Local women shine in business

Women can do anything they set their minds to.

The dynamic women from Touch Wood, are: back, Karen Wessels and Cizanne de Lange and Caroline de Lange (front). Cizanne said she is a single mom and being a business owner just means there are more balls up in the air. Processes and organisation are key. Her advice to future female business owners is: Don’t buy employment, build a company and most importantly, revel in being a woman. Your biggest advantage is embracing your femininity. The women have run a successful business for 33 years on the principles of honesty, positivity and hard work.

Melissa Hart is the editor of the GCN. She is passionate about news and telling people’s stories. To be a success she believes you should not be afraid of hard work.

Pam Cholwich has owned Laudromat 4 All for six years. She started the business with her late husband Charles and after his death continued to run it. She has two children and said this venture into business was a first for her. She said women in business need to be level-headed as it can be very unpredictable. Pam said she has a good support team to help her.

Lillian Koena is the principal and director of Prillian Tech College. She started the college in 2011 to cater to students who need to re-write technical matric. Lillian is a busy single mom to three children and manages to balance home and work admirably. She believes that women should not take themselves for granted and must believe in themselves.

Lucia (left) and Fatima Teixeira co-manage Yankys Lambton and both feel that being in business as a woman is an exciting experience and challenge. “It takes a lot of guts and patience to run a business of this nature and a business in general,” said Fatima. “You have to be firm and strong otherwise you will throw in the towel very quickly. You also have to have good problem-solving skills to survive in business.”

Fikile Nkosi has owned Khok’Moya Guest House since 2005. She is a strong-willed, single mother of two who said she did not like to answer to a boss she started her own business. The vibrant, people’s person has an interior design background and has travelled extensively so she knew what a guest house entailed. She said women should do what they believe in, not what other people are doing.

Theresa Morgan is the advertising sales manager of the GCN. Newspaper blood runs is her veins. She has been in the newspaper industry for 37 years. Theresa started as a cub journalist and eventually branched off into advertising.

Isilda Dalton manages Yankyss Germiston and feels the same way about running a business as her sisters..