How big is your dream to grow your business, and how can you achieve this? Watch the replay of our latest livestream where WomHub COO Anjani Harjeven explores ideas with Sharne Bloem, founder of the social enterprise Team Mahali, and shares an exciting announcement for female founders! Sharne speaks passionately about Team Mahali’s sustainable building projects, as they strive to build socially inclusive communities that generate biodiversity and support meaningful jobs and livelihoods. This includes choosing locally manufactured materials and implementing upcycling. For example, the team has used plastic bags that are crocheted by local ladies for cladding, flooring made from shipping palettes that are stripped, sanded down and varnished, and a container as a house-in-a-box concept. They also consider social impact, such as using local communities to help with the building process. The heart of the vision behind Team Mahali is to bring change to the building industry from the net zero and carbon neutrality point of view, which is key for how the future looks for us and future generations. This is aligned with the objectives of WomHub’s Circular Economy Incubator in partnership with South African Future Trust 2021, which Sharne participated in. She shares how the programme helped her travel this journey with fellow female founders who participated in the incubator, to see the struggles and breakthroughs that they go through, to connect with mentors and learn how to pitch her business effectively in a short and pressurized amount of time, which is essential when pitching to potential investors for funding. Take a look for more insight and inspiration from Sharne, and to catch Anjani’s announcement: The exciting news is that WomHub will be giving Western Cape based female founders in STEM the opportunity to participate in WomHub’s Western Cape Economic Growth Amplifier programme, giving an opportunity for growth funding, access to WomHub’s soon-to-be-opened innovation hub in Cape Town, key financial coaching and mentorship, plus catalytic growth opportunities. Follow our social media updates for more information.
Do make a note to join us for our next valuable livestream session from 19h00 – 19h30 on Tuesday 13 September, when we’ll address the topic of Funding Female Founders. Simply hop onto our WomHub Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or YouTube channel and feel free to participate and engage, see you then!
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This is a story about luck, chance, faith, and a world of possibilities. It began one Sunday when I was sitting with one of my mentors and an amazing leader - having spoken for hours non-stop in his closing remarks he suggested I try my luck and apply for the HB Antwerp Innovation Lab in partnership with WomHub that was coming to Gaborone in August 2022.
I said - “Sure”. Not much thought was put into that part of the conversation. I however did a Google search and to say the least - I was intrigued. A spark of curiosity and awe was born. I had not felt this feeling in weeks if not months. I did not apply. I shared the link with a couple of my friends & went about my day. Two days later after the meeting with my mentor I decided to pass time and go over the WomHub & HB Antwerp websites and social media pages. It was then that by mistake or by fate I clicked the application link to the second edition of the HB Antwerp Innovation Lab. It was a straightforward form that was not time consuming. I browsed through it and a voice in my head said, “What do I have to lose?” I applied and, after a few minutes, got a confirmation email that I had applied - we all get these emails and it always ends here. Well not with WomHub and HB Antwerp. I called a few friends whom I shared this with whom I suggested should apply - one actually did go on the site and try applying but because of pessimistic tendencies did not apply. My friend chuckled and said this could be a kidnapping syndicate or online scammers. I concurred; this was a compelling argument. How can a Belgian company and a Pan African non-profit work together to come to Botswana to help Batswana? What was the catch? What do they benefit? Surely, they will get us and sell us on the black market. To move away from the heavy thoughts I had just had, I googled what a Hackathon was - I mean I knew it from the movie The Social Network. A bunch of tech gurus come together to build some cool, fancy tech product that one day ends up being a billion-dollar company. And I thought that was just what the HB Antwerp Innovation Lab Hackathon was. That is just what I had signed up for. I am excited, I am going to be at the Hackathon, I do not have any tech skills so most definitely me and my team will fail cause - I bring zero tech skills besides some knowledge I had gained from CodeAcademy. Fast forward, a few weeks later an email comes through and to my amusement I am part of the 50 applicants selected to participate in the Hackathon. This was my “Mama, I made it” moment. This email detailed how the next coming weeks would include an intense series of virtual inductions with thought leaders on how to pitch, how hackathons work, sustainability and positive impact training, and the magnificent leadership from WomHub, HB Antwerp and the amazing work they have been doing across their various sectors. Through these inductions I had come to realize that WomHub and HB Antwerp are about emancipation, empowerment, uplifting and upskilling the youth - women and men. HB Antwerp and WomHub actually care about the future - the next generation. The work that WomHub and HB Antwerp is centered around sustainability and value creation. This was where they caught