Ooh La La Women!

There is a new breed of women, they are experienced, talented and motivated.  They are women on a mission to live their lives to the full and this is our chance to shine a spotlight on some of them.  These women have taken flight with their dreams and are building businesses that reflect their values, talents, and passions in life. Their belief in themselves and their visions, combined with hard work and innovative thinking, bring them satisfaction each day as they pursue entrepreneurial success.

These ladies serve as inspirational beacons to women everywhere who feel a stirring to start a business of their own.

If you would like to advertise your business on our site or feature as an Ooh La La Woman please let us know, our monthly newsletter is sent out to thousands of women all over sunny South Africa!   

Katlego Kolobe, Joburg

I had lived through a hijacking a few months before the retrenchment, I knew deep down that life was too short to be anything but thrilled by work. I knew I was not totally happy in my job and so did my boss. I found the silver lining and started my own coaching company, Thrive Life Design (www.thrivelife.co.za).

What I have learnt? I have had the opportunity to learn the full spectrum of business, rather than sit in a narrowly focused corporate job. Having a fat salary made me wasteful. Now I am happier and more grateful for my work, its also deepened my relationship with my husband and family because I have more flexible working hours. I have also learnt to lean on them a little more and ask for help when I need it.

My advice to Entrepeneurs is you need to make sure you have your personal finances under control and that you are living below your means. Make sure you can live comfortably and pay your personal expenses without having to rely on a salary from your business for at least 6 months. It takes 18 months to two years before a business can start to be truly profitable so make sure you can stick with it throughout this time.

www.thrivelife.co.za

Women of Grace, Lisa and Charmaine

We believe there is great hope in a nation that has a heart for people. We’ve seen time and time again how South Africans put themselves last for the good of others. In today’s challenging times we feel it’s important for women to have a support system, especially the support of other women. Many of us are running our own businesses, or we have special talents that not many people know about or we are just craving that connection with others who are experiencing similar circumstances.

Women of Grace are dedicated to the personal growth and advancement of all women, from all walks of life and in all circumstances. We want to create a relaxed environment where women can network with each other, promote their businesses and their talents, spend time in fellowship, build a support system for each other and ultimately create a platform from which we can reach out to those less fortunate and in need.

Women of Grace hosted a business breakfast in November 2008 with 42 ladies and another one in March 2009 with 71 ladies. We will be hosting a further two breakfasts for 2009. The breakfast has a three-fold purpose. We invite women who own their own businesses to come and display their products and/or promote their services (free of charge) – thereby giving them exposure they would not normally get. The second part is to impart an empowering message of some kind to assist them in their daily lives. At the last breakfast our theme was Being Beautiful: Inside & Out. We had two sisters speaking – one on outer beauty (image consultant) and one on inner beauty and the idea of dreaming big.

The third aspect is our projects. It gives us an opportunity to update the women on what we have done and what we are planning for the future, where the needs are and where we need assistance. The network is growing and we have been overwhelmed by the support and responses from women who have attended the breakfasts. There is so much need out there but there are also so many women wanting to get involved and make a difference.

Our first project is ‘Project Wedding Dress’.

Proverbs 4:9 ‘She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendour.’

Through the generosity of women all over Johannesburg, we are collecting wedding attire i.e. wedding dresses, shoes, veils, tiaras, garters, ring cushions, jewellery, evening gowns, bridesmaids dresses and flower girl dresses. Why are we doing this? We are building a ‘wedding wardrobe’. We believe that every woman venturing into marriage should be adorned in a beautiful wedding gown on one of the most important days of her life. Unfortunately there are many underprivileged women who simply can’t afford the cost of a wedding dress. The dresses will be on a ‘for hire’ basis except it won’t actually cost the brides anything to wear the dresses and accessories.

God spoke very clearly about the ministry aspect of this project and that this will be a wonderful opportunity to minister to these young girls who are often faced with challenges beyond our imaginations. The ministry will focus on them as women, what it means to be a wife in a Christian marriage, the importance of Love and Respect and to ultimately equip her with the foundation to establish a long-lasting, faithful and loving relationship with God and her husband.

