The Woman behind the Business with Nyadzawela Rachel Gadisi of RachelG cakes and Party

The size of South Africa’s events management industry is growing. The demand for events planning, from a kiddies party to a wedding is increasing by the day. As more black people participate fully economically we have seen the rise of the middle class using the services of events planners or services that were not previously made use of.

Genesis ……………..

Rachel Nyadzawela Gadisi is a 4th born child of a Venda traditional artier maker, she was raised in Shayandima in the far north of Limpopo. Her mother started by selling traditional drink (Mabundu), and then went on to make Venda traditional wear (Minwenda, vhukunda na vhulungu). You can say that she was raised in a creative environment where entrepreneurship was the way of life. 

Her road to Damascus:  Schooling and Career …………………………..

 She attended high school at Dimani agricultural high and took Home Economics as one of her elective subjects. I have always assumed that Dimani Agricultural High was the perfect school for her, but after our casual chat, she explains that she should have never gone to a high school like Dimani if she knew any better. She blames the lack of career guidance in our schools as her reason for taking a long road to her passion, she believes that she should have never attended a school like Dimani Agricultural High which was known for Mathematics and Science. Looking back she should have been enrolled in a high school that would have natured her artistic and creative side.  Rachel went on to obtain a Diploma in HR, when she could not get a job she did not sit back and feel sorry for herself, instead she enrolled on a short course in Emergency Care just to secure a job.  By day, she is a part of the Johannesburg Emergency Contact Centre team, and on the side, she is building her Cake and Party company. In a country where unemployment is high and the world facing an economic crisis, we need more of her kind.

Business, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy………….

In many ways, Rachel has been a trailblazer for entrepreneurship in her community. Her case is special because even when she could not get a job that she studied for, it did not stop her from turning a page and writing a different story for her future, she took a leap of faith and her rise to prominence has been fueled by her hard work, a vision, and faith.

She started her Cake and Party company by organizing Kiddies party back in 2010, she would source her cakes from different suppliers. It was after getting negative feedback from her customers with the birthday cakes that led her to a path of baking and decorating her own cakes, so that she could directly own the supply chain. She knew that if she baked and decorated her own cakes, she would receive the criticism as a learning curve for her. She took it like the professional and went to improve her work and that translated to her getting better at her craft. Her approach to business can be directly seen in her having loyal customers who don’t mind ordering from her from as far as Limpopo. Her free time is spent fulfilling orders that need to be delivered to North West province and her home province Limpopo. Rachel has a tendency to befriend all her customers and letting them know her personally, you end up feeling like you are the most important person in her life

“When I started it was not easy, but I persevered. It took me years to build my business to what is it today, the first chair covers and tablecloth I ever owned were handmade, thanks to my dressmaking skills I learned from my Home Economics class and helping my mom in her business. I recall taking a taxi to the Oriental Plaza to buy the material for the chair covers and tablecloth, and I used a pattern that I was given by a certain gentleman in Dobsenville to make them".

This picture was in 2011 somewhere in Roodepoort..Huildekruin.

Splitting the red sea …………………The assistant she received

I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear, the quote by Rosa parks comes to mind when Rachel explains to me how she funded her business. A mother of three, instead of fearing the worst, it became her driving force. She took a leap of faith and went into business with no funding or financial assistance. She explains that she mostly depended on the support of her friends and family. She would take from her savings, her bonus and stokvel monies and invest it into her business by buying assets. 

Rachel believed in her business and she did not only feel the need to invest in the business but also she invested in polishing and improving her own skills. She has in the past years enrolled in different courses and workshops to upscale herself. She has attended Traditional cake deco,  flower arrangement class, just to name a few, she actually says she has attended a total of ten classes. I must say there is a lot to learn in how this dynamic woman runs her business and pride herself with her work.

