Exclusive Interview

Hi guys. Welcome, welcome, welcome to an exclusive interview with a black woman in business. Yeah, guest, please introduce yourself.

Hi everybody. My name is Tulim Kwebile. I am the managing director of Sinek Group.

So first question. Please describe yourself in five different words.

Five different words. Is Cynac sexy, intelligent, nerdy, ambitious and confident? Ooh, it's like I saw those questions.

Like you saw the questions. Did you cheat? What inspired you to start Sinek?

I always wanted to do more in my life. Always wanted to do more when I gave. Also I wanted a certain type of a lifestyle for myself and my children and grandchildren, even my family, my mother. So I figured that it's really becoming difficult to do that through employment. I must find other ways to generate income and it seemed like business was the most feasible. That's what really inspired me.

Nice. How have your priorities changed since you have started?

My priorities have done a 360 shift because now there's different things that I must consider carrying the whole brand of Sinat Group, being in charge of the employment and income of other people. Also my future, you know, is not only dependent on some guy who's sitting overseas because he has employed me or some board of directors somewhere. It's all in my hands, you know, so it, it requires a certain type of responsibility and forward thinking and also knowing that it's going to affect you. Running my own business has literally even changed my characteristics, you know, has molded me I think. I wouldn't say really a better person per se, but a different person because there's different things to consider when you're not just an employee or just a number. You are literally owning the business, running the business. It depends on you.

Nice knowing what you know now. What would you have done differently when starting out?

Oh my God, I love this question. Definitely I would have started earlier. I would have started my business immediately after completing my qualification. But I suppose it's got its perks to say I've worked at certain places cuz people tend to take you a bit more credible. Also you do know what you're doing. But I definitely would have started much earlier also I think when the ups and downs, we really, really, really hurt ourselves when it comes to that. Like go through depression, go think of the worst, go through anxiety. I think. And I heard one guy say this and I would also say it to myself that it's gonna work out. It always works out in the end, you know, no matter where you are at this current moment, it eventually works out. And when you look back it's Always to the best. So that's, that's the one thing that I would have done differently, you know, just to give myself more props and to be a bit more gentle towards myself in the process.

Lovely. Love that, love that answer. What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome when you started?

The biggest challenge that I had to overcome was self doubt. Definitely. Which is some things trigger me sometimes had to get into that but otherwise I, I, it's been the biggest challenge. Obviously money, money has been one of the greatest challenges. Also being black has been one of my biggest challenges because sometimes you find that you fight with your customers only because of your race and your gender.

Yes.

You know that if you, you were a different race and a different gender, this conversation wouldn't even exist. So those are still like my challenges right now. But by far the greatest one would be self doubt. Second to that would be financial and third to that would be my race and gender. I've faced some challenges because of that. Funny enough. I've faced some remarkable breakthroughs because of my race. So yeah, that's what also it's kind of thing. So there's two sides to it. Yeah, that's my position.

And what would you say is your biggest win, like the most groundbreaking win that you've ever had since starting out?

Since starting out. The biggest, biggest win for me is the freedom, you know, the freedom to transact. And that freedom can only come from money, guys. It's very, very practical. It's that basic. Like if the business needs something, it's something that can be done. If we need to do team building, it can be done. If we need to do an emergency order, it can be for me that is groundbreaking, guys. And it's only because I've received good, good support because of my race and gender from certain partners that have really assisted me. So that, yes, like it's a feeling I've never experienced before in, in, in business. Because you always worried about your next or even now you are. I'm still worried. But the fact that if somebody, if a emergency order can come in and we can immediately do it. Yes, yes. That's just the best. Straight from God.

That a blessing from, from above. So actually on that finance, you know, how did you go about raising funds to start up?

To start up I used a little bit of my pension fund. Obviously it ran out like in two seconds as in by ran, literally ran out mostly we funded the business with my husband's salary while he was still in the employment of government. We were using a lot of his money for the business. Eventually, I had a very good breakthrough. I was funded by the NYDA for machinery up to a hundred thousand rands. And then the business has just been growing strong from then. We've been building up clientele to the point where we opened Johannesburg offices. And then we've received some extraordinary partnerships. Since our arrival here In Johannesburg in 2020, through enterprise development, our business has been growing.

That's lovely. Love that, love that. Love the growth. Please define success.

Success is inner peace. Success is freedom. Success is being joyous and having a level of gratitude for what you've achieved and a level of gratitude for what you are surrounded. Success is abundance. Abundance of love, abundance of. Of money, abundance of free will. So. But at the top of the scorecard, success is inner peace.

Do you think you have inner peace?

I consistently strive to have inner peace. There are some days where I. I have a lot of it. So I think already I'm blessed to realize that that is my center point or that is my target. I feel blessed that I can recognize, you know that. Yes, yes. So, yeah, that, that is what it is for me.

I love that. So what qualities does a good entrepreneur possess?

