Elohor Oderowho, a Nigerian digital magazine creator promoting women-empowered lifestyles

May 29, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Elohor Oderowho, Founder and Chief Editor, Elowell Max (Nigeria)

Startup Story

Elohor Oderowho is the Founder and Chief Editor of Elowell Max which was established in 2020. Her initial pursuit was to promote healthy living and wellness among African Women. This passion started when she noticed that African women needed a platform solely dedicated to their growth in all aspects. Thus, she vowed to create a women's site like no other, giving every African woman something to feed on. Being a passionate writer, she begun creating awareness for African women on how to go about vital aspects of life including relationships, femininity, fashion and beauty on her website www.elowellmaxpost.com.

Filomena Matimbe, a Mozambican entrepreneur creating business through banana flour innovation

May 29, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Filomena Matimbe, founder and ceo, Finana (Mozambique)

Startup Story

Filomena Matimbe is the founder and ceo of Finana, a Mozambican company specializing in Banana Flour processing and dry banana. She brings five years of experience in this business. Finana has won multiple awards including the world Gold Medal at the II World of Inventors and Innovators Forum, and also a SANBio award in Mozambique 2017. Banana flour is available in supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies. It is also served as a snack in schools and in the largest hospital in the country.

Lioness Launch / The pioneering telemedicine platform, Dr Moz, launches in Mozambique

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Dr.Moz, the pioneering telemedicine platform launched by Sabina Ali and Dr. Natacha Amin in Mozambique, is a digital platform that aims to assist any user and facilitate on services in the areas of health and well-being. One of the objectives is to reduce the distance the population has to travel to find a medical service in the country, but also to decongest some hospital services.

Are you and your employees part of something big and important?

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

Last week we perhaps seemed a bit dismissive of some of the great male business leaders of our time. We pleaded with Business Schools to think outside the box and recognize that if we put these leaders on a pedestal then it is no surprise if business and investment decisions are made with a ‘strong pale male’ benchmark in mind.

Women and Resilience

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Elsa Figueiredo Tchikanha

Due to the financial crisis the country is facing as a result of the fall in oil prices and more recently the Covid-19 pandemic, part of the strategy of companies to avoid bankruptcy and remain competitive is to reduce costs, among which are lay-offs. The layoffs have been throwing a significant number of people into unemployment, and thus many women have no choice but to become entrepreneurs and start small businesses, from catering to personal shoppers and influencers.

Beware qualification fraud when hiring

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Jenny Reid

Recently there have been interesting news articles relating to qualification fraud and with organisations where you would believe that the verification of qualifications was the norm.

How to Press Your Internal Reset Button and Get Unstuck

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

When your laptop or phone begins to slow down to the point of unbearable speed, a wave of terror takes over you. You have horrifying visions of being without your precious device for a few hours. The good news is the simplest solution is often the most effective. Most likely, once you restart the device, it will work again perfectly. It’s the same with you. No matter what work you do or where you are in your career, you also feel as if your operating system is not functioning at its maximum capacity.

Growth Comes in Many Forms – Are You Ready?

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Anja van Beek

One thing we know for certain is that we can’t solve today’s challenges with yesterday’s wisdom. We need to choose a growth mindset. What I have seen in my coaching practice is that if we don’t stretch ourselves, we are often nudged by some external event to be stretched to grow. But what does this mean? How do you embrace a growth mindset?

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.

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