She realized the power lay not just in selling better products, but in building trust, relevance, and education. Backed by a Master of Science in Organizational Learning & Leadership, Melesia approached her company as an educator first. “All I can do is educate,” she explains. This philosophy of knowledge over sales became the foundational blueprint for Women’s Haven's scale and is a powerful lesson in making your brand synonymous with competence. The Endurance of Scalable Systems Ask Melesia for one word to describe her work ethic, and she won't hesitate: “Ambitious.” This ambition was critical because her business model required high upfront capital, long lead times, and entry into highly complex supply chains, all without traditional funding. She details the harsh reality of being a Black female entrepreneur in the region: “I don’t have investment... It’s just me using all of my personal money, taking a gamble with my life to start this business.” For years, she and her team had to pull their own funds together. Her advice on overcoming this hurdle is grounded in strategic endurance: "We may not drop in our lap the million dollars that we hope to invest... but a lot of the times, if you are creative, if you work within your community, you could often find a path to step forward, even if it’s not the giant leap that you might have imagined." Her philosophy; the Brick by Brick approach, is her guiding principle for building power. "Build women one brick at a time. Eventually, you’ll have a wall, you’re gonna have a house, you put
your roof on, you can have a mansion."
Building Power Through Shared Influence. “We have CEOs of Women’s Haven in each respective country... They get exclusive rights to the Women’s Haven brand in their respective country.” These women, all taking a risk on the mission, earn and retain 100% of their profits. Melesia actively encourages and celebrates their success: "When I see my distributors doing better than me, that makes me feel so good... that’s what this is about, building a table for us because no one’s inviting us and allowing us on their table. I built my own table.” She leverages her position not just for profit, but for influence, serving on boards and contributing to policy on small-business advocacy and workforce planning. The Superpower: Wisdom and Mindset When asked what superpower she would choose to help her career, her answer was simple and profound: wisdom. It's this intentional mindset that she urges all entrepreneurs to adopt. She cautions against the glamour of the journey: “Your efforts will go unnoticed... be okay. No one said that to me...
Success rarely looks impressive at the very beginning to anybody who’s looking in on your business.” - Melesia Adderley
Build Your Power | April 2026
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