Aphia Sekyerehene: I design clothes for non-conforming women
Aphia Sekyerehene is an emerging fashion designer, choreographer, singer and event decorator who discovered her passion for fashion at age 14. However, she could not fully pursue her passion until her 20s. Even now after going through design school and establishing her brand, Aphia still feels unsatisfied. She believes that starting her career later in life has deprived her of opportunities she would have had if she had started at 14. Aphia shares with SLA her experience in fashion design and developments in the industry. Why do you think you would have gained more grounds in the fashion industry if you had started at age 14? Having an early start in a career offers you ample time and opportunity to try your hands on the various aspects of the job. This means more time to delve into related options and more time for trial and error. Starting at age 14 would have given me more experience and variety to explore but now, I have to first build a brand before I can try my hands on other options. What prevented you from pursuing your passion after your discovery? I would say lack of funds. This is because fashion designing is more of a practical course than theoretical. So you need to get materials needed for the course and this was something my family could not afford at the time. In order to keep my passion alive, I came up with alternative methods like connecting with fashion designers across the world through online forums. Were there any setbacks when you finally got into the industry? Yes! Raising capital was one of my major setbacks. I am glad I have crossed that hurdle. Now, I am very excited to achieve more and more. Now that you have acquired a certificate in Fashion Designing, do have plans of furthering your education? Yes! Certainly! There is so much more to see, learn and explore. I will never limit myself to just the basics. I have to expand my knowledge. I am looking forward to acquiring a Master’s Degree in Fashion or any other course which will add value to my work. I am hoping to get into the Parsons School of Design in New York. How does your designing process work? What are you currently working on? Every project I work on has its own procedures. But usually I sketch ideas as they come and do clone drafts before the actual design. Some projects take just a day to figure out, others are time consuming. The latter requires a lot of inspiration which I get from the various colours that surround me. I am currently working on my summer collection. It is a hip, fun, free, colourful, light, stylish and original for every woman. This collection depicts the African culture in a creative way. It will be out in July. What part of your job do you find most challenging and how do you tackle it? Working with indecisive clients is very stressful. I tackled this challenge by coming up with a very detailed order sheet that allows clients to vividly explain what they want. This way, we get a win-win situation. In one word, define your work. Unique. Who is your target audience? My main target is the woman who is not afraid to stand out in her own unique self. My designs require my breaking free from the usual expectation so I target those women who stay true to their nature and are non–conformists. Having a target group also creates a niche for you, making your brand easier to handle and be identified. Which African fashion designers do you admire the most? For one there’s Christie Brown, I admire her abstract, sophisticated and classy designs. Then there’s Pistis, her beading creates exceptional masterpieces. I also admire Oswald Boateng, his eye for clean cut is evident in his designs. I would love to work with Christie Brown. She is sophisticated and transfers that attribute into her work. She has a way of blending totally different styles into an admirable design. Her designs are modern yet traditional; contemporary yet antiques. This is something I will love to learn. What developments on the horizon could positively affect future opportunities for fashion designs? For an African designer, I would say the removal of cross-country trade barrier laws could be an opportunity. Though this would introduce more competition in the fashion market, it would also provide designers with the chance to diversify and expand their market. If you were to design an outfit for an African celebrity, who would it be and what would you make? I will love to design a fitted floor length backless lace gown with long sleeves and beading for Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji. Genevieve has an hourglass figure and a high front neckline fitted floor length dress will compliment her figure perfectly. The backless part will give her a sexy touch and an opportunity to show her amazing skin tone.
