"The world we live in is created and it’s been being created and it is still being created. So why can’t we take things that we assume are the building blocks of what we know about our lives, about every single thing that we trust, and turn them upside down just to be a bit more accommodating."

"The core behind my work is to ensure that as Batswana we start discovering and learning from what we experience."

"I understand that it both is and is not my duty to deconstruct and then reconstruct my government’s views on the validity of citizens like me whom colonial constitutions factored out and vilified."

"Freedom will come when all Batswana can assume and inhabit whatever gender and other identities they are comfortable with."

"One thing you will learn from a lifetime of biting your tongue; memories lose their flavors."

"To truly understand that attaining accessible education, accessible healthcare, and ending poverty, means ensuring that we are cognizant of the voices and lives of people like me; whether it's people who are brown skinned, African, Indigenous, Queer identifying, disabled"

"If there is any place I don't belong, it's in a mind where the story of me starts with the branch of me being queer and not with my rural roots."

"“That’s why we have always said that this company is about maximizing local talent and local resources to create good paying jobs, that in turn would create extraordinary footwear,”"

"“I knew that there were so many talented people out there who could do great things if only given a chance. However, due to extreme poverty, stigma, and marginalization,… many of them could not even get simple jobs. This was devastating for me, as I had grown up with them. They were my neighbours, my family members.”"

"“This gave me a good knowledge of the industry, which was extremely useful in terms of setting up the company and making it grow,”"

"“Love what you do, because without a genuine love and passion, you won’t be successful.”"

"“If you have a crazy idea, go for it! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”"

"“My advice would be to build your idea piece by piece and get real and honest traction in the market with that idea while retaining as much equity as you can.”"

"“I think the best companies and brands are built by entrepreneurs willing to self-fund their ideas,”"

"“but to exquisitely execute that idea over and over and make it into a living, breathing reality. The best entrepreneurs literally seem to live their companies.”"

"“To me, very successful entrepreneurs have the ability not simply to come up with an idea,”"

"“are sharing Ethiopian cultures with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these cultures vibrant and fully relevant.”"

"“My driving passions,”"

"“Since we are a fair trade organisation people want to buy fair trade shoes from us but they want to buy at cheap prices. That I don’t understand. I know that running a business is not that easy and there is always a threat, there is always a risk that we are going to take, but I love it.”"

"“We are doing well. We are trying to do $2m this year. In 2016, we are planning to do $20m. So that’s why we are working hard and we are trying to expand our working facility. The demand is here. It’s up to us to take that advantage and to make it happen,”"

"” Having grown up watching our family and neighbors struggling, we decided to create the “better life” we were all waiting for by harnessing our community’s incredible artisan skills and channeling them into a sustainable, global, fair trade footwear business. We have done that and more and we are proud to say that the soleRebels brand is being enjoyed by people in over 30 countries around the world.”"

"I completed all my education here in Ethiopia, and I have NEVER lived anywhere else but Ethiopia."

"My driving passions as an entrepreneur are always about sharing Ethiopian cultures with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these cultures vibrant and fully relevant."

"“I began Garden of Coffee so that people everywhere can experience the magic of hand-roasted Ethiopian coffees, roasted at their source by Ethiopia’s finest coffee artisans."

"“I am always engaging with people on my team, finding out what they need to make them better at what they do, and what makes them happier. This lets us have an incredible level of overall team happiness and leads to long-term team members…"

"“I like to visualise my goals in my own private space. I try and make it as real as possible so it is almost tangible to me. That gives these goals an immediacy and realness both for me and for my team that allows people to really chase that idea or goal in a visceral way.”"

"“I think conventional wisdom is, by definition, the antithesis of entrepreneurialism, so I am probably on the other side of a lot of it.”"

"“I have developed a fine sense of my weaknesses, and I address those by building my team with people who have that strength I may lack. So I flip any weakness I may have and make it a strength … Weakness recognition, and a full embrace of that, is a powerful tool.”"

