the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
What is it that really creates a loyal customer base? This is the constant question that has hung over entrepreneurs for centuries, even Charles Dickens realized that if he was to successfully write in magazines (how his books first appeared, chapter by chapter), he’d better have a shock or WOW! moment at the end of each chapter to encourage the sales of the next magazine.
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by Edna Reis
As a woman who is a psychologist and an entrepreneur working in my field of study, it would perhaps not come as a surprise that I have a major interest for words and definitions. As a result, It is never too much to talk about the meaning of life impact topics such as Mental Health, that is why I shall begin my article with a few definitions.
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by Nadia Hearn
The most important part of understanding how Public Relations (PR) can help your business and brand is to get educated on the role PR plays and where it fits into your marketing plan. Understanding marketing, the different tactics and what each delivers, must inform your strategy so that it is spot on to deliver against your business objectives and marketing spend.
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by Brigette Mashile
Pricing - I avoid this topic, a lot. It is because it makes me uncomfortable. I have no direct reason, so I know it must be deep and attached to money in general. This is a major issue because I run a business, I make products which I sell, every day. What am I doing? What have I been doing? Ah…sigh… I need to dig deeper and solve this mystery. At some point in my business, my analysis pointed to something off with our pricing, and it is still there. This is because I made a few major errors in the beginning.
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by Lori Milner
7 ways to create the best version of yourself...
I have coached and trained hundreds of people on personal branding and the number one question I get asked is… “Is it too late for me to reinvent my brand and change perceptions?”
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By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Marc Andreessen, cofounder of a16z with Ben Horowitz, likes to joke “…the best thing about startups is that you only ever experience two emotions: euphoria and terror. And I find that lack of sleep enhances them both.”
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Caitlin Donovan
Book Review
For all those women entrepreneurs who have experienced burnout, help is at hand from author and burnout expert Caitlin Donovan, in her new book The Bouncebackability Factor: End Burnout, Gain Resilience, and Change the World. This is a deep and real examination of the true causes of burnout and how to heal them within yourself.
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by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie
“Life is not about Finding Yourself, It is about Creating Yourself. “ — George Bernard Shaw
As soon as your mother knew that your arrival was on the horizon, she started to have thoughts, ideas and dreams about you and for you. The fashioning of you began. Without your involvement. Without your awareness. Without your consent. As your young life unfolded, chapters were being written for you and yet you were told that this book, this life, is yours.
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by Justina Luelo
We’ve read articles on social media about how high heels make some women look different. And many times, with friends we talk about how Maria looks different today because she is wearing a pair of high heels that we have never seen before, and how she is tall and slim ...!
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by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
“At least 40% of all businesses will die in the next 10 years… if they don’t figure out how to change their entire company to accommodate new technologies.” — John Chambers
Digital Transformation is often pigeonholed as an IT topic or project that only concerns the CIO or CTO….but it is much more than that. It is really all about rethinking your business in the Digital Age.
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Sinah Mojanko, founder, TiyAmo Recycling (South Africa)
Startup Story
Sustainable waste management is a growing business sector on the African continent. In South Africa, TiyAmo Recycling, founded by Sinah Mojanko, is aiming to grow and coach a new generation of recycling entrepreneurs who can tackle the problem of waste.
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Clara Njeri, founder, Naturalglam (Kenya)
Startup Story
Entrepreneur Clara Njeri is the Director at Naturalglam, a business which she started at the age of 21 as a result of trying to clear her own acne. The business started more like a hobby, but three years later, the company has grown to having one major physical shop in Nairobi and a network of distributors. Her Instagram Sensation business is slowly growing to be a powerhouse.
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Chiinga Musonda, co-founder of Savanna Premium Chocolate (Zambia)
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Savanna Premium Chocolate, a bean-to-bar brand putting Zambia on the global chocolate map
Passion is one of the key ingredients to building any successful business and brand. And, in the world of artisan chocolate making, it is one of the Savanna Premium Chocolate brand’s strongest assets, thanks to founders Chiinga Musonda and Lynna Musonda Phiri.
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Thokozile Mangwiro, founder, Nilotiqa (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
It is in growing her own natural hair for the past 15 years that Thokozile Mangwiro found her inspiration to create a natural hair care product line. After going to several salons and an endless search of locally produced products that truly work for afro natural hair, it was clear that there was a HUGE gap in the market for professionally formulated products for natural hair. Thokozile, like many other women, struggled with extremely dry hair. This, and the lack of knowledge, led to intense research and experimentation with natural ingredients such as Shea butter and avocado oil for skin and hair. After several years of research, formulations and product testing, Thokozile launched Nilotiqa, a line of products that are proudly made from organic and naturally formed ingredients to deeply moisturize and nourish natural hair.
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by Dalinka von Marées
While on a run a few days ago, I realized with a renewed jolt that I’d been running on autopilot – and that that was very much a reflection of how I frequently go about my days, weeks and months. My brain disconnects from the “rest of me” and embarks on one of its jaunts into multi-streaming: the simultaneous processing of information, conversations, to-dos, reviews, plans, actions…like an endless stream of Matrix-like numbers, figures and letters running across my mind’s eye.
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Mayra Pereira, founder, Gaia EES Consulting (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Many companies are now actively thinking about sustainability in their businesses and in Mozambique, impact driven entrepreneur Mayra Pereira, founder of Gaia EES Consulting, is helping them to make the move towards more sustainable action.
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Jodi Fittinghoff, co-owner, Jodam Manufacturers (South Africa)
Startup Story
Companies looking for customized bags manufactured to the highest standards and produced locally in South Africa know that Jodam Manufacturers, founded by Jodi Fittinghoff, is the place to go. Operating for 35 years, the business has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that produces the highest quality bags with innovative design and creativity at their heart.
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Lioness Launch
South African children’s skincare brand, Raising Uhuru, came into existence when a young and curious first-time mom, Minky Mokapela, was faced with the challenge of her baby’s terrible eczema. The baby’s skin would get so dry that it would develop scabs that would lift and flake off creating a considerable level of discomfort for her, and the only effective products contained steroids. Thanks to her curiosity, Minky began to research natural ways to treat her daughter’s skin after finding out that long term use of steroids had adverse effects. She knew that mother nature definitely had an answer. Using natural oils and butters such as Cocoa butter, Shea butter and Jojoba oil, she created the Raising Uhuru children’s skincare range that is beneficial for all skin types and complexions.
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Miri Rodriguez
Book Review
Written by the award-winning storyteller Miri Rodriguez at Microsoft, Brand Storytelling: Put Customers At The Heart Of Your Brand Story is an actionable guide that goes beyond content strategy. Instead, it demonstrates how to leverage brand storytelling in the marketing mix to strengthen brand engagement and achieve long-term growth, with advice from brands like Expedia, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Adobe and Google.
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By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
‘Doing right’ means different things to different people, but in business it is absolutely essential and represents your core values. The above photo showing the impact that UZURI K&Y, the Rwandan business founded by entrepreneurs Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe, has had on so many lives as a perfect example of this. So, “What are the core values of your business?” could have been the title this week…
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