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<\/p>\nI am a true woman of the Northern Cape. I was born and spent my childhood in De Aar, married a local man and worked on the De Beer\u2019s Finch Diamond mine in Lime Acres for over 20 years as a Senior Accounts Clerk.<\/p>\n
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As with most people from the Northern Cape I have also experienced my fair share of hardship. I got divorced in 1999 and being a single mother with three children, I had to put in every measure to make ends meet. For extra income, I started baking doughnuts and puddings on Sundays. I even went to Johannesburg and bought blankets to come and sell on the mine. My worst experience was losing my son (my eldest child) in a car accident in 2002. I was heartbroken. You can never recover from something like that.<\/p>\n
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I was then retrenched from the mines in 2007 and I was forced to move back to De Aar. This was a tough time, but things started to turn around for me a year later when the mine called me up to ask if I wanted to take up a contract with them to run a laundry service with another woman who had also been retrenched.<\/p>\n
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The contract ran for four and half years, but my business partner and I decided to start an events business on the side in order to bring in further funds. When the contract ended we split the assets and I returned to De Aar in 2013 with the aim of successfully launching my own events business.<\/p>\n
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I believed my business would work well as I saw the need in this town for such things. More importantly I had to make it work as my age would not allow me to get full-time work again. I needed to stand on my own two feet and do my own thing in the business world.<\/p>\n
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Shortly after arriving back in De Aar my life took a dramatic turn yet again when I married my childhood friend, Edwin Kamies, for whom I am extremely thankful and who supports me so much in my business.<\/p>\n
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Even with this emotional and practical support and personal drive, the problem with this industry is that it is seasonal and I would go through patches of having no work at all for months. In business and even through this programme I have learnt that the first six years of your business it is not so easy. Your income will go up a bit and then go down a bit. Also you need to build up the courage to go on. Through this programme I really learnt how to be strong.<\/p>\n
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On a more practical level, I learnt how to market my business and how to do my finances properly. This programme is more advanced than any I have been on before. The course material is very helpful and I can go back and look through my textbook if I am stuck with something. My mentor is also available to me whenever I need him. I can call him for advice or visit him when I am in Bloemfontein.<\/p>\n
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Through the funds given to me by Solar Capital to purchase my income generating assets I also became a trend setter in the area. I am the first events business to have Tiffany chairs!<\/p>\n
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So that I can receive work throughout the year, I am working with my mentor on marketing myself as an events planner for kiddies parties. Nowadays people want to take their children out for parties and if I can rent a venue where I can create a fun and safe environment this will bring in business all year round and hopefully allow me to employ others.<\/p>\n
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I really see the benefit of continuing to expand this programme. It will help many people. I benefited hugely and so can others.<\/p>\n
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Solar Capital you are the best! Not only do you Generate, Innovate and Transform, you bring sunshine into my life!<\/p>\n
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Halala! Solar Capital! Halala!<\/p>\n
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Georgina Kamies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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