Entrepreneur Advice from Tania Reid: Be coachable

February 13, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Tania Reid, founder of ithemba Office Solutions (South Africa) — **Tania Reid**, founder of ithemba Office Solutions (South Africa)

Be coachable....

"Speak to other women in your industry, speak to industry experts, and find mentors who have knowledge on all aspects of business. Ask your family to be honest about your business idea and not worry too much about hurting your feelings. Be coachable. Know how to pitch your business in 1 minute and stop making excuses about your 'small' business, all empires started off small."

Tania Reid founder of ithemba Office Solutions (South Africa)

Entrepreneur Advice from Shikha Vincent: Seek out frank advice

December 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Shikha Vincent, founder of SHIKHAZURI (Kenya)

Seek out frank advice....

"There will be long days and nights, but if you want it to work, you’ve got to persevere. Find an experienced mentor within your industry who can guide you on your journey. Having the support of friends and family is wonderful, but more often than not they will tell you what you want to hear, and unless they have experience in your industry, they might not be able to give you the frank advice that you need."

Shikha Vincent, founder of SHIKHAZURI (Kenya)

Mentorship is a relationship

September 29, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Ndlovu, Founder and Director of Bhekizenzo Foundation

Like any other relationship, mentorship requires two individuals who put in the effort. I recently spoke to both a mentor and mentees. They were passionate about the issues they faced. The mentors blamed the mentees, the mentees blamed the mentors. I soon realized that it is easier to see the fault of someone else rather than acknowledging the role you played.

Entrepreneur Advice from Benji Coetzee: Need help? Then ask

November 29, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Benji Coetzee, founder of EmptyTrips (South Africa) — **Benji Coetzee,** founder of EmptyTrips (South Africa)

Need help? Ask...

"Don't be scared to ask. You will be surprised how willing people are to help, when you humble yourself."

Benji Coetzee, founder of EmptyTrips (South Africa)

Entrepreneur Advice from Kristi Kyle: Find a mentor in your industry

February 6, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Kristi Kyle, founder of Love Long Length Clothing (South Africa) — **Kristi Kyle**, founder of Love Long Length Clothing (South Africa)

Find a mentor in your industry…

“Find yourself a great business mentor in the same type of industry – this will save you from making unnecessary mistakes. Schedule a meeting, grab a notebook and take as many pointers as you possibly can in whatever time they can give you!”

- Kristi Kyle is the founder of Love Long Length Clothing, a clothing brand producing a range of clothing for tall women in South Africa. Kristi has established the first business in South Africa to exclusively cater to tall women, manufacturing locally and supporting local women machinists. The quality of her garments is comparable to any high end brand in the market.

Quote of the Day by Nonhlanhla Khumalo

January 18, 2018 Melanie Hawken

“Surround yourself with people that challenge you, encourage you, and hold you accountable.”

- Nonhlanhla Khumalo, founder of LeHay Consulting (South Africa)

Entrepreneur Advice from Nicola Bokaba: Find an empathetic mentor

January 12, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Nicola Bokaba, founder of Earthy Cook (South Africa) — **Nicola Bokaba**, founder of Earthy Cook (South Africa)

Find an empathetic mentor…

“One of the most invaluable things to have is a knowledgeable, empathetic mentor who pushes you beyond your comfort zone… Almost every successful entrepreneur I’ve heard of has recounted experiences of rejection and even ridicule on their journey. A great mentor can act as a buffer during those and other challenging times.”

- Nicola Bokaba is the founder of Earthy Cook in South Africa, a company that makes hand-made, personalized and customer branded products for the home kitchen and the hospitality industry. She currently employs 4 people and plans to work with a local college to bring in qualifying students to help meet her expansion plans in exchange for work opportunities.

Entrepreneur Advice from Samantha Skyring: Get yourself a business mentor

November 29, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Samantha Skyring, founder of Oryx Desert Salt (South Africa) — **Samantha Skyring**, founder of Oryx Desert Salt (South Africa)

My top advice to any woman starting up....

"I would so advise having a business mentor and constant learning of how to do things in business from other business leaders."

- Samantha Skyring is the founder of Oryx Desert Salt in South Africa. A serial entrepreneur with a taste for adventure, Samantha has enjoyed a varied entrepreneurial journey taking her from Aircraft Interior Refurbishment to discovering Mumbo Island on Lake Malawi whilst on a kayaking expedition and starting Kayak Africa. A 5 month journey in Namibia, which included a 120km walk through the Namib desert, was the catalyst for creating her Oryx brand. Today, this company supplies a natural, crystal-white salt from the Kalahari – unrefined, sun-dried, and free from additives and preservatives.

Quote of the Day by Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye

November 23, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"I eagerly look forward to the concept of Mentorship becoming not just a buzzword but a way of life across Africa. I look forward to that day when every successful African will willingly reach out to walk others through their path, and thereby work together to develop Africa and end poverty."

- Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye, founder of IMentorAfrica (Nigeria)

Quote of the Day Tara Fela-Durotoye

July 21, 2017 Melanie Hawken

"Mentorship is important and you can’t go wrong if you are counselled rightly from someone who is indeed worthy to be called a mentor."

- Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian-born lawyer turned Africa's leading beauty and makeup entrepreneur. She started House of Tara at the age of 20, from her living room, whilst an undergraduate at university back in 1998. She's since gone on to launch Nigeria's first ever bridal directory in 1999, and in 2004 she opened the country's leading beauty academy. Today, Tara has over 3,000 reps spread across Nigeria and 14 stores to her name and she is steadfastly dedicated to realising her vision of building a globally respected beauty company of African origin. Tara remains an inspirational role-model and mentor to make-up artists and aspiring beauty business owners across Africa.

