the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Alice da Silva
Not to be confused with the prison term reference, by ‘serving my time’ I mean that I visualize my time as a sort of pie. There is only a certain amount, which I can divide into slices and serve accordingly. And I try to choose carefully, because it’s easy to get distracted.
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by Phindile Ndlovu, Founder and Director of Bhekizenzo Foundation
I realized something the other day. I was so miserable, wondering if my job fulfilled me and if entrepreneurship is worth it. I was tired of feeling anxious, tight deadlines and constant cultivating relationships. Have you ever just wanted to stumble across a few million Rands and then switch off your phone? Spend your money and not worry about anything? Well, that was me, unmotivated and frustrated.
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by Marta Mulungo
If you are reading this blog post, chances are that you are an adult and as such, there is at least one thing that you desire in life. Human beings are goal orientated and this means that regardless of the level of achievement they are in, there is something else that they desire, it is how we are wired and we cannot get away from it, and it’s a good thing – it took us from the stone age, to the current digital era, it took us from carriages and horses to airplanes and space travel…
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
The word ‘passion’ has become a huge buzzword lately. Experts sharing their tips on how to discover your calling, your passion, your purpose for being on this planet. What I have found is that this is starting to become a destructive word. It creates this huge sense of fear – ‘what if I am not doing the thing I meant to be doing?’ It makes the present moment insignificant, it’s this thing we need to get through in order to get to the next more important moment because maybe we’ll discover it then. It has the ability to create huge self-doubt because the word passion indicates there is ONE thing we should be doing and that we should instantly know what that thing is.
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by Madelaine Gomes (MsC.D)
Many of us are going through our day without even thinking about our mindset or the thoughts that we are entertaining and how these thoughts affect the results that we are creating. 90% of our thoughts a day are spent on past experiences, and only 10% of our thoughts a day is being spent on the actual now and tomorrow! Our thoughts are the most powerful tool and determine the direction and all outcomes of our lives.
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by Natasha Singh-Ally
Much can be said for being first or early to market. The success of my entire career has been premised on early adoption on my part, and I wobble with anticipation at what will transpire when I shift from conspicuous capitalism. I recognize that it is not enough to be philanthropic but to integrate and be a constructive participant adding social value.
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by Saajidah Esat
Happiness is a way of thinking and feeling, a way of seeing your world, and the positive meaning you choose to give to the circumstances and situations in your life. Happiness is a mindset. And for most people happiness is not ready-made. After all, research shows that in the determination of a person’s level of happiness, genetics counts for about 50%, 10% is determined by your circumstances, and 40% is controlled by your thoughts, actions and behaviours. Although we may not be able to change our genetics, we can take 100% responsibility for the meaning we give to the circumstances and situations in our life as well as the thoughts and behaviours we practice on a daily basis.
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by Clare Appleyard, founder of Katannuta Diamonds
Figures flew before my eyes as my fingers tapped away busily on the calculator. Exchange rate. Tap tap tap. VAT. Tap tap. Supplier costs. Tap tap tap. A number settled on the screen and I looked at it with confusion. “That can’t be right”, I thought, as a mild sense of unease washed over me. Picking up the calculator, I ran the numbers again, more slowly this time. The same number came up. “Third time lucky” I whispered to myself as I hit the keys with deliberate intent. No change!
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by Tatenda Kanengoni
In the past two decades, the perception of creative entrepreneurship has shifted, refreshingly so. We live in an exciting time when policy makers are starting to value how creative enterprises can contribute meaningfully to economies, and more than ever creatives have an opportunity to soar.
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by Laura Camacho, PhD
If you stay in business long enough, you eventually develop the level of mental and emotional fortitude you need to succeed.
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by Aleshia van der Ploeg, Founder of VDP Legal Consulting, South Africa
Is your business finally growing? Are you hiring more and more employees in order to assist you? One of the greatest challenges facing entrepreneurs these days is employment issues!
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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko
I have been thinking for almost 6 months about a lot of the processes and events I have had in business; obviously wondering what I have done right and wrong. This is due to the fact that after 5 years I woke up one day and felt like I was depleted. Physically, mentally and emotionally depleted; the kind that needs a holiday with my mom on a quiet island, untapped without WIFI. I’m exaggerating…ok, ok, but I’m not lying.
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by Saajidah Esat
Being productive is key to our success as entrepreneurs, yet somehow, amidst the endless list of tasks that we tackle daily, we still end up with that nagging feeling that we need to be doing more. Whether it’s finding new clients, setting up your online pages, managing them and then some, you appear to be one of the busiest women around, the one that’s always doing something.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
As the world has gotten more complex and technology more advanced, instant 24/7 communication is rampant. As a consequence, most people take little if any time for introspection. How many times have you heard yourself or others say ‘I wish I had time to think’. For me, journaling is the invitation to sit inside my mind and actually figure out what’s going on. It’s a space of safety; a means to trap my thoughts on paper so I can get out of my own way. Sometimes I don’t really know what I’m thinking until I write it down.
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by Phindile Dhlamini-Motshegwa
If you consider it realistically, falling out of balance doesn’t really matter. In fact, I’ll argue that it’s inevitable, bearing in mind the different phases of life we find ourselves in. What I think is more important is how we choose to find our way back to centre – moment-by-moment, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month.
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by Kulani Shiluvane, Founder and Chief Consultant at Shiluvah
Be an entrepreneur they said, it will be fun they said – said no one EVER!!!
And that is because entrepreneurship is hard and guess what, it’s meant to be hard and that is exactly why only a few that start actually ‘finish.’
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by Nereyda Ah-Hoy
Since I decided to live my spirituality more fully and share it with the world, the most recurrent question I have received has been: "But what does it mean to be Spiritual? And how can you reconcile this with the material part of Life?"
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South Africa is home to a number of innovators, creators and entrepreneurs. We boast the likes of Charlize Theron, Elon Musk, Nelson Mandela, Lebo Gunguluza, Raymond Ackerman, the Oppenheimers – the list goes on. Recently, the country has also seen a significant uptick in technology entrepreneurs. The ecosystem has evolved and although the fraternity requires more support, the efforts by particular parties such as Knife Capital, Kalon Ventures, alongside supportive corporate programmes such as Alpha Code, Standard Bank Incubator, Startupbootcamp, to mention only a few, has been commendable.
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by Nthabiseng Mokone, CA (SA), Tax Practitioner, Wealth Manager & Entrepreneur Owner: MMCP Wealth and MMCP Business Advisory Services
The freedom and flexibility of being self employed comes with its own challenges and risks. These can however be mitigated and when that is taken care of, as an entrepreneur you can say you are truly free. Most entrepreneurs are the business and any chance that they are unable to work, will drastically affect their business. As a self-employed professional, I have first-hand experience in the effects of an illness and trauma on my business.
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by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
There is magic in a morning routine. If you can train yourself to wake up even 30 minutes earlier, you open up a quiet space for yourself when the family are asleep. We find ourselves saying, ‘I don’t have time to think’. This time doesn’t open up for us out of nowhere (unless a meeting suddenly cancels) so we have to carve out a dedicated time in our calendar for the things we want to take ownership of and that truly matters to us. For me, mornings are the best place to do this. Exercise is part of my world and has been for over 25 years. The only time I can get this done is 5:30 before I take my kids to school.
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