"“I always reflect and think about the same thing: business is about solving problems. Trying to identify the singular most difficult situation would be doing a disservice to this simple fact: if you are not continuously encountering tough situations as an entrepreneur, and solving them, then you are not really in business. Encountering obstacles and overcoming them is my day-to-day existence.”"

"“For me, I never thought because I’m a woman I’m not going to do something, I’m not going to try it this or that. The way I see myself is… I’m a person. I am capable of doing whatever I want and I’m going to succeed because I’m going to be working really hard to be there each and every day. So, for African girls and women to say ‘I’m not going to be able to do this, I’m not capable of doing this,’ you’re killing yourself. If we are brave enough to go out to sell ideas to people, I think we can succeed.”"

"that helped give her confidence in her contributions to society as a woman, and ultimately, what she is doing today."

"that one of the important lessons her parents instilled in her as a child was that there was no difference between her and her three brothers. While they did different kinds of work, she said there was no preference between girls’ work and boys’ work."

"“We’re selling an experience. We’re not selling a product. We’re not trying to fit in somewhere…the need is for you. It’s not massively produced.”"

"there is no blueprint when it comes to being an entrepreneur."

"“People are traveling a long ways to bring in different ideas into their continent and country to start a business. But my idea is, look at who you are as a person. How you grew up. Everything around you is a business idea. When you see a problem, find the solution. That will be a business idea.”"

"“… the needle I am constantly attempting to thread: building exciting brands around our unique cultures, brands that become ubiquitous and impactful.”"

"Don't just make things, make things better. "Innovation is...improving the state of what was before.""

"For people to be innovative... they don't have to really travel a long way or copy somebody's business idea. It's right there."

"Prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create sustained prosperity, you have to create something truly world class."

"If we want to have truly equitable societies, then we need to embrace equity on all levels. And that means women’s economic empowerment and the key to that is women entrepreneurs."

"It is possible to deploy local resources while creating a market-leading global brand, and to do it all from scratch."

"I wanted to show that it is possible to be a local person, in Ethiopia and in Africa, and to be globally successful."

"A lot of people are learning and discovering me as an artist so it has opened up a bigger space for me and a brand new market."

"I want to create a place of joy, healing, and peace. Celebrating Africa and our africanness and at the same time embracing our femininity and masculinity."

"My family has grounded and groomed me into the woman that I am. My siblings and I have parents who continuously support us through our little endeavors. They listen to my music all the time and that reassures me each time."

"My music is autobiographical. The stuff I’ve written is self-reflection time for me, My music is about the journey to discovering one’s self through this world, I would like to stir up that quest for self, to bring about a healing type of vibe. It’s a lot about overcoming and focusing on the personal stuff. Sometimes we get wrapped in anxiety, myself included. My music is about providing an outlet for listeners to forget."

"I was not always met with great and positive experiences on my journery, there are past hurts and traumas that i had to face and deal with and love is my saviour in times when i feel unworthy on my path."

"First and foremost, do not be ashamed of your addiction. This is a huge attack Satan places on the body of Christ because if you’re ashamed of your sin then you won’t ask for help. Therefore, you battle it alone and isolation is a dangerous place to be, because isolation gives Satan an open door to attack your mind."

"I started seeking God every day. I would worship, pray, and read the Bible. Through that, God healed me and made me a brand new woman. He completely restored my soul."

"My first time visiting church I went up to the altar and said the prayer of salvation. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, but I was hungry for more. I longed for this love that people said Jesus offered. The most amazing thing about my journey for the next 3 years (before I would finally get freed from the industry and healed from my brokenness) is that Jesus used people in my life to continue steering me towards Him. There are no barriers or obstacles for God. God will use anything or anyone to fulfill His plan. I gave Him permission to work in my life that one day at the altar call and He fought for me daily. […] Now looking back I can see how God is waiting for us to make choices that give Him permission to work in our lives, if we are willing. He gives us the freewill to choose Him, or not. It was my choice to go to church, accept Him into my heart, read the bible, and pray and all of this God honored and used for my good. […] I have joy and peace knowing His word is real and true. He loved me the same when I was a broken prostitute, suicidal porn star. He never left me."