A local husband-and-wife team, have disrupted the norm and created an innovative business, offering support and resources for entrepreneurs who require assistance with the legal compliance of their business.
Lindy-Leigh Swales, together with her attorney-husband, established CO-PILOT, a legal consultancy that caters specifically for the needs of small businesses and start-ups. With its flexible offerings, utilising modern technology and practice, the company is able to provide its clients with expert, yet affordable, legal compliance advice, support and training.
Lindy-Leigh, who is competitive by nature, says her drive and passion to make a success of her own company is extended to helping and supporting other brave entrepreneurs and ensuring they grow to become key drivers in creating employment in South Africa.
Over the years, Lindy-Leigh has learned one valuable lesson that has served her well.
“Work hard, but smart,” she says, adding that the idea that everyone works at the same pace and will get through their individual workloads in precisely eight hours is ludicrous.”
“I believe that performance should be judged on output and not on how many hours a day you work. So my advice to other young woman wanting to succeed in the workplace, is to plan, plan and plan and when you work, put your head down and focus. You will be amazed at how much you can achieve in far less hours.”
Family is important to the couple and spending quality time together, supporting one another and ensuring that they are available for their kids is something they strive to achieve. “My family is the biggest motivator in my life so every decision I make is to give them a better way of life.
“One of the driving forces behind our decision to establish CO-PILOT was to ensure that we could be active in our kids’ lives. We found that by cutting out the traditional corporate activities, we can comfortably fit in a ‘full’ day’s work and still find ourselves cheering on the side-lines at the kids’ matches”.
Looking to the future, Lindy-Leigh has set her goals on being able to travel the world with her family thanks to technology and a business model that will allow them to work from anywhere across the globe.
Her advice to other small business owners is simple.
“View professional legal services as an investment and not an expense. Far too often we are approached to assist business owners once they are already involved in a legal dispute. Not only is this usually very expensive, but it is also extremely stressful. A professionally drafted contract will make sure that the right terms are included to protect your rights and interests, and will avoid costly legal battles down the line.”
In honour of Women’s Day, CO-PILOT will be running a special throughout the month of August available for all small businesses. Website Terms of Use & Privacy Policy (essential for every business that has a website) for just R2000.
For more information visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/CoPilotbySwalesInc/ or website www.copilotlegal.net.
