the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Ty Boone
Book Review
In her new book, “Get Visible. Get Moving. Get Funded.” author and entrepreneur, Ty Boone, has harnessed her expertise to write successful grants and effectively manage millions of dollars in grants for nonprofits of all sizes. Her keen understanding of the intricacies involved in securing funding has been instrumental in propelling numerous organizations from their early stages of startup and struggle to sustainable success.
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Dr. Omolola Salako
Lioness Weekender Cover Story
Pearl Oncology Specialist Hospital, a chain of specialist cancer treatment centers in Lagos, Nigeria
Dr. Omolola Salako is an "Oncopreneur" who founded Sebeccly Cancer Care, Pearl Oncology Specialist Hospital, the Oncopadi App, and PROSECare AI, a digital patient monitoring platform in Nigeria. She is a global health leader and award-winning cancer researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. With over two decades of specializing in oncology, she is among the 90 skilled clinical oncologists in Nigeria focusing on cancer treatment. She's won several awards for her excellent work, including the 2021 Brightest Minds in Cancer Research from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the 2023 Global Bridges Oncology and Pfizer Global Medical Grants. She launched her business in 2018 and today it employs 40 people.
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by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
“Market matters most; neither a stellar team nor fantastic product will redeem a bad market. Markets that don’t exist don’t care how smart you are.” - Marc Andreesen, founder of ‘a16z’ fund.
It is incredible just how many entrepreneurs forget this basic lesson. Invent a product that is the greatest, the most beautiful, most perfect, it solves every issue, so much so that it seems to have been touched by the gods, has been dipped into the river of eternal life, shines and sparkles like nothing seen before (think you get the idea)…yet has no market - it will simply remain a product with no market. That’s it. Dull as ditch water. The thing that will move? Your bank balance, and believe us when we say, not in the right direction!
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by Thembe Khumalo
Maya Angelou says that courage is the most important of all the virtues, because “without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Of all the virtues required in our nation at this time, courage is probably the one we need the most, and not just courage but consistent courage. Here are my thoughts on how we might begin to find our courage:
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by Sharon Castle - Lifestyle and Wellness Coach
There’s a common belief that happiness is something you have to look for. I used to believe that too. Eventually after exhausting myself with my affirmations, meditations, journal writing, juicing, fasting, exercising and so on and so on…….. believing that I had to tick all the boxes that the experts told me I had to achieve or else I would be unhappy.
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by Paula Quinsee
When data was studied on why so many employees were resigning, it was found that employee discontent is rooted in the intrinsic need for status and autonomy, two essential drivers of human motivation. When employees feel their sense of status and autonomy are under threat—creating a physiological fight-or-flight response—they’re more motivated to quit. (Source)
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by Ntsoaki Sibiya
In my journey as a mentor and entrepreneur, I have learned the power of personal mastery and self-actualized leadership as the key weapon in achieving success as an entrepreneur. You cannot reinvent a business without reinventing the person who is leading that business. Therefore, in understanding your purpose, strengths, and talents as a leader you become more inspired and confident in the knowledge of what your skills and talents can achieve, and you are able to inspire your team to follow suit.
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Elmarie Pereira
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Memeza, a South African social innovation organization using ICT to protect vulnerable women and girls
Elmarie Pereira, co-founder of Memeza, has dedicated her life for the past 9 years to the impact Social Innovation can make in South Africa, specifically using innovative ICT to combat Gender Based Violence and protect the most vulnerable people. Elmarie joined her co-founder, Thuli Mthethwa, in 2015 after the loss of her sister due to gender based violence and her wish to help make a change. Through various pilots done with Memeza's crime fighting technology, Elmarie & Thuli, together with their team, have proven to reduce sexual offences by 67% and murder rate by 9%. Under Elmarie’ s leadership, the Memeza team was also able to develop the Social Partner Mobile Survey tool which to date has created over 2700 youth jobs through auditing over 15 000 liquor outlets Nationally for COVID compliance. Memeza has won over 10 industry awards for the impact made in fighting crime through this woman lead organization and has created 27 jobs.
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Gemiene Mueni, founder, Click'd Age Consultancy (Kenya)
Startup Stories
Gemiene Mueni, a Kenyan PR communication consultant and the founder of Click'd Age Consultancy (CAC_PR), is passionate about helping remarkable brands tell their stories. As a consultant, she helps brands create great content that people choose to talk about. Her dedication to her work is evident in the outstanding results she has consistently achieved for her clients. CAC_PR is very dear to her heart for it's not only helping remarkable brands tell their stories, but it's the connection she has with her clients. They Click!
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Linda Young, co-founder, Pocket People Solutions (South Africa)
Startup Story
Linda Young is the co-founder of Pocket People Solutions, a South African specialist HR business built on a foundation of strong values and a holistic approach to managing people talent for its clients. The business focuses on helping other businesses to build highly skilled and motivated workforces that can fulfill their potential and contribute to overall company success.
