My business journey has taught me, that starting a business can be scary, overwhelming, and a bit crazy. But, crazy is good! It’s not easy to get started. But if consider all the jobs and roles (paid and unpaid) you have had along the way, you will realise how many business skills you. Every one of the skills is vital. Even if you don’t think so at the time.
It’s a really good idea to sit down and list all your jobs and roles (paid or not) to this point to highlight what you are good at.
Selling Sweets
My very first business was with my friend Linda. We were in the student residence and the tuck shop had closed. But there were no shops within walking distance. So Linda and I bought a lot of stock of sweets, crisps, and other treats and started to sell them at set hours in the residence.
It was fun working with my friend and making a small profit. I think this experience gave me the business buzz.
Video Shop
This was a brilliant job! I looked after regular customers and was in the shop on my own a lot. I loved the engagement with the customers and I loved the independence of running the shop. And of course the bonus of getting to watch the videos!
Pub Jobs
I worked in a few pubs in London, and my favourite was The Ship in Mortlake. My job was mostly serving food from a food counter and clearing the tables, but I loved the publicans and the patrons of the pub. I had some brilliant conversations and laughed a lot. Always a good sign that you are enjoying your job.
Selling by Referral
My boyfriend at the time, and I, sold a range of pots and pans on a referral basis. I did the admin and he did the closing. It was an easy model for someone with selling skills, but I struggled. The experience did highlight that my strengths are not in selling, but in engaging with people. This is how I try to sell today.
Selling Door-to-Door
Able and Cole was a new company and we got ‘cash in hand’ for a shift, which we loved. They only had 3 products for us to sell on the doorstep – eggs, potatoes, and two litre Coca-Cola. These are often difficult to buy if you are walking home or using public transport. We were taken in a van, dropped on a street with a map, and knocked on doors to get the residents to sign up. I fought my fear and just did it. I hated the job but loved the cash I got right away.
Teaching
I am a trained Physical Education, Geography, and History teacher. I did supply teaching in South East London, which I loathed. After spending time in Europe as a tour guide, I returned to teaching (in South East London) and taught Travel and Tourism (Level 3), Leisure Studies (Level 2), and A-Level History and Geography. I then moved to South West London and taught A-Level – Travel and Tourism, Leisure Studies, Event Planning, and World Development. I loved my time with the students and being in the classroom. But I loathed the marking and the pressure to get the students to their predicted grades.
Tour Guiding
I trained with Contiki in 1997 and 1998. And then worked ten seasons taking tour groups of up to 50 travellers (between 18 and 35) around Europe. I trained in Spain and led tours in Morocco too. After spending time teaching again, I returned to the Road and worked for Trafalgar in the UK and Ireland, briefly. And then worked with APT Touring in the Balkans, France, and Russia.
Travel Agent
I completed the brilliant Flight Centre training and ended up in a shop in Sutton, southwest London. Again, I loved the customers but hated the pressure of selling (and there was no loo in the shop, so I had to walk 10 minutes to the nearest facilities).
Amazon Seller
My other half and I set up a business buying ‘white label’ skincare from Tampa, Florida, USA. We called it Kiri Honey Skincare and sold it on Amazon. Boy did we learn a lot! We travelled to two conferences in Las Vegas, and got ourselves trained in social media, marketing, packaging, the Amazon platform, and so much more.
Online Teaching
During the Pandemic of 2020 / 2021, I taught all I had learned up to that point, online by joining forces with a friend, Michelle Cheyne of Instinctive Living. We met at online networking events and decided we had a lot in common especially our love of creating content. We founded the membership platform of Content College.
Personal Brand
This has brought me to what I do today. I have gained so much over the past 30-odd years from my first business experience as a student. And today I do what I love:
- Public speaking: Any opportunity to prepare a talk and share it with a group of people, really makes my heart sing. I love sharing the stories of ‘Growing up in apartheid South Africa’ and ‘The 1820 British Settlers to South Africa’ with history groups and the Women’s Institute. Business talks about setting up a business, social media, and others, I get to share at business events, for the local council, and in schools.
- Writing: I write every day and love blogging. During the Pandemic, I wrote and published ‘Walking Tour Guiding – the Ultimate Handbook’. I got a lot of questions about how to write a book, and now I deliver online training to help others write their books. Along with courses around social media, podcasting, blogging, and loads more. Check out upcoming courses HERE.
- Training: I offer online and in-person training for individuals and organisations in Walking Tour Guiding and Customer Care.
- Podcasting: I interview interesting Southern Africans around the world, about the amazing work they do as part of my Celebrate Southern Africa brand. These can be seen on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
I learned on my business journey
Each of the jobs that have been part of my journey, including the ones I have not listed (such as working at the London Olympics in 2012), has given me strength, knowledge, experience, skills, and expertise. I have learned about myself, and what I love doing (and don’t love at all). I know I am a more rounded and richer person because of every experience.
Here’s to a lot more to come on the business journey ahead…
