businesspeople-from-botswana

"From a young age, I was taught to wake up early, work hard, never give up and never doubt mysel"

"One should have the business acumen and patience to build a sustainable business, rather than looking to make a quick buck"

"Women should be coached to put themselves out there, to have and own their voices, and to take up their seats at the table"

"we must embrace greater diversity in our workplaces. In our thinking. In our levels of representation in gender, religion, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and education"

"I think many women suffer from self-doubt and this is not because of their own doing"

"In my field, I’m passionate about how we ‘show up’ when people are at their most vulnerable and how we can ease the burdens of some of the most difficult realities of life."

"I’m driven by my love for life and by always striving to do the best in all I do"

"Financial advice has traditionally been a paper-heavy, face-to-face business"

"The move towards digitisation, both on the side of insurers and advisers, is playing a major role in driving down the costs of doing business while delivering better client experiences"

"The only way we’re going to meet these challenges is to transform – and that transformation must start with driving greater diversity and inclusion across the industry"

"Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!"

"Have and own your voice as a young, ambitious woman, and do the work you need to, to be able to take your seat at the top table."

"Right now, our world and our people need a resilience revolution. And we, as women, are perfectly placed to lead it"

"Appoint more female professionals to increase gender equality and build trust"

"I embrace change and adapt easily"

"everybody assumes that because I am black, I must speak isiZulu! I’m of South African descent, but the bulk of my experience has been in a totally different environment, culture and work ethic entirely."

"For me, resilience is not about how you fall, but how you get up"

"For years since the very first installment of Last Man Standing event, we have been giving back to those in need. We gave away a car to one of the local artists during our first edition while we did the same for an artist living with disabilities on our second event. Last year we decided to take a young lady to school to study a teaching related course and we are keeping up with how she is doing and always make sure we pay both her school fees and allowance to make her stay in Gaborone smooth."

"This year, we will be hosting our event early so that parents can bring their children with them. They can take them back home in the evening when the night festival resumes. This is a charity festival so it should accommodate everyone. We want parents to bond with their children whilst enjoying the festival. Furthermore, unlike in the previous years, we will be bringing forth a lot of upcoming artists so that we give them exposure while we will be having only one artist from South Africa."

"The show had two aims: first, to instill the spirit of giving among Batswana, and secondly, to use my brand to attract others to join me in this charity drive while enjoying good music."

"The only challenge is that we used our own money. We spent close to half a million just to put everything together, which was tough, but I believe next time we will have more sponsors on board."

"We have managed to gather a lot of food, enough to support about 40 families,."

"This is going to be an annual event. If possible, we would like to have two editions a year. It breaks my heart to see people suffering. I know I cannot help everyone, but I do what I can and I want others to see that they can do the same. It should not just be me."

"We will choose from those who have contacted us for help. For now, we will focus on families in and around Gaborone because of logistical challenges, but in future we will extend our reach across the country."

"https://allafrica.com/stories/202103120356.html (11 March 2021) by Naomi Leepile Retrieved 13 July 2022"

""Women must take up roles they sometimes fear to take up, they must run away from self-sabotage and must unite and stand together to support one another."

"Develop your mind. More than ever, there is so much to learn, so much to know, so many different things to do. The opportunities to be whoever you want to be have never been more accessible to those who pursue their dreams."

"Business [and] entrepreneurship, is not some intellectual or mental exercise – it takes everything of you to make it work – it is a life exercise. The more congruent the business is to who you are as an individual and what you value, the deeper your capacity to persevere and outlast."

"The key differentiator [between being good and being great] is whether that person is following their calling, if they are doing something they believe is part of their life journey … or whether they are just doing a job, or doing something because they believe that is what they have to do. Not everyone operates from the realm of understanding that life is about choosing … about putting your will out there and spending your life making it a reality. Not everyone realises that by not choosing, life chooses for you and that is never the ideal outcome. Those who become great are deliberately creating their life path as opposed to allowing life to happen to them."

"Entrepreneurship is far more a personal journey than it is a business journey. The extent to which you are willing to grow as a person, has a direct impact on your business because in the early stages so much of your business is about you. I believe that true success comes from operating from an authentic space and being true to your own goals and aspirations. If you try to behave like someone else, you deviate from that authentic space where your real power lies. Understanding of self, what truly motivates you, what your strengths and weaknesses are, building self-awareness are critical qualities. This is a skill available to anyone who seeks it – it’s about reflecting, reading, listening to yourself, exploring your hunches or ideas, even if they don’t seem like much."

"You will need a lot of perseverance to keep going. No matter how prepared or smart you are, the real test is the ability to keep going. As an entrepreneur, you will give and give and give so much of yourself, and after that… give some more. If you don’t know why you are doing it (which comes back to understanding of self), you will battle to make the kind of long-term commitment that will see you through the challenges."

"It is important to be close to the people and things that anchor you. For me it’s my parents, my family, my close friends to have a laugh with. Being reminded of who you are, and regardless of the circumstances, that someone thinks you are great."

"​It is about maintaining good health, physical strength and mental strength through healthy living, exercise and meditation. Negativity comes from the mind which is affected to a large degree by your physical health."

"Entrepreneurship for me is a personal journey rather than a business journey, which is why perseverance and humility go a long way. Entrepreneurship, especially at a young age, is an incredibly steep learning curve and learning every day is a very humbling experience because you have to acknowledge how little you know and perhaps how-not-so-smart you are, and still keep going regardless."

"Running a business will take up everything you think you have and a whole lot more after that. This is why it is very important to do what you love and not just pursue money. The pursuit of money provides little solace during tough times."

"Money really is not everything. It is a false comfort. Money will not stop a “real entrepreneur” from starting a business. Work until you have saved enough – find investors, ask friends and family, borrow. Money should not stop anyone from fulfilling their dreams. Money is an accelerator – whether you are going in the right or wrong direction, money simply accelerates you in the direction that you are already going in."

"We wanted to build solutions, not do telecoms wars."

"It starts with the conviction that something should be different, which is, I think, the beginning of entrepreneurship."

"I leverage my technology skills to then create a solution."

"I was never smarter than most people in the room."

"I had no more financial or social capital than anyone else in the group."

"I simply trusted that I have a legitimate perspective."

"young Law practitioners should use their capabilities and start their own Law firms and create their own ideal jobs."

"It is no secret that your appearance speaks for you before you even utter a word."

"“No matter what, I will always pursue my dreams and fulfill passions as I strongly believe that you cannot thrive in mediocrity because no exceptional results ever came from there. However, you can decide to be exceptional and bring exceptional results.”"

"Equality for women sends a clear message that women too can lead. "Just give her the platform, nurture her and you will see results," ."

"Leaders could lead from the back, front and centre and not necessarily from the top. She said leadership required conviction that things must be done differently."

"The times of pulling each other down are over and like the famous African proverb says. 'If you want to walk fast, walk alone, but it you want to go far, walk with others."

"Even though the margin on female leadership are still low, there is need to recognise the importance of empowering other upcoming women and nurturing them to be the future leaders of tomorrow,""

"Target SME's and you target women because that is where they access the business sector."