Olebogeng Sentsho: We must be Afrocentric in our approach to mining and the economy
The mining industry may not be first choice for a young woman looking to start a profitable venture. Not for Olebogeng Sentsho. Olebogeng is a one woman force shaking things up for the better in the South African mining and waste management industry. Her company Yeabo Mining is completely owned by black women but it doesn’t stop there. Through her initiatives, Olebogeng works towards improving rural communities and empowering women. Here she shares insights into the mining industry and why it needs to be Afrocentric. Strategic waste management? What lead you to that industry? As an investment analyst, I was exposed to many proposals in many fields. One of the proposals that came across my desk was for a tailings plant on one of the mines a client was looking to invest in. The plan was flawed and subsequently abandoned by the mine owners. I then requested their permission to improve their model and approach investors for funding. They agreed. Unfortunately, the project was capital intensive and any capital that was coming my way would take months to get to me. I had to make a living so my husband suggested we go pick up steel balls on an abandoned mine and sell them for cash. We did. We made R150 000. From there we approached other mines and realised that the service was in demand. That is how we started. How did you make the switch from waste management to finance? Once Yeabo Mining was up and running, we noticed a huge demand in requests for collaboration. This was not because we were the best at what we were doing, it was because our collaborators needed the funding an operation like ours could source. We are 100% black female owned and the legislation in South Africa is such that we receive preference when we apply for funding. There are also more funding opportunities for businesses that are owned by young, black women. Once we isolated this need, we thought it prudent to investigate and set up a fund that supports junior mining operations. We currently have four clients on our books who mine silica, manganese, gold and chrome. How can waste be converted into a revenue stream? Many of the products used in the mining process and the by products of mining still have value even though they have been used. For example, steel is used in the liners that line equipment in the concentrator plant. Once they are worn out; they are discarded and replaced. Each liner weighs 2 tons and there can be 18- 34 liners per plant. We retrieve the liners from the dump and sell them to a recycler for R1900 per ton. Combine this with about 300 tons of steel balls and you have a legitimate revenue stream. Also, when a specific mineral is removed from the ore, other minerals that are equally valuable remain. Most mines ignore these other minerals if they don’t form part of their core business. Yeabo Mining exploits these minerals and processes them. These are just a few of the ways we generate income from waste. Considering the sometimes tense nature of mining in South Africa, does social responsibility feature in your business? Social responsibility is a big part of why we do. Yeabo Mining supports female owned SMME’s (Small Micro medium enterprises) by giving them preference when we do our procurement. We also mentor several young people, many of whom are trying to start businesses in the industry. Mining is treacherous and having someone who is already in the business looking out for you is an advantage. Also, Yeabo Mining collaborates with community outreach programmes that educate and empower young people in the fields of maths and science. We are a proud patron of the Mining Innovation Initiative of South Africa (MIISA). You mentioned that you are engaged in other initiatives, tell us about them. MIISA is a holder of rights for several initiatives. There is “Let your light shine”, a renewable energy initiative that teaches women how to build solar lamps and sell them for cash. We also have Innovo Health Systems, which provides mobile hospital facilities for rural communities and the MIISA school for Mathematical Excellence and Science Innovation which are a series of pop up schools in the Sekhukhune area of Limpopo that facilitate maths and science clinics for secondary school learners. The primary goal of these endeavours is to create an industry where South Africa can beneficial its own minerals. We want to ensure that mining builds sustainable, well serviced communities in the area where the specific mines are based. Mines have to be catalysts for change and improved living conditions. It cannot be that Africa provides the world with wealth yet that wealth fails to translate into improved living conditions and lives of the Africans who live and work in these communities. We must strive to be Afro-centric in our approach to mining and the economy. All efforts must be made to ensure that wealth is not in the hands of a few. No one makes it if we all don’t make it. An inclusive mining economy that focuses its resources on social upliftment and education is a catalyst for an Africa that produces leaders and productive contributors to the country’s GDP. What advice would you give other young African women looking to make a change in their communities? As young women in Africa, our mandate is clear. It is incumbent upon us to provide skills and leadership for the improvement of our communities. We can’t sit and wait for opportunities to participate; we have to innovate, pioneer solutions for ourselves so that we can lead the agenda of a transformed and progressive African economy. These dreams cannot be achieved by a continent with hungry people. We must focus on the immediate needs of our people and find our own rhythm for the advancement of our continent. We must take responsibility for our future. This has been really insightful. Lastly, what was
Ifedolapo Olayemi-Okewole: A woman should be happy on her wedding day
