Bellafricana published in Entrepreneurship

How do you Respond when a client says “I’ll get back to you”

How to respond when a client says I'll call you back

“I’ll get back to you” 

Five dreaded words every salesperson hates to hear. Especially after you just spent 20 hours calling, and nurturing this client.

Then voila! They drop the bombshell.

How do you respond?

Some horrible responses to that line are:

“Oh Okay, I’ll be waiting to hear back from you”- When? Probably Never. Because those prospects will most likely not call back.

“Alright. When can I call back?”– In the prospect’s head, he’ll think ”Maybe, Never”

Well before responding hastily ( and losing the client all together), you must try to understand why the prospect used that line. The reason could be one of three:

 

  1. Prospect does not trust your product:

 Think about it: It’s much easier for a prospect to say “I’ll get back to you”, than to say “Hi! I think your product sucks and I don’t want to waste my money” 

  2. Prospect needs more time to make findings:

Some prospects aren’t going to base their decisions on some things you have told them. Instead, they would rather make their own findings, check out the competition, and weigh their options before making a decision.

3. They’re probably not the “Final say” in the hierarchy of the company’s affairs.

So, they will have to report to a “Higher Authority” before making the decision to buy your product or service.

 

Response 1: Frontal

In my experience, whenever a prospect tells me that, it’s either of 3 things (Proceed to paraphrase 3 reasons mentioned above). Which one of them is it right now?

 

What that response yields: Complete honesty. It’ll help you understand the prospect’s state of mind, and will give clarity on how to proceed from there.

 

Response 2: Defensive

 

X, I understand why you may need to take some time to rethink this. But let’s be honest with each other. The longer time you take making a good decision for your business, the longer that problem you’ve been trying to manage stays. Tell you what, why don;t you take XXX advice (give a free tip) and apply this to your business. I’ll be waiting for your feedback …

 

What this response yields: You have just reduced your prospect’s “think about it” time, without coercion, and helped him out at the same time. Chances are that you’ll be hearing from him soon.

Response 3:  Vulnerability

 

X, I really appreciate your taking time to hear me out. From your response, it might seem that I haven’t exactly communicated the value you’ll be getting from us well. So, why don’t you tell me what you would have loved to hear, that would have helped make a better decision? 

 

What this response yields: Again, you’ll take honest feedback which will help out …

 

Remember: These responses may not yield the results you desire all the time  It’ll however, help you perfect your sales skill, and help you work on areas that need adjustment.

 

Which of these responses are you planning to use?

PS: Want to join the Bellafricana family so you can grow and scale your business? Click on this link NOW

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Jemimah Iwok published in Entrepreneurship

What To Keep In Mind When Running Discount Sales

It’s that time of the year again, when offering Discounts becomes the song on every business owners lips. And that’s not such a bad thing. On the good side, Discount sales are a great way to make more sales, while bringing in new customers.

On the flip side, a Discount sale can hurt your business really badly as it can lower your perceived value, as well as leave huge holes in your company’s pocket.

So, what do you do to ensure that discount sales work for you?

1. Strategize

Just before you run off slashing 30% off your product price, think.

What is the strategy for this discount tactic?
Is it to bring in more sales?
Or to get rid of old stock? To acquire new customers?
Or to retain present customers?

Having a thought out strategy will make it easier to run a discount without harming your business.

2. Do the Math

Have you worked out the financial projections for this discount sale?

What is your expected revenue?

What percentage are you spending on Marketing/ Advertising?

What is the financial risk?

What is the back up plan?

The importance of crunching the numbers just before you start a discount sale cannot be overemphasized (not to sound cliche, lol)

3. Plan

Now, you’ve figured out the strategy, and the numbers are looking good. But you can’t run a successful discount without an actual marketing Plan.

And by “plan”, if you’re relying solely on posting on Instagram, you might need to have a rethink. That’s not to say “that” doesn’t work, but imagine using other channels: Email Marketing, Influencer marketing, paid advertising, Cold mailing/ Calling etcetera.

Planning really does make all the difference, don’t you think?

