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Lionesses of Africa

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The Pride of Africa's Women Entrepreneurs

the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs

Lionesses of Africa

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Ahead Of Her Time: How A One Woman Startup Became A Global Publishing Brand by Judy Piatkus 

March 21, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Judy Piatkus

Judy Piatkus

Book Review

Ahead Of Her Time: How A One Woman Startup Became A Global Publishing Brand is the inspiring memoir of female entrepreneur Judy Piatkus, who acquired the book series that inspired the global #1 Netflix hit, Bridgerton. She founded her business, Piatkus Books, in her spare bedroom back in 1979. Determined to empower women’s voices as a single-mother with a child with learning disabilities at a time when being a self-made, female entrepreneur was rare, Judy defied expectations. Through her determination, Judy influenced, shaped, and gave rise to the cultural and professional perception of personal growth and mind, body spirit publishing.

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Too Big For Your Boots: How I Built a 7-figure Brand as a Young Entrepreneur with No Startup Funds and No Experience by Liv Conlon

March 13, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Liv Conlon

Liv Conlon

Book Review

As a then 16-year-old with no start-up funds, no experience, and no track record, Liv Conlon, author of Too Big For Your Boots, built a multi-million-pound business & multi-award winning personal brand in her teens. She also won the coveted UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, has interviewed some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs on her podcast. To top it all, she was invited to dinner with the Prime Minister, all before the age of 21.

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Respond with Confidence: The Business Owner’s Blueprint for Handling Difficult Situations by Nancy Ganzekaufer

February 28, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Nancy Ganzekaufer

Nancy Ganzekaufer

Book Review

Business coach Nancy Ganzekaufer, author of the new book Respond with Confidence: The Business Owner’s Blueprint for Handling Difficult Situations, believes that if your words have ever worked against you, you are not alone. She says the words you choose can make or break a situation. And the way you use your words (and your body language) can either help or hurt your business relationships. She knows this firsthand. That’s why in her new book she is on a mission to share the secrets to responding to any scenario in business effectively and with confidence.

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Do What You Love, Love What You Do: The Empowering Secrets to Turn Your Passion Into Profit by Holly Tucker

February 21, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Holly Tucker MBE

Holly Tucker MBE

Book Review

Holly Tucker MBE, co-founder of notonthehighstreet and creator of Holly & Co, is on a mission to change business forever, and in her new book Do What You Love, Love What You Do, she is on her way to doing just that. Having inspired over 100,000 entrepreneurs and identified the keys to their success, Holly now wants to help anyone build a business doing what they love, leading to a happier and more fulfilled life.

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She Made It by Angelica Malin

February 14, 2021 Melanie Hawken
She-Made-It-Collage.jpg

Book Review

For all those aspirant women entrepreneurs who want to go out and launch the business of their dreams, award-winning rising star entrepreneur and author, Angelica Malin, shows you how in her new book She Made It.

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Voguepreneurs: Women Entrepreneurs Who Have Built Million Dollar Brands Through Digital Platforms by Andrea Siracuse

February 7, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Andrea Siracuse

Andrea Siracuse

Book Review

Can everyone build a brand through digital platforms? Andrea Siracuse, author of Voguepreneurs: Women Entrepreneurs Who Have Built Million Dollar Brands Through Digital Platforms, sets out to find out why some women rise to the top and others flop at building brands through digital platforms.

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50 Mighty Words To Grow Your Business by Felicity Cowie

January 31, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Felicity Cowie

Felicity Cowie

Book Review

The biggest threat to business growth is failure to communicate, but help is at hand from Felicity Cowie, author of 50 Mighty Words to Grow Your Business. If you are a start-up or scale-up, with ambitions to be a world-class business by 2030, you can take heart from Felicity because she believes you have an enormous advantage over today’s major players. You can do something they can never do. You can eradicate the root cause of communication failure, from the early creation of your business and its culture. The root cause is guesswork. You start with just 50 mighty words.

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We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power By Rachel Rodgers

January 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Rachel Rodgers

Rachel Rodgers

Book Review

Rachel Rodgers, founder of Hello Seven, and the author of We Should All Be Millionaires, is on a mission to coach women to scale their businesses and their lives to seven figures, and she says it’s time for real change to happen. While ninety percent of the world’s millionaires are men, only ten percent are women, making it difficult for women to wield the economic power that will create lasting equality.