Here comes the bride! She may be looking kind of stressed but it’s her big day. Preparing for a wedding can be hectic but thanks to the Internet, brides can ease the burden a bit. Hadassah Bridals is a growing brand that delivers wedding gowns to brides through its website. Its founder Ifedolapo Olayemi-Okewole recently completed a World Bank-sponsored course at the Enterprise Development Centre at Lagos Business School. Here she shares tips on running an online business in Nigeria and how to make the most out of your wedding day. Who is the person behind Hadassah Bridals? My name is Ifedolapo Olayemi-Okewole. I’m the woman behind Hadassah Bridals, a business that came to being in December, 2012. The idea for this business was birthed in Manchester, UK in 2012, a year after I got married. I recall that it was my experience as a bride that was at the heart of this business idea. I had a very tight schedule during preparations for my wedding. When I was doing my wedding shopping, I didn’t have the luxury of time and resources to visit a lot of stores for wedding gown trials and the likes. I did most of my shopping online and I received all my packages in good condition, including my wedding gown. Our business idea then was to make wedding dresses of different varieties available to brides online and at reasonable prices. So we decided to offer bridal gowns of very good quality and designs to target this class of brides. We stock our gowns from other designers; we also have options for custom-made wedding gowns. Custom-made wedding gowns are made based on the specifications of the bride. This gives the bride the opportunity to add a lot of details to her dream wedding gown. We take such requests and forward to our designers. Why the name Hadassah? The name ‘Hadassah’ is from the Bible. Its one of Esther’s names (Esther 2:7) and it means Compassion. Tell us a bit about your experience with the World Bank sponsored program. The program is a Certificate in Entrepreneurship Management sponsored by the World Bank. I won the Women X scholarship last year. I took that step because I needed hone my entrepreneurial skills. I was not sure I was doing everything according to the books. A friend sent me the application details online and I applied. An interview was conducted and about 50 women were selected for my class, which was Cohort 4 in the Women X scholarship program. The 6 months in-class training changed my perspective totally on business and living a fulfilling life. I met women who were in different stages in business and this made me realise that I am not alone in the entrepreneurship drive. The school faculty was and is still highly supportive because they provide us platforms for business growth. As a Nigerian company based online, how do you make effective sales? Our idea is to understand our market sector and develop strategies online to reach them. Because we started online, we use a lot of the social media platforms for sales. This is complimented with an open cart-enabled website. We also use eCommerce stores like Konga and Kaymu to drive sales. What online platforms do you use to cater to your clientele? Have you had any challenges with them? Over the years, we have built a robust BBM channel. This has our largest followership and has become a critical platform for our business outreach. Customers place orders via our BBM channel or Whatsapp Social chat platform. We also use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest for our social media campaigns. We have a physical store in Ifako, Gbagada, where we also attend to customers. Most online Nigerian businesses focus on Abuja or Lagos, how do you reach clients in other/smaller cities and towns? We can confidently say today that we have a clientele that is widely spread from Maiduguri in Northern Nigeria to Bayelsa in the South-South region and from Cuba to cities in Europe and South Africa. This has been made possible through our online platform and partnership with a leading courier company like Courier Plus. They handle our door step deliveries to all the states in Nigeria, and also our international shipments. How can a woman make the most of her wedding day? A woman should be happy on her wedding day. She is the center of attraction and she dictates the mood of the event. A vibrant bride makes for an enjoyable ceremony. One of the things I tell my brides is to ensure that they have light breakfasts on their wedding day. The wedding day is filled with a lot of activities and the bride often forgets that part. What old wives tale should all brides listen to at all costs? One old wives tale is, “don’t look at the mirror when dressing up on your wedding day”. Uh, how easy is this? A bride wants to know what magic the makeup artist is performing on her face but I think she’s better off being told that she is beautiful so she doesn’t get too conscious of her face on her wedding day. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Tariro Makina: Billing per hour doesn’t work in Africa
Virtual reality is the world we’re living in. Tariro Makina knows this, that’s why she set up Twenty47 Virtual Assistant, a business that provides social media strategy and email management, among other services to clients. SLA contributor Glenda Makumbe caught up with Tariro in Harare, where they talked about starting a business in Zimbabwe while remaining grounded, the challenges of charging by the hour in Africa and the perks of being a virtual assistant. Tari tell me a little bit about yourself and Twenty47 Virtual Assistant. I am a 30 year old IT geek who is passionate about helping small business owners manage their businesses better. Twenty47 VA had always been an idea in my head until the end of 2013 when I actually gave birth to it. I had fallen out of love with my job and I did not want it anymore. So I just woke up one day, wrote a business plan and registered the business in early 2014. Soon after, I quit my job. I wanted more and I wanted to build on my passion. Currently, most of my clients are based here in Zimbabwe but I also have clients in South Africa, Zambia