Entrepreneur Advice from Christine Buchanan - It can't be just about making money

November 7, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Louiza Rademan & Christine Buchanan, founders of oh-lief (South Africa) — **Louiza Rademan & Christine Buchanan**, founders of oh-lief (South Africa)

You should never embark upon an entrepreneurial venture with the aim just on making money....

"... it is essential to find something that you are really passionate about and that you understand. The danger is sometimes that you can have a great love for something, but if you are not fully conversant with everything it takes to make that passion turn into a business reality, then it is a problem. So you need to find a balance between your passion and the business side of things."

- Christine Buchanan is one half of a sister duo from South Africa who founded oh-lief Natural Products based on their love of all things natural and organic. They are capturing the imagination of customers looking for an alternative to the mass produced, chemically formulated skin and body care products on the market. The Oh-Lief Natural Products company is developing 100% natural and organic products that are truly world class.

Entrepreneur Advice from Marie-Noelle Elissac-Foy: Do not be afraid

November 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Marie-Noelle Elissac-Foy, founder of The Talent Factory (Mauritius) — **Marie-Noelle Elissac-Foy,** founder of The Talent Factory (Mauritius)

Do not be afraid...

"Do not be afraid to try. Do not be afraid to fail. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Find your added value and build your service offering on it. It is worth it!"

- Marie-Noelle Elissac-Foy is the founder of The Talent Factory, a boutique Public Relations consultancy in Mauritius. Marie-Noelle leads a consultancy business that specialises in crafting tailor-made Public relations & Communication solutions for businesses, SMEs, and start-ups. Before launching her company she worked in the media industry for over 10 years at La Sentinelle, one of the most important media groups of the Island. As Chief Editor, she managed various publications and editorial teams and also created Essentielle, a glossy women's magazine.

Entrepreneur Advice from Valerie Nyamwaya: There's no better way to live life

November 3, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Valerie Nyamwaya, founder of Afrivazi Limited (Kenya) — **Valerie Nyamwaya**, founder of Afrivazi Limited (Kenya)

There's no better way to live life....

"It is a tough journey but worthwhile - you get to learn a lot not only about yourself as an entrepreneur, but also about your industry and other issues, and what better way to live life than becoming a better version of who you are, and constantly improving and having an impact on other people's lives."

- Valerie Nyamwaya is the founder of Afrivazi Limited in Kenya, a fashion line and offers fashionable ‘Made in Kenya’ clothing and apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and children from local designers under their various brand names. Valerie’s love for fashion inspired her to pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree specializing in Clothing, Textile and Interior Design at Egerton University. The dream was realized further when she decided to become an entrepreneur, committed to revolutionizing the fashion industry in Africa.

Entrepreneur Advice from Adenike Ogunlesi: You need to achieve clarity and focus

November 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Adenike 'Nike' Ogunlesi, founder of Ruff 'n' Tumble (Nigeria) — Adenike 'Nike' Ogunlesi, founder of Ruff 'n' Tumble (Nigeria)

A sense of clarity and focus is always a great help to entrepreneurs....

“Be focused and clear in your mind about what you want to do, and if you set out to do something, complete it. It is also important that you develop yourself, to know your strengths and weaknesses,”

- Adenike 'Nike' Ogunlesi is the founder of Ruff 'n' Tumble a leading designer, manufacturer and retailer of designer children's clothing in Nigeria. Nike started out modestly in 1996 selling the clothes she made from the boot of her car and in bazaars. Today, Ruff 'n' Tumble is an instantly recognisable brand in Nigeria and has a reputation for being one of the top manufacturers of children's clothing throughout West Africa. Ruff 'n' Tumble successfully caters to the unique fashion sense of today’s youngsters, from new born to age 16, happily mixing indigenous lifestyle trends with an international appeal.

Entrepreneur Advice from Carrol Boyes: Get the right staff for your business through referrals

October 31, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Recruiting the right people is always tricky. Referrals are the way to go....

“Recruiting new staff is always tough; people may come with excellent credentials, but until they are actually doing the job, you never know what you are going to end up with. That’s one of the reasons why I prefer to employ people who are personally referred to me.”

