Tailored Group Life Cover for SMEs. At the speed of Life

November 29, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Impact Partner Content: Absa

Absa acknowledges the vital role that your employees play in the success of your business, particularly if you are a small and medium enterprise (SME). In the event of tragedy, businesses and employers often feel morally obliged, and rightly so, to support their employees’ and their families, which can put a financial and emotional strain on the business. By covering your employees for unforeseen events, you are not only insuring their financial futures if something happens but you are also covering your business too. As such, Absa developed the Employee Care Plan, an extremely affordable group life insurance offering for SME’s to address this need and is available only to Absa customers.

Are lionesses born or made?

November 29, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Martine Irakoze

Are lionesses born or made? This article will not take a stand on this point, but rather offers another perspective: “if made, who makes them?”. To answer that question, I interviewed an extraordinary woman who is passionate about creating a network of lionesses in Burundi. Belyse Inamahoro Bushombo is Burundian, a Wellesley College Alumni, and founder of Sisters in Success.

Who needs a Business Mentor anyway?

November 28, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kabwe Mulolo

It is interesting yet distressing to read about South African statistics on the number of start-up companies that fail. The failure rate is almost 80% within the first three years and 50% after five years. One lives to wonder, why start a business anyway, statistics isn’t on anyone ones favor, and despite the ratios even those who make it might someday close their doors.

How to make the most of your budget this December

November 28, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Ronel Jooste

December is time for fun, relaxation and spending time with loved ones. It is school holidays and the children need to be entertained for an extended period. Many people go away to a holiday destination while other people stay at home and do day trips. December is associated with entertainment, activities and gifts.

Cultivating a coaching approach to support team members in 8 steps

November 28, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Anja van Beek, Talent Strategist, Leadership and Executive Coach

Over the years, the role of a leader and manager of teams have evolved. It is no longer a command and control scenario, where you give instructions and your team will follow. The pandemic has fast-tracked an agile and empowerment approach. Leaders need to be adaptive problem-solvers. This is due to the uncertainty and pressure over the past couple of weeks and months – there were no clear and obvious answers to issues and challenges and leaders did not have the luxury of telling their teams what to do. They had to be adaptive and guide them to figure it out for themselves.

Quote of the Day by Olubukola Asafa

November 24, 2020 Melanie Hawken

“My vision of taking ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods onto the international scene and ensuring they can compete favorably with their global counterparts, is what drives me to attain more.”

Olubukola Asafa, founder, Oba Couture (Nigeria)

Entrepreneur Advice from Emmanuella Aboa / Be consistent

November 24, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Emmanuella Aboa, founder of Transolution Services Africa Ltd (Kenya)

Be consistent!…

“Be consistent: even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, be consistent. Consistency brings visibility, and visibility brings credibility.”

Emmanuella Aboa, founder of Transolution Services Africa Ltd (Kenya)

Tanja Robinson, a wine industry entrepreneur growing the South African wine footprint globally

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Tanja Robinson, founder of Robinson & Sinclair (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content: Absa

For many of the smaller boutique wineries in South Africa, getting their wines distributed into global markets can be a challenge. Tanja Robinson, founder of Robinson & Sinclair, is taking her passion for South African wine and helping producers to manage their international sales, growing their global footprints.

Adenike Ogunlesi, Africa’s foremost children’s fashion and retail entrepreneur

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Ruff ’n’ Tumble, a trailblazing premium children’s clothing brand on the African continent

Adenike Ogunlesi, who has been redefining and blazing the trail in the children’s fashion industry with over 35 years’ experience in the Fashion and Retail Business, is the founder and Creative Director of Africa’s leading Premium children’s clothing brand, Ruff ‘n’ Tumble. Ruff ‘n’ Tumble has shared happiness with over a million children and families across the globe, because she dared to dream and pursue her vision fearlessly.

Solo: How to Work Alone (and not lose your mind) by Rebecca Seal

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Solo: How to Work Alone (and not lose your mind) by author Rebecca Seal is the self-help guide that solopreneurs, freelancers and all those business owners who are now working from home, have been waiting for. It is a practical source of information and advice for all those who need to be happy and productive working from home, whilst at the same time addressing the emotional and mental challenges that working alone can bring.