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My Piece Of The Pie: A Collection Of Stories From Black Women Entrepreneurs by Shanicia Boswell

January 17, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Shanicia Boswell

Shanicia Boswell

Book Review

One of the best things an entrepreneur can do is tell her story, and that is what author and mompreneur Shanicia Boswell is doing in My Piece Of The Pie: A Collection of Stories From Black Women Entrepreneurs. When a creator vocalizes how she has turned lemons into lemonade, it will in invigorate another to keep going. My Piece of the Pie delivers eight dynamic experiences and perspectives of entrepreneurship from passionately engaging African American female entrepreneurs. Each author curates a piece of her story to reveal the triumphs and sacrifices to demand her piece of the pie.

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Women Going Global: Real-Life Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Doing Business Across Borders by Tonya McNeal-Weary

January 10, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Tonya McNeal-Weary

Tonya McNeal-Weary

Book Review

In her new book, Women Going Global: Real-Life Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Doing Business Across Borders, Tonya McNeal-Weary invites you to be inspired by the stories of trailblazing women who have succeeded despite the societal biases that attempted to hold them back.

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Move the Needle: Yarns from an Unlikely Entrepreneur by Shelley Brander

January 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken
Shelley Brander

Shelley Brander

Book Review

People always ask Shelley Brander, author of the new book Move the Needle: Yarns from an Unlikely Entrepreneur, what possessed her to leave the successful advertising firm she founded with her husband to open a local yarn store. And then they wonder how that one storefront grew into an e-commerce business, and from there into a global movement to Knit the World Together. In Move the Needle, Shelley shares stories from her life to show that you can pursue your life's passions, both personal and professional, no matter how quirky or impossible they may seem to everyone around you.

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Power Your Profits by Susie Carder

December 27, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Susie Carder

Susie Carder

Book Review

Power Your Profits by Susie Carder is a comprehensive, bulletproof start-to-finish plan for taking your business from startup mode to the multi-million-dollar mark, straight from the inventor of the Predictable Success Method™.

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Banking On It: How I Disrupted an Industry by Anne Boden, ceo & founder, Starling Bank

December 20, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Anne Boden, ceo and founder of Starling Bank

Anne Boden, ceo and founder of Starling Bank

Book Review

Banking On It by Anne Boden, ceo and founder of Starling Bank, is the first-hand account of one woman's quest to rebuild Britain's broken banking system. After a lengthy career at the top of some of Britain's leading banks Anne had become disillusioned with the status quo - the financial crash had broken trust in the whole sector but there seemed to be little appetite to make the most of emerging technologies to revolutionize customer experience. Increasingly frustrated with the inertia within the industry she decided to shake things up herself by doing something totally radical - setting up her own bank.

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Winging It: Stop Thinking, Start Doing: Why Action Beats Planning Every Time by Emma Isaacs

December 13, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Emma Isaacs

Emma Isaacs

Book Review

Winging It by entrepreneur and author Emma Isaacs is a powerful call for women everywhere to forget perfectionism and start winging it. Emma forgot to draw up her life plan. She doesn’t have a list of five-year goals, and she doesn’t believe in work-life balance. Yet somehow she’s managed to found a multimillion-dollar global organization, become a highly sought-after speaker and media commentator, and be recognized as a prominent voice in women’s leadership―all while raising six young children. So how does she do it all? She dives in headfirst and wings it.

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Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable by Jamie Kern Lima

December 6, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Jamie Kern Lima

Jamie Kern Lima

Book Review

In Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable, Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, shares the wild but true story of how a once struggling waitress turned her against-the-grain idea into an international bestselling sensation. She eventually sold the company for over a billion dollars and became the first female CEO of a brand in L’Oréal’s 100+ year history.

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The Girlfriend’s Guide to Closing the Deal by Melody Spann Cooper

November 29, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Melody Spann Cooper

Melody Spann Cooper

Book Review

Melody Spann Cooper is one of the USA’s leading female broadcast executives who has mastered the art of Closing the Deal. In her debut book, The Girlfriend’s Guide to Closing the Deal, she shares her story of finding her voice in a male-dominated industry. In this semi-autobiographical work, Melody uses her special brand of warmth, candor and wit as she shares with readers how they can use their power to enhance opportunities as the highest level.

