Alcinda Cumba Durão, an interior design entrepreneur transforming client spaces

July 24, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

IZHA Interior Design, Limitada, a specialist business turning interior spaces into live/work sanctuaries in Mozambique

Alcinda Cumba Durão, or Isa as she is known, is the founder and executive director of two companies, namely, IZHA Interior Design and JD&D Group in Mozambique, which is currently a 6 people team. Both of her companies represent her life motto: “Explore your full potential and be whoever you want to be”. She’s been a Lawyer by profession for 7 years, with over 10 years of experience working in the corporate sector and administrative services. She has a mentoring program for helping adolescents and young adults on their professional journey and also has a passion for interior design and decided to finally pursue her dreams.

Lioness Launch / New book launched to raise children’s awareness of differently-abled and deaf people and to celebrate sign language

July 24, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

For children, the first day at a new school is always challenging, but even more so when you are deaf. Author and entrepreneur, Nancy Gaylard, founder of Not Just Consulting based in South Africa, has written a new book ‘Once Upon A Sign: Ayen’s First Day’, which aims to expose children, during their formative years, to differently abled and deaf people in particular. With this wonderful new book, she hopes it will start a conversation about what makes each of us different and how this difference should be celebrated.

Shift on Purpose: From teen mom making minimum wage to founder and CEO of a multi-million dollar business by Tracy Taylor Smith

July 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

In her book, Shift on Purpose: From Teen Mom Making Minimum Wage to Founder and CEO of a Multi-Million Dollar Business, entrepreneur Tracy Taylor Smith shares her powerful story to business and personal success. She provides readers with actionable advice and encouragement on how to fearlessly move your life and aspirations forward, despite your personal circumstances. She shares her thought process and the outlook that helped her to overcome teen pregnancy, divorce, and single-motherhood to achieve success and fulfillment in both her business and personal life.

‘Me time’ is NOT a waste of time…

July 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

“You notice a lot of small things when sitting having an early morning coffee, watching the world go by…” and as so often is the case as we open our emails at the start of yet another busy day, we are greeted by Melanie beginning her essential guides to business, life and the Universe in her Good Morning Lioness daily blog, with a serious hint.

Why you need to relook your budgets TODAY!

July 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathryn Main

If you are a working person in South Africa right now you are feeling the pinch of the 3 interest rate increases, the 7 petrol price increases, the Eskom increase of 9.61%, all your annual subscriptions have gone up the average 10%. Suddenly you have less disposable income. This tells me 1 thing. Your expenses have gone up and your income has remained the same.

Aligning your life with what feels like purpose to you

July 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie

Over the past 2 days I've shared some thoughts about exploring and discovering your purpose. For most of us, this is neither easy, nor comfortable. It requires us to see ourselves without the conditioning that has shaped us throughout our lives. No mean feat. But if we miss this step in the process discovering our purpose remains an intellectual ideal that becomes a point of pain, frustration and despair.

Confident Communication Checklist

July 17, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Laura Camacho, PhD and Culture Fixer

The number one thing everyone seems to want in their communication toolbox is confidence on demand. As a well-seasoned (at times too spicy!) executive communication coach, I have engaged in literally thousands of deep conversations with leaders from everywhere. We chat with the shared goal in mind: to be a better communicator.

The importance of self-reliance in business

July 17, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Josefa Massinga

Hello dear Lionesses. Knowing that self-esteem and motivation are essential factors within a company, today I will make a small and brief approach to achieving self-reliance in business. Here is how to discover the best in each employee.

Becoming Self-Made: The Journey of Building a Soul-Led Multimillion-Dollar Business by Elaina Ray

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

In her new book, Becoming Self-Made, Elaina Ray walks you through her journey of finding her soul’s purpose and building a multimillion-dollar business in under two years and across multiple continents. In this travel memoir/powerful business guide, you will discover, as Elaina did, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, create and scale your business, and use your innate gifts to chase your wildest dreams so that you, too, can do what you love without sacrificing your most valuable resource: your time.

Sónia Lumeka, an Angolan entrepreneur telling stories through photography

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Sónia Lumeka, founder, Kaylina Photos (Angola)

Startup Story

Sónia Lumeka is the founder of Kaylina Photos in Angola. She is an artist, architect, writer and photographer. An introvert person who enjoys good reflection and quiet places, she was born and raised in the country and is married and the mother of three children as well as being an entrepreneur.

Mbalenhle Ndaba, a South African entrepreneur creating cleaning solutions for clients

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Mbalenhle Ndaba, founder, HomeMinder4U (South Africa)

Startup Story

For those who need specialist cleaning services in their homes and offices, help is at hand from entrepreneur Mbalenhle Ndaba, founder of HomeMinder4U in South Africa. Improving lives through cleaning is her passion and prompted her to launch her business offering a wide range of cleaning services in 2019 in Johannesburg.

