Portio Dlamini – Success starts from within

“A man’s gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men (Proverbs 18:16)

Have you ever thought that our lives are like building a structure or a house from scratch? Our Beliefs, Thoughts, Values and Actions all form part of the character traits that make up the person that you are and will become. They form a foundation of everything else that You will build in life, including Family, Career, Business etc. Strong buildings are built on a firm and solid foundation that is able to withstand the winds and storms of life. In other words, the stronger the foundation, the stronger the house and the weaker the foundation, the weaker is the house. YOU as a person (including Your Gifts, Beliefs, Thoughts, Desires and Passions) become the foundation of building whatever you desire in life.

Portio Dlamini

Before anything is manifested on the outside, the INNER YOU has to form and put it together

first in your mind by discovering and working on your gifts and talents and by aligning your

beliefs, thoughts, passions, dreams & desires with your Assignment & Vision for your Life. The

most important part is to first discover Who You Are and your Assignment or Vision for your

life. From then onwards, each person has a responsibility to ensure that all the above character traits are developed correctly so that they can form a strong building block for every area of their life, including their business.

Lao tzu says:

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

MY ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY

When I went into business full time in 2013, I did not have a bigger picture of what it will take to start and build a sustainable business. All I had was an idea, a desire and a passion to change my life and the life of the Community that I live in. I had been in the Manufacturing Industry for approximately 10 years and had realized for a long time that I was not enthusiastic about what I was doing. There was a place where I could contribute more and make a difference at a much more significant level than in the job that I was in, where I first worked as a Process Engineer and then Production Unit Manager.

After much thought, research, preparation and a few years of overcoming my fears, I decided

to step out to start a Cleaning & Hygiene business. The plan was to start a company that will

empower & transform the lives of Cleaners beyond the cleaning industry so that they do not

spend the rest of their lives as cleaners. Mine was to have a business that has an Empowerment Mission attached to it. I thought starting a cleaning company would be easy, after all it is just cleaning. I just saw in my mind that dream of having a business, empowering people, and getting wealthy become a reality, not knowing the amount of courage, determination and hard work that it would take to fulfil it.

The first 3 to 4 years in business were extremely tough and intense to a point where I nearly gave up because of the hardships. Yet at the same time, that was a season where my character was shaped and developed strongly, in order to build a strong foundation within me that will be able to sustain the house (my business). I persevered and endured hardships like a soldier until I broke through. It took approximately three full years to break through into the cleaning and hygiene business. Prior to that I was doing a bit of training just to get income and to build my confidence in public speaking.

I would not have been able to come this far without the tremendous & consistent support of Mentors/Coaches/Teachers that have been in my life in this journey. These are people who have gone through their own process and path of success and come onto the other side. They now had something to contribute towards my transformation and empowerment as a person.

The people and organizations that empowered me tremendously to stay the cause during the

preparation & character development stage include:

✓ My Life coach and Mentor Dr Basil Tryon

✓ The Raizcorp Entrepreneurship program and all their coaches

✓ the Sekela Entrepreneurship program sponsored by SA Homeloans

✓ David White who is part of the Sekela and Business Fit programs.

Being exposed to this calibre of Visionaries, Coaches and programs helped me immensely in building my inner capacity and to prepare me for the business world. Out of this process emerged a resilient, determined person, with a clear vision & understanding of what they want to achieve in life. It was through their intervention and great exposure to them that I discovered my Calling & Purpose in life and learnt to tap into it by believing that I am capable, I am strong, I am confident, and I was born to make a difference. This type of inner strength has helped me to push through the Barriers that prevent many Small Businesses/Entrepreneurs from breaking through & being profitable and sustainable in business. Most of these battles/barriers had to be dealt and won in my Mind first. This is where they had formed a Stronghold - through negative beliefs and thought patterns that came from how I grew up (upbringing) and from life experiences.

Some of the barriers that I had to overcome and that we face as Entrepreneurs include the

following:

✓ Timidity and Low Self Esteem – Low opinion of self which is characterized by lack

of confidence and feeling badly about oneself. People with low self-esteem often feel

unlovable, awkward, or incompetent. They have a fragile sense of self that can easily

be wounded by others. Low Self-esteem is rooted in Fear.

✓ Being a Woman in a Male Dominated field – This tormented me for a long time. Not

knowing how to behave and penetrate this space without fearing judgement or ridicule

from the male counterparts. Penetrating the Industrial sector required me to overcome

this fear. This meant developing the courage to stay in the game despite the challenges

until I together with those around me adjust and understand the role of Men & Women

working together as a Team to achieve more.

✓ Fear of Rejection & Fear of Being Judged – This is usually evident when dealing

with potential customers and banking or financial institutions. It also includes fear of

being rejected by family members & friends for being different and for taking a risk to

leave a secure job to become an entrepreneur. Many never overcome this fear and

therefore remain in their comfort zone. It was one of the hardest fears to overcome,

but with the assistance of spiritual principles, I was able to overcome this.

✓ Fear of Failure – Fear that one will not make it in life or in business. Fear of taking a

high risk in life and stepping into the unknown.

✓ Poverty Mindset – Struggle to see myself succeeding in life because of negative

thoughts and beliefs that are always thinking Scarcity, Lack and Insufficiency. This way

of thinking patterns is a result of being exposed to these factors most of our lives in

our upbringing & hardships. I struggled to see or relate to Abundance, Plenty, Wealth

and Riches as part of my Inheritance and portion in life. I did not have a reference point

or clear picture in my mind of what Success means, especially success in business as

a Woman.

✓ Lack of Access to Market – struggle to secure business and close deals because of

lack of opportunities, red tape or inability to sell or market one’s products/services

effectively.

✓ Lack of Skills – Lack of the necessary skills to start & run a business. I eventually

acquired these through the above-mentioned Entrepreneurship programs.

✓ Lack of Funding – Struggle to access funds to start and run a business efficiently

mainly because small businesses are considered as high risk by Financial Institutions.

YOU PREPARE FOR SUCCESS

Below is a drawing that my Life Coach gave me, to help me understand how to persevere

during dry and challenging seasons of Character Development and Preparation. He often

says: Success is 90% Preparation and 10 % Opportunity. I therefore learnt that I have to

continue to prepare and develop myself UNTIL the opportunity comes.

The Preparation & Character Development stage helped me to renew my mind and began to

form positive beliefs and thought patterns. I began to think differently about WHO I AM and

WHAT I CAN achieve in life. Therefore, it is true that n life You attract Who You are and What

You Are on the inside. Once the Inner Man was developed, it was able to form a New Image

within me, an image of success and not failure.

This inner image works like a magnet and therefore it began to attract opportunities and

resources required to fulfil my Dream and Business Vision. For anyone to achieve the

impossible, this then becomes a way of life that enables them to do see the invisible and do

the impossible.

This confirms the following statement from a wise man:

“If You raise the inner status of a man then that inner status will eventually transform his

outward life” – Dr Basil Tryon