I have always been someone who is attuned to my feelings and I am a strong believer in a gut feel. Whenever I have questioned my gut, I have always regretted it. This gut feeling is what led me to pivoting in my career many times. These pivots have been blessings and I am so happy I have done them when I did, even if they proved harder than expected and OH so daunting.

Pivot number 1:

The first pivot I did was when I left Polyoak Packaging. I was a buyer there and as this was my first corporate job, I was excited for something stable and at an established company. I was extremely naive as to what this would entail. 15 days leave a year after being a varsity student with 4 long holidays – it’s a big adjustment. I was bored of the routine, getting up at the same time, and doing the same thing day in and day out and I couldn’t imagine doing that for the rest of my life. The company was great, the job was alright but I needed more and that’s when I knew it was time to pivot and do more for me. I ended up chatting to one of the most influential people in my career, Christy. Christy is the founder of Empanda and is a powerful businesswoman who is extremely intelligent and extremely knowledgeable. Christy backed me and put in a lot of effort to upskill me in the realm of project management.

Retail is FAST, it’s exciting, it’s pushing boundaries every day. I feel like you either love it or hate it and I unfortunately love it. 

I worked hard and long hours and I learnt more than I can ever imagine at this pivot. I was young though and I wanted to have another experience. The beauty of project management and also my ADD is that I love change and I love growing and learning. The challenge is what keeps me going and after 4 years I thought it was time to pivot again. 

Pivot number 2:

Pivot number 2 was leaving the consulting world and being a project manager in a more creative space. I LOVED what I did at Cape Herb and Spice so much. Designing gifting items for the world, researching, and owning projects was a dream come true. I loved the hustle and bustle of remaining in retail and I enjoyed my work. We were a great team in gifting and worked so well together. It was a young team and we were always pushing each other to grow. There was red tape as expected with a company. It might seem small but CHS is huge and part of the Libstar group. 

I grew a lot in my capacity while working here. I got engaged and my whole perception of life was changing. The only thing I knew for certain was that children were in my future and I wanted them soon. COVID-19 was rough during this time of my career and I think for many people, it had a massive impact on people’s life and what they expected from life going forward. 

When I fell pregnant, I knew I needed some time. I needed a solid break and although I knew I would be going back to work, I didn’t want to be going back to where I was. Not due to the company but I knew I didn’t want to leave a newborn baby at home and have to go back to an office full time. Especially getting the taste of remote work from COVID-19 times. You might say this spoilt me, but I am one of those who worked so much harder at home. Believe it or not, it’s the truth. 

As a family, we built Selective Fans when I was on maternity leave. CRAZY in hindsight but I was going to be a kickass businesswoman with a new baby and it felt like everything was falling into place. I loved working for myself, in my time, and doing what I wanted. I had and still to this day probably have no idea what I am doing half the time but I am learning, and making decisions and I love it. I work damn hard and wear all hats in this business and it gives me the job satisfaction I needed. 

Pivot number 3:

I was presented with a job opportunity at Al Shaya that I couldn’t resist. I love the fans, but I could do more and when I got this offer, I couldn’t refuse it. Working for an international retainer, who owns some of the biggest brand franchises in the world was a no-brainer. I was remote, working full days and then nights on the fans with a small baby just reminded me of how much grit I had. I loved the balance, loved seeing my family, and loved seeing life grow. 

I enjoyed my time working for Al Shaya. It was so interesting working for a global company, working with people all around the world. It was also great to reunite with other consultants that I worked with before at Shoprite. South Africans are special people. We work extremely hard and often stick together. It reminded me of how proud I am of our heritage and who we are as people. My contract came to an end at the end of 2023. With the war between Israel and the Middle East, times were tough in the Middle East and they didn’t extend many contracts. It was perfect timing for me as we were welcoming my second daughter at this time.

This has led me to where I am today. Extremely grateful for the growth I have had, and the connections I have made over the years. I am still loving my work at Selective Fans and am excited to see where this journey takes us next!

Feel free to drop a comment below or contact me if you feel like we could do a collab!