Carla Frankel, a South African luxury sleepwear brand builder

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Top Drawer Collection, a luxury South African personalized sleepwear brand celebrating self-love

Carla Frankel is the founder and CEO of luxury sleep and ready-to-wear brand Top Drawer Collection in South Africa. She is a creative entrepreneur and award-winning, Forbes-listing business leader who loves business, fashion, food and travel. Carla’s inclination for luxury experiences is expressed through her love of timeless design, high-end materials and her endless love affair with the “finer details”. Within 3 years of founding Top Drawer Collection, which was launched in October 2018, the brand has stylishly and effortlessly stolen the hearts of South Africa’s elite, as well as uplifted the talented women from her local community who make up her female dominated team. At the mere age of 29, Carla has built a global brand and shown a resilience of spirit in fulfilling her dreams, no matter the circumstances.

Think not ‘Après nous, le deluge’ …but the Spaceship Economy

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

The date was March 8th 1966 and one Kenneth Ewart Boulding stepped forward to present his paper at the 6th Resources for the Future Forum on Environmental Quality in a Growing Economy in Washington, D.C. (here).

Cookie-Cut Approaches in CX (Customer Experience)

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Mandisa Makubalo

Ever heard of the word ‘cookie-cut?’ By definition, to cookie-cut is to indicate that each one is the same, like a guaranteed formula for something that works. It also means that the same approach or style is always used and not enough attention is paid to individual differences. Have you ever found yourself saying “I’m struggling to get the buy in of the C-Suite for my CX (Customer Experience) project”? Have you recently taken on a CX project as an independent consultant or entrepreneur? If your answer is yes, I invite to look as I discuss some of the reasons you might be experiencing the resistance and ways to overcome it.

7 Networking tips for amazing opportunities

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Naike Moshi

Are you focusing on growing your network?

Networking can be an effective tool to build your professional career or provide you with amazing opportunities. They say " Your network is your net worth.” The stronger your network, the more valuable you are to your business, and other individuals. Over time, your network will enable you to orchestrate major business deals, refer business to associates, help a friend land her next job, or even introduce future couples.

Perseverance is not always the answer

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

I enjoy reading entrepreneurial books and articles. I have a fascination with people’s passions and what makes them do what they do. I’m also a fan of research and while running a business I wanted to know more and to ensure I was doing the right things. I remember reading some quote about how success is just on the other side of feeling like giving up. Reading that advice was really detrimental for me, in fact. You see, I’m not a quitter. I persevered so much that my health collapsed. To be fair, I didn’t heed the advice in the same articles of weeding out toxic elements and doing what you love.

Exercise your Super Power

July 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie

“Choosing” is the most important activity of your mind. "Choosing" is the most important activity of your mind. Yes, I wrote that twice. Because it is that important. I'll write it again. "Choosing" is the most important activity of your mind. Whether you are exercising choice in the moment or in respect of the bigger picture, choice is a proclamation to your subconscious mind and a prayer to the universe. Choice is the mechanism with which you harness and focus your resources and it is how you collaborate and co-create with forces beyond the comprehension of your logical mind.

As empreendedoras moçambicanas concentram-se na criação de impacto com as suas empresas

July 8, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Relatório de eventos

O desejo de causar impacto através dos negócios foi o tema de conversa no segundo evento da série Lioness Lean In Webinars em Moçambique, realizada a 6 de julho de 2022. Cerca de 100 mulheres empreendedoras de todo o país reuniram-se online no dia 27 de setembro de 2022 para participar no webinar organizado pela Lionesses of Africa em parceria com o Standard Bank Mozambique e a Embaixada do Reino dos Países Baixos. O objetivo era que as empresárias do país partilhassem as suas experiências de criação de impacto, inspirando-se mutuamente com as histórias das suas jornadas empresarias e criassem ligações para o sucesso e colaboração empresariais.

A minha Carreira ou a minha família?

July 7, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Erica Paiva

A mulher empoderada dos dias de hoje, recebe essa questão quase todos dias de forma irônica como se nao pudesse escolher e tivesse que cegamente consentir que não existe a possibilidade de seguir com a carreira em detrimento da família, e apenas ao homem e dada essa possibilidade de poder aventurar na sua carreira acadêmica ou profissional e deixando o cuidado da família na responsabilidade da mulher. Mas será isso correcto?

Navigating the world of global uncertainty

July 3, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Impact Partner Content / Absa / by Janeal Haskins Head: Forex Sales and International Banking

A black swan is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, severe impact and the widespread insistence that they were obvious in hindsight. The term was popularized by the book, The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

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