REMEMBER: A discount doesn’t always have to be % off. There are several discount campaigns you can run this December.  Would you like to see these kinds of campaigns? Then register for the “Bounce Back December Virtual Bootcamp” and get your fully loaded business kit immediately!

Register for “Bounce Back December” and have access to:

-A two-day bootcamp on how to run a successful December sales campaign, as well as staying profitable (Bootcamp dates: November 27 & 28).

-A 30-day social media calendar (optimized for sales).

-Guides and templates for optimizing ALL your social media channels.

-A guide to strategic leverage on collaborations.

-A directory of over 100+ businesses you can collaborate with.

CLICK HERE TO SECURE YOUR SLOT AND DOWNLOAD YOUR KIT NOW!

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Jemimah Iwok published in Entrepreneurship

How To Deal With Impostor Syndrome

HOW TO DEAL WITH IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

Ever Battled with Impostor syndrome?

Well, it’s something that every entrepreneur faces at some point in their business. And no, not just entrepreneurs are affected, but generally anyone who is a high achiever, or someone who is invested in growing. People who want to move a level up from where they are. Sound familiar?

They feel that they don’t measure up to their acclaimed achievement.

Which of these sound familiar to you?

“I’m not worthy of these achievements”,
“Heck, I don’t think I’ve done enough in my business”,
“I’m a failure”,
“I’m not good enough”
“Very soon, I’ll be found out as the fraud that I am” and lots more

See, “Impostor syndrome” can be a problem if not addressed, and can do harm to your business.

So, what can you do?

Understand that it is a sign of Growth

Yes, Impostor syndrome happens to people who aren’t complacent in their business. It shows that you’re someone who will keep doing more and more So, embrace this as a sign of growth.

 

Write down your accomplishments

 

Have a journal where you write down all that you’ve been able to achieve in business, no matter how minute. This will help give the reassurance that you’re worth your salt, and that you’re in charge. It’s a way to say to Impostor Syndrome “You say, you’ve I’m not good enough, but look at all that I’ve been able to do”.

 

Talk to someone about it

Instead of bottling things up, and letting the thought fester, it’s recommended to talk about it.

You’ll be surprised how much you’re not alone in this, and how many people can relate to this internal struggle we all face.

 

Draw strength from your source of Positivity

What are those things that make you happy? That remind you how awesome you are? Affirmation quotes? Words of encouragement from loved ones, uplifting music? You can have a folder for these, and have them handy whenever that “feeling” creeps in.

Like earlier stated, this feeling of being “inferior” or “not measuring up” is something we all face from time-to-time. What’s important is to ensure that these feelings don’t stifle your growth. So when next the “Impostor Syndrome” creeps in, I want you to slay that dragon with these tips listed above. You’re amazing. Don’t you ever forget that.

 

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Jemimah Iwok published in Entrepreneurship, Uncategorized

6 Business Lessons Business Owners Learn From Crocs

Business lessons from Crocs

 

The shoe above must look very familiar.

It is called the “Clogs” by Crocs. The design is modeled after a crocodile. The company was started in 2002 and the shoes were initially made for boating use.

The company has had a roller coaster movement in the past decade and there is so much we can learn from them.

 

Stick around, and let’s explore them!

In 2008, investors wrote the company off as a passing fad. Crocs lost over 185 million dollars within this time.

However, after a decade, they were able to bounce back and sell over 700 million shoes. What lessson can we learn from this?

Lesson 1:

Always stay true to your dream. Never give up, crisis are temporary.

 

 

Crocs were able to infuse their shoes into fashion shows/runways.

This drove huge acceptance for the product, which was formerly one of the most hated shoes.

Lesson 2:

Look for new channels to create acceptance for your products

 

bieber_crocs_05Crocs created limited editions in partnership with celebrities/top brands like Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber,etc.

They also invested heavily in influencer marketing.

Lesson 3:

 

Partnerships always create more exposure and sales opportunities. No matter how good your product is, if you don’t make noise about it, no one will.

Crocs contextualized their product as consumer preferences varied. They manufactured clogs with different colours, designs and shapes.

Lesson 4:

It is always good to listen to the true wants of customers and re-adjust your products as their needs evolve.

crocs-kids-classic-lined-clog-slippers

 

Get Full Case Study and more, on the Bellafricana Membership Platform.

