Entrepreneurship rarely follows a straight line. For some, it begins with a long-held ambition. For others, with a question, an opportunity or simply the realisation that it is time to build something of their own.
As South Africa marks Women’s Month in August, Bizmag speaks to four women entrepreneurs about the journeys behind their businesses – what inspired them to take the leap, the challenges that tested them, the lessons they have learned along the way and the advice they would offer to other women thinking about starting out.
Their businesses span very different industries, but their experiences reveal some common themes: trusting yourself, surrounding yourself with people who support and believe in you, knowing when to ask for help, adapting when things don’t go according to plan, and having the courage to start before you feel completely ready.
Carla Ashton – Founder of Thandana
For Carla Ashton, independence and creativity were at the heart of her decision to become an entrepreneur. She founded Durban-based Thandana, a brand creating handcrafted laminated, waterproof and genuine leather bags and accessories. Since launching in 2010, the business has grown into a team of 60 skilled artisans, with Ashton designing the brand’s distinctive prints herself.
Q. What inspired you to start your own business, and what ultimately made you take the leap?
Independence was a big driving force for me. I’ve always loved being busy, creating, and working in a space where I could bring my own ideas to life. I wanted to build something for myself, something that reflected my creativity and that I could grow and evolve over time.
What ultimately made me take the leap was that passion for creating. I started with something I genuinely loved, and as it began to grow, I realised there was an opportunity to turn that passion into a real business.
It wasn’t necessarily about having a perfect plan from day one; it was about having the independence to create something of my own and then having the determination to keep growing it.
Q. What has been one of the toughest moments in your entrepreneurial journey, and what did you learn from it?
One of the toughest realisations in my entrepreneurial journey has been understanding that, as your brand becomes more successful and recognisable, there will inevitably be people who try to copy your designs, aesthetic, and overall look and feel.
What I’ve learnt is not to let that distract me from what we are building. You have to stay true to your brand, keep evolving and continue pushing creatively.
My approach has become simple: keep innovating and out-designing to such an extent that trying to keep up becomes almost impossible. Authenticity, consistency and constant evolution will always be your greatest advantage.
Q. What keeps you going when things get difficult or don’t go according to plan?
The people I work alongside are what keep me going. I have an incredible team of staff, as well as my husband, who is also my business partner, and having that solid foundation around me is everything.
When things get difficult or don’t go according to plan, you quickly realise how important the people behind the business truly are. No success is achieved alone, and none of what we have built would be possible without the commitment, support and hard work of our team.
Knowing that we are all working towards something together gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward, even through the challenging times.
Q. What would you say to a woman with a business idea who doesn’t yet have the confidence to take the first step?
Take the leap and have faith in yourself, but also do your homework. Understand the space you want to enter, whether there is room for your idea to grow, what makes you different, and where you realistically see yourself and your business in five years.
I’ve always believed in having a sensible five-year trajectory. It doesn’t mean everything will go according to plan – it rarely does. But having a clear direction gives you something to work towards and helps you make better decisions along the way.
Most importantly, stay humble and surround yourself with people who genuinely support and believe in you, whether that’s family, friends, mentors or your team.
Confidence often comes after taking that first step, not before it.
Nicole Sherwin – Founder of Eco Diva Natural
For Nicole Sherwin, entrepreneurship began not with a business plan, but with a personal search for answers.
After experiencing chronic skin concerns linked to heavy metal toxicity, her journey into natural skincare evolved into Eco Diva Natural Superfood Skincare. Today, she is also a wellness educator and advocate, sharing her approach through writing, speaking, digital content and her wellness platform.
Q. What inspired you to start your own business, and what ultimately made you take the leap?
People often imagine businesses begin with a business plan.
Mine began with a question.
“Why?”
Why was my skin behaving this way? Why did my body feel so out of balance? Why did I feel as though I was fighting against myself instead of working with myself?
Curiosity is a funny thing. It has a habit of leading you somewhere completely different from where you expected to go. I thought I was researching natural skincare. Apparently, I was building a business.
