the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Latresse Snead
Book Review
When Black Women Rise by author and entrepreneur LaTresse Snead is the very personal story of a visionary entrepreneur and nonprofit leader who overcame her fears and dared to dream big. And—despite all the odds and statistics—won. Today, LaTresse is the CEO and founder of Bonsai Leadership Group and is a premier executive coach for nonprofit leaders. She helps her clients navigate leadership and reach their boldest goals.
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by Lori Milner
Thinking is choice architecture. Laying a foundation of negative and fearful thoughts builds your next levels of emotions, beliefs and actions. Author and Professor John Kabat-Zinn describes thoughts as soap bubbles of the mind. You can choose to attach yourself to the thoughts or see through them and pop them.
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by Kathryn Main
Marketing is the planning and action of promotional activities that result in the selling of products or services. Your marketing strategy is the road map you will use on a day-to-day basis to let potential customers know that your business exists. Marketing messages should be tailored to your customers and highlight the problem that you solve for them in a concise and effective manner. Marketing efforts are normally campaign-driven and should take your potential customers on a journey with your business.
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by Catia Mondlane
Digital marketing is like being a master chef in the kitchen, except instead of cooking up delicious meals, you're cooking up sales. The ingredients? Search engines, social media, email, and mobile apps. The recipe? A well-executed digital marketing strategy that can help you reach a wider audience, generate leads, and convert them into paying customers. Just like a chef needs to know the basics of cooking, you need to understand the basics of digital marketing to boost your sales.
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Event Report / Lioness Business Agility Series
June marks Youth Month in South Africa, and so as part of the country’s commemoration activities, Lionesses of Africa, in partnership with Absa, hosted a special edition of the Lioness Business Agility Webinars for 2023. The theme of the event focused on “Celebrating inspirational women and youth entrepreneurs,” aimed at inspiring the next generation of young women business builders who are going to play their part in driving economic growth through entrepreneurship in the country. The webinar attracted an audience of 135 women entrepreneurs keen to learn more about how to grow their businesses, fulfill their purpose through entrepreneurship, and make an impact in their sectors and communities.
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Thuli Zikalala, founder, Yellow Owl (South Africa)
Lioness Launch
Regular attendees at Lionesses of Africa webinars will recognize the inspirational name and face of Yellow Owl founder, Thuli Zikalala, the pioneering entrepreneur creating inspiring digital content for both Deaf and Hearing audiences. Her latest innovation is the launch of a first-of-its-kind in South Africa silent 10 episode podcast series which captures the stories, experiences, culture and shared values within the Deaf community. Deaf presenters Lerato Maake ka Mncube & Daline 'Crazy D' Maasdorp engage with guests, both Deaf and hearing from different backgrounds, to shape a new narrative about the Deaf community. The name is a word play that invites audiences into the silent world seen through the eyes of Deaf people. Taking a spin on the audio nature of podcasts - ours is visual: the hands become a voice. Expect intimate, informative, inspirational and entertaining conversations shared by influential people within the Deaf community.
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Tamara Bhatt, co-founder, Atelier (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Tamara Bhatt is co-founder of Atelier, a Mozambican architecture firm founded in 2012 and which today employs 5 people. She has a degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal, she is pursuing a Masters in Urban Planning at Eduardo Mondlane University, focusing on ecological structure and urban green infrastructure. Her main areas of specialization include Architecture and Urbanism, with more than 13 years of experience working in the production and coordination of projects as a Senior Architect, Urbanist and Project Manager, with experience in physical planning, urban design and building design in Mozambique, Portugal, and Angola. Tamara has extensive experience in coordinating multidisciplinary teams, making projects compatible, as well as managing projects and clients.
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Onkgopotse Khumalo, founder, The Pocket Couch (South Africa)
Startup Story
Onkgopotse Khumalo is a South African entrepreneur and the founder of The Pocket Couch, a health tech startup that aims to democratize access to mental healthcare. Her early professional journey saw her navigating financial services in the investment and portfolio management space, later transitioning to a management consultant role at McKinsey and Company. She then ventured into entrepreneurship after identifying that what she had initially thought was a problem unique to her own circumstance, was in fact more widespread across the globe. It was her personal journey trying to find avenues to better their mental wellbeing, that catapulted her journey into entrepreneurship, ultimately founding the startup with which she has a strong personal nexus. She prides herself first and foremost, however, as a dedicated mother to her 3 year old son whom she affectionately calls "boy genius".
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Ola Folami
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Olarsgrace, a renowned contemporary womenswear brand creating unique and timeless pieces for women globally
Ola Folami is a Nigerian-born fashion entrepreneur whose business and brand, Olarsgrace, has now also expanded into Dubai. Known far and wide as Olarslim on Instagram, Ola is not just a social media sensation but also the mastermind behind Olarsgrace, a globally renowned contemporary women's wear label that caters to the sartorial needs of women around the world. With her impeccable designs, Ola has garnered immense attention and praise from shoppers across the globe. Her remarkable achievements even led to her recognition as one of the top 100 emerging businesses from Nigeria with features in several publications. The business was launched in 2017 and now employs 10 people.
