the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Start-up Night Africa - The Hague
The Start-Up Night Africa event in The Hague on 11 July 2023 will celebrate the opening of the European office of Lionesses of Africa. The focus of the event will be on the critical role of investment and the power of partnerships to address the gender finance gap for women entrepreneurs in growth mode in Africa.
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Nomsa Mdhluli, founder, Tishala Communications (South Africa)
Startup Story
Nomsa Mdhluli is the founder of Tishala Communications in South Africa, a boutique Digital Marketing and Public Relations agency. She is an award-winning broadcaster who has a knack for storytelling, and translated this skill into Public Relations through her business. In 2018, Nomsa established Tishala Communications to serve corporate clients who deserved to have their ground-breaking business ideas, innovations and successes brought to public and business attention.
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Startup Story
Mantate Mlotshwa is a creative and social entrepreneur from Zimbabwe. She is the Founder and Creative Lead for U Motle, a creative story-telling brand exploring fashion as a tool to curate experiences of African women and stories of African culture. She is a program design and development expert within the democracy, rights and governance sector. She holds a BSc in Psychology and has co-authored an anthology of short stories called Turquoise Dreams. She wants to grow the U Motle brand to reflect her travel within the continent, and to provide employment opportunities for other youth.
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by Josefa Masinga
Do you know how to be a good seller? There are those who believe that sales talent is something people are born with. It may be that some personalities really have an advantage when it comes to selling, but anyone with the right direction and a willingness to learn can figure out how to be a good salesperson. The art of selling is based on many techniques ranging from good communication to follow-up after the sale has been closed. At each stage of this process, you can learn more and develop to increase your results.
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por Josefa Masinga
Você sabe como ser um bom vendedor? Há quem acredite que o talento para vendas nasça com as pessoas. Pode ser que algumas personalidades realmente tenham vantagem na hora de vender, mas qualquer pessoa com o direcionamento correto e vontade de aprender pode descobrir como ser um bom vendedor. A arte de vender é baseada em muitas técnicas que vão desde a comunicação e a vestuário, até o acompanhamento depois que a venda já foi fechada. Em cada etapa desse processo, é possível aprender mais e se desenvolver para aumentar os seus resultados.
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Carmen Stevens
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd, a multi-award winning, black-and-woman owned winery creating impact in South Africa
Carmen Stevens, founder of Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd, is the first black person accepted to study winemaking in South Africa and qualified in 1995 as South Africa's first black winemaker. She was recognised with a Top 10 Pinotage award in 1998 for her very first red wine production. Carmen's industry awards include International Decanter Trophy winner, 2015 Winemaker of the Year California, 2018 - Winemaker of the Decade UK (Naked Wines.com). Carmen Stevens Wines continue to win recognition and industry awards every year. In 2019, Carmen registered the first 100% black-and-woman owned winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa and was awarded South Africa’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and 2019. The Carmen Stevens NPO was registered in 2015, and today the foundation provides over 25000 learners from 125 schools in the Western Cape with a nutritious breakfast and lunch.
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Latresse Snead
Book Review
When Black Women Rise by author and entrepreneur LaTresse Snead is the very personal story of a visionary entrepreneur and nonprofit leader who overcame her fears and dared to dream big. And—despite all the odds and statistics—won. Today, LaTresse is the CEO and founder of Bonsai Leadership Group and is a premier executive coach for nonprofit leaders. She helps her clients navigate leadership and reach their boldest goals.
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by Lori Milner
Thinking is choice architecture. Laying a foundation of negative and fearful thoughts builds your next levels of emotions, beliefs and actions. Author and Professor John Kabat-Zinn describes thoughts as soap bubbles of the mind. You can choose to attach yourself to the thoughts or see through them and pop them.
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by Kathryn Main
Marketing is the planning and action of promotional activities that result in the selling of products or services. Your marketing strategy is the road map you will use on a day-to-day basis to let potential customers know that your business exists. Marketing messages should be tailored to your customers and highlight the problem that you solve for them in a concise and effective manner. Marketing efforts are normally campaign-driven and should take your potential customers on a journey with your business.
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by Catia Mondlane
Digital marketing is like being a master chef in the kitchen, except instead of cooking up delicious meals, you're cooking up sales. The ingredients? Search engines, social media, email, and mobile apps. The recipe? A well-executed digital marketing strategy that can help you reach a wider audience, generate leads, and convert them into paying customers. Just like a chef needs to know the basics of cooking, you need to understand the basics of digital marketing to boost your sales.
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Event Report / Lioness Business Agility Series
June marks Youth Month in South Africa, and so as part of the country’s commemoration activities, Lionesses of Africa, in partnership with Absa, hosted a special edition of the Lioness Business Agility Webinars for 2023. The theme of the event focused on “Celebrating inspirational women and youth entrepreneurs,” aimed at inspiring the next generation of young women business builders who are going to play their part in driving economic growth through entrepreneurship in the country. The webinar attracted an audience of 135 women entrepreneurs keen to learn more about how to grow their businesses, fulfill their purpose through entrepreneurship, and make an impact in their sectors and communities.
