When was the last time you stepped back and had a really critical look at your current product or service offering? If it has been a while, then this could be the perfect time to do just that. Many women entrepreneurs are taking this business down-time to re-evaluate their businesses and refine their products and services. They are engaging their current customers online for feedback on product relevance, quality, performance and price. This is a good way of staying in contact with those valuable customers now, so that when they are ready to reopen for business, so are you. It’s also a good time to see if product features can be improved, or even reinvented to meet new needs. Or perhaps to do some research into existing or new customer bases for your products and services. Make the most of this challenging business environment by turning it into essential product development time. For more advice and insights, go to the Lioness Business Unusual web portal.

It’s all too easy for people to read books and magazine articles featuring those billionaire business builders such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey and think that’s what successful entrepreneurship looks like. However, these business titans are far removed from our daily lives. Look at any research study on entrepreneurship and the findings tend to highlight the small businesses that are really the drivers of local economies and the engines of local job creation. What is rarely spoken about is the real contribution that entrepreneurs make to their local communities as a whole. Their businesses are intrinsically linked to those who live, work and are educated there. Statistics and media headlines do not adequately reflect this fact. During the current pandemic, it is entrepreneurs who are coming to the aid of their communities. Local fashion designers are making protective face masks; gin distilleries are creating hand sanitizers; and restaurants are creating meals for key workers. When communities need them, entrepreneurs step up to meet the challenge. The big name retail chains are not typically found in local communities, instead it is local small businesses that are the heartbeat of those communities. A great example is our Image of the Day featuring YOU Cookie Company, a great social enterprise that needs to be supported during this tough time.

At Lionesses of Africa, we talk a lot about going further, together - and the power of partnerships. It is a philosophy that we practice every day, being the ultimate collaborators. So it has been interesting to read a number of articles recently about entrepreneurs who are finding structural solutions to the current economic challenges. They are teaming up with other companies who are doing something similar to their own businesses, and then partnering vertically. The aim is to exchange knowledge and expertise, to increase market access, and to leverage whatever new business opportunities exist through increased scale and innovation. This is not a new way of thinking. A great example of this type of vertical partnership was PayPal, created when Elon Musk’s online bank X.Com merged with its biggest competitor Confinity - and the rest is history. So in these challenging times, it’s worth considering the power of vertical partnerships to not just survive, but to thrive differently.

When faced with great adversity, entrepreneurs are renowned for their ability to turn it into opportunity. They see the glass half full, not half empty. With many predicting an impending global recession in the near future, now is the time to start looking for opportunities in order to deal with this new potential reality. In the past, entrepreneurs have been the creators of solutions to big challenges, so now is the time to be part of the solution in your own businesses. With global events, meetings, conferences and travel now mostly cancelled, virtual meetings and video-conferencing are the new ways of doing business. They are a great opportunity to reach customers everywhere and close deals faster from home with no travel costs. Linkedin provides a powerful tool to reach key decision-makers in big companies that you might have been trying to do business with with for ages. So use this time to make those connections and start building those relationships now. In the online marketing space, big companies who have traditionally bought prime advertising slots may have cancelled their digital adverts. It might provide opportunities for you to negotiate some discounted, well positioned advertising deals for your own business.

We all know how important it is to connect and engage with our customers on a regular basis. But in these challenging times, it is critical to the future of our businesses to stay connected virtually with our customers if we are not able to connect in person. When our business doors finally reopen and we can welcome customers in person back into our shops, offices, factories and salons, we need to have them excited to see us. Social media is one of our best tools to make those all important regular connections each day, but we need to get creative if we are to make our brands heard in all the digital noise. We need to do things differently. Some of our Lionesses have been organizing virtual events online. Others have been using their expertise to host demonstrations or workshops digitally on every topic from beauty and wellness, baking, skills training, and jewellery design. They are hosting Q & A sessions, virtual chat shows, and so much more. So how are you now maximizing your social media channels since COVID-19 to better connect with your customers and audience?

