How many of you reading this article this morning can remember one of those conversations with a close friend or loving family member who asks you if you have made the right decision, becoming an entrepreneur? My guess is the majority of you will have experienced such questions at some time or other. It is usually when you are going through tough times, when cashflow and customers dry up, or when you have not had a holiday or a weekend off in months or years! At times like these, you need to become your own best cheerleader. Remember that being an entrepreneur is always challenging, it can indeed be stressful, and it will test your resilience a lot of the time. However, on those days when things do go right, when you win that new contract or client, and when your new product or service is launched and clients love it, then you remember why you embarked on this crazy journey in the first place. 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

One of the things I love most about travelling around the African continent on our Lioness Lean In tour is meeting truly inspirational women entrepreneurs and hearing their startup stories. Yesterday, I was privileged to meet an amazing agripreneur in Zambia, Bupe Chipili Mulapesi, founder of Farm 23 Strawberry. She is one of the country’s successful strawberry growers and is building a rapidly growing and thriving business. I asked her how she first got started in business and she told me it started with just 20 strawberry plants, sent to her by another hugely successful woman agripreneur from Australia, who became her mentor. Five years later, because of her tenacity, her willingness to learn, her hard work, and importantly, a big vision, she has created a great business that is expanding, employing more women, and supplying some of the biggest retailers in the country. It’s an inspirational story and one that you will be able to read next week on our Lionesses of Africa platforms. 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

There is nothing quite like getting feedback, face-to-face, from your customers or network. I was reminded yet again about this in Lusaka yesterday when we were networking after our successful Lioness Lean In event. A number of women entrepreneurs came up to see me immediately following the event to say how much they valued the message of women entrepreneurs collaborating and supporting one another to achieve success, instead of seeing each other as competition. At Lionesses of Africa, we really do believe in the message of going Further, Together. We can achieve so much more if we make a conscious decision to collaborate and bring our combined skills and expertise to the table with our fellow women entrepreneurs.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

There is nothing quite like seeing the power of the Lionesses of Africa community in action across the continent. That’s why it’s such a thrill being back in Lusaka, Zambia this morning and to have the opportunity to connect with our growing network of women entrepreneurs in the country. As we prepare to host 100 leading women who are building successful businesses and brands, it will be good to hear from them about the challenges and opportunities for doing business in Zambia. Our Lioness Lean In events are also all about great networking, having the chance to meet fellow women entrepreneurs and to build important new contacts for future business. As the old saying goes, ‘your network is your net worth’, so being part of a powerful community where the network members support, encourage and inspire one another is key to success. Let’s Lioness Lean In Lusaka!

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

I was at a conference last week where a number of women were sharing their inspirational stories of how they had made the move from the world of corporate life to becoming successful entrepreneurs. And one theme kept coming up in their conversations - there are no glass ceilings to have to break through in entrepreneurship. In fact, the only barriers to what can be achieved lie with ourselves and the limit of our ambitions. Smart women are today bringing all their skills, knowledge, experience and passion into their own businesses, living life on their terms, not those imposed by corporate boardrooms. They are fully embracing the freedom that comes with harnessing the power of mobile technology to create much-needed flexibility to run businesses from any location. So the next time you read an article or watch a news feature about how women executives are still battling to take their seats in the corporate boardroom, remind yourself that as entrepreneurs we don’t have glass ceilings to break through.

During my recent visit to Maputo, Mozambique, I had the opportunity to chat to young aspirant women entrepreneurs at one of our Young Lioness Lean In events. One topic kept coming up in conversation - the need for accessible role models. And I use the word ‘accessible’ intentionally, because the main comment from these young women was that they needed to be inspired by other young women like themselves who had achieved entrepreneurial success. Research tells us that access to role models we can relate to as women is critically important. And for young aspirant women entrepreneurs that is certainly the case. That’s why at Lionesses of Africa, we are seeking out and publishing the stories of young women who are making a great success of their entrepreneurial journeys. These young role models are truly inspirational to the generations who are following in their footsteps.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

This morning I am delighted to be in Windhoek, Namibia where I have been invited to present a keynote at the UNESCO IPDCTALKS 2018 event taking place today. This event will celebrate the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The IPDCtalks are a global event series that create worldwide discussion on how to foster open societies and inspire better laws and practices through access to information. Today different societal actors – policymakers, journalists, NGOs, private enterprises and international organizations –  get to promote and showcase concrete examples of innovative and creative Access to Information-initiatives that foster public access to information and thereby facilitate engagement and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality. I will be talking about our Lionesses of Africa project and how our community of women entrepreneurs are using our digital platforms to share their stories, their knowledge and experiences, inspiring one another to reach greater heights, and connecting with one another for accelerated success. I’m looking forward to a great day and anyone who wants to watch the event live from 9.00am can follow this link https://youtu.be/ZVElS0AvLd0, or follow #IPDCtalks.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

