In case you wondering what a multipotentialite is; it is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life. One such person is Fiona Juan. She has no ‘one true calling’, being a multipotentialite is her just her way of being.

With that said, the 39-year-old wears many hats, like any other multipotentialite would. So an ordinary day for her could be teaching her daughter coding, making chilli sauce from home-grown jalapenos to taking her washing machine apart and later creating websites for non-profit organisations.

Born and raised in Estcourt, she attended Drakensberg Secondary School (DSS) and matriculated with the class of 1995.

“We were the first set of matrics post democracy. Everything was uncharted territory and we set our own precedents. We learnt from an early age that if you wanted something, you had to usually learn how to make it for yourself. Crafts, art, design were all part of our lifestyle, since Estcourt had little access to varied shopping,” said Fiona.

Art educator, Mr Krishna at DSS was a major influence in her life. He taught her to observe properly and in her eyes, that is a priceless skill. Today Fiona can hardly imagine life without applying design thinking to everything, making it easy for her to master new skills with ease.

ALSO READ: Appreciating art at DSS

She is part of the micro-generation of people born between 1977 and 1983 who grew up in the analogue age and are now living and working in digital times. With that said, she spent most of her time helping others transition from the analogue age to the digital age, especially during her time at National Parliament where she worked as an end-user trainer for a digital platform. “We had to know how to work both online and offline.

“Growing up, our Google consisted of the library index cards,” said Fiona with a chuckle. After being in Cape Town for 14 years, the mom, farmer, published author, coach, ‘proud digital geek’, and artist moved back to KwaZulu-Natal to a farm in Weenen.
She also describes herself as a keen foodie.

Fiona finds living the lifestyle of ‘farm to table eating’ is a real privilege. Weenen.org is her latest initiative, a registered non-profit company aimed at developing micro-enterprises around the Uthukela district.

ALSO READ: Locals support the Weenen Winter Fair

“The issue of food security is as critical as the issue of youth unemployment and our focus is to develop tech solutions for connecting food producers to sustainable markets. This also opens up an opportunity to develop digital marketing talent in the area,” explained Fiona.

Google intends to train 10 million people in digital skills in Africa. With the help of her team, they hope to bring this to the area.

Along with the newly established Uthukela Media, the intention is to incubate design and content development talent in the local space to provide more work and micro business opportunities to young people.

“I was lucky enough to be heavily involved in the tech and start-up space in Cape Town, learning from the Silicon Cape ecosystem. Having coached in vastly disparate situations, from micro business owners in Nyanga, to international business clients, it becomes a necessity to bring this knowledge back home to inspire the next group of game changers,” shared Fiona with great enthusiasm. You can find more information on www.fionajuan.com, www.weenen.org, and www.UthukelaMedia.co.za

Here are  five ways you can make social media platforms work for you and your business from Fiona herself:

1. Personal brand goes far beyond word of mouth. Social media interaction is considered a major element in future hires, business transactions and even relationships.
2. By 2018, 40% of South Africans will be online- largely mobile and internet.
3. Be authentic. People relate to people.
4. Too many selfies send the wrong brand message. Use your social media as a broadcast medium to build the future that you want.
5. Share share share. Support local brands. Share informative posts. Avoid spam sites. Be an interesting user and internet authentically.

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