Ruthida Kajumba, a transformation coach helping people live their best lives

October 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Ruthida Kajumba Consult, a Ugandan specialist coaching consultancy helping clients redefine their success

Achieving success, overcoming overwhelm, and finding happiness and fulfillment can be difficult for many people, particularly during these challenging times. Ruthida Kajumba, founder of the specialist Ugandan coaching consultancy that carries her name, is on a mission to help people live their best lives. Ruthida is a Fulfilment After Success Expert, a Keynote Speaker, Author and ICF credentialed Professional Transformation Coach. Other certifications are Success Goals, Happiness, Fulfilment, Life Purpose and Public Speaking. She focuses on helping busy individuals to redefine their success so they can overcome overwhelm and live their best everyday life with inner peace, joy, meaning, happiness and fulfillment. Backed with nearly 20 years of relevant life and entrepreneurial business experience, she founded her consulting business in 2018. Her areas of expertise are Authentic Success, Mindset, Overcoming Overwhelm, Happiness and Fulfilment.

Kathy Mann, a South African stress specialist creating positive change in people’s lives

October 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Startup Story

If the past 18 months has taught us anything, it’s the need to better cope with stress, and in South Africa, a real specialist in this field is Kathy Mann. Her consulting business offers help and advice to all those who are finding it difficult to cope with stress and looking for a better way of managing it.

To Inquire, To Discover - Let’s talk Apprenticeships

October 23, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

We recently saw a wonderful video of the famous Noam Chomsky, a retired professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). To simply say he is a ‘retired professor’ is to utterly understate his impact on the globe, as he is one of the most cited scholars alive, so people really do go quiet and listen when he starts to speak. You can see him here.

What You Need to Know About the Legal Admin of Dying (and other great ways to start your day!)

October 23, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Claire Keet & Sinal Govender

Here are a few really positive ways to start your day. Brew yourself a delicious coffee. Make your bed. Meditate. Write down the things you’re grateful for. We write this article with the full knowledge that “educate yourself about dying” is probably not high on your morning to-do list. If there are two things people usually avoid like the Bubonic Plague, it’s legal life admin and talking about death. Put those two things together in a blog post title and it’s unlikely we’ll be winning any crowd pleaser awards. But we’ll try to win you over anyway...

How to Write an Executive Summary in 30 Seconds

October 23, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Izane Cloete-Hamilton

I was recently invited to a networking event where I was tasked with introducing my business, nFold, in 30 seconds. It made me wonder: is the equivalent to the proverbial elevator pitch, an executive summary on a page?

Stop Betraying Thyself!

October 23, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Nontobeko Mbuyane

Much of the difficulty and struggle that we go through in life comes from our resistance to change. At some point, we get stuck in painful circumstances, yet we fear facing our reality and doing the work required to ignite a positive change. After all we are so used to saying and believing that, better the devil that you know than the devil you don’t know. So, we settle, give up on our desires, try to make the best of what we have and sadly that works for a while. Until staying stuck becomes unbearable. Until we acknowledge that not dealing with our realities is making us sick. Until we realize that resisting change is self-betrayal. Until we say, enough!

Online home business ideas during this Pandemic

October 23, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Catia Mondlane

The Coronavirus flare-up is stirring up the worldwide economy for huge scope, minimal expense business thoughts, and On-Demand-Delivery applications which are now all the rage. The world is scrambling hard to battle the current and impending financial results of this dark swan occasion, yet this could be a thrilling chance to ponder a business thought for what's to come.

Seen: Female entrepreneurs share their story of how they stepped into their passion, purpose and power by Katherine Massey

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Author Katherine Massey, believes we all have a story to tell but that sharing it is the hard part, and her new book Seen seeks to address this challenge. In Seen, 15 female entrepreneurs have found the courage to come together and share their personal stories. In their own words, they describe the process of finding their passion, power and purpose, and how they wish to inspire and encourage others to believe that anything is possible.

Alice Kivuva, a Kenyan entrepreneur building a unique African-inspired sports brand

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Alice Kivuva, founder, FiveStars Africa (Kenya)

Startup Story

All avid sportspeople, especially cyclists want to find comfortable, fashionable and stylish activewear that makes them feel and look good, and which inspires them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Entrepreneur Alice Kivuva, founder of FiveStars Africa, the unique African Inspired Sports Brand in Kenya, has created an activewear that does just that.