and the US. My main clients are in the services industry – forming a mix that is spread across various sectors. These include business consultants, event organisers, educators, technology and logistics companies and non-profit organisations. Why Twenty47 Virtual Assistant as a name I chose the name Twenty47 Virtual Assistant because I had a vision to create a global business that served clients in all time zones. I have no problem working evenings (sometimes) so it makes it easier for me to accommodate clients in different countries around the world. However, this has often been construed to mean I am available for every client 24 hours a day and 7 days a week **sighs** this is why you should be careful when choosing a name. What does your business entail? Twenty47 Virtual Assistant started as a one woman business and had been until 2015 when I was joined by one other person. I am involved in the general management of a client’s business online and this is usually the little things like administrative tasks that are considered not entirely important, brand awareness, customer service through various marketing and client engagement channels. Many small businesses shun investing in these areas as they are afraid it may be wasting money, time or both. Yet, they can have a huge impact on the success or failure of a business. I also take care of certain functions of a business or project for those focused business owners or professionals who understand that they cannot do it all by themselves and wish to take advantage of delegation. This way they have an opportunity to focus on what they do best whilst entrusting me to do the rest. I especially specialise in social media strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting. I do email management as well. Keeping up-to-date with the current industry trends and information plays a major role in social media so as to stay relevant to your audience. This requires a lot of research as well. So I do not have a structure of how a typical day in the life of a VA would look like, but, in a nutshell, it involves planning, lots of it, and staying on top of things. Is there anything in your educational background that helps you in managing your business? I have a Computer Science degree from Midlands State University here in Zimbabwe and that has been a great foundation for me. I have had to learn new things on the job like web and graphic design as my previous roles had nothing to do with design. I found there was a demand for this kind of work and it has helped increase my service offering. How have people received this type of business in Zimbabwe? Selling the idea of what I do to people is not hard, it’s the billing part that was initially hard. So I found that people received the idea of having virtual assistance as something really useful. I came with my approach of billing per hour based on research I had done in other markets. Little did I know that some approaches don’t work in Africa! And I say this with much respect for the continent – one size does not fit all. Because some clients were not time conscious, I still billed them for my time that they would have wasted. This would sometimes anger some clients and it was one of the things that would have made me give up on my business. The moment I changed approaches – put up value proposition packages – things improved. A value proposition package is in a sense packaging my services such that the benefits are clear. For each benefit I present, there is an associated value based on comparable market elements. A prospect can therefore be able to evaluate whether the value proposed versus the cost is something they would be interested in investing into. Many find it easier and clear to make that investment decision compared to when you just say “My services are $20 an hour”. This was a learning curve for me as I learnt that you have to be flexible in business, understand your market and model your business approaches to suit the environment you are in if need be. How do you keep fun in your business? If you spend time with me you are going to laugh. The nature of my work requires me to know my clients’ true personalities. I have to show up and be as authentic and original, as I require them to be. Why did you decide to stay in Zimbabwe? I have faith in the continent and in Zimbabwe. Whilst everyone is looking for a chance to run away, I want to stay and make my business work here. If I can make a business successful in
Ledet Muleta: I had to ask myself, “What is the loudest way to make a statement?”
Mental health is rarely approached with the care and attention it deserves in both African and African Diasporic communities. Nurse turned filmmaker Ledet Muleta hopes to change this statusquo. She started Medixaa Health Services to address the lack of proper mental health care in many African countries. Now Ledet wants to push further with her most recent project the film CHULA, which she is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for. Here Ledet shares valuable insight to those Motherland Moguls who want to be filmmakers but are not sure how. She also reminds us why mental health and substance abuse should be of more concern. Your work draws attention to mental health in Africa, is there anything in particular that lead to this? I have been pretty fortunate to have the experience of working in facilities that support a large population of psychiatric patients. I worked for six years at the University of Maryland Medical Center where I gained great experience in giving care to those affected by different types of psychiatric conditions. Our hospital was in the heart of Baltimore City and we took great pride in providing high quality psychiatric treatment. I learned how to deal with acute psychiatric conditions and took care of patients that smaller hospitals could not care for, enhancing my ability to handle stressful situations. Since then I have been working at the National Institute of Health (NIH) as a Research Nurse focusing on mental