Women’s Day 2019
Balancing work and family life is a challenge, admitted Reshma Maharaj of TRIVS.
When starting out in business in 2000, Reshma said it was rare for a woman in the field of health and safety to defy societal expectation and get her brand known and heard in the community.
However, she said her passion for her business gave her the strength to overcome her fears.
“If you allow yourself to be controlled by fear, you regret the decisions you never made. You need to believe in yourself and network.”
If she could go back in time and speak to her younger self, Reshma said she would give herself the following advice:
“I would have told myself to listen more and not to burn bridges, because you will never know when you may need to cross them again. Sometimes, saying nothing speaks volumes.”
Reshma believes confidence wins the respect of people.
“You need to be passionate about the job you are doing; believe in it and you will succeed. Be an ambitious woman; if you want something in business, push for it and you will be rewarded. Always aim for the top.”
Reshma said a woman’s work is not less than what a man can do, and she proved this by constantly challenging societal norms.
“You have to get used to wins and losses, praise and negative criticism. Not everyone is going to be your fan, but you should analyse the place from where criticism is coming from and use it as a learning curve to improve your future.”
For Reshma, her businesses are all family-built and she relies on the support of her husband and children, when work demands she wakes up at 2am.
“Work demands a lot of my time during weekends as well, so my family structure is strong and allows me to live my passion. I also have the greatest employees, who take on many responsibilities. Their trust and integrity has played a major role in my success. Therefore, when I do find time for the occasional vacation, I am reassured my businesses are well taken care of, even though I am always just a phone call away!”
Tsebiso Maruping started her business when she did not have any income to support herself.
When she struggled to get financial assistance, every door she knocked on could not give her the answers she needed. After receiving assistance, the challenges began in earnest. Now Tsebiso had to build her company, TMM Physio from scratch, and try to earn a good reputation and prove herself as a formidable businesswoman.
“I would tell future businesswomen to trust yourself enough to jump into the deep end,” advised Tsebiso. “You will either learn to swim, or you will float it out. You will never know unless you try, so just breathe!”
If Tsebiso could go back in time to visit her younger self, she would tell herself the following: “I’m the youngest private physiotherapist in Newcastle, but I would tell myself to take as many risks as possible and if it doesn’t work out, it’s ok,” she giggled. “You can try again tomorrow, and the next day because you are only as good as the failures that have taught you lessons.”
Tsebiso believes it takes patience, perseverance, ambition and confidence to become a successful female business owner.
“As an independent working mom, we often have multiple careers we need to juggle in a day. It’s difficult, but I believe it’s doable. The key is to try and make time for yourself – to hear your own thoughts and do the things you love, even if it’s just for an hour once in a blue moon!”
Tsebiso was raised as the only female among four brothers, and says they taught her how to toughen up and fight for what’s right.
“I deal with criticism directly. I speak what’s right and voice my honest opinion, smile and walk away. I was taught to fight with humility and never with pride.”
While striking a balance between personal and professional is never easy, Tsebiso said she switched her phone off after 6pm and only took emergency cases or calls.
“When I get home from work, it’s mommy and son time!”
Tsebiso advises young women to always stand up for what they believe in.
“Somewhere out there a small girl is watching us young women and praying we don’t give up, because they look up to us. If I can do it, they will also believe they can do it.”
She looks up to former First Lady, Michelle Obama for inspiration, as she is an advocate for poverty, awareness, education, physical activity and healthy eating.
“She enjoys putting smiles on people’s faces and also stands for what is right. She is outspoken and confident.”
Tsebiso believes individuals can be holistically healed through movement, even patients who are in pain.
“This is why I started my hiking club, Hikeobics – because I want more for my patients. I don’t just want them to recover, but also to function beyond that. A simple movement warms the heart, strengthens the muscles and improves the general mood. It is definitely a lifestyle change.”
“Here’s celebrating our lovely ladies at Mello’s Laundromat, whose hard work, friendly service, efficiency and dedication do not go unnoticed.”
