Maureen Obaweya, a Nigerian entrepreneur building a luxury leather accessory brand

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Maureen Obaweya, founder and Creative Director, Morin.O Designs (Nigeria)

Startup Story

Maureen Obaweya is the Founder and Creative Director of Morin.O Designs in Nigeria. She is an award-winning designer whose initial career was in a pharmacy before taking an unchartered course. The Morin.O brand is a luxury brand focused on creating leather items and accessories for individuals with the aim to share African beauty, craftsmanship, and creativity with the world. Maureen established her brand in 2013 and opened her first store in Lagos in 2015. She has over 29 years of experience that cuts across arts, decor, gift company, pharmacies, and many more.

Rachelle Best, a South African entrepreneur creating an app to help parents manage their children’s online safety

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Rachelle Best, founder, FYI play it safe (South Africa)

Startup Story

Rachelle Best founded FYI play it safe, a downloadable app that helps parents protect their children from online harm and potential physical danger. She wanted to create a solution she and other parents can use to navigate the harsh realities of managing children’s online safety. Being confronted by the dangers associated with social media platforms and the open world of the internet, led Rachelle to embark on a research study to get a clear view of the available solutions.

Zainab Ashadu, a Nigerian entrepreneur building a renowned handbag brand

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Zashadu, an award-winning luxury and sustainable handbag design and manufacturing business in Nigeria

Zainab Ashadu is the founder and Creative Director of Zashadu Ltd, a renowned handbag brand founded in 2010 in Nigeria, a business which today employs 20 people. She is a seasoned entrepreneur and award winning Creative. Zainab’s business is focused on creating beautiful handcrafted, design led handbags in a slow and sustainable way. Her bags have are retailed internationally and have been worn by notable and powerful leaders such as Beyonce, and Chimamanda Adichie. In 2022, Zainab she was recognized by the Lagos State Government as one of the state’s 100 most influential women. She is also the founder of Harmonious Whole, a wellness and Intuitive Energy Healing enterprise set up in 2022.

Happy and Strong: Create Your Dream Life while Enjoying the Journey by Jaime Villalovos

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

In Happy and Strong, Create Your Dream Life while Enjoying the Journey, author Jaime Villalovos provides entrepreneurs with practical and proven strategies on how to achieve success in business without neglecting or sacrificing their families and everything that is important to them.

Funeral business fleet: To own or to lease?

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Impact Partner Content / Absa

A funeral director’s fleet is one of the drawcards that serves as a key marketing tool. The fast-paced trend-driven industry competes on the wheels that a funeral home owns. An ongoing debate lurks for the funeral director as to which ownership structure best serves their needs – to own or to lease.

Redefine Genius!

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

We were recently watching a TED Talk (here) by the brilliant leader and Lioness, Temie Giwa-Tubosun of LifeBank where she wrote as an introduction “…while genius is evenly distributed, investment isn’t.” This fundamental truth (both the genius bit and sadly, the investment side as well) got us thinking.

Are you Co-dependent?

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

In my corporate life I spent a lot of time mentoring graduates and I can tell you that it was the best part of my experience. Better than the projects that saved the bank millions. I felt appreciated and I knew that I was making a difference. The relationships were mutually beneficial even though the graduates thought that only they were getting something out of it. They were enthusiastic, grateful and eager to learn. I found working with them enormously rewarding.

Dear Entrepreneur, you can take a day off

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile

Many of my peers struggle with taking a day off. There are many reasons why, but it’s taboo to just not work for 24 hours. We fail. Especially in an era where all communication is tied to the phone, we keep it with us every minute of the day. You would have to switch it off the entire day to have a day off. And then, find a way to switch off your brain. Then, you need a day or two to actually get over the constant anxiety of wondering how it is really going without you!

How To Know What the Customer Wants, It Must Be A Priority

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Josefa Massinga

Let’s talk about the importance of customer feedback. But what does feedback mean and what is its importance in our business? Being an entrepreneur it is not just about selling and profiting. As entrepreneurs we offer products or services that are sold with the aim of meeting a demand. Consumers have needs and buy what they think is important to them. Because we are in this area of selling products, it is very important to hear or know what they want.

Yvette Tetteh, a Ghanaian entrepreneur building an impact driven agribusiness

May 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

The Pure and Just Company, trading under the Yvaya Farm brand of tropical dried fruit, adds value to Ghana’s agribusiness sector

A Stanford University graduate, Yvette Tetteh is the co-founder and ceo of the Pure and Just Company, a rural-urban business transforming fresh fruit into natural, tropical dried fruit products. Yvette brings analytical thinking and academic rigour to team leadership and business development in the business which, founded in 2018, today employs 18 local people. In 5 years she has raised over US$170k in various personal and business awards and grants. Born and raised internationally, Yvette moved to her native Ghana in 2015. Her passion is to catalyse African potential in order to help create a world where all Africans have the economic capacity to achieve their dreams.

