Charlene Shapiro, a South African entrepreneur supplying the hospitality industry with quality food products

January 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Charlene Shapiro, founder of CNC Products (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content - Absa

Charlene Shapiro is the founder and Managing Member of CNC Products in South Africa. She is an all-rounder entrepreneur and has 29 years’ business experience working in the hospitality industry. Charlene's business is focused on providing high quality service and affordable food products to the hospitality industry, corporates and home users at large. Her experience in sales and marketing come from her years spent in the newspaper industry. She is proudly continuing a family legacy of service and is proud to have her daughter, Kerry, continuing with the same passion at CNC Products.

Move the Needle: Yarns from an Unlikely Entrepreneur by Shelley Brander

January 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

People always ask Shelley Brander, author of the new book Move the Needle: Yarns from an Unlikely Entrepreneur, what possessed her to leave the successful advertising firm she founded with her husband to open a local yarn store. And then they wonder how that one storefront grew into an e-commerce business, and from there into a global movement to Knit the World Together. In Move the Needle, Shelley shares stories from her life to show that you can pursue your life's passions, both personal and professional, no matter how quirky or impossible they may seem to everyone around you.

“Mola Mia…”

January 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

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By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept

January, just the mention of that month brings high hopes and expectations of greater things. Given the low base that was 2020 (although as we pointed out in our last Blog, 2020 was a year of such incredible opposites, not only of terrifying lows but also for many Lionesses, incredible highs), 2021 for the entire world from a health perspective has to be better!

Consulting is a hungry beast

January 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Thembe Khumalo

Many people dream of a career in consulting; working the hours they want, with only the people they like, and being in charge of how much money they earn, as opposed to being at the mercy of some rigid salary scale. It almost sounds too good to be true, and in many ways it really is very, very good.

The Best Feeling In The World

January 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser, founder of Picketfence Life

This bee is loaded with the future of his nest. The stuff that yummy honey is made of for the existence of that nest. Bees need this as a crucial part of their future. After and during the time of COVID-19, many people still do not have the slightest idea of where to even start to look for their own juicy extras to make sure their families are ok or will be ok! They have lived by doing the same thing week to week or even day to day. Unfortunately, this has happened to even the most seasoned, experienced bee entrepreneurs. In the blink of an eye, their nests were empty and the panic set in.

5 Steps To Silence Your Inner Critic

December 31, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Usha Maharaj

Do you often hear a negative inner voice that makes you doubt your decisions and your self-worth? You are not alone! This inner voice, your inner critic, may act as an invisible barrier to trying new things, reaching your full potential, or enjoying your life.

Managing performance in the New Distance Economy

December 31, 2020 Melanie Hawken

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by Marjon Meyer

The future is not what we used to think it would be…our world is literally infected with new ways of thinking and working. With so many staff members working remotely, the way organisations manage performance has to be adjusted. There should also be a bigger focus on re-skilling and constructive feedback to build confidence amongst staff. Problems and challenges need to be solved differently and creatively.

Power Your Profits by Susie Carder

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Power Your Profits by Susie Carder is a comprehensive, bulletproof start-to-finish plan for taking your business from startup mode to the multi-million-dollar mark, straight from the inventor of the Predictable Success Method™.

Esta van Heerden, a South African biotech leader in environmental clean-up

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Esta van Heerden, founder of iWater Pty Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

Many women entrepreneurs in Africa are driven to start their businesses because of an identified need. For Esta van Heerden, founder of iWater Pty Ltd in South Africa, she is passionate about the environment and wants to ensure that all citizens have access to clean water in the future. She also believes that companies that have contaminated the environment MUST clean it up! Her business is now offering companies a solution to this clean-up need, harnessing the best of technology solutions to aid the process.

Agnes Chikukwa Hove, an entrepreneur educating South Africans in financial wellness

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Agnes Chikukwa Hove, founder of Sequor Consulting (South Africa)

Startup Story

Helping people to make the right financial life and business decisions is what drives entrepreneur Agnes Chikukwa Hove, founder of Sequor Consulting, in South Africa. Today, her company provides specialist financial training and money management coaching that also builds the confidence needed to make smart financial choices.

Lucia Molefe, a South African entrepreneur baking her way to success

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lucia Molefe, founder of Mokgalaka Creations (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content - Absa

Lucia Molefe is the founder of Mokgalaka Creations. She was always good with her hands and had a passion for making cakes and cooking, as she would make the occasional cake and platter for friends and family. In 2006, Lucia embraced this skillset and registered Mokgalaka Creations as a business. Immediately, she began taking cake designing and decoration classes after working hours to sharpen her God-given talent. During this time, she began growing her home-based business part-time. In 2008, Mokgalaka Creations had begun taking off. It was in this year that she resigned after 15 years of service with the Department of Social Development to focus full-time on her passion and her business.