“Thank you all for your contribution towards making the business the success it is.
“You make Mello’s Laundry’s world go round. God bless you and your families.”
From humble beginnings to being the main tour de force that is Caxton Northern KwaZulu-Natal, Tanya Muller joins only a handful of women at the helm of her own stable of newspapers within the Caxton Local Newspapers Group.
The media and newspapers in general have always been a traditionally male-dominated industry worldwide, yet Tanya has shown that women can truly do anything they set their minds to.
As Business Manager for Caxton Local Media Northern KZN, Tanya Muller has joined a very elite group – the cream of the crop in big business.
Tanya joined the Ladysmith Gazette as a humble advertising representative way back in September 1991, starting at the bottom.
She was ably mentored by Managing Editor, Bevis Fairbrother and Sales Manager, Kathy Fairbrother, who had both moved across to the new Caxton-owned Ladysmith Gazette.
As the years passed, Tanya garnered numerous awards both from within Caxton and other external organisations like the Sanlam Media Awards.
When George Meyer took over as Regional Manager for the Northern Natal Group, he immediately saw a kindred spirit in Tanya; someone he could take under his wing and mentor.
Within a year, she had been promoted to Regional Sales Manager, serving together with then Regional Editor, Martin Paul as George Meyer’s understudies.
She was also officially George Meyer’s protégé and began learning the ropes from him.
Groomed to replace him when he retired, she was also mentored by General Manager Caxton Local Media Regional, Karen Geurtse.
Tanya was appointed Publishing Manager of the group in October 2018 and officially took over the helm of the Northern Natal Group on March 1, 2019.
“It has been a long, hard road and with the support of everyone in the Northern Natal Group, I have made it,” said a delighted Tanya.
A new era has begun, with synergy of print, online and promotions being key to the future success of the group.
Women in South Africa are celebrated each year in August, as the country commemorates Women’s Month. Over 20 000 women marched to Pretoria’s Union Buildings on August 9, 1956, protesting against extension of Pass Laws to women. The South African government this year has themed the celebration ‘25 Years of Democracy: Growing South Africa Together for Women’s Emancipation’ .
The Newcastle Advertiser spoke to businesswomen in town about how they feel about Women’s Month.
Fiona de Bruyn from CBS Newcastle, elaborated on what it takes to be a strong woman in business.
“You need to be confident. Believe in yourself and your personal abilities. Always be honest and humble and if one door closes, be sure that another door will open.”
Fiona said she has encountered some challenges working in a male-dominated industry.
“Being in such an industry was, and still can be, extremely challenging. Many men are inclined to look at you with a skew eye and you can just see they don’t believe a word you say. Over the years, I have gained vast knowledge in the friction section of this industry, and many of those same men now respect me for my advice and knowledge. Keep pushing ahead and learn as much as you can about your industry, and you will eventually gain the respect you deserve. To the others who will not trust my word, I do call my husband and then my saying is ‘smile and wave’.”
Fiona passed on this piece of advice that she would have given her younger self:
“Stop, listen and think before making life changing decisions. Always try and see the bigger picture.”
Fiona concluded by saying she definitely thought women were born to multitask.
Women’s Day is celebrated annually on August 9 in South Africa.
The month of August is recognised as Women’s Month in the country, and the Newcastle Advertiser is proud to celebrate Newcastle’s influential businesswomen.
The South African Government’s Call-To-Action for this year’s Women’s Month campaign is ‘What Women Want’, which is born out of the 2019 Women’s Month theme: ‘25 Years of Democracy: Growing South Africa Together for Women’s Emancipation’ – which seeks to identify multifaceted issues affecting today’s women from all sectors, race, statures and age.
For this feature, we aimed to profile businesswomen who are making economic waves in out town.
Ashila Hanmonth, from Sahara Insurance Brokers, has a nose for good business.
