How Women Entrepreneurs in Africa Can Network and Connect With Powerful Influencers

Women entrepreneurs in Africa often avoid connecting with prominent influencers in their industry, believing that more established entrepreneurs won’t have time for someone who may be lesser known. Outdated gender stereotypes also don’t help women to feel confident in reaching out to bigger names.

However, there are ways of sensitively making such connections. Remember that you can be of help and value to others, no matter how big their names might be.  Below are three tips for successfully connecting with powerful influencers:

Be helpful: It is important to give before you receive, and this applies to networking, too. Offering just a little help can get you noticed, especially if you have access to social media. Following a powerful entrepreneur on Twitter, and sharing their posts and articles can inspire them to reach out to you, especially if you commit to doing this regularly, without bombarding their feed. Other ways to be helpful include writing a blog post that features their successes and links directly to their website. You can tag them on social media and let them know, and they might even share the piece with their followers.

Offer an interview: A random email from a stranger can be off-putting for powerful people who have little time. However, by reaching out and asking for an interview—one that you will share on your blog or podcast—you offer to showcase their talents and venture(s). Put the spotlight on serving them, and you will show that you aren’t wasting their time. Plus, you’ll convey a genuine interest in their business, rather than a self-serving one.

Attend a class or event: By researching events ahead of time, you can often ascertain which influencers—or powerful people—are likely to be presenting. Turning up to these events and introducing yourself gives you the opportunity to be memorable to the person concerned. If you have read their work and developed particularly thoughtful questions as a result, you might find that you connect easily. In fact, asking about their work is often key to success, so remember to do your research ahead of time.

Attending a class by a prominent entrepreneur can be another effective way to connect with them. Rather than simply saying you’re interested in their work, you show that you are by putting in time and/or money. A great student is easy to remember, too—especially if they are committed and ask smart, thoughtful questions. At the end of the class, you can ask the prominent entrepreneur if they’d be willing to stay in touch. Chances are, they’ve already seen the value that you bring, and will consider you a worthwhile connection.

Reaching out to well-known influencers can feel intimidating for women entrepreneurs in Africa, but don’t forget that successful feminists are often keen to help others who are starting out. For instance, Sibongile Sambo, founder of SRS Aviation, says in an interview at CNN, “I'm where I am today because somebody invested in me. It's my opportunity now to invest in other people.”

Seek out those successful feminist entrepreneurs who you admire and trust. If they see that you are authentic and helpful, they may be happy to connect.

--Chimuka Moore