Lioness Launch / South Africa’s mi butter launches its new range of blended butters for time conscious cooks

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Vhongani Shumba, founder of mi butter (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Every professional and home chef knows what a difference butter, herbs, spices and seasonings can make to the preparation of any delicious meal. But buying and preparing all those individual ingredients can be expensive and time consuming. In South Africa, entrepreneur and food lover, Vhongani Shumba, founder of mi butter, has the solution for all home cooks. She has launched her new range of flavoured, blended butters, ready to add new taste sensations to the preparation of any meal.

Eswatini’s Black Mamba Foods announces R9.2 million investment in the business by Enygma Ventures

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Claudia Castellanos, co-founder of Black Mamba Foods (Eswatini)

Investment Feature

Enygma Ventures has just announced that Black Mamba Foods, the ethical producer of specialty foods (best known for its chilli sauces) based in Eswatini, and co-founded by entrepreneur Claudia Castellanos, has become the fund's latest pioneering investment.

Karunas Reddy, a natural food brand builder creating wheat and gluten free foods

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Karunas Reddy, ceo of Nonna’s Foods (South Africa)

Startup Story

For all those with a wheat or gluten intolerance in South Africa and looking for healthy, natural products such as plant based pastas and baking mixes, help is at hand from Nonna’s Foods. Entrepreneur Karunas Reddy is on a mission to offer her customers the widest range of delicious and healthy gluten and wheat free products that are tasty, healthy and importantly safe to eat.

Metsana Kojane, a South African agripreneur empowering women and girls through beekeeping

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Metsana Kojane, founder of Eden Roots PTY Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

Agribusiness is big business in South Africa, and one passionate, enterprising woman entrepreneur, Metsana Kojane, founder of Eden Roots PTY Ltd, is putting bees at the heart of her business. Her production of beautifully natural honey has not only created local agri-processing jobs for women in her community, but also the creation of a natural skincare brand using the wax, propolis and royal jelly from her raw honey hives.

Time to hear the Lionesses Roar!

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept

“But every person in poverty, they dream of a better life, they want a better house, they want to provide for themselves, they want better roofing, they want water inside, they want electricity inside their homes.”

…so said an inspirational Lioness who is setting the world alight winning awards for her work to bring clean water to villages and into homes in Rwanda. At the tender age of 26 (so she is still a Lioness cub!), she is of course Christelle Kwizera of Water Access Rwanda.

How To Tame The Inner Critic, Stop The Circling Thoughts And Own Your Headspace

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

‘My mind is like a bad neighbourhood, I try not to go there alone.’

– Ann Lamott

We all experience the typical daily dose of circling thoughts – like a recorder going off in our heads reminding us of what needs to happen in the day from who needs what books for school to what projects and tasks need to get done for work.

6 Steps to be an entrepreneurial woman

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Josefa Massinga

I have been an entrepreneurial woman for five years. In my opinion, I think it is very important that women develop their own businesses. I am not saying it is easy because until each one of us is sure that she is capable and that she will succeed, it will continue to be challenging.

How Deliberate Practice Supports your Growth

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

Perhaps you have heard of the 10-year rule or the 10 000 hours that are required to become a master at something. This is known as deliberate practice, a concept made famous by Anders Ericsson, a Swedish Psychologist who conducted significant research on the subject. He studied what makes people world-class in their area of expertise, be it violin, ballet or chess.

Choice... is mastery

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Ashika Pillay

Our worlds are in a state of flux and change and we simply cannot control what’s going to happen around us. This is the nature of the uncertainty in the world and in our worlds. We can make plans for the future to some extent, and even that is somewhat filled with a sense of what might “not happen”. Are we going on holiday? What will happen next year? Will we have a second wave?

Mapholo Ratau, a champion of South African culture through design

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Mapholo Ratau, a South African entrepreneur creating a contemporary, clothing and accessories brand.

Entrepreneur Mapholo Ratau knows how to spot a gap in the marketplace, and for her, that gap was creating high quality, contemporary clothing and accessory designs that are a celebration of South African culture. Her solution was to create a premium brand and range of clothing and accessories that are unmistakably her own.