Click on this link to sign up to the Bellafricana community.

As a Bellafricana member, you get access to:

  • Masterclasses
  • Guides and templates
  • Tools
  • Courses
  • Special business discounts…

and lots more.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn firsthand how you can grow and scale your business.  Sign up to the community now.

 

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Jemimah Iwok published in business, Entrepreneurship

E-Commerce Store Alternatives Business Owners Can Try for Free

E-commerce Stores

 E-Commerce Store Alternatives Business Owners Can Try for Free

Whether you’re a startup or a small business owner, you’ll agree with me that having an e-commerce store/ website is very important for business. An e-commerce can help broaden your brand in ways beyond imagination.

What are the benefits of having an e-commerce store?

 

1. An E-commerce is like a 24-hour sales person

Unlike humans that close up shop, your e-commerce website will be there 24 hours. And people can shop and visit all round the clock, without you being there to coordinate the shopping process.

2. It Increases your Brand’s Visibility

If you’re thinking of expanding your brand’s outreach, an e-commerce store the way to go. With a well-optimized website, your brand’s chances of being found through SEO will increase. The more your brand comes up in the search engine, the more likely people are to buy from you.

3.  It is a healthy option these days

With the inception of the Corona Virus, physical contact is not advisable, right? An e-commerce website is the best way to ensure this. There is absolutely no need for physical contact, as the entire transaction will be done online.

4. It is convenient

Another great thing about an e-commerce website is the ease of doing business. The consumer doesn’t need to go through the hassle of physical buying, and can shop from wherever, whenever. You the seller, also have the convenience of making sales right from the comfort of your home.

Now, that we have established that an e-commerce store is important? What if you can’t afford one just yet?

 

Well, keep reading. Because I have compiled for alternative e-commerce stores that are free, and are resourceful. Ready? Let’s start.

1. Paystack Commerce

 

Recently, Paystack launched an e-commerce store, packed with resourceful tools complete with product links, where you can add images, vides, prices, GIFs and lots more. It also comes with easy delivery options, an inventory/ order tracker, and lots more. The best part? It comes at Zero cost. Yes, it’s absolutely free.

To get started, click here 

 

2. Flutterwave Store

 

Flutterwave store also launched a store in light of the COVID-19 occurrence to encourage  people to #keepthelightson seeing as business owners might have a hard time bouncing back. This store is absolutely free, and convenient. Want to register? You can try it here

3. Visa.com

 

Visa.com.ng also launched an amazing e-commerce store that business owners can get for free, plus an additional $200 in advertising. Fantastic right? I agree too. You might want to give it a try

4. Whatsapp Catalogue

 

This isn’t really an e-commerce store, but the catalogue option gives you the opportunity to get your products, along with their prices all in one place. And with the addition of a catalogue link, it’s much more easier to have your potential customer glance through all your products and make a selection. No stress, no hassle.

We recently had a hands-on, practical session on how to setup your Whatsapp Catalogue. The session was hosted by one of our talented Bellafricana Members, Dara, (Founder of Just Journal Ng)

Guess what? Almost all in attendance had their catalogues up and running. That’s the essence of a community you know? Having members who are willing to share and uplift one another because of the strong belief that we rise by lifting others. That is simply the heart of Bellafricana.

PS: We also have lots of useful resources on the Bellafricana Membership Platform which all business owners could really use. You can access it once you become a member of our amazing family. To sign up, click on this link here

Which of these tools have you tried, or will be willing to give a shot? I’ll love to know.

 

 

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Jemimah Iwok published in bellafricana, Entrepreneurship

Frequently Asked Questions about the Bellafricana Membership Platform!

Hello there, how are you doing today? I’m doing fine, thank you. Did you know that we launched a Membership platform for Bellafricana members? Oh yes, we did!

Why? Because for a very long time, our focus has been to make our members products globally accessible. While that is still our aim, we got to realize that we were ignoring one key thing: The fact that creative business owners lacked the empowerment, and the right resources, to help their business grow fully.