health. The NIH has inspired me even further as I get to work with renowned scientists, dedicated nurses, and an overall interdisciplinary team. Each time I traveled to an African country, I dreamt of replicating that level of care and the impact it makes. I also had a year long volunteer position as a nurse working with refugees in the Washington D.C. area, mostly from Ethiopia and Eritrea. That was certainly an eye opener and the motivator behind this entire project. The stories I heard and the heartache I felt enabled me to be fearless about starting this project. How is mental illness viewed in your community and what else can be done to change attitudes? Mental illness carries stigma all around the world but in my community, this stigma is severe. People who suffer with mental illness in Ethiopia are often forced into isolation because their families are ashamed of them. The problem is often hidden and ignored until it is too late. Some forego healthcare completely, and subject their mentally ill family members to constant religious intervention, when the issue could easily be solved with medication. It is important to divert more funds towards mental illness. With the proper funding, access to medication and information could make mental illness easier to manage. In order to change attitudes, it is also important to create a more public dialogue about mental illness and what it means to be mentally ill. If people talked about their experiences with mental illness, it would be normalized and those suffering with mental illness would know that they’re not alone. Another way to combat these issues is with education. By providing educational resources on substance abuse and mental illness we can ensure that our community no longer feels the need to be ashamed, and that they know that their conditions can be effectively managed. What message do you hope to tell with CHULA? The inspiration for CHULA comes from seeing some preventable issues becoming life threatening problems for individuals. There is no cure for mental illness, however, most mental illnesses are treatable and can be managed. The lack of access to adequate mental healthcare combined with the stigma of mental illness has intensified the impact of mental illness in Africa. Furthermore, the market for drugs like heroin and cocaine is growing in many African countries, making substance abuse a major health concern as well. With the public looking for preventable education, many are becoming victims and that disparity is what inspired me to make this film. As a nurse, when did you take the leap into film making? Is CHULA the first film you’ve made? I never thought I’d ever venture into film making. This happened out of desperation to tackle the stigma of mental illness in the African community. In my own experience, I see too often that Africans in the Diaspora have a hard time dealing with the stigma in their communities. This often forces them to hide their personal struggles and as a result, they often find themselves in a more dire predicament. In my travels across different countries in Africa, I was enraged to see so many affected by mental illness as well as substance abuse. I wanted to start a campaign that would address these issues and I had to ask myself, “What is the loudest way to make a statement?” which led to the creation of my first film, CHULA. How did you go about getting the skills to be a filmmaker? The first thing I had to do was to draft the script for the film while simultaneously weaving my travels as a great source of inspiration. I wrote the script in various environments, either spending time with my close friends or on long flights from DC to Maputo, for example. Once I completed the script, I reached out to friends who were highly involved in the arts and pitched my script in the hopes of finding a director. That’s when I was connected with Shane Colella, CHULA’s director, and it was through him that I was able to learn more about the film making process and gain the relevant skills needed in order to be successful. Additionally, I had to take the initiative of going through my own personal learning process; this occurred through attending film events and turning to the library and internet for resources, and so forth. What words would you use to describe the last three months of your life? Fearlessness, trust, dedication, team work, and change are some of the words that can
Ruramiso Mashumba: More young women should consider farming
How many young women farmers do you know? None? Say hi to Ruramiso Mashumba. Ruramiso runs a horticulture farm in Marondera, Zimbabwe where she grows crops for export to the European Union and other African countries. Her passion for farming started as a child and though Ruramiso has worked abroad she returned to Zimbabwe to work on her farm. What’s it like to be a young woman and a farmer? Traditionally farmers have been known to look a certain way, mainly male and above 60 years. So, being known as a young woman farmer is exciting because it changes the status quo and lets people know that, ” Yes you can do it in spite of your current situation”. My father bought a farm when I was in form 2. He used to keep cattle. I went to Watershed college, a school which was next to our farm. Learning at Watershed school exposed me to the possibilities of agriculture. At my school agriculture was quite attractive because you would see the farmers children driving tractors and all so there was some prestige to it. Still, it wasn’t easy. I remember I used to cry a lot because of the struggle, especially the bullying from the boys but I was determined. After school, I got an amazing opportunity to work at a British company for two years then returned back to Zimbabwe to farm. What is the most amazing thing you’ve done as a farmer? To date my most amazing experience was being selected by AGCO Corporation to speak at their Africa summit in Berlin on the upscaling of small scale holders. After my presentation the CEO & President of AGCO gave me an award