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Thuli Zikalala, founder, Yellow Owl (South Africa)
Lioness Launch
Regular attendees at Lionesses of Africa webinars will recognize the inspirational name and face of Yellow Owl founder, Thuli Zikalala, the pioneering entrepreneur creating inspiring digital content for both Deaf and Hearing audiences. Her latest innovation is the launch of a first-of-its-kind in South Africa silent 10 episode podcast series which captures the stories, experiences, culture and shared values within the Deaf community. Deaf presenters Lerato Maake ka Mncube & Daline 'Crazy D' Maasdorp engage with guests, both Deaf and hearing from different backgrounds, to shape a new narrative about the Deaf community. The name is a word play that invites audiences into the silent world seen through the eyes of Deaf people. Taking a spin on the audio nature of podcasts - ours is visual: the hands become a voice. Expect intimate, informative, inspirational and entertaining conversations shared by influential people within the Deaf community.
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Tamara Bhatt, co-founder, Atelier (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Tamara Bhatt is co-founder of Atelier, a Mozambican architecture firm founded in 2012 and which today employs 5 people. She has a degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal, she is pursuing a Masters in Urban Planning at Eduardo Mondlane University, focusing on ecological structure and urban green infrastructure. Her main areas of specialization include Architecture and Urbanism, with more than 13 years of experience working in the production and coordination of projects as a Senior Architect, Urbanist and Project Manager, with experience in physical planning, urban design and building design in Mozambique, Portugal, and Angola. Tamara has extensive experience in coordinating multidisciplinary teams, making projects compatible, as well as managing projects and clients.
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Onkgopotse Khumalo, founder, The Pocket Couch (South Africa)
Startup Story
Onkgopotse Khumalo is a South African entrepreneur and the founder of The Pocket Couch, a health tech startup that aims to democratize access to mental healthcare. Her early professional journey saw her navigating financial services in the investment and portfolio management space, later transitioning to a management consultant role at McKinsey and Company. She then ventured into entrepreneurship after identifying that what she had initially thought was a problem unique to her own circumstance, was in fact more widespread across the globe. It was her personal journey trying to find avenues to better their mental wellbeing, that catapulted her journey into entrepreneurship, ultimately founding the startup with which she has a strong personal nexus. She prides herself first and foremost, however, as a dedicated mother to her 3 year old son whom she affectionately calls "boy genius".
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Ola Folami
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Olarsgrace, a renowned contemporary womenswear brand creating unique and timeless pieces for women globally
Ola Folami is a Nigerian-born fashion entrepreneur whose business and brand, Olarsgrace, has now also expanded into Dubai. Known far and wide as Olarslim on Instagram, Ola is not just a social media sensation but also the mastermind behind Olarsgrace, a globally renowned contemporary women's wear label that caters to the sartorial needs of women around the world. With her impeccable designs, Ola has garnered immense attention and praise from shoppers across the globe. Her remarkable achievements even led to her recognition as one of the top 100 emerging businesses from Nigeria with features in several publications. The business was launched in 2017 and now employs 10 people.
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Christine M. Jerry
Book Review
If you are struggling with brand visibility and getting your business found online by potential customers, then help is at hand in the new book Fighting Visibility: The Mindset and Strategies to Getting Your Business Found Online by Christine M Jerry. Her new book will show you how to conquer the fear of being seen and the foundational strategy of getting your business found online.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
In a direct and hard hitting article recently by Howard French (here) in the well respected Foreign Policy magazine, entitled: “U.S. Apathy Paved the Way for China in Africa…Despite a strong foothold during the Cold War, Washington has since fumbled on the continent.”, he points out that “…if the West wants to have a future in terms of its relations with the world’s fastest growing population center—Africa—it’s going to have to reinvent the way it engages around true competition and tangible deliverables, meaning things that Africans need and want.”
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by Lori Milner
Think back to the last time you attended a buffet dinner. Despite the array of choices available to you, it's human nature to stick to what you know and probably go back for several helpings of the same thing. Another way to approach a buffet is with curiosity. Wow, why haven't I ever tried this before? Let me take a small portion to try, and who knows, I may even love it.
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by Margaret Hirsch
You spend your whole life building up your business and getting everything going and then you must quit while you are ahead. This is one of the most difficult tasks you will ever have to do. It’s something that nothing can prepare you for.
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by Ilse Sfreddo
Are you new to the proposal industry and overwhelmed with the bidding process? Throughout the bidding process, I faced several challenges. Still, with the support of my colleagues, I was able to overcome them and emerge victorious. I learned seven valuable lessons during my first year of bidding and want to share them with you.
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