And so, we rolled up our sleeves and worked tirelessly until May 11, when we launched the platform.

See Launch video below:

👇🏾👇🏾

Now, we also anticipated (and have been asked) some questions about the platform which we would like to address. Are you ready?

1. What exactly is this Membership Platform?

Well, It’s a website that gives our members access to a vast library of masterclasses, tools, Guides and Templates, Checklists, and other resources that will help business owners make better decisions.

2. Is this Membership platform open to everybody?

Unfortunately, this membership platform is one of the many perks of being a member of the Bellafricana family. So, what that means is that you have to become a Bellafricana Member to use the platform.

3. How can I sign up to the platform?

Visit www.bellafricana.com/members-signup, then click on the “Click to join the family now” button.

Membership platform joining

4. Does the membership platform access come at a cost?

Yes it does. However, we have very flexible subscription packages so that you can select the package that is pocket friendly. To check out the packages, click here:

5. Is the membership platform an App?

No, it’s a web-based platform, and once you’re on-boarded, you get your unique login details for you to gain access to the platform.

6. You talked about webinars . How can I get access to the past webinars I missed?

Well, the good news is that you can get to watch masterclass recordings, as they are regularly uploaded to the platform.

7. What’s the period for subscription?

Well, we have quarterly, bi-annual and annual subscriptions.

These are some of the questions we get. See below some testimonials from our members who have used the platform.

You got some more questions that you would like answered? Then leave a comment, or send a message to +234 909 367 0222. You can also sign up here.

 

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Jemimah Iwok published in Entrepreneurship

How your Business can stay relevant during the Corona Virus Pandemic

The widespread impact of the Corona Virus on the world has been nothing short of utterly devastating. The planetary scale pandemic since its outbreak about a few weeks ago, has caused an unprecedented plummeting of business and economic activities.

Due to the alarming spread-rate, a lot of countries have been forced to shut down all non-essential business exchanges and this has left a lot of business owners reeling in uncertainty as to how to mitigate risk, protect employees and still retain the customers’ attention.

If you are a business owner in this class and you have really not planned out ways you can mitigate risks, cut down on losses and get your business to stay relevant amidst the lock-downs and curfews, here are a few things you can implement right away:

  1. Go Remote
Go remote 1
Unsplash

You should really comply with any physical business activity restrictions placed by the government and shift your work base to the safety of your houses.

If you have several employees working under you then you want to avoid organizational loopholes by ensuring that there is an optimal (digital) means of communication set up so as to enforce cooperation and also monitor progress on all fronts as you would on a normal business-on-site day.

2. Shift all Marketing Strategies Online

The goal is to ensure that your business makes it through the pandemic without suffering any long-term damage to your brand or your customer base. If you have paid little or no attention to online marketing strategies for your business before now, then now is the time you really want to leverage on digital platforms to break through the noise, keep brand to consumer engagement, increase your online customer base and even pool in profit.

https://cloudinary.hbscdn.org https://images.unsplash.com/
Multiscreen 

Anything from hosting online events and webinars to email marketing could prove to be the most effective way to make the most out of the situation and give your brand a popularity boost.

3. Communicate transparently with your Audience

It is really important to recognize that your clients understand that you are also affected by the Corona Virus situation. Hence, you should be open and transparent about what your business is facing at the moment.

communicate
Shuttershock

Now is the time you want to let them know what you are doing about it, steps you are taking to mitigate risk and how you are involved with helping the community. This act alone is sure to bring a more favorable perception about your brand and distinguish you as an industry leader.

4. Drive Social Media Engagement

It is a fact that at this time, the bulk of the world populace (somewhere between 65% – 70%) turn to social media in order to have access to trending news and fresh content. It then becomes extremely important that you reach out to your audience regularly by creating content pieces around the situation. But be careful here, you want to make sure you don’t come off as “Unempathic” to your clients by being so aggressive with marketing your products, they are also as badly hit as you are. It’s a delicate balance you want to keep.

