Dr Noeline Kirabo, a Ugandan social entrepreneur positively changing lives

March 26, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Kyusa, a purpose-driven organization that empowers marginalized youth and women through enterprise development in Uganda

Dr Noeline Kirabo is the founder of Kyusa, a purpose-driven organization that empowers marginalized youth and women through enterprise development in Uganda. She is a distinguished personal and business development coach/consultant, author, TED speaker, certified mentor, trainer, and life coach. With a doctorate in Entrepreneurship Management and over fifteen years of experience in the civil society sector, Noeline is a recognized authority in the fields of personal and professional growth. As a family therapist and social entrepreneur, Noeline has made a lasting impact on the lives of children, youth, women, and community initiatives. She has also served as a personal and business development consultant for numerous exceptional companies in the East African region and beyond. Noeline is the founder and executive director of Kyusa, a for-impact organization committed to improving the quality of life for marginalized youth through entrepreneurship development. Her dedication to this cause has earned her a reputation as a transformative leader in the field of social entrepreneurship.

Kabira Dewan, a South African entrepreneur creating jobs for women in underprivileged communities

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Kabira Dewan, founder, Tamura Enterprises (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

Kabira Dewan is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Tamura Enterprises (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. She is also a proud wife and mother of 3 with a successful career pivot from being a 20 year Ex-Banker at one of the 4 Big Banks in South Africa. She is a passionate social entrepreneur with a firm belief in combining profit with philanthropy and is the founder and Craft Director at Bead Expressions, a social enterprise that is creating jobs for women in underprivileged communities in an effort to eradicate unemployment. In addition, she is also a Franchisee for a Famous Brands Combo Store Restaurant Franchise. She enjoys sharing her insights and knowledge of women franchisees, as women are particularly underrepresented in fast food franchise. She is also a guest blogger for Lionesses of Africa.

Audrey Simbiso Chidawanyika, an innovation-driven Zimbabwean tech entrepreneur

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Audrey Simbiso Chidawanyika, founder, Simbiso Jumpstart Initiative (Zimbabwe)

Startup Story

Audrey Simbiso Chidawanyika is the founder of Simbiso Jumpstart Initiative in Zimbabwe. She is a multidimensional pan-African leader, a globally celebrated mentor, and an award winning disruptive innovator. She is an innovation, strategy and transformation catalyst, a human capital development and business process re- engineering expert. A community and program management specialist, she has extensive experience working with NGOs, corporates and start-ups in Africa. She is passionate about accelerating human growth and has over ten years of experience working in the African Innovation, Development, Humanitarian and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. She has proven ability working with organizations exploring the role of entrepreneurship, technology, innovation and local knowledge in creating paths to sustainable development. Audrey is a Management Consultant and Strategist in Agile Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, Enterprise and Human Centred Design Thinking. She launched her business in 2019 and today it employs 12 people.

Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation by Ayelet Fishbach

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

If you are struggling to maintain your motivation levels and reach your entrepreneurial goals, then the new book from psychologist Ayelet Fishbach, Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation, is a great read. Discover a compelling framework for setting and achieving your goals from a psychologist on the cutting edge of motivational science.

Camille Rebelo, an eco-preneur passionate about forest conservation

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

EcoPlanet Bamboo, a Kenya headquartered business on a mission to conserve and restore natural forests

Camille Rebelo is the co-founder of EcoPlanet Bamboo, an organisation with its operational headquarters in Kenya, and working in 4 African countries - Ghana, South Africa, and Rwanda. She has a background in innovative financing mechanisms for the conservation of natural forests, and prior to co-founding EcoPlanet Bamboo in 2011, she developed or managed forestry projects ranging from large-scale commercial plantations to smallholder operations in more than 20 countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

‘Self-Care’

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

The above is a large 1514 engraving by the German artist Albrecht Dürer called ‘Melencolia I’ and one of the most scholarly written about engravings ever made (see here). The print's central subject is an enigmatic and gloomy winged female figure thought to be a personification of melancholy, and… Oh, Girl! We know how she feels! As we become overwhelmed, as we sink, as we flop down in the corner of our warehouse, as exhaustion takes over, both bodily and mentally - so too, everything and everyone else. Our eyes glaze over, our hearing stops (apart from the pounding of our heart in our ears). It is as if we are the puppeteer holding the strings all around us and as we sag, so too the puppets.

This is how 8C changed me through Personal Branding

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Naike Moshi

There is no doubt that building a personal brand takes time and effort. The truth is there are many other benefits available and they can lead to more opportunities than you could ever imagine. Using 8C, I transformed my Personal Branding in the following ways:

How Real is the Loneliness in Your Team?

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Paula Quinsee

We all know remote working has had a large impact on our mental health with loneliness being cited as the most common emotion being experienced by entrepreneurs, leaders and employees. This can cause us to withdraw and be less committed, creative, collaborative and attentive, and both the quality and quantity of our work can deteriorate. Loneliness has also been identified as a factor in workplace burnout. We often associate loneliness with being on our own or alone.

Is a Sole Proprietorship the right vehicle for your business?