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Solo: How to Work Alone (and not lose your mind) by Rebecca Seal

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Rebecca Seal

Rebecca Seal

Book Review

Solo: How to Work Alone (and not lose your mind) by author Rebecca Seal is the self-help guide that solopreneurs, freelancers and all those business owners who are now working from home, have been waiting for. It is a practical source of information and advice for all those who need to be happy and productive working from home, whilst at the same time addressing the emotional and mental challenges that working alone can bring.

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Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters by Kara Goldin

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Kara Goldin

Kara Goldin

Book Review

Don’t let anyone crush your dreams! Whatever you want to achieve, no matter how hard it might seem, you owe it to yourself to read Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters by author and entrepreneur Kara Goldin. Undaunted will inspire you to move past your fears and defy the doubters. It doesn’t matter whether you feel confident; it matters what you actually do.

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Listen Up!: How to Tune In to Customers and Turn Down the Noise by Karen Mangia

November 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Karen Mangia

Karen Mangia

Book Review

Savvy business leaders know that the "customer is king”, that’s according to Karen Mangia, author of the new book Listen Up!: How to Tune In to Customers and Turn Down the Noise. The voice of the customer is what matters most in critical business decisions. How are you responding to customer concerns? Your answer is crucial to the growth of your business and your revenues. But are businesses really listening to their customers?

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No Plan B: A Handbook for Incurable Entrepreneurs and Other Rebellious Souls by Heather Thorkelson

November 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken
Heather Thorkelson

Heather Thorkelson

Book Review

In her brand new book, ‘No Plan B: A Handbook for Incurable Entrepreneurs and Other Rebellious Souls’, Heather Thorkelson is appealing to self-motivated humans willing to trade the "safety" of the 9 - 5 for the freedom to create their own livelihoods. As she documents in this fascinating handbook, Heather makes no bones about the fact that uncertain income, intermittent failure and self-doubt are guaranteed on the entrepreneurial startup journey. So are a deep sense of satisfaction and a well-lived life in event of success.

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Tech FoundHER AFRICA CHALLENGE

MEET THE 10 FINALISTS — We look forward to announcing the winning women founders on 19 November 2025.


CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


LATEST PODCAST

Lioness Radio Show Interview: Listen to Mr Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of the African Guarantee Fund, discussing the journey from Bias to Bankable - AGF’s Case for Financing Women Entrepreneurs.


LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORIES

LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Vanessa Mhlom, a South African wellness brand builder
Vanessa Mhlom, a South African wellness brand builder
Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, two social impact entrepreneurs building a high-growth, premium sustainable homeware business
Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, two social impact entrepreneurs building a high-growth, premium sustainable homeware business
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi, an agripreneur focused on climate-smart solutions
Dr. Phindi Cebekhulu-Msomi, an agripreneur focused on climate-smart solutions
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy

IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

Image of the Day / ‘57 Chocolate

Bean to bar luxury chocolate… Taste the difference with the finest chocolate lovingly produced by ‘57 Chocolate, the pioneer bean to bar chocolate manufacturer in Ghana, created by sisters Kimberle
Image of the Day / Kebe Home

Handcrafted home decor …We are big fans of the work of Manuela Kamadjou, an interior architecture and design entrepreneur who transforms homes and spaces in Cameroon through her business, Kebe Home. Her new Echo V
Image of the Day / Pichulik

Beautiful bracelets… Introducing The Aruba Bracelets by Katherine-Mary Pichulik, the founder and designer behind the Pichulik line of accessories. Pichulik is an ethical jewellery, accessories and womenswear atelie
Image of the Day / Eva Sonaike

Vibrant textile design…This striking textile design by Eva Sonaike caught our eye this morning. Like the rest of the world, we love the African aesthetic which is increasingly finding its way into global interio
Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The
Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis
Image of the Day / Aya K Design

Sophisticated sandal style…If you love design that combines traditional with modern style, then these sandals from Aya K Design, founded by Aya Keita in Cote d’Ivoire, are a must-buy. Aya is an entreprene
Image of the Day / Ruahh

Heritage-inspired accessories…Michelle Hammond is the founder and ceo of accessories brand, Ruahh. Her Ghanaian heritage has provided a rich source of inspiration and symbolism that she is rightly proud of. Today, Mic
Image of the Day / Dvyn Treat Batamba’s

Premium Coffee Experience…We love a great cup of coffee in a morning at Lionesses of Africa, and so we are fans of Dvyn Treat Batamba’s great coffee brand in Mozambique, co-founded by Emilia
Image of the Day / Glo Creations