Our vision for this project is expressed both literally and figuratively in Proverbs 4 verse 9 – that the brides will gain wisdom through our ministry in the ‘garland of grace on your head’ and the wedding gown will ‘present you with a crown of splendour’. From the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received so far we are confident that this project is going to change the lives of many women – if nothing more than to offer hope. The larger our ‘wedding wardrobe’, the more women we can bless. So far we have collected about 20 wedding gowns and our mission is to continue collecting as many as possible.

Our first bridal candidate, Elsie Tema, 31 years old from the Alexandra township in Johannesburg got married on 27 December 2008. Attached are some photos of Elsie in her wedding gown as well as another bride who is getting married later in the year.

Women of Grace in conjunction with another charity group, are in the process of helping a family from Zimbabwe who came to South Africa looking for medical assistance for their 2 year old son who has Hydrocephalus (water on the brain). We set up a fund for him and are raising money to improve his and his family’s life. He celebrated his 2nd Birthday on 7 February 2009 and due to the generosity of many people, made it possible for us to take him and his family for breakfast on his birthday and host a small party for him – with lots of presents. The support has been heart-warming (photos attached). Donnell had surgery in April as it was established that the shunt in his brain to drain the excess fluid was blocked. The new shunt is working well and his condition has improved. Because Hydrocephalus is not curable he will always have a very large head and our hope now is that his little body will grow and eventually catch up with his head allowing him to hold his own head up.

We’ve been approached by many women about projects that they would like assistance with. We will continue to introduce new projects and offer assistance wherever we can. Once we are registered and have set-up our bank account we will be pushing for donations and sponsorships.

My partner, Lisa Basmadjian and I are very excited at the future of Women of Grace and humbled by the support! We have 5 other members of the company who are from various backgrounds and will be assisting us with the running of the various projects and breakfasts. The members are as follows:

Lisa Basmadjian (founding member and Director)
Charmaine du Toit (founding member and Director)
Melissa Henson (member)
Stephanie Corney (member)
Siziwe Beyi (member)
Elaine Thompson (member)
Amanda-Lee Botha (member)

To contact Woman of Grace email Charmaine du Toit at charmaine@roxburgh.co.za
Download “Change your life, for Life”

Audrey Gatawa

By 24, I had started my first business; a freight forwarding business; Procuroco Logistics in Harare. This business lasted around two years and paid for the first year of my Law degree.

After that the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe hit the import/export sector hard and I packed my bags and made ‘The Great Trek’ to Johannesburg where I worked (mostly) happily for a financial services call centre in many capacities over 5 years. While there, I quickly moved up the ranks from Sales Consultant to Customer Service Consultant and finally HR Practitioner. Notably I finished my Law degree. Significantly, I found myself. Here’s how it happened.

One day late January 2008, I stumbled across an old diary with a list that I drawn up many years earlier. It was a list of ‘’Things I will do before I die’, by A.R. Gatawa.’ Rather grandiose but those who know me will tell you that I like grand gestures. But rediscovering ‘The List’ couldn’t have come at a worse time. At work, I felt frustrated. I was at a crossroads of sorts. I felt I had a lot to give and loved the company I worked for. On the other hand, I wondered whether my destiny lay elsewhere and recent events left me with a distinct impression that it was time to move on. And yes, I know it’s corny but it took Dr. Phil to really get me moving:
‘I would starve or work for food and shelter doing what I love, before I would betray my self again at any price.

This really struck a cord and I made a decision to go out and chase my rainbows. Come to think about it, ‘The List’ was probably composed when I was 12. I am a hoarder, I know. Nasty habit. But there’s something magical in the first love letter, the first report card from Grade One, the award for first place in ‘Under 9 Girls Butterfly’, the Baptism certificate…that I’m not willing to toss in the trash just yet.

I resigned and co-founded My Labour Workplace Solutions (a people development and labour law practice) with a friend, Pumulani Ncube. I also founded Swap Time which organises clothing swap parties and recycling events and promotes sustainable development and ethical consumption through ‘edutainment’. I’m very excited about Swap Time’s attempt at the Guinness World Record for ‘The Largest Dance Class in the World’ later this year at our first Cape Town Swap Festival.

Initially there were a number of attractive opportunities but I made a lot of mistakes in marketing. Which brings me to the first of my two pieces of advice for would-be entrepreneurs: Whatever marketing strategy you choose, however simple or complex, the important thing is repetition. Do what you’ve committed to doing over and over, keep at it and recognition and income will follow.