Sahara Insurance Brokers was established in Newcastle in 2013, and Ashila has a clear vision for the company: “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they never quit.”
Sahara Insurance Brokers offers many insurance types, from business to personal insurance.
The company also includes short term insurance for car and household, all commercial type insurance, building, engineering, plant and machinery and marine and aviation.
Sahara Insurance Brokers offers extensive business insurance for your business – get the best insurance for personal and business at Sahara Insurance Brokers.
What advice would you give to future business women?
“The sky is the limit, never fail to try. Once you set your goals on something, work hard to achieve it.”
What advice would you give to your younger self?
“Take a calculated risk and don’t be afraid to try. If you stumble, get up and try harder.”
What type of qualities should a female business owner have?
“Inner strength to make it happen and to be a mum and take care of your family while making your dreams come true.”
How do you deal with criticism in typically male-dominated industries?
“I think society has passed this stage; we are stronger, balanced and more motivated.”
How do you balance a professional and personal life?
“It’s very difficult, although we always say family first, work always takes priority.”
Who is your female role model and why?
“My role model can be any hard working, honest and dedicated woman.”
In commemoration of Women’s Month, the Newcastle Advertiser is celebrating businesswomen in Newcastle. The South African Government has encouraged women in the country to share their perspectives on the gains, the gaps, and the current struggles of women in this government, and to voice what they would want to see happening while trying to bridge the margin of gender equality.
Local optometrist, Liana Engelbrecht spoke about the challenges she faced when starting a business.
“Starting up was not easy. Not only is the competition very strong in Newcastle, but I also experienced huge financial losses with my car, instruments and frames being stolen in the first week 11 years ago, but regardless, you need to follow your dreams!”
Liana elaborated on the qualities and strengths she thinks women should have in the business world.
“Compassion and dedication is essential. It is not at all easy, but finding a balance between work and family life is very important. My strength has come from Jesus Christ: All the praise and glory unto Him! We are all made in God’s image, therefore you are valuable!”
She also said women must celebrate themselves.
“We can multitask! We have to keep all the balls in the air, but it is also important to decide and realise which balls are glass and which are rubber balls.”
She advised the younger generation of women who wanted to follow in her footsteps to be honest human beings, hard workers and passionate about their career choices.
Rheam Dookie is a female business owner of not one, but two businesses – Tadonet and Heaven Meets Earth Beauty Spa.
She has a tertiary education in Business Management and is on her way to completing a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Management Marketing.
Her advice to future business women is the following:
“My advice to female entrepreneurs and woman in general is to never be afraid to fail. Believe in yourself and trust your instincts. People can make you feel very small when you are starting to work on your dream of establishing yourself in business, especially in a male dominated business environment. Stay strong and confident and don’t let them make you doubt yourself. Also, don’t forget to give back and give help to those who are looking for it.”
Who is your female role model and why?
“There are so many amazing woman and successful business woman, but one amazing person that comes to mind and who I look up to is my sister, Ramona Adam.”
Rheam said her sister is the Head of Talent Acquisition and HR Operations for Africa – at G4S.
“She inspires me because she didn’t let her circumstances dictate her future. Instead, she chose her own destiny and manifested it, despite overwhelming obstacles.”
Rheam said she was blessed with great aspects in her life, but the most important thing to her is family.
“I am very blessed to have an amazing husband who is always there when I need business advice and always there to support my future endeavours, my children who always remind me to live, laugh and love every day to its fullest, for who knows; tomorrow may not be,” she concluded.
One of the companies Rheam owns, Tadonet specialises in portable sanitation and security solutions, which includes portable toilet hire for construction and industrial sites, special events and different types of events, while security solutions provides a service of unarmed guards and caters for any work site area. For more information, call or info@tadonet.co.za
Her second business, Heaven Meets Earth Beauty Spa, is situated at 78 Voortrekker Street and can be reached on the following contact details: 034 315 3520, email info@h-me.co.za or visit the website on www.heavenmeetsearth.co.za.
