the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Wendy Connick
Book Review
For many women entrepreneurs, one of the most daunting and difficult aspects of the business to get to grips with is sales. Many absolutely dread the cold calling, the never-ending sales research to find potential customers, and then the pitching to those customers. But help is at hand from author and sales expert Wendy Connick, whose new book Sales 101, provides a practical guide to the ins and outs of sales techniques and a crash course in how to sell anything.
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Meet Dr. Victoria Kisyombe who is the founder and CEO of SELFINA, a company in Tanzania that provides micro-leasing to mostly widows and young girls. Victoria is a leader who has used innovation, initiative, and determination to empower women in Tanzania to become economically self-sufficient.
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Olga Mugyenyi, co-founder of Definition Africa, Uganda
Olga Mugyenyi, co-founder of Definition Africa, Uganda
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Bhatupe Mhango, founder of Bha’s Fragrance Boutique (Malawi)
Start with what you have....
Bhatupe Mhango, founder of Bha’s Fragrance Boutique (Malawi)
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Merlanie Hawken
Event report
On 11 November, in the heart of New York City, an audience of around 70 US asset owners and investment advisors gathered together for an event hosted by Morgan Stanley and the United Nations Capital Development Fund. The topic of discussion was how these asset owners could gender their portfolios and support women entrepreneurs through investing. Lionesses of Africa Founder and CEO, Melanie Hawken, was one of the guest speakers sharing her insights on the subject at this prestigious event.
Harriet Kelsall
Book Review
If you are one of those talented women creatives who have a passion for what they make but want to take more control over their work and getting it to market, then embarking on an entrepreneurial journey is the way to go. Harriet Kelsall’s book, The Creative’s Guide to Starting a Business, is a must read if you are one such creative. Winner of the best startup inspiration book award at the 2019 Business Book Awards, author Harriet Kelsall shares her practical insights and knowledge to help guide other creatives to starting successful and sustainable businesses.
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Lioness Launch
YOU + US = WE is the ethos behind the launch of the YOU Cookie Company brand in South Africa. Impact driven social entrepreneur and owner, Adri Williams, known for her company’s popular Khayelitsha Cookies, is looking to take her incredibly successful cookie baking business model and social impact to the next level.
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Startup Story
Entrepreneur Mapholo Ratau knows how to spot a gap in the marketplace, and for her, that gap was finding high quality, contemporary clothing designs that were a celebration of South African culture. Her solution was to create an exciting brand and range of clothing that is unmistakably her own.
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Carla Pinto, founder of Arco-Íris & Borboletas (Mozambique)
Startup Story
When you are a new mom, getting access to great quality information and resources, combined with insights and opinions from other moms is so useful. So in Mozambique, one woman entrepreneur is creating the ultimate, go-to resource for parents to be and those who are already on their family raising journey. Carla Pinto, founder of Arco-Íris & Borboletas, is creating a safe space for the sharing of information and feedback so that moms and dads can learn from each other and get access to great resources too.
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Hape Marite Mphale, founder of Blackhair (Lesotho)
Startup Story
The haircare business globally is big business, and in Africa, the market for high quality, home-grown brands that know exactly how to cater to the specific haircare needs of African women is exploding. In Lesotho, entrepreneur Hape Marite Mphale has created the Blackhair brand, a popular and rapidly growing natural hair care brand and range of products.
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by Catia Mondlane, founder of Isabella Estetica & Cosmeticos
Fortunately, today we have many people who talk about business and how a business plan can make your abstract ideas become a reality. There is also a range of business plan samples that are available online for free, meaning, anyone can sit down and write a business plan. Before I started my natural cosmetic company, Isabella Estetica & Cosmeticos, I tried many businesses but couldn’t get them off the ground - not because they were bad, but I was creating blockages as soon as I started to write a business plan. Let me say that I have got nothing against business plans as such, and I’m not saying that people shouldn’t plan because planning is very important when one wants to take proper steps towards achieving goals and having a successful business.
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by Fatuma Abdullah
I get hot under the collar, when I attend seminars or conferences and entrepreneurs are presented in a romanticized fashion. Or worse, glamorizing the subject of entrepreneurship and neglecting the most important unseen component of the journey, the sleepless nights, the self-discipline, rejection, disappointments, failure, the lack of support and resources.
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Mo Abudu, founder and Chief Executive Officer of EbonyLife TV
A great business idea alone counts for nothing without execution....
Mo Abudu founder and Chief Executive Officer of EbonyLife TV (Nigeria)
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Bomanga Ngoi Longango, founder of Evelea Foods
Believe in your dream.....
Bomanga Ngoi Longango, founder of Evelea Foods (Democratic Republic of Congo)
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Mellisa Mazingi, Managing Director of Gone Rural Swaziland
Don't forget to enjoy your entrepreneurial journey....
Mellisa Mazingi, Managing Director of Gone Rural Swaziland
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Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder and Managing Director of soleRebels (Ethiopia)
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.
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Event Report
There is nothing quite like experiencing exciting products and services up close and in person, not to mention meeting the inspirational women entrepreneurs who are their creators. On the morning of 7 November, Lionesses of Africa, in partnership with Absa, hosted a truly memorable Demo Day showcase of 23 of the most exciting, high growth businesses and their world-class products and services. A packed audience of 100 buyers, corporate decision-makers and bankers gathered together at the Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg to meet these women entrepreneurs who are being tipped to take their businesses to the next level in 2020.
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by Saajidah Esat, Freelancer
The challenges we experience in our lives present themselves when we’re ready to learn something. Any challenge we face, big or small, comes as a sign, to show us what we need to learn, where we need to grow and how we can adjust our sails so that we can get to where we want to be.
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by Eldari Visser
I want you to hear David Attenborough’s voice* in your head. Smooth, soft and slowly describing a lioness making her way towards her prey. It goes like this, “she knows that she has this one opportunity today.…..slowly she makes her way forward using the long yellow grasslands to be her cover. The grass is her best support system. As it sways in the wind she catches a glimpse of the gazelle.….the grass protects her from being seen… here she will stay until the moment comes to charge.” Can you imagine this scene? Long, wavy, thick grass is her necessary tool for a day’s work.
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Ana Lloyd Vasconcelos (Angola)
Startup Story
Finding stunningly beautiful clothes to wear for any occasion in Angola, whether formal or casual wear, has never been easier, thanks to the creative design talent of Ana Lloyd Vasconcelos. Her fashion company and brand, AnaLoyd Lda, is bringing a touch of glamour to all her customers who want to look and feel beautiful in her clothing.
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