Maimoona SalimMAIMOONA SALIM is the provincial executive of the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. An NGO that helps the unemployed youth adopt necessary life skills, and assists with job placementsMAIMOONA SALIM is the provincial executive of the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. An NGO that helps the unemployed youth adopt necessary life skills, and assists with job placements. She oversees all strategic business operations, including managing clients, working with candidates, and maintaining the vision and mission of the organisation. Born and schooled in Durban, Maimoona relocated to Johannesburg in the late 90s, where she completed her studies and worked in various industries for over a decade. Her first job was as a casual worker at a retail store, and she worked her way up to be a specialist and later was promoted to senior management positions within the retail sector. Because of Maimoona's drive and ambition, she regularly looked for business opportunities. After noticing a skills gap amongst the unemployed youth, she decided to start a business to address this issue. So, in 2005, without any financial backing, she became an entrepreneur. She made pamphlets, offering people training, and development skills, that would help them find jobs. Only a few people were expected for training, but 98 candidates came on the first day. Shocked by the massive attendance, Maimoona managed to accommodate the candidates, taught them the required retail skills, and got them all employed by various retail stores. Encouraged by the success of the programme, she then registered a recruitment company, and started doing recruitment for various chain stores. She later became accredited and provided training for a major retail group store with which she landed a contract. Focus on the end goal Satisfied with the success she achieved in Johannesburg, Maimoona headed back to Durban, to seek a new venture. Her passion for food steered her to start a catering company which served small to medium size companies, for staff and client functions. Her company grew rapidly until it had a substantial staff complement...and that she says it what fulfilled her. Being able to employ people, mentoring, coaching, and helping them grow as individuals. Having achieved what she has, in the short space of time, Maimoona has proved to herself that: "You don't need money for business, you just need to apply your mind and execute your plan. Focus on the end goal and make yourself work towards it. Success does not come from luck; it comes from hard work and determination." Her journey has been a difficult one, as she came from a very challenging background. Though, that has not stopped her from persevering and achieving her dreams. Maimoona was privileged to have had good mentors along the way, that assisted with her career success. "People around you can push you to achieve your goals, encourage you not to give up, and help to take you to the next level." Working smart Maimoona believes, it is about "what inspires" rather than "who inspires" people. In addition, "People need to start by understanding themselves first, because when you learn to understand yourself, you then start understanding other people." The motivation and direction her parents provided, especially from her father, has driven her to grow as an individual, and that is what got her to where she is today. One of the strongest family values she lives by is, "work hard and be determined to succeed". "As we all have the same minds, women don't need a different approach to men to be successful in business. We all think strategically, we are all educated, however the trick is about working smart. It is all about you pushing yourself and reaching your objectives; making sure that you focus on attaining your goals. That, is your ticket to success." Maimoona is content with what she accomplished in her 20 plus years of being a career woman. She explains that to her, "accomplish" means "to do and achieve what you value, to make a difference and understand the input that you are giving." She says it is not about the bottom-line all the time. "Being at Harambee made me understand that it is all about giving back to the community, giving back to individual people and giving hope to people, especially the unemployed youth." A point I will keep re-iterating, even though it's been said over a million times, but truth be told: the youth are our future leaders." Doing what she does at Harambee, she feels, is an accomplishment on its own. Maimoona says, "Once you have found that you are giving back and making a difference, you can be content." It is not work, it is life When Maimoona was young, it was difficult for her to achieve a work-life balance, because she was so ambitious, and her career was all-important. Now that she is older and wiser, she asks herself if what she is doing now is a job or part of her life. Smiling, she says that it almost feels like she has retired because she enjoys what she does so much as it fulfils her as a human being. She has found herself and what resonates with her. "When people question my decision to work for a non-profit organisation, I reply that it is not work, it is life." The advice she would give to her younger self is, "Realise life is not always what it seems. Things are always going to change. Listen to your parents' advice." She would also advise herself to appreciate life and appreciate time. "Use it wisely, and make every day count towards something beneficial for others." Success does not come from luck; it comes from hard work and determination

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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