Stay focused on your dream!…
“My biggest advice to anyone starting up a business is to stay focused on your dream, your business goals and to never give up.”
Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, founder of Farm23 Strawberry (Zambia)
Read morethe pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, founder of Farm23 Strawberry (Zambia)
Stay focused on your dream!…
Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, founder of Farm23 Strawberry (Zambia)
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Lynda Aphing-Kouassi
Lioness Launch
Kaizene, based in Cote d’Ivoire and founded by entrepreneur Lynda Aphing-Kouassi, has built up a reputation for helping companies and organizations to optimize their human capital, improve their services and their quality approach. To achieve this goal, Kaizene has been offering various training and coaching modules and courses for several years. This month sees the launch of a new Shared Services Solution specifically for women entrepreneurs and SMEs.
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Thuli Zikalala, founder of Yellow Owl (South Africa)
Startup Story
For the deaf and hard of hearing, being able to keep up to date with news, information and powerful digital content is so important to maintain those all important connections in life and in business. Thuli Zikalala, founder of specialist business Yellow Owl, is playing her part as a professional sign language interpreter.
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Siwinile Khumalo, founder of Sucxeed Projects (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
In South Africa, many people still do not have access to clean and healthy water supplies each day. For entrepreneur Siwinile Khumalo, founder of Sucxeed Projects (Pty) Ltd, addressing this challenge was the inspiration for her business building journey. Today she is a water solutions and services provider, changing lives and communities.
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Michèle Mianza, founder of 2mk Healthcare (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Startup Story
Technology has become a real gamechanger in the world of healthcare, providing those in need with access to medical advice and healthcare professionals via apps and digital platforms. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, entrepreneur Michèle Mianza, founder of 2mk Healthcare empowers people to manage their health journeys using technology.
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Mimi Shodeinde
Miminat Designs, a groundbreaking interior architecture and design business reimagining form and function
Mimi Shodeinde is a British Nigerian artist, designer and entrepreneur, born and raised in London, Mimi’s passion for art was developed at a young age. Winning awards for her artwork she went on to complete her degree in Interior Architecture at Edinburgh. She has worked and collaborated on a wide range of projects both nationally and internationally, from interior architectural projects, furniture design, lighting and product design spanning The UK, Europe, The Middle East and West Africa. Mimi’s drafting and painting skills together with her artist’s eye allow her to break down the relationship between form and function where art and design intersect. She draws on her diverse influences and background to manipulate the use of space through both form and placement defying categorization. Her style is fluid, sophisticated and functional but seeks to imbue each project with a personality of its own.
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Sam Shepard as Chuck Yaeger in The Right Stuff. Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive
From the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
The Lionesses of Africa has a user community of over 1.1 million inspirational African Female Entrepreneurs owning and running businesses from all countries of Africa, from SME’s to large multinationals, employing thousands…and across all industries. We even have an ever growing membership in the Diaspora such as the US - currently above 100,000.
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Emma Isaacs
Book Review
Winging It by entrepreneur and author Emma Isaacs is a powerful call for women everywhere to forget perfectionism and start winging it. Emma forgot to draw up her life plan. She doesn’t have a list of five-year goals, and she doesn’t believe in work-life balance. Yet somehow she’s managed to found a multimillion-dollar global organization, become a highly sought-after speaker and media commentator, and be recognized as a prominent voice in women’s leadership―all while raising six young children. So how does she do it all? She dives in headfirst and wings it.
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by Lizl Naude
She asks politely, “How is business?” Maybe you think you care when you ask, but ironically this could arguably be one of the most insensitive questions to ask an entrepreneur. I look at her and in a matter of seconds all my entrepreneurial challenges flash before my eyes. I smile and say, “Business is great! Thanks for asking!”
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by Tatenda Rungisa
The year 2020 has been filled with a lot of uncertainties, low productivity levels and time loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic which hit the whole world at large. Most businesses dwindled and some only survived by grace. In all this, it meant business owners, entrepreneurs, and employees as well, have worked tirelessly throughout the year to ensure they survive. That said and done, it is a few days to end 2020 and start on a new slate, and it is only proper for every entrepreneur to unplug and take time for self-care.
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by Lori Milner
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… Including you.”
– Anne Lamott
If you asked me what fuels my soul and brings me to my happy place – it’s travel. It isn’t just about arriving at the destination but everything that comes before it. The planning, the research and getting immersed in the culture. In the beginning of 2020, my husband and I had a very exciting trip planned to Italy in June to celebrate a cousin’s wedding in Florence. The kids were going to stay with their granny for the week; any parents reading this – you can understand the added bonus! I was dreaming about cooking courses, writing in Italian coffee shops on cobble stone pavements – you get the picture!
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by Tlholo Mabelane
Do entrepreneurs fail because they are discouraged, or are they discouraged because they fail? Well, for many of us when we embark on our journeys towards our goals and dreams we go in with what feels like a healthy sense of sober understanding that it will be an all-encompassing journey. We expect to have challenging days, we don’t anticipate a silver spoon feeding, and are ready to put in the work. We hold a posture of possibility and we do what we can as best as we can.
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Zamaswazi Mfisi, founder, Indilang (South Africa)
Chrissa Amuah, founder of AMWA Designs (UK/Ghana)
Get ready for the long haul!…
Chrissa Amuah, founder of AMWA Designs (UK/Ghana)
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Catherine Mahugu, founder of Chiswara (Kenya)
Catherine Mahugu, founder of Chiswara (Kenya)
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Xoliswa Hlongwane, founder of XO Collection (South Africa)
Put those building blocks in place!
Xoliswa Hlongwane, founder of XO Collection (South Africa)
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Startup Story
For travellers who want to visit Cape Verde for vacations or business, help is at hand thanks to the team at Resermar Reservas Online, the country’s first online integrated booking platform co-founded by Leidimara Ramos. This one-stop-shop platform assists not only visitors, but also those smaller suppliers on Cape Verde who want to connect with potential new customers.
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Jamie Kern Lima
Book Review
In Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable, Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, shares the wild but true story of how a once struggling waitress turned her against-the-grain idea into an international bestselling sensation. She eventually sold the company for over a billion dollars and became the first female CEO of a brand in L’Oréal’s 100+ year history.
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Sibongile Mtsabe, founder of Sibocali Traders (South Africa)
Startup Story
Getting access to good, affordable and nutritious food that can also help in addressing obesity, diabetes and malnutrition is a challenge for many communities in South Africa. For entrepreneur Sibongile Mtsabe, founder of Sibocali Traders, that challenge provided the inspiration for the launch of her agriprocessing business.
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Lesego Mathate, founder of Nena (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
The problem of absenteeism of girls in South Africa’s schools due to the lack of sanitary pads is still a real challenge in the country. It is a challenge that inspired entrepreneur Lesego Mathate to start her business Nena in order to address. Her brand of hygienic and affordable sanitary pads is now retailing through major supermarket chains in the country, empowering women and girls to take control of their menstrual health and hygiene.
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