Linkup Bridge Development: Mom-preneur driven to succeed

 

 

“How do you balance growing the business with raising a family? You just do. I had a business, a lot of orders, and a baby howling for supper. You balance it. You give your baby supper first and then get your orders in. I have worked on more holidays… but what are you going to do?

– Lillian Vernon

New mother & Young Entrepreneur

 

 

As we celebrate Woman’s month, we thought it would be fitting to share a story of a young entrepreneur who recently became a mother to a beautiful baby girl, meet Zanele (Zan) Nhlapo.

Who am I?

My name is Zanele Nhlapo, best Known as Zan and I am the 5th of 6 girls. I am born and bred in Johannesburg, but Swazi by blood. I am a new mom to a beautiful baby girl of 9 months *unconditional love* . I am a proud tree-hugger, and this is where my love of nature comes from. As a child I grew up wanting to be a Vet, of which with years changed to wanting to be a Marine biologist, then to a Geologist. I've always been passionate about the environment, which lead me to study and qualify in Nature Conservation.  But my studying did not end there hence now I am currently studying a BA in Environmental Management and this is to compliment my qualification, which all will benefit my own business.

 

I have a registered Environmental NPO of which the office is based at home. The objectives of the NPO are to create an environmental awareness in local communities and schools by carrying out campaigns. The NPO is still in its early phase and is under skills development program with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) for the next 2 years. The NPO will create environmental awareness in individuals by means of environmental education.

 

Prior to attending The Raymond Ackerman Academy, I had a limited knowledge of the Business World and all this was gained from my mother’s Business (Temaswati Guesthouse) that we all help run. I needed more business skill to help my family and the new NPO I was started so I enrolled in the program. The Academy has helped me with: Time Management, Marketing and Financial Management skills which at first I did not know well. I grew up in a business oriented family, so I would say this was my inspiration for starting the NPO.

Temaswati Guesthouse is a 3-star establishment, graded by the Tourism Grading Counsel of South Africa. It is situated south of Joburg, in the tranquil suburb of Meredale just opposite Southgate Mall. What makes this guesthouse different is that it offers guest a collection of Swaziland's most unforgettable experiences, where guest are able to enjoy traditional African cuisines including Swazi cuisines upon request. They also operate a number of tours in and around the Gauteng area which helps tourists to plan their experiences in advance. Tours provided include Gold Reef City, Hector Peterson Museum (Soweto), Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden and the Johannesburg Zoo. We have had the pleasure of hosting both local and International guests with the major highlight being the 2010 World Cup.

 

Being a new mom is everything in one- it’s a challenge, its love, its joy, and my world revolves around her.... I wouldn't trade her for the World. I've got an amazing mom, dad, sisters and boyfriend that provide a great support system for me and make daily life that much easier. Being a mom-entrepreneur is about decisions in a sense that I have to make means of how to provide for my girl. I made the decision to work in my field of study so I can flourish my skills, knowledge and circle of network that can assist me in the near future to grow my business into a recognized organization.

 

 For more info on the Academy visit www.ackermanacademy.co.za

•Centre for Small business Development,

 

 

“I am not satisfied in making money

for myself. I endeavor to provide

employment for hundreds of the

women of my race.”

 

– Madam C.J. Walker

 

How do you define an Entrepreneur?

 

Entrepreneur is a very broad concept and one of the most abused words.  What do you need to call yourself one? How do you define it? I don't have the “right answer”, but here is a list of the types of entrepreneurs you will  come across. Which one are you? Article Courtesy of SimplyBiz.co.za

 

 The Visionary: This type of entrepreneur is driven by the vision to

change the world and have the ability to translate their vision into reality

i.e. Steve Jobs. Their key strengths include imagination, seeing the bigger

picture and attracting brilliant followers.

 

 The Adventurer: Adventurers are adrenalin junkies and they thrill on the

excitement of execution. They do have crossover characteristics of other

entrepreneurial classes but are primarily adrenalin junkies i.e. Richard

Branson, Donald Trump. Their key strengths are bravery, tenacity, energy,

“work hard and play hard”.

 

 Opportunist: Many business ideas are inspired by the ability to see an

opportunity / gap in the market. There are certain people who excel at this

skill better than others. Opportunists are good at spotting gaps, speed of

execution and cost to market.

 

 The Asset Collector: All successful entrepreneurs excel because they

know how to put together existing resources to make a profit. Asset

collectors however embody this notion the best, they cut out the messy

production lines and marketing campaigns and still achieve their profit

objectives. Their key strengths are valuation, number crunching and being

thick skinned.

