the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Louisa Gibbons, founder of Little Foodease (South Africa)
Startup Story
Recognizing that many families have increasingly busy lifestyles with limited time, entrepreneur Louisa Gibbons, founder of Little Foodease, is providing parents with solutions. A range of nutritious meals, fun mealtimes and stimulating playtimes that equip parents to fulfil their child’s developmental and nutritional needs, while giving them peace of mind to spend more quality time with their families.
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Donna McCulloch
Impact Partner Content: Absa
About two decades have passed since automotive maven Donna McCulloch plunged headfirst into an illustrious career that started out as a fortuitous by-product rather than by design.
After completing her university studies, Donna McCulloch initially planned to venture into desktop publishing, but with almost zero experience, few employers were willing to give her an opportunity and without a fancy computer and the necessary software – which seemed to be requiring constant upgrades – it was difficult to get a foot in the door.
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Impact Partner Content: Absa
Absa recognizes the vital role that entrepreneurs play in creating wealth and opportunities in the economy and is deeply committed to supporting them to foster growth and prosperity in South Africa and across the continent.
Franchising is a feasible option for the entrepreneur starting a new business, as potential pitfalls can be avoided with a proven business formula. Franchising is in the national interest as it is a business model that makes a meaningful contribution towards solving one of South Africa’s most pressing problems - job creation.
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Lioness Launch
Seeing a gap in the marketplace in Mozambique, entrepreneur Mónica de Sousa Mahanjane has launched a new accessory brand, Pretoóla, with a range of stylish ties, berets and lapels in stylish designs, complete with matching masks.
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Jaime Schmidt
Book Review
In just seven years, entrepreneur Jaime Schmidt, founder of Schmidt’s, the globally successful plant-based natural deodorant, went from making natural products in her Portland, Oregon kitchen to turning her brand into a household name in 30,000+ stores, and selling her company to Unilever in a nine-figure acquisition. Her new book, Supermaker, is Jaime’s guide to business and career development on your own terms.
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Startup Story
Building a successful energy and electrical consulting company, Ikigai Engineering, drives South African entrepreneur Devaksha Maharaj on one level. But her passion for STEAM and the education of children has driven her to create her IKI KIDS, a business that teaches kids such subjects as engineering, mathematics, robotics and coding, creating a new generation of future STEAM specialists.
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From the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Tuning into the fabulous Harvard/Lionesses of Africa ‘Women and the Changing Face of Entrepreneurship in Africa’ Conference this week, and seeing all our friends from the 100 Lionesses Club (we really must change that to ‘Celebration’, not ‘Club’) made us think of one legend of a Lioness who went to Harvard, (who’s short, simple yet very effective obituary we recently read from A16Z in their September newsletter here), who led before us creating the pathway for so many of us to follow. Sadly recently departed, the one and only RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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by Dr Ashika Pillay
Mindfulness is a topic that is close to my heart. My personal journey as a medical professional, teacher, coach, and healer has been profoundly shifted by my journey to “Inner space”. I started meditating in 2013 when we took a family holiday to India, and the Deepak and Oprah 21 Day meditation was the perfect entry for my husband Thiru and myself. Since then, we’ve both gone deep and wide in our exploration, and learning of ourselves, our minds, and the world.
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by Lori Milner
“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.” – John De Paola
I’m sure at some point in your life, you have come across the dreaded ‘scope creep’. If you’ve ever done a building or renovation project, I’m quite sure things didn’t quite come in on the original budget. There was ‘just this’ one last thing that you hadn’t taken into consideration. Or a project at work had much more involved than you originally anticipated and left you scrambling to try and produce more for the same resources.
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by Georgina Angélica
Today, I don't hear the expression “live in the present moment.” In fact, the first time that I woke up to the meaning of these words was through Eckhart Tolle’s book, ‘The Power of Now.’
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Anita Quansah, founder, Anita Quansah London (UK)
Anita Quansah, founder, Anita Quansah London (UK)
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Sibonelo Gamnca, co-founder of EcoDiesel (South Africa)
Kofo Akinkugbe
Lionesses Weekender Cover Story
Secure ID, Africa’s market leader in smart card technology and digital security.
Kofo Akinkugbe is a Nigerian innovator and technology market leader. This remarkable woman entrepreneur founded a company that today is recognised globally as a market leader in Africa's smart card technology and digital security industry.
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Lioness Launch
Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, founder of CTPH (Conservation Through Public Health) and Gorilla Conservation Coffee launched the premiere of a great Team Gorilla song, performed by famous Ugandan music artist #Gasuza, on Spotify to celebrate World Gorilla Day on 24 September 2020.
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From the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Last weekend, we looked at ‘Lean Transformations’ and within that we pointed out that McKinsey had shown that 70% of transformations failed due to no buy-in from or a failure to carry these important stakeholders: Board, Management, Employees (and not necessarily in that order).
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Impact Partner Content: Absa / by Vishay Rabbipal, Head of Renewable Energy, Absa
As the Covid-19 crisis spread around the world, many people started working from home which required embracing life in a ‘new normal’ overnight. If you are working from home, it is important to feel comfortable in your space. It is natural that working from home means that you will be using more energy.
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Susanne Althoff
Book Review
In her brand new book, Launching While Female: Smashing the System That Holds Women Entrepreneurs Back, journalist and professor Susanne Althoff investigates the obstacles women and nonbinary entrepreneurs - especially those of colour - face when launching, funding, and growing their companies, obstacles that persist because the current start-up world was engineered by and for white men. An exposé of the gender gap in entrepreneurship and a road map for a more inclusive and economically successful future for us all.
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by Georgina Angélica
Is it possible to change the world through the personal and professional training of early childhood educators and thus positively impact children's lives? Much is said about the well-being of children, but little is said or acknowledged about the well-being of those who spend hours, days, weeks, years caring for these same children.
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by Adv. Lufuno T Khorommbi
Cybersecurity laws and policies have a direct impact on human rights, particularly the right to privacy, freedom of expression, and the free flow of information. The world over, policymakers have created several national policies with the intention of balancing these rights; protecting information communication technologies (ICTs) systems against malicious attacks and minimizing data breaches.
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by Kathryn Main - Money Savvy Kids
The world has been thrown off its centre due to Covid-19 and the implications thereof. Our country is in a state of emergency and lockdown has resulted in jobs being lost, salaries being cut, personal finances being destroyed and an economy that is damaged. However, despite these circumstances we still have to find a way to manage our finances, take care of our families and ourselves and move forward.
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