for influencing and leading women towards mechanised farming in Africa. I have since been able to mechanise my farm with their support. You mentioned your big business idea is to train women in the value of agriculture. Tell us more about that. Last year I held a farmer training at my farm where I invited the local community and stakeholders. I hope to be able to set up a centre where young people and women can learn the basics about agriculture. I believe the future of agriculture lays in the hands of those that are given custody of the land and are responsible to treat it in a way that future generations will benefit from. For example, climate smart agriculture is something that more people should know about. Climate smart agriculture is farming in a sustainable way that makes use of efficient irrigation system and disturbs soil structure only minimally. I’d like to share my ideas with others and encourage knowledge transfer. I am also passionate about indigenous organic grains. One of the crops I grow is a rice variety called Oryza glaberrima. This rice is native to Zimbabwe but is at risk of becoming extinct. Why should more young women be interested in agriculture? More women should start tapping into the vast opportunities in agriculture. Currently in Africa, 70 percent of women are players in agriculture but at primary level. Very few women actually own land and are running successful agribusiness projects. Agriculture is rewarding and it’s not just primary productions. It has many facets to it. In Zimbabwe, there is a lot of opportunity to develop the agriculture sector. We have a lot of underutilised land. Currently we are importing a lot of agricultural produce which we could be growing ourselves. This to me shows enormous potential. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao: Following my life long dream makes the best use of my time
According to Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao the qualities necessary for a successful beauty entrepreneur are determination, passion, instinct, financial savvy and strong communication skills. Just having a good idea isn’t enough. Zeze is the founder of Malée, a range of luxury fragrance and body care products that draws inspiration from the traditional beauty secrets found across Africa. African beauty and healing secrets don’t get their due and with Malée, Zeze updates them with modern science and technology. The name Malée itself comes from her great grandmother and is a term for a strong-willed woman in Bini language. What pushed you to start Malée? In 2009, I moved countries from UK to South Africa. It was the height of the recession and finding a job wasn’t easy. After halted interview processes, I decided that following a life long dream would be a good way to make the best use of my time while having a larger social and economic impact along the way. In a few words, circumstances of the recession forced me to believe that I had something to offer to not only to consumers but to the African economy. Your brand seems to draw heavily from African traditions, is there any particular reason why you’re inspired by tradition? I believe there are hidden gems in tradition. Unlocking those with the scientific knowledge we have now and giving a voice to cultures and traditions that otherwise don’t have one in the global market place is a passion. Africa is full of beauty and I deeply motivated to share that. Malée is present in both South Africa and the UK, what challenges have you faced expanding your brand to other countries? Each market brings with it a lot of learning. The most important thing I have learnt is that regardless of the country, establishing a brand takes patience, consistency in the quality of your product and service, belief in your brand/business and building a great team to help turn the vision into reality. We have launched in the UK with 6 of our best selling products. On a stand alone basis they do what we say they should. They work! Do you have any plans to continue expanding within Africa? Yes, the rest of Africa is definitely on the cards for Malée. I am excited about the next 5 years. How do you unwind after a long day? Taking time out for me some ‘me time’. My favourite routine is my at home spa, light some candles, have music playing through my bluetooth headphones then I scrub before settling into the bath, usually while reading something. What’s one thing in your fridge you always use as a homemade skin treatment? Lemons; they are just so versatile and harness a lot of natural benefit for the skin. My favourite remedies are my DIY facemask which can be made by mixing baking soda, honey and lemon juice. You can also use lemon to make a detox toner with some green tea and water. How do you source ingredients for your products? Ingredient sourcing process begins with understanding what makes up on traditional beauty remedies. I dissect these to understand what ingredients actually have long term skin care or aromatherapy benefits. We take these away and plug them into our formulations and then look for the best local suppliers who have food grade ingredients. If it is good enough to eat, it is good enough for your skin. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Lungiswa Moore: Women of colour need a positive community
