Helen Zondi
AS A young black woman, being in the construction industry has been an eye-opening journey for me in many ways.
I got myself into the industry to tap into a space that is still male-dominated and in many aspects very white.
My biggest goal when I launched Haylie Zone construction, was first to be successful and second to be able to offer a number of unemployed people job opportunities, while ensuring that clients are getting the best services.
The beginning has been far from easy. This has to be one of the hardest and bravest decisions I have ever made, even more so now that I am inside, I realise the long and bumpy road one has to go through to make a success of their business in South Africa.
A lot of people have often asked what could have influenced a young journalism graduate to enter into such a challenging industry.
My response is, as much as it sounds cliché, I am motivated by the challenge, breaking boundaries, being fearless and being a big dreamer.
I have heard the term “the sky's the limit”, I know I am reaching for the stars.
Being raised by a strong and motivated woman has enabled me to not be afraid to dream, to accept and embrace failure and wake up and try again.
I have first-hand experience of being anything you want to be, when and if you want to.
One can never avoid the misconception that being a business owner automatically qualifies you as rich, and particularly by securing government tenders.
That unfortunately has not been part of my experience. And the saddest part is that there are opportunities available for us all. But you need to know somebody who knows somebody, in a certain position.
This is how small, start-up businesses like ours lose out.
This has been one of the few challenges I have had to face, putting the business in all the relevant data bases, applying for tenders and not getting responses.
Without funds it is almost impossible to start and maintain a business, as much as there are a number of funds to be applied for, for start-ups the requirements disqualifies a lot of us.
It would be encouraging for the youth to have unlimited access to programmes that encourage entrepreneurship, mentorship, financial awareness and business mentorship.
Having been part of the City of Cape Town’s #YouthStart Entrepreneurial challenge a few years back, the challenge aims to give young entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their business ideas, encourage entrepreneurship, stimulate job creation in their communities and skills development.
These types of workshops can make a huge impact in the lives of those with less knowledge, but eager to learn about entrepreneurship.
The gap needs to be closed when it comes to limited knowledge of entrepreneurship in the black community.
An immense amount of business guidance should be implemented for us to reach the successful business statuses of our goals.
I am however thankful for the support my business has received even from those who had doubts about my gender.
This goes to show that we are indeed breaking those boundaries that have been a hindrance for so long.
It has not been easy for me, and it may possibly get harder but my eyes are set on a bigger price.
And I hope this will be a motivation to a lot of women who are in fear to take the first step in becoming and doing anything they have always desired.
There is plenty of room for all us to work towards creating a better foundation and generational wealth for the future leaders. The time is, now!