UA-8884037-5 Eleni KwinanaELENI KWINANA has notched up an admirable list of top positions. She began climbing the corporate ladder as an 18-year-old student who, after walking into CNA to request a job, within three months was tasked with taking up her first management role. A few years later, she was requested to draft a business plan - without a template, or previous exposure to such a big responsibility - overnight! It gained her boss the new store he wanted, and wet her appetite for bigger and better things in business.ELENI KWINANA has notched up an admirable list of top positions. She began climbing the corporate ladder as an 18-year-old student who, after walking into CNA to request a job, within three months was tasked with taking up her first management role. A few years later, she was requested to draft a business plan - without a template, or previous exposure to such a big responsibility - overnight! It gained her boss the new store he wanted, and wet her appetite for bigger and better things in business. Eleni's career includes positions at the Spar Group, Clicks, Musica and Dimension Data among others. These diverse experiences have enabled her to provide on-point business advice in a range of fields. As well as running the business units of Vodacom enterprises, she is on the board of SmartXchange, Durban, which nurtures entrepreneurs and incubates businesses to achieve success. Achieving growth through technology Eleni describes her role in Vodacom as enabling start-ups and SMMEs to thrive in the 4IR digital era, achieving growth through technology. The pride Eleni feels in providing a supportive role is apparent when she describes her business venture, Pure Pharmacy, which supports small pharmacies in rural areas and mining towns to withstand the threat posed by corporate pharmacy groups, thus ensuring their sustainability. Eleni is happy with her accomplishments saying, "not many can tick all the boxes at my age". Adding that she's realised that "Either I would die young, having done everything, or I would live to give back to others." Eleni looks at people who have great ideas, but lack skills and experience, and can't wait to start imparting her learning to fast track their success. She's enthusiastic about being their cheerleader and "seeing them grow to be a billionaire one day!". She attributes her success to her formal education, and the support of others. She graduated with a psychology degree after transferring from medicine. "It was the right decision as now, in the 4IR, doctors could be replaced with robots capable of making diagnoses while my focus on emotional intelligence makes me less likely to become redundant." Eleni disagrees that women need a different approach from men to achieve success in business and stresses the importance of being yourself. "There's nothing more precious than being authentic," she maintains. Being an inspiration Her greatest support has been her mom who, as a domestic worker being paid less than the minimum wage, was able to leverage a network of people who assisted to support Eleni. While she stayed with a friend to get to and from school each day, her mom subsidised her studies by waking at three each morning to cook and sell 'magwinya' (vetkoek). "So", Eleni adds, "every woman I see who works in her tuckshop, or sews traditional dresses, is my 'Shero', and that's what inspires me... A lot of people have big stars as their inspiration; for me it's the millions of women sitting in rural areas and townships with children, who come up with great entrepreneurial ideas to sustain themselves and their children, and one day go to a graduation for their children, going into whatever field it may be, from nothing." Eleni herself feels under pressure to be an inspiration. "Because I was the first one to have a car, a degree, all my cousins look up to me; failing or dropping out is not an option. I cannot fail, because otherwise I will give them a reason to fail... I push myself to inspire them to be able to grow as well." Being fully present On maintaining a work-life balance, Eleni admits that the boundaries are blurred, "Because I love what I do... it doesn't feel like work," she smiles. Concerned she was spending too much time working, her daughter's affirmation was welcome, "Mom, I want to be like you... You do so many things, love what you do, and give us the best of everything." The trick, Eleni feels, is being fully present in whatever she does. Eleni's approach to life has been coloured by her life experiences. Although born into apartheid SA, she shuns the label 'previously disadvantaged'. "That's not the way I see it," she says, although she describes the dichotomy of never being quite enough of one thing or another to fit in, always feeling something of a misfit. After graduating, Eleni married, raising her two children while struggling to survive a violently abusive marriage. When she decided to leave the marriage, she was empowered by the fact that she had the financial independence to set up her own home. Eleni's advice to her younger self, who stressed a lot and wondered 'why me?', would be to enjoy every step of the journey; when having fun, have GOOD fun, and know that everything you go through is going to make sense one day. Rather than being bitter about challenges she's faced, Eleni is gracious and pragmatic about how they've enabled her to strengthen her connection with others. Partnerships are important to Eleni. As a business leader, Eleni loves her team; she never talks only about KPAs, but connects instead with the person inside, assisting them to reach their personal goals. She enjoys the warmth of KZN, and the opportunities to partner with government leaders and businesses to achieve pockets of excellence. Eleni urges people to stop exporting their skills: "Keep them here and make do with what you have because we are sitting on a pot of gold... That's how I got here". She pauses momentarily, then adds, "and because of my Mom... my biggest champion". There's nothing more precious than being authentic
top of page
Bar Chart