I have many diverse passions; sports (especially soccer and golf), writing, fashion and improving the state of our continent. Running my own business has given me the time and opportunity to pursue these loves.

The other bit of advice for would-be entrepreneurs is that if you’re currently working don’t quit your job --just yet. Find someone to run the day to day aspects of your business for at least a year (we all have an unemployed relative.) Or if it’s the kind of business you can work on after hours or over weekends, do that. In this first year you will have an opportunity not only to build up your contacts but you will also be exposed to the realities of running a business while you still have a steady income.

At this stage I need to put on my HR hat and also advise you not to start a business that competes with your employer. That’s a one way ticket to being fired. Also if there is a policy at work which requires you to notify your employer of your business activities then make sure you comply with it.

The reason that I give this advice is that most businesses fail within the first two years. And the reason is simple, they run out of money. I like to think of that first year in business as a sort of pilot project. If it works out, happy days! If you crash, having a steady income means you’ll have a soft landing.

However, having said this, the current global recession also brings with it many great opportunities for those who dare to think differently about the way business is done. I encourage you to have a go at your dreams. Who knows what stories you’ll have to tell the rest of us in a short while?

Audrey Gatawa is the founder of Swap Time and a partner in My Labour Workplace Solutions in Johannesburg. You can contact Audrey Gatawa directly on audreygatawa@gmail.com

Associated Websites:
www.mylabour.co.za
http://swaptime.blogspot.com/
http://audreygatawa.blogspot.com/

Lisa | Life Coach

In her spare time she loves being active outdoors, reading, studying and concocting fabulously flavourful dishes for friends and family. Her favourite indulgence is Sunday afternoon naps with her cat, Samwise Gamges.

Mrs South Africa Finalist 2008 Mrs Adriana Grobbelaar

My dream is to make a difference. Even if I am not the overall winner of the competition, I have come into contact with so many worthy causes that I would like to support, I feel like a winner already. I can see how my life is changing. A simple entry to a beauty pageant has brought me so much joy and fulfilment. I am glad I made the choice to take part in such a prestigious competition.

Adriana Grobbelaar
072 477 4063
adriana@siyanqoba.co.za

Monica Pieterse | www.BreastBuddies.co.za

Until about four months back I had the kind of life I had always dreamt of. A great job I enjoy going to everyday, happily married and we have the most precious two year old daughter who enlightens my life everyday. What more could I have asked for?

Sadly, on 25 June 2008, I was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of breast cancer. The shock that I experienced cannot be put into words. My first thoughts were, “What about my child, she is not even two years old, she needs me?” My family and friends were also devastated. One immediately thinks that it is a death sentence hanging over your head. Like I mentioned before, my life was perfect in many aspects, I was surrounded by friends and family who loves me. Yet I complained about small things that did not come or go my way, I did not appreciate everything in my life like I should have. Then suddenly, the eye opener! Life is not only about US!!!

The prognosis I have been given is not good, Grade III, HER2 Positive. I saw a general surgeon on the same day I was diagnosed. He told me that I will need a mastectomy, the very following day I was in theatre. Everything happened so fast, only by the Saturday reality kicked in and I started dealing with the trauma. It took me a complete weekend to accept the fact that I cannot change my situation, I can only try and make the BEST of it!

I realized that we cannot always be in control, I couldn’t change the fact that I have cancer but I tried to identify the things that I DO have control over and take a grip on those! So many dreams I had for me and my family have now sadly come to an end but I realized that it is NOT going to make me stop dreaming! I said to myself that if there was one person who is going to make it easier for myself, it is ME. I started looking for answers and solutions. I decided that there MUST come some good from the bad! If my life ends one day, l want to look back, smile and say, "I've done my best!”

Large numbers of woman are still not aware of breast cancer not even mentioning HER2! I want to spread awareness. I want every single woman to know that early detection can save your life! I searched the internet for a local community forum where I could talk to other patients and survivors; I had lots of questions and needed answers! I wasn’t very successful in my search. In fact, I did find one or two forums but it weren’t active anymore. There is a NEED for online support! The people that will understand BEST are the one's that walks the same road as me. Where do I find them? I don’t always feel like going out to meetings and to face people. That is when I decided that I am not going to sit and wait for the sun to shine again someday, I’m going to turn on the lights!!!!

