I attended a fantastic evening recently with Xtraordinary Women held at The Bromwell in Woodstock. On arrival everyone received a welcome cocktail and soup with crostini. The aim of the night was to share, collaborate, inspire and network. The Bromwell is a 1927 hotel restored to its former glory… they have renovated it to an art gallery wherein 16 rooms showcase and sell luxury items including art and sculpture, bags and accessories, jewellery and fashion. There’s also a charming European style café inside. As an entrepreneur, it’s very encouraging listening to the stories of others who are too. It’s invaluable hearing their advice on how they started their businesses, built their brands, managed their time, sourced their own clients and reaped the maximum rewards. Here are some of the awesome tips I soaked up from speakers.

• Everyone starts somewhere
• Don’t get discouraged if it isn’t happening in the time frame you think it should
• Keep work within normal business hours (hard when you are self-employed)
• Strange is good!
• Figure out your personal ‘flow’
• You can’t innovate if you’re exhausted
• Everyone needs constant inspiration. Discover what this is for you!
• Collaboration is key
• Know the difference between production + creative work
• Look to those you admire and use their influences
• Make your workspace your own
• Be intentional on social media
• Be kind to yourself
• Get business cards printed regularly
• Don’t be shy to market and promote your business and services
• Network and wear heels doing it!
• Remember to refresh your online platforms regularly
• Interaction with readers goes a long way

Speakers included 

Nicky Abdinor

Nicky was born without arms and with shortened legs. Her talk was especially inspiring as she spoke about her journey through life – despite her disability she went to a normal school, studied at university and has infact obtained her Master’s degree in clinical psychology! Her talk was about how to show people to see past the disabilities and see the ABilities of women like her!

Adelaide Potgieter

She is a woman who, at just 21 with no money and a car that could not reverse, had a dream to start an Ad Agency with full services including events, radio and TV. Her family thought she was mad, but her eccentric personality saw her winning over some of South Africa’s richest businessmen who bought her pitch and helped her land a huge account. Today her company is one of the biggest in the country and specialize in Marketing Strategies and PR Campaigns

Karina Anderson

After landing in South Africa from Denmark at a very young age, a failed relationship and a car accident killing the father of her children led her to a deep depression and almost no hope. One day she turned that all around when she became inspired to start a foundation for people like her to attend workshops and go on a journey to discover who they really are and how they can change their lives. She published a book called ‘The Responsible Individual’ wherein she addresses some key questions everyone shoul investigate about themselves and their lives. She goes around with a team of 35 to prisons in South Africa to hold these motivational talks and workshops for innmates

Donna McCallum

The self-professed ‘Fairy Godmother’ has given motivational talks to some of the country’s biggest firms (including Estee Lauder, Nedbank and Sun International) encouraging one to set clear goals and not be afraid to go after them. She helps you through her talks, workshops and 12-week online programmes. She shows you how to take the right steps to define what it is you truly want, set those goals and figure out what you need to do to get them. Often people don’t really know what they want and when they don’t get it they complain – her aim is to encourage you to ASK the universe and learn to live a life ON PURPOSE. She has given talks in Europe and the U.S. and has recently published a book in South Africa called ‘The Fairy Godmother’s Guide to Getting What You Want’!

Cover Photo: Death To The Stock Photo