When Vanice Ntuli was 10 years old, her mother enrolled her in a better school far from their Mpumalanga village. The only problem: the boarding house had no space for her for a month. Undeterred, the little girl told her mother she would find a family to help them. Even though they didn’t know anyone in the area, Vanice asked her mom to drive into town, and she picked a house that “felt right”. They knocked on the door of total strangers and left having persuaded them to let Vanice and her cousin stay until the school could take them in.
This remarkable anecdote gives an excellent insight into the personality of Vanice, who eventually became deputy head girl of her school and is today the Business Manager at BMW East Rand. Determined to succeed and tenacious when it comes to pursuing her goals, Vanice has an unshakeable belief in herself. “If you know what you want, you just have to just get on with it until you achieve it,” she says.
This attitude may come from of her mother – a single mother who later became a businesswoman and taxi boss.
“So, I did have a strong woman as a role model,” smiles Vanice. “Maybe that shaped me as well. We don’t take no for an answer easily!”
Vanice studied Public Relations and Communication at the University of Johannesburg, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Management. Then she added an accounting qualification after an acquaintance suggested it as a good career option. It was a risk as initially, the pay would be much less. “But I was also told I could make back that money in the first year, so that was my target. And I achieved it.”
Looking back, she knows taking the leap was the right decision. She loves her job, using her skill with numbers and natural leadership instincts to add value to the BMW car dealership where she works.
“People don't realise there's a whole ecosystem around car dealerships. There are many value-added services, like warranties and scratch-and-dent insurance. It's about so much more than just the sale of the vehicle!”
While pursuing her MBA, Vanice expanded her professional influence by establishing herself as a respected thought leader in the automotive industry. She began writing for leading publications, facilitating industry discussions, and moderating automotive events. These opportunities allowed her to share insights on finance, compliance, leadership, and customer experience.
She has published a book as a result of writing her MBA thesis, which she completed with a distinction. It is a handbook offering advice to young F&I professionals starting out in the field. The F&I Handbook will soon be available for purchase on Amazon.
An Executive MBA, which she started at Henley in 2023, has allowed her to learn to apply her determined mindset to achieve even more. “The MBA was a no brainer for me and it delivered as I’d hope by developing my leadership abilities,” she says.
It delivered in unexpected ways too. “I thought it would be ‘just hard work’ but it was so much more rewarding on a personal level as well.”
She highlights the personal development module for showing her how to prioritise her time better and unlock the power of her social networks. Through the exercises and personal reflection that the degree demands, she saw that she was closing herself off to people. By allowing others into her space and becoming more vulnerable, she’s built more rewarding friendships with family as well as new friends. She is close friends with a fellow student that she met on the first day of her course and is still in contact with many other students from the course as well – even if it is to advise them on car purchases.
“The Henley MBA was the right fit because of the flexibility of the programme,” Vanice adds. “But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t stressful or that it didn’t demand a lot of planning.”
Vanice had to manage her time more effectively and called in extra resources, like involving her children with the housework and dishes. “Other women might get up at 5am to go to the gym, but I do the laundry then. That way I don’t get upset later when it isn’t done. Because that just messes up my flow.”
She adds that she isn’t a perfectionist but instead focuses on the big picture to keep up the momentum. In her case there are her professional goals. Determination has been the thread running through every stage of her journey, from persuading strangers to take in a 10-year-old girl, to completing an MBA while raising three children, launching a consultancy and becoming an author. Research has consistently shown that perseverance and grit are among the strongest predictors of long-term success, but Vanice believes it ultimately comes down to learning to manage yourself well.
"The one thing I realised with the MBA is that we can do it all and it doesn't have to be hard. But you need to learn to manage yourself."