Successful founders often come from difficult backgrounds

Sometimes out of great necessity and great difficulty comes great success, and that’s often the case in the world of entrepreneurship. Oprah Winfrey said, ”Although there may be tragedy in your life, there's always a possibility to triumph. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” In the Lionesses of Africa community, we often hear the most inspirational stories shared by women entrepreneurs whose successful businesses were born out of the toughest of personal circumstances. A great example of this is the multiple award-winning Carol Hien, founder of Carol’s Produits Naturels in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, who gave an inspirational speech at a recent Lioness Lean In event in the country. She found her way out of personal tragedy and desperate poverty by turning her skill for jam-making into a business. Today, she has built a successful and growing manufacturing and retail food processing business that not only takes care of her own family, but creates job opportunities for many others. Carol, and other women like her in Africa, are great examples of how to overcome a difficult start in life, and to triumph!