the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
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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Mariana Agness Francisco Eria, founder of House Of Agness (Mozambique)
Entrepreneurship unlocks a new and exciting journey....
Mariana Agness Francisco Eria, founder of House Of Agness (Mozambique)
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Nkemdilim Begho is the founder and Managing Director of Future Software Resources Limited, an IT solutions provider focused on online solutions, e-learning and IT security. As one of a few Nigerian women in the industry, her success is founded on a passion for driving innovative thinking, building a globally recognized technology brand and setting trends in the Nigerian Technology space.
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This summer, the fabulous luxury handmade accessory brand from Ghana, AAKS, founded by entrepreneur Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, is collaborating with not one but three partners to launch an exciting new range of bags for the season.
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Jessica Alily, founder of Vanimax Comix (South Africa)
Comic books are big business around the world, with millions of dedicated fans following their favourite heroes and heroines in illustrated stories each week. In South Africa, fans of comic books are now going to get their own uniquely African characters to engage with, thanks to Vanimax Comix. This new online comic book site, created by Jessica Alily and her family, is set to win a host of new fans across the African continent and globally.
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On a beautiful morning in the district of Leribe, Lesotho’s leading women entrepreneurs arrived in style at the Mahlakapese Guest Lodge to connect with one another and to be inspired by a packed and inspirational Lioness Lean In programme ahead.
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Eunice Andrade, founder of Fabrazilbyeunice (Mozambique)
Mozambique is building a reputation as an entrepreneurial centre where local, women owned brands can emerge and thrive. Fabrazilbyeunice, launched by Eunice Andrade, is one such retail brand, created to showcase local designers and product manufacturers in an environment where customers want to shop.
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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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Jane Yin Bolander
In today's world, the lines between PR, marketing, and social media are blurred. Social Media has given founders the chance to promote their organizations without having to spend a lot of money; yet, founders often overlook a lot of opportunity by not exploring some of the more traditional, or not-so-traditional, PR avenues. 7 PR Secrets All Founders Should Know is a book compiled and published in honour of the late Jane Yin Bolander, a PR professional and founder of specialist PR firm JSY PR & Marketing. It explores those traditional and not-so-traditional PR avenues so that founders can get the maximum exposure for their organizations. Jane used these secrets with lots and lots of startups, professional athletes, and non-profits during her working life. Some of these secrets revolve around how traditional PR techniques, like the press release, can be used to maximize exposure, while others deal with what is actually newsworthy.
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Lien Potgieter, founder of The Colour Option (South Africa)
Know yourself well….
- Lien Potgieter is the founder of The Colour Option in South Africa, a company offering consulting services and online programmes on how people can use the gentle power of colour to help them live their best lives in business. Lien’s clients are women who are life-long entrepreneurs, and who have built successful businesses that are aligned with their personalities, purpose, strengths, and values. Read Lien's startup story.
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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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At the first Lioness Lean In event to be held in Durban, South Africa, this year, the city’s women entrepreneurs representing businesses both large and in startup phase, gathered for a morning of inspiration, great networking, and story sharing. As always, it was great to be back in the city, seeing like-minded women entrepreneurs sharing their experiences and making important business connections.
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Ava Tutsi, founder of Ava Tutsi Productions (Zimbabwe)
Africa has a long tradition of storytelling, and radio provides an effective medium to get those stories to reach key audiences. In Zimbabwe, entrepreneur Ava Tutsi is harnessing the power of radio drama to produce great content that addresses key issues and challenges in today’s society. Her company, Ava Tutsi Productions, is winning many young fans who tune in to hear the inspirational stories it creates.
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Marie-Paule Tano
In the global jewellery and accessory design space, finding your niche and your design style is all important. For Marie-Paule Tano, founder of rising star brand ROKUS LONDON, her inspiration came from her African heritage and her interest in the ancient cultures of the continent.
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Kristin Darga
After there were two suicides of startup founders and the sudden death of a third, Kristin Darga created Impact Founder to do whatever she could to help alleviate the feelings of inadequacy, isolation, stress, depression and suicide among founders by sharing real stories of real entrepreneurs’ struggles and successes. Her book, Impact Founder, tells real stories of entrepreneurs to help all of us understand that we are not alone with the challenges. Through Impact Founder, she is on a mission to make sure another entrepreneur isn’t lost due to isolation, feelings of inadequacy, failure, or for any other reason. Self-doubt is part of life and sometimes entrepreneurs face the issue alone and lose their perspective.
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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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