my attention. If in a few weeks HB Antwerp was to come along with WomHub and abduct us, I sure was ready. Something about being in the space of people who share a common thing that makes you convinced that everything can be conquered by the right team and right mindset. Hackathon Day comes - 2nd August 2022. I walked into the hall, and I was ushered into this big hall, and I could feel the energy. I know nobody here but something about everyone waking up bright and early that was so infectious. I take my sit and the proceedings begin shortly thereafter - I realize “No man, this is real, the Belgians (HB Antwerp) are here, WomHub is here everyone is here 49 other participants are here & we are about to begin” I am not worried about being kidnapped anymore. The hackathon is not anywhere close to what I thought it would be - nothing tech related but rather it is everything about being in a room with likeminded people with a common goal. The Hackathon was about diversity, learning - learning yourself and your team, and burning brain power to solve a challenge unique to Botswana with strangers who I now call my team. The Hackathon taught me about how diversity is power. The fact that we did not know each other but trusted each other to work together in our groups to solve a common problem. It reinforced the sentiment that teamwork makes the dream work. I was here not feeling incompetent as I would have thought I felt at home, I felt accepted, I felt engaged and above all I learned more about myself and people than I had ever done in the past 3 months. A major takeaway from the Hackathon was that in this big ball called earth we all have an obligation to do something that matters, something the next generation will appreciate we did now. We often care about ourselves; the Hackathon was designed to help us move out of our traditional boxes and think about how we can contribute in impactful ways and generate value for others and our community. It matters to do good in a world that has not been so good to us all. An experience that came at the right time, in the midst of COVID-19. The Hackathon was not just a competition, it was more of an experience of connecting with others. It challenged me to be vulnerable and unleash my superpower and mixing it with other participants’ superpower to make a remarkable contribution. Having enjoyed the Hackathon, I had a moment when I was outside with other participants to reflect how this Hackathon has impacted me and my future work. Working in the real estate industry and currently studying, the Hackathon has taught me to believe in collaboration. I know something that someone does not, and someone knows something I don’t and when we share this, we become stronger together. In the classroom the teacher knows something I don’t and on site the foreman knows something I don’t, and I don’t dismiss any contribution from anyone. There is value to be generated from all spectrums of the value chain. We are stronger together. In the end, ultimately what matters is that we contribute in a positive manner, and nobody is too small to make a significant contribution. In any undertaking I owe it to myself and those I work with to think long term and about the impact we bring, what value to offer back to those we serve. I came back feeling like a newborn - with curiosity and energy to explore. Like WomHub and HB Antwerp it is imperative that we serve. My first day at work after the Hackathon, I asked my principals – “how is this sustainable? Will it be there long after us?” and that is the legacy of the HB Antwerp Innovation Lab Hackathon. I am now a sustainable oriented type of individual. Sustainability through positive value generation and positive impact is the conversation the next generation of leaders need to be having. Thanks to all the participants who took a chance to trust WomHub and HB Antwerp to facilitate this. We might not have all won the Hackathon but by virtue of being a part of this we were all winners. Special Shoutout to the alumni of the first HB Antwerp Innovation Lab for making our experience what it was. Special gratitude goes to everyone far and beyond who made this possible. Larry O. Motshegwe Continuing with our theme for August of celebrating Women’s Month here in South Africa, we addressed the importance and value of mentorship in our latest livestream, and how powerful it is for us to support one another and lift our fellow women as we rise. Mentorship offers a golden opportunity for growth and it forms an integral part of Womhub’s programmes. We are so grateful to Elizabeth Chiza for the wonderful mentorship she provides for our founders, and for sharing her special insight and inspiration in this session, which you can watch below. Elizabeth is a business development manager and small business consultant, who has travelled a fascinating journey and has a mentorship portfolio that includes women entrepreneurs in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. She provides excellent tips and advice, including recommending that “Before embarking on a mentorship path, the mentee and mentor should set some ground rules and agree on goals and expected outcomes for the relationship.” She suggests that you “Map the route jointly to ensure that you're both on the same page.” Watch the recording below for plenty more valuable guidance from Elizabeth: If you have any questions about how to make the most of your relationship as a mentee, or you’re interested in the benefits of becoming a mentor, then this session is for you! WomHub Community Manager, Tanganani Mugivhi hosted the interview, she shared how she has seen first hand, the impact Elizabeth's mentorship has had on the WomHub founder community.