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Nicola Mullineux

Choosing the correct business vehicle is crucial to protect your and (potentially) your spouse’s financial wellbeing. Of particular importance when making this choice is understanding the concept of a separate legal personality.

Why would I say yes to debt?

March 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Kathryn Main

We have been through a tough two years emotionally and financially after the global epidemic that had us all scared and behind closed doors. In the months that followed, South Africa was hit with flooding, riots and an ever increasing electricity crisis. Throw in the war that started in 2021 and you will find a large number of working class people struggling to make it through each month.

Name Your Price: Set Your Terms, Raise Your Rates, and Charge What You’re Worth as a Consultant, Coach, or Freelancer by Kate Dixon

March 12, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

If you currently wonder if you are running your business, or your business is running you, then you need to read Kate Dixon’s book, Name Your Price: Set Your Terms, Raise Your Rates, and Charge What You’re Worth as a Consultant, Coach, or Freelancer. Too many consultants, freelancers, coaches, and service providers rely on gut feelings and the rumor mill to make pricing and terms decisions for their businesses. If that’s you, then you already know those strategies don’t work – they can prevent you from earning what you’re worth, keep you up at night, and may even get you into situations that can threaten the health of your business. But you can do better.

State of Despair - ‘THUMP!’ Part III. Solutions. “Deeds are better than words.” - Gandhi.

March 12, 2023 Melanie Hawken

By Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

This is the last of our 3 part look at investment into women’s business that, as the number clearly show, are more of a rounding error rather than the 30 or 50% equality with men that is necessary for the world to truly prosper.

Adelia Chicombo, a Mozambican job creator in the service economy

March 11, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Continental Cleaners, Lda., a local company providing Industrial and Office Cleaning Services, and other highly specialist maintenance services in Mozambique

Adelia Chicombo is the co-founder and Managing Director of Continental Cleaners Lda in Mozambique, a specialist cleaning and maintenance business launched in 2016 and which today employs 300 people. Born in Manica, Adelia comes from a family of seven siblings, and her parent's earnings did not cover the family’s daily needs, a situation which forced them to seek alternative sources of income for the family. It was in this search that we were all directly or indirectly involved in conducting small businesses, including selling surplus vegetables produced in the backyard. Management awareness, in its broad sense, has always been in her mind. This is what led Adelia to take a degree in Management at the Faculty of Economics of Eduardo Mondlane University in 2008. Later in 2015, given her interest in the energy sector, she obtained a master's degree from the University of Cape Town in Energy Development Studies. In 2022, Adelia obtained her PhD degree. This degree was inspired by the awareness of gender issues, in particular the disproportionate impact that the lack of access to clean and modern energy sources has on women.

LIONESS LAUNCH: Pan-African lifestyle brand, Afropian, launches its exciting new website

March 10, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

In March 2023, Afropian, the Pan-african lifestyle brand founded by Ethiopean entrepreneur Hortense Mbea, is launching its brand new website which is a window into everything Afropian: products, processes, artisans, and stories. The business is focused on showcasing 100%, proudly hand-made in Africa clothing, fashion accessories and home decor. The mission is to make you Wear Africa Proudly!

Mandy Dube, a serial business builder creating economic empowerment opportunities for women in Zambia

March 10, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Mandy Dube, founder, Yinu Custom Creatives (Zambia)

Startup Story

Mandy Dube is the founder of Yinu Custom Creatives in Zambia, a business which she runs alongside her professional role in international development. Yinu Custom Creatives is a collection of five brands covering fashion (Bonisa Tailoring), beauty (Simple SkinCare), food (Wadya Chani) and entrepreneurship (Atuule Hyesu) all underpinned by mental health or as Mandy likes to put it, Mental Muscle. The focus of the business is to promote mental health, wellness and economic empowerment for women.

Fashion Loot

March 8, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile

For many years my mother has lived alone. This is because all four daughters went to boarding school and tertiary institutions in other cities; and her husband has also always worked in other towns. We each came back home for holidays, big events, etc, but my mother is the most common human in this house. I think this is the reason why she has her clothes in every bedroom cupboard! I am trying to find a respectable reason why my mother has too many clothes…

Building Relationships In The Workplace

March 8, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Paula Quinsee

Why would I want to establish healthy relationships in the workplace when I have my own friends and family? Corporate relationships are very similar to our personal relationships. We don’t realise it but there is very little difference between work and personal relationships – the basic principles are the same.

Your Winning Elevator Pitch

March 8, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Laura Camacho

The Covid Lockdown changed so many things. More people than you think are feeling awkward with social situations, especially those related to work. It’s like falling off a bicycle, you just have to get back on. Social anxiety is like a mindset. OK, I realize some people have a psychological diagnosis related to social anxiety, but for most of us, it’s a mindset. It’s time to lose that. Just be your iconic self.

What do you think you need to start a business?

March 8, 2023 Melanie Hawken

by Kathryn Main

Most people would list things like “money”, “a business plan”, or “an idea”. While you do need an idea and a plan, and whilst money is not a prerequisite to start a business, that is not the answer I’m looking for.

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