- Carrol Boyes is an iconic South African designer who has built a global brand. She founded Carrol Boyes (Pty) Ltd in 1991 combining her artistic flair and talent in sculpture with her jewellery experience to create an extensive range of distinctive homeware, giftware, flatware and table top products. Today, her company designs and manufactures a meticulously crafted product range of well over 1000 items and sells over a million items every year. Products are always imbued with Carrol's trademark artistic flair and finesse. The brand is available through her 35 branded shops in South Africa and in over 30 other countries around the world.

Entrepreneur Advice from Memuna Williams: Trust your instincts

October 27, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Memuna Williams, founder of Avantgarde Translations — **Memuna Williams**, founder of Avantgarde Translations

Trust your instincts....

"I would advise a woman looking to start up a business to trust her instincts, while at the same time, pay attention to and listen to the large volume of consensus advice that is out there on starting and running a successful venture. Both trusting that she is right and paying attention to advice will help move the business forward faster by avoiding second guessing and by reducing the number of mistakes that would otherwise be made."

- Memuna Williams is the founder of Avantgarde Translations, providing professional translation, interpreting and related language services, in major world languages, to businesses and to government entities around the world from their offices in the United States, Canada and Africa. Memuna has more than 16 years of experience in the translation industry as a freelancer and in-house translator and manager of multilingual projects for top U.S. and Canadian companies. She has been certified by the American Translators Association and has an MBA.

Entrepreneur Advice from Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu: Fair Trade practices enhance your brand appeal

October 24, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Fair Trade practices enhance your brand appeal....

“At soleRebels we believe that people around the world want much more from their brands. They want to see that the company that makes the products cares as much about the people who make their products as they do about reducing their footprint on the world. We believe that concern for our workers is real style and something that never goes out of fashion!”

- Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world's fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world. Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year. soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.

Entrepreneur Advice from Tabitha Karanja: Value your relationships with people

October 23, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Always value the people around you - it is they who help you succeed....

“I have my family to thank for motivating me to succeed, in addition to many Kenyans who have continued to stand by us. My employees have also believed in my dream and helped me accomplish it and without them I would not be where I am today”

- Tabitha Karanja is founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries. She is one of Kenya's leading entrepreneurs, a remarkable trailblazer and an example of a woman made good against all the odds. Tabitha chose to venture where none before her had dared. She took on an 87-year-old business monopoly and entered an industry with a deeply entrenched male gender stereotype. Tabitha broke the mould to become Kenya’s first home-grown beer and alcoholic drink manufacturer. Today, her company's state-of-the-art production facility is targeting 20% of the Kenyan market.

Entrepreneur Advice from Messaynesh Geberesilassie: Follow your dreams

October 20, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Messaynesh Geberesilassie, founder of Mela — **Messaynesh Geberesilassie**, founder of Mela

Follow your dreams...

"... follow your dreams. It can be hard and it takes time and energy. If you have faith and believe in yourself you will find a way. Talk to people, share your idea, you never know what happens next."

- Messaynesh Geberesilassie is the founder of Mela, a small scale, family-owned enterprise providing employment to a handful of artisans who produce beautiful traditionally hand woven 100% Ethiopian cotton scarfs and leather products. She is passionate about creating viable markets for artisan crafted goods in order to preserve the ancient traditions of craftsmanship.

Entrepreneur Advice from Lucy Worsley: Do it! No one else will do it for you

October 19, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Lucy Worsley, founder of Empire Experiential Marketing (South Africa) — **Lucy Worsley**, founder of Empire Experiential Marketing (South Africa)

Do it! No one else will do it for you....

"If you are really serious and passionate about something - do it! no one else will do it for you. Remember these wise words: “IN ORDER TO BE IRREPLACEABLE, ONE MUST ALWAYS BE DIFFERENT”. ― Coco Chanel"

- Lucy Worsley is the founder of Empire Experiential Marketing in South Africa, a female driven experiential agency that prides itself in creating unforgettable and flawless experiences that resonate with women of all ages and races. They achieve this through specially curated events that start the conversation between brands and the female market. Lucy is a 26 year-old creative, a lover of food, an under cover nerd , a fashion fundi, and an experiential extraordinaire.

Entrepreneur Advice from Tariro Makina: Savour the process

October 18, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Tariro Makina, founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant (Zimbabwe) — **Tariro Makina,** founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant (Zimbabwe)

Savour the process....