“I have learned a lot from running my own business, you need passion, tenacity, and drive. You have to live and love what you do. I started the business with my own savings, Stokvel and my bonus money. I would plan ahead for my bonus and when it comes I will invest it into the business, I would buy all that I need to run an event, be it a kiddies party or a wedding, from Jumping castles, chairs and I also managed to convert my garage into my workshop and bought a commercial oven.”

Let me hold your hand lets walk on water ……………….

Rachel believes that it is important to surround yourself with a good supportive structure, if you don’t have, create one for yourself, she says. Her family, friends, and community have played a key role in helping her grow, yet one particular friend and mentor always stands out: Tshililo Muthige has been there for her since the first day, offering her business advice and support. Getting a mentor, someone who’s been there, done that and learned lessons the hard way is indispensable. I must say, listening to stories of women who are there for each other is refreshing.

Services that RachelG Cakes and Party offers:

She offers a full on events management for her customers”

 Party or Events equipment:  Chairs, Tables, Crockery, Plates hire.

Services: Decoration and Flower arrangement

Baking: Custom made cakes, cupcakes, and scones

Greatest achievements so far …………

She shares her greatest achievements as being able to grow her business, she has been able to accumulate assets, from chairs that she is able to hire out to her customers, and other entrepreneurs in the same industry. She also recalls a time where she would deliver goods in her private car, and now the business has grown to allow her to invest in a company car. Her work has been featured in the magazine like Weddings. Having one’s work featured in a magazine is very encouraging, it is an affirmation that you are on the right path………………………………

Plans, hopes for the future……………..

It has not been easy juggling her day job and perusing her dream, but her job is necessary at the moment and time in her life. Her business is like a 4th child to her, it still needs her to invest in it. She would like to see her business grow and employ people in future. She currently conducts basic cake decorating classes.

Give and it shall be given back to you …………………

Rachel is a mother of 3, a sister, a friend to many, a full-time employee and an entrepreneur. To add icing and decorations to her colorful rich life she still makes time to give back to her community. Rachel will always send out a Facebook post and what’s app message at the beginning of the years to remind her friends, family, and colloquies about the Phalaphala FM school shoes drive. She will encourage everyone to get involved in donating a pair that is collected and distributed to school kids who would otherwise go without for the whole year. She has also created a group for all the former Dimani Agricultural High School pupil who are interested in getting involved and what they do there is they keep in contact with the school management and help where they can. They will buy the school uniform for school deserving kids. She recently hosted her 40th birthday celebration, and the entrance gift was a box of sanitary pads that she distributed to schools. I think you can agree with me that Rachel is selfless woman with a heart of gold, making a positive impact in other people’s lives, whether it’s with her family or their community through initiative or business

Contacts………..

Facebook: RachelG Cake and Party

Contact Numbers: 083 240 4437

Instagram: Rachelgadis_Cakes   

DOES IT CHANGE THE PRICE OF BREAD?

I am writing this in response to the media frenzy that has been going around about natural hair versus chemically processed hair, and some people extend the debate on whether wearing make-up and cosmetic surgery is part of our culture as Africans. In my personal opinion as a black modern educated progressive independent and economically active woman I think we really like directing our energy in having debates that I cannot for the life of me connect with, I mean the fact that black people (South African and non-South African) like having debates that don’t change the price of bread or puts food into the next person’s life really bugs me.  In my opinion they live us hopeless, divided and still at the bottom of the food chain. These hair, make up and cosmetic debate have really flooded our media, be it Facebook, radio or twitters, blogs and newspaper articles. The debates are always in our faces and those who are “anti” are vocal and passionate about their views and those who are “pro” are just going on about adorning themselves.

People are vocal and divided about what makes us black or true Africans and how people should not be relaxing or chemically processing their hair or having extensions or wearing makeup, and they  connect it all back to colonization. We should have the debate I agree, but we should do more than just having the debate. We should take the debate to another level, because the practice of relaxing (chemically processing), putting on hair extensions, make-up and cosmetic surgery is not going anywhere. When it is all said and done it is a lucrative business and we as black women should own a big stake in it. Whether you think that I should not wear Brazilian hair extension, whether I think someone should not bleach their skin, or someone should have a tummy tuck or liposuction or should not wear makeup, shape my eyebrows and wear fake nails or eyelashes, it is up to an individual. Being African for me is more than just about hair, shaping my eyebrow, choosing between French tips or gel. In my opinion it’s more than just about how I choose to wear my hair. Beauty is also about more than just that and I think no one has the right at this day and age to dictate to anyone what they should or should not do. It’s about choice.