Elizabeth explains the fundamental ground rules that she communicates with her mentees in order to strengthen the mentor/mentee relationship. She says, “Share your vision and SMART goals, or at the very least let me know what you expect from the mentorship journey. Take notes and record all critical action points during our sessions. Be coachable and take ownership of the adventure. Commit to your own personal development and improvement. Participate fully and actively. Respect the mentor's time, be prompt, and offer apologies on time. Provide honest criticism - evaluate yourself and the mentor.” Don’t miss the gold in this recording and join our next session live from 19h00 - 19h30 (GMT + 2) on Tuesday 30 August 2022, when we’ll be talking about “Accelerating Growth”, on our WomHub Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel. We’d love to “see” you there! In line with our celebration of Women’s Month, we were delighted and honored to host Mimi Kalinda on our latest WomHub livestream session, speaking about the value of owning your voice, especially for us women. As many of you in our community may know, Mimi is the group CEO and co-founder of Africa Communications Media Group, a pan African public relations and communications agency based in Johannesburg. She is passionate about storytelling, leadership and shaping narratives. Mimi captivated our live audience, sharing insight about her fascinating and far-reaching storytelling journey, the experiences and inspiration that led to starting her business and the power of impactful communication that she has harnessed in building her brand and her clients’ brands. She addressed key questions, such as this one that entrepreneurs often ask her: “do I need to separate my personal brand from my company brand?” Her response is “not when you’re first starting out”. She goes on to say that “At some point, you will need to, in order for your business to be scalable and sustainable without you. But at the beginning, the very raison d’être of your organization is that it solves a challenge you have identified as a challenge because of who YOU are: your background, experience and the ‘baggage’ you bring into the room. Also, people buy into people first, before they buy into companies, concepts and ideas. There is power in your personal story. Lean into it!” Watch the replay below for more valuable advice for your entrepreneurial and brand journey: There is a wealth of insight to gain from this session, as Mimi explains some common mistakes that she sees women entrepreneurs making in relation to crafting and sharing their brand story, and how they can overcome these. She offers key tips about how to own your unique voice, what this means, and how to ‘put yourself out there’ to gain media exposure, which is such an important business skill.
