the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie
If 2020 were a person, he would no doubt be in therapy, and not simply because it has become the butt-end of countless jokes and the face of endless memes. No, 2020 would be in therapy because it has had to shoulder the blame for upending ‘normality’ and wreaking havoc on legions of lives, households, careers and businesses across the globe.
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by Edna Reis
Even though many of us associate vulnerability with weakness and being out there in the world fully exposed, Brené Brown tells us that “vulnerability is the core, the heart, the centre of meaningful experiences”. Now we are being presented with a different view of vulnerability, on how it can actually be a deep important part of the human experience and not a sign of weakness, and although it can be extremely uncomfortable, we now understand that being vulnerable can put us in a place of joy, creativity, authenticity and love.
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by Filipa Carreira, Founder of Wamina
There is a strong correlation between gender inequality, climate vulnerability, and state fragility. Exponential population growth is leading to rapid resource depletion. The populational pressure on the planet exacerbates the risks related to global warming, deforestation, and decreasing biodiversity. The ability of women to exercise their rights to family planning, deciding whether to have children, how many and when, is intrinsically linked to the health of our planet. It is in the best interest of everyone, men, and women, from developed and developing countries, that sexual health and rights education and family planning reaches all communities, especially those more vulnerable to the direct impact of climate change and conflict.
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by Josefa Massinga
We are living in difficult and new times, where overnight our lives and activities have changed. It is time for each one of us to think about developing some new activities and acquiring new good business opportunities.
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by Linda Zuze (PhD)
When your company is in free fall, or when painful retrenchment discussions are underway, and when productivity is at an all-time low, who would you put in charge? Well, it turns out that women are considered better leaders during complex times. That’s right. Opportunities for promotion actually improve for women when things are going horribly wrong in a business and when the risk of failure is high. This happens far more often than most of us realize (think Carly Fiorina at Hewlett-Packard or Carol Bartz at Yahoo). Researchers have coined the term glass cliff to describe women breaking through a glass ceiling and into senior positions during an organisational crisis.
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by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
A lot of brands are winking in the dark without crafting and sharing the organization’s brand story in a way that connects with customers. Content Marketing is that form of marketing that provides your customers with useful & relevant information, in an engaging, and not “sales-ish” way.
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by Shato Babitse
Today, women comprise nearly half of the global workforce. The additional productive power of women entering the workforce from 1970 until today accounts for about 25% of current GDP. This makes women a strong force in the global economy, one that is growing as more women across the world enter the workforce in greater numbers, than ever before.
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by Lori Milner
“Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter” - Greg McKeown
For many of us, turning down a request or invitation can be extremely difficult. One small word can trigger emotions in us like guilt and shame. Ultimately, we are scared that someone won’t like us or reject us because we said no. The reality is you need to maintain healthy boundaries. You cannot possibly say “yes” to every request and invitation that comes your way, and if you try to do that, you’ll only burn yourself out. If you haven’t already…
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by Deyzes Pereira, founder of Startups Consulting, Mozambique
In the scope of the work that I have been developing, many people ask me, “But how can I identify a business idea?” My first answer to that question is, "What are your skills?" and then secondly, “How can you make money from them?”. When I talk about skills, I mean what you like and know how to do. Note that this need not be complicated or scientific - it can range from cooking, decoration, data analysis, painting, photography, dance, sports, sales, among others. Many people make the mistake of focusing only on the scope of their academic training, and end up not exploring different things and as a result, end up completely distant from their desired horizon.
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by Linda Zuze (PhD)
Mbali had taken longer than planned to leave her corporate job and pursue a lifelong dream of running a catering business. There was always a reason to put it off. She was too young. She needed the financial security. She would be crazy to walk away from a steady salary when so many people depended on her. Finally, she took the leap. She never looked back. Mbali’s business was growing so quickly that she needed larger premises and additional staff. There was just one problem. She couldn’t pin down the funding that she desperately needed and she had used up all of her personal savings. She had tried everything – from traditional loans, to credit card applications and even equity financing. Nobody seemed as excited about her ideas as she was.
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by Nandi Odri Usher
In 2017, I came across an Instagram quote posted by South African actress, MC and presenter, Simphiwe Ngema, that read: “When you’ve failed many times before, you overcome the fear of failure because you realize that failure is not death,” by Pastor Given Ngema. I must have read it 5/6 times, trying to process these words and understand them.
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by Kathy Mann
With the latest wave of COVID in full force in South Africa, our family has been spending a lot of time at home. Fortunately, we have a large property with a lovely garden, although it needs a great deal of work. At times when I’m feeling bored or I need a little escape from my family, I work on our garden.
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by Helena Naitsuwe Amadhila
Being resourceful means you study, educate, stimulate your brain and inform yourself (SESI). Studying a business environment is imperative as it entails being able to detect environmental issues which could affect your business both positively and negatively.
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by Eldari Visser
Many of us long to take long walks in nature, go for hikes or even take a guided tour. Excitement is part of the little voice of fear deep inside of you. Nevertheless, off we go! This year kicked off, planning done, new projects to focus on, and lessons learned during the Covid pandemic embedded in our memories. Never will we forget the empty streets, the locked up feeling, and the great tears that we had for loved ones and many others who lost their lives. If only somebody could just have helped us all sooner!
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by Ashika Pillay
In a time when mental health is a buzzword, and when many are talking about how we sustain our mental resilience and health, many are also talking about mindfulness and meditation as ways of helping us through this really challenging times in our lives and that of so many on this planet. At the same time, there could be some misunderstandings around the topic. So here is a short write up and some “myth busting” of the most common things I’ve heard people say.
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by Claudia Folgore-McLellan
My business, Visual 8, was once recommended to a potential client through social media. When I made contact with this potential client and had quoted for the work requested in the initial brief, I received the following email question: "How does what you offer compare with what I can get online for half the price? This question is a very common one I've come across when dealing with entrepreneurs who have a stringent budget to work with for their start-up. My response to this question is pretty standard by now, pointing out a few truths in the matter and the key factor is PROFESSIONALISM.
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by Laura Camacho
Working remotely and communicating almost exclusively by video has raised awareness of how important it is to make your point in a way that sticks in people’s brains. In talking to my clients, there are two common problems with what you would think would be a simple thing to do: answer a question in a meeting.
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by Tatenda Rungisa
We may all be faced with hard times in our everyday lives or in running our businesses, the key issue is to know how to manage sailing through the hard times rather than focusing on the bad season or time. We need to know how to manage our businesses and selves through the hard times. How do we manage these rough times?
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by Jess Mostert
Emotions. Two in particular - FEAR and LOVE. It is these that drive and influence every thought and direct every response. It is what makes us run- towards certain things, and away from others. It is these emotions that stop us from living our lives or force us to live our lives!
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by Mbali Ndaba
A groundbreaking exploration of what it means to be a late bloomer in a culture obsessed with instant gratification, early success, and how finding one’s way later in life can be an advantage to long-term achievement and happiness.
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