the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Anja van Beek
Many South Africans are currently concerned about the energy crisis and the impact of load shedding on the economy. An even bigger concern is the global trend of exhaustion and low energy levels of the workforce. When I speak to leaders and managers, there are a few words that continue to be mentioned in conversations and they are: “fatigue / exhaustion / burnout”. This isn’t surprising.
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by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie
As we move through the month of December and begin to wrap up 2022, now is a great time to take a moment to pause and reflect on the year that was. It’s something we can easily skip over in the busyness that typically descends on us this time of year, but I encourage you to create some space for yourself to reflect on what went well, what you achieved, what you want to celebrate, and what you want to release before you begin 2023.
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by Lori Milner
You don't manage time; all you can do is manage your decisions about how you spend your time and the headspace you experience this time in. A time warrior stays focused, calm and present during challenges, chaos and overwhelm. They do not let distractions and sabotaging habits like multitasking, procrastination or overwhelm derail them from their task.
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Georgina de Kock, founder, Munch Innovation (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Startup Story
Georgina de Kock is the founder, product developer and a director of Munch Innovation (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. She is a seasoned entrepreneur who has won many awards and she is a devoted business leader. Georgina was a financial advisor and owned a photographic, design and screen-printing business, Georgi 'D". She made a career change to follow her passion to something she believed in which is to help disrupt plastic waste to help save our environment making a difference that matters. Today, her business also employs 7 people, creating local green jobs.
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Monica Kabui, founder and managing director, TreeAgama (Kenya)
Startup Story
Monica Kabui is the founder and managing director of TreeAgama in Kenya. She is a marketing specialist and an expert in brand building and training. Her business focuses on using marketing as a tool to empower businesses to be the best version of themselves and as a tool to solve business challenges innovatively. TreeAgama is homegrown in Kenya and has been in operation since it launched in 2013 and now has 5 employees. Monica's experience spans 12 years working in three different advertising and marketing agencies and her last stint was design department head leading experiential marketing agencies in the country. TreeAgama is passionate about building brands.
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Nara Cardoso Nunes
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Paradise Saudável, a business focused on providing healthy and flavoursome eating experiences in Angola
Nara Cardoso Nunes is the founder of Paradise Saudável, one of the first healthy food bars, located in the heart of the Angolan Capital in Luanda. Nara is a leading entrepreneur in Angola when it comes to offering fast, healthy, natural flavoursome juices, smoothies and a variety of healthy dishes to suit all consumer needs. Nara’s business is focused on using locally produced fruits and vegetables to create tasty and healthy 100% fruit juices, smoothies, detox drinks, salads, soups, burgers, dried fruits foods, all freshly produced in-house.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
And so with little or no fanfare, December ’22 arrives. Where did the year go, indeed where did the last 2 years go from early 2020 when we had to look on a map to find this new place Wuhan, to now, Covid; PPE issues; the Ever Given ship that blocked the Suez; Supply Chain issues; a war; grain, sunflower oil and gas problems; to inflation and interest rates rising, all having been deep in our lives for the past 24 months. We could be forgiven for just finding a calm corner of our warehouse and falling asleep for a month in an effort to regain some energy for the battles ahead in 2023.
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Bethany Meadows
Book Review
If you are a Mompreneur, constantly juggling all aspects of your business and personal life, then Bethany Meadows’ new book, The Juggle is Real, will both resonate and inspire. She helps mompreneurs find success at home and in business, so they can achieve fulfillment and balance in both.
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by Josefa Massinga
Many have heard that "entrepreneurship is a calling." Every human being has or seeks a calling; a specific purpose to live, but it takes focus and understanding to discover that purpose. We often wonder, what is the secret of the most successful entrepreneurs? Simple. The most successful entrepreneurs simply discovered their purpose, found their entrepreneurial spirit, and remained faithful to their calling.
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by Felicity Cowie, author of Exposure
In my earlier blog for LoA, What Exactly is Media Relations, I said there are at least eight mega benefits of media relations for any business to consider:
Gain exposure with zero to low financial investment
Build credibility
Build pipeline faster
Get highly valuable shareable content
Find product-market fit
Become a thought leader and ‘category queen’
Get funding and more funding
Gain external validation
In this series of blogs, I give you more detail and tools to gain each of these benefits.
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by Jenny Reid
As we approach December in Southern Africa, we are reminded of the vast difference in how annual holidays are celebrated in the different hemispheres of the world. Here in South Africa, we are preparing for our “long” annual holiday and much celebration over Christmas.