Affiong Williams, an award-winning, innovation-driven agribusiness entrepreneur

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

ReelFruit, Nigeria’s largest dried fruit processing business generating employment across the value chain

Affiong Williams is the CEO/Founder of ReelFruit, the largest fruit processing, packaging and distribution company focused on being the 'leading fruit agribusiness in Nigeria'. The company, founded in 2012, retails a range of dried fruit and nut snacks through a variety of channels including over 400 supermarkets, airlines, schools, and hotels locally, while also retailing internationally in the US (Amazon.com), Switzerland, Belgium, Saudi Arabia. ReelFruit is an award-winning brand, winning an international Women in Business Competition in the Netherlands. Affiong has also been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the most promising '30 under 30' entrepreneurs in 2015. In 2017, she won “Entrepreneur of the Year”, awarded by the prestigious Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WimBiz).

'Divinely Discontent!'

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

“One thing I love about customers is that they are divinely discontent. Their expectations are never static – they go up. It’s human nature. We didn’t ascend from our hunter-gatherer days by being satisfied. People have a voracious appetite for a better way, and yesterday’s ‘wow’ quickly becomes today’s ‘ordinary’. I see that cycle of improvement happening at a faster rate than ever before. It may be because customers have such easy access to more information than ever before – in only a few seconds and with a couple taps on their phones, customers can read reviews, compare prices from multiple retailers, see whether something’s in stock, find out how fast it will ship or be available for pick-up, and more. These examples are from retail, but I sense that the same customer empowerment phenomenon is happening broadly across everything we do at Amazon and most other industries as well. You cannot rest on your laurels in this world. Customers won’t have it.”…and so wrote Jeff Bezos in his 2017 letter to Amazon shareholders. Since then the world has just got significantly faster, customers more demanding for higher quality, lower prices and more speed, until Covid hit the reset button and the world stopped for breath.

Why interpreters Should Think and Act Like a Brand

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Thuli Zikalala

BrandSimple is a book I highly recommend for any individual or company that would like to be recognised as a successful brand. Everyone is a brand – the key is to start thinking and acting like one. Allen P. Adamson, the author, explains how the best brands keep it simple, and as a result enjoy huge success.

7 Strategies to Position Yourself For Board Opportunities

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Naike Moshi

Are you an accomplished entrepreneur or experienced leader looking for board opportunities? Here are the seven strategies on how you can position yourself for board opportunities if it is one of your career goals.

Advancing Previously Disadvantaged Women In Private Security

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Ntsoaki Sibiya

The Security Industry sector is becoming an increasingly critical source of jobs as the rate of unemployment among women increases. The unemployment rate among black African women stands at nearly 41% compared to 32% among men. These disparities are not only the product of a profoundly unbalanced economy, they also contribute to gender inequality in society.

The Nanny Saga

October 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile

A few years ago, I told my friends I would never have a live-in nanny in my house, and it made sense then. I didn’t need a live-in nanny! We had a lady who came in once every 2 weeks to do our laundry, which eventually became every week as I got busier. Also, the laundry became the entire house very fast, because honestly, I don’t want to wash dishes after stitching dresses and having fittings with different clients.

Vanhu Vamwe, co-founded by award-winning Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, launches its new handcrafted handbag collection

October 10, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

After 6 years off the design scene developing a framework around ‘Care in Design’ and ‘Putting People First’, a PhD and two years of design development, Vanhu Vamwe is back!! The collection designed by co-founder Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri, together with husband and co-founder Simba Nyawiri is ‘MACRAME LUXE ON WHEELS’. The Multi Award Winning Brand has combined its love for storytelling, traditional craftsmanship and community to bring for the first time ‘A Made In Zimbabwe’, 100% Handcrafted Collection. During a pandemic, with impossibilities all round, Vanhu Vamwe established the first Macrame Community in Zimbabwe, bringing permanent employment, healing livelihoods and bringing hope to many families.

Jolene Roelofse, a South African influencer marketing expert managing campaigns for businesses and brands

October 10, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Jolene Roelofse, founder, Fluence Africa (South Africa)

Startup Story

As a marketer for over 18 years, and after running her marketing and communications company since 2010, Jolene Roelofse, realized that there is a need for a focus on influencer marketing, that can be measured, outside of only the number of followers. Influencers who can be used for their reach and engagement with their audiences, to relay information about brand products and services. This led to the start of Fluence Africa.

Kintu Jovia, a Ugandan entrepreneur building a local organic hair care brand with big ambitions

October 10, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Kintu Jovia, founder, Kia Cosmetics (Uganda)

Startup Story

Most successful haircare brands start because they look to solve a problem for consumers, and in the case of Kintu Jovia, founder of Kia Cosmetics in Uganda, that was certainly true. Her inspiration was to give consumers the choice to use chemical free products that would be good for their hair and the environment.

ReelFruit, Nigeria’s largest dried fruit processing business generating employment across the value chain

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