I think I was born to be an entrepreneur and I have always found ways to make extra money on the side. When I was in primary school I sold sweets to the other children (which didn’t go down well with the proprietors of the school tuckshop!). Another example is that there was a madoni tree on the school grounds that was laden with fruit, but most of the girls were too scared to climb the tree, so I would bunk the odd class, climb the tree, harvest the fruit and sell it to my classmates. Part of the reason I did this was to help my mom, who was struggling financially as a single mother (may parents split up when I was about five). Raising three children is an expensive business! So, I would give the proceeds of my endeavours to my mother.
When I was a child, I wanted to be a scientist and I imagined myself working in a laboratory. I am the middle child and the only girl in my family, and my family is academically inclined. In high school, I decided to study chemical engineering, which I did up to Masters level and graduated cum laude.
I worked at Eskom for 14 years before plucking up the courage to resign. Running my own business was always at the back of my mind. Today I manufacture canvas products such as camping tents and gazebos. I also offer carpentry services and run a sewing business, producing uniforms for various African churches. My latest endeavour is a range of premium leather goods – luggage, purses, totes and handbags – that I’m currently selling online, but I hope to get them into malls in Durban before long.
One of the things I love most about my work is the client interaction. I am a demanding customer myself, so excellent client service and the production of quality merchandise is very important to me.
Now that my business is growing I am able to give back to my community, which is very important to me. I am able to donate garments in desirable fabrics and patterns to members of my church who are unable to afford to buy them. I have also started buying school uniforms for children whose families are unable to afford them. Their appreciation really touches my heart.
I am a creative person but my management skills let me down! You can have the best ideas in the world, but without business know-how, you are unlikely to be successful. This is the main reason I decided to do an MBA.
I considered a number of other business schools but my heart has always been at Henley. I would literally dream about studying there! I spent hours on the Henley website scrolling through the programme details and I wanted so badly to attend one of the info sessions but chickened out at the last minute each time because I couldn’t afford the course, and I didn’t want to torture myself any further. It took me five years before I was finally able to register. It’s a dream come true.
Studying while working is tough. But for me working for someone else while doing the MBA was a no-no. I wanted to be able to apply what I was learning to my own business, not somebody else’s.
I started to see the benefits of what I was learning after stage 1 of the MBA as my business began to grow. When I began my studies, I had just one shop selling camping tents and church garments. Now there are 10! There’s a reason why I sell the tents and the garments together in one space. Obviously, it saves on rent, but because most African churches go to the mountains to pray, not only do they need church uniforms – they also need tents!
Managing Processes and Systems was the first module I did as part of the MBA, and everything I learned I was able to apply in my business. It’s my favourite subject. Managing Financial Resources is another module that was hugely helpful because I used to shy away from anything accounting related, but now I feel much more confident.
Building a career with impact has always been important to me. To get it right, you need to be clear about what you want and make the decision to just go for it! Of course, there are challenges, but for me, going to Henley has helped position me to analyse these challenges without becoming emotional, which is simply counterproductive. I have learned to dissect and analyse the challenges I face, and by doing so, I am able to find ways around and through problems that arise.
What advice would I give my 20-year-old self? I would tell her to relax a little bit, to chase her dreams, and, most importantly, I would give her a hug.