We’re so grateful for our wonderful partnership with Mimi, for her contribution to a number of our WomHub programmes, and the consequent impact of her wisdom on our founders and their businesses. Watch this session and be inspired to own your voice and craft your compelling brand story. Then stay tuned for more insight and inspiration in our next livestream session on Tuesday 16 August at 19h00 (GMT+ 2), where we’ll be exploring the importance and value of the mentorship path. Simply hop on and join us on our WomHub Facebook page, LinkedIn profile or YouTube channel. WomHub and Partners are Igniting the Ecosystem by accelerating growth through intensive entrepreneurial support, leadership development and access to funding for women entrepreneurs in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing (STEM) businesses. In partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, WomEng (a non-profit subsidiary of WomHub) has powered the Africa Innovation Fellowship (AIF) programme, with more than 100 female founders in STEM businesses having participated between 2019 and 2022. AIF is a premier pan-African programme for female innovators who are developing early stage engineering start-ups. Alice Radley, Programme Manager for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation at the Royal Academy of Engineering shares that the AIF programme “has been an incredibly successful and popular programme,” and that, “One of the goals of the Africa Innovation Fellowship is to encourage and support female entrepreneurs to apply to the Africa Prize programme. Many of the women who’ve been recently shortlisted for the award are AIF alumnae, which really speaks to the quality of innovators who have come through the programme.” Since the inception of the programme in 2019, a number of founders from the AIF programme have featured as finalists in the annual Africa Prize, which aims to stimulate, celebrate and reward innovation and engineering entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2020, AIF alumna Charlette N’Guessan, CEO and co-founder of Ghana-based software company BACE Group, was the first woman to win the award, with Aisha Raheem being a finalist. In 2021, AIF alumnae, Elohor Thomas (AIF 2019), Armelle Sidje (AIF 2020) and Faith Adesemowo (AIF 2020) were all finalists for the Africa Prize. The much anticipated finals took place in June this year and all members of the shortlist had the opportunity to pitch, including AIF alumna Juveline Ngum from Cameroon. She is the co-founder of Bleaglee, which is a smart cooking system made entirely of recycled materials. It includes a smokeless cook stove made of metal scraps, a clean cooking fuel made in solar-powered bio-digesters from plastic and agricultural waste, and a digital platform that allows cooks to track and offset their carbon footprint. Formerly working in metals and materials engineering, Juveline shifted her focus to sustainability and studying climate change, recycling and renewables in the process of starting the company. As well as selling the system, Bleaglee empowers women by teaching them to source scrap metal and make the stoves, which are 80% less expensive than using firewood, and cook food 5 times faster than traditional ovens used in Cameroon. With the global economy under strain and countries that have high unemployment rates, such as those across the African continent, suffering further set backs on unemployment and growth projections, we look to entrepreneurs like these to create jobs and opportunities to promote economic growth, and we celebrate that sectors like the circular economy are generating ways to create more jobs, as well as environmental sustainability.
WomHub shares the Royal Academy of Engineering’s commitment to building a sustainable society for all and an inclusive economy that works for everyone, which is reflected in the equal gender split for the Africa Prize for the first time this year. To learn more about the founders and programmes powered by WomHub and its valued partners, visit www.womhub.com, and contact the team if you’d like to participate in igniting and building the ecosystem to support economic growth and prosperity by investing in women entrepreneurs in STEM businesses across Africa and around the world. Additional Information About the Royal Academy of Engineering The Royal Academy of Engineering is a charity that harnesses the power of engineering to build a sustainable society for all and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with their fellows and partners, they are growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, influencing policy and engaging the public. Together, they are working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age. About WomHub WomHub is a boutique Pan-African ecosystem builder with a focus on the entire women in STEM value chain from attraction to ownership. In unlocking the potential across the STEM value chain, they have created verticals to support women by focusing on unblocking bottlenecks. Their strategy is to ensure a comprehensive, holistic approach and create systemic change. WomHub is the only ecosystem builder in the world providing end to end support that focusses on:
To find out more, go to www.womhub.com or email info@womhub.com. Do you know what’s happening on the front lines of developing talent and sustainability for women and girls globally in STEM fields? Watch the recording below of our latest livestream where WomHub Project Manager Atupele Phiri interviews Shahila Perumalpillai, Head of Equity and Inclusion at De Beers Group, to discover special insight and an exciting opportunity! Shahila’s background spans social anthropology and development, social impact management, community development, skills development, livelihood development, and the inclusion and diversity space. She shares that De Beers Group wants to deliver equal opportunity for everyone and as part of that achieve gender parity across their workforce and in leadership. For that to happen requires investing in pipeline and in talent, not just for the organization, but more widely to support economic development and the green transition in a way that benefits many. Through our non-profit subsidiary WomEng, WomHub is honoured to have partnered with De Beers Group for the past 3 years, and to have recently extended this partnership for a further 3 years. We’re excited that this extension will see our programmes expanded beyond Southern Africa to reach students in Canada and the UK, as well as beyond university courses to include vocational and skilled trades. In the meantime, as Atupele and Shahila share, we’re delighted to have opened applications to our WomEng Southern Africa Fellowship 2022 programme. Powered by De Beers Group, this develops leadership, innovation, well-being and employability skills required by young graduates to succeed in the engineering industry and beyond. Take a look below to learn all about the programme and visit www.womeng.org to find out more and apply: Shahila also shares the forward thinking, wholistic approach of De Beers Group’s “Building Forever” framework, which includes four pillars, namely leading equitable practices across the industry, partnering for thriving communities, protecting the natural world, and accelerating equal opportunity. She highlights the incredible experimentation and learning that has been achieved through the Southern Africa Fellowship programme, pivoting from in person to virtual content, in a way that retains such a high level of engagement, while emphasizing how important wellness and connections are to people, and having the community aspect of the Fellowship.