Honestly speaking I don’t advocate for anything. I am pro-choice. I advocate for an opinion of differences. I advocate for respect of people with different practices than mine. I advocate for economic freedom, I advocate for innovation, I advocate for South Africa that solves its own unique challenges, a South Africa that looks at its challenges and encourages people to think creatively to make their lives easier. I advocate for a South Africa that can do more than just debate, but one that sees opportunities all around us and is ready to grab them with both hands. I advocate for South Africans to be more than just consumers but manufactures. Manufacturing will underpin the success of South African Economy. We need new ideas. We need to mentally prepare our minds to identify opportunities. Opportunities that will transform South Africa and Africa as a whole from becoming technology adopters to being innovators.  We really need to take the business away from China and bring it back home where it belongs. Why are we importing Brazilian and Indian hair when we have Ethiopians?

The way I look at is why we are busy having this debates that don’t change the price of bread, while some man in China is busy designing a hair extension that a black South Africa and the rest of Africa will import and use. Why are we letting some guy in China who is not even black, who knows nothing about a black woman’s hair, manufacture the extension for us?  Why does someone who lives more than 10000 miles away, who does not know the frustration with the texture of the hair extension he sells still making the hair extension for me? Why are we not coming up with a formula and manufacturing it ourselves here at home in African soil?

All I know is that while people are having discussion about whether hair extension, makeup and cosmetic surgery is a representation of how African you are or using it as a measure of how we don’t love and accept ourselves, someone in Asia is cashing in big time. while we have these debates through a talk show on radio, keyboard debates (social media), that at the end it doesn't  change the price of bread or move our position in the economic scale or World Bank knowledge economy scale or World competitive report. Nothing we say or do adds value to our GDP or changes the quality of the citizens of this country or create employment. This is what I know for sure as I type this someone from South Africa is on the internet looking for a hair extension supplier in china or booking a flight to go and meet a supplier in china, better yet they are already flying to China to go and find suppliers of hair extension manufactured in China by Chinese, to be used by black South Africans and the rest of Africa. This should make us uncomfortable. As you read this in our harbors they are currently off-loading containers of imported hair pieces or extensions, and who is the target market? Black South African woman. Now, that makes me feel uncomfortable, that gives me sleepless nights.

I don’t doubt that there is some truth in the views of anti-processed hair, make up, cosmetic, the whole beauty industry movement’s views (for lack of better words). There is some truth in what they stand for. They have every right to question the origins of these practices. In the same line, things are changing, the modern woman is influenced by different cultures and people should be given the freedom to choose. As much as I don’t agree with the notion of beauty of a woman with silky long hair, shaped defined eyebrows, long lashes,  and a size 30 waist, with pink skin, but I still see nothing wrong with little enhancement of what God gave me. So I am part of the industry in very many ways.

My view is let us learn from Black Americans, the swearing and belittling each other in songs and calling each other the N’ word  has been turned into a money making industry that contributes positively to the country’s economy. They take words, some unpalatable, some belittling to women and objectifying and turned it into a multi million dollar industry. They walk around with pants showing off their underwear and it has become a trend with someone cashing in big time. Where the world sees a moral dilemma, someone has identified an economic opportunity; a whole new industry is born and thriving. Some have even made it to Forbes list. Even Oprah, one of my favorite women has made millions by convincing people to air their dirty laundry on air to an audience around the universe.  We need to get off our high moral horse and start capitalizing on this, we need to take back our power. No Asian man should be manufacturing my hair extension. That should be making us angry, we should be protesting.