the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Taíla Carrilho, co-founder, Ruum Gallery & founder, Atelier Taila Carrilho (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Many entrepreneurs are born to create, and in Mozambique, Taíla Carrilho, co-founder of Ruum Gallery and founder of Atelier Taila Carrilho, is one such person. Her design talent has led her to co-found a creative gallery to showcase handcrafted design objects, and also her own fashion atelier.
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Rumbidzai Matemachani, founder, Rungano Rwedu (Zimbabwe)
Startup Story
For lovers of eye-catching luxury fashion accessories and footwear, look no further than Rungano Rwedu in Zimbabwe, founded by Rumbidzai Matemachani. Her creative talent, combined with some of the finest specialist training in footwear and accessory design and manufacture in Italy, led Rumbidzai to launch her own brand back in her home country of Zimbabwe.
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Eva Muraya
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BSD Group, a regional award-winning brand strategy and communications company based in Kenya
Eva Muraya is the Founder and CEO of BSD Group, a regional award-winning brand strategy and communications company based in Kenya. It comprises four companies: Brand Strategy & Design Limited, Avid Public Relations Ltd, Whiteboard Advertising Limited and Brandquad Africa Limited, a knowledge sharing and talent development consultancy. Eva is an entrepreneur widely known in marketing and communication circles as a brand innovator and builder, with at least twenty years now in her crown. She has most recently gained attention as an advocate and champion for inclusivity and growth of women markets. She is a co-founder of the Kenya Association of Women Business Owners (KAWBO) and is currently a Director at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) – Gender and SMEs.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
At the time of writing, COP26 is into its last days and sadly it is not looking good for any meaningful results. The current feeling is that (non-binding) commitments so far given are driving us to an increase of 2.6 degrees, significantly higher than the 1.5 required to keep the globe relatively stable. The above quote tragically says it all. It is from Philip Davis, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, one of the many countries on the battle front of Climate Change, as he arrived home disappointed but sadly not surprised by the lack of courage in his fellow leaders. "I invited them to be brave, to be courageous and act…” But as he added: “They don't seem to have any teeth to them.” (here)
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by Naike Moshi
In today’s competitive corporate world, being good at your job isn’t enough. Women often lose out on opportunities because key stakeholders are unaware of the work they do, even though they are star performers and work very hard.
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by Sinal Govender & Claire Keet
It’s really hard to think and talk about your own death. It’s even harder to take action around preparing for death. You may sign up for life insurance or take out a funeral policy or make lifestyle choices to live a happier, longer, healthier life. But few of us go a step further to create a “when I die” folder - or, as we call it, a life.file - of everything our people will need one day when we’re not around anymore. Unless we’ve experienced a life threatening situation or experienced loss, the concept of death can seem ephemeral. It’s almost like our brains protect us from really engaging with the concept of our own mortality, despite it being a universal certainty for each and every one of us.
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by Phindile Ndlovu-Tapula
I started the Working Moms’ Club after I had my first baby. It was 11 months after I gave birth. I was doing it, I was a Mom to this incredible human, and I had a tribe of women to thank for my sanity. I had support and advice from loving women who wanted me to thrive. Motherhood felt like second nature and as much I was born to do this, without my tribe, it sure was going to be tougher.
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Impact Partner Content / Absa
Sluggish growth on the traditional brick n mortar restaurant market is demanding alternative ways of doing business.
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered changes that also fast-forwarded trends on our shores. One trend that is presenting opportunities in the prepared food business is the ‘dark kitchen’ model. Dark kitchen essentially refers to a food eatery that sells meals exclusively through delivery channels for remote consumption, there is no physical dine-in experience.
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Carly A Riordan
Book Review
Author and social media influencer, Carly A Riordan, who has just launched her new book, ‘Business Minded: A Guide to Setting Up Your Mind, Body and Business for Success’ believes that it’s possible to turn your creative passion into a successful company. With clarity and approachability, Carly’s book is a complete guide that will teach you how to monetize your creativity with a sustainable operation, helping you to become a happy, healthy, successful, business-minded boss.
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Refilwe Sebothoma
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PBM Group, a South African high-growth business helping companies to create safe employee work environments
Refilwe Sebothoma, founder of specialist PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) business, PBM Group, in South Africa, a company started in 2014 and today with 2500 employees. As the builder of a growing market-leading business, she continues to grow as a visionary entrepreneur with proven business savvy and qualities. Through such business acumen, she founded her business in an industry monopolized by large, well established business and manufacturing industries, and established it as high-growth start-up that is highly recognized as a valuable business partner. In the past two years, as part of her growth strategy, she has been acquiring business shares in huge businesses which own her value chain.
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Chaimaa Elghani, founder, GO4Work (Morocco)
Startup Story
The concept of co-working for entrepreneurs is not a new one globally, but in Morocco, Chaimaa Elghani, founder of GO4Work, there was a gap. Today, she is creating an inspirational co-working space for people to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and to network with like-minded people who are all on their own business building journeys.
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Joan Mugenzi, founder, Imagine Me Africa (Uganda)
Startup Story
Joan Mugenzi is the founder of Imagine Me Africa, based in Uganda. She is an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach with 385 hours of coach training and over 750 hours of coaching, with a focus on employment transition. Whether a person is getting into a new job, moving into the next opportunity within the organization, grappling with management and leadership transition role, or planning on exiting, Joan enjoys facilitating the conversations. Joan has trained in coaching up to the highest level of coaching (Mastery), and wholly believes in the need for people to experience professional coaching. She is the founding and current president of the International Coaching Federation Uganda Chapter. Her focus is building Africa's coaching hub of choice.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
…and so said Mark Carney the ex Bank of England Governor, now the UN’s special envoy on climate action and finance (here), and indeed he is right. To save the world; to ensure people continue to have homes, jobs and a future; to allow for a world where crops are not constantly facing drought one day and then hit by flood the next; to ensure that forests continue to provide habitats and local (and global) climate ecosystems - this all requires long, hard work from us all. Just to put it into further context, successive years of extreme weather events have plunged Madagascar into what WFP officials say is the world’s first climate-induced famine. Five years of consecutive drought compounded by sandstorms, as well as cyclones, an invasion of locusts and growing insecurity have created what World Food Program officials call the perfect storm. There is no magical green switch.
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by Naike Moshi
Having the right people on your board is absolutely fundamental to ensuring the organization is run effectively and efficiently. As with any recruitment exercise, it is important to consider what role the board members will have, and the skills, knowledge, and experience they need.
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by Marjon Meyer
People who are good at relationships are already happy with their lives and don’t expect others to make them happy. People who are good at relationships are living happy, fulfilled lives before they even enter into a relationship. They bring their happiness into the relationship, instead of extracting happiness from the relationship.
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by Ashika Pillay
What happens when you hear the word boundary? Most people feel a sense of contraction. A feeling of resistance. We feel that a boundary means “no”. Because we wish to be liked, and to please others, setting boundaries can feel like we are pushing others away, and that we are being selfish.
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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.
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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.
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Carolyn Byron Lowe
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.
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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.
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