the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Djamila de Sousa, co-founder, Karingana wa Karingana (Mozambique)
Stay calm and innovate…
Djamila de Sousa, co-founder, Karingana wa Karingana (Mozambique)
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by Eldari Visser founder of Picketfence Life
For the longest time I have been playing with the idea to write this blog. Then time and Covid-19 got hold of me.
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by Tania Reid
The world has been caught up with a new challenge in the form of COVID-19, which has brought about a disruption in the way we do things. The old way of doing things has changed forever, and new things like social distancing, self-isolation, business unusual, church unusual, ‘everything’ unusual, have become the norm. The old saying, ‘The only constant is change’ has become so relevant in these ever-changing, uncertain times, and we have all realized that there is no room for anything as usual anymore.
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by Gabrielle von Ille, Founder and Managing Director of Lifa Communications
In the world we used to know we measured a country’s wellness simply by its GDP; mother nature cried out for help giving us various signs we ignored; we worshiped the wrong heroes; mental issues and pills were on the rise; our food consisted of E numbers; we created only with the intent to monetize or go viral; we were materialistic beyond measure; and most importantly, our values seemed to be completely out of whack. Surely, we were connected through technology and social media but actually we were more disconnected than ever.
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by Thato Mokhothu-Ramohlanka
The Corona Virus outbreak has quickly introduced a new way of living that most of us never imagined possible. While some people are better prepared for unknown eventualities such as the Covid-19 pandemic more than others, many others will find that they have not prepared adequately for the weeks ahead. Unfortunately, the playing field is not always level. In some instances life does not provide us with the tools to help us prepare for tough times. Unemployment is one of those brutally unfair conditions that deny people the opportunity to provide security for times such as these.
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by Ronel Jooste
The year 2020 was earmarked to be the ’20-plenty’ year. A year filled with great expectations, abundance, growth, achievement and joy. The outbreak of covid-19 brought those expectations to a sudden halt. It almost feels unreal that a virus can have this significant impact on the entire world. The world is in ‘shut-down’ mode. No more travelling, schools and multiple businesses are closed, many employees work from home, big events are cancelled etc. The impact of covid-19 on the economy, businesses and individuals will be phenomenal.
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by Tapiwa Matsinde
Social-distancing, self-isolation, and lockdowns have forced us to change the way we live and work. One of the biggest adjustments brought about by the pandemic is the overnight shift from going into the office to working from home. And the sudden change means not everyone is prepared, not to mention parents who are also having to work around home-schooling and keeping their kids entertained.
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by Lori Milner
I took my daughter to a friend’s 5th birthday party. There was a magician there to perform for the kids and afterwards he gave out his business card to the parents. On the front of the card in big bold letters it said ‘The cleverest magician in the world’. What I loved about the card was the boldness of it – yes, he is a magician and is meant to be slapstick and silly. But let’s stop and reflect for a moment.
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by Lelemba Phiri, Operating partner and Fund Manager of Enygma Ventures
Earlier this year in January we selected 11 female entrepreneurs to be part of the first cohort of our investor-ready programme. We flew them all into Cape Town from various SADC countries to participate in an intensive weekend of training and exciting strategic planning. We could not have imagined nor foreseen that a few weeks down the line, we would be faced with the global Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing health calamities, national lockdowns and global economic turmoil. All the polished strategic plans we had put together were effectively thrown out of the window in the last few weeks! We had to go back to the drawing board both as investors and entrepreneurs as we try and navigate completely uncharted territories.
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by Clare Appleyard, founder of Katannuta Diamonds
Four years ago, if you’d asked me what I did for a living, I wouldn’t have a straight-forward answer for you. Quite simply, my answer would have depended on who was asking. I was the classic entrepreneur who didn’t want to put all her eggs in one basket; a euphemistic term for somebody who just had her fingers in too many pies.
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Michele Adelman, founder, Accite Holdings (Botswana)
Michele Adelman, founder, Accite Holdings (Botswana)
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Anabela Marcos, founder & ceo, Gestao Profissional (GP) (Angola)
Stay focused…
Anabela Marcos, founder & ceo, Gestao Profissional (GP) (Angola)
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Epifania Stella Ernesto Gove, founder of Pifa Gove Millinery (Mozambique)
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Epifania Stella Ernesto Gove, or Pifa as she is fondly known, is a Mozambican entrepreneur who is building a global reputation for the beautiful hats she creates for her clients. No stylish woman who wants to make an impression at any special and glamorous occasion would be without one of Pifa’s unique and eye-catching hat creations. Her company, Pifa Gove Millinery, specializes in handmade modern millinery, offering a bespoke service and also a ready to wear collection for her clients. She has also recently launched a personal image consultancy.
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Lioness Launch
What a strange world we are currently living in. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new and challenging reality for us all. These are seriously tough economic times, and as women entrepreneurs it requires us all to think differently about how we do business. It is going to take courage (lots of it), patience (lots of that too), innovation and sheer determination to get through this new normal.
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From the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Empathy is a Superpower along with your Fair but Firm Leadership. Empathy with and for your employees is what is going to get you and them through these challenging times. Empathy is not a weakness, you can understand what they are going through, understand their fears, whilst still doing what is best for the company, your employees and for the community at large. But to do this you must keep in your mind.
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Cecilia Muñoz
Book Review
Women of color today are contributing to an unprecedented wave of "firsts"-whether they are the first in a family to attend college, the first to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or the first in public office, women of color are reaching new heights of influence. Cecilia Muñoz, author of More Than Ready: Be Strong and Be You….and Other Lessons for Women of Colour on the Rise, was a first, too, and she knows what it means to make her way without exemplars to follow.
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Lioness Launch
This week sees South Africa’s leading sustainable and ethical product design brand, The Joinery, launching its new TOGETHER campaign. Founding sisters, Kim and Natalie Ellis, are asking customers and supporters to join them on their journey to making a difference. This initiative was created to support those in need with food parcels, as well as to support local farmers that can no longer supply to the restaurant industry due to COVID-19.
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Nilsa Ribeiro, founder of OWNit Movement (Mozambique)
Startup Story
They say that if you want to create change at scale, create a movement, and that is what entrepreneur Nilsa Ribeiro, founder of OWNit Movement has done. She is empowering women to find confidence and experience self love through the power of dance.
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Tatiana Da Encarnação Casaca, co-founder of IMO NExT (Angola)
Startup Story
Identifying a collective need in Angola’s property market to make finding the perfect house or apartment as hassle free as possible, was the inspiration for Tatiana Da Encarnação Casaca and her co-founders to create IMO NExT. The company has developed the country’s first app to help streamline the property finding process.
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Impact Partner Content: Absa / by Justin Schmidt, Head of New Sector Development, Absa Retail and Business Bank
While COVID-19 is first and foremost a global health crisis, the brutal reality is that the measures to “flatten the curve” have had a devastating impact on many businesses already – and will continue to in the medium to long term. The need to quickly conserve cash and to alleviate inefficiencies that may have crept into business in the good times are more important than ever, with revenues being down substantially due to these shocks. Acting quickly to manage your liquidity is essential in these uncertain times.
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