Switch on your TV news, or read your social media feeds, and you will see much talk about ‘Black Swan events’. These economic recessions and pandemics in the past have changed the course of history. These events also change the way business is done, and innovation tends to follow as a response. Back in 2002, when the SARS pandemic struck the world, anxiety around travel and human contact meant that consumers looked to shop differently and not in person. As a result, e-commerce company Ali Baba saw the opportunity to expand and fill the gap in the online retail market. This fuelled the company’s meteoric growth. A similar Black Swan event occurred with the financial crisis of 2008, which had a devastating impact on people’s jobs, incomes, and savings. As a result, disruptive ‘sharing’ businesses such as Airbnb and Uber saw an opportunity, and rapidly expanded to fill the need. In times of economic crisis, innovation is key to surviving in business. So Lionesses, how are you innovating and pivoting your business to make it through these challenging times? Share your experiences by posting to your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using hashtag #LionessBusinessUnusual and you will be featured on our Community Wall.

Digital nomads have been talking for the last few years about all the benefits of remote working, including being able to travel and work in different locations. But with the challenges now posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and the increasing need for business employees to work from home, remote working has become the new normal. As entrepreneurs, we are perhaps now facing the challenge of keeping our employees productive and feeling engaged and connected whilst they are working from home. Here are some top tips to make remote working more effective. Firstly, set up a daily work routine and task delivery schedule for your employees. Secondly, set up regular virtual meeting times for your employees to work and communicate as teams using apps such as Skype, Facetime or Zoom. Thirdly, encourage your employees to set up designated workspaces in their home environments and ensure they have the equipment they need to be productive. Finally, create regular communication channels, such as a digital newsletter or vlog so that your employees can feel connected to you as their business leader. That’s how you make remote working the new normal.

These are uncertain times for employees of any business, large or small. Their anxiety will be increased as they see reports of retrenchments and the enforced home isolation of people across the global media. As entrepreneurs who are responsible for maintaining morale and productivity amongst their workforces at times like these, regular communication is key. As increasingly more employees are being asked to work from home, it is vital that they feel valued, connected and engaged with the business. So here are a few tips to taking your employee communication to the next level. Create an internal campaign where employees can suggest ways of improving connectivity during the crisis. Send out a friendly, regular ‘From the Founder’ newsletter, keeping all employees informed about company news, achievements, and innovations. Recognize individual employees or teams who have contributed to reaching key targets in a week or month. And, importantly, talk about the important role that every employee can play in ensuring the success of the business. Remember that regular leadership communication can inspire and motivate your employees, even in the toughest times.

There is an old proverb that says, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” meaning roughly that the primary driving force for most new inventions is a specific need. Entrepreneurs know this all too well, and perhaps never more so than now. Big business and big government is reaching out to entrepreneurs to find innovative solutions to dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the famous UK household appliance firm, Dyson, founded by entrepreneur Sir James Dyson, is now turning its attention to quickly designing and manufacturing 10,000 new ventilators for the NHS in the UK to deal with a national shortage. Across Africa, there will continue to be opportunities emerging for women entrepreneurs to innovate and find solutions to challenges that exist. For inspiration, look no further than women in the Lionesses of Africa community, such as Temie Giwa-Tubosun, founder of Lifebank. She is the innovation-driven Nigerian entrepreneur who has developed drone technology and smart logistics solutions to deliver critical medical products across the country. So, if you want to find opportunities to grow and thrive, even in the most challenging of times, then taking an innovative approach to business might be the answer.

Albert Einstein once famously said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” How true! In times like these, it is no longer enough to say we will do business as usual, instead it’s time for Business Unusual. As entrepreneurs, we know how important it is to stay agile in business, to try new things, to constantly innovate - and that is certainly what is needed today. In response to the current global crisis and the tough economic times it is creating for all entrepreneurs, at Lionesses of Africa we have launched our new #LionessBusinessUnusual portal. It aims to support the women entrepreneurs in our community in their efforts to do things differently. Each day we will share a wide range of articles, podcasts, videos, and webinars produced by our experts in the Lionesses of Africa community, tackling issues such as Managing Cashflow in a Crisis, Maintaining Morale in the Workforce, Generating Sales in Tough Times, Pivoting into Digital Business Models, Getting your Business and Brand Noticed in Tough Market Conditions, Managing Stress and Wellbeing, and so much more. Go to www.lionessesofafrica.com/business-unusual to access our Business Unusual portal and let’s do things differently together.

