African Heroines: Community-Driven Entrepreneurship
In the latest episode of the "Héroïnes Africaines" podcast, hosted by Sahar Mechri, two entrepreneurs share their vision of community-driven entrepreneurship. In Dakar, Salimata Thiam, a lawyer and founder of Gl'amour by Lyssa, a fashion and cosmetics brand, and in Tunis, Marwa Ben Ali, founder of the natural cosmetics brand Herbéos, discuss how their customers have become the driving force behind their brands.
From the first minutes, Sahar Mechri sets the tone: "It's not the community that likes a page, but the one that tests, recommends, and becomes the best marketing department for a product." A phrase that perfectly summarizes the philosophy of these two women.
For Salimata Thiam, everything starts with Gl'amour by Lyssa, a brand that combines elegance and African identity through fashion and cosmetics. This experience gives birth to the Club Act'Elles, a network of women entrepreneurs united by solidarity. "We understood that unity is strength," she confides. The network promotes visibility, sales, and skill sharing. Each member supports the others by buying their products or sharing their pages. "This sorority creates an incredible force," she adds.
On her side, Marwa Ben Ali tells the story of Herbéos, born from a childhood dream and developed from her kitchen to become a recognized bio brand. As a cosmetics engineer, she relies on the involvement of her community to innovate. "My first customers became my ambassadors," she explains. After the pandemic, she strengthened this bond through social media, sharing her daily life on Instagram. Customers actively participate, testing new products and guiding the brand's choices.
This proximity goes as far as co-creation. Marwa describes, for example, the design of an eyebrow and eyelash care product whose final texture - a light oil - was chosen by internet users. Another success: the anti-acne range, tested on over 100 customers before its commercialization. Result: "We sold for a month without advertising or influencers," she says. More recently, a relaxing mist born from a personal experience of burnout was created after a strong enthusiasm from the community.
The two entrepreneurs agree on a fundamental principle: transparency. At Herbéos, customers have access to certified organic fields and certifications. At Gl'amour by Lyssa, customer feedback led to the creation of a more affordable "mini-range". "I took into account the purchasing power of students and young women," Salimata specifies.
The episode also highlights the importance of integrating customers into the brand's key moments. After noticing frustration on social media - some customers feeling excluded from events reserved for influencers - Marwa corrected the situation: now, loyal customers are invited to these meetings, becoming true ambassadors.
Beyond sales, these initiatives show how African brands are reinventing their relationship with consumers. By placing the community at the heart of their strategy, they transform each customer into a partner, each feedback into an opportunity, and each exchange into a growth lever. As Sahar Mechri concludes, "the community is no longer just an audience: it becomes the brand's living laboratory."