 

 The Systemiser: Henry Ford is the best example for this type of

entrepreneurship having invented the modern production line. Such

people are great at turning creativity into something that runs to a

schedule. Process is ultimately what turns brilliant prototypes into

consistent profits. Their key strengths are strategy and logic, attention to

detail and employee management.

 

 The Specialist: These people have a natural calling or a field that they

were born to, i.e. Bill Gates. Specialists have the ability to turn their

passion for a specific field into something that we all rely on, i.e. scientists

and architects. Their key strengths are dedication, motivation and

knowing themselves.

 

www.linkupbridge.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEET YOUNG MEN WHO ARE MAKING STRIDES...

 

WINNERS OF THE WITS BUSINESS IDEA COMPETITION

 

 

Lebohang Makhoro

Onion Braai Cleaner

 

Entrepreneurship has become very synonymous with youth. Daily we see young driven people exploring new avenues and coming up with great innovative ideas on how to better our lives. These young people continuously seek opportunities and never fail to cease them to their advantage. If this is the type of attitude we instill on the youth, then South Africa is going far.

 

Lebo Leroy Makhoro is a young well outspoken individual from Diepkloof Soweto. He has always had a keen interest in people and how things work and with that studied B. com marketing with IMM. He loves driving and never misses and opportunity to share his perspective on things which is a quality that seems to have played to his advantage.  . He is one of the winners of the Wits business plan competition 2012. He has a creative eye in all he does and one random day on a field trip he came up with an exciting on how to emit air pollution while using a solar braai stand. He did not only stop there but started thinking of ways to effectively clean the stand before and after it has been used. And since the green industry is on everyone’s lips lately he thought why not keep it natural instead of using toxic chemical…with that idea alone, he become one of the winners.

 

Mr. Makhoro decided to become an entrepreneur because he wanted to expand explore more opportunities in life. He has started a logistics company inspired by his passion of driving and has partnered with some of his classmates of the Raymond Ackerman academy. He got to know about the academy through a friend and says it is one of the best experiences he has ever had. He is inspired by Mr. Ackerman himself and says it’s an honor to be part of an academy of such a successful person in our nation who does not only contribute to the growth of the economy but also has a big heart that goes as far as developing the youth to follow in his footsteps. . He also looks up to Mr. Mike Herington who he says is a man of good values and integrity and also a successful business person.

 

Some of the valuable skills he learned from the Academy are networking. He has met many youth people who are as driven and motivated to success as he is and with that great partnerships were formed.

Thabiso Pule

2 in 1 Shirt

 

 

Meet another inspiring youth entrepreneur by the name of Thabiso Pule who in the other hand is very laid back. He regards himself as being honest, self-motivated and a lover of art. Even though life has many twists and turns he has proven that limitations are only a state of mind. He did not give up when finance became a challenge but become more driven and with that was granted a design leadership, at Greenside College of design where his arts skills got more refined.

No knowledge or skill is ever at vain hence he also regarded working as a Data Capture something of value. Computers become an interest for him enjoys very moment net surfing and this is the reason why he is became part of the Raymond Ackerman Academy as he found out about it whilst browsing the internet.

He was ecstatic to say winning the Wits business plan competition is an achievement he never anticipated yet he is willing to go all out to ensure that this idea succeeds. Mr. Pule’s business idea is to have a 2 in 1 school T-Shirt, gone are the days of buying many shirts. This idea really impressed the judges and is now even getting mentorship from SAP and humbly stated that this competition has opened many doors for him. Learning about the business world has really opened up his perspective on life and people. Daily he meets a lot of successful business people because of this opportunity and gets to learn more from them. He says being part of the Academy has actually transformed his life for the better. No success is without hard work, and Mr. Pule is driven and motivated to do all it takes to make sure is business vision is realized.

 

Sindiso Nobula

Mobile Hardware

 

 

 

Who said young people do not have the ability and drive to develop others? Sandiso Nobula proves it can be done. He is a very responsible young person, someone who would never let circumstances stand in the way for making a difference. He is passionate about developing his community and often helps at the local development community forum. He is very active in things that can help the youth become well equip and developed all around.

His business idea which is a Mobile hardware is inspired by people and making their day to day operations easier. He also won the wits business idea competition simply because he found a way to sell building materials in new built locations which would make life convenient for those in need of should materials.  This idea was triggered by an article he read in the newspaper. The reason this idea had substance and potential was due to his passion and experience as an electrician. He would do small projects in newly developed areas where he sow a gap and wanted to fill it.