Quote of the Day by Mariéme Jamme

June 1, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Mariéme Jamme, founder Spotone Global Solutions — **Mariéme Jamme**, founder Spotone Global Solutions

"... one imperative solution is to educate entrepreneurs on understanding basic business principles. They need honest mentoring in order to scale their businesses - this is really lacking at present."

- Mariéme Jamme is a Senegalese born-British businesswoman, who runs a technology consultancy business, Spotone Global Solutions, that helps technology companies to identify a new markets, generate leads, increase revenue and set a foothold in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa. Mariéme is best known for her role in promoting technology, good governance, transparency and a better education standard in Africa. She was recently named as one of the 100 most influential Africans of 2014 by the Africa Business Magazine and Forbes Magazine.

Tamala Chirwa, a Malawian entrepreneur coaching and mentoring a new generation of leaders in the country

April 22, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tamala Chirwa, founder of Women’s Leadership Footprint (Malawi) — **Tamala Chirwa**, founder of Women’s Leadership Footprint (Malawi)

For people in corporate or public life, developing core leadership skills is key to success and career progression, but that often requires specialist coaching and mentoring support. In Malawi, one woman entrepreneur, Tamala Chirwa, founder of Women’s Leadership Footprint, is fulfilling that role and bringing specialist coaching programs to those who need them.

Mentoring could provide the turbocharge your business needs

September 4, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Mentors are invaluable to entrepreneurs - why? Because so often as entrepreneurs we need to get counsel on a specific business challenge or bounce an idea off someone who has a wealth of experience and the capability to take a birds-eye view of our business - and then be really honest with the feedback. It's what helps entrepreneurs to grow and thrive.

Entrepreneur Advice from Mignionette Fair: Find yourself a mentor

August 16, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Mignionette Fair, founder of Fair Translation and Editing Services (South Africa) — **Mignionette Fair**, founder of Fair Translation and Editing Services (South Africa)

Find yourself a mentor....

"Get a mentor who can support your dreams and who has similar values. My mentor has been the biggest blessing in my business. I don't know where I would be without her."

- Mignionette Fair is the founder of Fair Translation and Editing Services in South Africa, a company that edits and translates books, personal and professional documents and also does copy-writing for websites and magazines. Mignionette has a B.Com degree in Financial Journalism from the University of the Free State and an Honours Degree in Journalism and Media from the University of Witwatersrand. She is passionate about providing a world-class service at a fair price.

Quote of the Day by Sarah Collins

July 8, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Sarah Collins, founder and CEO of Wonderbag — **Sarah Collins**, founder and CEO of Wonderbag

"It’s critically important to have somebody you can trust to guide you from a mentorship perspective in those starting years."

- Sarah Collins is the founder and CEO of Wonderbag, a simple non electric slow cooker which works in mud huts in Africa to Manhattan apartments. Voted one of the most powerful women entrepreneurs of the year by Fortune Magazine, in 2013, Sarah grew up in rural, apartheid-era South Africa. Determined to change the status quo, especially for women in Africa, she created the Wonderbag in 2008. She has sold over 1 million Wonderbags in over 40 countries, making an impact on the daily lives of women across the world.

Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye - The startup story of a Nigerian entrepreneur on a mission to mentor others in Africa

February 10, 2016 Melanie Hawken

IMentorAfrica is the brainchild of Nigerian entrepreneur Ayoronke Tosin-Yeye, and is a company focused on helping entrepreneurs find mentors in their key areas of expertise and interest. Her online solution provides instant access to both experienced mentors and information, and brings an entrepreneurial network together.

Entrepreneur Advice from Shona Macdonald: Get involved with an incubation program

February 9, 2016 Melanie Hawken

Shona Macdonald, founder of Thursdays Lingerie and Swimwear (South Africa) — **Shona Macdonald**, founder of Thursdays Lingerie and Swimwear (South Africa)

Get involved with an incubation program....

"My advice to you as a start-up entrepreneur would be to get involved with an incubation program. I am with the Awethu Project, and on top of increasing my business knowledge and giving me the practical tools to run a successful business, they have opened a lot of doors for me in terms of networking and just being more aware of the business world and opportunities around me. It is also comforting to know that you are not alone, and have a network of support around you."

- Shona Macdonald is the founder of Thursdays Lingerie and Swimwear in South Africa, a company that designs and manufactures lingerie and swimwear for girls C cup and up. Thursdays is not a plus size brand, as they understand that a woman can have big boobs, regardless of the size of her waist. Shona is intent on building a proudly South African brand, and all her operations are conducted locally.

Entrepreneur Advice from Dr. Jennifer Riria - Mentorship, like any good business plan, needs to be structured and done in levels

April 16, 2015 Melanie Hawken

Dr. Jennifer Riria, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding — **Dr. Jennifer Riria**, Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding

Women need to see that it can be done....

"My definition of mentors is people who will get women to move to the next level. It is not the ones who say ‘be good and be nice,’ no. Whatever it takes to move you to the next level, take it. Mentorship is a slow process, perhaps even slower for women being mentored into leadership roles because they will also be breaking the barriers of culture and the ladders of tradition at the same time."

- Dr. Jennifer Riria is the Group CEO of Kenya Women Holding and one of Africa's leading women entrepreneurs who has always been on a mission to transform the lives of women and their families in her native Kenya. She is distinguished as a microfinance banker and practitioner, researcher and gender specialist. She has served in many leadership roles for which she has been recognized locally and internationally. In 2013 she was awarded the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the year, East Africa 2013, and subsequently, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2014, at which point she was admitted to EY’s Global Hall of Fame.