As an entrepreneur with a new idea, before the investors and capital come, you become your own biggest hype man. When Amira Rasool first launched The Folklore Group — an e-commerce retailer for African fashion brands — in 2018, she full-heartedly believed in her platform with the mission of helping African designers gain more support from retailers and consumers around the world. Coming from the world of fashion and deeply familiarizing herself with African clothing after traveling to South Africa, Rasool recognized that she possessed the network, knowledge, and passion to solve the issue of the lack of direct-to-consumer platforms across the continent. Her realization turned to action once she envisioned just how wide the door of economic opportunities could be for African designers with her creating a platform to make it happen. “They don’t need another magazine article if they can’t link back to a website where customers can purchase [their brand.] I didn’t want to just be there...