the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Sylvia Walker, author, Smart Woman, (South Africa)
Sylvia Walker, author, Smart Woman, (South Africa)
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Filipa Carreira, founder of Wamina (Mozambique)
Kimberly Addison, co-founder, '57 Chocolate (Ghana)
Kimberly Addison, co-founder, '57 Chocolate (Ghana)
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Meg Faure, founder, Play Sense (South Africa)
Expect to work hard!…
Meg Faure, founder, Play Sense (South Africa)
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Tlhologelo Mabelane, founder, MabuTribe (South Africa)
Tlhologelo Mabelane, founder, MabuTribe (South Africa)
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Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula, founder, Securico Security Services (Zimbabwe)
Never cut corners!…
Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula, founder, Securico Security Services (Zimbabwe)
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Laura Camacho, founder, Mixonian Institute (USA)
Laura Camacho, founder, Mixonian Institute (USA)
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Dr. Petrina–Auino Mwandingi, founder & creative director of KOVA (Namibia)
Country Spotlight / Mozambique
For the past few years, Mozambique has seen a new generation of women entrepreneurs emerging onto the business scene, creating vibrant businesses across a range of sectors. Each one is making their mark in their own way. But what they share in common is a passion for the businesses they are creating, ambition for the brands they are launching, and a desire to create opportunities and jobs for local people. These true Lionesses of Africa are not just showcasing their own unique products and services to the world, getting consumers interested in buying what they have to offer, but they are also putting Mozambique on the map and stimulating interest from across the continent.
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Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Meet Inverroche, a luxury gin brand celebrating the Cape’s unique botanicals.
Lorna Scott is the CEO and founder of Inverroche Distillery in South Africa. Lorna has had many roles in her career, she once was an air hostess, then became the marketing and sales manager of a food service corporation, later to become the operations director of the same company. Lorna then changed her career path by becoming the deputy mayor of the Hessequa municipality which covers the region of Still Bay. Although her background was marketing, during her time as Deputy Mayor Lorna became involved in sustainable development. One of her main objectives was to develop the region as a tourist destination and create employment amongst the local community.
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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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