the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Margaret Hirsch
As the holidays approach, it’s easy to get swept up in the festive buzz, the shopping lists, and the year-end rush. But I’ve found that this time of year isn’t just about closing the books on another year—it’s about planting seeds for what’s to come. While we’re stringing up holiday lights, we should also be stringing together our plans and dreams for 2025. Let’s talk about how to finish this year with purpose and step into the new one with intention.
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by Margaret Hirsch
As we approach the final weeks of 2024, now is the perfect time to reflect on the year so far, assess how far we've come, and set our sights on finishing strong. But as we look ahead, we must also think about how to position ourselves for success in 2025. After all, you can’t hit a target you can’t see.
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by Lori Milner
Have you ever made a judgement about someone and then only later found out they were actually a great person, and you had more in common than you think? What if it's the same with change? What if instead of making judgements and accusations about change, you got to know it better? What if you realised it actually brought you a gift, but you were so busy avoiding it that you didn't stop to notice or even say thank you? Now, you know that you can't literally bump into change at a party. But you know change is coming, and sometimes it's voluntary.
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by Lori Milner
Have you ever made a judgement about someone and then only later found out they were actually a great person, and you had more in common than you think? What if it's the same with change? What if instead of making judgements and accusations about change, you got to know it better? What if you realised it actually brought you a gift, but you were so busy avoiding it that you didn't stop to notice or even say thank you? Now, you know that you can't literally bump into change at a party. But you know change is coming, and sometimes it's voluntary.
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by Brigette Mashile
The other day I saw a reel that said to get something new you have to do something you have never done before. Simple, and yet so massive. I tell my friends that by changing one small thing in your day, you are shifting the entire day, week and month. If you decide to wake up 30 minutes earlier, you will soon realize you need to sleep 30 minutes earlier, which will affect the time you make supper, the time you get off work, etc. It will give you a new experience and something new about you.
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by Lori Milner
What astounds me when working with female entrepreneurs is how each conversation shares so many similarities and consistent themes despite each person's unique journey. Rather than writing my usual blog format, I would like to share my most gifted advice. I have removed any personal details and names so confidentiality is not compromised. What remains is the raw truth of what we all feel, experience and face daily. My invitation is for you to find your truth and where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, but above all, I want you to know that you are not alone.
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by Margaret Hirsch
Burnout is now a buzzword but what is it actually? My philosophy is that if you love what you do, you will never work another day in your life and you will never have burnout. Burnout to me is not being able to cope with your workload. Why don’t people cope?
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Written on a Thursday when the weight of the week of putting out fires and being dragged into the weeds of a mass of issues, has built up on our shoulders (and neck, oh those tight neck muscles!), is not lessened by the realisation that the weekend that seems so close will just bring 48 hours of catch-up rather than deep and fulfilling sleep.
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by Sarah Dusek
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned throughout my entrepreneurial journey, it’s this: success requires us to think bigger. Far too often, I meet female entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas who aren’t dreaming big enough. We hold ourselves back by playing small, thinking that modest goals are more achievable. But the truth is, by limiting our ambitions, we’re not only underestimating ourselves—we’re also undercutting the potential of our businesses.
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by Ntsoaki Sibiya
I think most of us can agree that you cannot do life alone. You cannot take certain journey’s alone and you cannot advance in your entrepreneurship endeavours alone. The power of partnerships also applies to mentorship. Mentorship is a transformative force that guides entrepreneurs through challenges, offers wisdom, and fosters growth. As an entrepreneur, a mentor's guidance will provide you with clarity, accelerate your learning, and instils confidence. Their support and perspective illuminate paths which help you to nurture your talent, unlock your potential, and shapes both your personal and professional success. There are many value adds to finding a mentor and to understanding the context of mentorship (leveraging the experiences of those who are further along than you are).
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by Lori Milner
Happiness is subjective because we all have different rules for what it will take to be happy. I am not here to give you a magic formula but rather to offer a set of questions to help you understand what it means for you.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Imposter Syndrome. Yes that’s right, it’s time to pull back the duvet and look this thing straight in the face and call it out for what it is. In the HBR article ‘Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome’ by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey (here) they say: “Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments.” Note - ‘high-achieving people’, not high-achieving women, yet women seem to admit to it more or are allowed to own it more (‘allowed’ - you know what we’re talking about!). Yet over 70% of us have experienced this at one or more times, that’s both male and female.
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by Phindile Ndlovu
We don’t know our strength until we are tested! We do not know what we can achieve until we start getting to work. Imagine a situation where the world as you knew it, has changed. Your whole family structure, living arrangement, and budget changed. This was me. I woke up one day, and my life was changing. I was divorcing. I remember feeling depressed and down and out. I remember feeling suicidal and hopeless. I saw how I was losing myself and I knew I had to make a choice. I could either keep ruminating or I could get up and take things step by step. As much as I did not know where it came from, I found that deep in my broken heart, I had hope. I believed that a better ending would prevail, and so, I got up. At first, I knew I had to refuel because I had nothing to pour into my business. I also knew I must heal and be whole to be creative in my craft.
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by Margaret Hirsch
Most people go to Business School first and then go into business. I did it the other way around. There was no money to pay for any tertiary education, so I went straight to work and then I went into business not knowing anything about business or how it worked. I always tell people I attended the school of hard knocks!! Remember, in the words of the great Rocky, ‘It’s not how many times you get knocked over, it’s how many times you just keep getting up!’ However, once I made it and made my fortune, I went back to school and did my Business Degree, my Honours, and ultimately my MBA which I received the year I turned 70.
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by Zanele Njapha
We've all been there. January 1st rolls around, bursting with possibility. Our vision boards are plastered with dream vacations, career milestones, and that elusive "get-fit" goal. But by mid-year, that initial enthusiasm often fizzles. Life gets busy, unforeseen hurdles arise, and those resolutions start to feel like a distant memory.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
The self made billionaire J.D.Rockefeller, who some consider the richest man ever (we don’t, for us Mansa Musa, Mali’s ancient ruler covers that accolade and ticks our ‘Africa is best’ box - just saying!), was obsessed with rules and habits that drove his own demeanour (always punctual, always well dressed, even in the early days when he was starting out with nothing), that drove how he ran his huge company, and also drove his dealings with others.
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by Lori Milner
Anxiety is an emotion, not a character flaw. When you find yourself anxious, it is due to a series of choices that result in a state of anxiety. If you can follow the breadcrumbs of how you created it, then you can begin to unravel it.
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by Margaret Hirsch
As many of you know my goal in life is to ensure that every woman, especially every African woman is financially independent. A financially independent woman has choices. She has money in the bank, she can live where she wants, she can drive the car she wants to drive, he can educate her children and, she can please herself. There is a old saying: "If you please yourself, at least you are pleasing someone.”
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by Margaret Hirsch
Are you stuck in a job that pays well, puts a roof over your head and food on the table, but secretly, deep down, you really wish you could be doing something else?Something that would really fill your cup. I had this conversation with a friend recently. She has just turned 40 and is in a really good, well-paying job. She is top of her game but just feels that there is more out there. That’s exactly how I felt a few years ago and so I decided to make a change.
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by Ntsoaki Sibiya
The entrepreneurial journey primes you with marks of strength and resilience. It is not an easy ride, but it is certainly a fulfilling labour of love when you walk in your authentic purpose and use your expertise, skills and talents to make a meaningful contribution in impacting the lives of others.
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