A mechanical engineer by profession, I transitioned into entrepreneurship, and in particular climate responsive entrepreneurship, five years ago. Having had an international career, I imagined that there would be no greater burdens and or stresses than those which I had experienced in the corporate sector. However, my entrepreneurship experience proved otherwise. As a mother of 5 and now with an agri-business, I struggled with time management. I struggled with finding time for my young adult children and the little ones. I struggled with finding time for my ageing mother, and I struggled to find time for self-care. Sleep deprivation became the norm, as did over-eating and under-eating. With all that imbalance came impaired judgement and leadership capabilities to take my business to where my aspirations had imagined.
The Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Program (WETP) has especially help me to deal with all these work-life and balance issues. The sessions are genuinely transformational. The classes and phenomenal facilitators informed us of practical, holistic, and day-to-day measures we can take to create the balance and wellness we need to function optimally in our business and at home as partners, spouses, mothers, and daughters. The entire GCIC business incubation program has been God-sent. It’s almost been surreal. The entrepreneurial classes were practical and hands-on – practical classes on taxation and insurance, practical classes on pitching and fundraising, practical advice on deepening the climate-responsive systems in my business, practical one-to-one support from a dedicated business adviser, and a gender adviser.