The Shame

February 7, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

We have discussed the issues with male dominated finance previously (here) and how imbalances built into applications affect women (as Ai is sadly beginning to show us). Although it is great news that more women are being invited onto bank’s boards, until the Credit and Risk committees and their ‘tick boxes’ are redesigned to remove this strange but deep held belief that women’s businesses are more risky, we shall continue to hear the complaints from many who have raised funding ‘to invest in women’s businesses’ that they have searched high and low, yet been unable to find enough women in which to invest. As the AfDB’s Dr Jennifer Blanke said at the The Global Gender Summit 2019, Kigali: “We know that women are a good bet. We know they pay back. We know they run excellent businesses – and yet they are not getting financed” (here).

Rebecca Tshuma, a South African foodpreneur focused on supplying fresh produce to customers

February 7, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Rebecca Tshuma, founder of Becks Foods (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content - Absa

From major food retailers to the hospitality industry, commercial customers look for reliable, high quality, fresh produce suppliers to meet their needs. In South Africa, Rebecca Tshuma, founder of Becks Foods, is building a reputation for supplying some of the freshest, healthiest produce direct from the farm.

Lelanie Basson, an entrepreneur building a boutique management consultancy in both Namibia and South Africa, helping clients to build sound businesses

February 6, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lelanie Basson, founder of Twafiika Consultant (Namibia)

Startup Story

For boutique consulting business, Twafiika Consultants, the phrase ‘it’s all in a name’ is particularly apt. Lelanie Basson’s business name was chosen as it is derived from Oshiwambo, and Twafiika means “to arrive”. This is one business in Namibia that has definitely arrived, building a solid reputation for developing highly creative and insightful strategies for businesses who are looking for that competitive edge.

Lioness Launch / Botswana’s Naga Earth launches a new service importing fine quality natural cosmetics ingredients for local manufacturing

February 6, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Mishingo Aaron, founder of Naga Earth (Botswana)

Lioness Launch

The luxury handcrafted African luxury bodycare brand from Botswana, Naga Earth, founded by entrepreneur Mishingo Aaron, is on a mission to show the Africa it knows, by celebrating the continent’s rich diversity in natural resources through skin care. The company is launching a new service with the department name, NAGA NATURALS, which will see it importing fine quality natural cosmetics ingredients that can be used in the manufacturing of cosmetic products.

Fundamentals of WhatsApp Updated Privacy Policy (Part 2)

February 5, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lufuno Khorommbi

In the second of my series of articles on the Fundamentals of WhatsApp Updated Privacy Policy (read Part 1), we look at possible alternatives that WhatsApp users can migrate to, and what that migration might entail.

Can You Be A Carpenter?

February 5, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser founder of Picketfence Life

This is a story with a different angle. I am sure many of you get into the kitchen late at night or frankly any time of day and then “bam” the kitchen top has got a beautiful crazy ant party going on! Most of us freak out and grab the best pesticides. But, it is not a party - they are carrying food to their home.

The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak tree that resists

February 5, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Dr Ashika Pillay

The title of this article, a Japanese proverb, encapsulates this year for me. I have heard and read so much about resilience and stress management this year, and all with good reason and need. It really got me thinking though, about what true resilience and strength is and where it comes from.

How to beat Zoom fatigue

February 5, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

“To do two things at once is to do neither” - Publilius Syrus

The spontaneous conversation in the passage has disappeared. Because you can’t just pop your head into someone’s office, you now need to set up a dedicated time in the day to chat to them. Multiply this across your team and numerous stakeholders and your day is a jam-packed calendar of virtual meetings.

50 Mighty Words To Grow Your Business by Felicity Cowie

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

The biggest threat to business growth is failure to communicate, but help is at hand from Felicity Cowie, author of 50 Mighty Words to Grow Your Business. If you are a start-up or scale-up, with ambitions to be a world-class business by 2030, you can take heart from Felicity because she believes you have an enormous advantage over today’s major players. You can do something they can never do. You can eradicate the root cause of communication failure, from the early creation of your business and its culture. The root cause is guesswork. You start with just 50 mighty words.