"Savour the process. There are going to be a lot of flavours you are going to taste from working on your startup. Bitter, sweet and everything else in between. It is this process where you draw your lessons and experiences. Regardless of how you finish, always live to fight another day. It could be in the same venture or a completely new one. Whatever it turns out to be, remember it is the process that takes you where you desire to be. Live it. Savour it. Enjoy it."

- Tariro Makina is the founder of Twenty47 Virtual Assistant in Zimbabwe, a company that specialises in providing flexible business support solutions to small and medium sized businesses across the world. Tariro's experience comes from years of working in event, internet service and finance industries and she held several roles including management in the Information Technology space.

Entrepreneur Advice from Gérsia Sequeira: Passion, Confidence & Patience

October 17, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Gérsia Sequeira, co-founder of Instituto de Tecnologias, Inovação e Serviços - ITIS (Mozambique) — **Gérsia Sequeira**, co-founder of Instituto de Tecnologias, Inovação e Serviços - ITIS (Mozambique)

Essential advice....

"Wherever you go never forget to take with you the 3 faithful friends: Passion, Confidence and Patience"

- Gércia Sequeira is the founder and Executive Director of ITIS, the Institute of Technology Innovation and Services. The company is a real innovator in Mozambique and has won an SME Innovation Award for its products and business solutions, which run in 8 higher education institutions in the country and which have graduated more than 15 000 students.

Entrepreneur Advice from Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass: If you have an idea and dream then just realise it

October 16, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass, founders of DUBARUBA — **Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass**, founders of DUBARUBA

If you have an idea and dream then just realise it....

"Do not be afraid to fail. You will learn many things on the go. Only calculate your risks - it pays off to lose time and money in order to realise your dreams. Do not start a business only for the money, because you will lose your motivation easily if you experience failure."

- Adiam Emnay & Anne-Sophie Wass are the co-founders of DUBARUBA, an eCommerce platform based in Austria showcasing the work of some of Africa’s most talented designers and brands to a discerning European marketplace. The name DUBARUBA comes from a village located a few miles south of the Eritrean capital of Asmera and the company is a celebration of the vast and diverse universe of African designers, artists, and brands. It pays tribute to the creativity of young talented designers and artists, most of whom are undiscovered by the world at large. The products presented on DUBARUBA are carefully selected by the team and most are unique handmade items that come from small producers.

Entrepreneur Advice from Shola Ade-Okafor: Talk to as many people as possible

October 13, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Shola Ade-Okafor, founder of BlushinGirl Tools (Kenya) — **Shola Ade-Okafor**, founder of BlushinGirl Tools (Kenya)

Talk to as many people as possible....

"Just do it! Be sure you are passionate about the business you intend to start, and talk to as many people as possible within your target market to get an idea of how viable your business idea is."

- Shola Ade-Okafor is the founder of BlushinGirl Tools in Kenya, a cosmetic company that provides top quality makeup and professional makeup tools primarily for the African woman. After completing her MBA at the University of Sunderland in the UK, Shola knew she wanted to work in the beauty industry and worked at House of Tara in Nigeria for one year where she gained valuable industry experience. Shola then moved to Nairobi with her spouse and set up her own makeup business providing professional makeup classes and producing a line of makeup specifically formulated for African women.

Entrepreneur Advice from Teta Isibo: Never stifle your dreams and aspirations

October 12, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Dream big and don't be scared....

“Never stifle your dreams and aspirations; if they don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”

- Teta Isibo is the creative mind behind Inzuki a dynamic young Rwandan brand specializing in jewelry, accessories and interior decor hand-made primarily from local materials. With no background in fashion or business, Teta quit her job as an urban planner with the city of Kigali to start her own business. Today Inzuki (bees in the local language) is part of a wider Rwandan cultural Renaissance. The company’s product design philosophy is a fusion of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary style, which has helped Teta gain a pool of clients from South Africa to the USA.

Entrepreneur Advice from Linda Gieskes Mwamba: Start small and let it grow organically

October 11, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Linda Gieskes Mwamba, founder of Suki Suki Naturals. Image by Michael Griffin — **Linda Gieskes Mwamba**, founder of Suki Suki Naturals. Image by Michael Griffin

Start small and let it grow organically....

