Be passionate or go home, says local business owner

Without love for what you do, you are not going to be successful, according to a local business owner who has built her own company from the ground up and who has some advice for those interested in doing the same.

Yolande van Niekerk is the owner of Ibiliti Underwriting Managers, a short-term insurance company aimed at business owners, and located at The Pivot near Montecasino. She began Ibiliti in 2011 when she was 31 years old and the company has become a trusted name in the business thanks to her dedication and hard work.

“Prior to starting my own business, I developed [computer] systems for insurance industries,” van Niekerk told the Fourways Review. “But I was bored, and not a programmer so I decided to go back to underwriting.

“I started my own business because I missed what I did before – helping customers and adding value to their lives right then and there.”

This does not mean the journey has been easy. The early days of Ibiliti began in a garage, and even when the company moved to business premises, challenges emerged. Their space in the Broadacres area was impacted by a fire in 2013, and then six months later another fire occurred, and Ibiliti was also audited.

Industry regulation and adapting to an age ruled by technology has been difficult. “It’s been a big challenge to find the right solutions for the next 10 or 20 years with the rise of technology,” van Niekerk explained.

“But I’m not worried about losing the human aspect in business. At the end of the day, human beings are looking for connection, and so the human touch will always have a place.”

Van Niekerk gives advice to others who want to enter the business world:

Know why you are running your own company

“Your why needs to be big, as that’s what gets you out of bed in the morning. Knowing what you want is what helps you persevere through the hard times and helps you grow resilience when things go wrong.”

Love what you do

“Do work that you love. But if you don’t love what you do, find something about your job that you do love so that you can see things through a different lens.”

Tenacity is king

“If you are building anything from the ground up, be relentless. When I started Ibiliti, it was tough working all night for months and on holidays, but there’s no excuse for not trying your hardest.”

Personal growth is never finished

“You have to spend at least two hours a day developing yourself. If you don’t spend the time helping yourself, you will have nothing to give other people. Discipline is important, and also the quickest way to learn [about a certain subject or skill] is to make sure you surround yourself with experts you can learn from.”

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