Zeenat Ghoor, a South African award-winning engineer transforming spaces

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Zeenat Ghoor, founder of Aspire Consulting Engineers (South Africa)

Startup Story

The construction sector is a notoriously tough one for women entrepreneurs to break into in Africa. But Zeenat Ghoor, founder of Aspire Consulting Engineers in South Africa, is one woman who is changing that by her example. She is building a successful civil and structural engineering business that is people centric, transforming spaces that are accessible and safe for everyone to use.

Pam Snyman, a doyenne of South Africa’s real estate industry

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Pam Snyman, founder of REDZetc (South Africa)

Startup Story

The real estate sector in South Africa is one that is highly competitive, and to build a business that has longevity and importantly a trusted reputation, requires a long and hard road to be travelled. Pam Snyman, founder of REDZetc has done just that, and today she is duly recognized as one of the true doyennes of the real estate sector in the country and on the continent. Not only that, she continues to innovate and to make real and lasting contributions to the future of the sector.

Abai Schulze, Africa’s champion of economic empowerment for artisans

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

ZAAF, a luxury handcrafted leather and accessories brand creating economic opportunities for Africa’s artisans

Abai Schulze is the Founder and Creative Director of ZAAF, a collection of premium leather goods and accessories handcrafted by artisans across Africa. Her life journey has taken her from an orphanage in Addis Ababa to the United States and the rest of the world. Abai is committed to using her academic background in economics and fine arts from her alma mater George Washington University to create unique and practical expressions of beauty. Abai founded ZAAF in 2014 with the goal of creating economic empowerment to African artisans and a new perspective and standard of global luxury. Her vision is to create unique products people love and want to buy, as this is the most sustainable of approaching economic development.

Your why, your purpose, your vision

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

According to the FT (here), there is “a new corporate currency, and it is a composite of three factors: purpose, why [the company] does what it does; culture, what staff experience; and brand, its reputation. The era of non-financial data transparency and advanced stakeholder capitalism is upon us. Corporate stakeholders, from employees and customers to board members, investors, partners and regulators, are calling for greater disclosure of information related to the “four P’s”: people, profit, planet and purpose. All corporations must prepare for a future in which details of their work in these areas are open to all.”

Silungile Mokoena, a South African fashion designer creating much needed manufacturing jobs

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Silungile Mokoena, founder of Sluvin Designs (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content - Absa

Silungile Mokoena is the passion-driven founder and CEO of Sluvin Designs a fashion house based in the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The business was established in 1999 and now employs 6 full time employees and up to 10 part-time employees, contributing to the growth of the sector in the city. It also outsources some of the company’s accessory production to more than 15 women who specialize in beadwork and work from the comfort of their homes mainly in rural areas.

Keep the beat, keep your passion, keep your vision in the groove!

January 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

By Mbalenhle Ndaba

Is there a future in blaming your past for your present? You are now aware of the past and its experiences, it is time for you not to ignore the past so you cannot repeat it, and it is time to incorporate push with stillness

Three Lessons Learnt - My life from Corporate to Business Owner of a Franchised Store

January 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

By Teboho Seretlo

A little bit about me. I have worked for more than 25 years in corporates since 1989. These included Unilever, SAB, The Coca Cola Company, Momentum and finally Nedbank. I held various positions from being a technical trainee going through the brilliant graduate programmes of these illustrious companies. These positions offered me very well-rounded general management skills, from logistics, financial management, project management, human resources as well as transformation/B-BBEE.

Nanny Trouble

January 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

By Phindile Ndlovu–Tapula

Moms - Let’s talk nanny trouble! In the midst of a global pandemic, most of our children are home as schools remain closed. This means we have to get help because for most of us, we are back in the office. I, for one, had to get our nanny back.

5 Tips to financially survive Janu-worry

January 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

By Kathryn Main - Money Savvy Kids

We all know the month of January is filled with countless unavoidable worries of the financial kind. Others may feel it more than others, but we all feel it non-the-less. We make lunch boxes for the first time in weeks, we carpool to work, and we stop buying coffee at that gourmet coffee shop on the way to work and instead make it ourselves. Basically, we go into level 1 of survival mode when it comes to our finances due to the crunch we feel.