“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.
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.
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