Looking back, I don’t think I ever took one enormous leap. Life doesn’t usually ask us to. It simply invites us to take the next small, slightly uncomfortable step. Then another. And before you know it, you’ve walked much further than you ever imagined.
Q. What has been one of the toughest moments in your entrepreneurial journey, and what did you learn from it?
Being forced to pivot.
I’ve had to pivot many times, but I think the scariest was choosing to close our beautiful Sea Point emporium. At the time, it felt like if I didn’t choose that, I would become very ill and very unhappy.
It certainly didn’t feel like freedom at the time. I remember standing in the empty space thinking, “Have I just made the biggest mistake of my career?”
But businesses, rather like gardens, have seasons.
There’s a season for planting. A season for flowering. A season for pruning. And sometimes, a season where everything appears wonderfully quiet while the real work is happening underground.
Looking back now, I realise we weren’t closing something at all. We were making space for something far more aligned with who I am and how I want to live my life.
That season gave us permission to become a slower, more editorial, more intentional business. That’s where I discovered: “Slow, is a Skincare Ingredient.”
I don’t think I would have chosen that lesson. Life nudged me, then pushed me. And I’m incredibly grateful life chose it for me because, after the shock of pivoting and starting to operate on a completely different level, I’ve never been happier and the business has never been healthier from every standpoint.
Q. What do you know now that you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
I wish someone had told me that businesses have personalities.
For years I thought success meant copying whatever seemed to be working for everyone else.
Grow faster. Launch more. Post more. Be everywhere. Exhaust yourself.
Eventually I realised something rather obvious. Apple doesn’t try to be Patagonia. Patagonia doesn’t try to be Kinfolk. The most memorable businesses know exactly who they are.
The same is true for people.
The day I stopped trying to build the business I thought I was supposed to build was the day I started building one that actually felt like me. That was an enormous relief.
Q. Who or what has inspired you most along the way?
Nature. Without question.
It’s impossible to spend time in nature without noticing that nothing meaningful seems to rush.
Trees don’t compare themselves to one another. The ocean doesn’t apologise for having tides. The seasons don’t panic because winter arrived. Everything trusts its own rhythm.
I often wonder how different our lives would feel if we trusted ours a little more too.
Some of my best business ideas haven’t arrived in boardrooms or offices. They’ve arrived walking on the mountain with my two dogs, usually while they’re enthusiastically ignoring every instruction I’ve just given them.
There’s something wonderfully humbling about discussing business strategy with creatures whose greatest ambition is finding the next interesting smell.
It keeps things in perspective.
Q. What keeps you going when things get difficult?
Perspective.
I’ve learnt that very few things are as catastrophic as they first appear. When something goes wrong these days, I take a deep breath, I close my eyes, I tell myself I am safe and everything is fine. I take another deep breath, then make a cup of tea.
While sipping my tea I try not to ask, “Why is this happening to me?”
Instead I ask, “What might this be making possible?”
That single question has changed the way I experience challenges.
Not because it removes the difficulty. Because it reminds me that endings and beginnings often arrive wearing very similar clothes.
I’ve also stopped expecting business to be a perfectly straight line. Some days feel extraordinary. Some days involve chasing a courier down the road because they’ve forgotten one package, answering emails, writing editorial features, accidentally watering the herbs while still wearing my indoor slippers and wondering where on earth the afternoon disappeared to.
Oddly enough, both kinds of days are called running a business.
Q. What would you say to a woman with a business idea who doesn’t yet have the confidence to take the first step?
I’d tell her not to wait for confidence. Confidence is surprisingly unreliable. Curiosity is much more dependable.
Instead of asking, “Am I ready?” perhaps ask, “What would I learn if I tried?” That feels like a much kinder question.
And I have never believed in failure. For me, when something doesn’t go according to the original plan, I learn, I study, I observe, then I pivot. It’s all university fees in running a business.
I’d also remind her that businesses aren’t built in dramatic moments. They’re built on ordinary Tuesdays. The Tuesday when nobody claps. Nobody writes an article. Nobody hands you an award. You simply keep showing up.