Tantalizing textiles…We love these eye-catching cushions, created by Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera who founded Glo Creations in Rwanda in 2008. Her textile design business also produces fashionable clothing and home
Image of the Day / ‘57 Chocolate

Bean to bar luxury chocolate… Taste the difference with the finest chocolate lovingly produced by ‘57 Chocolate, the pioneer bean to bar chocolate manufacturer in Ghana, created by sisters Kimberle Image of the Day / Kebe Home

Handcrafted home decor …We are big fans of the work of Manuela Kamadjou, an interior architecture and design entrepreneur who transforms homes and spaces in Cameroon through her business, Kebe Home. Her new Echo V Image of the Day / Pichulik

Beautiful bracelets… Introducing The Aruba Bracelets by Katherine-Mary Pichulik, the founder and designer behind the Pichulik line of accessories. Pichulik is an ethical jewellery, accessories and womenswear atelie Image of the Day / Eva Sonaike

Vibrant textile design…This striking textile design by Eva Sonaike caught our eye this morning. Like the rest of the world, we love the African aesthetic which is increasingly finding its way into global interio Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Luxury statement accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The Image of the Day / Dathonga Designs

Traditional craft elevated…We love the impact-driven accessories created by Márcia Nangy O’Connell, founder and artistic director of Dathonga Designs in Mozambique. Since 2010, she has establis Image of the Day / Aya K Design

Sophisticated sandal style…If you love design that combines traditional with modern style, then these sandals from Aya K Design, founded by Aya Keita in Cote d’Ivoire, are a must-buy. Aya is an entreprene Image of the Day / Ruahh

Heritage-inspired accessories…Michelle Hammond is the founder and ceo of accessories brand, Ruahh. Her Ghanaian heritage has provided a rich source of inspiration and symbolism that she is rightly proud of. Today, Mic Image of the Day / Dvyn Treat Batamba’s

Premium Coffee Experience…We love a great cup of coffee in a morning at Lionesses of Africa, and so we are fans of Dvyn Treat Batamba’s great coffee brand in Mozambique, co-founded by Emilia Image of the Day / Glo Creations

Tantalizing textiles…We love these eye-catching cushions, created by Gloria Kamanzi Uwizera who founded Glo Creations in Rwanda in 2008. Her textile design business also produces fashionable clothing and home

STARTUP STORIES. MEET THE WOMEN WHO’VE LAUNCHED.

Featured
Lerato Masuku, a South African construction business builder with a passion for infrastructure development and job creation
Lerato Masuku, a South African construction business builder with a passion for infrastructure development and job creation
Olamide Alade, a Nigerian fashion brand builder with a passion for weaving cultural heritage into every garment
Olamide Alade, a Nigerian fashion brand builder with a passion for weaving cultural heritage into every garment
Mirza Jamal, a Mozambican marcomms expert empowering businesses and brands
Mirza Jamal, a Mozambican marcomms expert empowering businesses and brands
Lovable Dladla, a South African entrepreneur turning a passion for baking into a growing business
Lovable Dladla, a South African entrepreneur turning a passion for baking into a growing business
Gladys Kgorane, an entrepreneur creating special events and wellness retreats for those looking for rest and relaxation
Gladys Kgorane, an entrepreneur creating special events and wellness retreats for those looking for rest and relaxation

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LIONESS BOOK REVIEWS

Featured
Built on Purpose: Discover Your Deep Inner Why and Manifest the Business of Your Dreams by Betsy Fore
Built on Purpose: Discover Your Deep Inner Why and Manifest the Business of Your Dreams by Betsy Fore
The Magnetic Female Entrepreneur: The Art of Empowered Presence, Rising to New Levels of Impact and Influence, and Financial Success on Your Own Terms  by Mary Grant
The Magnetic Female Entrepreneur: The Art of Empowered Presence, Rising to New Levels of Impact and Influence, and Financial Success on Your Own Terms by Mary Grant
Women Entrepreneurs Rewired To Rise: Powerful Habits that Break Through Burnout, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Build a Thriving Business from the Inside Out  by Fiona Soutter
Women Entrepreneurs Rewired To Rise: Powerful Habits that Break Through Burnout, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Build a Thriving Business from the Inside Out by Fiona Soutter
Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business by Liz Elting
Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business by Liz Elting
After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup by Julia Austin
After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup by Julia Austin

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