Sizwe Khumalo quit his job to follow his passion
Going forward to 2021, Sizwe and his brand look to be set for even bigger things, and he hoped his story and his work would inspire others to follow their passion.
At a shocking 59% at the end of the first quarter of 2020, South Africa boasted one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world, even the ones that are employed, only a portion are working in the industry that they studied for.
This was the reality for Sizwe Khumalo, who, despite having graduated at the University of Johannesburg with a Diploma in Management Services, found himself working as a call center agent.
“It was bittersweet,” he recalled.
“I know to have had a job in these times was a blessing, but I had no love or passion for it. I appreciated the salary and with it, could provide, but slowly I was losing my interest with life in general, there was that constant call to resign and focus on my creative work full time.”
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That call from his passion rang on for years. In August 2020, he finally succumbed, and so after nine and a half years, Sizwe did the unthinkable – he decided to quit his job and chase his dream.
“I had already thought about it for a long time. Here I was having studies all these years for something I genuinely love, and then now doing a completely different job. .That’s when I decided to hand in my resignation.”
For those looking to follow in his footsteps, Khumalo admitted that the decision was one he did not make lightly.
“I didn’t just wake up and decide to do it, I had already had my brand for a few years on the side, I had done my research; which equipment I would need, how much production would cost, all the details, everything I needed to know, I had known by then,” he said.
And so, amidst a global pandemic, Sizwe set out to chase his passion. He bought equipment with all his savings, set up a production location, and carried out renovations. In five weeks, production began, and surprisingly, at least to him, his clothing, OTHIPRIDE was flying off the shelves.
“I’ve been caught by surprise with how many orders we’ve received in such a short space of time. A lot of them have been schools and local businesses here in Soweto, so credit must go to them. The demand gets higher every day and we might need a bigger production space at this rate,” he excitedly said.
Going forward to 2021, Sizwe and his brand look to be set for even bigger things, and he hoped his story and his work would inspire others to follow their passion.
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