women entrepreneurs*
Don't
GIVE UP
THE COVID CRISIS MEANS TOUGH TIMES LIE AHEAD FOR BUSINESS. BUT THE MESSAGE FROM A GROUP OF LOCAL WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IS SIMPLE: SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS, INNOVATE, HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE, BE STRONG, AND KEEP MOVING, WRITES SHIRLEY LE GUERN
D
on’t give up and don’t take no for an answer. I know it sounds clichéd. When that happens, I try every angle until I get the result I want. It’s about having that ‘never give up’ attitude. It’s not always about the book smarts. You just need to be the hardest working and the most tenacious to get to where you need to be,” explains co-owner of electronics company, Production Logix, Shilpa Mehta. This newly elected president of the Durban Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) – a global peerto-peer network of business owners in 60 countries – has much in common with her fellow entrepreneurs who are dealing with the uncertainties of doing business in a world where Covid-19 remains a key disrupter. Ironically, when it comes to gender in business, Covid-19 has been a great leveller.
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ABOVE: Bonita Cherry, director of Outlook Orange. ABOVE RIGHT: Lynda Bryant, owner and pharmacist of Thrive. FAR RIGHT: Xolisa Gumede, co-owner of Cappeny Estates.
ABOVE: Shilpa Mehta, co-owner of
Production Logix and president of the Durban Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
“The challenges of a Covid recovery and embracing diversity are tough for everyone. Whilst I am a woman, I have had the same challenges as other business owners. Entrepreneurs are carrying the load to ensure their staff and families are safe while also ensuring their businesses can adapt in the current crisis. My EO network and forum have helped.” Born into one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most respected entrepreneurial families, Shilpa describes herself as a “wheeling dealing chartered accountant” with both ink and entrepreneurship in her veins. The good news, according to the Real State of Entrepreneurship Survey 2019, is that the gender split in South African
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