One thoughtful decision at a time. I believe that’s where beautiful businesses are actually built.
Q. What are your parting words of wisdom for other female entrepreneurs?
Perhaps entrepreneurship really is the practice of paying attention. To your customers. To your team. To yourself. To the season you’re in. To what feels quietly true, even when it’s not the loudest voice in the room.
And please… laugh often. Businesses can be wonderfully serious things. The people running them don’t always have to be.
I don’t think success is about building the biggest business. I think it’s about building a life you’re genuinely happy to wake up to.
To me, that’s the practice of living beautifully.
Karike Norval – Owner of Holland Bakery
For Karike Norval, the decision to become an entrepreneur came from a simple realisation: if she was prepared to work hard for someone else’s business, she wanted to put that same energy into building something of her own.
Today, she owns Holland Bakery, the Bellville institution known for its Dutch sweet and savoury baked goods. With a background in marketing and professional chef training, Norval has combined the bakery’s heritage with a modern approach, including its expansion into e-commerce.
Q. What inspired you to start your own business, and what ultimately made you take the leap?
I was working for a salary and was very dedicated to my job, often putting in long hours. One late night, I had a simple realisation: if I’m willing to work this hard for someone else’s business, I’d rather put that same energy into building something of my own.
That was the moment I knew I needed to take the leap.
Looking back, there’s definitely some irony in it – I work much harder now than I ever did for a salary! But it’s different when you’re building something that’s yours. I would prefer doing this for myself.
Q. What is one lesson you learned the hard way that has changed the way you approach business?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
There are so many people and businesses willing to share their knowledge and help where they can. You just need to have the courage to ask the questions you don’t know the answers to.
I’ve learned that asking for help isn’t a weakness – it can actually save you a lot of time, mistakes and hard lessons along the way.
Q. What do you know now that you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
I wish someone had told me – and I believed it – to trust the process a little more.
The hard work does pay off, and every step of the journey teaches you something you’ll need later on. Don’t be too anxious about what comes next or try to rush the process.
Focus on where you are, learn from each stage, and most importantly, just keep going.
Q. Has being a woman shaped your experience of entrepreneurship in any way?
Yes, especially after having children.
I found it challenging to find the balance between being an entrepreneur and being a mom, and to be truly present in whichever role I’m in at that moment.
Over time, I’ve learned to put a little less pressure on myself. Not everything is as urgent as it feels – sometimes the email or phone call really can wait until tomorrow.
Learning to be present, both at work and at home, has probably been one of my biggest lessons.
Q. What keeps you going when things get difficult or don’t go according to plan?
What keeps me going is the thought that this might be the difficult period I need to push through before things fall into place.
You never really know how close you are to a breakthrough, so I try not to give up when things get tough. Sometimes the next step, the next challenge or simply choosing to keep going is exactly what leads to the success you’ve been working towards.
Q. What would you say to a woman with a business idea who doesn’t yet have the confidence to take the first step?
Just take the first step.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment, because there will probably never be one. Believe in your idea and give it the opportunity to grow into what you know it can become.
You don’t need to have the entire journey figured out from day one – one small step forward is always better than standing still.
Q. What are your parting words of wisdom for other female entrepreneurs?
I’d say believe in yourself but also give yourself permission to learn as you go.
You don’t need to have all the answers or have everything perfectly figured out before you start. Ask questions, surround yourself with good people, trust the process and keep showing up.
Most importantly, don’t compare your journey to someone else’s – build something that you are proud of, at your own pace.
Nolu Mkhonza – Director of Hallyu Korean Skincare and Co-Creator of Bephor
For Nolu Mkhonza, entrepreneurship is closely tied to purpose, representation and the idea of creating something that can extend beyond her own journey.
As Director of Hallyu Korean Skincare and South African Brand Partner and Co-Creator of Bephor, she is working at the intersection of Korean beauty expertise and the needs of African consumers. Her experience in South Korea helped her identify an opportunity to bring together different markets and perspectives, with a particular focus on African hair and scalp needs.