Community, sisterhood, friendship, marriage…these are all important topics for women of colour. Zimbabwe-born, US based Lungiswa Moore started her lifestlye and community website #mygirlsquad to foster positive connections online. Sisterhood is important and so is family and community but there are right ways to doing business with people you care about. Lungiswa share her tips on that and more. How did #mygirlsquad come about? #mygirlsquad is inspired by women of colour. We are strong, diverse and beautiful but this isn’t shown enough in the media and in our daily lives. Women of colour are grossly underrepresented. I wanted to create a platform to show the positive in women of colour, not just as individuals but as a collective and a community. There’s not enough being told about the growing positive trend of amazing women of colour breaking boundaries and collaborating on great things to uplift their community. We’re happy, loving and ambitious – that should be the narrative. What challenges have you encountered in the past with your business? The biggest trial for me was actually having faith in myself. Tackling self-doubt and steering with faith alone is a very lonely road. There have been many times I’ve been awakened from sleep by my fear of failure. It has made me procrastinate on deadlines and even made me lose opportunities because I felt that I wasn’t the person for it. As an entrepreneur, I feel that even if you’re running a one-man show, many things can go wrong in one day. However, if you allow your self-doubt and fears to overpower your faith and ambition to get through the day, you have already sunk your ship. Fear is inevitable. It’s a natural reaction when you’re faced with something unknown. Just don’t let it turn into doubt. When I start to get doubtful I always surround myself with affirmations. If you don’t have anyone in your life who can give you affirmations, you have to create them yourself. You need constant reassurance that you can do what you set yourself up to do. As someone who has worked with friends, is there a right and wrong way to it? From my experience there is. I’ve worked with many friends before and even with my husband. You have to first understand what your friend’s strengths and weaknesses are. It’s all fun and great when brainstorming ideas get flowing and there’s excitement about launching something together. But knowing your friend as a friend, and knowing your friend in business is different. Your friend may have your back when it comes to personal issues, but when you start dealing with money, things become different. So understanding their strengths and weaknesses puts you both in a better position to work cohesively in things that best fit each other. Some tips from me Always have a contract – this protects you both in case things go south. Communicate. A lot of misunderstandings can lead to bigger issues if they are unresolved. Conflict can carry into your friendship and things can go very sour very quickly if not resolved. Most importantly try to make time for your friendship. Sometimes, you become engrossed in the business side that the friendship gets lost. Remembering that you were friends before getting into business will go a long way. You mentioned working with your husband, how can young African women balance marriage with working with their partners? As an African woman, I found this a challenge when I started. I, along with many other women, have been raised to always put your husband first in your marriage. While that works within a marriage, it doesn’t always work that way in business. You sometimes have to go with your gut or put your husband last sometimes. In any business relationship, there will always be a difference in opinion one time or another, and when that happens – you have to deal with that pragmatically. I’m a passionate individual and I tend to have strong opinions. In instances where my husband would disagree with me, I would not only argue my point in a meeting but I’d find myself randomly arguing the same point while we’re watching our favorite show. That’s crazy! Knowing when to turn that business switch off is important, especially when working with your spouse. In a 9 to 5 it’s easy to come home after a hard day and vent to your spouse about your annoying co-worker or boss, but when you work together and the annoying co-worker is your spouse – it gets tricky. So, leaving business at the office and keeping the marriage at home is the best way to balance it. Why is sisterhood important? I’ve always believed in the power of numbers. No man is an island and you never succeed alone. As a woman of colour – why would you want to be alone, when you can be so much more as a collective? Collaborating with like-minded individuals, who share the same social and economical issues as you, in order to achieve something should be something sought after. We have a long way to go as women of colour – gender inequality, domestic violence, social and economic issues stunt our growth, yet we are the fastest growing demographic in several industries that include business and education. Imagine if we pulled all our resources together? If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Nisha Maharaj: Women in tech are admired, go and make things happen!
Technology innovation is a buzz word across the continent. More investors are rewarding ideas that are disruptive and can be used to make meaningful change in people’s lives. Yet looking through lists of top African tech companies, you may need help finding the women. Enter Nisha Maharaj, the founder of Niche Integrated Solutions which sets up strategic partnerships and innovation platforms in South Africa. Nisha readily dishes info on the South African tech scene and what it takes to succeed as a woman in tech. What is the tech scene like in your country? Are there many women in it? South Africa is advancing in the tech arena, but we can still learn from the tech leaders out there in the rest of the world. My context is to lead some of the best technologies in the world to Africa and vice versa. I also want to lead some of the best of South African technologies to the rest of the world. Women in technology is always a subject of debate, yes there are many women on the forefront of the tech scene but I still find myself walking into a boardroom of 20 men and 1 woman. That one woman being myself. We need to make a serious effort to change this status quo! Did you face any obstacles when you started your company? How did you overcome them? Funding is always a challenge when you start off, new markets , new clients –always stressful. It takes perseverance to get through it and determination coupled with a good business plan is what sets you out from everyone else. In