Simple steps to golden results

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Catia Mondlane

One thing I have learned from the experiences I have had so far is that clients don’t really care about your problems and whatever you are going through that might create delays or bad services, because they just want the product or service. Trust me, I’m a customer too and when I’m not I have to see things from the clients’ perspective to understand them, and this is why it is so important to know your customers.

Joycee Awosika, an award-winning wellness and luxury spa brand-builder

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

ORÍKÌ Group, Nigeria’s unique luxury spa chain and farm-to-skin product range.

Joycee Awosika is an award-winning entrepreneur, energy economist and speaker. She has a history of running companies, mainly ORÍKÌ, the first and only all natural farm to skin brand to operate a fast-growing premium product and wellness spa brand in conjunction. Launched in 2015 and today employing 37 people, ORÍKÌ has developed 6 spas in four years and distributes products globally. Joycee’s work has been featured in several global publications including: CNBC, The Huffington Post, Ebony Magazine, The Guardian. She has built a reputation for her expertise in creating structure for businesses and homes and provides, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and templates through her platform, SOAR. SOAR is growing into a leading structure and strategy and development consultancy that works closely with small and medium enterprises and individuals to help them scale by leveraging systems and structure. She is avidly passionate about impacting SMEs to be sustainable and scalable realizing that they form the backbone of the economy.

Light during the dark…

December 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

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By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept

The year 2020 was the 250th anniversary of the world’s greatest composer, Beethoven. Many consider Mozart to be the greatest, but his abilities came too easily, he never had to struggle, his music flowed as if from the heavens. Beethoven was mortal, he was human, he struggled. Mozart found composing easy, as if he had a ‘hot line’ to the angels, and indeed if you see his original manuscripts, there are no corrections, he wrote everything down once (when was the last time you wrote an email with no corrections?) - this was an orchestral work with 20 different parts! Beethoven, however, struggled and with errors, scribbles, corrections, angry lines crossing out, starting afresh many times, he forced incredible music out, finally accepting (begrudgingly) that he had gained immortality on paper.

What really matters?

December 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Jess Mostert

Life has a funny way of keeping us extremely busy and, in doing so, distracting us from what really matters. How many times do you find yourself wishing the week away, just to get to that weekend? Or wishing the weeks away to get to that long-awaited trip? Or even wishing the months away to our favourite time of the year- Christmas! All while missing the moments in between - missing the moments that really matter and count.

Leavism: In the hybrid working world, don’t let your work hi-jack your holiday

December 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

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

Leavism is a real trend, and a concerning one. As we are approaching summer holidays in the Southern hemisphere, I can’t help but think about employees not intentionally switching off from work during their well-deserved holiday – especially after such a different year like 2020.

Top 5 things that I’ve been doing for myself during the pandemic that will make my business thrive

December 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Suret Alive, founder of Alive Wellness Company

Here are the top 5 things that I’ve been doing for myself during the pandemic that will make my business thrive.

Banking On It: How I Disrupted an Industry by Anne Boden, ceo & founder, Starling Bank

December 20, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Banking On It by Anne Boden, ceo and founder of Starling Bank, is the first-hand account of one woman's quest to rebuild Britain's broken banking system. After a lengthy career at the top of some of Britain's leading banks Anne had become disillusioned with the status quo - the financial crash had broken trust in the whole sector but there seemed to be little appetite to make the most of emerging technologies to revolutionize customer experience. Increasingly frustrated with the inertia within the industry she decided to shake things up herself by doing something totally radical - setting up her own bank.

Eunice Andrade, an award-winning communications leader and brand influencer

December 20, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

EA Comunicacao e Servicos, a powerful communications advisory service for Mozambique’s businesses and brands

Eunice Andrade is the founder of EA Comunicacao e Servicos. She is an experienced entrepreneur and multi award-winning business leader across the African continent. Her business is focused on branding, company advisory and public relations. She founded the company 22 years ago and now employs more than 10 people, many of them women. She has more than 25 years of experience in the area of public relations and company consultancy. Currently, she is a Brand Ambassador for Betway Mozambique, Jaba Mozambique, and is also a social activist and influencer for Wateraid in the fight against COVID-19. She bring a wealth of experience and expertise in the fields of marketing and public relations.

Suraya Williams, a South African entrepreneur building an impact-driven clothing manufacturing business

December 20, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Suraya Williams, founder of Design26 (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

In South Africa, clothing manufacturing has always played an important role in the local economy, creating jobs and developing skills. Today, Suraya Williams, founder of Design26 (Pty) Ltd, is carrying on the legacy of her late mother by transforming a clothing manufacturing business to a CMT (cut-make-trim) operation, creating skilled jobs in the process.

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