Community is a big part of growth for us all, and a strong focus for us at WomHub, which is what inspired our livestream series. Please join us for our next session from 19h00 - 19h30 (GMT + 2) on Tuesday 2 August 2022, when we’ll be talking about “Owning Your Voice”, on our WomHub Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel. We’d love for you to engage with us! HB Antwerp, in partnership with WomHub, will host a fast-paced, sustainability-focused 1-day hackathon on August 6. This innovative event will provide 50 Botswana college students with an opportunity to hone their problem solving and innovation skills and gain exposure to HB Antwerp, which is positioning itself as a leading employer of young talent in Botswana. Participants will be selected from a variety of fields including communications, finance, human resources, legal, and sustainability. They will be guided through the process by subject matter experts and asked to design an innovative solution to a business challenge related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “We want to provide a platform for Botswana students to share their vision and ideas for shaping Botswana’s sustainable future. Together with WomHub, our mission is to create real experiences, communities, and learning environments for local talent in Botswana. We enable meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels of our business so that opportunity and prosperity are shared,” says Margaux Donckier, Director of Public Affairs, HB Antwerp. Anjani Harjeven, COO at WomHub shares that “We’re at a time where increasingly complex community and business challenges require innovative and creative thinking from those who understand the environment and who are invested in a sustainable and prosperous future. In partnership with HB Antwerp, we are developing young Motswana leaders of the future and bringing their incredible talents to the forefront so that they can play an active role in solving the problems facing their communities. This hackathon model has proven particularly successful in harnessing energy and creativity for sustainable outcomes.” Following the hackathon, there will be an opportunity for 30 successful participants to win placement in the highly-anticipated second class of the HB Innovation Lab, set to begin in September. Launched in 2021, the HB Innovation Lab is a comprehensive training program intended to cultivate sector-specific skills and offer meaningful, in-country training and job opportunities for young people in Botswana. The next iteration of this intensive program will take place virtually over five months and will include
In line with HB Antwerp’s fundamental commitment to invest in and strengthen the communities where they operate, the program aims to support the Botswana economy, foster long-term talent development, and create economic fairness and brand exposure for young and emerging graduates, while furthering sustainability and diversity and inclusion in the diamond industry. HACKATHON PRACTICAL DETAILS
The hackathon takes place on August 6 at Avani Gaborone Resort & Casino. The press is welcome to join this event. Attendance can be confirmed via margaux@hbantwerp.com About HB Antwerp HB Antwerp turns the diamond supply chain upside down starting with the customer. Using technology, HB Antwerp brings simplicity and transparency to a typically complex supply chain. Everything happens in a closed loop, backed with the latest technologies, and tracked with blockchain making it 100% transparent from diamond mine to market. By aligning the different partners along the value chain from rough to polished and sharing complete data and information throughout the process from mine to consumer, for the first time, local governments get paid royalties on the actual polished prices of their diamonds instead of on the estimated rough value. About WomHub WomHub is a boutique Pan-African ecosystem builder with a focus on the entire women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Manufacturing) value chain from attraction to ownership. The strategy is to ensure a comprehensive, holistic approach and create systemic change. WomHub is the only ecosystem builder in the world providing end to end support that focuses on:
