Not long ago I attended a local meeting of the SA Council for Business Women, which is a really nice meetup of local ladies where we normally bring a gift and share about our business for a few minutes. I’ve made some good connections through this group, and you can read about some of the other ladies who do Vitalitea (Alida, who also runs the meetings) and Mardri who does pregnancy massage. We also often have a speaker and on this occasion it was Vanessa Langford, who spoke about embracing the journey from hardship to triumph. In any case, her story sounded interesting and I bought her book. This post is about a few lessons I learnt from it.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty
Vanessa started cleaning like everyone else. She describes one occasion when she was in a rush and started cleaning toilets in her heels. It had to be done, so she did it.
What is uncomfortable for you? For me it’s been trying to figure out Instagram and Capcut! I’m much more comfortable with WordPress and writing, but I’m trying to learn and grow as content creation shifts and changes.
You are not going to get anywhere without a plan.
She did an excellent comparison of Scott and Amundsen going to the South Pole. Scott took ponies, one thermometer and only 1 ton of supplies for 17 men. Amundsen spent time in Canada and learnt how to dog sled. He took 3 tons of supplies for five men, four thermometers and laid down supplies along the route with clear black bags.
We all know how that story ended. Amundsen stuck to his plan and got back home safe. Scott perished in the cold.
I think it’s one thing to have an idea, but it’s another idea to follow through and actually do it. For me, this summit has a timeline of a plan, and a better idea of what is more important. I’m not going to perish in the cold if it fails, but it will lose money. And that is where most businesses feel the pinch.
There will be setbacks and storms. You have to navigate them.
Starting her journey as a single mom (when her husband decided to sneak out of the house one night) and also going through the difficulties of Covid (although they were an essential service, many businesses were no longer able to employ them when the problems of Covid hit) Vanessa has built up resilience and the ability to change her plan. She decided to start cleaning carpets as well and even at one point did gutters! Her mantra: Don’t say no when you need the work, because it will also open you up to new skills and opportunities.
I think I used to be so restrictive when it came to guest posts – I wanted South African mom bloggers to feature. Meanwhile my inbox filled up with other people wanting guest posts, many of them paid. I started opening them up and considering each one, and it’s opened more topics and more money. I still reject the ones with bad spelling and grammar though – I just can’t help that!
I’ve also made an effort to learn more on Instagram. I still prefer Facebook, to be honest. I’m from that generation. But I’m learning more and adapting to where the new moms are.
The power of a name
She named her business DKZEE Cleaning Service after her sons (Dane, Kyle and Zeeno). It was also a reference to the kwaito group Tkzee, which everyone knew. She leveraged the popularity and familiarity.
For me, I’ve leveraged my surname “Step” into my personal blog One Step at a Time, and the summit Simple Steps Blogging Summit. It’s also a play on the idea that in life you just need to take one step at a time to get where you want to go.
Faith and Prayer
Vanessa is a strong Christian and she quotes verses throughout her book. When she was really stuck and going through some hard times, she credits prayer for helping her through.
I will be honest, my faith has taken a knock since my husband died, but I’m working on building it back up. Prayer and being still do help, but taking some kind of action after that is also key for me.
Be fair, don’t compare.
“Leave the Jones’s alone,” she says, in her book.
Watching the Jones’s and constantly comparing your progress to theirs, can lead to unhealthy competition, feelings of inadequacy, or undue pressure….(rather) emphasize what makes your products, services or approach distinctive.
And there you have it! Just be yourself and follow your own path!
If you live in PE/ Gqeberha, she will come and deliver the book, but if not you can get it online on her website here.
You can also read it on Kindle or order from Amazon:
Leave a Reply