The Resilience Factor

As a young child, I never imagined that my life would take the path of entrepreneurship.

It all started when I participated in Entrepreneurs Day in Primary School in the fifth grade. I remember feeling the rush of excitement as I set up my little stall, filled with homemade rice krispy cakes and popcorn. I was thrilled to see how quickly my treats sold out in the first two hours of the day, with my dad having to rush back home to make more.

At that young age, I was already learning some critical skills that would shape my entrepreneurial journey in the years to come:

• Being original
• Studying the market
• Avoiding overpricing
• Budgeting and managing expenses versus sales
• Making a profit while donating to community projects

What struck me the most was the sheer surprise and optimism I felt as I watched my products sell. I felt like I was on top of the world, experiencing a sense of pride and accomplishment that was entirely unique.

Looking back, that experience played a significant role in shaping my young mind. It taught me the value of hard work, persistence, and creativity, all while having fun. It ignited a spark within me — a passion for entrepreneurship that only continued to grow stronger as I got older.

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Pivot 1: The Sweet Business

In high school, I continued to pursue my entrepreneurial spirit by selling sweets to my classmates. It all started when I noticed that the school tuckshop didn’t offer a wide variety of treats, and I saw an opportunity to fill the gap.

I began selling items that weren’t available in the tuckshop — lollipops, chips, and chocolates — at reasonable prices. Soon, my classmates began to rely on me for their sweet fix, and I quickly developed a loyal customer base.

When I look back on those days, I laugh because of the simplicity of life whilst learning key lessons that would impact me in future.

The Public Speaking Discovery

I went through high school with my little side business, and one day in English class, my teacher caught me selling in his class and called me to his desk.

“Well since you can’t keep your mouth shut and you are such a great salesperson, why don’t you do public speaking? We start this afternoon.”

I had never considered public speaking. I never even knew someone could be trained to speak to an audience to elicit a certain response.

I joined his team and we kept winning public speaking competitions. I made it all the way to the Nationals, and I gained the title of Best Female Speaker in the Republic of South Africa and 1st runner-up regionally.

I was so proud and happy — it was surreal and I was on top of the world! I had won quite a large sum of money and I was excited by the prospects of what I could do with it.

The plan (in my mind at least) was to use the money for my education, but my family needed the money more, and so I didn’t have the opportunity to go to university.

I was devastated, but I didn’t let it break me.

Instead, I started a space planning and interior decoration company at the age of 19 with my friend who was a space planner. It was a great success, and I was thrilled to see my hard work pay off. However, I had a falling out with my partner, who was constantly misappropriating funds, and I had to walk away.

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Pivot 2: The Corporate Years

After that experience, I took a four-year break from entrepreneurship and went to work as:

• A personal assistant
• A property administrator
• A receptionist

I did a string of odd jobs that put me in an operational capacity at the companies. Managing petty cash, ordering supplies, managing budgets, etc. were some of my responsibilities at most of these odd jobs.

I did that for about four years, and it was during this time that I gained valuable experience that would come in handy in my future entrepreneurial endeavors.

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Pivot 3: The Tech Dream

I tried to study correspondence but the effects of my parents’ divorce started to weigh heavily on the household this year more than the others. My mom took a pay cut and as the firstborn and deputy parent, I had to step up to the plate and make income to support my family.

I rallied three of my friends and we started a marketing technology company — that’s when things started to really take off.

We worked with JSE-listed companies, doing a bit of their graphics and providing some consultation on their ideas. We were a team of passionate 25-year-olds, who were wet behind the ears and really wanted to use technology to change people’s lives.

The McDonald’s Idea

We really wanted to use technology to better people’s lives and as we were sitting one evening we had a crazy idea…

What if we didn’t have to go to McDonald’s to buy food? What if McDonald’s came to us?

We began developing a website to make that possible, and we landed a meeting with the CEO of Mr. Delivery (a delivery company in South Africa). We were excited to show him a future market that he could exploit — food delivery.

However, he told us: “That company would never deliver food in South Africa, and your idea wouldn’t work.”

Disheartened and disappointed, we dissolved the company, and most of the members decided not to try again, but I made a pact with myself to work in the industry for five years and see if I wanted to try again.