To find out more, go to www.womhub.com or email info@womhub.com. Are you inspired to make a difference in the world, and to learn about founders who are doing this too? Watch the replay below of our latest livestream session to discover how Zoezie Maphalala and Chantelle Goliath are positively impacting communities! Both of these dynamic ladies are members of our WomHub family and discussed their journeys thus far to start and grow their companies. Zoezie Maphalala is the founder of Zoezie Business Consulting, which offers tailored business solutions designed for SMMEs and entrepreneurs in townships, contributing to running a successful township economy. She is a participant in WomHub’s Economic Growth Accelerator programme, and expresses the importance of finding your tribe or group of people to support you during your journey. Finding her tribe has made navigating throughout the business world so much easier and rewarding. Chantelle is the Co-founder of Milli Distributions, the sole importers of the first-of-its-kind sanitary pad called the Glory Pad that’s sold in major retailers across South Africa, in the eco-space as well as the online space. Chantelle is a part of WomHub’s Circular Economy Incubator, and she believes that women should be able to menstruate with dignity. She shares that growing up she was uneducated when it came to sexual reproductive health and because of that experience she wanted to make sure that her 3 daughters, as well as other women, would have all the knowledge that they needed. Watch the replay of this livestream below to learn from these inspiring founders: This session features WomHub COO, Anjani Harjeven, interviewing Zoezie and Chantelle, who offer meaningful and real insight about the challenges they’ve faced, the greater ‘Why’ behind their businesses, and how fulfilling it is to be impacting their communities. They also share highlights from their involvement in WomHub programmes and some of their takeaways from the experience.
Join us for our next livestream from 19h00 - 19h30 (GMT +2) on Tuesday 02 August 2022, on crafting a powerful brand story and tapping into the essence of your unique voice. It will be broadcasted simultaneously to our WomHub Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel. As always, your comments and questions are welcomed. We grow when we come together! At WomHub, we love to witness the power of collaboration and partnership in our founder community, as our COO Anjani Harjeven discussed in our latest livestream with Thandeka Jali, founder of Lactease. Thandeka has been a participant in our WomHub Economic Growth Accelerator programme for the past year, and her company produces a breastfeeding tonic that helps to promote milk production in breastfeeding mothers. We listened as Thandeka told the amazing story of how a problem she faced turned into a business that helps and supports women who face the same, not-uncommon dilemma. She shared how thinking critically about her business and being able to take constructive criticism has helped her business, as well as how helpful it is to have a tribe of women to support her on her entrepreneurial journey. As a new mother, Thandeka experienced the woes of breastfeeding for the first time because she had trouble producing milk. She said, “I honestly thought that breastfeeding is natural . . . I didn’t think it would be such a challenge”. When she explored this further, Thandeka was surprised to discover that about 30% of women globally have this problem, which may be surprising to other women as well. Out of Thandeka’s struggle came her business Lactease, the name being a play on the words lactate and ease. Along with producing the tonic, Lactease also provides advice to assist women on breastfeeding. This is often an afterthought due to the idea that breastfeeding is easy since it’s a natural thing that women have always done. Watch the replay of this livestream below to learn about Thandeka’s journey: Thandeka explains how WomHub and the Economic Growth Accelerator programme have helped take her business to the next level and encourages other women wanting to pursue entrepreneurship to apply and become part of the WomHub family, because progress happens at its own pace but being proactive can help to move the process along. She adds that challenges will arise but pushing on is key and encourages fellow founders to “Always remember that the problem remains the problem until there's a solution.”
