the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Nuria Arbelo, founder, Brincadeira (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Nuria Arbelo is the founder of Brincadeira, a vibrant earrings brand with an exclusive design located in Maputo, Mozambique. Born in the Canary Islands, Nuria arrived in Mozambique for work in 2018. In 2021, she founded Brincadeira without knowing that, two years later, the brand would lead her to leave her profession as a project manager to become an entrepreneur dedicated to the design of unique earrings.
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Sylvia Omina Otsieno
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Omina Otsieno, an innovative fashion brand in Kenya, renowned for its distinctive jewellery crafted from banana fibre.
Sylvia Omina Otsieno is the founder and creative director of Omina Otsieno, an innovative fashion brand in Kenya, renowned for its distinctive jewellery crafted from banana fibre. Born and raised between Nairobi and Busia, Sylvia's formative years in Busia ignited her passion for crafting, where she found abundant materials at her disposal. Inspired by her familial heritage of creativity, including her mother's adeptness at crocheting and her grandparents' tradition of weaving handcrafted baskets for livelihood, Sylvia began her journey of artistic expression. Driven by a steadfast commitment to social impact and artistic innovation, Sylvia continues to redefine the boundaries of fashion entrepreneurship, inspiring change not only in the lives of individuals but also within their communities. The business has created jobs for 17 local people.
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by Lori Milner
It's astounding how four simple words can simultaneously create so much anxiety, fear, excitement, and intrigue… What do you want? Most people don't know what they want because they have not spent time reflecting. Or they're too fearful of saying it out loud because what if it's wrong? Or they don't know what they want because they base their needs on what others want. Why does it matter knowing what you want? How do you know what to say no to without knowing what you are saying yes to first?
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by by Nicolene Schoeman-Louw | SchoemanLaw Inc | Specialist Technology, Commercial and Contract Law Attorney
A trust is a widely used legal entity for various purposes, including estate planning, asset protection, and the management of assets for the benefit of specific individuals or entities. Within the context of trusts, there exists a legal concept known as the "alter ego" of a Trust, which is an essential consideration for trustees, beneficiaries, and anyone involved in trust-related matters.
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by Blessed Agyemang
The field of supply chain management is constantly evolving, and professionals in this field need to continuously learn and adapt to stay current. There is a need for personal and professional development through training, certifications, and continuing education.
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by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie
As I started writing the title to this post, I was merrily typing out the words “6 quick and easy ways to claim back your wellbeing”. As if by intuition, my pointing finger defiantly punched the backspace key. It doesn’t feel quick, and some of it is not easy. Essential, Yes! Very Definitely ‘Yes’. Quick and easy? Not when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed by never-ending to-do lists and people who seem to think you’re made of some marvellous stretchy substance that can get to everything. Creating and maintaining optimal well-being is a goal for the vast majority of people I know, and it is vital to recovering and staving off burnout. And yet, universally, in one way or the other, well-being is something we all struggle with most.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
“…give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” — Plato
As we continue our journey through the investment and finance world in our articles, making sense of the iniquities as we go, whilst creating some kind of ‘AH-HA!’ moment which will brighten the road ahead as we try to navigate our growth and cash flow needs vs our larger long term projects, we somehow need to also find the time to improve and turbocharge our approach to investors.
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Tsitsi Mutendi
Book Review
Embark on a journey of wealth discovery and legacy cultivation with "Raising the Baobab," a masterful guide authored by Tsitsi Mutendi and crafted for anyone passionate about building a future that lasts. A seasoned family business insider and a leading authority in family governance and succession planning, Tsitsi offers rich insights for a wide spectrum of readers.
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by Lori Milner
Personal mastery is not a destination; it is a lifelong journey. It isn't one sweeping action that creates mastery; it's more like subtle brush strokes that bring the masterpiece together over time. It's not always new actions that bring about change but a new perspective. This palette of personal mastery advice comes from author Tony Robbins who continues to inspire me on my journey. Dip your brush in and see which resonates with you:
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by Thembe Khumalo
Were you struggling to attract sign-ups for your coaching or consulting services last year? Did you find potential clients hesitating due to pricing concerns? You're not alone in this challenge. What you truly desire is a steady stream of eager leads and clients who appreciate the value you bring. And that’s what you need to set yourself up to attract this year. Here are some ways you may have been sabotaging your success without realizing it.
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by Anja van Beek, Talent Strategist, Leadership & HR Expert and Executive Coach
In recent years, the landscape of HR has undergone a significant transformation. We have seen a shift from routine HR processes being automated for People leaders to focus on the culture and other strategic focus areas in the business. When we look at the future of work, we can expect to see more integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in People/HR teams to build experienced worthy initiatives.
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by Sharon Castle - Lifestyle and Wellness Coach
Having just returned from a two-week breakaway of rest and peace, I’ve been asking myself this question, “if I could do 2023 over again, what would I change?” The question hasn’t come about in order to berate myself for what I didn’t do, but to get clear on what I might like to do in 2024 that I didn’t get to do in 2023. On my morning walk today what I realized was I actually achieved a lot more than I set out to and that came as a bit of a surprise since up until a few short years ago, I often wanted the new year to be better than the previous year until I understood something fundamentally important and it’s this: “My reality exists in my own mind and not in the world.”
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Buhle Magwentshu
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Asmara Coffee, a South African artisanal micro-roastery with a vision to make quality, artisanal coffee with wide customer appeal.