Jean Archary, a South African financial wellness coach empowering people about money matters

May 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Startup Story

Jean Archary is a Certified Financial Planner® and created MONEY MESSAGES, a financial education and wellness company in South Africa that offers a range of solutions for employees and their families. Jean is a published and AfriCan award-winning author, financial wellness coach, speaker and mom. Her passion is to empower as many people about money matters and shift the way they think, feel and behave with money. Her company is based on the philosophy that "When you know better, you do better - (Maya Angelou).

Sian Louw, an entrepreneur in eSwatini on a mission to change lives and organisations

May 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Sian Louw, ceo and owner, The Pacific Institute Swaziland

Startup Story

Everyone wants to have the opportunity to become the best versions of themselves, but achieving the desired end goal is not always easy with out expert help. In eSwatini, entrepreneur Sian Louw, ceo and owner of The Pacific Institute Swaziland, is assisting those who are looking to transform themselves and their organisations.

You Need PR: An Approachable Guide to Public Relations for Early-Stage Companies by Jenna Guarneri

May 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Did you know that about 90 percent of startups fail within the first five years of operation and one of the major reasons for their failure is poor brand awareness? Entrepreneur Jenna Guarneri, author of the book You Need PR: An Approachable Guide to Public Relations for Early-Stage Companies, believes that having the right exposure is vital to gaining new clients, growing the company, and securing future funding—in general, company success. But startups and small businesses don’t always have the kind of skills or resources they need to increase their visibility in an already oversaturated media landscape. Her new book is on a mission to help change that.

Close Shop

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie

Gone are the days when we clocked into our work day in the morning and clocked into the rest of our lives in the late afternoon. There was a clear separation between home life and work life and we could attend to the different parts of our lives without it being contaminated by the other parts of our lives. Where we were was where we were and we were able to give it our full attention.

Why a safe and healthy workplace matters

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.”

This quote was used by President Obama in his eulogy for Senator John McCain and was written by Ernest Hemmingway in his book, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. Although the book was based in the Spanish Civil War, the title of this incredible book was taken from John Donne's series of meditations and prayers on health, pain, and sickness (written after a near fatal illness). If one accepts the spelling that was used at the time (and as usual the use of the gender-specific pronoun to describe all humans, common throughout history), this is one of the most powerful thoughts on our place in this world. Written in 1624, it will be forever true:

What Exactly is Media Relations?

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Felicity Cowie, The Media Relations Coach

Media relations is frequently muddled up with public relations and that is very unhelpful for businesses seeking media coverage. Fundamentally, media relations is about working with journalists. Whilst the intention is to ultimately reach the public (be it customers, investors, talent or the world at large) via media coverage, it’s critical to understand that in all media relations work your audience is journalists. And journalists are under no obligation to do what you ask. You have no rights to approve or request changes to their work otherwise it wouldn’t be the independent third party endorsement which makes it so valuable.

How Digital Transformation is driving Disruption in Wealth Re-Distribution

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Nkemdilim Uwaje-Begho

I spent yesterday evening talking to my friend and leading wealth coach in Nigeria, Abiola Adekoya, on her maiden edition of Disruptors with Abiola Adekoya, an IG LIVE series focused on Disruptors, Industry Trends, Wealth Creation and how to navigate the 21st century with all its quirks and kinks.

Firebreak

May 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

This weekend I went on a women’s retreat. On the first night I admitted to the ladies that I was really there to escape my children. Of course, I also went to renew myself and spend some time alone. It is the first time I have attended a retreat and I’m glad to say that there were no intolerable team exercises or war cries. The activities included art, dancing and reflection (including guided meditation).

Oghenetega Gbadagri, an entrepreneur delivering on-demand mobile spa services to customers in Lagos, Nigeria

May 8, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Oghenetega Gbadagri, founder, The Mobile Spa (Nigeria)

Startup Story

Oghenetega Gbadagri is a well-being entrepreneur and the founder of Nigeria’s foremost on-demand Spa, The Mobile Spa, founded in 2017 and now a business employing 17 people. She is certified by the International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC UK), and she has certifications in various therapies including – Massage, Facials, Collagen Induction, Electrocautery and Advanced Skin Peel. Oghenetega is committed to helping people improve their skincare and well-being by making rejuvenating spa services easily accessible to them in their personal space.

Gugu Mpungose, a South Africa entrepreneur with a passion for media and storytelling that inspires

May 8, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Gugu Mpungose, founder, Black Tie Media and Communications (South Africa)

Startup Story

There is nothing quite as powerful as women who share their experiences and insights through storytelling in order to inspire others. Gugu Mpungose, founder of Black Tie Media and Communications, is creating platforms through publishing, content creation and event experiences to tell stories and share information that can help and inspire others.

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