Sec helps empower women to step up in business at Observatory Golf Club
OBSERVATORY – Sec hosted a brunch to empower women in business.
Sister Empowerment Circle (Sec) hosted a brunch on 28 March at the Observatory Golf Club.
Sec is a networking group which provides a leadership and business coaching platform for black-owned businesses and also helps them to rebrand.
“As black women, we face a number of challenges in our businesses. We attend networking sessions that never cater for our business needs and that discourages many. Sec wanted to provide a platform where women can come together and share ideas that can help them in their respective businesses,” said Sec founder Dikeledi Seleka.
The keynote address was given by Chimene Chetty, director for Wits Business School’s Centre for Entrepreneurship. Chetty is an entrepreneur in her own right and has founded various small businesses and partnered with others. She was the Southern Africa Regional Director of Ashoka, a global NGO working in the area of social entrepreneurship. She joined the Wits Business School after five years of self-employment and 20 years in the NGO world where she specialised in the design, development and implementation of development programmes in various fields.
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“Being a woman in business has its challenges because you always have obstacles you have to overcome. But the most important thing that women must always remember [is that] you must always pursue a business that you have a passion for. That way you will always be motivated to push and work hard,” said Chetty.
She said in most cases women pursue businesses that they don’t even have an interest in, but do it for the money. “Set your own goals. Growth doesn’t always have to be about money. Decide what is enough for you, because we always want more profit but we don’t have the capacity to deliver. Plan and budget according to your business size,” emphasised Chetty.
Sec will be hosting monthly meetings where women can engage in discussions of how to grow their businesses. “These meetings will be a reservoir of hope, where women can come and be empowered and get support. We want black-owned businesses to ‘step-up’,” explained Seleka. She said she would like to invite other women in business or those planning to start a business to join them and receive knowledge on how to run a successful business.
Details: Dikeledi Seleka 076 775 9391.
