Investing in Yourself

November 6, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Thembe Khumalo

What comes to mind when you think about investing in yourself? Is it items that require serious expenditure, like an additional tertiary qualification, a new computer or a trip to an out-of-town conference? Or do you think about simpler things like a scented hand cream, a series of therapy sessions or a short online course? Whichever category your idea of investment is in, investing in ourself means you are foregoing other things to create value for yourself - and usually in a way that will enable you to learn, grow and improve your output.

Rebecca Tshuma, a South African agripreneur with a big growth vision

October 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Rebecca Tshuma, founder, Becks Foods (South Africa)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Becks Foods, building a reputation for supplying fresh, healthy produce direct from the farm.

Ensuring food security and continuity of the agri value chain is important in South Africa and globally, and for agripreneur Rebecca Tshuma, founder of high-growth business, Becks Foods, that is her inspiration. She is building a reputation for supplying some of the freshest, healthiest produce direct from the farm. From major food retailers to the hospitality industry, commercial customers look for reliable, high quality, fresh produce suppliers to meet their needs, and Becks Foods is growing to be there for them.

Business Growth Do's and Absolute Don'ts: Applied Wisdom from My Work with Dell, Costco, Amazon, and Multiple Start-ups by Carolyn Byron Lowe

October 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Digital marketing expert and author of the new book Business Growth Do's and Absolute Don'ts, Carolyn Byron Lowe, says it’s the question emerging entrepreneurs and burgeoning business leaders ask themselves every day: Am I doing this right? Markets fluctuate and trends come and go, but some principles of the business world are here to stay. Founders and leaders need to know—and cannot ignore—the vital differences between success and failure.

Meet Mozambique's women entrepreneurs who are showcasing the country's unique business offerings

October 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

In Focus / Mozambique

Like countries across the African continent, Mozambique is emerging from the impact of many challenges over the past two years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. But those challenges have spurred on women entrepreneurs in the country who want to create businesses that can help them to better weather the social and economic storms going forward. What each of these women entrepreneurs share in common is a passion for the businesses they are creating, ambition for the brands they are launching, and a desire to create opportunities and jobs for local people. These true Lionesses of Africa are not just showcasing their own unique products and services to the world, getting consumers interested in buying what they have to offer, but they are also putting Mozambique on the map and stimulating interest from across the continent.

Why You Should Hire for Skills Not Talent, and the Stigma of Mental Health

October 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Paula Quinsee

Talent Management has been a focus for quite some time now, but what we’re really implying is that a candidate needs to have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job perfectly from day one. (i.e. a self-starter that can hit the ground running). Instead, what we really need to be looking for is not only does a person already know how to do something, but can they also learn it? How flexible and adaptable are they to learning new things whether that be skills, systems or ways of working?

Lioness Launch / Africa’s luxury jewellery brand, Adele Dejak, launches its new Malaika Collection

October 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Adele Dejak, the brand, is an authentic jewellery and fashion accessories brand that offers a direct access to the true premium African experience. Founder Adele Dejak has built a powerful brand over the years, globally renowned for creating a wide variety of lovingly designed and handcrafted pieces including bracelets, earrings, necklaces and handbags. Every piece tells a story and is inspired by African textiles, cultures and traditions, with everything being produced directly in the Adele Dejak studio in Kenya or through collaboration with an established network of partners. On 5 November 2021, Adele launches the inspirational new Malaika Collection, a new capsule collection of jewellery and accessories for the modern warrior man and woman.

Catherine Nakayemba, a Ugandan entrepreneur manufacturing menstrual kits for rural women and girls

October 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Catherine Nakayemba, co-founder, Safe Girl (Uganda)

Startup Story

Catherine Nakayemba is the co-founder and administrator of Safe Girl in Uganda, a business on a mission to lower the cost of menstruation by making safe and eco-friendly reusable menstrual kits. Each kits consists of two reusable sanitary pads, a knicker, storage bag and a piece of soap. This lasts for 12 months hence enabling a rural woman or girl to save from buying monthly pads. Since launching the business, it has produced over 1000 reusable menstrual kits and distributed them all around Uganda. The business employs 20 women working in both production and marketing of the pads.

How SMEs can contribute to the sustainability imperative

October 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Impact Partner Content / Absa / by Vishay Rabbipal, Head: Renewable Energy, Retail and Business Banking

All-encompassing solutions for the green transition implies two intertwined policy objectives – inclusive growth and green growth. Put in a different way, it begs the question: How can we achieve environmental objectives and at the same time deliver inclusive and widely shared economic growth?

COP26, Trick or Treat?

October 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

In a recent interview, climate-change activist Greta Thunberg when asked how optimistic she was that the COP26 conference could achieve anything, responded "Nothing has changed from previous years really. The leaders will say, 'we'll do this and we'll do this, and we will put our forces together and achieve this', and then they will do nothing. Maybe some symbolic things and creative accounting and things that don't really have a big impact. We can have as many COPs as we want, but nothing real will come out of it.” (See here her interview), but should we be so negative about the work that our politicians are about to do in a wet and windy Glasgow in the UK?

Robyn Keet, a South African socially conscious entrepreneur giving back to the creative community

October 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Robyn Keet, founder, Inner Voice Creative (South Africa)

Startup Story

Inner Voice Creative, founded by Robyn Keet in South Africa, is a socially conscious photographic exhibition management service and photography mentorship business. Robyn is using this business platform to create a range of specialist photographic services and training products that allows the business to give back to the global creative community.

How to Get Money Savvy - Tip 6: Goal Setting

October 29, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Kathryn Main

The first time I set a financial goal was when I was 32 years old. It was a skill I needed to learn. I needed to formulate a plan to achieve my goals and I can honestly say that goal setting was one of the biggest drivers in changing my financial situation. I still set goals for myself each year because goal setting gives meaning and direction. Setting financial goals helps us focus on our finances.

Compassion is your compass to happiness

October 29, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

The definition of compassion is “to recognize the suffering of others and then take action to help through acts of kindness”. The component of action is what separates compassion from empathy, sympathy, pity, concern, or any other compassion synonym. The difference is that compassion gets involved.

Funding - The F’ Word in Business

October 29, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Teboho Serotlo

Often in my line of business I come across lots and lots of small business owners who are looking for funding for their business. Clearly access to funding is one of the biggest challenges that small businesses are faced with. To begin with, I think the big question is, actually do you really need the funding? Have you looked at other options? What are these other options?

Make the Pitch…Get the Results: For Women Entrepreneurs Serious about Success by Kimberly C. Menchion

October 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Make the Pitch…Get the Results by Kimberley C. Menchion, is a high impact fast read book designed to help women entrepreneurs who are serious about success to harness the power of persuasion to grow their business through pitching their ideas, products, and services. Make the Pitch is a must read for women determined to accomplish their dreams. Find out how to win contracts, gain strategic business partners, and obtain financial support and spotlight opportunities to grow your business and propel your big idea.

Lioness Launch / South African education and coaching company, Real Stuff for Success, launches new book to empower young people to success

October 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Candice Preston, founder of Real Stuff for Success

Lioness Launch

Many young people find it challenging to visualize their roadmap to success and it can all seem a little daunting. South African entrepreneur and life coach, Candice Preston, founder of Real Stuff for Success, has launched a new book, ‘Unlocking your superpowers: keys to achieving success in school and beyond" to help young people to navigate their own personal journeys to success.

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...

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