By Amanda Khoza, Divisional Director: Transformation & Inclusion, Liberty Group
Starting a business is for the brave. It takes courage, optimizing on resources and having a big personality. We all know that a business that makes it is a reflection of who the entrepreneur is.
In December last year, Liberty began a journey of growth, partnerships and dreams with 26 amazing women entrepreneurs. Supported by Lionesses of Africa and The Standard Bank Incubator, we grabbed the opportunity to invest in making their financial freedom possible through the first Lionesses of Africa Accelerator Programme.
The bootcamps have centered on market readiness, customer-centricity and de-risking their businesses for enhanced market access opportunities. Strengthening the management, ownership and control of these businesses secures and positions them firmly as empowered and competent negotiators with and for the business of big business. It's been about building professionalism, persistence and resilience in their set purposes. All bruised egos have been countered with determination; any shortcomings have challenged them to innovate.
Liberty knows what it takes to go from being a thought to an idea to something tangible - we've built businesses and have innovated on product development. We know how to come up when it looks like we are down and out. We know the importance of small business and its valuable contribution to society - we should know, we were one once upon a time. We also have an added advantage of knowing that these women-owned businesses have breadth and depth - that's our takeaway from our vantage view of this journey. The Lionesses of Africa Accelerator Program for us has been about taking them to new heights. You can't help but admire their chutzpah and prowess.
When the programme ends this month, it will signal the start of an amazing chapter in their entrepreneurial journeys. We look forward to sharing their inspiring stories in future editions of The MiX. Their collective roar will reverberate into the places where deals are made - we know this; for a lioness is at ease with its strength and at rest with its power. We wish our entrepreneurs success; they have matured admirably in their power - they must recognize it and revel in it. We will watch expectantly as onward and upward the brave will go.
Amanda Khoza is the Divisional Director: Transformation & Inclusion at Liberty Group, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a passionate advocate for economic empowerment, financial literacy, and believes in the power of entrepreneurship to make real and lasting societal change happen on the African continent. Amanda is championing a host of initiatives for women entrepreneurs in South Africa, including partnering with Lionesses of Africa on the Lioness Lean In Liberty Sessions programme for intrapreneurs at Liberty, supporting The Mix newsletter each month as an impact partner, and joining with Standard Bank as the impact partners for the Lionesses of Africa Accelerator programme series in Johannesburg.