UA-8884037-5 Kim AtkinsKIM ATKINS is the owner and designer of Kim Atkins Jewellers. The company predominantly makes and markets jewellery and has developed into a social enterprise. Kim provides opportunities for students who need work and assistance with their studies and to young jewellers needing experience so that they can become established in their own rightKIM ATKINS is the owner and designer of Kim Atkins Jewellers. The company predominantly makes and markets jewellery and has developed into a social enterprise. Kim provides opportunities for students who need work and assistance with their studies and to young jewellers needing experience so that they can become established in their own right. Kim prioritises looking after the people who make the jewellery in her business. She believes that this approach influences customer satisfaction. "First look after the people working for you, then you will make the customers happy," she says. Her very busy daily activities also include designing jewellery, overseeing social media, marketing, and general business issues. Kim went to "A little art school in the Cape" to study. Her subjects included textile design, spinning and weaving, jewellery design, painting and drawing. Afterwards she worked in the textile industry, but unfortunately, "The local textile industry almost died due to imports". She looked around and travelled overseas before starting a handmade jerseys' business. Several women who had been trained by the Anglican Church to knit and sew, worked part-time for her. "The valuing of their creations changed something in these women, and they took pride in doing something well." Creations with a theme The loss of her first baby affected Kim badly and she felt unable to do creative work for ten years. During this period, she undertook ceramic restoration work. Although agreeable, fixing people's things rather than creating something was ultimately not fulfilling. A friend suggested beading work, and after been given money to buy beads, she started making jewellery. Things went very well until Chinese imports started to impact on the business. Kim looked for ways to differentiate her creations from the imported products. "My quality was very high, and I only used semi-precious stones, pearls or crystals and sterling silver rather than plastic and inferior materials. I started differentiating further by creating jewellery that represented biblical pictures or themes. This worked very well, sparking the business to thrive." In this context, Kim is often asked to speak to women groups. Faith in God Kim says that many people have added value along the way and helped her to get to where she is today. Her studies and courses have contributed, and the mentorship programmes she has attended have been valuable. "Flourish and Thrive, an online company in the USA that helps people with their jewellery business, helped me transition my hobby into a business." Much of Kim's inspiration and her drive to make a difference for people comes from her confessed faith in God. "I am also driven by the beauty I see in people. Artistically I am inspired by the aesthetics of colour and shape." In her experience, men and women approach business somewhat differently. "Men tend to focus more on the bottom line and profits, whereas for women it is often more about the people and bringing out the best in them," she says. She thinks both approaches are necessary. Achieving a work-life balance has been made easier now that Kim's children are predominantly studying, allowing her to focus on work. She tries to compartmentalise things to prevent work from becoming all-consuming. Being close to the people working for her, she finds it difficult not to get pulled into their stories. This can affect a work-life balance and sometimes requires her to take a step back. A strong social focus Kim is happy to be where she is, but "still wants to change the world". When assessed for career guidance, the report called her "naïve and idealistic". Many years later she is still focused on making a difference, now particularly in the jewellery industry. There are still many issues where she feels she could provide hope and bring real change. Trying to address South Africa's parallel economies is one of her key focus areas. "Some people come from an advantaged background, they can move into their dreams and what they aspire to, but others cannot aspire to change anything." In reflecting on her achievements, Kim believes that using students to make jewellery and gain experience has worked well. In addition, the disparity between the relative ease for her to start a business due to her background and access to resources, compared to students with almost nothing and for whom the business system does not work has become something she wants to address. Consequently, to help bridge that gap and bring value to the students' work she has transitioned her business to have a strong social focus. Due this transition, a project was born to build an incubator; a studio facility where people can work and learn to run their own jewellery business. Kim is the managing director of the company formed, Legacy Jewellery Projects, which will assist people who are skilled, but not yet empowered. "Hand-outs fail to empower people and have negative effects. On the other hand, making work available to a person goes along with dignity and empowerment," says Kim. Anything is possible If she could, she would advise her younger self, "Don't be conformed by what other people think of you, or by things seeming impossible. Whatever you dream becomes possible if you work at it." Kim concluded, "Looking back at where my business started and where it is now shows anything is possible."Hand-outs fail to empower people and have negative effects. On the other hand, making work available to a person goes along with dignity and empowerment
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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.

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