A good entrepreneur has these characteristics, which are you really need. You need to be somebody that's very persistent. You need to be very courageous. There's a level or an element of a chip on your shoulder you need to have. Because who the hell do you think you are to make this thing work? Why do you think you're so special? You know you're gonna make this thing work. Special. So I don't want to call it arrogance, but it's a level of a knowing, you know, confidence. A confidence, A certain confidence that is not just on the outer skirts or just on top. It's deep, it's well embedded. It cannot be shook by somebody saying something or some newspaper article. It's something that is. It cannot be touched by anybody else. It's so deep and it's in your knowing, it's in your being. So that element, and also a very deep element of self reflection. People must be able to let you know where you're going wrong. And you must accept that. And you must always be on the. Look, stand in the mirror. You stand in the mirror and see. See the pimple. Don't, don't act like you don't see a blackhead. When it's right.

It's right there.

And also when people. People show you the mirror, open your eyes. Don't want to run away. Away because those problems are the ones that you can solve and the ones that you can get to because you are fully capable. It's within your power and ultimately it leads to your greater success. You need to take the punches. You need to have stamina. This thing is not a one day, tomorrow.

It's, it's all happening.

You need to have stamina and have the longevity and endurance. And endurance. You need to wake yourself up, tap yourself, tap yourself in the back and wake yourself up. Because nobody's gonna do it.

Absolutely not. So what makes Sinek unique, what makes.

Sinek unique is because of the culture of the team, the culture of our team and Sinek as, as a business. It's so funny. Now I'm really starting to see Sinex separate from me. Firstly, Sinek used to be you, but now I can see Sinek is her own big girl. Her own big girl doing her own things. Yes, doing her own things. So what is so special about S is that is the team that is always behind Sinek, the people that choose to always stick with the brand, the partnerships. There's a unique element of always wanting to network. S is fresh, S is young, it's woman led, it's taking its own growth into different avenues. It chemicals, you know, cleaning. Think that is what is unique about Signet. If you also look at the social pages, you will recognize, you will recognize it immediately. You will pick it up when you open the other website. It's fresh, it's, you know, it's coming out. It's like it's even the, the logo says a lot, a lot about evolving eternities, staying, you know, so that's, that is what I find very unique about S and just the brand and what it stands for. The fact that it stands for. Women lead, futuristic, breaking barriers, going further and yeah, just the energy of the team behind S and the partnerships.

Okay, so what is the greatest lesson that you have learned in business since you started Sinic?

I've learned, I've learned that the greatest lesson for me is the fact that I don't have to change to fit a particular box. I am appreciated and wanted the way that I am. There's lots of businesses wanting to do business with Sanit, particularly because Sinek is that way and is the formation and it's the things that I've just explained or what they are. So there's no need for me to try and be a certain way to fit a certain box or to try to be like a certain company. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. Usually the partnerships that you want around you are the ones that want you the way you are, the brand the.

Way it is and what it offers.

And what it offers. So there's no need for us to be trying to fit a particular category or a box.

Love that, love that, love that. Okay, I think we've reached the last question, which is what advice do you have for a young black person wanting to start their own business?

I would definitely say you need to start. People have died planning and they've been planning and they play. You need to start and you need to start with as little as you are. If you feel like these moves that you want to make are very bold for you and too big, try in little nibbles, try little bites. I know a lot of people that come to me all the time with their brilliant ideas. They've been coming for three years, four years now, and no implementation. I think that's the main thing, guys. If you just start, even if you start the simplest and smallest of your ideas, that is a breakthrough. And then from then on, don't stop, don't stop. And don't, don't rest in between. Don't, don't have a gap here. Don't, don't, don't, don't gap. At any point you can say, okay, for this week, I'm doing these three tasks and three tasks only. I'm not doing 10, I'm doing three. Because I also read somewhere that you don't need to do a lot even if you do one, but you must.

Do it proper, properly.

If you can do a proper job of the one thing that you're going to do for the week, you are sorted. Even if you're doing one thing a week towards your business and you're doing it properly, you, you are set for the skies, good to go. You're set for the skies. So that's. Those are my thoughts. And to the black child. And just to say to black child, there is an element of all of us on planet Earth being equal. Somewhere, somehow, we all have two eyes, we all have one nose, we all have one. We all have a being, we have a soul. So why Uli is going to be the better person to get to prosperity, to get to a bottle abundance through business, why is she gonna be the one where the same? Somewhere, somehow there has to be a place for you to do your thing as well. Yeah, understand that.

Absolutely.

So you can't say, oh, Beyonce is, because she's too big. And now you can also claim your space just as she had. You must remember, Beyonce was 4 years old, and at some point, she was 10 years old, she was 15 years old. She also had nothing.

Exactly.

You know, so we all have that inner flame and that inner power, but we need to ignite it and keep it on and burn and burning and burning so that we can get to our greatest heights and to our greatest elevation. Things that will really, really make us leave a mark in the world. So I really want to say put that out there. As soon as I realized it, it was something magical for me just to realize that now I have a place in the world where I can do my best and do my things. So nobody. It's almost like even. It's like cancer. It won't look uber or rich or poor.

Exactly.

If it hits you, it hits you. So also in the positive realm, if it hits you that you are persistent and you're sticking to your goal and you're doing what you're supposed to and you are vibrating the way that you should in your space.

Absolutely. Okay, so that is a wrap, guys. Thank you so much, truly, for your time, and thank you so much for sharing so some very positive and groundbreaking, you know, strategies. We love you, and good luck for the future.

Thank you so much. Thank you.