sun has a personal bonus – it gives them an edge in the cut-throat environment that they face as the day sets in.

The Patent Pickle

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Seno Namwandi

Intellectual Property has various types of rights under its umbrella. Patents tend to be on the far spectrum of strictness and have one of the highest returns on investment for companies through licensing agreements. On the other end of the spectrum are trade secrets, which are governed by contractual agreements, these tend to be more fluid in nature and therefore more difficult to protect, control and manage.

S'onqoba Vuba, a South African entrepreneur on a mission to help SMEs to grow by leveraging the gig economy

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

For so many entrepreneurs, one of the biggest challenges is scaling and sustaining a business, and often expertise advice and practical support is needed to help them take it to the next level. That’s where Perpetu8 comes in, the niche, SME focused consulting firm created by entrepreneur S’onqoba Vuba.

Four events, two cities, and hundreds of women networking as Lionesses of Africa celebrates International Women’s Day

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Screen Shot 2019-03-10 at 5.02.22 PM.png

This year, the Lionesses of Africa community celebrated International Women’s Day in real style, with not just one event, but four - each one with a different audience, geographic location, and objective. If you didn’t manage to attend one of them, here are some of the highlights.

Chrissa Amuah, a talented design entrepreneur inspired by Ghana’s Adrinka symbols, reinterpreted in a contemporary way

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Creating African inspired design solutions that are relevant for today’s sophisticated marketplace, and for clients who want to put a uniquely evocative stamp on their personal and work interiors, is what drives entrepreneur and founder of AMWA Designs, Chrissa Amuah. Her work reflects her design ethos and passion for celebrating her own African heritage, but with a contemporary flair that is her own.

My ABC of Business: We are not in competition…we are the competition! What other women entrepreneurs have taught me

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Screen Shot 2019-03-10 at 3.08.52 PM.png

by Lizl Naude, founder of Lily Loompa

In the wide world of entrepreneurship, I am a mere baby still. I have been running my business for just over two years and it has been a great blessing! I have been fortunate to meet a lot of great women along the way, and through our interactions, they all have inspired me.

Learning the art of self management

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

freeresources_Mastering_Self_Management_52e638cbce167.jpg

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

We are the first, in many ways, in this entrepreneurship boom happening currently. Most of us are first amongst our families, friends and generally in all of history. You know what this means…it means we have to find out, teach ourselves, and excel at something we have no history of from a personal perspective. Having a parent who had previously run a business, whether it failed or succeeded, would be just bliss. Someone to ask specific questions to; someone to check in with all the time.

LIONESS LAUNCH: Atelier Fifty Five launches an exciting new digital space to support the development of the African design industry

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Launching this month is Atelier Fifty Five, an exciting new digital space that supports the development of the African design industry and brings the work of talented designers, makers, and creatives from the continent and its diaspora to the attention of local and global audiences.

Essential Read: Embracing No by Paula Quinsee

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Embracing No by Paula Quinsee is a self-help guide filled with insights and tools to empower you to say ‘no’ and be ok with it - often a key challenge for many women entrepreneurs, particularly in the early days of building their businesses. It helps to raise your level of self-awareness and empower you to make better choices in your life and in business.

100 Lionesses: Divine Ndhlukula recognised as Businesswoman of the Year Award at the Forbes Woman Africa Awards 2019

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Dr Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico (Zimbabwe)

The annual Forbes Woman Africa Awards took place on the evening of 8 March in Durban, South Africa. One of the highlights of the event was the official recognition of Dr Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico in Zimbabwe, as the winner of the prestigious Businesswoman of the Year Award.