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Christine M. Jerry
Book Review
If you are struggling with brand visibility and getting your business found online by potential customers, then help is at hand in the new book Fighting Visibility: The Mindset and Strategies to Getting Your Business Found Online by Christine M Jerry. Her new book will show you how to conquer the fear of being seen and the foundational strategy of getting your business found online.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
In a direct and hard hitting article recently by Howard French (here) in the well respected Foreign Policy magazine, entitled: “U.S. Apathy Paved the Way for China in Africa…Despite a strong foothold during the Cold War, Washington has since fumbled on the continent.”, he points out that “…if the West wants to have a future in terms of its relations with the world’s fastest growing population center—Africa—it’s going to have to reinvent the way it engages around true competition and tangible deliverables, meaning things that Africans need and want.”
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by Lori Milner
Think back to the last time you attended a buffet dinner. Despite the array of choices available to you, it's human nature to stick to what you know and probably go back for several helpings of the same thing. Another way to approach a buffet is with curiosity. Wow, why haven't I ever tried this before? Let me take a small portion to try, and who knows, I may even love it.
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by Margaret Hirsch
You spend your whole life building up your business and getting everything going and then you must quit while you are ahead. This is one of the most difficult tasks you will ever have to do. It’s something that nothing can prepare you for.
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by Ilse Sfreddo
Are you new to the proposal industry and overwhelmed with the bidding process? Throughout the bidding process, I faced several challenges. Still, with the support of my colleagues, I was able to overcome them and emerge victorious. I learned seven valuable lessons during my first year of bidding and want to share them with you.
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by Catia Mondlane
Are you tired of working for someone else and ready to make it big with your skills? Well, hold on to your hats, because it's time to get excited! The first step is to take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and assess your strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and achievements. Then, ask yourself, "How can I sell this to the world?"
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Kealeboga Tshikovhi, founder, Lamo Fuel (South Africa)
Startup Story
Kealeboga Tshikovhi is the founder and ceo of Lamo Fuel based in Kuruman in the Northern Cape in South Africa. She is a seasoned entrepreneur focused on building resilience towards carbon emissions by providing an alternative clean source of fuel at lower prices. Her business achieves this by collecting used cooking oil and converting it into Biodiesel, thus turning waste into an energy source. Lamo Fuel is a 100% woman owned company which started in 2014 and which today employs four permanent staff and seven temporary staff members. The business started with 200L daily production in 2020, to now a 1000L production of Biodiesel per day as of May 2023. Kealeboga is excited about this great milestone and looks forward to achieving continual growth over the comings months and years.
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Tanatswa Dindimanga, founder, Organically You Skincare (Zimbabwe)
Startup Story
Tanatswa Dindimanga is the founder of Organically You Skincare, a natural skincare brand in Zimbabwe that creates products that are good for every skin type. The business was created in response to her own journey to find natural, organic solutions to various skin conditions she experienced, and now she helps other customers do the same with her brand.
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Baaba Ankrah
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
GOBA Kente Limited, a proudly Ghanaian company producing bespoke Kente, one of Africa’s most universally recognized fabrics
Baaba Ankrah is the founder of GOBA Kente in Accra, Ghana, a company specializing in bespoke Kente, one of the most universally recognized of all African fabrics. Her business produces highly authentic, handcrafted Kente products to a wide range of clients, thereby contributing to the promotion of indigenous handwoven Kente and the work of craftsmen in Ghana. On a personal level, Baaba is a determined woman with a dream to succeed. Calling herself a bona fide hustler, she says she is passionate about learning and consistently strives to position herself to receive all the blessings God and life has to offer, one day at a time.
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Cynthia Nelson
Book Review
For all those woman entrepreneurs who are battling with the challenge of how to deal with the naysayers in life and business, Cynthia Nelson’s book, I Didn't Get Here by Taking NO for An Answer, is one to both inspire and learn from. This is an autobiographical story of Cynthia’s journey as an entrepreneur and her mindset of overcoming adversity and turning "no" into "yes." She shares her personal story of being told "no" many times but never letting it define her or limit her potential. She illustrates the importance of controlling one's own thoughts and energy, and not waiting for others to validate their dreams. At the end of the day, Cynthia encourages women to create their own "yes" and take control of their lives.
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by Catia Mondlane
Let's talk about being your own boss. Self-employment is when you're the captain of your own ship. You're in charge of everything - from marketing to finance to administration. It's like being a one-person show, except you're the whole cast and crew. And hey, it's not just for lone wolves! You can have a small team to help you out.
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