a way, an entrepreneur learns best the hard way. You simply never give up –that should always be the motto. I was lucky, I have friends amongst the global leading technology partners in the world and this has helped us close a few multi-million dollar deals in a very short space of time. Your company is 100% women owned, is there any particular reason for this? We are 100% black owned, 100% debt free, we have made 100% turnover as compared from one year to the next. The reason we are 100% women owned is simply because we are trying to show the world that women can be leaders in the technology arena as well ! What does it take to establish a successful technology business in Africa? You need to make a thorough assessment of the technology innovation, critical studies and research on application. Then you need to be sure about your market. Having the best technologies in the world is pointless if you don’t have the right marketing strategy. The take to market and entry point is a critical success factor and if you can get this part right, success is inevitable. If you could make a 30 second speech to young African women, what would it say? I would say that Africa is an oyster of opportunity –technology is the one thing in life that will never remain constant. There will always be a demand for it. Women should be more courageous to take on this context of technology. Whether you are a sister, child, mother, grandmother, you don’t need to be a genius to own a technology company. You simply need to have the business acumen to do well at it in order to thrive. Women in technology are admired, go out there and make it happen! If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Thokozile Mangwiro: Africa is producing the most beautiful, natural and organic skin and hair care products
Global black hair care is on the rise. In South Africa, the black hair care industry was estimated to be valued at R9.7 billion a year in 2015. Budding entrepreneur Thokozile Mangwiro believes that Africa is producing the most beautiful, natural and organic skin and hair care products. Her brand, Nyla is reaching for a share in that billion rand market by creating products using marula oil, an indigenous oil to southern Africa. What is the natural hair scene like in Johannesburg? What sort of events do you have? The natural hair movement in Johannesburg is absolutely inspiring. There is a lot of consciousness and awareness about the movement from chemically laden products towards greener natural hair care. We are currently in the midst of the South African winter which can be very harsh to the skin and hair. Protective styling is the order of the day. Hair-line friendly plaits and wigs are definitely in. Naturals here also have “Hair stokvels”, where we get together to share and educate each other about caring for and growing our natural hair. Hair stokvels also have natural hair care product stalls and guest speakers. There are other events like the “For Black Girls Only” event, which does not set out to exclude other races, brings together all African women from all walks of like to celebrate just who we are. Why does your brand focus on marula oil? We believe that marula oil the secret to timeless hair and skin nourishment. This magical oil is obtained from the core of the marula fruit. Marula oil is indigenous to Southern Africa, yet clientele have never heard of it and it’s rich properties. The Tsonga women of South Africa and Mozambique have used this oil as a moisturiser and a massage oil on babies for years. Marula oil has protected the African skin and hair against harsh and dry, hot and humid weather conditions. It’s multi-purpose, used for personal care and is safe for both babies and adults. Marula oil contains properties that create a high performing cosmetic oil that mimics the skin’s outer layer, regenerates the skin cells, thus promoting a youthful looking, well-nourished healthy skin. It’s a light weight oil, meaning it quickly absorbs into the skin and hair, while leaving a non-greasy silky smooth feeling. It is gentle enough to use alone or with any lotions and facial skin creams. Do you only create hair care products? We focus solely on natural hair with Nilotiqa Hair Care which is formulated for dry and damaged hair. Nyla Marula Beauty is our luxury natural and organic brand that caters for all types of skin and hair care. Our Marula Evolution Collection showcases pure Marula oil, fused it with various natural botanical and organic ingredients to create the most luxurious products to nourish skin and hair. Because the products are organic and natural, they are suitable for all skin types. Our product line consists of a deep replenishing co-washing conditioner, deep moisturizing butter, detangling cream and nourishing scalp and hair oil. Our natural products are formulated with high-quality nourishing ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, castor oil and avocado oil. We avoid artificial sourcing of ingredients and our products do not contain petroleum, lanolin, parabens, phthalates, or artificial colors. What tools do you use to grow your business? Firstly, our business is incubated. This has given the business organizational, financial and operational structure. Secondly, we ensure that we collaborate with cosmetic organisations that have high standards for compliance. This forces us to look into how compliant we are and ensure we distribute high quality products locally and internationally. Lastly, we purposely use social media to reach out to clients that are not only local, but also international. What is your favourite style for a bad hair day? Bad hair days for me means seriously dry hair. I first try to get moisture back in my hair using my Nilotiqua Deep Moisture Butter. I am lucky enough to have long dreadlocks and so after adding the butter, I can just tie my hair up into a bun. I am also huge fan of head wraps, known as doek in South Africa. Those can get you by for a week. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.