the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Lori Milner
Would you ever choose to watch a bad movie twice? Probably not. Yet when it comes to something we dread or even something painful that happened in the past, we replay it repeatedly. Every time you play the movie in your mind, the picture gets brighter, and the sounds more intense. Some of us have been playing the movie for years, preventing us from making progress on what matters most. So what can you do about it?
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by Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
In a recent labour court judgement, the legal nature of resignation was considered. It was also considered whether, and if so - how it could be revoked. We are currently in a great resignation globally, for reasons including but not limited to employees seeking to access provident fund benefits. Employees want to start their businesses. Short working time was never adjusted, leading to searching for greener pastures, regardless of the chances that you could face several resignations this year. You must avoid ending up in court over it.
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Alix Willemez, founder, Mamafrica (Cote d’Ivoire)
Startup Story
Alix Willemez is the founder of Mamafrica in Cote d’Ivoire, a business that aims to make life easier in Côte d'Ivoire and to reduce dependence on word-of-mouth by offering consumers innovative and practical online services while supporting the development of local businesses. Today, the whole Mamafrica team works every day, through its different specialized websites, to bring quality information on health, leisure, to promote the employment of quality domestic staff, to highlight reliable real estate agencies and local craftsmen, and to support local NGOs.
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Startup Story
Arlene Singh is the founder of Nala Environmental (Pty) Ltd based in Johannesburg, South Africa. After years in the corporate sector, she took the big leap into starting her own Environmental Consulting firm. Arlene’s business is focused on providing environmental consulting services to Developers in the renewable energy sector in Africa. The business was founded in 2019 after 10 years in the sector. She is registered as a Professional Natural Scientist in the field of Environmental Science with the South African Council of Scientific Professionals and a Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner with the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa.
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Diana Mbogo
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Millennium Engineers Enterprises Limited, a Tanzanian renewable energy company specializing in solar and wind energy technologies
Diana Mbogo, 30, is a mother of two beautiful children and the founder/ managing director of Millennium Engineers Enterprises Ltd, a fast-growing renewable energy company in Tanzania that specializes in discovering untapped markets in different industries and sectors. The company then develops customized innovative business solutions by understanding the challenges, exploring solutions alongside customers/beneficiaries, and taking action in the best way to craft sustainable energy solutions. Founded in 2016 while still in her final academic year pursuing a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering, she managed to grow the company from ideation stage to a fast-growing and award-winning renewable energy company in Africa.
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Taíla Carrilho
Lioness Launch
For style conscious people who want their accessories to stand out from the crowd, the newly launched R.I.S.E. collection from Mozambican luxury accessory design house, Atelier Taíla Carrilho is a must-have this year. Founder and designer, Taíla Carrilho, creates handmade, truly eye-catching fashion accessories for women and men, utilizing local materials and labour. The new R.I.S.E. collection is inspired by the act of being reborn after a fall.
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Denise Gosnell
Book Review
All too often, business owners end up stuck, feeling like the only way to grow is to work harder and harder, but in her book The Vacation Effect for Entrepreneurs, business strategist and lifestyle designer Denise Gosnell has a solution. She shows busy entrepreneurs how to create the free time they crave while growing the business they love.
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Dirce Vicente, founder, Fly Eagles LDA (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Fly Eagles LDA is a digital magazine publishing venture, founded by experienced agripreneur, Dirce Vicente in Mozambique. Passionate about Agriculture, she has already developed many solutions to improve the agricultural ecosystem in Mozambique. Dirce is the founder of Dfruit, Agri impact, and is currently letting her passion emerge with the launch of an agribusiness magazine called Fly Eagles Agribusiness. The magazine aims to provide the reader with unique experiences, inspiring them to reach their purpose and unlock their maximum potential. It shares stories of overcoming and persistence in Agriculture from people who are making it happen, and excelling in this field.
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Tamryn Lowe, owner, Tamryn Lowe Photography (South Africa)
Startup Story
Tamryn Lowe is the owner of Tamryn Lowe Photography based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is an international award winning photographer with a passion for helping change the way women see themselves, as well as helping businesses receive more qualified leads through being intentional with their personal branding photos. While she founded her business eleven years ago, she spent the first four years also working for other photographers and the second four years in corporate - all while running her own business at the same time.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
It was John Elkington who in 1994 originally coined the phrase ‘Triple Bottom Line’ to change the thinking within business from the view that ‘business is in the business to do business’, to, in his words “…provoke deeper thinking about capitalism and its future” (here). The trouble was (as John himself admitted here) that this quickly became an accounting add-on, and with that, for many (not all, as he highlights ‘heroes’ Denmark’s Novo Nordisk, Anglo-Dutch Unilever, and Germany’s Covestro), the tick boxes appeared and behind the smoke and mirrors, double counting, and dare we say it, being ‘economical with the truth’, the talk just increased, leaving the entire purpose - positive impact at scale through the transformation of capitalism, in the dust.
