Did we jinx this year by saying it was gonna be #20Plenty? I hope not, because the year is still young, but in South Africa, with almost continuous load shedding (planned electricity cuts, to the more fortunate who do not know this term) since the start of the year, and in my family, with my husband whose employment has been rocky at best, the plenty is still to come. (He’s a high calibre buyer in the manufacturing industry if you’re employing!)
Being the main breadwinner, the stable one, who has to provide emotional support whilst still providing an income, without the support of an external family, has been challenging. But at the same time it has provided the opportunity for both personal and business growth. Our two sons have been rock stars, as they always are, each one proving to be reliable and dependable in their own way. We’ve drawn strength from them, and hopefully given them strength too. Our two dogs too, and if you could spare a thought for Scooter who is at the vet today for an as yet undiagnosed condition we’d be super grateful. Family is everything.
But back to the diversification and stretching this unique economic climate demands – I think keeping an open mind will be the only way to survive it. I’ve reached out of my comfort zone, put proposals together, made appointments to go and see clients, done more direct than indirect marketing, built up my team of transcribers (which has not been without its challenges), brought in work that my husband can do. We have kept the ship afloat. We are going to be okay. And maybe that’s the lesson – maybe 20 Plenty is not about plenty of money. But about plenty of opportunity. Plenty of life learning. Plenty of learning to survive and overcome. Plenty of believing in yourself, realising yes, you can go into the heart of Sandton and the other economic epicentres of the country, to grab the bull by the horns, impress and improve.
With the above in mind I believe the way to survive these economic times is to be versatile. Unfortunately I think the writing is on the wall for South Africa, and we are making an escape route. Although the political climate overseas is also edgy, it’s still more stable than it is here. That’s why I’ve set my business up so that we can completely cover the needs of international clients – with a generator to supply electricity, good access to internet, a safe file transfer system, and the ability to receive international payments. So – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe – get in touch!
We are set up to work during loadshedding – so bring it on.
Oh – and when you’ve got a moment, go and check out my side hustle – my entertainment site Gaynor.