Q. What inspired you to start your own business, and what ultimately made you take the leap?
To be honest, as hard as it is to admit, the odds are often stacked against us as African women – and I see that reality in subtle ways every single day.
But I have always been inherently brave. I’ve stepped into spaces, crossed continents, and experienced things that people with my skin colour are so often told are far beyond reach.
As I reflected on those opportunities, I had to ask myself: “What is the point of all this exposure if I don’t use it to leave a meaningful mark on this earth?”
Our parents’ generation sacrificed everything to educate us against all odds. They laid the foundation, and I knew I had to take that baton and run with it.
The questions that kept burning inside me were: “Nolu, what are you going to leave behind? How will you break generational curses so our children don’t have to start from scratch, but can keep building where we leave off?”
It was that deep curiosity, that sense of responsibility, and the drive to create a lasting legacy that gave me the courage to take the leap of faith.
And the truth about taking that jump? Once you step off the edge, you have no other choice but to trust yourself, keep moving forward, and build something extraordinary.
Q. Who or what has inspired you most along the way?
Along this path, I’ve met countless people who have offered me something beautiful and unique to learn from. I am deeply inspired by anyone who trusts themselves implicitly – people who can stand firm, hold steady, and truly believe in what they are bringing into the world.
Navigating this journey with Bephor has taught me to trust my own power, to honour the process, and to lean into a purpose that is so much bigger than any one of us.
At the very heart of everything I do, however, is my grandmother. She remains my greatest inspiration.
It was only after she passed that I fully grasped the sheer magnitude of her influence; she was a pillar of strength, a mother to thousands, and a woman who loved, guided, prayed, and taught with boundless care.
I was raised by her, and it is her energy that truly keeps me going. She planted a seed of fearlessness inside me, a belief that when you lead with heart and purpose, your work can move lives far beyond your own.
Q. What keeps you going when things get difficult or don’t go according to plan?
When challenges arise, my first response is simply to anchor myself and stay calm.
I’ve learned to focus entirely on what is within my circle of control – and if something is truly beyond me, I have learned to let it be.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do for a problem is to step back and let it breathe. Giving space allows you to return with fresh eyes and a clear mind to see what needs adjusting so the journey can keep moving forward.
I have a really great team that has very unique life perspectives, so there is always someone who can move the needle when things feel stuck. We take turns holding the weight for one another – and when it’s your turn to step up, support, or lead the way, you embrace it fully.
Knowing we walk this path together makes every setback manageable.
Q. What would you say to a woman with a business idea who doesn’t yet have the confidence to take the first step?
Trust your idea, and trust that you are completely capable.
Surround yourself with mentors who will gently guide and uplift you, but always hold onto your own voice. Listen to the wisdom of others but remember that not everything shared is meant to be your truth.
Dream freely, without fear. No one sees the heart of your vision quite like you do, so listen with an open mind, but know that at the end of the day, you are the one steering this ship.
Most of all, just give yourself permission to start, even if it’s just one tiny, little step. You don’t have to have everything figured out right away. Give yourself grace, learn as you go, and allow your journey to unfold along the way.
Different journeys, shared lessons
The stories of Carla, Nicole, Karike and Nolu are very different, but together they offer a reminder that there is no single formula for building a business – or for defining success.
For one, entrepreneurship began with a desire for independence and creative freedom. For another, it grew from a personal search for answers. One saw an opportunity to put years of hard work into something of her own, while another was driven by a desire to create a legacy and open doors for those who follow.
Their advice, however, shares a common thread: start before you feel completely ready, trust yourself, ask for help, stay open to change and keep going.
As Nicole puts it, businesses are built on “ordinary Tuesdays” – the days when there is no applause or recognition, but you keep showing up and making the next thoughtful decision.
And perhaps that is one of the most important lessons for any aspiring entrepreneur. The journey doesn’t have to begin with certainty. It can begin with a question, an idea, a first step – and the willingness to see where it takes you.