A little bit more than a month after my diagnosis my website was online. I named it BreastBuddies. I was feeling proud of myself already. To advertise, I printed business cards, a banner and t-shirts. I had no sponsors but was happy to pay for everything out of my own pocket, at least it was for a good cause. I searched all the upcoming events and made sure that I attended as many as possible to spread the word. One woman, Joanne, who was an organizer for one of the events was, and still is, very helpful. We became very good friends by just speaking over the phone. We met the day of the event and what a wonderful day it was. I got a group of ladies together to attend the event, whom some of them I sponsored, they wore my t-shirts and we made turns to carry the banner.

I want my site to be well known, at this moment there are more “non-patients” and each and every lady enjoys it very much! Support is tremendous and makes us all forget about the trouble we have to go through. Sometimes fun stories are shared about the ups and downs of treatment. Every now and then I receive a “Thank You email”. Every one of the patients went through individual treatment yet some things are the same. Questions can be asked directly and answered honestly. I am currently halfway through my treatment and believe that the support from my friends at BreastBuddies has made it so much easier.

My dream is to have more and more registered users each and every day, that the support becomes never-ending and that thousands of new friendships will arise all over the country. All this has made my journey so much easier and I want every woman who is in need of this to experience the same.

"When it is dark, you can see the stars"

Staff of Premier Sayina Africa with the Celebrity Cherubs banner. PSA is keeping the banner for the month of November after paying an amount of R1000 for it. Proceeds will go to a Mobile Mammogram Unit.

The Celebrity Cherubs group with the sponsored banner that is up for auction. 

Carolyn Emmett, COLOUR ME: Beautiful, Confident, and Younger!

In my late twenties, whilst living in Canada (where I had emigrated from the UK), I supplemented my income by selling make-up at home parties. The company I represented used Carole Jackson’s theories, and colour-coded its make-up for ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ seasons. Along with the make-up demonstration kit, I had four large pieces of fabric: in light pink, light peach, dark pink and burnt orange. By ‘draping’ (i.e. putting a piece of fabric around a client’s neck), I could see the difference between clients with warm and cool undertones.  I then compared light pink with dark pink on ‘cools’, and light peach with burnt orange on ‘warms’. Light pinks were Summers, dark pinks were Winters, light peaches were Springs, and those (very few) who could wear burnt orange were Autumns. Then I knew exactly what make-up tones to apply: one eyeshadow, one blusher, one lipstick would work with every single one of the 28 colours in each season.

I had much more fun working with my clients now; the make-up became simply ‘the icing on the cake’. By wearing their own unique palette of flattering colours, my ladies glowed – their eyes were brighter and their skin smoother.  I continued to run colour analysis workshops in Canada for a further 15 years, while working full-time and raising three children (almost single-handedly, as my husband’s job took him away from home nearly every week). In 1997, his job took us all away from home – we were moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where I was to become a ‘lady of leisure’, and where I discovered it to be the ultimate city in the world in which to be an image consultant.  There was big expatriate community in Jakarta, with women from all over the world who discovered that the clothes and styles they had worn in their home country were totally inappropriate for the 5-star lifestyle of that bustling city. (At the end of our five years there, I had 10 cocktail dresses, six ball gowns, 12 day dresses, 15 pairs of hand-made matching shoes and handbags, and five hats!) Most expats arrived in Jakarta with jeans, shorts and T-shirts; some ladies arrived with business suits they would never wear, because the expat wives weren’t allowed to work.

And so my image consulting company, Bare Essentials, was born.  It was (and still is) amazing to see the transformation that can be achieved if you wear the right colours for your skin tone and shapes for your body type. I apply all the ‘rules’ I’ve learned and perfected over the years, and still stand, open-mouthed, with tears in my eyes, when I see what can be done. “It really works,” I say, “I can’t believe it!”

In 2001, my husband’s company moved us to Gaborone, Botswana. I left behind, with Simone in Jakarta, all my Bare Essentials fabrics, information, swatches, etc. Although I took with me my ball gowns, cocktail dresses and handmade shoes/bags, I didn’t have an opportunity to wear them, in a town where khaki shorts, a T-shirt and Birkenstock sandals are ‘de rigueur’. Within six months of my living in Gaborone, I had joined a ladies’ group, and one day I told them about what I used to do. “But I want you to do that for me, too!” most of them exclaimed.  In Gaborone, I sourced 140 half-metre swatches of rainbow fabrics, to fit in with the new Colour Me Beautiful thinking. I re-designed my written materials, found a make-up supply company, and was off again.