There is not a single entrepreneur out there who has not needed help or advice at some point on their journey, so why is it that all too often, women entrepreneurs find it tough to ask for that help. My biggest piece of advice: Don’t be afraid to ask, after all, what’s the worst that can happen? Just someone saying no, or not right now! Remember that everyone who has achieved success in business or the corporate world will probably have had to face challenges and hurdles along the way, it’s inevitable. So they will understand what you are going through, and importantly, how to provide some much needed advice or information to help you on your journey. So don’t be afraid to reach out to someone more experienced, to request a chat over coffee, or to ask for advice on how to deal with a particular challenge in your business. There is a wealth of experience and great insights out there, so get over any hesitation you might have and just ask. You might be pleasantly surprised by the response you get!

For women entrepreneurs in Africa, there are few things that will help you build traction in your business and support your growth aspirations faster than creating a strong network. It’s essential to have a great network of fellow women entrepreneurs for a number of reasons. Firstly, it can be isolating building a business, particularly if you are a solopreneur. Having access to a network that comes with a variety of specialist resources can increase your access to information, knowledge, expertise, advice, and importantly, access to opportunities to promote your business and brand to others. Secondly, if you work from home or are based in a remote area without access to face-to-face networks, then tapping into virtual online business networks means you can still connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and raise your business profile to potential clients and business partners. Another great way to build networks is to simply participate in specialist forums, e-mail discussion lists, and chat rooms that relate to your business or the type of customer you want to attract. Building a strong business network is key to success. As Robert Kiyosaki says, “The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.”

Building trust in your business, particularly amongst your employees, is a critical foundation stone for success. As the founder of your business, it’s so important that those around you have trust in you, your judgement, and your leadership. When your employees, your shareholders, your suppliers and your customers trust you, they are more likely to engage with the business. And that’s where transparency comes in - if as the founder of the business you are transparent in your leadership and your decision-making, then that in turn will inspire those around you to adopt your values in their own working lives. It’s really all a matter of practicing what you preach. It sends a message that openness, sharing, and collaboration are all core values in your business and ones that are adopted from the top down in the business. So if you want everyone to join you on this entrepreneurial journey and fully engage in all aspects of the business, then transparency is key to building that all essential trust that is needed for success.

The world is becoming more and more conscious of the impact we are having on the planet, both as individuals and as the businesses and organizations we run. By now, we should all be well aware of the environmental benefits of making green decisions. When we choose to recycle and conserve resources, we preserve the planet for many future generations. This environmental responsibility extends to our business life as well as at home. But the planet isn’t the only one to benefit from our efforts to go green. If you’re running a business, you can enjoy regular cost savings, as well as demonstrating to clients that you are a sustainable business that treads lightly on the environment. Here are a few ways you can start to green your business. Go paperless in the office. Cut down travel and organize more online meetings. Automate your book-keeping. Conserve energy in the workplace through smart lighting. Recycle and reuse. And, green your supply chain by identifying like-minded green companies to do business with.

They say, “time is money”, but in your business day how often do you actually track the amount of time you spend on key tasks, and importantly, are you spending your valuable time on the things that actually bring in the revenues? Like many entrepreneurs, you might be surprised at just where your time is actually focused and it might not be in the right place. So how do you start making your time work better for you? Here are a few tips to ensure you maximize your valuable time in the business. Start by monitoring a week’s worth of activities, track time spent on each activity each day, and the return on investment of that time on each activity. Incorporate a digital time-tracking tool into the business so that everyone sets time completion goals for each activity and records it against agreed deadlines. The daily and weekly digital reports will highlight where improvements can be made or where certain activities need to be addressed differently. Knowledge is power and by incorporating a time-tracking system into the business, it’s possible to make time work better for you.