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Jumoke Dada
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Taeillo, Nigeria’s first e-commerce furniture business to enhance customer experience through augmented virtual reality
Jumoke Dada is an award-winning entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, and the founder of Taeillo, an e-commerce furniture and lifestyle brand based in Lagos Nigeria and Nairobi Kenya. By the age of 26, she had built a muti-million-dollar furniture and lifestyle brand from zero capital a couple of years prior. An advocate and a role model for women’s empowerment, Jumoke is an inspiration to a lot of upcoming women and entrepreneurs in Nigeria and outside the country. Elle Decoration South Africa named her as one of the creatives doing something interesting on the continent at the moment. Taeillo was launched in 2018 and today employs 99 people.
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by Nicolene Schoeman-Louw
In a recent labour court judgement, the legal nature of resignation was considered. It was also considered whether, and if so - how it could be revoked. We are currently in a great resignation globally, for reasons including but not limited to employees seeking to access provident fund benefits. Employees want to start their businesses. Short working time was never adjusted, leading to searching for greener pastures, regardless of the chances that you could face several resignations this year. You must avoid ending up in court over it.
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by Tshego Dludla
Being a visionary is an amazing thing. Having a dream and wanting to see it through might set your soul on fire but the process is not always linear and simple. More often than not, it is an uphill battle with many tough moments and sacrifices. The highs are high, and the lows are really low. At times you must invest all your time, energy, and resources into seeing your vision to fruition. As a mother, your life doesn’t start and end at the office. You have at least two main jobs and your beloved children are the most important thing to you.
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by Cindy Maléombho-Codo
A website is essential for any business or organization in today's digital world. It's an easy way to reach a wide audience, build brand recognition, and establish credibility. But what do you need to create a successful website? This article will provide an overview of the components that should be included to ensure a successful online presence.
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by Lori Milner
I've read many articles about life lessons people wished they had known earlier. Arguably this could have given me a better start, but the truth is had I known what I know now, I wouldn't have experienced the growth and discomfort that has shaped me into who I am today.
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Teresa Kulei, founder, NSINYA COMÉRCIO e SERVIÇOS, LDA (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Teresa Kulei is the founder of NSINYA COMÉRCIO e SERVIÇOS, LDA in Mozambique. She graduated in Agronomy from the State University of Saint Petersburg-Russia and works in the agribusiness area. NSINYA was founded in 2020.
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Barbara Kleinschmidt, founder and Director, Totally Wild (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Startup Story
With 30 years of experience in the aloe industry, Barbara Kleinschmidt is a founder and Director of Totally Wild (Pty) Ltd, a 13 year old Cape Town based company, specializing in natural and organic products, made from South Africa's wild-grown, indigenous Aloe ferox plants. Barbara, a single mom with 3 grown up sons, has always had a strong interest in naturopathy, traditional and natural medicines, and focuses on products that will help to improve the health of their customers. In addition, the aloe industry in South Africa relies on a large rural workforce to harvest and pre-process the aloe leaves, providing jobs and upliftment for entire communities who were previously disadvantaged.
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Andrea Sager
Book Review
Andrea Sager is the CEO and founder of The Legalpreneur and the author of fascinating new book, Legalpreneur: The Business Owner's Guide To Legally Protecting Your Business. Throughout this book, you'll be introduced to Andrea's million-dollar Legalpreneur framework - a step-by-step guide to help you legally secure your business. This is not just another business self-help book, filled with dense lessons and non-relatable stories. This book is a story about how to build the company of your dreams, through tried and trusted methods. Whether you're an up-and-coming entrepreneur, a seasoned Etsy seller, or a mom and pop shop looking to expand, Legalpreneur: The Business Owner's Guide to Legally Protecting Your Business is the only book you will need.
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Lumbie Mlambo
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
JB Dondolo, a social enterprise removing barriers of access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to promote gender equity in Zimbabwe
Lumbie Mlambo is Global Goals Ambassador and a graduate from Indiana University South Bend and Texas Woman’s University. She started JB Dondolo after her father’s namesake to provide access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in underserved and impoverished communities to reduce poverty and promote gender equity. Lumbie makes her voice heard about the issues impacting women and girls globally, sharing her insights on how such issues can be addressed. In 2019, she received the UN Global Leadership Award for her work with JB Dondolo on Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6).
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