the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Lelemba Phiri, Enygma Ventures Operating Partner and Fund Manager
Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the importance of mental health was being highlighted and the crisis has amplified its importance even further. As business owners and investors, we are not exempt from the compounding effects of poor mental health if we do not take the time to understand these issues and how they can negatively impact us, our businesses and families.
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Every year, the first week in August is a time of reflective celebration for me. I celebrate the choices I made and the mistakes I didn’t. I take this time to exhale and be proud of my story.
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by Catia Mondlane, Founder Estética & Cosméticos
When I decided to open a natural cosmetics firm, I was aware that I really had to study and understand at all levels what I was getting myself into. Merely absorbing what people say or think about a certain product they’ve used or had previous unpleasant experiences with wouldn’t get me as far as I wanted. Without discarding how important those were and how they could influence the business’s progression, I really needed to deepen many aspects of each market to bring the ideal visionary concept to life.
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by Dr Ashika Pillay
Most of us are in some way pre-occupied, occupied, or think often about physical fitness, exercise, keeping fit, eating well (even though we may not really..). The physical side of fitness, strength, vitality, and resources - yes? Have you ever wondered if you are looking at, and working on the other aspects of your life with respect to building strength and vitality? What about the mental, emotional, spiritual dimensions as an example?
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Faraja Nyalandu, founder Shule Direct (Tanzania)
Faraja Nyalandu, founder Shule Direct (Tanzania)
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Maria Baryamujura, Founder and CEO of COBATI (Uganda)
Harness your talent!…
Maria Baryamujura, Founder and CEO of COBATI (Uganda)
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Mellisa Mazingi, Managing Director, Gone Rural Swaziland (Eswatini)
Mellisa Mazingi, Managing Director, Gone Rural Swaziland (Eswatini)
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Tlangelani Nkuna, founder, Placement Junxion (South Africa)
Stay true to yourself!…
Tlangelani Nkuna, founder, Placement Junxion (South Africa)
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by Mandisa Makubalo, Unlimited Experiences
Every business leader agrees that INNOVATION is important, yet they cannot agree on what it means? It has become a rather confusing buzzword which has been positioned in a very complex way as it comes in many flavours.
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Dana Mroueh, founder of MonChoco (Côte d’Ivoire)
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Meet MonChoco, a proudly Ivorian chocolate brand, reflecting the country’s exceptional terroir.
Côte d’Ivoire is renowned for the quality of its cocoa beans, but up until now, the world has not had the opportunity to widely celebrate those beans in the finest of chocolate forms. But that is rapidly changing as artisan chocolatier Dana Mroueh and her company, MonChoco, are producing a very special raw chocolate brand and range of products that is exciting taste buds in the country.
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Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro, founder of MitiMeth (Nigeria)
Lioness Launch
MitiMeth is an award-winning, cause driven brand, transforming waste and building livelihoods in Nigeria via the Creative Economy. The company has just opened its new “All Things Water Hyacinth” Showroom in Lagos. The new retrofitted “for-purpose” Showroom and Production Hub will be a centre for the transformation of water hyacinth into Home Goods and Accessories.
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Chrissa Amuah, founder of AMWA Designs
Lioness CoLAB
An exciting CoLab has just been announced between the talented textile designer, Chrissa Amuah, founder of AMWA Designs, and Allbirds, the highly innovative and sustainable global footwear brand, well known for its trainers. Chrissa collaborated with the Allbirds team to design a special edition of the Dasher trainer - and the results were incredible.
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Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Book Review
Dr. Shellie Hipsky’s daughter noted that her mom no longer wore power suits daily for work. As a successful motivational media company’s CEO and the nonprofit leader of The Global Sisterhood, Dr. Shellie helps inspire and empower the women of the world. Her daughter Alyssa stated she was always wearing either, “ball gowns for charity events or running around in yoga pants with her kids making deals on the phone.” This practical book takes you step by step from vision to startup and beyond as Dr. Shellie describes her rise from tenured professor to becoming an award-winning “Best Business Woman” and “Entrepreneur of the Year” whose company has grown massively in impact and revenue. The book takes you through 10 key Success Secrets, from how to be authentic in your leadership and marketing to attract the right customers and clients, through to building your dream team in your business.
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From the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Our Head of Finance (HoF) was in an excited mood and called us in to watch an interview from Stanford University with Marc Andreessen (founding partner of the massive and highly successful USA VC firm A16Z). One hour later and shocked, we began to realize why this was so important. A16Z look at 3,000 of the 4,000 startups in the USA searching for VC funding each year in A16Z’s sectors. Of those they only look at 200 in depth and of those they only invest in about 20 a year.
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Impact Partner Content: Absa | By Ulrich Janse van Rensburg, Head of Fraud Strategy for Absa’s Retail and Business Bank
A heartfelt call to exercise vigilance when it comes to money matters.
The past few months have been a really tough period for Jack and Sarah. While they are committed to curbing the spread of Covid-19 and have gone out of their way to protect themselves and the people around them during this time, they co-own a popular barber shop, which was closed for business during the first phases of the national lockdown. The lack of income has been a massive worry. Fortunately, the couple had accumulated some savings over the years, which was seeing them through this tough period, but it was fast running out.
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by Lori Milner
“This is an economy based on connection. Can you be heard, can you connect, can you be trusted?”
— Seth Godin
Still showing up for online meetings with the camera off? Here’s why you seriously need to reconsider…
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by Paula Quinsee
I’m hearing so many couples say that there’s not much they can do when it comes to date nights with being in lockdown. That’s because traditionally when it comes to date nights, the majority of couples have resorted to dinner at their favourite restaurant, or maybe even a movie and popcorn thrown in too – it was quick and easy. However, being in lock down, we are not able to go to restaurants and movies anymore so it’s become harder for couples to implement date nights and they are needing to be much more creative.
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Emma Maame Efua Tandoh, founder, Love Ankara, Ghana
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Vanessa Guilherme Nhabete, Founder, Dali Banga Eventos and Mulandi (Mozambique)
Differentiate yourself from your competitors!…
Vanessa Guilherme Nhabete, Founder, Dali Banga Eventos and Mulandi (Mozambique)
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Elohor Thomas, co-founder of CodeLn (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Companies know how tough it can be to find the right tech hire, those highly trained and experienced software engineers from the African continent who are a good fit for the job. CodeLn, co-founded by techpreneur Elohor Thomas, is there to help. This specialist software company helps companies seamlessly find, test, and hire the right skilled African tech talent at the right time.
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