So I worked for those five years, gaining valuable experience and learning from my mistakes. I worked with and for Blue Chip companies and my career was excelling at a rapid pace.

In September 2019, I resigned from my job, confident that I had the experience I needed to start a tech company, and thought that it would be an opportune time to start my business.

Armed with savings, ambitions, and dreams I ventured into uncharted waters and started my tech business.

To my surprise, I landed several clients in the first few months. I worked with UNESCO and traveled to Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. I was starting projects in all those nations, I had hit the jackpot and my sales pipeline was looking healthy!

In all this I think I developed a bit of luck-induced superiority and stupidity.

I became focused on profits and not people and waltzed around the world like everything comes easy. I forgot the principles of generosity, compassion, and collaboration that I learned during my first entrepreneur days in 5th grade.

And just at the height of my intoxication with myself — COVID-19 hit, and everything changed.

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Pivot 4: Enter COVID-19

When the lockdowns were first announced, I didn’t fully grasp the extent of what was happening. I initially thought it would be a temporary inconvenience that would soon pass.

However, as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, it became clear that this was not going to be a short-term situation.

I started to lose:

• Income
• Clients
• People
• Profits
• My sense of grandiosity

As the days got longer and the streets quieter, I was confronted with a deep sense of loneliness and purposelessness.

As an entrepreneur, I was used to being busy and having a clear sense of direction. But with the pandemic disrupting everything, I found myself struggling to find meaning in my work and my life.

It was hard to stay motivated and focused when the future was so uncertain, and it felt like everything was up in the air.

The confusion and uncertainty of the pandemic also took a toll on my mental health. I was worried about my health, the health of my loved ones, and the future of my business and my life.

I fought hard to keep the business afloat for about 12 months, but clients weren’t able to pay, and I was deep in debt. I lost everything and had to move back home. I wrestled with depression for almost 2 years whilst struggling to adapt to my new normal.

I then started to seek God for answers — answers about why I am here, answers about who I was created to be, and answers about how my life makes the world a better place.

I got my answers from God and got direction and meaning.

I now know what I am here for.

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The Great Pivot

When the dust had settled, and I had a new perspective on my life, I realised that everything that happened was in preparation for where I am now in my life.

Towards the end of 2022, I dusted myself off, started making my bed (as Jordan Peterson suggests) and step by step, thought by thought, action by action started hoping and dreaming again.

I started writing down my “why”, how all the many little pivots led to this great pivot, and how I would capitalise on it.

I have now started a company that connects exceptional tech talent to companies all over the world.

There is nothing more fulfilling for me than to help another person fulfill their dreams and meet their goals. We have talent from all over Africa and we intend to showcase their skills and change the narrative about Africa and her tech capabilities — one candidate and company at a time.

Our company is called Apex Tech Talent (ATT) and as we embrace the climb to be Africa’s best source for recruiting remote tech talent, we do it with compassion, consideration, tenacity, and passion.

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Lessons Learned

My story goes to show that every moment has a purpose, and every failure, opportunity, challenge, and personal shortcoming has a purpose.

If you are in a tough spot right now, rest assured that this too shall pass and it has a purpose as you summit the climb and embrace the great pivot.

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Quick Fire Q&A

Books That Changed My Perspective

• Beyond Order by Jordan Peterson
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Daily Habits

“Your daily habits, in my opinion, are indicative of the kind of person you will develop into in the future.”

My routine:

1. Wake up, make the bed
2. Shower
3. Drink my tea
4. Have prayer time and meditation
5. Exercise (walking, pilates, or boxing)

All before I start my day.

I also write down my tasks for the next day before I go to sleep (in order of priority).

Worst Advice

“Soldier through”

Best Advice

“Maybe you should go to therapy"
"What if it will turn out better than you expect”

Proudest Accomplishment

I am most proud of how far I have come as a person and my internal work because I believe if you can clean up internally and deal with issues, this will greatly impact everything that is external — whether it might be work, relationships, health and perception. Everything outside improves when the inside is sorted out.

Dream Walking Partner

Jordan Peterson.

I would like to take a walk with him because his work has deeply influenced my thinking about responsibility, meaning, and personal growth.

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