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April Dunford
Book Review
If you want to learn how to nail that sale and get that cashflow coming into your business, then April Dunford’s new book, Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win, is just what you need. As a world-renowned product positioning and marketing expert, April knows that standing out in a crowded market is the key to getting sales.
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by Paula Quinsee
Do you know what your staff turnover is costing you? Stats based on Remchannel's survey of almost 40,000 employee resignations and the recruitment and HR process costs associated with filling those vacant positions total almost R24 billion. The main reasons cited for resignations in the PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey is because employees don't find their current job fulfilling, feel they can't be their true self at work, don't feel their team cares about them, and feel like their managers don't listen to them.
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by Thembe Khumalo
It is a beautiful thing when a personal brand lives out its own manifesto. It fills me with awe and wonder to watch someone else unleash the full force of their fabulosity on the world. In case you’re wondering, yes fabulosity is a real word, made famous by fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons.
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by Rochelle Roos
If organisations want to compete and thrive in today's fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape - change is not only inevitable but essential. Change strategies are crucial in various scenarios, including when an organisation suffers from market disruptions, significant growth, or restructuring. Other common examples are businesses that want to foster new culture, enhance employee engagement, promote diversity and inclusion, or address performance issues like declining profitability, or decreased customer satisfaction.
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by Lori Milner
We tend to associate habits with self-care activities, such as drinking water, exercising, and sleeping well. What about the habits that play a role in your professional life? What if you mastered the habits of speaking up in a meeting, sharing your ideas or being seen? Why do we do things that are not in our own best interest and, over time, can sabotage our progress even though it's not our intent?
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Victoria Mwafulirwa
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Homes Industries Ltd, an impact creating agribusiness in Malawi generating economic opportunities for small-holder farmers
Victoria Mwafulirwa is an award winning agripreneur and the founder and Managing Director of Homes Industries Ltd, an agro-processing company located in Karonga District, in the northern region of Malawi. The company, which was established in March 2015, works with over 2500 smallholder farmers in an out-grower scheme that grows sunflower, rice and groundnuts. Homes Industries Ltd manufactures cold pressed sunflower oil and peanut flour (Nsinjiro). It also processes and packages brown and regular white Kilombero rice. Recently, Homes Industries Ltd added the ‘Homes Peanut Butter’ to its product line. The newly introduced nutritious peanut paste, aims at creating enjoyment for the whole family. The company employs 11 people.
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Zainab Dakik, co-founder, Maternia (Tanzania)
Startup Story
Zainab Dakik is a Tanzania-born expert on emerging markets, with a particular focus on production and logistics. She is the co-founder of Maternia, an organization led entirely by women aiming to reduce the rate of stillbirths through an innovative low-tech, low-cost medical device. She possesses valuable experience through working in refugee camps, conducting research, and managing distribution channels. At present, she is actively engaging with Maternia's beneficiaries on-site, fostering stronger connections to better understand and address their needs.
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Matilda Akinsuyi, founder and creative director, Myra Woman (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Matilda Akinsuyi is the founder and creative director of Myra Woman in Nigeria. She is a visionary entrepreneur, and a trailblazer in the world of fashion. With a background as a successful lawyer, her journey towards building a fashion business was driven by an unwavering passion for elegance and sophistication. As a young girl, she was captivated by the transformative power of fashion, and with an unyielding desire to follow her dreams, finally took a leap of faith and founded her fashion business in 2017. With a focus on providing classy and elegant corporate and occasion wear for sophisticated women, Matilda was keen to redefine the concept of professional attire. The pieces she creates exude timeless sophistication, empowering women to feel confident and radiant in any setting. Attention to detail and commitment to quality set the creations apart, making them the go-to choice for women who crave understated elegance.
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by Teboho Seretlo
All in the day of a small business owner in South Africa.
It’s been a minute and my creative writing juices dried up while I was chasing some business opportunities and non-paying clients out there. So, these past few weeks, I have been finalizing some projects, dealing with good news of funding applications I submitted on behalf of clients being successful and all sorts of other things. My spirits have been high after landing these successes and I was excited at the prospect of my bank balance swelling, if only a little bit.
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Michelle S Thomas
Book review
Author and entrepreneur, Michelle S Thomas, believes it’s time to give “voice” to women business owners, especially those women of color. In her book, The 8 Qualities of the EXCEPTIONAL Black Woman in Business and Entrepreneurship, she shines a spotlight on the successful black women business owners that have cracked the code of surpassing racial, gender, financial and generational roadblocks. However, Michelle says we have been “conditioned” to keep those solutions “privately” amongst ourselves and believes there are numerous reasons why. However, one of the biggest reasons tends to be FEAR! Fear of loss, threats, and exclusion.
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