by Naike Moshi
Is your recruitment process costing you excess time and money? Here are 5 ways you can 'lean out' your recruitment process to get better results.
Read moreShaquila Antonio, a Mozambican entrepreneur passionate about baking creative cakes
Shaquila Antonio, founder, Confeitando Com Amor (Mozambique)
Startup Story
For all those who have a sweet tooth and love to celebrate every occasion with a beautiful cake, Confeitando Com Amor in Mozambique, founded by creative confectioner Shaquila Antonio, has just what you need. Her cake brand has built up a great customer following in her city of Beira and is set to grow further over the coming years.
Read moreAmina Slaoui, a pioneering social entrepreneurship leader in Morocco
Amina Slaoui
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
AMH Group, positively changing lives and overcoming barriers for people with disabilities
Amina Slaoui is the president and founder of AMH Group (Morocco), a pioneering leader in social entrepreneurship in Morocco and a non-profit association founded in 1992. She is a leading figure in the fight against disability and inequalities and an award-winning social and inclusive entrepreneur. Her involvement with the AMH group, formerly known as Amicale Marocaine des Handicapés - Friendly Moroccan Association of People with Disabilities, has been awarded several prizes, such as the Takreem Prize for “Philanthropy and Social Acts” in 2014 and the prestigious Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year award during the World Economic Forum in 2015.
Read moreLorna Mashiba, an entrepreneur with a vision to become Tanzania’s leading art gallery
Lorna Mashiba, founder, Rangi Gallery (Tanzania)
Startup Story
Lorna Mashiba is the founder of Rangi Gallery in Tanzania, a virtual platform that connects African artists to Intercontinental art enthusiasts. As the founder of Rangi Gallery, she aspires to grow, empower and transform local talent beyond its borders.
Read moreLioness Launch / Award-winning South African upcycling design company, Lilly Loompa opens ‘first of its kind’ concept shop
Lizl Naude, founder, Lilly Loompa
Lioness Launch
South African upcycling design company, Lilly Loompa, founded by the talented eco-designer Lizl Naude, opened its ‘first of its kind’ concept shop on 17 November 2021 in Paarl, Western Cape. Known for celebrating the possibilities of upcycling waste, Lilly Loompa is known far and wide for its quirky, upcycled décor items. But more than that, Lizl herself is known for her purposeful and environmentally-consciousness approach to design. A great example of this can be seen in the launch in 2020, during the pandemic, the “My Africa Lap Desk”, currently the brand’s most popular product and made with discarded, waste material.
Read moreIf you live in a world where you don’t need ramps, you simply do not notice
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
The above powerful photo of Sázia Sousa, in her words “a proud member of Lionesses”, the General Director of Technoplus, Lda, Mozambique (here), taken by the brilliant Giulia Bosis, says it all for what we are, as she says:
“A note for the International Women Entrepreneur's Day:
Be a # woman and be a # entrepreneur! I have this photo as a symbol of much that I have achieved so far. And for all women I scream: We do not want to be equal to men. We do not want to stop taking care of the house or the children. We just want them to stop looking at women as a being incapable of opinion, intelligence, and strength. We want to stop conditioning our life to a successful marriage. We want to continue being women, but above all, we want to be human beings able to help our community.”
Read moreThe Expecting Entrepreneur by Arianna Taboada
Arianna Taboada
Book Review
In her book, The Expecting Entrepreneur, parental leave consultant Arianna Taboada asks women entrepreneurs a key question - your life is baby-ready, but did you baby-proof your business? She knows that when you’re the boss, planning for much-needed parental leave, making money, and the survival of your business can feel overwhelming. You deserve to recover from childbirth and transition into this new chapter without the stress of work. The Expecting Entrepreneur shows you how to design a parental leave that works for you, your family, and your business, without having to sacrifice your entrepreneurial success.
Read moreSurvey: The Online Experience in the Deaf Community
by Thuli Zikalala
Happy creative, a marketing agency based in the UK, reveal that market research is a crucial part of any business. Although businesses may think they know who their target market is, after some research, they are often surprised – and pivot their strategy to match the data collected. Here are three benefits of conducting market research they mention.
Read moreBuyer Personas, Buyer Profiles & How to Get In Front Of Your Ideal Buyer
by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
There is plenty of evidence that shows the ineffectiveness of digital marketing, but at the core of this supposed evidence is businesses having a poor understanding of their ideal buyers. This poor understanding results in poorly crafted and presented messaging or content which literally makes your prospective ideal buyer switch off on you and all your marketing.
Read moreIt’s time to develop a powerful personal brand
by Lori Milner
“A brand for a product is like a reputation for a person” - Jeff Bezos
Why do brands spend what they do on advertising and marketing? Of course it’s the obvious essentials like profit and growth, creating social impact but really it comes down to creating loyal fans. It’s the same with your personal brand.
Read moreCheat Days
by Emily Kandanga
Committing to a healthier lifestyle often requires giving up some of your favorite sweet or fried treats, that won’t help you with achieving your overall goals. Undoubtedly this is one of the biggest challenges you will face along your journey, because it requires you to give up on food that you actually love and enjoy eating.
Read moreLioness Launch / South Africa’s Blazing Moon Corporate Training launches new Video and E-Learning programmes
Brenda MacLaren, founder, Blazing Moon Corporate Training (South Africa)
Lioness Launch
These days, the need for virtual training and development services to supplement those that can be obtained by in-person programmes, has never been greater. In South Africa, Blazing Moon Corporate Training, founded by entrepreneur Brenda MacLaren, is a SETA accredited business that offers blended learning solutions. The company has developed a range of Video and eLearning programmes that are launching in the first quarter of 2022. The company has been a long standing training provider since 1999. It is accredited with the MICT SETA for its IT courses and the Services SETA for all its soft skills training courses, as well as being a registered training provider with COMENSA (Coach and Mentors of South Africa). The company offers both short skills programmes and learnerships that can be conducted in live online sessions and also facilitated in classroom sessions.
Read moreHarnessing Stress by Kathy Mann
Kathy Mann
Book Review
Stress expert Kathy Mann believes that stress is not something that can be dominated, suppressed or avoided, and in her book Harnessing Stress, she shows us how it’s possible to learn to live with it and harness it for good. Kathy says that by understanding the way our brains and bodies react in supporting us through stressful situations, we can learn to embrace stress and to use it to our advantage, in life and in business.
Read moreTaíla Carrilho, a creative Mozambican entrepreneur with a passion for design
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.
Read moreRumbidzai Matemachani, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur building a unique footwear and accessories brand
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.
Read moreEva Muraya, serial entrepreneur, brand innovator, and women’s champion
Eva Muraya
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
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.
Read moreClimate change leadership takes bravery, courage and action
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)
Read more5 Visibility mistakes women make in the workplace and how to solve them
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.
Read more4 Ways to Start Getting Your Legal Life “Ducks in a Row”
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.
Read moreWorking Moms’ Unite!
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.
Read more