Cheryl Govender

CHERYL GOVENDER is the founder and owner of The Cake House in Pietermaritzburg. She is a qualified chef and professional cake artist. The Cake House has become a leading provider of designer cakes including engineered life-size cakes. Cheryl's exceptional cakes, each a masterpiece, have been featured in magazines and on television, and The Cake House is recognised as a leader in new age sugarcraft.

Cheryl is inspired by successful bakeries and cake artists. She explains, "This is a tough industry and requires not only talent, but a business mind, people skills, market insight, tenacity, and continuous learning and growth."

One of her biggest inspirations is Buddy Valastro, an American baker who is the star of the reality television series 'Cake Boss'.

Be clear about what must be achieved

Cheryl believes she got to where she is now and reached her goals by being clear about what she needed to achieve and why she needed to achieve them. She says her career started when she was fourteen when she was handed down decorating tools that her sister no longer needed. "Although I was a real tomboy, beating the boys at their own games in the streets, I did girly stuff when I went home, like playing with cake decorating tools and my dolls," she laughed.

Cheryl learned about sugar art by reading books from the municipal library and often left the kitchen in a mess after experimenting. Her Consumer Studies teacher recognised Cheryl's talent; arranged for her to attend a cake decorating course, and gave her a toolset, which she treasures to this day.
This teacher, now a retired school principal, adopted Cheryl as a daughter, helped her to believe in herself, and became her mentor to this day.
Cheryl won a Consumer Studies Inter School Award in matric due to her passion for cake decorating, but at that time she considered it a hobby, not a career.

After a year at college, Cheryl married and became a mother. She joined the corporate world but kept on making decorated cakes as a hobby to supplement her income. When her son was two years old, Cheryl entered and won the Pietermaritzburg Royal Show sugarcraft competition. This led to her teaching sugarcraft on a part-time basis at the now FET College in Northdale, something she continued passionately for 25 years. This Cheryl said, was fulfilling: "empowering women has always been close to my heart".

Focus on one thing and do it well

Cheryl gained wide experience in the corporate world, including ten years in shipping and international travel, before she started her own export business. This business crashed during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 and she "fell back on her hands", starting a food catering business that also provided cakes. Cheryl made a few designer cakes assuming there was little market for these due to the high prices, but word of her quality and expertise spread and orders increased.

A traumatic divorce, the demands of being involved in catering, wedding décor, training and making cakes at the same time, made her realise that she needed to streamline her activities. In 2012 she decided to focus on one thing only and do it well and opened The Cake House. Cheryl, a single mom had herself, her mother's assistance, two children, and a house. As she had lost her vehicle, Cheryl went everywhere in running shoes while carrying cake ingredients and other items in a backpack.

Nothing was handed to her; she had no money and could not get a bank loan. Cheryl understood the risks involved but her faith and trust in God helped her. She managed to buy all her industrial baking equipment from a helpful appliance store on a three-month cash basis. Her business remains debt-free to this day.

Business skills are unrelated to gender

In Cheryl's view, women and men need the same business approach, as the skills required for a successful business are unrelated to gender. "Tenacity, hard work, honesty, patience and endurance are equally required from men and women." She does, however, concede that women face more challenges. She has had to face abuse, being a mother, and a divorce.

Achieving a work-life balance boils down to discipline for Cheryl. "It is necessary to make time for your family and yourself, and also to rest, but not working can be scary for a business owner with much to do," she says. "I've had to learn to set boundaries, say no, and cut myself off from work when it's time to relax and unwind." Gardening, time with her family and puppies, and doing things outside of the business help create a balance.

Brand ambassador

Cheryl is happy with what she has accomplished thus far and readily give others credit. Without her mother, she could not have set up The Cake House. Without the help of her husband Alan, her family, and staff members, she would not have been able to grow the business. She feels honoured having recently being appointed a brand ambassador with royal status, for Rolkem Colours, one of the world's largest food colourant providers.

While Cheryl is satisfied with the place she has reached, she is not comfortable about remaining there. Cheryl dreams of making the province proud of The Cake House as a tourism attraction. With a growing support structure in place, she is prepared to take risks within her means and take the business to the next level.

bottom of page