Buhle Magwentshu is the founder of Asmara Coffee, an artisanal micro-roastery based in Johannesburg, South Africa and launched in 2018. She is a Food Scientist and seasoned entrepreneur with over 15 years of corporate experience in the FMCG sector. Buhle established Asmara Coffee in 2018 with the vision to make quality, artisanal coffee, which appeals not only to the palates of coffee connoisseurs, but also to those starting out on the exciting journey of exploring coffee.
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Yetty Williams, founder & CEO, LagosMums (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Yetty Williams is a parenting coach and the founder and CEO of LagosMums in Nigeria. She is a seasoned entrepreneur, award-winning speaker, and highly sought-after thought leader concerning parenting and family, digital citizenship, and work-life balance. Yetty founded LagosMums in 2014 as a young mother herself and wanted to create a community to support other mothers on the journey. She has extensive professional experience across business development, entrepreneurship, and digital media. She is a certified life coach, trained in Neurolinguistic programming practitioner, cognitive behaviour therapy, online safety and child safeguarding and a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
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Refilwe Mongwaketse, founder, Thuma Mina Personal Shopping (South Africa)
Startup Story
Born in the town of Kanye, Botswana, Refilwe Mongwaketse is the vibrant, energetic, and passionate founder of Thuma Mina Personal Shopping in South Africa. While her career background lies in Architecture and the Construction industry, Refilwe’s heart has always been drawn toward the captivating world of Personal Styling and Interior Design. Based in the bustling city of Johannesburg, South Africa, she has embarked on a journey fuelled by her unrelenting entrepreneurial spirit. For Refilwe, the transformative power of clothes has always been undeniable. She firmly believes that when we look good, we also feel good, allowing us to show up as our highest selves and perform at our peak level. Through Thuma Mina Personal Shopping, Refilwe has been able to ignite that fire within others and that has helped them to fulfil their dreams.
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Olubunmi Otufowora, founder, Boomsky Smoothies (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Olubunmi Otufowora is the founder of Boomsky Smoothies, a leading indigenous fruit processing and distribution company in Nigeria that produces 100% natural smoothies and juices. Operating for over a decade, Boomsky Smoothies was founded in 2010 and has bridged the gap between nutrition and busy executives who want a healthy drink on the go. With more than 14 years of experience in various senior leadership roles in one of Nigeria's top telecommunications firms, her strong professional insight has been instrumental in her success. Her passion for promoting healthy living through natural fruit drinks is evident in her company's exceptional growth and impact. Olubunmi is committed to positively impacting Nigeria's society by reducing post-harvest food loss. Her business is aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, and 12, and her efforts are reflected in the sustainable growth of Boomsky Smoothies over the years. Today the business employs 28 people.
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Moleboheng (Lebo) Nhamahango, founder and CEO, Nerah Decór (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Moleboheng (Lebo) Nhamahango is the founder and CEO of Nerah Decór in Mozambique, an online surface pattern design company. Lebo designs the patterns in Mozambique and then uploads them to the Red Bubble portal which allows her to coordinate her design prints on different surfaces according to a client's order. Through the Red Bubble portal, it allows Lebo to print and ship her product designs from USA to any country in the world. Lebo makes it easy for clients to access her designs, and by simply putting the Nerah Decór website in a client's URL, that client links to the online store where they can order according to their desire and collect their order on their doorstep!
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Hleziphi Siyothula–Mtshizana
In Pursuit Renewable Energy, a sustainability-focused South African project development, energy efficiency and alternative power solutions business
Hleziphi Siyothula–Mtshizana is an Electrical Engineer and seasoned Energy Professional with almost 16 years’ experience in delivering small to utility scale infrastructure projects with a focus on Renewable Energy. Her business, In Pursuit Renewable Energy in South Africa was formed in 2017 and today has 8 employees. Hleziphi is a former Senior Project Manager within Arup’s Renewables team overseeing a Lender’s Technical Advisory (LTA) team taking Renewables (Solar/Wind) projects from bid submission, Financial Close and Commercial Operation, Construction Monitoring and Operations Monitoring. She was also a former Technical Manager in the IPP sector developing greenfield projects and leading projects in the C&I space. She has developed and delivered over 3000MW of Renewables projects (Solar, Hydro, Wind Battery Energy Storage) in South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana and UK. Hleziphi also held leadership roles such as COO of Bonang Power & Energy, Principal for Matt&Co Advisory, Arup Education Trust Trustee, the COO for the SunElex Group and Project Development Team Lead for TASEZ Gas to Energy Project. She is also a mother of 3 Daughters, Skills Development Facilitator, Conference Speaker and Moderator.
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Lioness Business Agility Report
Lionesses of Africa’s new event year started with a bang as the first Lioness Business Agility Webinar of 2024, took place on 14 February, with 120 women entrepreneurs predominantly from South Africa joining the event online. Once again hosted in partnership with Absa, the webinar focused on the theme of “New Year, New Green Business Growth”. It’s an important topic and Lionesses of Africa believes in the need to recognise and support the work and commitment of women entrepreneurs who are building green, sustainable businesses and driving economic growth. They are creating much-needed jobs with their businesses, whilst also creating sustainable impact too.
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Laura M Camacho, PhD
Book Review
Great communication skills are essential for women entrepreneurs who want to build successful businesses, and in her new book, The Practical Guide to Effective Communication: Get Recognized for the Value You Already Contribute, author and business coach Laura M Camacho PhD, shows you how.
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