Two years’ later, we were moved to Johannesburg, and my image consulting skills have become in almost as high a demand as they were in Jakarta. Here, we do wear cocktail dresses and beautiful shoes … but even if we buy a T-shirt at Mr. Price, it should be the right colour and style for your skin tone, body shape and style personality. This is what I can teach you, a lesson that will be with you for the rest of your life. A typical make-over includes colour analysis, style personality assessment, body shape analysis, make-up application and instruction, plus hair colour advice.  I also provide follow-up wardrobe reviews and shopping trips, to help you find the right clothes for your season, style personality and body shape.

Before		After

For more information, and a copy of my brochure, please write to me, Carolyn Emmett of Bare Essentials  image.consulting@hotmail.com or (+27) 082 200 8213

The Queen of Arts & Crafts, Dawn Meade

There is always someone who can walk into a room and move a few items or wrap a gift and it will look like a million bucks, Dawn Meade is that type of person.

Arts and Crafts of all shapes and sizes but what is proving popular at the moment is her gorgeous personalized Airy Fairy's! Everyone has a special fairy in their life, one that brings sunshine and happiness, from a beautiful new born to your lovely Granny, celebrate yours by hanging your fairies together on your Christmas tree or just have them hanging around all year round to make you feel happy! You can have your fairy's personalized by sending Dawn the name, age, hair colour and hobbies of those special people in your life and she will use those elements when she is making the fairies.

Dawn lives with her architect husband Gary and their precious son Tate, under the "Mountain" in Blouberg Sands.

Goods are sent via courier throughout SA.

Contact : Dawn 079 876 5357

Family of four R100 / each R30

The Sweet Taste of Success

Ronel Vorstenbosch and Alberto Creations, recently featured on Top Billing September 2008 for the wedding of Sprinbok Rugby player Ricky Januarie.

Ronel studied at the University of the Free State where she did a degree in social work and completed various other post grad degrees specialising in Loss and Trauma therapy. After being in private practice for a number of years which included Trauma debriefing at numerous hospitals in Gauteng as well as therapy in some schools with children that lost their parents to Aids and other tragic circumstances, Alberto Creations was born.

Alberto Creations was born out of "therapy " for the therapist! Ronel needed an escape from the every day trauma and tragedies she was seeing and thus decided to put ribbons on things.  “I am very fortunate to come from a very creative family and to have a father that has been in the world of sweet pastry his entire adult life and a mother that is naturally creative and talented. My dad decided to retire and sell his bakery after 30 years started to specialise in special event cakes e.g. wedding, birthday etc. I latched onto his clientele and got so busy that I was faced with a big decision of changing my career. It was hard to make the decision to give up 7 years of studies and profession. But after 5 years  of working with happy people, making things pretty and being part of people dreams I cannot believe that it took me so long to make the change.

My mother Petro is my right hand partner and we have a ball working together. We have a motto of nothing is impossible and go out of our way to ensure that every event big or small gets our personal touch. We do invites, gifts, flowers, even setup tables for dinner parties for as small as 6 people. Then we also make use of my dads talent to make his rich, decadent mousse cakes and other yummy treats to finish off our creations” says Ronel.

Ronel 0827845997  email: awedding@mweb.co.za
Petro 0824155312  email: backh@iafrica.com
web: www.albertocreations.co.za

Sally Ann Chalmers of Little Green Fingers 

Sally Chalmers lives in Eagle Canyon Estate, Honeydew Gauteng. After 10 years as a Packaging Designer on the structural side, boredom set in and she felt that she could do her job with her eyes closed. Two years prior to this her mom had bought a kiddies gardening activity book from a flea market for R2.00. In December 2007, Sally broke her ankle and was out of commission for 3 weeks. It was during this time that her idea around creative gardening for children was born. Three months later she resigned from her stable job. Sally was excited and scared all at the same time when starting Little Green Fingers! She tells us that she could not have made this move without the unwavering support of her husband, family and friends. Little Green Fingers is all about combining arts and crafts with gardening. The idea is to get children away from the TV and out into the garden. Check out Sally's business at www.littlegreenfingers.co.za or call her on 082 443 2538.