Red Lipstick revolutionising business for women

28 Feb, 2021 - 00:02 0 Views
Red Lipstick revolutionising business for women Dr Magwenzi recently launched her latest offering

The Sunday Mail

Enacy Mapakame

Business Reporter 

“The pit is not a place to die,” said businesswoman, pastor, philanthropist, author, academic and women empowerment lobbyist, Dr Abigail Magwenzi.

In an interview on her latest offering launched recently — the Red Lipstick Business Magazine — Dr Magwenzi says her passion has always been to see women  being empowered and taking the business world head-on.

The biblical story of Joseph in Genesis, who despite being thrown into a pit by his brothers and their betrayal, but still made it into leadership in a foreign land, rings true to Dr Magwenzi’s personal experience.

And the magazine is one of the many initiatives she has come up with to uplift other women in Zimbabwe and boost their confidence as well as to remind them that whatever circumstances they may have gone through in their lives, they can still make it and “come out of the pit” like Joseph and herself.

The magazine is a platform to share inspiring stories about entrepreneurship, business mentorship, create linkages between Zimbabwean women from across the globe while connecting them with potential investors.

“You can be thrown in a pit and the people who should help you will actually shun you, look down on you and throw dirt into that pit to make things even worse.

“But you can use that dirt as your stepping stone to get out of that pit. The pit is not a place for you to die, but birth great ideas that take you to the next level of greatness.

“The problem with us women is we get emotional when things get tough,” she said.

Barely a week after its launch, it has already received overwhelming response from the market with nearly a thousand e-copies downloaded from across Zimbabwe and the diaspora. The quarterly magazine has diaspora desks in China, Dubai, Ireland and the United Kingdom widening its reach and coverage.

She said: “This magazine targets business women and has a directory too and we hope this will provide linkages between Zimbabweans all over the world as well as connect with potential investors.”

Dr Magwenzi said the idea of a magazine hit her in December during the festive season to group the Red Lipstick Revolution into categories. Through her Red Lipstick Revolution, Dr Mangwenzi has managed to raise 50 women entrepreneurs into gold mining, a cut throat sector that has been dominated by men.

This came from the mentorship and training programmes the organisation carries out to capacitate women to run their own businesses. One of the key programmes for women is The 8Bs Woman – a mindset reprogramming toolkit — which tackles among other issues, boldness and bankable projects.

Through the Red Lipstick Revolution, women entrepreneurs have travelled to Dubai for conferences to connect with other Zimbabwean business women with potential investors. This year, a virtual business awards ceremony will be held to honour excellence in business in various categories.

Prospects are high for the women entrepreneurs with linkages being created in countries like China and Texas in the United States of America, although progress has been slowed by travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Dr Magwenzi, the ideas have kept flowing, and these are a result of her book, The Red Lipstick Stays On, which she penned five years ago.

The book can be read in seven days, with each day tackling a particular topic necessary for the path to empowerment. For instance, Monday’s subject is on walking away from toxic situations, marking the beginning of a journey to renewal. Tuesday looks at choices while Wednesday is about wealth creation. Throwback, Thursday is a reminder that the past should not determine one’s life while Friday’s topic — footprints, shows that Friday encourages women to do something that leaves a legacy.

Saturday and Sunday are a focus on one’s physical beauty and spirituality respectively.

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