"Start your business for the love and passion for what you do, because that is what is going to drive you and make you want to wake up in the morning when things are difficult. And don’t try and do too much too soon, take things one step at a time and remember that you will get there, it’s just a matter of evolving your business - start small and let it grow organically."

- Linda Gieskes Mwamba is the founder of Suki Suki Naturals, an Indie, Natural, and African Hair Care Brand. She is a lawyer with a passion for being an entrepreneur who identified a gap in the market for hair products specifically formulated with black women in mind.

Entrepreneur Advice from Eva Sonaike: You really have to stand out and be persistent

October 10, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Eva Sonaike, founder of Eva Sonaike — **Eva Sonaike**, founder of Eva Sonaike

You have to find a way to stand out....

"... you have to have a great product, idea or service. The market is over-flooded with so much these days, that you really have to stand out! Then be persistent and don't be discouraged if there is a 'no' or some doors won't open. You have to have a lot of stamina and keep going. It is an ongoing journey, which can be very frustrating sometimes, but if you stay positive and focused, unexpected things may happen!"

- Eva Sonaike is a talented Nigerian interior designer and lifestyle brand creator. Her London-based company, Eva Sonaike, creates luxurious textiles, home-décor and accessories with a distinctive and vibrant West-African aesthetic. Eva's products are are carried by many of London's top stores such as Selfridges, Liberty and Fenwick of Bond Street.

Entrepreneur Advice from Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera: Don't hesitate to use your talents

October 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera, founder of Glo Creations in Rwanda — **Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera**, founder of Glo Creations in Rwanda

Don't hesitate to use your talents to start a new business....

"My advice to women and young girls is simple; if you realise your talent or skills to do something, do not hesitate to use it. Women should not underestimate their potential. All a woman has to do is believe in her potential and then pursue her passion by equipping herself with skills and knowledge that are related to their talent."

- Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera, founded Glo Creations in Rwanda in 2008, a textile design company that also produces fashionable clothing, and home décor items. What Kamanzi is undoubtedly best known for is her batik art, using a uniquely African hand dyeing and printing technique. In 2012, she was awarded the Best Young Entrepreneur award in Kigali by the Ministry of Labour and Public Service. In the same year, she was the 1st runner up (tailoring cluster) in the HEAP (Handicraft Excellence Award Programme), a national competition for handcrafts organised under the Ministry of Commerce.

Entrepreneur Advice from Mireille Karera: Surround yourself with people who you lift you up

October 6, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Mireille Karera, founder of KORA Associates — **Mireille Karera**, founder of KORA Associates

Surround yourself with people who you lift you up....

"You may not have the most supportive environment around you, but there is always an individual person or a group of people you can connect with. Surround yourself with people who you lift you up, instead of those who bring you down or dismiss your dreams and vision. Be careful who you share your dreams with, before they take shape. You might be discouraged to even start something by sharing your business vision and goal with the wrong people."

- Mireille Karera is the founder of KORA Associates, a consulting and coaching company headquartered in Dubai, U.A.E, with operations in Africa. Mereille is of Rwandan origin and recently opened the company's latest subsidiary in Rwanda. She speaks 7 languages fluently (English, French, German, Rwandan, Swahili, Burundian and Lingala) and in earlier years pursued her passion for languages which earned her a Bachelor Degree in Business & Legal Translation in Cologne, Germany.

Entrepreneur Advice from Monica Musonda: Watch your pennies

October 5, 2017 Melanie Hawken

Monica Musonda, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Java Foods (Zambia) — Monica Musonda, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Java Foods (Zambia)

Watch your pennies...

"Carefully that is. Learn to manage your finances properly. Account for EVERYTHING. It’s the only way to assess expenditure versus your profit. Plan your cash flows. Get money smart. Always."

- Monica Musonda is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Java Foods, a food processing company based in Zambia. Monica's vision is to revolutionize the eating habits of the youth market by offering them affordable and nutritious food options made from local products. Monica is a dual-qualified English solicitor and Zambian advocate with over 15 years of experience in legal practice and corporate management, including being corporate counsel at the International Finance Corporation and for Aliko Dangote of Dangote Industries Limited.