 

Bellafricana creatives challenge

That’s why Bellafricana came up with a 30-day Challenge for Creative Business owners. This Challenge has presented the perfect solution to tactical marketing and a deeper sense of connection with the audience as a way of saying:” Take that Corona Virus! You’ve got nothing on us!”  Read more about the Bellafricana Creatives challenge here

Which of these Tactics will you try? I can’t wait to hear from you.

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Jemimah Iwok published in bellafricana, Entrepreneurship

Bellafricana challenges creative Business owners during the COVID-19 season

The world is slowing to a stop. There’s so much panic in the air. Business owners are scared, worried, frustrated. They are beginning to feel the effect of this global pandemic on their businesses. Organizations are shutting down or have had to resort to working remotely.

Some countries have even implemented periodic long lockdowns. Now more than ever, creative business owners will have to fight for online visibility. They will have to get more personal with their audiences should they want to make sales. They have to get more creative with marketing lest the competition swallow them up. Businesses will have to sell more tactically or risk being labelled insensitive.

Sometimes last week, the Bellafricana team had one of the usual strategy sessions to brainstorm ways which we can help our creative members thrive this period. As you know, Bellafricana is very passionate about helping, supporting, and empowering creative business owners in whatever way we can. So we kept thinking: “How can we eliminate these problems business owners will face?, or atleast reduce it and keep their minds positive”

Then the Light bulb moment struck and the Idea was born. Now, don’t get too impatient. Everything will start to make sense now.

We came up with a challenge to all creative business owners out there. Will they give in to the fear this season brings? Or will they fight the negativity?

Known as the Bellafricana Creative’s Challenge, it is a 30-day challenge containing daily tasks that participants (business owners especially) are expected to take part in.

Bellafricana creatives challenge

Where is this challenge taking place?

It is held primarily on Instagram. However, business owners are allowed to do the challenge on other platforms as well.

What will this Bellafricana Creatives Challenge do for you?

It will help you:

  1. connect with your customers on a personal level.
  2. have massive sales on standby the moment the restrictions are lifted.
  3. get to rediscover more about your business and gather more creative connections.
  4. Stay relevant and at the top of your customers’ minds, seeing that majority will be online this period.
  5.  Have lots of fun while maintaining a positive mindset.

Check out some samples of the daily challenges below:

Day 1: Bellafricana creatives challenge

Day 1: Bellafricana creatives challenge

Isn’t it so amazing the great works Bellafricana is doing for the creative community? If I can say so myself.

If we can each be a positive voice in our community then we stand a better chance of spreading more encouragement.

Connect with Bellafricana here: @bell_africana, a community platform enabling creative indigenous businesses thrive. To become a member, click here

If you are a creative entrepreneur, you can also take part in the Bellafricana Creatives Challenge? Click on this link to get your your own calendar: 

What do you think about this challenge, would be lovely to hear from you? Let me know in the comments.

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Jemimah Iwok published in Entrepreneurship, Gift Items, Meet The Founders

Lessons learned from Mrs Achenyo Idachaba, founder Mitimeth Nigeria

Achenyo Idachaba

It is interesting to note that businesses exist, who have managed to sprout amidst the creativity drought in today’s African business space. One of such businesses is Mitimeth (a Bellafricana member), founded by Mrs Achenyo Idachaba.

Thanks to her initiative, an invasive water weed (known as the Water Hyacinth) which obstructed water ways, depleted water nutrients, thereby reducing the population of fish (and by extension, the livelihood of fishermen) found use in a much more sustainable, eco-friendly way.

This “Eco-preneur” (Achenyo) has been featured on CNN, and her TED talk has garnered over a million views.

After reading the full story here, I thought of so many lessons and I wanted to share some of them with you:

 

1. Perspective is Everything

After reading her story, one word came to mind: Perspective.Thanks to my Boss, this one word is something I doubt I’ll ever forget.Where others saw a menace, Achenyo saw a business opportunity. This reminds me of a quote by Alphonse Karr :“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”

Sometimes, a positive outlook on a seemingly threatening problem is all the boost we need to turn things around for the better.

2. Passion first, reward later.

I’m quite certain that we’ve reached that point in our careers/ businesses/ lives that the only thing stopping us from just packing up and leaving, is that 7-letter word.