He got to the academy through a relative and says being part of the academy is one of the best things that can ever happen to young person. He enjoyed accounting studies and business numeracy because he loves mind challenging things and calculations are just that challenge he strives on. Sandiso wants to further his studies after the course and He advises any entrepreneur or those that aspire to be entrepreneurs to be strong and dedicate their time in their business in that way they will prosper.

Well done once again!

Advice from Paul Smith (Entrepreneurship lecture):

Stop limiting others but seek opportunities that will make you a renowned entrepreneur

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS

Part of Linkup Bridge Group as a form of development we produce monthly newsletters for the Raymond Ackerman Academy for Entrepreneurial development. In these newsletters we share various business knowledge; from different sectors and some info that they might find helpful on their journey to building their businesses.

It is our pleasure to share some of the stories and give these youth individuals a platform to shine.

Inspired to write

It is not daily that you meet a young man from Soweto passionate about meditation and love; driven to find inner self and ultimately a balance between his inner self in relation to his outer environment. An introvert who took his life experiences and turned it into a book that many can relate to.

                                                          Meet Nceba Flekkies.

 

What defines me?

It is a bit hard to give a definition of who I am because there is so much life energy in me and it is always moving, it is never static, it is so dynamic that I cannot grasp it and reduce it to words, however people who have come close to me and gotten to know me personally always say that I’m humble, thoughtful & kind, so I guess these are words that define me.

In your life journey what has and still motivates you?

My passion for life motivates me. I am so passionate about life and its mysteries. The pains and pleasures of life motivate me to get up every day. I take life as a journey so every day that comes and goes I know that my purpose is manifesting. I matriculated in 2003 after struggling for two years to get my matric certificate, and after that I worked doing some odd jobs here and there to make ends meet. I worked at Clicks; Zoto’s Pty Ltd a construction company, Capital building and civil construction company, Kaye Eddie Estates (as security guard) & lastly Pick ‘n Pay. All of these jobs have contributed in the journey of my life...and the journey still continues.

Love plays a major role in my life which motivated and inspired me to write my first book. I believe that love can be a mirror that reveals whom one truly is which makes it a very insightful phenomenon to explore.

 How did you get into writing?

My passion for writing developed back in 1998 when I was in high school. English was my favourite subject because we got to read stories and poems as part of our lessons, which did inspire me to what to write my own poems yet never got around to doing that due to distractions. Then in 2004 I started seriously getting into it to the point were I joined a poetry club and we shared our writing. That is how I became a writer, but most of my writings were poetry until now with this first book.  

As a soon to be published write, which books and authors inspire you?

Meditation: the first and the last freedom- Osho, The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho, Things fall apart – Chinua Achebe, Why is God Laughing– Deepak Chopra and Four legs of the table – Raymond Ackerman. Most of my readings are by Osho, he is a great influence in my life.

 How has RAA influenced your  life

I was in the second cohort of the programme and the journey was very educational. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit in me lying as an undercurrent. I always wanted to own a business, but this was always because I just wanted to be rich. Going to RAA, I learned that making money should not be the primary concern for any business to prosper. Passion for the business and consumer sovereignty should be at the top of the list for any business owner. That is the most valuable lesson I learned at RAA and will take with me to the grave. After RAA I worked at Pick ‘n Pay and worked there for three years. Eventually I felt that I learned enough at Pick ‘n Pay and it was time to pursue a business venture with King Makhubele of which I will talk about once all the pieces fall into place.

 About the book

The book title is, Love: the road to heaven, the road to hell. The book is semi-autobiographical of my true experiences mixed with wild imagination sprinkled with hints of magical realism. The story is an account based on my experiences with love: the joys, the pain, the confusion, and the hidden feelings that manifest themselves because of love. The story is based on a man called Musa who’s experiences with love drive him first to near insanity and then to personal enlightenment. The scenes  are mainly set in Pick ‘n Pay Southgate where I worked, my home in Dube and surrounding areas.

GoalS for the book and required support

I have already found publishers for the book and I have a 100 presale contract with them. The name my publishers is Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Agency. The contract requires me get 100 people to order the book and then production and marketing will commence. It also stated on the contract that should I not be able to reach 100 sales within six months of the functioning of the website the contract will be terminated and the individuals who have already placed the orders will be refunded. The six Months will end on October 2013.

If you got a passion for reading about love and personal growth then please make that order by visiting www.sbpra.com/NcebaFlekkies.