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Nokuphila Dlamini, founder, Visibility Graphics (Eswatini)
Startup Story
Nokuphila Dlamini is the founder of Visibility Graphics in Eswatini, an e-commerce business that offers graphic design services to Small and Medium Enterprises in the country. She currently lives in Mankayane, Eswatini and holds a Bachelor's degree in Arts of Journalism and Mass Communication, majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. She also has a Certificate in Digital Marketing.
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Adeola Ayeni-Obimakinde, founder & CEO, Koreteegold Food & Grocery Ltd (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Adeola Ayeni-Obimakinde is the Founder and CEO of Koreteegold Food & Grocery Ltd in Lagos, Nigeria. She is a serial entrepreneur, a mom, a visionary leader, and a goal-getter with an award-winning business. Adeola is focused on putting a smile on the faces of busy moms and the elderly by providing solutions to their stressful food and grocery purchases and delivery in major cities in Nigeria. She also focuses on the packaging of safe agro products for Nigerians in the Diaspora. Adeola has over 5 years of business experience, as well as over 10 years as a former corporate executive with a multinational company and one of the country's leading banks.
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Mary Njoki
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Glass House PR Ltd, a diversified PR agency helping businesses to position their brands in Africa
Mary Njoki is an award-winning entrepreneur in Africa, a thought leader, a PR guru who founded Glass House PR Ltd in Kenya in 2012 at the age of 23. She is an influencer, a technology enthusiast, trainer and mentor through a platform she also founded called a billion start-ups, connector and a leader. She has a background in Mathematics, Business Information Technology, and Public Relations. Mary has worked with renowned brands for over 10 years, and she has been recognized globally for her immense contribution in the field of PR. She is equally feted for her volunteering contributions in the Marketing and PR industry as well. Mary has worked alongside 100+ organizations across Africa and globally. Today, Glass House PR employs 30 people.
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Kelly Roach
Book Review
Bigger Than You by Kelly Roach is the entrepreneur's playbook to building an Unstoppable Team. Her book breaks down each of the simple steps and proven strategies to take your own team from 0 to hero and is relevant for business owners at any age or stage that want to improve the profitability and performance of their team.If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur that is burnt out, exhausted, stretched too thin trying to do it all....this is for you.
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Mary Macheze
Startup Story
Mary Macheze is a Mozambican law graduate since 2016 and registered as a lawyer, however being passionate about the environment and the rescue of traditional moral values, she set up her company, Othuka Eventos in 2019. She considers herself a young woman determined and committed to making a sustainable contribution to the environment and transmitting values that can make today's children into better people of the future. What makes her business special is that it creates and improve a relationship bond between parents and children. It also teaches about Mozambican culture, traditional games and helps to create a sustainable environment, as well as also teaching about the importance of recycling.
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Startup Story
Dibo Ndumbe Eyoh is the co-founder and co-creative Director of Eloli, an award-winning luxury African brand in Cameroon. Eloli means "it is beautiful" in Bafaw, a language spoken in Cameroon. This unique brand has featured in publications like Vogue and Elle and has been worn by numerous celebrities. Dibo founded the business in 2012 with her sisters Sume and Fese, and it now employs 15 full-time employees, many of whom are young women and mothers. The brand also works with various local artisans and skilled tailors. Dibo has almost 20 years of business experience working internationally for leading banks and other financial services as well as consultancy firms.
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Lindiwe Nakedi
Lionesses Weekender Cover Story
Gubhani Trading (Pty) Ltd, a South African surface diamond drilling business making its mark in the mining sector
Lindiwe Nakedi is a wife, a mother, and the Owner and Managing Director of Gubhani Exploration, a South African surface diamond drilling company, with over 10 years’ experience in the surface core drilling in the mining industry since 2009. The business employs 20 people. She holds a Bachelor’s degree majoring in Industrial Psychology and Philosophy from the University of the Witwatersrand and completed the New Managers Program from Wits Business School focused on Business Management. Lindiwe served as Chairperson of WiMSA in 2017 and 2018 and is now a Patron in the Organization. She is also the founder and Director on the board of WIMBIZ. On a personal level, she has been married for 17 years to her all-time crush and has 3 children aged 15, 12 and 5.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Last weekend we looked at our latest South African Women Entrepreneurs Job Creators Survey launched by the Lioness Data Unit (sponsored by ABSA and once more working with New York University to dissect the information), announcing (amongst other things) that of the 1,340 women entrepreneurs surveyed in RSA, they employed a massive 8,503 people, mostly women, and because of this have an incredible impact across their local communities. A clear sign of the multiplier effect of Lionesses (here).
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by Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
Evidence is the basis for establishing probabilities of a specific event or sequence of events occurring. In enforcing your rights, this becomes critical. This can take many forms, including witness testimonies, documents, recordings and other forms of data. But what happens when you suspect a particular position or do not have a specific record?
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