Congrats to Thandeka for the progress she’s making in her business and for how significantly she’s helping other mothers. At WomHub, we believe that when women come together, that’s when the magic happens. Join us for our next livestream from 19h00 - 19h30 (GMT + 2) on Tuesday 5 July 2022, when we’ll be talking about Community Impact. It will be broadcast simultaneously to our WomHub Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel. Please feel free to participate! Our recent WomHub Founder Showcase was a unique opportunity to showcase top female founders from our boutique incubator programmes on the Circular Economy, powered by the Finnish Embassy, and the Economic Growth Accelerator, powered by the South African Future Trust. The event was a culmination of 10 months of hybrid support, access to engineering experts, mentors and funding, and it ended with a pitch off for these female founders to showcase their businesses and the added skills they have learnt on the programmes. Rheineth Modiselle, founder of Bokamoso Recycling, won the pitch off and walked away with R25 000 in unrestricted funding for her business. We interviewed Rheineth to share more about her work, and what has inspired and contributed to her success. Here’s what she had to say, to help inspire other business founders on their entrepreneurial journeys: Q: Congratulations Rheineth! How did you prepare and present your pitch so successfully?
‘It is important to have your notes and prepare mentally. When you are pitching, there are a lot of emotions going through you and if you’re not mentally prepared those emotions will automatically express themselves and be visible to your audience. It’s also important to ask the organization hosting the pitch off for guidelines. Prior to the pitch, WomHub sent us guidelines on what our pitches would be scored on. I followed that guideline and included all the score points.’ Q: Please can you share a bit about what inspired you to start your business? ‘I had just quit my job; I was unemployed and actively looking for opportunities. I came across a man crushing glass bottles and asked him what he was doing. We had a long conversation wherein he explained the difficulties he was facing. I had a solution for him and the glass recycler’s problems and that is how Bokamoso Recycling was born. The opportunity found me because I was also searching and ready for it.’ Q: Your mission to “repurpose glass to develop communities” is inspiring. What is your role in, and contribution to, the circular economy? ‘We purchase crushed glass from our recyclers and sell it to our partner buy back centres (although soon we will be selling our glass directly to CONSOL, which is the largest manufacturer of glass in Southern Africa). In doing this we divert glass from ending up in the landfill. Glass repurposed provides sustainable incomes in the community and is good for the environment. To date we have diverted over 6000 tons of glass from being landfilled.’ Q: The entrepreneurial journey can be challenging, as well as fulfilling. What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome these? ‘The impact of Covid 19 was the biggest challenge mentally, financially and emotionally. Having to let go of staff and closing our doors for some months was hard. Learning to be resilient and agile were tools that allowed me to go back to the drawing board, re-evaluate my business strategy and find partners who would help me achieve this strategy.’ Q: In addition to winning the pitch off, how have you most benefitted from participating in WomHub’s Circular Economy Incubator programme? ‘Having a community of likeminded businesswomen was helpful as we learnt, inspired and leaned on each other. We had master classes which helped by equipping us with essential business tools, and mentors who were there to advise and guide us.’ Q: What is your vision for growing your business and how can people support you in achieving this? ‘I would love an 8ton crane truck (laughs). We are waiting for our vendor application with Consol to be approved, then we’ll be renting an 8ton crane truck for a few months until the bank can assist us with asset finance. This will allow us to reach and service even more glass recyclers, in addition to the over 200 glass recyclers we service. If there is an investment fund that we appeal to, please reach out, or anyone who knows anyone with an 8ton crane truck they are not making use of. Please reach out to me at rheinethmmanakedi@gmail.com.’ Q: Do you have any final thoughts to share to help encourage other business founders? ‘There are plenty of local and international organizations which are actively looking to help people start and grow businesses, in almost every sector, especially for young women. I encourage you to keep looking out for opportunities and don’t be afraid of knocking on those doors.’ Thank you to Rheineth for sharing this insight and inspiration, and all the best to her and Bokamoso Recycling! Contact us today if you’d like to find out more about our WomHub programmes, and how they can potentially help you on your entrepreneurial journey. |