Each morning when I check my emails, particularly after I have hosted a Lioness Lean In event somewhere on the African continent, I often receive really heartfelt notes from women solo-preneurs. Often the subject of feeling isolated when working from home comes up in the conversation. This is a challenge we need to talk more about. As the trend towards solo-preneurship and working from home grows, so does the need to talk about how incredibly lonely it can get. It’s important and healthy for us to connect with other women entrepreneurs face-to-face, to share experiences, to talk about our challenges. So make time to chat, to Face Time or Skype, to attend a Lioness Lean In event - you will feel less lonely and isolated. 

Okay, we have all been there and had one of those days when nothing, and I mean nothing, goes right. Your website crashes. Your biggest client doesn’t renew their contract. The new product you have been working on for months doesn’t get the market response you were hoping for on launch day. As well prepared as you think you are for all eventualities, bad days like these will happen every once in a while. At times like these, even though you might feel like bursting into tears, or getting into an emotional slump, it’s essential to find your inner resilience. You need to pick yourself up, think about something positive that did happen to you this week to balance out all the negative thoughts, and remember that you are stronger than you think. 

Do you remember what it felt like when you first took the decision to become an entrepreneur? Perhaps you were young, wide-eyed and fresh out of school or college. You were probably full of ideas, brimming with energy, and completely daunted by the prospect of actually turning those ideas into a viable business. That’s where those of us who are experienced entrepreneurs have a valuable role to play, inspiring this next generation. We can lead by example. We can talk to these young women about what it takes to practically launch a successful business. We can help them with advice and information on our areas of expertise. Importantly, we can be there to inspire them to follow in our footsteps. So, let’s all pay it forward and help a young woman entrepreneur to take the leap.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

There is nothing quite like starting the week with some shared words of wisdom to keep us motivated. So I was delighted when my fellow Lioness, Margaret Hirsch, co-founder of the uber successful Hirsch’s Homestores in South Africa, shared a great quote with me this weekend that really resonated. So I thought I would share it with you all this morning. It’s by the American author and anthropologist, Margaret Mead, who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” It made me appreciate once again that as women entrepreneurs here on the African continent building strong, sustainable businesses, we can change it for the better!

I meet so many women entrepreneurs on my day-to-day travels around the African continent who are building businesses that are inspired by their passions or their hobbies. And that’s great, because passion will keep you going through even the toughest times. But one of the biggest challenges they encounter is the practical reality of turning a passion project into a sustainable business - and one that makes money from the outset. For any business to succeed, there has to be a strategy and an ability to make money. It sounds simple, but for many women entrepreneurs who start with a passion project, they are not intentional enough about how they will go about turning passion into profit. That’s why it’s essential to have a sound income generating plan and a strategy for growth to create the foundation for that passion and the business to survive and thrive.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

I love getting the chance to meet up with the inspirational and uber-successful women entrepreneurs in our 100 Lionesses network, whenever and wherever I can. Recently, I had the pleasure of spending time in Cape Town with Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico in Zimbabwe. She always has some wonderful insights to share, coming from her years of invaluable experience building a game-changing business from the ground up. She shares a particular piece of advice with young startups, which is relevant to every entrepreneur in the early years. And it will resonate with all those who are trying to manage when money is tight. She says, “Don't be tempted to take cash out of your early-stage startup venture. When a bit of cash starts rolling in, have the discipline to know that it is not your money yet.  It is still the business’s money because you want the business to grow. So for you to sustain it and enjoy phenomenal growth, that anyone going into business wants, you need to reinvest all the little bits of cash that you get then you can be assured that your business will grow.” Great advice from someone who knows!

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

One of the most gratifying things I see each day in the Lionesses of Africa community is the willingness of successful women entrepreneurs to give back to the next generation. Despite running their own demanding businesses, these powerhouse women entrepreneurs are willing to support our programmes by sharing their extensive knowledge and experience - and importantly, their time. In fact, they are passionate about helping the young women business builders of tomorrow. Having successful role models to follow and learn from is critical to the journey of any young woman entrepreneur. It is interesting to read the survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Ernst & Young, entitled ‘Entrepreneurs & Philanthropy: Investing in the Future’. The report suggests that 90% of entrepreneurs donate their money to mentoring the next generation; and 70% donate a resource that is just as important - their time. So, I would like to acknowledge the thousands of inspirational women entrepreneurs who are giving so generously of their time and knowledge each day to helping the next generation to grow. You are making a real difference!