In the two diverse worlds of sport and business, the saying, ‘being on top of your game’ means you recognize the value of what you are doing, you have the edge, and you are determined to stay ahead of any competition. The trick is to make sure you don’t fall behind once you have gained this edge. One of the best ways to stay on top of any situation is to keep learning - whether that’s learning new skills, new business practices, new manufacturing techniques. It’s about welcoming change, embracing new ways of doing things, bringing new technology into the business, and accepting new information and using it effectively. By its very nature, business is always changing and successful entrepreneurs know that learning to adapt to those changes is key. Having the ability to quickly learn and apply those learnings directly into the business practically translates into a more flexible and agile business, better success down the road, and an improved ability to cope with the obstacles life throws in your path. As you learn, and as you apply the lessons in your life and business, you can stay on top of your game.

Every small business has probably experienced that feeling of being overwhelmed when trying to compete with bigger businesses. Yet often it is precisely being small and agile that wins the race. So how do you position your unique brand and business to win customers away from the bigger guys in the market? It starts with specialization, building a reputation for providing a product or a service that is unique or boutique, or that does things differently. Secondly, it’s all about the personal touch, having the opportunity to deliver a more personalized service, one that treats customers as individuals and creates a positive experience. Thirdly, communication is key, using that insight and knowledge of each individual customer to build up a regular touchpoint that in turn builds brand loyalty. Fourthly, smaller businesses are more agile, better able to respond to market conditions or customer needs, producing products or services that resonate. Ultimately, small businesses are at the heart of communities and can deliver unique customer experiences that big businesses cannot, so stop worrying about the bigger competitors and simply focus on what you do best.

Are you in charge of your daily schedule, or is it in charge of you? If you are one of those fortunate people who is naturally organized around your schedule and you make it work for you, then that’s great. However, there are many entrepreneurs out there who struggle daily with their schedule. So here are five ways to help you get to grips with it, and fast! Firstly, shorten your daily to-do list - if it’s too long, chances are things will never get done and that just adds to the daily stress. Secondly identify your priorities for the day and make sure you tackle those first. Thirdly, if meetings take up the majority of your day, something’s probably wrong. Determine which people need a face to face meeting, and which ones can be dealt with online, ultimately keeping all meetings short and to the point. Fourthly, take control of your email, use an email scheduling tool, and set aside designated times to deal with your messages. Finally use a calendar application, making your scheduling much more efficient. This should help you to reclaim your time and maximize your productivity.

We all know the saying, “love what you do and you will never work a day in your life” and this especially rings true for many passion driven entrepreneurs. But the reality is that the day to day grind of running a business can be just that in the early start up phase, a grind! You will be required to tackle endless, seemingly menial tasks that drain your creative energy, such as managing your customer lists, or doing your accounts, or marketing to find new clients. You will often find that there are just not enough hours in the day to complete everything you have to do. At times like these, you have to keep that entrepreneurial fire burning, focus on the passion you have for what you do, and keep your eye on the end goal you are trying to achieve. Yes, there will be days when you have to do things that don’t inspire you, but the trick is to find that fire and approach any task as though it’s the most exciting thing in the world. That fire will drive your business and it will pay off in the long run.

Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you that their businesses have grown and been sustainable over the years because they have taken conscious decisions to live frugally in the startup years and reinvest back into the businesses. It’s a wise strategy to adopt, particularly because so often one of the biggest challenges facing fledgling businesses is managing cashflows at critical times, and ensuring there is always a source of critical capital available when the business needs it most. But the temptation is always there in any startup business to take cash out in the moment, instead of reinvesting it for the longer term. So take some advice on this subject from one of the most successful women entrepreneurs on the African continent, Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico Security Services in Zimbabwe, one of the country’s most successful businesses. She says, “Don't be tempted to take cash out of your early-stage startup venture....when a bit of cash starts rolling in, have the discipline to know that it is not your money yet. It is still the business’s money because you want the business to grow. So for you to sustain it and enjoy phenomenal growth, that anyone going into business wants, you need to reinvest all the little bits of cash that you get then you can be assured that your business will grow.” Great words of advice!