Passion is that burning fire that should never be extinguished.This is because, when all else fails, it is the one thing that stands the test of time.

This makes me want to go back and do a thorough self assessment. What made me start this in the first place? If the monetary reward were eliminated, would I still be motivated to do it?

3. Add Value

Today, Mitimeth has empowered over 400 people with skills to provide them with daily sustenance, and hopes to do more.

While we might not be in the position to achieve similar feats, we can apply this in our business dealings with our customers (both prospective and current). John C Maxwell says : “Adding Value to others is the best way to add value to yourself”.

4. Enjoy the Process

These days, people appear to be focused on the end result, and rightly so. I mean, why start up anything if you don’t have the end goal in mind. Right?

However, understanding that the journey is a very integral part of the destination will help us live in the moment, thereby refueling that zest that will take us to the end.

I hope to let these four points be my guiding principles henceforth. Will you do the same?

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Jemimah Iwok published in Entrepreneurship

What to consider when planning a collaboration

“Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation, and consensus.”

-Simon Mainwaring

A business collaboration is an excellent way of getting things done for your business, especially when you are looking to leverage on the audience and resources of other businesses to actualize your business dreams or idea.

Collaborations could throw in a lot of relief in solving a business challenge. They also present opportunities to build the network you need to massively grow your business.
In truth “one tree cannot make a forest”. However, just before you decide to go all in to enjoy the benefits of collaboration, there are certain questions you should not only ask yourself but also have well defined answers for.

  1. WHAT VALUE YOUR INTENDING PARTNER WILL GET FROM

    Collaborations are not “parasitic” schemes where one party spends and the other party grows.

    Rather, they are more “symbiotic” in operation and are mutually beneficial to both parties at the long run.

    So, while you look after your own interests, you also want to think of what benefits the other party would gain partnering with you.

    Make sure the value you’re offering is one you’d like to receive if the roles were reversed.

  2. HOW WELL IT TIES TO YOUR GOAL

The pressure to “flow with the tide” when it comes to working with others could escalate. This might force you as a partner to agree decisions and ideas that could turn out to be detrimental to your own business goals.

What are your business goals? Does your intending partner have similar goals?
Knowing all of these will ensure that you both are in the same league.

3.  HOW IT WILL WORK OUT ON A SMALL SCALE

 

A whole lot of excitements envelopes the thought of “available resources” when it comes to collaborating with the “big fishes”.

Yes, you want to get right to work and finally bring that idea to fruition, you want to start with that fantastic project that no one has done before, Nice!

before you go all out and invest your time and resources into an idea with your collaborators, you might want to try it out on a smaller scale and see how it performs.
Doing that will help you determine if its something you want to do in the long run.

4. HOW MUCH TIME YOU’RE WILLING TO INVEST

Collaborations can be time consuming, especially with a poorly selected strategy.

It becomes a serious risk when targets have been set and deadlines for delivery have been put in place and you cannot put in the extra number of hours required to pull it off.

This could lead to frustration and ultimately loss of money and investments on both ends at the long run.
So, determine beforehand, how much time you are willing to spend (planning and preparation), and how much of your regular business time you are willing to spare.

5. THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

This is the most important part of any form of business agreement. All parties are to be well and duly informed of the legal implications of their actions in business. This is to be done by a lawyer.

When collaborations fail, all parties tend to go emotional about loss and hence things could go awry between both parties. That is why it is very important that both parties come to a legal agreement binding all parties involved and the course of action that should be taken as pertaining to the existing business law of the country at that particular time.

After considering these factors, you’re well on your way to planning a collaboration that will hugely boost your business.

The Bellafricana community is a platform where you can foster collaborations which can help drive great results for your business. Click on this link to sign up to our membership platform

References

https://www.fastcompany.com/90472869/why-tim-ferriss-focus-on-daily-habits-is-not-the-real-secret-to-success

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/strategy/factors-consider-partnering-business/

 

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At Bellafricana our aim is to help you connect with creative, unique and quality African owned businesses.

We believe that every creative entrepreneur has a potential to grow sustainable global businesses. Bellafricana understands the challenges and is honored to be a part of the Creatives’ dream. Their dream is our dream

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