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

I was watching various global news channels this weekend, catching up on events around the world, and there was one consistent theme emerging. In a fast changing world, where economies are going through considerable challenges and nothing is certain, particularly in the corporate world, to thrive you need to take control of your own destiny. It’s a world where you can’t count on big companies for a job. It’s a world where increasingly, we need to create our own jobs, and through our successful businesses, create jobs for others just like us. In Africa, the way out of poverty for many women where jobs are a scarce commodity is through entrepreneurship. By leveraging personal skills and identifying a gap in the market, women can take control of their economic futures. The challenge is to help more of these women opportunity entrepreneurs to create prosperous and sustainable businesses, so that they support not only themselves, but also contribute to the growth of their communities and their countries.

This morning, having just returned from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire where we hosted our first Lioness Lean In events there, two things will stay at the forefront of my mind from the visit. Firstly, the power of  partnership to make things happen - so a big thank you to our great friends at the Ambassade du Royaume des Pays-Bas for co-hosting our wonderful events on the ground. It was the most positive, impactful and enjoyable experience. Secondly, the power of community to bring like-minded women entrepreneurs together in a city to share, inspire and connect. It was great to see business connections being made and new, supportive friendships formed. There is an exciting and growing business buzz in Abidjan and women entrepreneurs are helping to drive a new spirit of enterprise in the city. At Lionesses of Africa, we are looking forward to helping each of these women business builders to fulfill their potential and create tomorrow’s significant and successful businesses today.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

Take a moment to think about the women entrepreneurs who inspire you most. And then take a look at how they successfully build and manage not only their businesses, but also their personal brands. Often we put all our energies and resources into building our businesses to the exclusion of everything else, forgetting that the road to success is also dependent on us, as founders. Our own personal brands can be a real and valuable asset to our businesses, yet they often get overshadowed by our company brand building activities.  As American Express OPEN CEO BootCamp ambassador Katie Bressack says, "It takes time, energy and focus to truly create a personal brand. Entrepreneurs must not only become experts in a particular field or subject; they must also be able to sell themselves by creating their own unique value." So if you haven’t started to take your personal brand building seriously, it could be time. After all, it’s what sets you apart from your competitors. 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

It’s wonderful to wake up this morning in the dynamic city of Abidjan in Cote d‘Ivoire, home to our latest Lioness Lean In events, and we have two of them taking place in the city today. On a personal level, I am fulfilling a long-held wish to visit this wonderful country and to meet so many of the women entrepreneurs whose startup stories we have told and heard about. I am looking forward to building our entrepreneurial community for women entrepreneurs here in the city, to making some great new connections and friends, and introducing them to you all. This is our month-long focus on women entrepreneurs in Cote d’Ivoire and we have some inspirational startup stories to share. It’s going to be a great visit to a great city, and hopefully the first of many more to come.

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

Can you remember the spark that led to you choosing to become an entrepreneur? For many women, that spark is lit by the desire to take more control of their lives. They want to do things their own way, be a little more maverick (we all know how good that feels), create new things and make an impact in a way that makes sense to them. And what’s the underlying cause for this encouraging trend? It seems that around 85% of us are attracted to the freedom that being our own boss brings and in particular the flexible hours, an important factor when juggling the day to day challenges of business and family building. For women, however, this often means the ability to cultivate their own culture, to create work they love, constructed to fit with their own aspirations and business commitments. So it seems there has never been a better time to be the boss of your own entrepreneurial life. 

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie

I was chatting to a fellow woman entrepreneur yesterday about what a difference having an ‘abundance mindset’ makes to your life and business, and what she said is quite true. An abundance mindset means being open to new ways of thinking and doing; of being inclusive of other people and their ideas; of trusting and having confidence in others; and importantly, remembering that if you give support and are inclusive, then that’s how people will treat you in return. Life is tough enough as an entrepreneur, so it makes sense to surround yourself with fellow women who share your abundance mindset, who are genuinely happy to support your business through the good times and the bad, and who want to see us all succeed.  

Have yourself an inspired entrepreneurial day! - Melanie